The student who had spotted Chen Chuan first asked excitedly, "Senior, are you back on break?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Yes, just got back yesterday."
Seeing the new students around looking puzzled, the dorm supervisor smiled. "This is your senior. To give you a hint: he's the one who entered Center City last year."
Last year? Center City?
The students' eyes lit up one after another.
"It's Senior Chen Chuan!"
As one cried out, the students were instantly overcome with excitement, their gazes turning entirely reverent.
What Chen Chuan had accomplished the previous year had caused an immense sensation, covered extensively in the newspapers; on top of that, he was the first student in decades to achieve such a feat. Although these students preparing for the re-examination had never seen him in person, they had constantly heard about him from others and older students. Seeing him now, how could they not be thrilled?
They felt deeply fortunate as well; had they not come here today, they might never have seen this senior in person.
Chen Chuan smiled faintly. "Junior schoolmates, I wish you all the best on your upcoming exams. I hope you will all have the chance to study at the Main Academy in Center City in the future."
"Thank you, Senior!" Hearing his words, these students—only fifteen or sixteen years old—were instantly filled with fighting spirit. "We will definitely work hard!"
Chen Chuan then stepped up to the dorm supervisor. "Sir, are Student Luo, Student Feng, and Student Wei around?"
The supervisor answered, "Student Luo went home for the break, Student Wei has been taking commissions with Senior Wu lately, but Student Feng is here. He's currently helping prepare for tomorrow's re-examination registrations."
Chen Chuan nodded.
The supervisor gestured upward. "Want to go up and stay for a while? Your key is still with me. Your room has been kept vacant, and it will remain so through the entire next year's term. You can come back and stay whenever you like; that was specially approved for you by school administration."
Chen Chuan thought it over and understood the school's reasoning. Under normal circumstances, he might still be at the academy right now, needing to finish another full year before graduating.
He shook his head. "No need. Better to save it for a more suitable student."
The supervisor smiled. "There might be one in the future, but right now, you're the only one qualified to live there. Even if you offered it to another student, they wouldn't dare take it. But let's not dwell on that; it's a minor matter. You've been in Center City for the better part of a year—how does it feel?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I've seen a great many things. If I hadn't gone there, I never would have known how vast the outside world is. But the lights there are more glaring, dazzling enough to seep into the depths of a person's soul. And its steps are extraordinarily steep—so high that a single misstep could send you plummeting down."
The dorm supervisor nodded quietly.
He could understand, though the nearby students could hardly grasp the meaning.
Chen Chuan then produced a wrapped package and handed it over. "Coming back this time, I didn't have anything grand to give you, sir. Please accept this small gift."
The supervisor did not stand on ceremony and smiled. "Then I'll gladly take it."
Chen Chuan chatted with him for another couple of sentences. Seeing that the supervisor had things to attend to, he said, "If you have work to do, sir, don't let me keep you. I'll take my leave." He also said goodbye to the students and walked out of the dormitory building amidst a chorus of "Goodbye, Senior!"
Once outside, he had initially thought to go see Feng Xiaoqi. On second thought, however, Feng Xiaoqi was likely busy, and if Chen Chuan went over, he would probably be held up for ages, doing nothing but disrupting the other boy's work. Better to let it be.
It would be better to find some time later on to invite Wei Chang'an, Senior Brother Ren, and the former team members out for a meal and catch up.
Having made up his mind, he walked over toward the parking lot.
Whether stirred by sentiment or simply because he was in a better mood, as he completed this stroll, the imposing aura about him had unwittingly settled and receded a great deal.
Getting into the car, he drove out of the academy. After thinking for a moment, he pulled over by the roadside, walked up to a telephone booth, and placed a call. After a short while, a pleasant female voice answered: "May I ask who is calling?"
Chen Chuan said, "Senior Sister, it's me, Chen Chuan."
"Junior Brother Chen?" He Nan caught on quickly. "It's break time now. Are you... back in Yangzhi?"
"Yes," Chen Chuan said. "I wanted to find some time to visit you, Bureau Director Lei, and Xiao Ying. When would be convenient?"
He Nan said with a laugh, "Old Lei will definitely be thrilled to know you're back. He hasn't been busy lately, and he'll be free this rest day. Just come over then, Junior Brother. Remember not to bring anything—Old Lei doesn't like that."
"Understood, Senior Sister." After exchanging a couple more pleasantries, he hung up.
Meanwhile, back at the dorm, once the supervisor finished his tasks and saw off the still-excited students, he brought over the package Chen Chuan had given him and unwrapped it, finding a photo album inside.
It was entirely filled with photographs Chen Chuan had taken in Center City, including the Xuan Palace Building, Split Wave Canyon, tram platforms, and even Molan Company's abandoned skyscraper. Inscribed at the bottom were the words: "Gifted by Student Chen Chuan."
He smiled. The stack of photos was one thing, but those few words were what truly mattered; he would make sure to treasure them.
After leaving the phone booth, Chen Chuan bought several newspapers from a nearby kiosk and flipped through them back in the car. Having grown accustomed to Center City's swift information circulation and inquiries, he found himself slightly unaccustomed to Yangzhi upon his sudden return.
To learn anything substantive, one could only consult industry insiders and professionals; what could be gathered from newspapers amounted to fragmented scraps at best.
Since it was already nearing noon and he had promised not to go home for lunch, he gave it some thought and drove toward a certain location. Near an intersection, he found the Han Family Restaurant. A glance showed that, with mealtime approaching, there were quite a few patrons and business was brisk.
Inside, a family of three was busily at work, with a young girl around ten years old helping carry dishes. Despite her youth, her movements were remarkably nimble.
Chen Chuan took off his peaked cap, stepped out of the car, and entered the restaurant.
Seeing him come in, a middle-aged man with graying temples and deep wrinkles immediately wiped his hands on a cloth, walked out from the back, and said with a smile, "Officer, what would you like to eat?"
Chen Chuan looked over the menu pasted on the wall, ordered a few dishes, and then said softly after sitting down, "I heard the Han Family Restaurant's house beef is quite good."
"Then you've come to the right place, Officer! Our beef is top-notch." The middle-aged man noted down his order. "Just a moment, Officer." He personally headed into the kitchen to man the wok.
Chen Chuan waited only a short while before the little girl brought over the food. Setting it steadily on the table, she asked, "Big Brother, are you from Wuyi?"
Chen Chuan looked at her and asked, "Why do you ask?"
"Because some of the older brothers from Wuyi I've seen are as tall as you, Big Brother."
Chen Chuan asked, "Do a lot of older brothers from Wuyi come here to eat?"
"Yeah! They all say they're my big brother's classmates." As the little girl spoke, the middle-aged man wiped down a nearby table in silence, saying nothing.
Chen Chuan nodded. "I am too."
"Really?"
Chen Chuan replied solemnly, "Really."
"Xiao Lan, don't bother the big brother while he's eating. Go help bring out the dishes," the middle-aged man spoke up from across the room.
"Okay, Dad."
Chen Chuan took a pair of chopsticks from the canister and savored the food slowly. The Han family's beef was indeed delicious, just as it had been that day when they came out to eat during the re-examination, only fresher and richer in flavor.
Having finished the meal, he settled the bill and walked out. Getting back into the car, he drove out of the city, heading north all the way while switching on the radio to catch the news.
Most of the broadcasts concerned livelihood affairs, but after listening for a while, news of the resistance organization surfaced once again, reporting that the constabulary was preparing to encircle and suppress one of the resistance organization's strongholds outside the city.
When he chatted with Nian Fuli yesterday, his uncle had mentioned this as well: although the Blood Mark Gang and Molan Company had fallen, the resistance organization still persisted, though their actions were no longer as fierce as before and they rarely operated within Yangzhi City itself.
Rather than strongholds of a resistance organization, those places were better described as spontaneous armed militias formed by villagers outside the city to defend against armed wilderness bands. If people from the city couldn't protect them, they naturally had to find ways to protect themselves.
The constabulary knew the reality of the situation and thus had not given them trouble.
Yet the newly appointed Chief Instructor seemed to care deeply about it, repeatedly urging the constabulary to head out for an encirclement campaign, a matter still mired in dispute.
According to Nian Fuli, this Chief Instructor appeared to have ties to the National Interim Special Action Committee, carrying certain delegated authority down with him, and had spent recent days assembling his own faction.
After driving for about twenty minutes, the car stopped in front of a small river bend. He glanced ahead; having not visited this old residence for the better part of a year, it looked just as it always had.
Stepping out, he unlocked the door with his key. But the instant he walked inside, he suddenly saw an extra shadow on the floor, as though another person were standing right beside him.
He acted as if he had seen nothing. Going inside, he grabbed some cleaning tools to sweep and tidy the house inside and out, then started up the algae oil generator in the basement, boiled a kettle of water, brewed a cup of tea, and carried a chair out from inside to sit beneath the eaves of the veranda.
The weather in July and August was supposed to be dry and sultry, but with trees in abundance and a small creek nearby, it felt pleasantly cool beneath the forest shade.
He sipped his tea slowly, enjoying a quietude that was his alone.
Although he had previously obtained the address left behind by his predecessor's parents, he had never gone there because he felt his strength was not yet sufficient.
If anyone had been watching him, going there might have caused trouble instead. But now, he had succeeded.
This was the intersection of his life and death, where the "I" from two parallel worlds had merged into one. As he sat here in silence, the aura that had been spilling outward gradually converged and pulled back within him, returning to its previous simplicity and natural poise; yet his eyes grew all the brighter.
When he finished the cup of tea, his gaze fell to his feet. There was only a single shadow once more, as if the extra one from earlier had merely been an illusion.
He lingered there until nearly five o'clock before rising to put the things back. After tidying up once more, he closed the door and drove away amidst the rustle of wind through the forest leaves and the gentle murmur of the creek.
Chapter 353