Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, April arrived.
Chen Chuan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his dormitory, gazing out at the continuous rain.
Nearly a month had passed since he submitted his application to test for the unlimited defense license in early March.
Ordinarily, a reply should have arrived within a month, but he had still received nothing.
Although he satisfied every prerequisite to apply for the unlimited defense license—and far exceeded the normal criteria—the ultimate power of decision lay in the hands of the higher-level review board. It remained entirely possible that they would stall until his second year.
That would not work in his favor. As time dragged on, word of his application was likely to leak, and the evaluation from the Foreign Affairs Bureau could only shield him for a year.
By then, certain people would not wait for him to obtain the unlimited defense license before making their move; they would find ways to strike early. Precautionary measures were definitely necessary.
He had already considered his options. One was to remain at the academy without leaving, focusing single-mindedly on his training. And once he stepped into the Second Limit... But doing so was rather passive and detrimental to his future growth. Cheng Zitong had also told him of another alternative: arranging for him to go to another branch academy or a school abroad on an academic exchange, which would steer him clear of all kinds of trouble.
Still, that was only a last resort. It was best if his application was approved.
Over the past month, he had handled five more commissions. Three of them were similar cases where too much time had elapsed, leaving behind neither clients nor urban legends.
As for the remaining two, because he had deliberately taken on cases that were easy to handle, the process had not been complicated. Once someone knew the method, even an ordinary person could resolve them, so nothing of value had been left behind.
He had also realized that only urban legends that persisted for a longer period or manifested frequently before the public were likely to leave something behind. Likewise, only legends of that caliber could provide greater stimulation to mutated tissue.
Looking at things as they stood, among the commissions the company had secured from the Municipal Administration, only one roughly met this criterion. However, that place lay within Mount Zhang, and because his predecessor's cause of death remained unknown, he had consistently avoided going there.
Furthermore, this urban legend was not among the files he had previously reviewed, meaning he would have to come up with a solution on his own. Therefore, until he was fully prepared, he did not plan on heading there.
Just then, the telephone in the living room suddenly rang.
He glanced back, walked over, and picked up the receiver. Cheng Zitong's voice came through: "Little Chuan, come by my office. Right now."
Chen Chuan felt a stir in his heart, but replied steadily, "Understood."
Taking an umbrella from the shoe cabinet, he pushed open the door and stepped outside. Just then, he ran into Zhuang Zhi and several others returning from outside, their clothes still soaked.
Their gazes met for a moment, and, as usual, neither side acknowledged the other.
Over the past few days, Chen Chuan had seen them go out multiple times, and an aura of sharp vigor was gradually developing around them. They were likely heading out on assigned tasks.
For first-year cadets, that was no small feat; the Mutual Aid Society was undoubtedly pushing them from behind. Yet to the Mutual Aid Society, it was like maintaining blades: if they wanted to use these tools, they had to hone them first. They certainly spared no expense in that regard, though whatever they gave today, they would demand even greater returns tomorrow.
When Chen Chuan reached the entrance of the dormitory building, he saw the rain was growing heavier. A gust of wind blew in, the cool, droplet-laden air clearing his mind. Taking a breath of the crisp air, he opened his umbrella and stepped into the curtain of rain.
Following the path alongside Spring and Autumn Lake, he arrived at the administrative office building. He shook out his umbrella, placed it into a receptacle to the side, stamped his feet, and headed straight up to the fifth floor. Reaching the Logistics Office, he knocked on the door. "Teacher, I'm here."
"Come in."
Chen Chuan walked inside, pulled the door shut behind him, and stepped up to the desk.
Cheng Zitong held down a document on the desk and slowly slid it over to him. "Little Chuan, your application to test has been approved."
Chen Chuan lowered his gaze and picked up the paper.
Written upon it was the official review and approval. The remarks stated that after evaluating all aspects of his record, he was deemed fully qualified. He was therefore granted permission to take this year's unlimited defense license examination, with the requirement that he complete the assessment before September. Failure to meet the deadline would be treated as a voluntary forfeit, and barring an official government pardon, he would be permanently barred from testing again.
Seeing this, he felt a slight sense of relief.
It had finally arrived.
Cheng Zitong said, "Your cousin's analysis was spot-on. With recommendations from three government departments, you had more than enough qualification to get approved, even without the Disposal Bureau."
When the application was finally submitted, master and student had weighed things carefully and ultimately decided not to request an internal recommendation from the Disposal Bureau.
Aside from looking good on paper, everyone up top knew how such things worked. Choosing not to seek it did not mean he was unable to get it; it was essentially superfluous. Moreover, pursuing it might easily expose his application, whereas their current approach helped keep it under wraps for a while longer.
After finishing the document, Chen Chuan set it down and asked, "Teacher, what are the contents of the assessment?"
Cheng Zitong said, "That's what I was just about to tell you. The examination content for the unlimited defense license changes every year. The Grade C license is straightforward enough; cadets are informed in advance. For example, I've already received word that someone will come by shortly to give notice regarding the matters of the Grade C assessment.
"However, the examination content for the Grade B license is not publicized in advance. Instead, it will be delivered directly into your hands either by mail or by courier. That's why I had you fill in your home phone number and address earlier. Now that the approval is in, I expect the results will arrive within the next day or two at most. You can stay at home for these couple of days to keep word from leaking out at school."
Chen Chuan understood. He said, "Teacher, in that case, I will head back now."
Cheng Zitong gave an affirmative nod and said, "Once you have the details, you can call to arrange to meet me and explain the situation, but remember not to discuss it over the phone."
Chen Chuan nodded. Stepping out of the office and heading down from the fifth floor, he saw a group of impeccably dressed, solemn-faced people walking in from outside, led by someone who appeared to be a high-ranking academy administrator. They made their way toward the elevator.
After glancing at them for a few moments, he retrieved his umbrella, went back to the dorm to gather some belongings, then threw on a raincoat, rode his bicycle out of the academy, and headed to his aunt's house.
Since today was not a rest day, no one happened to be home. He went to his room, set his things down, and changed out of his damp clothes. Then he took Legends of the Three Mountains from his bag and began flipping through it.
The "three mountains" of the book referred to Mount Zhang to the north, Mount Jia to the southwest, and Mount Xie to the southeast. Most of the legends described events that occurred in the vicinity of these three mountains.
Prior to the Great Expansion, there had been no Yangzhi City, only Yangzhi Old Town; the territory enclosed by these three mountains encompassed present-day Yangzhi City and most of its surrounding regions.
Most of these legends showed traces of urban legends, or had developed out of them. Someone like him who understood urban legends could easily discern things of value lurking beneath the surface. For that reason, he read the book very slowly, mulling over every detail with care. After a full month, he had read less than half.
Around three in the afternoon, the telephone outside his room suddenly rang. Anyone calling at this hour and possessing this specific number was unlikely to be looking for Nian Fuli's family.
Realizing what it must be, he closed the book, walked out into the living room, and picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Chen Chuan. Who is calling?"
A grave voice came from the other end: "Cadet Chen Chuan, I have arrived at the mouth of the alley where your residence is located. Please come out to collect a delivery."
"All right," Chen Chuan replied.
Hanging up the phone, he took an umbrella and walked outside until he reached the entrance of the alley. An imposing black sedan was parked there, with three individuals in black trench coats standing before it. He noted that one of them held a black briefcase in hand. Walking forward, he calmly approached the group.
The man in the center, who had a square-jawed face, looked him over before taking out an identity card and displaying it. "I am a courier from the Review Committee. Cadet Chen Chuan, please present your cadet card and weapons license to verify your identity."
Chen Chuan nodded. He drew out his cadet card and weapons license. The man took them, inspected them, and gestured for the person next to him to step aside before taking several photographs of them. Only then did he return the cards to Chen Chuan, handing over a delivery receipt as well. "Please sign here."
Chen Chuan took it, skimmed the sheet, and signed his name at the bottom. The man tore off a slip and instructed him to keep it safe. Then, taking the black briefcase from the person beside him, he did not remove anything from inside, but handed the entire briefcase directly to Chen Chuan.
Once Chen Chuan took it, the man's expression softened slightly. He reached out to shake Chen Chuan's hand and said, "Cadet Chen Chuan, please read the examination contents and requirements within carefully. I wish you success on your assessment."
Chen Chuan offered his thanks. Watching the party climb into the vehicle and drive away, he carried the briefcase back to the house.
Inside the moving sedan, the man handed the identity card back to the person beside him, who received it respectfully and asked, "Commissioner Cao, he's just a cadet. Was it truly worth making the trip yourself?"
Commissioner Cao replied, "I merely wanted to see for myself what kind of commoner cadet could secure recommendations from three departments and earn a weapons license in his first year."
"That is indeed very rare."
"What's rare isn't just that," Commissioner Cao said. "It's that he clearly knew what he needed to do, dared to do it, and actually pulled it off."
"Sounds like promising material."
"I believe so. But he still has to overcome the hurdle before him. No one else can help him with that. We shall see." As the conversation faded, the car gradually vanished into the curtain of rain.
Meanwhile, back inside the house, Chen Chuan opened the briefcase and took out a document pouch. Unfastening it, he pulled out a stack of papers detailing the examination location along with route charts and a regional map. There was also an assessment permit resembling an identity card.
Just as Cheng Zitong had said, this exam required him to travel out of town, a measure intended to minimize interference from local forces.
He picked up the map and read the documents; judging by the details, the assessment appeared to take place in the wilderness.
Although the exam granted a generous time limit of up to six months, seeing the specific requirements listed, he realized it could not be dragged out for long.
However, in another two to three weeks at most, he could attempt to enter the Second Limit. After all, even elite cadets usually reached only this level upon graduation. With the addition of his Second Self, that would be more than enough to handle this examination.
Chapter 142