Chapter 237: Investigation
Chapter 237: Investigation
In the southeast corner of the Wu Yi Xuan Gong Tower, an aerial garden is covered by a glass dome. Lush greenery fills the space, with two non-active conscious entities monitoring soil moisture, plant needs, and controlling water supply around the clock.
The fusion of virtual reality and real-life scenery allows for the manipulation of weather, light, and climate, creating a diverse landscape of various seasons and regions.
At this moment, the garden resembles a desert oasis. A man in a striped imported formal wear stands at the edge of the oasis, gazing at the swirling sandstorm in the distance.
He appears to be in his forties, with a neatly trimmed beard, a robust and upright stature, and well-tailored attire. The slight frost at his temples adds a touch of mature charm, but his eyes carry a hint of aggression. At this moment, facing the towering sandstorm, he exudes a sense of eagerness and provocation.
Suddenly, his hair and clothes are swept up, and just as he prepares to confront the storm, everything vanishes, revealing a lush courtyard. The sound of clear bird chirps and flowing water replaces the howling wind.
He raises an eyebrow and asks, "Hong Fu?"
Hong Fu's voice echoes in his ear, "Assistant Ling, I apologize for interrupting, but you mentioned that if student Chen Chuan undergoes the admission evaluation, you want the results delivered to you immediately. His data assessment is now complete."
"Oh?" Assistant Ling responds promptly, "Send it over for me to see."
He is particularly interested in this first-year student who has obtained the Infinite Defense Permit and is one of the rare civilian-affiliated students. Perhaps he could be useful in advancing a certain plan.
The interface quickly displays Chen Chuan's evaluation scores, but the potential assessment is missing, either overlooked by Hong Fu or omitted for some reason.
"72 points..."
Assistant Ling furrows his brow slightly, feeling a bit disappointed.
This score is considered decent within the academy, as the central academy's students are all elite from various regions, starting at the Third Limit. Those with high scores are the cream of the crop. However, this score falls short of his expectations and requirements.
After some thought, he asks, "Hong Fu, I recall he defeated Tan Wang, right?"
"According to the information analysis, the student may have consumed a special type of medication when facing Tan Wang. As Tan Wang is currently detained by government authorities and has not disclosed any information, it's unclear if the student received external assistance during the process."
Assistant Ling makes a sound of acknowledgment. This explanation seems reasonable.
After all, Tan Wang is not particularly strong, and upon his return, all his implants were damaged. This incident drew attention as it was uncommon for fighters from Central City to return in such a disheveled state.
If Chen Chuan had taken medication, combined with some luck or help from others, it was possible.
After considering this, Assistant Ling slowly says, "Regardless, his courage to face a Third Limit fighter is commendable. Taking medication at a critical moment could still make him a valuable asset. Let's include him in the backup plan for now."
"Yes," Hong Fu replies.
Assistant Ling, with his hands in his pockets, walks to the edge of the courtyard and deactivates the interface token. Through the glass wall entwined with delicate branches, he gazes at the towering skyscrapers outside.
"The recommended slots for Wu Yi Academy across various regions are mostly monopolized by influential families below," he says. "This is not just an issue in Jinbei Dao but a problem faced by other regions as well.
Most of the central academy's students are recommended students who serve the interests of their families and companies, disregarding the academy's interests. As the world's echoes intensify, the academy desperately needs a transformation, a grand revolution, before then."
Hong Fu remains silent, but seems to be listening attentively.
In the dormitory, after completing his afternoon martial arts training in the practice room, Chen Chuan consumes a few nutritional paste sticks and returns to the living room. He approaches the window, gazing at the dazzling neon lights outside, draws the curtains, and settles on the sofa, browsing through news and topics of interest.
He focuses on unusual occurrences, but notices that some of the messages he had seen the day before are now gone, even after searching several times.
He ponders if they have been deliberately removed.
Although the previous messages are gone, the suspicious incidents they mentioned remain, and a few new ones have appeared.
He carefully reviews and records them, planning to personally investigate these situations to confirm if they are urban legends caused by the echoes.
The medication obtained from the special operations team will last until February, after which he will need to purchase more with money. He must act soon to ensure an adequate supply, so he decides to start the following day.
After browsing, he remembers a lingering question and searches for "Maca People" and "World's Echoes" as keywords.
The results for the Maca People quickly appear, including the recent incident in Yangzhi City where a Maca traitor stole the Holy Leaf.
Indeed, even Central City is aware of this event, and it has been added to the incident list. Director Liu will likely be pleased.
However, searching for "World's Echoes" proves less successful, as multiple attempts and variations yield no results.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized the significance of the matter, and it was worth keeping an eye on future developments.
In the evening, he trained for a while, then washed up and went to bed at the designated time. The next day, he woke up on time, freshened up, and proceeded with his daily training.
After 9 o'clock, he changed into a new set of clothes and was about to head out when someone from the school delivered the student uniforms from the Central Academy. There were two sets in total, one for spring and autumn, including matching shoes, socks, gloves, and scarves.
The uniform featured cloud patterns woven with gold and silver threads, not overtly flashy but subtly hidden within the base color, creating a subtle beauty that was hard to miss.
These uniforms were made from an unknown biomaterial fiber, and when worn, they automatically adjusted to fit snugly.
He inquired about the uniforms with Hong Fu, and she informed him that they had excellent damage resistance, ensuring the students' clothing remained intact during combat.
Even if damaged, the uniforms could self-repair under sunlight and effectively filter toxic gases for the students. The woven patterns weren't just decorative; they glowed faintly at night, helping students discern their surroundings and facilitating better connection with Hong Fu even when outdoors.
However, the uniform was too eye-catching, and he needed to go out and investigate the situation discreetly. So, after organizing it, he placed it in the wardrobe.
Carrying the box containing the Xuejun Blade, he left the dormitory. Since it was a holiday, aside from security personnel, there were hardly any other students around. Occasionally, maintenance workers passed by.
He exited the Xuan Gong Tower and found himself facing a tram station across the square. A tall display screen stood there, providing real-time information about his current location, the tram schedule, and various commercial advertisements for nearby shops and restaurants.
Despite the wide streets, towering skyscrapers dominated the view, their massive advertisement screens blaring with noise.
At the station, people waiting for the tram were engrossed in their own virtual worlds, either staring ahead or gently swiping their hands, oblivious to each other.
The streets were bustling with vehicles and pedestrians, and most of them had either conspicuous or subtle implants. Through their bio-aware interfaces, they displayed unique appearances, though not overly exaggerated, making them generally pleasant to look at.
From the interfaces, it seemed that an eccentric style had been popular for a while, but that trend had passed, giving way to a more subdued fashion sense.
As he observed, he noticed that whenever he looked at someone who wasn't a citizen, his interface would prompt him and display whether the person had a criminal record.
After a short wait, the tram arrived, and he boarded with the crowd. Inside, a news program host named Roche was using exaggerated tones to criticize the city's security patrols for their ineffectiveness and mock the inefficiency of the government.
The tram soon departed, and Chen Chuan gazed out at the city. He hadn't been able to see much the night before, but now he could take a good look.
Beyond the flashy light and shadow effects, most of the architectural styles were robust and solid, with a unique feature being the extensive greenery on the rooftops and between floors of almost every building. Even without the extravagant additions, the cityscape was pleasing to the eye.
After about ten minutes, the tram entered a skyscraper, and as it passed through, he caught a glimpse of colorful clothing displays.
His interface timely displayed information about the building, identifying it as the Cross-Industry Tower, an asset of the Celebrity Fashion Company, and listed the company's products below.
He swiped it away, and as the tram continued through the building, the sunlight outside cast shadows and light within the carriage, creating a dynamic interplay as the tram sped along.
He changed to another station and, after a short walk, arrived at his destination for the day.
On his left, two connected towers stood out, adorned with a crimson bird emblem. Lush greenery cascaded from their rooftops, reaching the ground, where sunlight filtered through the gaps between the buildings, illuminating the dark-toned walls and pavement.
He checked his interface and looked to the right; the suspicious location mentioned in the commission was two kilometers ahead. He crossed the street and headed in that direction.
At that moment, a few people appeared behind him, about a dozen meters away. They watched his retreating figure and stopped, their eyes filled with ill intent.
One of them said, "Boss, the guy's clothes don't have any light effects, and he came by tram. He must be new to the Central City."
The man they called 'Boss' had silver-frosted hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He took out a lighter, flicked it on with a click, took a drag, and slowly exhaled, his face obscured by the smoke as he looked in Chen Chuan's direction. "Call the brothers; we've got work to do," he instructed his companions.
...
(End of Chapter)
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