Tian Yu replied, "It's not just the brain. The brain is merely the most probable site, and the one most prone to catastrophic consequences if something goes wrong. It could also happen to your other internal organs or your limbs—anywhere mutated tissue can grow, it's possible."
She added, "Officers, have you seen your activation indices?"
Yuan Qiuyuan glanced at the reading on his display and suddenly frowned in irritation. "Why the hell is mine a two?
"And when did I even get infected?
"This isn't messing with me, is it?"
He turned his head toward Qin Qingque. "Officer Qin, what's your index?"
Qin Qingque answered truthfully, "Mine is five."
Tian Yu said, "A normal activation index hovers between one and ten. As long as it doesn't exceed thirty, there's no issue.
"Anything under ten is perfectly normal. It rises at times and dips at others, generally following a fluctuating curve. That's unavoidable once you enter the Confluence zone, so there's no need to worry too much.
"If a fighter's mind is steady and their self-suppression is strong, the index will stay at a very low number."
Chen Chuan tapped his boundary credential and said, "Let's share our readings with each other so we can keep an eye on one another going forward."
The three exchanged contact information and set up a shared channel, allowing them to monitor each other's indices at any time.
Yuan Qiuyuan couldn't wait to check Chen Chuan's number. When he saw a distinct "zero," he was startled. "That low...?"
He knew full well the weight behind Tian Yu's words. For a third-limit fighter, having a steady mind and powerful self-suppression effectively meant possessing abundant vital essence and changeless mind—the twin pillars of hard strength.
He muttered inwardly, *This captain actually has some real chops.*
Qin Qingque also saw both their readings, and a sense of urgency welled up inside her. To her thinking, Chen Chuan went without saying—since he was appointed squad leader, such a performance was only natural.
Yet someone as frivolous-looking as Yuan Qiuyuan also had a much lower reading than hers, which meant his strength was considerably greater than her own. She needed to push herself harder.
Tian Yu glanced at her wristwatch. "It's getting late today. You officers have just arrived at the garrison and still have procedures to complete, so I won't hold you up. You can come back tomorrow for the rest of the material. You may decide on the time yourselves—either in the morning or around this hour."
Chen Chuan said, "Instructor Tian, earlier you mentioned that someone would teach us the breathing technique to suppress activation. Do you know when that will be scheduled?"
Tian Yu replied, "Captain Chen, once you head back, just submit an application in your squad's name, and the instructor will arrange a time with you."
Chen Chuan said, "Thank you." He stood up and looked at his two teammates. "Have either of you eaten? If not, how about we grab a casual meal together?"
Qin Qingque said, "Reporting, Captain, we haven't eaten yet."
Yuan Qiuyuan said, "You're the captain, your call."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Then let's go together." After nodding to Tian Yu, he walked out of the screening room.
When he came in earlier, he had logged into the garrison's platform. Due to resource constraints, however, it didn't offer as many functions as outside, only permitting queries for text files and basic information.
As the squad leader, though, he had access to the files of both team members.
Yuan Qiuyuan had risen to prominence from the provinces and came from a martial family.
He hadn't attended Wuyi; instead, he had trained and grown within the martial arts school run by his own family. He had even rejected a recommendation for admission to the local Wuyi academy, relying on his own efforts and his family's backing to become a third-limit master.
After reaching the third limit, he was recruited and transferred to Center City, where he gained citizen status. Anyone capable of forging a third-limit fighter out in the provinces was bound to possess immense influence.
His other teammate, Qin Qingque, had a military background. She was a combatant cultivated by a military academy. Having shown extraordinary talent from a young age, she had undergone rigorous military training, mastered all manner of melee weapons and firearms, learned to operate various military vehicles, and likely had parents holding high-ranking posts in the armed forces.
Whether by design or coincidence, he noticed that both teammates had been brought in from outside Center City, leaving them largely untangled with the various factions within the metropolis.
Recalling how Commissioner Liang had emphasized his clean background when assigning him that mission, it seemed the subordinates assigned to him this time followed the exact same principle.
The three arrived at the dining hall. Mealtime had already passed, but there was an internal cafeteria specifically set up for those deployed on missions, offering both buffet and set-meal options with a fairly rich selection and generous portions.
Yuan Qiuyuan started by grabbing a plate of braised pork shank. Taking a gnaw, he assessed, "Not bad. Tastes no different from what they serve in Center City."
Qin Qingque waited for Chen Chuan to make his selections before picking hers. She remarked, "Some of the food here is grown in mobile bays, while the rest is shipped in from the rear."
Yuan Qiuyuan said, "Yeah, I heard about that. They say the soil here can support crops, but there's some kind of issue with it, so the ingredients have to be brought in from the rear."
Chen Chuan knew that this was a privilege reserved only for garrison officers and high-ranking personnel. Ordinary soldiers ate nutritional paste on regular days, unless it was a holiday.
Still, good or bad made little difference to him; as a fighter, he could stomach nutritional paste just as easily.
Once they reached a table to the side, he poured three cups of drinks and raised his glass. "From here on out, we're a team. I hope we can work well together. After all, from now on, we advance and retreat as one—comrades entrusting each other with our backs."
The two stood up as well.
Yuan Qiuyuan raised his glass and said, "Since you're the captain, we'll follow your lead. But Captain Chen, I'm a blunt guy. I speak my mind, and it might not always sound pleasant, so I hope you won't take offense."
Qin Qingque said earnestly, "Captain, I will strictly obey orders and do everything expected of a team member." Only then did she lift her cup with both hands.
The three clinked their glasses, took a sip, and sat down to eat.
Once they finished their meal, Chen Chuan took the two through the onboarding procedures, officially inducting them into his squad and drawing a brand-new set of uniforms and weapons.
Because he was a first-class enforcement officer, he also received a matching side sword. It was not merely a mark of status, but a finely forged weapon in its own right.
Starting from first-class enforcement officer, each subsequent promotion came with a different issued sword, increasing in craftsmanship with each rank. The one he had now was the lowest in both quality and grade among them, so it was essentially just a keepsake; he planned to put it in a case once he got back.
The garrison had arranged their quarters. As third-limit fighters, each was allocated a private room with round-the-clock electricity and hot water.
As squad leader, Chen Chuan was additionally equipped with a telephone and a radio station. Even though his rank did not strictly qualify him for it, the higher-ups had assigned an orderly to stand guard outside his door.
He took a quick shower first. Upon stepping out, he unpacked and organized his belongings, then spent a bit of time browsing the garrison's reference materials. Seeing that there was still time left, he took out a vial of special medicine.
Here, however, the fluid inside appeared noticeably brighter, as though brimming with intense vitality as it flowed.
After observing it for a moment, he popped the stopper and drank it down.
After a short while, strange noises reached his ears. Unlike before, however, when in Center City the sounds felt chaotic and transmitted from unimaginably far away, right now they felt remarkably distinct—as if some presence existed in a tangible, perceptible direction.
And despite being deep inside the fortress, he saw vast patches of shadow gliding across the walls and ceiling. The floor beneath him seemed to heave and undulate, and rustling sounds stirred behind him, as if something were creeping ever closer right at his back.
At the same time, he checked the activation index on his boundary credential. The number was ticking upward relentlessly, quickly climbing past ten.
He observed it calmly, then shifted all of these encroaching influences over to his Second Self. As he did, the strange noises and movements vanished rapidly, everything before him returning to normal, and the activation index on his boundary credential dropped back down to zero.
Afterward, he entered a state of profound, unobstructed meditative stillness.
***
Meanwhile, in a public phone booth in an open area of the fortress, Yuan Qiuyuan was on a call. The snow beneath the searchlights was bright as day. Glancing at a patrol team passing in the distance, he spoke into the receiver: "Impressions? He seems alright.
"By the way, let me ask—what's this squad leader's background?
"Arranged by the higher-ups? Even you don't know?
"Got it, I won't pry.
"Understood, no taking special medicine once you get here. I mean, who would be stupid enough to take it here anyway?
"I'll behave myself, alright?
"Alright, alright, spare me the lecture. You guys are always complaining about scarce resources, and long-distance calls eat up a ton of bandwidth—don't you feel guilty?
"Hey, hey, I'm not calling you nagging... Okay, fine, I hear you. That's all for now..."
Hanging up the receiver, he stepped out and let out a long breath, thinking to himself that his older sister had somehow become just as nagging as their mother.
Late as it was, seeing the bright illumination across the open ground and the heavy snow swirling in the sky, he didn't feel the least bit tired. After all, having just arrived at a brand-new place today, he was still buzzing with adrenaline.
Pondering for a moment, he returned to his quarters, grabbed a specialized collapsible staff, and headed to the training room to vent his excess energy.
In another dormitory room, Qin Qingque had changed into training attire. She sat cross-legged hovering above the ground, supporting her entire body weight on a single finger pressed against the floor, while her other hand reached inverted toward the empty air.
She appeared motionless, but every bit of mutated tissue throughout her body was engaged and shifting in rhythm with her breathing. Before long, beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, only to be vaporized by her rising body temperature before they could even hit the floor.
As she channeled her strength, the activation index on her boundary credential gradually fell, coming to a standstill once it reached one.
And so, as the three immersed themselves in their respective training and cultivation, their first night after arriving in the Confluence drew to a close.
Chapter 428