Mask

Chen Chuan could hear the sincerity in Counselor Pei's voice. Even though he had his own plans, he was genuinely grateful for the man's goodwill. If Pei did not hold him in truly high regard, there would have been no need to share any of this. He said, "Thank you, Counselor Pei. I'll keep that in mind." Counselor Pei gave a slight smile. "I truly didn't expect Mr. Xue to step forward and vouch for you. For you personally, that's a very good thing. The Municipal Council shouldn't be coming around to cause you trouble anytime soon. "By the way, higher-ups are currently restructuring your post, and the appointment process is already in motion. The three months of leave granted from above has also been approved. Captain Chen, what do you plan to do during this time?" Chen Chuan replied, "Nothing is set yet. But before that, I will probably test for a teaching certificate at Wuyi Academy." Right now, he was pondering the mind jin best suited to himself and needed to consult techniques from various disciplines. Once he obtained a teaching certificate, he would have better access to Hongfu's resources and could consult higher-level texts within Wuyi Academy. A platform like Wuyi remained extraordinarily useful, and he had no intention of relinquishing it for the time being. Counselor Pei was slightly surprised, but after thinking it over, he nodded. "Given your strength and status, Captain Chen, remaining a student really isn't suitable anymore. Becoming a teacher at Wuyi does suit you much better. "Your Wuyi doesn't lack talent. During the recent split of the Fumu, Wuyi's faculty and students contributed a great deal. Do you still remember that earlier multi-department joint initiative? Part of the credit for proposing that plan goes to your academy's Assistant Ling." Chen Chuan raised a brow. "Assistant Ling?" "Yes," Counselor Pei said. "Assistant to the Vice Principal Ling Jianxing. He was the one who helped persuade Wuyi's leadership to let Hongfu, an active conscious entity, take part in the operation, and he insisted that you were the ideal candidate to carry it out. "At first, various departments believed that active conscious entities occasionally act on their own inclinations rather than following a plan to the letter. "He, however, argued that as a student of Wuyi Academy who frequently made use of its resources, you possessed a level of tacit understanding and synergy that no one else could match. Events proved he was entirely right." Chen Chuan asked, "How much do you know about Assistant Ling, Counselor Pei?" Counselor Pei answered, "Not much. I've heard that although he was born in Jibei Circuit, he studied in the capital for years before being dispatched here as assistant to the principal. He is exceptionally capable. To become an assistant to the principal at such a young age requires not just administrative ability, but martial strength formidable enough to command respect." Chen Chuan looked at him and nodded. Counselor Pei glanced at his watch. "Captain Chen, I have official duties to attend to, so I'll take my leave. I'll notify you if there's any news." After exchanging parting words, he opened the car door, climbed back inside, and drove off under Chen Chuan's gaze. After he left, Chen Chuan turned the conversation over in his mind. Counselor Pei's mention of Assistant Ling had seemed like a natural continuation of the topic, yet Chen Chuan sensed it was deliberate, as if hinting at something. In truth, he had his own conjectures regarding Counselor Pei's true identity, because certain traits in the man bore similarities to individuals he had crossed paths with before. Of course, that was merely a fighter's intuition; he had no concrete proof. Still, something pointed out so intentionally would not be without reason. Whatever Assistant Ling's intentions might be, Chen Chuan was confident he possessed the strength to handle them. Lost in thought, he made his way back to his dormitory, checked a few incoming messages, changed his clothes, and walked into the training room. Focusing inward, he sensed the spiritual imprint Teacher Xue had left upon his shoulder. The method was remarkably intricate and clearly difficult to practice, which explained why Teacher Xue had said he would come check on his progress. Difficult though it was, its effects promised to be extraordinary once mastered. According to the technique's principles, completing it would not merely guard against field surveillance, but even evade external spiritual contact and probing. That was far from simple. Based on his current combat experience, spiritual attacks carried considerable risk for both attacker and defender, making subtle probes beforehand the preferred approach. If one could render their true state entirely imperceptible, it was a truly formidable technique. He possessed his second self, which could already redirect and evade such intrusions, but he had no aversion to enhancing his physical body's abilities. The second self consumed energy, and possessing this skill himself provided an extra option when facing enemies at critical junctures. Even though Teacher Xue's intervention had bought him temporary safety, he could not afford to let down his guard. One could never rely on an adversary's negligence or mercy; elevating one's own capabilities was always the best countermeasure. It took him two days of focused effort to attain a rudimentary grasp of the technique. What followed was deeper cultivation, which could be accelerated with Hongfu's sparring assistance. He was confident he would master it before long. On May 29th, he received a notice from the Disposal Bureau: the bureau had officially approved his promotion to Investigation Supervisor and requested his presence at the appointment ceremony on June 2nd. After sending his confirmation, he paused in thought, then contacted Lu Fang. "Senior Lu, how have things been these past two days?" Lu Fang replied, "No real impact. After you gave me that heads-up, the other two seniors and I closed the gym for a few days and stayed put. We didn't run into much trouble." Chen Chuan asked, "Has Xiao Jin been coming over lately?" "He has," Lu Fang said. "Aside from the two days when the bio-contamination hit, he's come every day since." "Has anything seemed different about him?" "Different?" Lu Fang thought for a moment. "He seems to have something weighing on his mind. His training has been even more relentless these past couple of days." Chen Chuan acknowledged this with a quiet sound. "Senior, I'll drop by in a bit." "Sounds good." After hanging up, Chen Chuan changed into casual clothes, headed downstairs, and drove toward Lu Fang's fighting gym. Driving into Shenwei District, he saw dump trucks along the roadside still loaded with insect carcasses that hadn't been fully cleared away. Workers were spraying trees with acrid, pungent chemicals to eliminate egg clutches, and dead insects dropped from the foliage every now and then. This was not Weiguang or Wuding District, after all; measures to contain and clean up invasive organisms from the Confluence were noticeably slower here. In truth, even with repeated cleanings, plenty would survive. These insects would quickly adapt to the local environment and thrive. Center City had no way to keep them at bay, and they would gradually spread outward, just as the blending of the two worlds was virtually impossible to halt. In under an hour, he pulled up outside the fighting gym. To his surprise, there were far more people gathered than usual, and several small clusters of gang members loitered near the entrance. He parked and stepped out. When the gang members caught sight of him, they murmured a few words to one another and turned away to leave. Although he wasn't wearing his uniform today, the distinct aura of an accomplished fighter could not be hidden, and these men clearly had no desire to court trouble. Chen Chuan glanced at them, then walked inside. Knowing he was coming, Lu Fang was already heading toward the entrance to greet him. After exchanging greetings, Chen Chuan asked, "Seems like there are a lot more gang members around here?" Lu Fang said, "Oh, that. Don't worry, they aren't here to make trouble. The biological experiment breach a couple of days ago, along with the widespread clashes across the city, dragged in a lot of gangs. They took heavy losses, and some were wiped out entirely. The surviving gangs are still fighting over turf. Knowing my place is safe, they've sent their kids here to learn fighting techniques. Whether they actually learn anything doesn't matter to them; they just want peace of mind." Chen Chuan nodded. Lu Fang and the other two seniors were all Second Limit fighters. With three such fighters stationed here, ordinary gangs would never dare pick a fight. If not for the fact that Lu Fang and the others had their own aspirations and refused to walk down that path, establishing a gang of their own would have been effortless. However, without resolving their citizenship status, the gym could never expand. Even if Chen Chuan became a regional supervisor, he couldn't resolve that for them, because only the Municipal Administration held the authority to grant citizenship—unless one of them could break through to the third limit. Talking as they walked, the two moved deeper inside. At a glance, Chen Chuan spotted Chen Xiaojin sparring diligently with an opponent, fully focused, appearing no different from usual. Chen Chuan stood off to the side, watching. About ten minutes later, the sparring match ended. Breathing heavily, Chen Xiaojin stepped down and approached Lu Fang, who pointed out a few adjustments he needed to make before patting his shoulder and gesturing toward Chen Chuan. Chen Xiaojin walked over, attempting an easy tone. "Captain Chen, were you looking for me?" Chen Chuan said, "That final kick of yours—you raised your leg a bit too high." "Too high?" Chen Chuan raised a hand. "Try kicking again." Chen Xiaojin looked at him, stepped back two paces, and lashed out with a kick. But Chen Chuan pressed down slightly, catching the tip of the foot and bracing against it, forcing Chen Xiaojin to stumble back several steps. Chen Chuan said, "Your strike only reaches full power once your foot reaches this height, but your foot struck your opponent before that point. As a result, despite packing plenty of force, that power was never properly delivered. It was effectively wasted while exhausting you unnecessarily. That is why you failed to win just now." He offered his verdict: "You are being too impatient." Chen Xiaojin lowered his head, his fists clenching tight. Chen Chuan reached into his pocket and retrieved the half-mask Chen Bitong had left behind, extending it toward him. "This belonged to Teacher Chen. I think it should go to you." Chen Xiaojin glanced at it, but didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he lifted his eyes and asked, "Is he not coming back?" Chen Chuan looked at him quietly, offering no answer. Chen Xiaojin lowered his head again, scrubbing hard at his eyes with his sleeve. With reddened eyes, he said, "Actually, I'm used to it. He used to disappear for long stretches of time all the time. It's the same whether he's here or not." Chen Chuan said slowly, "Teacher Chen had things he had to do. You might feel he let you down, but he was always trying to protect you. He never truly disregarded you." He turned the mask over. There, carved into its inner surface, was a little whale. Xiao Jing. Chen Xiaojing. "I don't know if he will ever return. But if you want to see him again, train hard. When your strength is sufficient, go bring him back yourself." Chen Chuan looked at him steadily. "If you wish, once you have mastered the essential skills, come find me at Wuyi." With that, he set the half-mask down on a nearby table, turned, and walked away.