Chapter 663: Secret Report of the Jing'an Office

October 17, night.

Xijing Imperial City, Privy Council side hall.

Candlelight flickered, illuminating the huge map on the wall.

Chen Wen sat in the chief seat, his fingers lightly tapping the table edge.

Qian Gui pushed the door open, bringing a chill with him.

"My lord, the Jing'an Office has an urgent report."

He placed the three sealed reports on the table and unfolded them in order.

"First volume, light curtain monitoring." Qian Gui pointed to the first item, "Over the past seven days, the amplitude of ripples in the light curtain has increased by an average of five percent per day, the number of cracks has newly added nine spots, the longest already reaching three cun."

Chen Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Three cun.

For a light curtain that spans heaven and earth, it is insignificant.

But this is a signal.

A signal that the barrier is slowly disintegrating.

"Second volume, within the Yuan Dynasty." Qian Gui opened the second document, "Hebei, Shandong, Henan—eleven places have seen rebel uprisings expand in scale. The largest force is in Xu Zhou, already gathering thirty thousand, attacking cities and seizing land."

"How did the Yuan army respond?"

"Unable to suppress them." Qian Gui shook his head. "The Yuan court's main forces have been split four ways, exhausted from constant campaigning. That Xu Zhou force, the Yuan army has lost three engagements in a row, suffering over five thousand casualties."

Chen Wen fell into thought.

The history of the scripted world is proceeding along its established track—the Yuan dynasty, after unification, quickly corrupted, and rebellions sprang up everywhere.

But the Iron Crow Army will not stand by.

"Third volume." Qian Gui's voice sank, "Movements of the Iron Crow Army."

The final report was unfolded.

On it were only a few lines:

"【October 16, near the Jianzhou Garrison in Liaodong, dark energy fluctuations were abnormal, with intensity three times that of the Battle of Luoyang.】"

"【October 17 at dawn, three tribes on the Mobei plains simultaneously held a heaven‑worship ceremony, witnesses calling it \"the black sun revealed. \""

"【The same day, at the night banquet in the Yuan Dadu imperial palace, all officials of rank third grade and above attended, and among them sat black‑robed individuals.】"

Chen Wen stared at the three characters "black‑robed person."

"The Iron Crow Army is starting to take center stage."

"Yes." Qian Gui said, "The Jing'an Office analyzes that they may be accelerating the process—on one side supporting the Yuan Dynasty's upper echelons, on the other cultivating new forces in the frontier."

"Dual‑track operation."

Chen Wen rose and walked to the map.

His finger traced the western side of the light curtain.

From Mobei to Liaodong, then to Zhongyuan.

"They are spreading a net." He said softly, "The Yuan Dynasty is a puppet on the surface, the dark‑energy nodes are the power source, and the steppe tribes and frontier forces are reserve pieces."

"If the Yuan loses control, do we immediately switch agents?"

"Right." Chen Wen turned, "The Iron Crow Army's core directive is to uphold the historical script. If this Yuan Dynasty agent fails, they will replace him."

He paused.

"But we cannot let them switch so easily."

Qian Gui stepped forward.

"What you mean, my lord, is…"

"Rebellions." Chen Wen pointed to the Xu Zhou location, "Since the scripted world is already in a chaotic age, let us make that chaos… even greater."

"How shall we do it?"

"Two points." Chen Wen raised a finger, "First, gather intelligence on all rebel forces and screen for leaders with potential who are not brutally violent."

"Second?"

"Through the cracks in the light curtain, dispatch 'knowledge capsules'."

Qian Gui blinked in surprise.

"Over at Minister Zhao Shangshu's side… has it succeeded?"

"Preliminarily successful." Chen Wen walked to the window, "The pinhole‑channel technique can now hold for three breaths, enough to transmit an encrypted information packet."

He turned around.

"I want the Jing'an Office to complete a full assessment of that Xu Zhou force within ten days. If the leader is pliable, send him a 'gift'."

"What kind of gift?"

"Some battle cases from the Bei Jing War." Chen Wen said calmly, "Especially those illustrating victory of the weak over the strong, use of terrain, and guerrilla warfare."

Qian Gui's eyes lit up.

"Using others' hands to drain the Iron Crow Army's strength?"

"Not just that." Chen Wen shook his head, "We also need to increase the 'variables' in the scripted world. Every additional uncontrolled force means the Iron Crow Army must devote more energy to deal with it."

He walked back to the table and pointed his finger at the map.

"What is our core advantage?"

"The system? Fortune Momentum? Technology?"

"It's time." Chen Wen said, "The Iron Crow Army must uphold the historical script, so their actions have a framework, nodes, and bottom lines they cannot break."

"But we have none."

"We can wait, we can delay, and at the moment they least want turmoil—we can muddy the waters."

The candle fire crackled.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

In the direction of the light curtain, a faint light rippled.

"Get ready." Chen Wen said, "In ten days, I want to see the assessment report."

"Yes."

Qian Gui bowed and withdrew.

The side hall fell silent again.

Chen Wen stood alone before the map, his gaze deep.

The System Interface appeared before his eyes.

The experience bar remained full.

The crack in the light curtain, the spread of the civil unrest, the Iron Crow Army's dual-line deployment… everything was accelerating.

And he, too, needed to quicken his pace.

That plan.

That plan concerning lifespan, concerning the core team, concerning the future decades' settled pattern—

It must be put on the agenda.

"Soon."

He muttered softly.

Outside the window, the north wind howled.

Winter has arrived.

And the beacon fires of this chaotic age have only just begun to burn.