Bone Beads

Liu Zhan had merely been offering a habitual courtesy, but hearing Chen Chuan's response, he showed no awkwardness whatsoever on the surface. Still beaming, he said, "Student Chen, go ahead and speak. If it's something we can resolve, we certainly won't decline." Chen Chuan said, "I ask that Director Liu not make this recommendation public, and please do not tell anyone for now." "Ah, this..." Chen Chuan added, "Holding it for one year will be enough." Liu Zhan smiled, glanced at Bureau Director Lei, who had remained silent beside them, and said, "What Student Chen asks is entirely within regulations. Put your mind at ease, Student Chen—as long as I remain in this position, I can guarantee it." Bureau Director Lei spoke up then. "The Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau will do the same." Liu Zhan hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, exactly. This is our promise." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, gentlemen." With the matter settled, Chen Chuan and Bureau Director Lei exited the Foreign Affairs Bureau and got back into Lei's car. Once the armored security vehicle got moving, Bureau Director Lei leaned back against the plush rear seat and said, "Your Senior Sister He and I are set to be engaged at the end of the year. You must come when the time comes." Chen Chuan smiled. "Then congratulations to you both. I'll certainly be there." Bureau Director Lei said, "Once Xiao Ying is doing a bit better, I want to thank you in person again." Chen Chuan asked, "Bureau Director Lei, how is the child doing now?" "Still recovering. It's just that having not spoken a word to anyone for two years, his speech faculties have deteriorated somewhat, and he's a bit shy around strangers. Dr. Li says that as long as his parents are patient, he should recover in about half a year." Chen Chuan said, "That's very fortunate." Bureau Director Lei sighed with emotion. "Yes, truly fortunate." He looked at Chen Chuan. "Enough about me, let's talk about you. Just now, you asked to keep it quiet for a year. What, are you confident you can fight for qualification to enter Center City this year?" Chen Chuan said, "I do have that plan." Bureau Director Lei didn't press for specifics on how he planned to do it. He said, "A young man like you—I truly hope you can make it into Center City. The technological level there is undoubtedly the highest in the entire country. And I don't mean just current biotechnology, but every aspect. If you can gain a firm footing there, only then will you be qualified to say you know what this world really looks like. Otherwise, you'll ultimately remain confined to a tiny corner." He cautioned further, "Still, there will be no shortage of enemies blocking your path. If you want to move forward, they will come to obstruct you, to suppress you. If you choose to retreat, you might preserve yourself, but you will only spend the rest of your life in mediocrity. Only by advancing can you have a brilliant life. Some people are born with nothing and have no right to entertain such thoughts—there's nothing to say about them. But since you have this talent, you ought to fight for it." Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then asked, "Bureau Director Lei, I'd like to ask about something, if it isn't too presumptuous." Bureau Director Lei chuckled. "Ask whatever you like. If it's something I can't answer, I simply won't answer." Chen Chuan asked, "I'd like to know: what exactly are esoteric rituals?" Bureau Director Lei pondered briefly. "This involves certain confidential matters, so I'll keep it brief. Regardless of the ritual, what they utilize is that anomalous substance I mentioned before. Internationally, however, there is another commonly used name for it: 'phase entanglement.' Through specific methods and rituals, one can guide this substance to move according to established patterns." Chen Chuan asked, "Are urban legends like that as well?" Bureau Director Lei shook his head. "Urban legends aren't that simple. They are intricate and varied, not something that can be generalized by a single category. Some can be utilized, while others cannot. Furthermore, they don't fall under the jurisdiction of our Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau. Put it this way: what we manage and examine are entirely methods summarized and usable by past esoteric cults throughout history. Most urban legends cannot be summarized or induced into predictable laws, and opinions still vary on their origins. Perhaps the higher-ups know a thing or two, but my rank isn't high enough to grant me access. If you're interested, you can search for them yourself. You should be able to find all kinds of answers you seek in Center City." Hearing him say this, Chen Chuan's desire to go to Center City grew even stronger. His pursuit was to become stronger and transcend all constraints, yet he was equally intrigued by such anomalous, mystical phenomena. Bureau Director Lei drove him all the way back to the school. Chen Chuan got off at the entrance of Wuyi. After parting ways with Lei, he entered the campus, but instead of heading to his dormitory first, he went to Cheng Zitong's office. Upon seeing him, Cheng Zitong closed the office door and asked, "You're back? How was it? Go smoothly?" After sitting down, Chen Chuan said, "Master, your student has obtained the evaluations from both the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau and the Foreign Affairs Bureau." He added solemnly, "They should be able to help keep things quiet for a year, so next, I plan to test for the unlimited defense license." Cheng Zitong looked at him for a moment, then opened his desk drawer and took out a letter for him. "This is Old He's reply to you. Take it back and read it first. If you've made up your mind, Master will support you fully. But Master suggests you wait a little longer—wait until your cousin tracks down that final case file, examine that similar precedent, and then decide how to proceed." Chen Chuan reached out and took it, nodding. "Yes. Though your student has made up his mind, I will not be overly hasty." He went on to tell Cheng Zitong about the raid on the Copper Rust Gang and handed over the implant to him for disposal before taking his leave. Back in his dormitory, he— Previously, with the growth of his mutated tissue and the overall progress of his body, he had also sensed that wanting to— Because the body had to maintain its functions, progress in any single area would inevitably carry the whole along with it. Although gains came rapidly at first, they would grow increasingly slow and inefficient later on. Even if one could keep improving, doing so might require several years or even decades. Thus, forcing oneself to achieve it this way was clearly not worthwhile, nor was it necessary. He believed— Not knowing whether his thoughts were correct, he had consulted He Xiaoxing—without mentioning wanting to reach the upper limit, of course, framing it purely as a theoretical inquiry. He Xiaoxing's reply confirmed his conjecture. In the letter, he praised Chen Chuan's inquisitive spirit, telling him that from— The letter also said that very few people could perceive this problem, let alone actively bring it up; those without talent would not and could not investigate such matters. At the end, he expressed hope that Chen Chuan would keep it up—extraordinary martial prowess was certainly important, but maintaining a spirit of seeking knowledge was what truly drove a person forward. After finishing the letter, Chen Chuan understood clearly. At his current stage, he didn't need to overly pursue the extreme limit, because that limit simply couldn't be achieved right now. Once he mastered the power of a higher limit, he could turn back and raise it all together. In that case, once he felt he had reached a bottleneck and progress had become negligible, that would be the time to enter— Then, what came next was to train hard and wait for that moment to arrive. After thinking it through, he reached into his pocket and took out the bone bead bracelet obtained from Qisai. While carrying this item, he had noticed that while causing harm, it also produced a slight stimulating effect on mutated tissue. Yet this bit of stimulation was truly far too faint. Was it merely a slightly unusual piece of jewelry? He inspected it again, sizing it up against his wrist, only to realize that the number of bone beads on it was clearly insufficient to wrap around that man's thick wrist. Moreover, aside from where he had yanked it that day, the cord bore marks of frequent disassembly. Did this mean... His thoughts stirred slightly. Unfastening one of the bone beads, he scrutinized it for a moment, then squeezed with force. A pile of powder fell onto the desk, and right at the moment the object shattered— It truly was so! Chen Chuan's eyes lit up. He understood now: Qisai must have used this thing as a substitute for medicine to stimulate his mutated tissue for martial cultivation. However, this stimulation was far more powerful than that of similar drugs, and it likely carried other unknown harms. While stimulating the mutated tissue, it was probably also overdrawing his life force. Considering that Qisai had likely reached the second limit, perhaps he was able to endure it? It was also possible that because Qisai had spent long periods out in the wasteland and couldn't obtain enough medicine, he carried this item to use in occasional emergencies. Yet one couldn't rule out that the Maka nation was small and weak, unable to provide abundant medicine like Wuyi could, and thus relied on this method as a substitute. Regardless of the actual situation, this thing was just right for him. His gaze turned toward— Just then, a knock came from the door. Putting the items down, he walked over and opened it, finding Feng Xiaoqi standing there. The latter said, "Student Chen, I've finished the tally. In total, there are 5,350 Jianyuan notes and 537 trade scrips." Chen Chuan pondered. Over five thousand Jianyuan notes? This was actually no small sum. After all, even after Nian Fuli was promoted to captain, his monthly salary was only a little over two hundred. Considering this money had to be split among forty or fifty people, however—and was blood money earned at the risk of their lives—it really wasn't that much. He said, "Let's do this: I'll make the calls. Once Senior Brother Ren and Brother Wei wrap things up on their end, we'll pick a day for everyone to come together and split it." "All right!" As for the two Wansheng Financial Firm gold drafts, he had previously asked Cheng Zitong about them. Cashing them required booking an appointment in advance, with an uncertain timeframe that could take up to sixty days. And regarding the implant, Cheng Zitong had told him to wait, as a suitable buyer could likely be found. Given that, he might as well distribute the cash in hand to everyone first. Over the next three days, Ren Xiaotian and Wei Chang'an called one after the other to say the vehicles, firearms, and bounties had all been cleared and settled, and the Foreign Affairs Bureau's commission fee had also been deposited into his account. Then what remained was undeniably dividing the spoils. Chen Chuan thought it over and simply reserved a private dining room at the Douyi Hotel in the city center, notifying all the team members who had taken part in the operation to gather there on their rest day for a meal together, where the rewards would be distributed.