Application

Upon hearing his words, Lu Fang couldn't help asking, "Her face has been altered? Brother Wu, can you confirm that?" Wu Bei replied, "I don't know what she originally looked like, but her skeletal structure and facial proportions have undergone a certain amount of adjustment, and implant fibers were used to reconstruct and reinforce them. I heard my family mention before that some companies provide clients with unique individuals or people who resemble specific figures according to client preferences and personal kinks." Hearing this, Lu Fang suddenly realized something. He glanced at the girl with pity, then turned to Chen Chuan. "If that's the case, then she most likely isn't Senior Shen's younger sister. Maybe she's just a look-alike doll that Zhao Qian custom-ordered from some company. Could he have done it to humiliate Senior Shen? Or maybe to replicate someone else?" Chen Chuan had considered this possibility as well. If so, the appearance of this girl calling herself "Number Thirteen" was very likely modeled by Zhao Qian after Shen Zheng's sister. Yet what seemed strange was that Shen Zheng's sister had originally been taken away by Zhao Qian himself. Why would he go to the trouble of ordering a doll that resembled her? What had actually happened in between? He shifted his thoughts and asked, "Did Zhao Qian ever say who you look like?" The girl said softly, "Mr. Zhao seemed to say that I look a lot like someone, but I don't know who." Lu Fang murmured, "Perhaps that's it." Chen Chuan said, "Senior, there might still be clues in this house. Let's search the place first and see if we can find anything." Lu Fang nodded. Chen Chuan looked back at the girl. "Do you know of any unusual places here?" The girl said, "There is a study in the southeast corner of the third floor. Mr. Zhao usually didn't let me go near it." Seeing her answer every question without hesitation, Lu Fang couldn't help remarking to Wu Bei, "She doesn't seem very resistant?" Wu Bei answered, "Major corporations have consciousness-editing implants. Combined with hypnotic techniques, they can predetermine a doll's behavioral logic. But higher requirements cost more money; Zhao Qian probably didn't purchase those services." Lu Fang understood. He pointed to the man lying on the floor and asked the girl, "Then who is he?" The girl said, "He is the person Mr. Zhao arranged to guard the house. His name is Zhao Er." Lu Fang asked again, "So the nutritional paste delivered every day was ordered by him?" The girl nodded. Lu Fang asked, puzzled, "Then why not order more at once?" "Because the money Mr. Zhao transfers to his account each day is limited—just enough for each day's meals. So we can't buy too much at one time, and we aren't permitted to contact Mr. Zhao proactively. We can only await his orders." Lu Fang couldn't help sighing. Seen this way, these two were tools in the truest sense. Because they couldn't initiate contact with Zhao Qian, they wouldn't even leave after his death; they would only rigidly carry out the orders he had left behind. Having grasped the situation, Chen Chuan and Lu Fang consulted each other and decided to split up their search. Lu Fang took charge of the other areas, while Chen Chuan went directly to the third floor, stopping before the room the girl had mentioned. The lock on the outside naturally couldn't stop him. With a light shove, he jarred the lock open and stepped inside, only to see a plant stretching all the way from the floor to the ceiling. Wu Bei's voice came through: "This is a field interference organism. This specimen is Wumian Company's 'Cactus,' a mid-tier product that can generate five fixed field signals, rotating once every six days." Chen Chuan glanced at it, surveyed the room, and discovered a hidden door on one wall. Pushing it open, he found a small collection room inside. Several models of firearms hung on the walls, each sealed in transparent peel-away film. Towards the front of the room stood a metal cabinet. He tested it and found it unlocked. Opening it revealed three tiers of drawers. The first drawer was stuffed with spare cash and coins; a rough count put it around three or four thousand. The second drawer held paper records and documents. He leafed through them and found most written in cipher, but from the files kept alongside them, they were very likely related to Lianwei Heavy Control Company. He pushed it back and opened the third drawer to find an exquisite red wooden box. He had thought it might contain something important, but opening it revealed a Zhao family genealogy book. Taking it out and flipping through it, he found records stating that the Zhao clan's ancestors had served as Fengsheng Generals in the old era, and one branch had migrated to Yangzhi Town, which later became Yangzhi City. Before the Algae Solution Revolution, all the fields in the old town belonged to the Zhao family. When the new era arrived, instead of clinging to the meager yields of the land, the Zhao clan entered transoceanic commerce. During the Great Expansion, the Zhao clan actively supported and cooperated with the military, becoming a civilian munitions supplier and thereby regaining political standing and prestige. Yet within a few years, they lost out in commercial competition to rivals and suffered political suppression, retreating once again to Yangzhi City until they later forged ties with Molan Company and became active once more. Chen Chuan flipped through it roughly. Even though it was only a genealogy, he felt it wasn't that simple. Moreover, it contained lengthy descriptions of the period before the Great Expansion. Back in middle school, the curriculum had touched on that era of history, but only in passing. Here, it was detailed. It would be worth taking back to read. Beneath the genealogy in the box lay a general's tiger tally, crafted entirely of solid gold, inscribed with the archaic characters for "Fengsheng." Was this an heirloom from the Fengsheng General of old? But the genealogy stated that the Yangzhi Zhao clan was only one branch, so how had this item ended up in Zhao Qian's hands? Just as he was pondering, Lu Fang's excited voice came through the boundary credential: "Junior Chen, come look at this." Chen Chuan put the items down, stepped out, and headed to a second-floor bedroom. He found Lu Fang holding up a photograph, which he handed over as soon as Chen Chuan approached. Chen Chuan took it and looked. It showed a young girl around ten years old. Number Thirteen downstairs shared some resemblance to her, but comparing the girl to the photograph made it clear they were two different people, and her facial features bore a closer resemblance to Shen Zheng as seen in the photograph Chen Chuan had viewed before. Lu Fang said, "There's a date on the photograph. It's from four years ago." Chen Chuan said, "Four years ago—the year Senior Shen met with disaster?" "Right," Lu Fang said grimly. "Senior's sister was taken away by Zhao Qian four years ago, and the girl's age in the photograph matches up. This should be a photo of Senior's sister." Chen Chuan glanced at the background of the photograph. It looked very familiar; it had likely been taken in the abandoned factory where the Mutual Aid Society had plotted against Shen Zheng. The location matched as well, confirming her identity. He said, "Let's keep looking to see if there are any other clues." Lu Fang nodded firmly. Regrettably, though they searched the entire building and questioned the girl repeatedly, they couldn't uncover anything else of use. Chen Chuan proposed ending things here for today, noting that Zhao Qian had left behind some cipher records that might shed light on something. Lu Fang agreed. Releasing the girl, Number Thirteen, and Zhao Er into the wild wasn't appropriate for the time being, so Lu Fang volunteered to stay behind and keep watch over them. Seeing this, Chen Chuan set up some contact signals with him just in case, then left the residence with the valuable items and returned to the Xuan Palace Building. The next day, he first went to Gao Ming's place, handed over the cipher book and the materials suspected to be linked to Lianwei Heavy Control, and asked him to investigate the cipher's origins. After leaving, he arrived at Instructor Zheng's residence for training. Lately, whenever he came here, he engaged in sparring practice with Zheng Tongtong. From being suppressed one-sidedly at the start, he was now able to trade blows back and forth. Today was especially different. Not only had his bones, sinews, and internal organs grown stronger from the continuous investment of resources, but with his heightened senses, even at baseline status he possessed faster reflexes and coordination, allowing him to keep pace with Zheng Tongtong's rhythm. Both exchanged moves with great composure, neither exposing any flaw, countering each other's attacks for an entire day without stopping. With their physical strength and stamina, they could have dragged it out for several more days without issue, but that would turn into a pure battle of attrition. While this had some value for honing technique, the benefit was minimal. Thus, as if by mutual agreement, both began accelerating the tempo of their blade strikes and the force behind their swings. Within a brief span of ten-odd seconds, they clashed more than a hundred times, the ring of blades echoing incessantly through the training ground. Instructor Zheng saw their speed quickening and their swing power mounting, knowing that if they continued, neither would be able to hold back. He casually picked up a wooden practice saber, slipped it right into the opening between their sword stances with impeccable timing, and flicked lightly, knocking both weapons aside. Chen Chuan seized the momentum to sheath his blade. He felt that the force applied had parted him and Zheng Tongtong precisely—the timing and power were just right, not a fraction too much or too little. Even if he let loose his enhanced state, he could never pull that off. It seemed he still had a long way to go in technique. Instructor Zheng spoke with satisfaction. "Trainee Chen, let's end today's training here. You've made tremendous progress. For now, you don't need to learn too much more; just hone and master what's in front of you. My suggestion is that you apply for your skill assessment once you get back." Chen Chuan nodded. It was already early June, less than a month before the semester ended, and his technical level wasn't likely to see significant gains in the short term. It was indeed time to take the assessment. After bidding farewell to Instructor Zheng and his daughter, he drove back to the Xuan Palace Building and contacted the Wuyi platform. "Hongfu, I'd like to apply for this semester's skill evaluation assessment." Hongfu's voice came back: "Application received. Trainee Chen, based on your application time, the available dates for assessment are June 5th, 10th, and 25th. Please confirm your date." Chen Chuan thought for a moment. The 5th was tomorrow. Feeling no need to wait, he figured it was best to get it settled tomorrow. "I apply for the assessment on June 5th."