Defense Agreement

The convoy from Convergence Boundary drove along the upward slope, navigating through complex tunnels crisscrossed with vines and branches before finally returning to the Upper District. Once outside, Chen Chuan looked up at the bright daylight. Although the Lower District was not devoid of light, that distinct warmth was something only genuine sunlight could bring. And only a clear, pure sky allowed one's gaze to reach outward unobstructed. Upon arriving in the Upper District, he asked Tang Zhang to drop him off at the Flask Bar, where his Jiade car was parked. Just as he was about to open the car door, however, he suddenly paused and glanced in a certain direction—for in that brief instant, he felt as though someone were peering at him from afar. In a distant high-rise, a person abruptly yanked the curtain shut, lowered the binoculars in his hands, and said with startled uncertainty, "Did he just spot us?" His companion said in annoyance, "I told you before, people like him have razor-sharp senses. Stop fucking staring right at him! Who knows if we tipped him off. Forget it, report this along with everything else." Chen Chuan stared in that direction for a moment. There was only a sea of tall buildings, with nothing specific discernable. He withdrew his gaze, turned the thought over in his mind, and contacted Wu Bei: "Little Brother Wu? Yes, I'm back. Check an area for me and see if there are any suspicious individuals coming or going." He used his boundary credential to mark a specific location. Once Wu Bei confirmed he had received it, Chen Chuan opened the car door and slid inside, quickly starting the engine before driving away. Back in his dormitory at Wuyi, he drafted a report outlining Convergence Boundary Company's decision and the situation in the Lower District, including several suspicious points he had observed, and transmitted it to the Disposal Bureau. Such details might not actually draw much attention from the Disposal Bureau; there were simply too many matters demanding their focus. As long as they were not dealing with an exceptionally intractable incident or special circumstances, their approach was generally centered on surveillance rather than preemptive action. After all, it was impossible to guard against every contingency. Since he was still on leave, he rested peacefully in his quarters for a period. Every three days, he took a dose of special medicine to enhance his strength. Setting aside the erosion caused by the special medicine, cultivating with it undeniably gave an immense boost to his growth. However, the gains obtained needed to be integrated through subsequent combat, so he sparred with Hongfu every day. At the same time, he studied recordings of past battles left behind by former instructors and seniors kept by the academy. Naturally, this required payment as well, but it was well worth the expense. For most third-limit fighters, there seemed to be no precise standard for ranking their strength. Comparisons between strength and weakness were never absolute; they fluctuated constantly depending on the combat environment, the conditions of the engagement, and the mental states of the fighters. Even fighters who appeared weaker on paper frequently defeated formidable opponents. In the end, everything came down to performance on the battlefield. Among these recordings, an instructor named Han Zheng served as a classic example. He had taught at Wuyi over twenty years ago and had since been transferred to a government department. When he was a student at the academy, his initial evaluation upon reaching the third limit had been a mere fifty percent, barely crossing the threshold. He practiced ordinary freehand jin and fought using common long and short spears, yet whenever he went up against opponents whose raw parameters far exceeded his own, he invariably emerged victorious. Watching his recordings, every fight looked perilously close. One constantly felt that he would be the one to lose in the very next moment, yet in the end, he always managed to win. He never gave off the impression of being exceptionally formidable, but statistically speaking, his win rate was frighteningly high. Through careful study, Chen Chuan noticed that time and again, this man launched his counterattack just as his opponent seemed on the verge of victory—and in most cases, he seized that fleeting window flawlessly. He greatly admired this knack for seizing tactical opportunities. Though it looked simple, it was actually the pinnacle of maximizing one's own advantages and traits. While it offered valuable insights, he had no intention of adopting that path himself. Combat ultimately came down to a clash of raw strength. Such tactics were merely a choice born of necessity—a way to compensate for inherent deficiencies by elevating technique. If I can knock someone down with a single punch, why bother getting tangled in a protracted battle? He always kept his longstanding goal in mind: to achieve the theoretical limit attainable by a near-perfect individual, or even surpass it. At the third limit, he had the opportunity to make up for all the areas he had previously been unable to reach. Now, it seemed he was not too far from that goal. The ample supply of medicine provided by Convergence Boundary was more than sufficient for his current stage. Doses meant to supply several or even a dozen fighters were now concentrated on him alone, serving as nourishment to build the foundation of his body. Beyond this, however, there was another crucial matter: finding a teacher who could guide and instruct him toward greater heights. Having only recently entered the third limit, he was still consolidating his foundation, so cultivating on his own was fine for the time being. But reaching a higher limit required someone to show the way. He had already looked into options at the academy. Teaching channels existed here, but according to regulations set by relevant government departments, only those who had participated in the defense of the Ring of the World were eligible to apply. This had been part of his plan anyway, so during this downtime, he reviewed the precautionary notes sent by the bureau concerning the defense plan. After resting until the end of the month, he used his boundary credential to contact the signal frequency left by the Defense Department. After a moment, a pleasant female voice sounded: "Hello, Enforcement Officer Chen. How may I assist you?" Chen Chuan recognized her as the woman who had received him previously. "Hello. I have considered the defense mission for the Ring of the World, and I've made my decision." The woman's voice replied, "One moment, Enforcement Officer Chen." A moment later, a solemn, deep voice came through the boundary credential: "Enforcement Officer Chen, this is Liang Guanghai. Since you've contacted us, I assume you have thought it through?" Chen Chuan said, "Yes, I've thought it through. I agree to join the Ring of the World defense plan." Liang Guanghai said, "Enforcement Officer Chen, welcome aboard. If it's convenient for you, please come to the Disposal Bureau. We have a few matters to brief you on." Chen Chuan said, "Understood. I'll head over right now." Ending the call, he left Wuyi, drove his Jiade car to the Disposal Bureau, and was guided by the same receptionist into the meeting room he had visited previously. The woman handed him a document and said, "Enforcement Officer Chen, this is the agreement for participating in the defense. It differs from the confidentiality agreement. Please take a look at it first." Chen Chuan took it and read through it carefully. Most of it outlined rights and obligations. For example, participants in the defense plan had to answer call-ups by the Defense Department in emergency situations, though this could offset state conscription duties. Additionally, participants' salaries would be increased from their original baseline. Those who performed exceptionally well and earned merit would receive preferential treatment in the allocation of special medicine, as well as priority in rank promotions. The rank granted to him by the Disposal Bureau was far from meaningless. It was recognized throughout the Great Shun government, where many influential officials across law-enforcement and security agencies were fighters hailing from the orthodox system. He also noticed another clause: all third-limit fighters taking part in the defense of the Ring of the World, barring exceptional circumstances, could secure Center City citizenship for their families if they served for at least three years and their families were not currently residing in the city. If an individual had no family, they could receive one to several recommendation quotas depending on their merits. These were citizen spots in Center City, something extremely difficult for people from peripheral cities to obtain. He couldn't help thinking that if his younger cousins could come to Center City for schooling, the developmental environment and educational resources would be far beyond anything at the local Wuyi academy. And if they wished to become fighters, they wouldn't even need to go through the local Wuyi examination. Still, this was only reasonable. When people put their lives on the line on the front lines, how else could they retain talent without offering such incentives? Furthermore, it was worth noting that although Center City stood on the front lines facing the collision of worlds, its defensive capabilities were likewise the strongest. It could be said that, at least before the Great Collision arrived, the resources available to peripheral cities could never compare to Center City's. In fact, he had a hunch that even when the Great Collision did occur, this place might still be safer than the peripheral cities. Even without this agreement, however, he would still have signed up. Before the Great Collision arrived, as the two worlds drew closer, entities from the other side would inevitably keep infiltrating. He would have to face them sooner or later. Rather than waiting passively, it was better to prepare early and accumulate experience in dealing with such entities—not to mention that this was directly tied to finding an instructor for his next stage. So after reading through it, he picked up a pen and signed his name on the agreement. Once he signed, the woman took the document, reviewed it, and looked up. "Enforcement Officer Chen, please wait a moment. Commissioner Liang mentioned that he would come over to meet with you." She offered a slight smile. "It seems the commissioner values you very highly." After waiting only seven or eight minutes, Liang Guanghai entered the conference room. He said to Chen Chuan, "Enforcement Officer Chen, sorry to keep you waiting." He waved a hand, signaling for the woman to step out. He then walked behind the desk, glanced down at the agreement lying on the surface, and looked up at Chen Chuan with a grave expression: "Enforcement Officer Chen, because you are joining as an enforcement officer of the Disposal Bureau, and because you previously took part in a state conscription mission and received high internal evaluations as someone trustworthy, we have a task to entrust to you. This is not a mandatory order, but rather something we need you to keep an eye out for while carrying out your defense duties." …… ……