Chapter 232: The Mystic Palace
Chapter 232: The Mystic Palace
Old Qi sighed and shook his head, then his gaze fixed on a spot for a moment. "It's already 3:42, and time is ticking. We need to hurry."
He turned back and said, "Chen, bring out your student card and the admission notice from the Central Academy."
Chen Chuan reached into his pocket and took out both the student card and the admission notice.
Old Qi pointed to the nearby pillar, "That place is a biofield interaction node, also known as an 'Interface Point'. Put on the Yin-Yang Device and go up there. Show your documents to let Mother Shu confirm your identity."
"Mother Shu?" Chen Chuan asked.
Old Qi explained, "She is the largest biofield manager in Central City. She's not human but a bio-awareness entity that assists in managing public services. Don't worry about the details for now, Chen. If you want to know more, you can check it out after your identity is confirmed. This isn't some secret information."
Chen Chuan walked over and stepped onto one of the pillars. He put the bone mask back on, and the two worms crawled into his ears again.
It was then that he realized this object wasn't made of stone as he had imagined, but more like wood. The surface beneath his feet wasn't smooth either; instead, it was a platform formed by countless tiny, densely packed tendril-like objects, slightly resilient.
He raised his hand and patted the mask twice.
Instantly, the chaotic sounds entered his ears again, but this time, he didn't look towards Central City. Instead, he looked down at the pillar, which was now surrounded by rapidly flashing lights. Standing there, he felt a slight tingling sensation, as if electricity was passing through him.
Old Qi reminded him, "Focus your attention. You must concentrate and let the 'Interface Point' resonate with your Yin-Yang Device. These old things are a bit troublesome..."
Chen Chuan's attention immediately went to the pillar beneath him. As a fighter, he could easily control his focus. Soon, the surrounding noises gradually faded, and the rapidly flashing lights in front of him slowed down, forming a pillar of light around him.
He looked around, and on both sides of the road, each pillar was surrounded by a similar pillar of light, shooting upwards into the sky, as if supporting something unknown.
At that moment, a gentle and friendly female voice sounded, "Welcome to the Jinbei Dao Central City 'Bosha' Public Service Platform. Greetings, visitor. Do you need to confirm your identity?"
"Yes," Chen Chuan replied.
"Please wait..."
After a while, the female voice spoke again, "Name: Chen Chuan; Identity: Wu Yi University Main Campus Student; Age: Seventeen; Current Status: Not yet enrolled."
"According to the joint management agreement between the Central City government and various companies, this student is granted temporary citizenship for fifteen days."
"Citizen Chen Chuan, please report to the academy as soon as possible to update your identity and obtain long-term residency rights."
"Your account with the Wansheng Corporation has been detected. According to the platform's agreement with the Wansheng Corporation, you can authorize the unlocking of platform transaction rights. Do you wish to unlock them?"
Chen Chuan hesitated and asked, "What are the risks and permissions of platform transactions?"
The voice replied, "Sorry, your temporary citizenship does not grant you the qualification to inquire. You can consult these services after updating your identity."
"Thank you, I don't need it for now," Chen Chuan declined.
"Is there anything else you require?" the voice asked.
Chen Chuan looked at Old Qi, "Mr. Qi, I've confirmed my identity. What's next?"
Old Qi said, "That's it. Mother Shu has confirmed your biofield. Wait a moment, let's establish a connection..." As he spoke, he tapped his neck and looked at Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan heard the voice in his ear again, "Citizen Qi Gao is requesting to connect with you via this platform. Do you accept?"
"Accept," Chen Chuan replied.
"Connection established..."
The next moment, Old Qi's voice sounded in his ear:
"Now that we're connected within Central City, we can communicate. But your device is an older model, so it can only transmit sound without other functions. It's also filled with annoying ads, and you need to go to the 'Interface Point' for public services.
However, the school-issued devices are like this. The advanced Yin-Yang Devices don't have these issues. If you have the money, you can get a new one.
But the best option is an implant, which allows for tighter field connections and faster reactions. You'll understand once you try it. It's like suddenly curing decades of nearsightedness. Yeah, that's the feeling. Oh, Chen, you can come down now."
Chen Chuan descended from above, gazing at the distant Central City. The chaotic scenes had vanished, replaced by orderly light and shadows confined to each building, creating a well-organized yet vibrant landscape compared to its previous monotony.
It was like a black-and-white painting suddenly infused with vibrant colors, making it rich and vivid but also obscuring its darker aspects.
At this moment, the city seemed more than just a silhouette on the horizon; it was a convergence of dreams and reality, a center between heaven and earth.
Finally, he understood why it was called Central City.
Old Qi spoke to him, "It's quite amazing, right? That's why few people who come to Central City want to leave. They just live here without the Yin-Yang Device..."
He pointed to the implant behind his ear, "You can't see or touch those things, and you can't enjoy the convenience of services. Even buying and selling things is difficult. You can only travel on fixed routes, and account transactions are inconvenient. People might even refuse to communicate with you. It's like living in two different worlds."
Chen Chuan asked, "Are there people in the city who don't use this?"
"Yes, there's a group in the city that rejects all of this. They refuse to enter the real world. We usually call them the Skeleton Clan. There's a gang in the city called the Skeleton Gang, and they never use this stuff. And there are some crazies who keep preaching that the Yin-Yang Device is part of a conspiracy from above, meant to control everyone, and that we should refuse to wear it."
Old Qi glanced at Chen Chuan, and under the mask, Chen Chuan could clearly see a flash of orange light in one of his eyes.
"Hmm, you currently only have a temporary identity certificate, valid for only fifteen days. You need to go to the Academy to get a Central Academy student card to update your identity and become an official citizen."
He turned and walked towards the car, "Let's go. We've wasted over twenty minutes here. It's already past four, and we'd better enter the city before nightfall."
Chen Chuan followed, but he paused to let his secondary self endure the external assault and glanced at Central City. Instantly, the lights disappeared, but they quickly returned as he released the block.
Deep in thought, he returned to the car.
Old Qi got into the driver's seat and didn't forget to remind him, "Chen, I advise you to always wear the Yin-Yang Device. With it, you can move freely in Central City and access various information and services. Otherwise, you'll be stuck."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "But if you go back to change your implant, remember not to casually add strangers to your contacts..."
As he kept reminding Chen Chuan, the SUV drove forward for ten minutes, and suddenly, a sharp whirring sound rang out. Old Qi's expression changed, but Chen Chuan didn't remove his bone mask. In front of him, a patch of blood-red cross-hatching appeared on the road.
"Damn, it's a roadblock inspection," Old Qi cursed, patting the steering wheel. "Some nutcase is causing trouble in the city again."
He turned to Chen Chuan and said, "This inspection might take a few hours, and we might have to wait until evening. I think we should take a detour, Chen. What do you think?"
Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Qi, won't that cause trouble?"
"It's still better than waiting here stupidly. Who knows when they'll lift the blockade? If it's a day or two, are we just going to stay outside? We need to think of a solution."
Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Qi, you know this place better than I do. You decide."
"Alright!"
Old Qi was decisive. He hit the steering wheel a few times, and the SUV turned around and headed downhill from the highway, driving south. However, as they moved away from the road, his relaxed demeanor faded, and he began to look around warily.
After driving for about fifteen minutes, a sharp sound rang out in both their ears.
"Fuck, it's the border patrol," Old Qi cursed.
Chen Chuan looked back and saw two armed patrol cars with lightweight machine guns mounted on top approaching from both sides.
Old Qi had no choice but to stop the car, as he knew that if he didn't stop by the third call, the border patrol would not hesitate to open fire on them.
Reluctantly, he said, "Let's get out. We have to accept the inspection." He opened the car door and stepped out.
Chen Chuan also got out of the car.
The two patrol cars stopped about twenty meters behind them, and three soldiers wearing helmets, goggles, and thick combat gear descended. Each of them held a submachine gun.
And on the patrol vehicle, some people were operating rifles aimed at them.
One of the patrol soldiers looked at Chen Chuan, and a flash of light flickered in his goggles, "Temporary Citizen Chen Chuan, Wu Yi student, non-implanted."
Another patrol soldier pointed his gun at them and said, "We suspect that you are involved in a case of corporate and public property damage. Please come with us for investigation."
Old Qi cursed, "We just came back from outside the Central City. Where would we go to damage the city's property? Is your brain broken?"
The patrol soldier didn't react to his tone but said, "You are suspected in terms of time and location. Please cooperate."
Old Qi's face turned sour. He knew the ways of these border patrol officers. If they caught the real culprit, it would be fine. As citizens, they would be released immediately. But if they couldn't find the culprit, they would use them as scapegoats, and he would have to spend a large sum on lawyers to fight the case.
At this moment, Chen Chuan spoke up, "I don't want to go back with you for investigation."
The patrol officers in front raised their guns alertly, aiming at him, and those behind also moved their gun muzzles towards him.
Chen Chuan held up a card in front of him, and as he made this move, he abruptly appeared within two meters of them, even though he was originally seven or eight meters away.
A flash of light appeared in the patrol soldiers' goggles, "Dahsuhn Nation Infinite Defense Permit, Grade B... Target Strength Assessment: Third Limit..."
The patrol soldiers looked at each other and then lowered their guns, retreating into the vehicle without a word. They drove off, leaving behind a cloud of dust in the empty space.
Chen Chuan watched them leave calmly, putting away his Infinite Defense Permit and walking back.
Old Qi watched him return, swallowing his saliva. "I say... Little Brother Chen, you, what did you just show them?" He hadn't even reacted when Chen Chuan suddenly appeared in front of him a moment ago.
"Just the Infinite Defense Permit," Chen Chuan replied casually.
"Infinite Defense Permit?"
Old Qi glanced at him. He knew about this permit; many students from Wu Yi Academy had it. But what impressed him more was the inhuman speed Chen Chuan had just displayed.
This speed, coupled with the Infinite Defense Permit, was a clear message to the patrol soldiers not to overstep their bounds, or else, there was no telling how the situation might escalate.
He was just a commissioner, not very familiar with the affairs of Wu Yi Academy. Previously, he couldn't connect Chen Chuan with the fighters from the academy, but now he felt they were of the same kind.
Once they returned to the vehicle, he looked at Chen Chuan with a hint of reverence in his eyes, becoming more cautious and less casual than before.
The vehicle continued without encountering any further obstacles. They passed two border patrol vans, but neither stopped them for inspection.
"So many patrol vehicles, something must have happened..." Old Qi muttered. The SUV drove through the standoff between two towering buildings and then climbed onto an elevated bridge.
As the golden crow set in the west, the sky completely darkened.
Upon entering the city, the bone mask on his face flickered with colorful lights. Shadows and lights on the road and protective walls fell like silk ribbons onto the car, colliding and splashing like neon water droplets, which then merged into the rapidly flowing neon lights on the ground beneath the vehicle's wheels.
On both sides of the elevated bridge stood towering skyscrapers of varying heights. Some were so close it felt like they could be touched, and when passing by, they seemed to press down as if about to topple. Others were far in the distance, accompanied by a sea of starry lights on the ground, stretching all the way to the horizon.
This spatial contrast of near and far evoked a sense of vast and surreal detachment in one's heart.
An hour later, the vehicle descended from the elevated bridge. As they made a curved turn, Old Qi pointed ahead, "Look, that's the Wu Yi Academy Main Campus."
Chen Chuan looked ahead and saw a towering skyscraper. A full moon hung above it. The building had eight angular faces, and at its height, one could see flying eaves and corners, rainbow bridges, and floating lanterns of bright yellow light floating outside the building, slowly rising amidst the shadows and clouds.
Old Qi glanced at him and said, "It's beautiful, isn't it? Your Wu Yi Academy, oh, and the official name is... Mystic Palace."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
