Chapter 255: Transformation
Chapter 255: Transformation
On the small hill, the two-story building was engulfed in raging flames, billowing black smoke rose into the sky, and sparks danced in the air.
Chen Chuan followed Wu Laoshi's instructions and burned the corpse and the house together using algae oil.
To thoroughly erase any traces, he had also gathered the broken wooden board fragments from their earlier fight and threw them into the fire.
Suddenly, something in the grass was caught by the wind and flew towards him. He reached out and grabbed it, only to find it was an advertisement for the Ink Orchid Company. He glanced at it and casually tossed it into the fire.
After checking once more, he saw nothing else left behind. He used his Boundary Vessel to contact Wu Bei, "Little Brother Wu, no one noticed our fight, right?"
Wu Bei's voice came through, "Rest assured, Little Brother Chen. I blocked the Bio-Field in this area during your fight. Anyway, there's hardly anyone around, so there's no need to worry about reports."
Chen Chuan nodded. Unlike other cities, in Central City, due to the existence of Boundary Vessels and Boundary Points, events in certain areas can send out messages and be observed remotely. Therefore, someone had to be responsible for intercepting these messages.
Moreover, it wasn't just about blocking messages. If necessary, he could even have Wu Bei cause a minor malfunction in Wu Laoshi's Boundary Vessel, distracting him momentarily.
Wu Bei was also incredibly excited. In fact, during the previous fight, aside from when the two paused, he hadn't seen anything clearly. All he saw were shattered bricks and wooden boards, and a huge pit in the ground. Such power was simply beyond human capabilities.
The last time Chen Chuan fought the Golden Shrimp Commission Company, he thought it was impressive enough, but this time, he truly witnessed the level of a powerful fighter. It was as if they were on a different level altogether.
At that moment, he remembered something and said, "Little Brother Chen, this Wu Laoshi, his situation, well, it seems like he has Stare Disease."
"Stare Disease?"
"Yeah, the official term used by the government and companies is Functional Disorder Syndrome.
This theory suggests that under the long-term influence of the Bio-Field, the extended use of Boundary Vessels, and the combined stimulation of drugs and implants, a person's perception will oscillate between reality and illusion.
They won't be able to distinguish which is their true self and which is the real world. In this state of cognitive confusion, they often engage in actions that normal people would find difficult to comprehend.
Oh, this is just a theory. The situation is complex, so I only know this much."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly. Previously, he had felt that when he arrived in Central City, the surrounding environment had some subtle influence on his second self. This was actually due to the exchange of Bio-Fields.
Being in such an environment for an extended period might have a minor impact on ordinary people, but for a fighter like Wu Laoshi, it's not a significant concern. Wu Laoshi's situation might have more complex reasons behind it.
Moreover, as he looked down at the hill, he noticed that the area where he was standing seemed to have some issues...
However, he didn't have the time to investigate. After all, Central City was bustling with life and activity, and he didn't have the energy or the means to understand every detail.
Currently, there was something more worthy of his attention.
During his fight with Wu Laoshi, when he went to merge with his second self, he also spent more time with him than usual. He felt that there might be a reason for this, and he glanced at his watch, realizing it was almost 12:00. He would soon be able to confirm his suspicion.
Chen Chuan released his second self and observed him for a few moments. Suddenly, he sensed something unusual.
He looked around, and as he focused his gaze, everything seemed slower than what he had just witnessed—the dancing sparks, the leaves and grass blowing in the wind, all seemed to move at a slower pace.
It was as if he had merged with his second self again.
But he hadn't chosen to merge.
He clenched his fist, feeling the powerful and vibrant energy within.
So, this was the reason. After the 24-hour merge, the second self completely integrated into his body, and... did the "second self" disappear?
No.
He looked to the side, and the "second self" was still there, with faint signs of virtualization, still shielding him from external influences.
He changed his thoughts, and with a mental command, he merged with his second self again. However, this time, aside from still being able to take on damage, there seemed to be an additional effect from the merge.
No, that wasn't it.
It wasn't that there was no improvement, but rather that the improvement was incredibly subtle.
It was like... like he had only merged with the strength of an ordinary person.
His mind raced, and he released his second self again, observing for a few moments. He realized that the physical attributes of this second self were likely the same as they were at the very beginning, when he had just crossed over to this world.
Previously, he had suspected that his second self might be his other self from another world, still a part of himself. But because of his arrival, the boundaries of the world had been broken.
Now it seemed that upon reaching a certain limit or meeting a specific condition, this other self would perfectly merge with him. However, the second self wouldn't disappear; instead, it would reset to its original state, returning to how it was when he first crossed over.
At this moment, without the need for experimentation, he could clearly sense the time of fusion with the second self, which lasted for a day and four hours. It seemed to have broken through the twenty-four-hour limit, venturing towards a more distant realm.
He could feel that the strength of this second self would gradually grow with time. To say it was growing was not entirely accurate; rather, the strength would continuously draw closer to his current self. However, this process might require his active push.
Whether he would approach the strength he possessed now or return to the strength before the fusion was unclear. But even if it was the latter, the improvement would still be significant.
During the fusion, he discovered that he seemed to have an additional choice.
Closing his eyes and opening them again, he found that his physical condition had once again returned to its previous state.
By choosing to fuse with the second self, he could suppress his physical quality to the level before the fusion, which was equivalent to indirectly peeling away the previously fused second self once more.
This was quite intriguing.
This was not an ability without use; instead, it was extremely practical. The stronger an individual was, the more matter and energy were needed to sustain their existence and maintain their activities.
For instance, the nutrition he needed to consume during training was significantly more than before. Assuming he reached a higher limit, just maintaining his existence would likely require a substantial amount. However, if he could maintain a low-limit state during the fusion, he might be able to mitigate or avoid this situation.
Moreover, there might be other benefits. He had already thought of one and felt he could go back and try it.
He looked ahead at the raging fire, and at that moment, he recalled the words once spoken by He Xiaoxing. The term "limit" indicated that a person's power had its limits. As long as one remained human, regardless of how powerful the metamorphic tissue was, there would inevitably be a ceiling at a certain stage, and only theoretically perfect individuals could reach it.
Even when he had fused with the second self during the test, he hadn't reached the theoretical limit, only coming close. Now, after the fusion, he wondered if he had reached this limit in the second limit or if there was still a gap. He felt there might still be a distance, but with the second self, he believed that one day, he might be able to reach or even surpass this limit.
He stood quietly before the blazing fire, the silent night behind him. The Snow Lady Sword was sheathed to the side, and the distant wind blew, causing his scarf and coat to flutter incessantly.
After waiting for more than an hour, the fire finally extinguished, and the entire building was completely burned down. He confirmed that nothing special was left behind, then opened the Boundary Vessel with Wu Bei's assistance to clean up some remaining traces. Only then did he pick up the Snow Lady Sword and leave the place.
By the time he reached the elevator, it was almost two o'clock. However, when he rode the elevator back, at least half of the seats in the carriage were occupied, mostly by company employees.
These employees, through medication and implants, could work for extended hours. At this time, they were only one or two hours later than the usual end of the workday, and many employees had become accustomed to this.
On the tram, Chen Chuan used the Boundary Vessel to search for the person Mr. Wu had mentioned. Yuan Binsu might not be a member of the academy, and there didn't seem to be anyone by that name among the teachers or senior management. Moreover, it didn't appear to be a student, so he could pay attention later.
As for the other person, Mr. Wu hadn't finished speaking, but Chen Chuan noticed that among the teachers and senior management, only two had the surname Ling. One was an advisor in his eighties who didn't even teach, and the other was Vice President Ling Jianxing.
He felt that the person Mr. Wu mentioned was most likely the latter.
Mr. Wu's matter might have some connection to these two individuals. If so, would these two people and those behind them give up because of the former's death?
He believed that if there was a deeper purpose, the likelihood of them giving up was low.
As he pondered, the tram arrived at the academy. When he stepped out of the station and walked towards the Mystic Palace Tower, it was already past three in the morning.
As he was about to enter the lobby, he looked up and saw Hong Fu standing above, and he nodded at her.
After seeing him, Hong Fu's lively eyes on her face returned the nod.
Chen Chuan withdrew his gaze. From the moment he descended from that small hill, he had fused with his second self, maintaining his previous state.
His biofield was almost identical to when he left the academy.
Entering the lobby and stepping into the elevator, he watched the rising indicator above, deep in thought. Although the fusion time with his second self had already exceeded twenty-four hours, choices like lowering his state and transferring damage would undoubtedly reduce this time.
Furthermore, to restore the second self to a state close to his strength, he still needed to find a way to extend the limit.
The elevator doors slid open, and he stepped out, pushing the door to return to the dormitory. After putting down the Snow Lady Sword, he glanced at the dazzling night view outside, then drew the curtains and went to freshen up before resting.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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