Chapter 428: Cooperation

From the other end of the crack, the first thing to emerge was a hand wearing black leather gloves.

The five fingers pressed into the air.

The space seemed grasped by an invisible palm, collapsing inward into layer upon layer of folds.

In the next second, Chen Shao walked out from inside.

His hair at the back is combed perfectly, his black coat hangs to the knees, his shoe soles step over the edge of the cracked space and land on the Federation's defensive zone's cement ground.

No superfluous movements.

Nor any opening words.

But outside the entire warning line, all muzzles lifted at the same instant.

Clack clack clack clack.

The bolt is pulled, the safety disengaged, special ammunition chambered.

Infrared targeting dots crawl densely over Chen Shao's chest and forehead.

Chen Shao doesn't even lift an eyelid.

Behind him, Xu An walks out of the crack, holding the Red Wood Ruler upside down.

The stitched mouth shows no expression, his bare feet step on the glassy soil, his soles bear no blood, only gray‑white marks.

Further back are five Yujui practitioners whose aura presses the air so heavily that people can barely breathe.

Someone has half of their body hidden in shadow.

Someone has a black line coiled around their neck, writhing like a living thing.

Someone holds a blue‑skin lantern, within the lampshade floats half a human face.

Eden Garden.

All personnel are high‑risk.

The Federation Special Forces formation contracts instantly.

Front‑line shield soldiers press their blast shields low, rear‑line artillerymen swivel their plasma cannon barrels half an inch.

With a single gesture from Su Ming, this area would be razed to ruins by firepower.

The deputy's Adam's apple twitched twice, and in a low voice said, "Su Team, Chen Shao himself. S Ji wanted target. Want to......"

"Hold."

Su Ming raised his hand, and the two words quelled everyone's impulse.

His palm is still bleeding.

The wound left by the door‑probe's backlash splits down along his wrist bone, the flesh turning black, the pain numbing.

But Su Ming does not look at his own hand.

He stares at Chen Shao.

Chen Shao also stares at him.

There are thirty meters between them.

Thirty meters away, the mutated B09 Weird Domain barrier stands.

Within thirty meters, the Federation and Eden Garden meet for the first time on the same battlefield.

If this scene were posted on the internal forum, the title wouldn't even need to be thought up.

"Su Ming."

Chen Shao speaks, his voice low and chilling, "Your Federation, is this how you protect the students?"

He finishes.

He opens his left eye.

A scarlet Demon Eye spins within the socket, countless tiny runes interlocking deep in the pupil.

The air is pressed by a mental force field into concentric, visible dents.

Two armored vehicles ahead suddenly lift off the ground.

The drivers inside don't even have time to curse before the whole vehicle is flipped out, the hull skidding across the ground, rolling several times, the tracks snapping, sparks flying.

The Special Forces line is thrown into disarray for a beat.

Someone's finger presses the trigger.

Su Ming raises his hand even higher. He understands that Chen Shao's organization is now massive and tangled, no longer a foe the Investigation Bureau can easily eliminate.

"Whoever opens fire, go to logistics and sweep the toilets until retirement."

Su Ming's words aren't passionate.

But they work.

The muzzles are still raised, no one pulls the trigger.

Chen Shao steps forward.

The ground beneath his feet cracks into fine fissures, tiny debris lifts from the surface, hovering around him.

"I suppose you have already investigated this... I handed my sister over to the Qiu Ce Yuan, not to have her sent into the activated Weird Domain."

Su Ming replies, "She wasn't the one you handed in."

"Do you want to argue with me?"

"I'm reminding you, this isn't your living room."

Chen Shao's gaze presses onto Su Ming's face.

"Do you want to die?"

Su Ming sneers.

"You're going mad now, killing everyone here, yet no one can single‑handedly break through this mutated barrier."

When those words landed, the agents nearby broke into a cold sweat.

Crazy.

This guy really dares to say that.

Facing a monster of Chen Shao's caliber, not only does he refuse to give a concession, he also rubs salt into the wound.

The deputy officer's lips turned white, and his hand already reached for the emergency evacuation button.

Chen Shao halted.

The Demon Eye glowed a dark red.

Xu An stepped half a pace forward.

The Red Wood Ruler hung at his side, its shaft covered with dense black characters.

The other few tricksters of Eden Garden also moved.

The half‑face inside the green‑skinned lantern opened its eyes and stretched its toothless mouth.

On the Federation side, the plasma cannon's charge bar surged red all the way.

Both sides were only half a thought away from starting a civil war at the B09 Doorway.

Su Ming, however, did not retreat.

Su Ming raised their still‑bleeding hand, pointing at the deep‑red Domain Membrane.

"Chen Shao, you're strong."

"Strong enough that the Federation now dares not pull you out lightly."

"I can say that in front of everyone; there's nothing shameful about it."

Chen Shao gave no reply.

Su Ming's tone was hard: "But if you kill people here to vent, and Chen Yao stays inside a minute longer, the death rate will jump. If you want the people you care about to die, go ahead and act."

When the final half of the Exit was spoken, the psychokinetic field stopped.

It didn't vanish.

It was forcibly held down.

The fragments floating in midair fell to the ground one by one.

Xu An turned his head sideways, looking at Chen Shao.

The people of Eden Garden also did not move forward.

On the Federation side, everyone heard the dry swallow in their own throats.

Su Ming, normally shady, stingy, and harsher at settling scores than a finance officer.

But at the crucial moment, Su Ming truly dares to put their head on the knife edge to negotiate terms.

Chen Shao stared at Su Ming, and after a few seconds, spoke.

"Give me the data."

The deputy officer was startled.

Su Ming reached out.

"Projection."

The civilian agent hurriedly projected the battlefield data into the air.

The holographic interface unfolded.

Domain Membrane strength curves, Rules rebound parameters, probe‑person backlash paths, plasma cannon output logs, life‑signal blank zones—all were laid out before Chen Shao.

Su Ming pointed at the topmost red curve.

"The third round of bombardment was ineffective. It wasn't strong defense; the devouring feedback was zero. It neither reflected the energy back nor dissipated heat. Worse, the Rules' infiltration was reverse‑biting, and my probe‑person only held for twelve seconds."

Chen Shao looked at the charred fragments of Su Ming's glove.

"What do you intend to use to open the door?"

Su Ming pointed at three black containment vehicles.

"Number 31. High‑risk Containment Object. Rules projection has a perforation property; side effect is random removal of body parts from the contactor. In the last test, seven people died."

Someone in Eden Garden sneered.

"Does your Federation rescue people by lottery?"

Su Ming tilted his head and gave that person a glance.

"Your Eden Garden boasts great capability; you come forward."

The person fell silent.

Chen Shao raised his hand, suppressing the unrest behind him.

"Number 31 isn't enough."

"Exactly."

Su Ming admitted plainly, "So I need your Demon Eye. Your psychokinetic field will fix the local structure of the Domain Membrane, preventing self‑repair after Number 31 perforates. The Federation's main cannon will provide continuous output to keep the opening widened. Your tricksters will block the backlash."

After listening, Chen Shao's gaze fell on Su Ming.

"You're assigning me?"

"I'm saving you time."

Su Ming lifted his chin, "Chen Shao, don't treat this as a negotiation table. The people inside are in danger. Chen Yao is also there."

The two words 'Chen Yao' finally made Chen Shao clench his fingers.

He inhaled, his chest rising once.

The Demon Eye's scarlet contracted inward.

That pressure, which wanted to flatten the entire defense zone, receded by half a step.

Eden Garden affiliation.

Chen Shao turned around, his voice louder than the wind.

Cooperate with the Federation's orders.

That sentence caused a panic at Eden Garden.

Leader!

We cooperate with the Federation?

These people were clearing our base just the day before yesterday!

Chen Shao gave no explanation.

He only gave the speaker a glance.

The person's knees gave way, they fell to their knees, forehead striking the concrete, daring not a single word.

Xu An lifted the Red Wood Ruler and quietly stood to Chen Shao's right rear.

This is a statement of stance.

The remaining people, unwilling as they were, could only disperse into the positions Su Ming had marked.

The Federation's side wasn't any better.

The deputy officer whispered, "Su Team, really let them enter the tactical circle? What if they backstab..."

If they backstab now, we'll all be doomed.

Su Ming tore off the first‑aid patch on his Tactical Vest, hastily wrapping his wrist, "And Chen Shao is more rule‑bound than you think. At least until Chen Yao is safe, he won't act recklessly."

The deputy officer gave a wry smile, "That assessment really puts me at ease—so at ease I feel like writing a suicide note."

Su Ming glanced at him.

Make it short; if it's long I'm too lazy to read.

Deputy officer: "......"

He truly is a living Yan King.

The first layer of the containment vehicle's seal opened.

A scraping metal sound echoed from inside the black carriage.

One after another.

Gray‑white mist seeped through the door cracks, and after landing it didn't spread but formed tiny holes in the ground.

Those holes had no bottom.

Staring at them for long makes the mind feel as if being sucked in.

The civilian investigator's face turned green, and they quickly averted their gaze.

Su Ming raised his hand.

All artillery units, calibrate coordinates.

Federation main cannons, eighteen units, power at seventy percent; do not max out. Maxing will trigger Domain Membrane devouring.

Eden Garden left wing three people, responsible for lateral recoil.

Xu An, can your Correction Place suppress the wall leakage?

Xu An gave no answer.

He lifted the Red Wood Ruler and tapped the ground twice.

Gray‑dull squares spread from beneath his feet, covering a ten‑meter area in front of the Domain Membrane.

Su Ming nodded.

As long as it works.

Chen Shao moved to the front.

His left eye, Demon Eye, opened.

The telekinetic field stopped expanding, compressing into a beam aimed at the center of the deep‑red Domain Membrane.

The barrier that had originally devoured all attacks showed a dent for the first time.

Very shallow.

But enough to make everyone hold their breath.

Su Ming lifted his hand, staring at the parameters.

The numbers flickered wildly.

A red line thrashed wildly at the threshold edge.

Number thirty‑one, Projection Release.

Inside the containment vehicle, a gray‑white arm protruded from the door crack.

The arm had no skin; its surface was covered entirely with closed eyelids.

It pressed against the Domain Membrane.

Those eyelids opened one by by.

No pupils.

Only hollows.

Where the Domain Membrane was pressed, the first hole appeared.

The hole's edge writhed wildly, trying to heal.

Chen Shao barked low, "Hold it."

The Demon Eye's red aura swirled, and the telekinetic field forcibly pried the hole's edge open.

Su Ming's palm came down.

"Open fire!"

Eighteen plasma main cannons simultaneously emit blue‑white high‑temperature streams.

The Eden Garden Deceiver also acts.

The blue‑skinned lantern flies into mid‑air; inside, a human face opens its mouth and spits out a grim green fire line.

The Shadow‑type Deceiver sinks half its body into the ground, the black shadow turning into a long spike that pierces the Domain Membrane crack.

Xu An's ruler lifts.

It falls silently.

Within the grid domain, all leaking red mist is forcibly pressed back.

The official Core, the underground king, the notoriously infamous monsters.

For the first time, they direct their power toward the same coordinate.