Chen Bitong remained silent for a moment, then said, "We can have a proper talk now, and this place is just right."
The position where the two stood was exactly at the dividing line between the two sides, so at this moment, they were not afraid of any interference or eavesdropping on their conversation.
Chen Chuan said, "I'm listening."
Chen Bitong looked at him seriously and said, "Captain Chen, you have a bright future. I didn't want to involve you in this matter originally, but you convinced me with your strength."
He leaned back on the spear, looking ahead at the fissure.
"I have been defending World Ring for twenty years, and I can't remember how many times I've repelled invasions from the outside. In the early years, I had a bad temper, and I considered myself a man of principle, very strict with my subordinates, unwilling to befriend the powerful and superiors, and not getting along well with my colleagues.
At that time, I stubbornly believed that as a soldier, it was enough to just do my duty of guarding.
My two children admired me very much, so they successively applied to military school. They were also very talented, entering the Third Limit at the ages of eighteen and nineteen respectively, graduating early, joining the Ministry of Defense, and guarding the World Ring with me.
But... they also sacrificed themselves there in the end."
Chen Bitong reached out and fumbled around, taking out two small wooden carvings of a swallow and a tiger from his person, "These were given to me by them when they were five years old. These two things are their names."
Chen Chuan glanced at them, seeing two rows of small characters carved on each, "Chen Xiaohu' and "Chen Xiaoyan'. These animal carvings were very childlike, obviously carved by two pairs of young hands.
Chen Bitong caressed the pair of carvings and slowly said, "They were not injured at the time, but were contaminated by something from the other side. After I heard about it, I rushed to the rear.
The officer there informed me that those infected with this thing would inevitably be controlled by a certain existence from the other side, and there was currently no way to solve this problem, with a certain possibility of infecting others. They hoped I could find a way to deal with it as soon as possible, and if I couldn't do it myself, the Ministry of Defense could handle it."
He said in a low voice, "After Xiaoyan and Xiaohu learned about this, they didn't want to see their father in a difficult position, so when I returned, they left a letter and turned back to the battlefield again..."Chen Chuan did not speak, just silently listened.
"I remember the letter said: Dad, you have always been a hero in our hearts, we admire you, we are proud of you, and we hope you can be proud of us too."
Chen Bitong's eyes slightly moistened as he said this, then he took a deep breath, carefully put the wooden carvings back close to his body, and finally pressed them gently. Even during the most intense moments of the battle, even when he seemed to become another person, he did not let these two wooden carvings suffer any damage.
He leaned back and murmured, "After I went back that time, I changed Little Whale's name to Little Jin..."
At this point, he paused, took a slight breath, and then awkwardly shifted the topic back: "During the later period of defending the World Ring, I encountered many similar incidents, including many comrades who had fought alongside me for a long time. The rear's suggestion was to deal with it as soon as possible, or have them send someone to supervise the handling.
So most of the team members who were contaminated, after entrusting their families to their comrades, turned and charged back to the front line.
We always thought this was the correct way to handle it, until one time, a young officer who followed a superior to inspect the front line also got contaminated, but he was not disposed of in the same way. Instead, he was sent to the rear for treatment overnight.
Two months later, I saw him at a victory celebration, chatting and laughing with others, and his military rank had even been promoted.
I managed to find someone to check his file, and his so-called merit was actually getting infected with this thing, saying he fought on the front line and nearly died, but in fact, he had been on the front line for less than three hours and never got out of the vehicle.
I later found out that this person was the son of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Defense, and his mother's family seemed to hold an even higher status.
Later, I conducted some investigations, learned through different channels that being infected was not completely incurable, what was needed were specially approved drugs from above, these drugs were held by certain people, not letting those below know, only used to treat those they deemed necessary to treat."
Chen Chuan then said, "So what Master Chen is doing now, is it a means of revenge for your comrades and your children?"
Chen Bitong shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I have been a soldier all my life, I have my duties to uphold, and Little Swallow and Little Tiger were also soldiers. Since they went to the battlefield, they had to be prepared for all kinds of situations. I will not resent or seek revenge on anyone for this."Moreover, seeking revenge on these people would not really solve the problem.
Yes, I might be able to kill all these people, perhaps even sacrifice my own life to take away those who concealed the situation at that time, but what then?
After I and these people die, everything would not change because of my actions. What was before would remain the same, and what was supposed to happen would still continue to happen.
At this point, his voice became slow and powerful: "Only by making the change big enough, big enough to influence Central City, even the entire Da Shun, or the whole world, would it be meaningful."
Chen Chuan looked at him, feeling that what this man was trying to do might be very significant.
"There are some things in the world that originally belong to everyone, but have been tightly grasped by certain people using power, becoming their exclusive possessions."
Chen Bitong raised his head and said, "Captain Chen, you are already standing at the doorstep to a higher Limit, not far from it. But to break through that cultivation barrier, besides what I said earlier about drawing strength from the other end to refine oneself, you actually need one more thing.
In the past, when the two worlds attracted each other, whether during the period of change or the cold and silent period, such things were not difficult for old-time Martial Artists who had reached the boundary to find.
But now it's different."
His voice was solemn, "These things are now strictly locked away, except for the world's major powers and giant companies, no other individuals have any way to obtain them."
Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Like special drugs?"
Chen Bitong shook his head, "Although special drugs are also controlled, those cultivation schools outside, as long as they have a Fissure, still have ways to get them. Besides, special drugs are hard currency among the Third Limit group, and they also circulate outside.
But the thing I'm talking about has been locked away by the world's major powers and conglomerates using the World Ring, not a single bit has leaked outside.
Now, all the civilian schools and small countries, if they don't have the legacy left by their predecessors, almost can't get this kind of thing without the approval and permission of the major powers' governments and conglomerates.
Unless they take the method of sneaking around the World Ring, but the risk is very high. There is a joint force in the World Ring specifically responsible for hunting down these people."
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, this matter was undoubtedly closely related to him, so he asked, "What is the reason for countries and companies to block these things?"The control over such things began during the Great Alliance period. At that time, it was believed that the destructive power of Martial Artists was immense. Every Martial Artist needed to be evaluated and restrained to prevent major upheavals around the world and to ensure that every future Martial Artist could join the fight against the other world.
Perhaps his original intention was indeed so, but after so many years, the channels for such things have long been monopolized by a small group of interest groups. They have formed a large net, and if you were not originally part of their interest group, you could only get their charity by signing harsh treaties and agreements.
This situation cannot continue any longer!"
He looked towards the outside of the Fissure and said in a deep voice, "And what I want to do today is to break through that blockade, at least to tear a gap in that layer of blockage, to let those things scatter, giving more people the opportunity to obtain them."
Chen Chuan paused for a moment and then asked, "Using the Fissure?"
Chen Bitong nodded, "But that's not all, there's also the Split Offspring. The Split Offspring can help us pass through the World Ring, which already has a breach, to connect to the place where those things are. If handled properly, once successful, many people will no longer be subject to those restraints, and more changes will occur."
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. He didn't know how strong Martial Artists of higher Limits were, but from the little he had seen from Chen Bitong, he could imagine the destructive power such people could possess.
Even if just one or two more of such people were added, they could potentially change the landscape of a certain region.
However, here, he felt that Chen Bitong still had some things he hadn't made clear. Just as he was about to ask further, he suddenly sensed something and looked outside the Fissure. Someone was coming up, and they brought with them a faint sense of threat.
It seemed that the person coming up this time was not simple.
He turned his gaze to the other side and saw his Snow Emperor Blade stuck there. The expanding Fissure had enveloped this sword as well.
He walked over, grabbed the hilt, and pulled it out. Although the sword had not yet awakened, it was sufficient to deal with the current situation.
He then looked at Chen Bitong again, "So, Master Chen, was it you who opened the breach in the World Ring?"Chen Bitong remained silent for a moment, then said, "I would not take the initiative to do this, but I admit, I did not stop it in time."
Chen Chuan stood in front with his knife, looking towards the front of the Fissure. After standing still, he turned his head and asked, "By the way, what is that thing called?"
"Now we call it "Pure Essence'."
Chen Bitong said, "I don't know what it was called in the past, because its real name has been erased from the archives and most records."