Report

After finishing the barbecue and resting for a while, it was one o'clock in the afternoon when Chen Chuan returned to the training ground. Zheng Tongtong walked over. She had switched blades in her hand—this one was a specially made training saber. It still possessed the shape of a thick-backed saber, its dark, dusky blade forged from an unrecognizable material, though clearly carrying considerable weight. Stopping before Chen Chuan, she said, "Junior, this blade is heavy. Watch yourself." Chen Chuan nodded. Having solemnly offered her warning, Zheng Tongtong pivoted on the spot, using the momentum of her spinning body to unleash a horizontal slash. With a whoosh, the blade whipped forward, trailing a dull roar through the air. Chen Chuan raised his blade to parry immediately, applying the techniques he had grasped earlier. But the moment the two sabers collided, he felt an immense force surge through. Relying purely on his previous techniques was nowhere near enough to stop it. Unable to step aside, he instinctively mobilized layers of mutated tissue outside the scope of the standard jin technique to resist in that split second. Yet before he could finish, the crushing pressure forced him backward. For a moment, his entire body felt almost weightless and off-balance, while the Xuejun Saber quivered incessantly from the impact. Zheng Tongtong planted the saber point-down on the ground and asked, "How is it, Junior Chen? Can you manage?" Chen Chuan let out a breath and returned to his spot. "No problem. Again." Wasting no words, Zheng Tongtong spun on the spot and slashed again. Chen Chuan was knocked back once more, but this time, he felt as though he had caught onto a sliver of the knack. By the third strike, he retreated only two steps; by the fourth, a mere half step; and by the fifth and sixth strikes, he stood firmly in place as he had before, without yielding half a step. He realized now that the jin Instructor Zheng had taught him was merely a foundational framework. The mutated tissue called upon was just the general direction; how it adapted thereafter was entirely about filling in the blanks atop that foundation. As more surrounding mutated tissue joined in and was mobilized, he could gradually withstand even force of this magnitude. This benefited from the mutated tissue spread across his entire body, developed through his Zhouyuan Jin. Those tissues were already there; once needed, they could be integrated, so pulling this off was not difficult for him. Those lacking widespread mutated tissue, however, would require specialized stimulation and adjustment, often getting stuck at this step for quite some time instead of progressing as smoothly as he did. Instructor Zheng hadn't expected him to adapt so rapidly either. He nodded inwardly. This student truly possessed an excellent foundation, with thorough mutated tissue coverage. He had taught many people before, but those who could adapt as swiftly as Chen Chuan numbered only two or three, and every single one was born with innate talent. It appeared this trainee was no different. Yet thinking about it, that was only natural. According to the student's file, he practiced the Zhouyuan jin technique. Without innate talent, one could never achieve anything with that discipline in the first place. On the field, Zheng Tongtong began picking up the pace. Earlier, she had only delivered strike after strike to let Chen Chuan adjust; now she was getting serious. For a time, the training room resounded with the air-splitting roar of the heavy blade and the clashing impacts of blocks and strikes. When evening arrived at five o'clock, Instructor Zheng called a halt, and only then did the sparring conclude. Chen Chuan could feel a slight soreness in the corresponding mutated tissue, clearly fatigued from the repeated exertion. Yet his spirits remained vigorous, which he suspected was the effect of the mutton he had eaten at noon. Instructor Zheng said, "That will be all for today's training. Trainee Chen, come back tomorrow." Chen Chuan said, "Alright." Holding his saber, he bowed respectfully to Instructor Zheng, then cupped his fist to Zheng Tongtong. "Thank you, Senior Zheng." Zheng Tongtong returned the gesture and gave him a thumbs-up. "You're welcome, Junior. You're pretty good." After bidding farewell to the two of them and tidying up a bit, Chen Chuan left Instructor Zheng's residence carrying the Xuejun Saber. Out on the streets of Center City, as dusk had already fallen, an overwhelming tide of lights and shadows flooded his senses. Today, he was wearing the boundary credential issued to him by the Disposal Bureau. With a slight adjustment, he promptly filtered out most of the visual noise. By the time he boarded the tram, a notification from the Disposal Bureau platform sounded through his boundary credential comms, stating that the previous emergency case had been closed and briefing him on the full situation. Reading through it, he learned that the attackers had originally belonged to the same mercenary squad. They had previously gone abroad on a mission and returned to recuperate after its completion. Yet midway back, they were informed that although they had secured the designated location, the primary target had escaped. Therefore, under their pre-signed agreement, the bulk of their commission was deducted. However, the money they had spent buying equipment and maintaining their implants came out of their own pockets, financed entirely through loans. Having most of their commission docked left them not only penniless, but saddled with crushing debts. As mercenaries, how could they tolerate such a thing? They resolved on the spot to pull off a major heist. Through an intelligence channel, they learned that a certain exchange shop had recently acquired several expensive items—easy to carry and with no shortage of buyers. Thus, they targeted this place. They split into two teams, one of which assembled at the secondhand market. That was where things went wrong. One squad member spotted a secondhand implant there. It had belonged to a comrade who had once saved his life on the battlefield, still engraved with his comrade's name. After that comrade was wounded, this member had personally escorted him to the rear—and at the time, the injuries were by no means fatal. Upon discovering this, the squad member snapped on the spot and hurled a bomb. The shop owner fled down the emergency exit from the third floor, but was caught on the second floor and had his head blown off by a gunshot. Because the commotion alerted the nearby patrol security, their heist plan fell apart. Most of the members were captured by the city patrol and Disposal Bureau personnel who arrived shortly after, but one ringleader remained at large, and a wanted notice had now been issued. Because law enforcement personnel had faced criminal retaliation in the past, the bureau closed the briefing with a reminder for him to remain vigilant and wear protective gear whenever he went outside. After reading through, Chen Chuan noted the fugitive's details and closed the file. By then, the tram had arrived at his stop. Stepping out of the station, he made his way back to the Xuan Palace Building beneath the shifting, interwoven play of light and shadow. The next day, around the same time as the day before, Chen Chuan left the academy and arrived at Instructor Zheng's home to begin a new day of training. Today, Zheng Tongtong did not use the heavy blade from yesterday. Instead, she wielded a light blade as thin as a cicada's wing. This weapon was not made of metal, but ground from some type of biological cartilage, drilled with a row of holes. Bolstered by unique jin, it could be swung at blinding speed. Instructor Zheng first taught him a set of techniques to increase the speed of his jin. Once he was familiar with it, he had Zheng Tongtong step up to spar with him, demanding that Chen Chuan find a way to match the blade's speed. Once again, he performed exceptionally well. In just one day of training, he matched Zheng Tongtong's speed. Over the next several days, he alternated repeatedly between training against these two blades. When the ninth day arrived and training concluded, Instructor Zheng told him, "Tomorrow is a rest day. Go back, rest up, and let everything settle. We fighters don't need to stay tightly wound all day over technique drills. Go relax. The day after tomorrow, we'll begin the next phase." Chen Chuan agreed. He could feel that while this was still foundational training, he had already made immense progress compared to before. After bidding farewell to Instructor Zheng and his daughter, he returned to the academy. Having arranged with Tan Zhi to go on a day trip aboard a cruise ship departing tonight, he returned to his dormitory, washed up, and packed his gear in advance. This time, he changed into the academy uniform, wearing protective clothing underneath. He also prepared to take both the Xuejun Saber and the Shock Thunder gun gifted to him by Cao Guixi. He had already checked beforehand: weapons were permitted on this trip. Not just him, but all the students of Wuyi Academy would be carrying them. After all, as fighters who possessed martial power, they understood all too well its destructive potential; they would never entrust their lives and safety to someone else's hands. Just as he finished organizing his things, Tan Zhi's message arrived: "Classmate Chen, how's it going? We're ready to head out. How are things on your end?" Chen Chuan replied, "I'm ready anytime." "Great, come downstairs. We're setting off right now!" Chen Chuan grabbed his gear and took the elevator downstairs. When he arrived at the plaza, he saw Tan Zhi sitting in a convertible, waving vigorously at him. "Classmate Chen, get in!" Chen Chuan walked over, opened the door, and took the passenger seat. Once he buckled his seatbelt, Tan Zhi stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward in an instant. Their hair and clothes fluttered in the rushing wind. The spring breeze of February was quite chilly, but as fighters, both of them found it rather pleasant. With one hand resting casually on the steering wheel, Tan Zhi asked, "Classmate Chen, how's it going? Has the school assigned your evaluation projects? Have you picked a suitable instructor yet?" Chen Chuan said, "I found one." "Having the Disposal Bureau backing you really makes things convenient. The company investing in me is middling in size, but their terms aren't as harsh as the big corporations, so I'll have far more freedom in the future. "By the way, you probably don't know this yet, but the investor backing Senior Sun—the one organizing this event—is the Canglong Company. They have a lot of maritime operations, so out at sea, it's his home turf. Still, we won't be straying far from the coastline, mainly to ensure that if any danger crops up, we can jump ship and swim back." Chen Chuan thought about it and said, "That certainly sounds 'safe.'" Tan Zhi gave a chuckle. "We have to be cautious. You've heard of the resistance organization, right?" "A little," Chen Chuan replied. Tan Zhi said, "Those guys cause havoc everywhere. Right now, the Lower District is heavily infiltrated. Oh, I mean the real 'Lower District' down below. That place is like a malignant ulcer festering on Center City. Who knows if they might show up where we gather? Better to be safe than sorry, right?" Chen Chuan had a feeling that Tan Zhi hadn't told him everything, merely using that as a cover. If there was danger, it might involve the resistance organization, but it might not be limited to them. He didn't press further. Instead, he looked up the Canglong Company. Originally a state enterprise operating in marine biotechnology, part of its business had later been spun off. Judging from the company's scope of operations, the existence of those deep-sea creatures in the Haijing Field might very well involve them. Tan Zhi drove fast. In just half an hour, they reached the harbor of Jiyang District. The sea breeze could already be felt blowing across in gusts. Tan Zhi gestured toward a cruise ship anchored offshore. "Look, that's where we're heading today—the cruise liner Rhino Horn."