Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 506 – The Note in the Trash Can

The command center doors at the Sichuan-West Base had been locked for seventeen hours.

Chu Chen’s mind had been running for seventeen hours without pause.

Just as Chen Mo was about to remind him to rest, Chu Chen finally rose from his chair.

“Call Zhou Ming back.”

Chen Mo hesitated. “Isn’t he in the middle of the survivor evacuation—”

“Call him back.”

Chu Chen’s tone left no room for negotiation.

“All transfer operations are suspended. The personnel have already been notified. Have him finish the last batch he’s handling, then return to Sichuan-West immediately.”

Chen Mo nodded and turned to send the communication.

Chu Chen picked up another communicator and switched to Lu Yuan’s channel.

When it connected, wind noise and Zhu Yan’s cursing came through the background.

From the sound of it, the two were mopping up the remnants of a Rift stronghold.

“Lu Yuan, mission change.”

“Didn’t you just say we’re not sending people to the Dragon Spirit Continent anymore? We’re in the middle of—”

“Not that.”

Chu Chen cut him off.

“You and Zhu Yan. Return to Sichuan-West.”

The communicator went silent for one second.

Lu Yuan’s tone shifted. “Return? What about the remaining Rifts?”

“Leave them.”

“There are still Dragon Clan garrisons in over forty Rifts—”

“Not important.”

Chu Chen picked up the last hard candy from the table, popped it into his mouth, and crunched down.

“Those scattered remnants can’t cause real trouble. Lei Li alone can handle them. The two of you need to come back—there’s something more important.”

Zhu Yan’s voice came from the distance, laced with displeasure: “What could be more important than clearing Rifts?”

“Guarding home.”

One word.

Both Lu Yuan and Zhu Yan fell silent at the same time.

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Chu Chen continued: “I’m going out for a while. The base needs someone to hold things down.”

“Where are you going?” Lu Yuan asked.

“The Dragon Spirit Continent.”

Those three words landed like a stone dropped into still water.

Lu Yuan’s voice rose half a notch: “You? Going to the Dragon Spirit Continent?”

“Zhou Ming will take me there.”

“Have you lost your mind? That place is Dragon Clan territory now. You’re a weakling—”

“I need to confirm something with my own eyes.”

Chu Chen’s speech was flat. Flat enough to be unnatural.

“Remote data and simulations have their limits. Some things can only be verified on-site.”

“What thing?”

Chu Chen didn’t answer.

Only static filled the communicator.

After three seconds, Lu Yuan drew a deep breath.

“Understood. We’ll be back in Sichuan-West within the day.”

Zhu Yan let out a muffled grunt in the background but offered no objection.

Line cut.

Chu Chen set down the communicator and rubbed his temples.

Then he picked up another encrypted communicator.

This one was reserved exclusively for contacting Lei Li.

His finger paused for two seconds before pressing the connect button.

Connected.

The signal crossed half the globe and was caught by a figure in white robes with bare feet somewhere in the high altitudes.

“Chu Chen.”

Lin Fan’s voice came through from ten thousand meters up, carrying the howl of wind cutting through air.

“Speak.”

“Three things.”

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Chu Chen adjusted his posture, his voice returning to its usual steady composure.

“First, I’ve halted all cross-dimensional transfers. Survivors on Blue Star will no longer be moved to the Dragon Spirit Continent—they’ll all be housed in place at Sichuan-West and the regional bases.”

Lin Fan didn’t respond immediately.

Three seconds later: “Reason.”

“The Dragon Spirit Continent might have formations too.”

Chu Chen’s voice dropped very low.

“The same kind as the spirit-gathering arrays on Blue Star. Sending people there is essentially feeding the other side.”

The wind noise suddenly diminished.

Lin Fan had slowed down.

“Are you certain?”

“Simulation results. Not a hundred percent, but the probability exceeds seventy percent.”

Chu Chen said.

“These Pureblood Dragon Clan members were deployed to Blue Star with one purpose being to restrain you. The other side knows your exact level, knows the precise rate of the Rift’s expansion, and calculated that you’d need at least ten days to get back. This isn’t coincidence.”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communicator.

“Second matter.”

He continued.

“For the remaining Pureblood Dragon Clan on Blue Star, clean them up as soon as possible. All of them.”

“I’m already doing that.”

“I know, but I need you to head back to Western Sichuan after you’re done.”

“Back there for what?”

“Recharging.”

Chu Chen pulled over a list.

“Copperbeard rushed out a batch of new Spirit Qi Transmission wristbands. You can’t personally go to the Dragon Spirit Continent, but your Life Aura can.”

He tapped the table.

“Charge up this batch of wristbands, and I’ll have Zhou Ming teleport them to Azurewood City in batches. Long Teng, Long Yi, Long Yan, including the garrison forces over there—they’ll all be able to continuously draw your Spirit Energy supply through the wristbands.”

Lin Fan didn’t speak, waiting for him to finish.

“Your personal energy density is mid-Ninth Level. If you can distribute even a tenth of your Spirit Energy into these wristbands, Azurewood City will effectively have a shadow of you providing continuous blood transfusion.”

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Chu Chen said.

“You can’t go over in person, so send your power over instead.”

A faint snap of fingers came from the other end of the communicator.

A cigarette was lit.

“Fine.”

Lin Fan let out a single word.

“Give me two days. The remaining trash on Blue Star—two days is enough.”

“Third matter.”

Chu Chen picked up a pen and unconsciously drew circles on a sticky note.

“I’m going to the Dragon Spirit Continent myself.”

This time, Lin Fan’s silence was longer.

“You?”

“I’ll have Zhou Ming take me over. His Spatial Ability can guarantee my safety.”

“For what?”

“To confirm some things.”

Chu Chen used the same explanation he’d given Lu Yuan.

But Lin Fan wasn’t Lu Yuan.

“What things require you to go in person?”

Chu Chen set down the pen.

He considered for a second whether to tell the truth.

“The situation with the Rifts on the Dragon Spirit Continent—I need to collect Spatial Fluctuation samples on-site to confirm my hypothesis. Remote data isn’t precise enough.”

The logic was perfectly sound.

Lin Fan didn’t press further.

“Be careful.”

Two words, his tone as casual as commenting on the weather.

“If you die, finding a new strategist would be a hassle.”

The corner of Chu Chen’s mouth twitched. “…Thanks for the concern.”

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The call ended.

Chu Chen placed the communicator back on the table and stared at the crack in the ceiling for ten seconds.

Then he pulled a blank sticky note from the deepest part of his drawer.

Picked up his pen.

Wrote two names, with a question mark at the end.

Lei Li = Long Hao?

The characters were small, the strokes light.

He looked at the two names as the sweetness of the last hard candy in his mouth completely faded.

There was another hidden thread extending from Long Hao’s deductions that he hadn’t mentioned to anyone.

Long Hao, as the man behind the Dragon Clan, had no reason to use his loyal Pureblood Dragon Clan members as cannon fodder, bait, or even nourishment.

But if his inner speculation was correct, then everything would make sense…

Chu Chen closed his eyes.

Some thoughts, once they take root, can’t be pretended away.

He crumpled the sticky note into a ball.

The motion was casual, like discarding a miswritten draft.

The paper ball arced through the air and landed precisely in the trash bin at the corner of the desk.

Chen Mo pushed the door open and came in. “Zhou Ming got back to us. The last group of survivors has been delivered. He’s recovering his strength and should arrive in western Sichuan in about half an hour.”

“Good.”

Chu Chen stood up from his chair and patted his wrinkled pants.

Chen Mo glanced at him, seeming to hesitate before speaking.

Chu Chen walked to the door and paused for a step.

“Chen Mo.”

“Here.”

“While I’m away, wipe all communication logs and surveillance data from the command center.”

He tilted his head, his profile looking especially gaunt under the corridor lights.

“Including Lei Li’s.”