Assessment

Instructor Wen showed no trace of weariness from waiting so long. Stepping forward to meet him, he smiled and said, "Mr. Zhuan." The tall, thin man gave him a nod, then turned his gaze toward Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan cupped his fist in salute. "Mr. Zhuan." Mr. Zhuan glanced at him, set down the briefcase in his hand, opened it swiftly, and drew out a black mask, which he slipped over his face. The instant it was on, his entire presence shifted, as if he had abruptly grown far more outgoing. Looking at Chen Chuan, he spoke up: "I am Zhuan Liang. You must be Supervisor Chen. A pleasure to meet you. After receiving Instructor Wen's telegram, the faction sent me here to serve as your sponsor and evaluator." His voice was surprisingly pleasant to the ear, carrying a rich, slightly magnetic resonance. Now he sounded somewhat apologetic. "I've troubled you two with a long wait. I was held up on the road by a few matters—my sincerest apologies." Instructor Wen smiled. "You're too polite, Mr. Zhuan. It's not convenient to talk out here. Let's go inside first." Mr. Zhuan agreed. Instructor Wen walked over and closed the courtyard gate before ushering the two into the living room inside. Once they were seated, even though Mr. Zhuan seemed to have no intention of removing the mask, Wen still poured a cup of tea for him. Mr. Zhuan nodded his thanks, then turned toward Chen Chuan, his expression turning more solemn. "Supervisor Chen, before you make your formal decision to join our Purist Faction and before the assessment begins, there are several matters I must clarify for you first." "I'm all ears," Chen Chuan replied. Mr. Zhuan said, "Instructor Wen should have explained this to you already: our Purist Faction begins with the purity of the self. That is our sense of identity, our foundational principle. "And extending from this single point, we possess broader convictions and ambitions. This goes far beyond martial arts alone, touching upon current political strategies and even the trajectory of the entire world. "Beyond personal cultivation, our faction's most fundamental purpose is to resolutely resist every entity from beyond that covets our world. "Among the five great factions today, each holds a different philosophy. Take the Convergence faction, for example. They believe that ever since the old era, the two worlds have been drawing closer together. It is precisely because of these shifts that the path of the fighter was born, and fighters have benefited from it. "Based on this premise, they propose that under an indefinitely prolonged Period of Flux, the fusion of both worlds is inevitable. In the end, just like the Confluence, a unified and relatively balanced world will form, and on that basis they can find a path for the two worlds to coexist. "A fine idea on paper, and one that fits right into the thinking of those who shun conflict and seek only compromise. "Yet will reality truly play out that way?" He gave a cold chuckle. "Even if you wish to do so, you must possess strength on par with the other side. But the truth is, the enemy is strong while we are weak. Dreaming of convergence under such circumstances is nothing more than veiled surrender. "It is sheer wishful thinking. If such an ideology ever became the mainstream, it would spell utter disaster. "Furthermore, although the path of fighters arose from the shifting of the two worlds, it grew robust only through constant confrontation with that other world. If we abandon resistance, there is no longer any reason for our existence—nor would the other side permit fighters to exist. "Only when we possess sufficient strength of our own, or when we become stronger than the other side, can we begin to talk about such things. Otherwise, we are simply surrendering initiative to others—no different from laying down our arms before sitting down to negotiate at the enemy's behest." Chen Chuan deeply agreed with these words. Blind retreat and compromise achieved nothing. The prerequisite for pulling back was the capacity to advance, yet the current reality was a unilateral intrusion from that other world. The world had already been forced to erect Center City and the Ring of the World for defense. To speak of merging the two worlds at such a moment was simply allowing the other side to subsume them. While not formally called surrender, it was scarcely any different. Mr. Zhuan continued, his tone turning somewhat heavy: "In truth, the Convergence faction carries no small amount of influence. Whether within the government or the corporations, there are those who secretly collude with the other side and champion this rhetoric. "They do so for all manner of reasons. Some have despaired at the disparity in strength, deeming the world beyond saving and abandoning themselves to hopelessness; others have completely turned into capitulationists, becoming devout worshippers of the entities across; and some act purely to extract power from the other side. "All of them are cancers within our world that must be excised. It is only because they do not dare expose themselves openly right now that they settle for stirring chaos from within. "Purging these people, and ensuring that more individuals who share our principles gain the power to resist and protect themselves once the Great Collision arrives—that is what we need to do, and what we must do." Having said this, his tone grew grave and solemn. "Supervisor Chen, after hearing all this, if you feel the Purist Faction does not align with your beliefs, you may choose not to join. However, before I came, I was authorized to promise that even if you decline, we will still provide you with a portion of pure substance afterward." Chen Chuan felt slightly surprised. "May I ask why?" Mr. Zhuan said, "You are an exceptional young man, and we have reviewed your record. You have already faced and resisted entities from the other side twice." He added in all earnestness, "So long as someone is willing to contribute to the fight against that other world, they are a fellow traveler on our path. We are more than willing to sponsor and support outstanding young people like you. "Besides, who can say what the future holds? Even if differences in philosophy keep us apart today, we may very well end up standing in the same trench tomorrow. We would much rather have someone like you as our comrade-in-arms when that day comes, rather than those vermin." With that, he said to Chen Chuan, "Supervisor Chen, you may take time to think it over. There is no need to rush your answer. I will stay here for a few days and await your reply." "No need to consider," Chen Chuan said. He looked up, glanced at Instructor Wen, and then looked back across at Mr. Zhuan, speaking earnestly: "I am willing to join the Purist Faction." The ideals Mr. Zhuan spoke of did not conflict with his own thinking. In fact, even if there were aspects he found questionable, nothing was ever set in stone; once he grew sufficiently powerful, he could change things just the same. Although Mr. Zhuan wore a mask, both Chen Chuan and Instructor Wen could sense the smile blooming behind it. The man stood up and offered his hand to Chen Chuan. "Supervisor Chen, welcome aboard." Chen Chuan stood up as well and reached out. When their hands clasped, he felt a firm, deliberate squeeze from the other man. Mr. Zhuan looked at him and said, "Supervisor Chen, since you have agreed to join, I will next proceed with your admission assessment. This evaluation will test both your martial prowess and your convictions. "Of course, this is merely a formality; your abilities and stance have already been proven in the past. But this step is mandatory nonetheless, and I hope you understand." Chen Chuan nodded. Mr. Zhuan drew the briefcase closer, reached inside to feel around, and pulled out a sheet of paper. Passing it over, he gestured for him to examine it. Chen Chuan took it and saw that it was a wanted poster. On it was a scarred man whose exact age was hard to tell, though he was likely under forty. His eyes were exceptionally vicious, stamped with an arrogant sneer. "This man is named Kenwa. He was once an officer of First People bloodline trained by the Linakes Federation. After discharging from the military, he disguised himself as part of a resistance organization and conducted assassinations of political figures within Great Shun. He was subsequently captured by Great Shun, but was ultimately exchanged to rescue an important personage who had been detained. "Recent intelligence indicates that he has recently returned to Jibei Circuit, currently operating in peripheral cities, and his next step will very likely take him to Center City. "Supervisor Chen, were he merely an ordinary wanted criminal, we wouldn't pay him much mind; various government agencies and departments would handle him. But that is only his superficial identity." He said gravely, "Through internal sources and our own methods of analysis and comparison, we believe it highly probable that he is an agent of a certain entity from the other side, and there is a distinct possibility that he carries a parasitic attachment. "Individuals like this must be eradicated by force by our Purist Faction. We had originally arranged for other operatives to deal with him, but upon learning the region he is operating in, we decided to make this your assessment assignment. Once you complete it, Supervisor Chen, you will be one of us." Chen Chuan looked over the wanted notice. Although Mr. Zhuan hadn't set a deadline, it was obvious that failing to deal with him promptly meant he could easily move elsewhere or end up sheltered by someone, which would make things troublesome. That was hardly impossible. For a major wanted fugitive, showing his face in public without some form of backing was out of the question. Hence, swift action was imperative. "Leave this matter to me," he said. Mr. Zhuan replied, "I have every confidence in your abilities, Supervisor Chen." "However, I have a question." Chen Chuan looked up at him. "Are you still Mr. Zhuan? Or rather... are you the man himself?" "Mr. Zhuan" responded in a tone full of admiration, "You are truly keen, Supervisor Chen." He tapped the mask on his face. "This is an application of spirit. I attached my own spirit to this mask. When the wearer puts it on, it simulates my personality and manner of speech. "Although the one speaking to you remains Mr. Zhuan in the flesh, the personality is mine, and the cognition is mine as well. Once the mask is taken off, he returns to his true self. "Forgive me for speaking with you like this, but Mr. Zhuan is a man of few words and rather awkward in face-to-face conversation, which is why he had this mask custom-made. To tell the truth, Mr. Zhuan also has a rather unfortunate—" Mid-sentence, a hand suddenly seized the mask and ripped it off, revealing Mr. Zhuan's expressionless face. The voice cut off instantly.