Somewhere in the Lower District, after staying in the so-called safe zone for two days, Speaker Quan finally had a sound night's sleep. Having his youngest son around to care for him was far more relaxing than having those outsiders watching over him. Moreover, with his son here, the others seemed more at ease with him as well.
By the third day, feeling his physical functions gradually recovering, he leaned on his cane and pushed open the door to walk outside. Yet he found the situation here differed greatly from what he had imagined. The surroundings were bathed in light as bright as day, and...
He looked at the snowflakes fluttering down from above. Hm? It was snowing? He reached out his hand, and a cool snowflake landed in his palm. He was astonished. How could it be snowing down here?
Furthermore, the air he drew into his lungs felt crisp and cold, just like midwinter, clearing his head completely. It was totally unlike the foul, stifling murk he had experienced on his way here. For a fleeting instant, he almost thought he had returned to the surface.
However, he soon spotted something abnormal. This snow was entirely too clean—so clean it looked as though a filter had been placed over it. The ground resembled a spread of silk brocade, and a layer of snowy mist seemed to shroud the surroundings, preventing him from seeing very far.
From within the mist came the crunching sound of footsteps treading on snow. Turning his head, he saw that middle-aged man walking over, leaving a string of footprints in the snow behind him.
The man approached, smiled, and said, "Speaker Quan, feeling better? How do you like it? The Lower District isn't the filthy, squalid place the Upper District takes it to be. We have advanced technology down here as well."
Speaker Quan narrowed his eyes. "A field organism?"
The middle-aged man replied, "Indeed. This is a product developed by the research institute here. It doesn't match the level of realism found in a simulated field, but its advantages are low energy consumption and easy portability, giving it tremendous potential for practical use."
Speaker Quan asked, "There's a research institute here? Mind showing me around?"
"Are you interested in this sort of thing as well, Speaker Quan?"
Speaker Quan replied, "As long as you don't mind an old man who is set in his ways. The things here are novel, and I've grown bored staying cooped up indoors. Why not let me broaden my horizons a bit?"
"Certainly."
Supported by his youngest son, Quan Yu, Speaker Quan followed the middle-aged man onto a small railcar. After ten-odd minutes, they arrived at the research institute.
The scene here was truly unexpected. All along the way, the roadsides were planted with an array of fresh flowers and trees, accompanied by insects and animals he had never seen before. It was as though a miniature ecosystem had been built right here underground.
Speaker Quan asked, "Are all of these real?"
The middle-aged man said, "Everything you see right now is real. The field organisms developed by the institute can generate a unique type of field information readily received by living creatures. The original purpose of the research was to regulate the emotions of humans and organisms. Now, it can lead them to believe they are residing in a suitable habitat, so they joyfully reproduce without dwelling on anything else."
In light of the broader situation and the harsh realities of the Lower District, his words felt distinctly subtle.
Yet Speaker Quan maintained an entirely natural expression, nodding in admiration. "Not easy at all for the Lower District to possess such technology. Mm... I've heard rumors. The Plague Gang?"
The middle-aged man was not surprised that he guessed it. After all, the man was the Speaker of the Council, with far more access to information and intelligence channels than ordinary people.
He smiled and said, "They prefer to be called the Plague Cult. They are a gathering of idealistic bioengineers and technicians, not the irredeemably wicked villains people imagine them to be."
Speaker Quan sighed with feeling. "Remarkable talents, every one of them."
"Which is why, if the Municipal Council can be re-established, the cult hopes the Council will help legalize them, allowing the products of their research to be put to practical use."
Speaker Quan glanced at him and said, "In this matter, you seem to have more confidence than I do, sir."
The middle-aged man replied, "We know the international delegation's investigation team is arriving soon. When the time comes, as long as you make an appearance, the international parties will surely find a way to intervene. With your prestige, a single rallying cry from you will be enough to reconstitute a new council and speak for the people. Naturally, we have faith in you."
Speaker Quan appeared quite gratified. He said, "The Council has always been adept at listening to the voices of the people. Fulfilling the needs of the populace is our duty. I can promise you that if the Council is reconstituted, we can help the public understand and vote to legalize the research institute."
"Then we thank you for your support, Speaker Quan."
Speaker Quan asked further, "For such a promising project, surely there were plenty of corporations in Center City willing to invest back then?"
"Ah, likely due to a lack of funding at the start of research and development, the original researcher had no choice but to recruit volunteers off the streets. Later on, an incident occurred, and he was expelled from the institute while his results were stolen by them. Afterwards, they even hired a gang to eliminate him.
"What they didn't anticipate was that field organisms recognize their masters. Using remote transmissions, he triggered extreme emotional signals in the field organisms within the laboratory, killing everyone. Only then did he manage to safeguard his research results before company agents arrived."
Reaching this point, the middle-aged man sighed. "Alas, he was driven to it."
Speaker Quan's son, Quan Yu, suddenly asked, "How big was that incident?"
"Not big at all," the middle-aged man said dismissively. "Merely seventy or eighty vagrants used. They all volunteered for the experiments."
Speaker Quan remarked, "Those who are not citizens of Center City should not enjoy the protections of Center City. To designate it an accident was biased against him."
The middle-aged man said with admiration, "Which is precisely why we need someone as fair and just as you at the top to speak for the people."
Quan Yu looked at the middle-aged man, then looked at his father, and lowered his head.
The vehicle glided slowly forward along the rails, surrounded by chirping birds and the fragrance of flowers. Everything appeared so idyllic. Yet if one cast their gaze beyond that mist, they would see honeycomb-like walls constructed from biomaterials.
Plague Gang members, armed with weapons and clad entirely in protective hazard suits, patrolled back and forth along corridors formed of steel frames and specialized panels.
And moving further outward, one could behold a colossal honeycomb-like structure deeply rooted into the subterranean depths from its apex, with swarms of bizarre insects crawling in and out.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Lower District, a line of armored vehicles traveled along a tunnel, flanked by a motorcycle convoy from Lutong Logistics.
Xu Chan sat inside the armored vehicle at the front of the convoy. According to the prior arrangements, as long as sufficient pressure was applied to those fleeing into the Lower District, they would not remain stationary; instead, they would head toward wherever they deemed safest.
While personnel from the Upper District certainly encountered resistance upon entering the Lower District—especially government officials, who faced even greater hostility and ostracism—those fugitives were likewise unlikely to receive any special treatment from Lower District residents.
At the end of the day, they were all outsiders. They had to find a faction in the Lower District they could trust and rely upon, and their options were bound to be few.
Consequently, as they traversed the Lower District, they would leave traces along the way rather than vanishing silently like drops of water into the ocean as they had hoped.
Now, with the assistance of Lutong Logistics and the informants he had previously planted here, they had tracked those traces over the past few days, gradually penetrating into the deepest recesses of the Lower District.
Just then, the Lutong Logistics motorcyclist responsible for guiding the way suddenly pulled over, and the motorcade slowly ground to a halt.
From behind, a Disposal Bureau officer poked his head out and asked, "Why aren't we moving forward?"
The motorcyclist answered, "Because further ahead is Plague Gang territory. We've never operated in these parts and don't know the routes anymore. You officers will have to carry on by yourselves."
The window beside Xu Chan rolled down slowly. He said, "Thank you for your assistance. We'll take it from here."
The motorcyclist said, "In that case, Officer, we won't hold you back."
Xu Chan nodded. "Head back."
The motorcyclist waved to him and called out to the riders behind him, whereupon the motorcycle unit turned around and headed back. Once they departed, the light dwindled considerably.
Xu Chan gazed at the tunnel ahead, which seemed dark and boundless, and commanded, "Continue forward."
In Weiguang District, inside Villa No. 15 of Golden Maple Court. Chen Chuan sat cross-legged in the meditation room, his body hovering slightly above the floor, occasionally bobbing up and down.
At this moment, he was attempting to subdue his qi.
He had studied both techniques thoroughly and gained some insights. However, whether it was the Xuan Cult's or the Chan Cult's method, both required "Right Faith" in one's heart—meaning one had to accept their philosophy and practice it in earnest to achieve twice the result with half the effort. Thus, the process had to be paired with visualization diagrams and scriptures.
It was evident that both texts leaned toward spiritual guidance; if someone were truly in mental alignment and met the prerequisites, passing this hurdle would indeed be quite easy.
Yet he had no need to cultivate strictly by their formulas; he only studied them to grasp their underlying logic and principles. As a martial artist, as long as he mapped out the fundamental pathways, in theory he could even devise a technique of his own.
Nonetheless, having reviewed all of these and looking back, the method he had purchased from the platform was already exceptionally well-summarized.
That was not to say his later reading had been futile. On the contrary, through other materials and methods, he gained a deeper understanding of their commonalities and the key factors to master, while also identifying the deficiencies and blind spots in his own thinking.
With the correct line of thought, his cultivation yielded twice the result with half the effort.
At this very moment, he felt as though he were wrestling with a sort of tidal surge. This could not be overcome by brute force; it required guidance and release. After all, this was his own power. Forcing it would not only risk injuring himself, but would also fail to achieve the intended results of cultivation.
Perhaps due to his profound comprehension, or perhaps thanks to the experience accumulated from practicing the Two Great Stances and the Heaven and Earth Furnace breathing technique, he knew clearly how to handle every step, remaining calm and poised throughout.
This enabled him to progress rapidly. Whereas he had previously estimated this step would take ten to fifteen days, it now appeared he might accomplish it even sooner.
Chapter 924