Chapter 288: Shadow Shape
Chapter 288: Shadow Shape
Upon entering the carriage, Chen Chuan found a seat and sat down. During this time, the carriage was mostly empty, and those around him gave him a few glances before consciously keeping their distance.
Although he was dressed casually today, the fact that he could openly carry weapons and the subtle sense of oppression he exuded made it clear that he was a fighter.
As he waited for the tram doors to close, the vehicle started, and the news program on the onboard screens began to play.
"Hello everyone, this is the Luo Qi Show. Yesterday, there was yet another violent incident involving a fighter on Cetus Street, the twelfth such incident this month.
Yes, there are only twelve documented cases, and this data has been verified by the government departments, so there's no mistake about it!"
The screen showed a patrol fleet racing towards a building, causing vehicles on both sides to scramble out of the way. One car, unable to avoid it in time, crashed head-on into the street barrier, and a person stuck their head out to shout profanities.
"Look, our city patrol team is once again rushing to the scene.
Behind him, scenes of vehicles speeding through the city flashed one after another, countless images overlapping, too numerous to count, until they were abruptly stopped by a hand.
The screen quickly switched to Luo Qi's face, topped with a rooster-like hairstyle, but surprisingly pleasant to look at.
"Do you know what I suddenly thought of? The rats in the city sewers, who see corpses as a feast, eagerly gathering around, waiting for the next one when the current one is gone.
Of course, I'm not talking about our hardworking and dedicated patrol team. Do you remember what our esteemed Director Bao said?"
His voice turned deep and restrained, "The Central City region has many areas that require attention, and our patrol officers often have to rush to the next incident after handling one. Most officers can only manage to eat two meals a day..."
The voice took on a playful tone, "Oh, you only lose your safety, but we lose a meal..."
Chen Chuan watched as the news played. Fighter-related crimes were happening daily, and the numbers reported on the fringe channels sometimes exceeded twelve in a single day, but they never made it to the mainstream channels.
Of course, the security was tighter in the few bustling districts, and such incidents were indeed less frequent there. The people in those areas were unaware of the daily conflicts occurring in the unseen corners and marginal areas.
In reality, the city patrol team could only handle minor public security issues. Whether it was gang conflicts, fighter crimes, or patients with Functional Disorder Syndrome, these were beyond their capabilities. They merely served as targets for the public's venting and scolding.
As he was watching, the tram arrived at the next station. After a while, he sensed something amiss as someone boarded the tram and sat next to him.
There were many empty seats, and most people dared not approach him. Yet, this person chose to sit right next to him. Not only that, but after sitting down, they stared blankly, muttering unintelligibly.
Wu Bei's voice sounded in his ear, "Little Brother Chen, this person's bioreal field is very chaotic, and they have many implants. They might have Stun Disease..."
Chen Chuan glanced at the person, who was not sitting facing him but with their back turned.
As if sensing his gaze, they suddenly turned their head, their body remaining still, but their head rotated all the way back. It was apparent that they had undergone bone modification, and their pupils were uneven, one larger than the other, constantly shifting from left to right.
Chen Chuan observed calmly. Although their pupils kept contracting and dilating, their gaze appeared hollow and numb. Their cheeks and facial muscles twitched incessantly, and they muttered incoherently, something about "give it to me, give it back to me..."
After a while, the person's body began to convulse, their face contorting into a grimace. Their mouth opened wide, as if they were about to lunge and bite.
A gentle hand rested on their shoulder, and with the infusion of force, they became immobile, only their mouth moving, producing the sound of grinding joints, and saliva dripping from the corner of their mouth.
In the carriage filled with various advertisements and news, this commotion went unnoticed. Outside, the scenery passed by, and inside, the passengers stared at their interface screens.
It seemed as if no one had noticed what had just happened.
Chen Chuan contacted the tram's platform and sent a message. When the tram reached the next station, the doors opened, and the station captain and staff hurriedly boarded.
They were experienced in handling such situations. The officers skillfully restrained the man with restraining cuffs, while the medical staff injected him with medication, immediately rendering him limp.
The station captain couldn't help but curse, "Those damn maggots, always putting second-hand implants in their bodies and daring to undergo any surgery. They should rot in the slums." He then expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, sir, for reporting this."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly. As he watched the man being taken away, he asked Wu Bei, "Little Brother Wu, has this person appeared before?"
Wu Bei replied, "No, there hasn't been any such occurrence since we arrived."
Chen Chuan contemplated for a moment, wondering if it was just a coincidence.
It seemed like a mere accident until the tram reached the station, and Chen Chuan returned to the Mystic Palace Tower. He didn't encounter any unusual incidents along the way.
However, in a corner of the building across the street, a person was staring in his direction, fixated on him as he entered the tower. After observing for a while, they left."
The next day, Chen Chuan left early as it was the Radiance Exposure Day arranged with the Sea Boundary Field.
Perhaps due to his improved assessment score, the academy not only allocated him the exposure quota for the previous month but also didn't postpone this month's quota to the following month.
Chen Chuan decided to combine the quotas from the Processing Bureau and the one given by Cao Guixi, maximizing the exposure duration.
Recalling the incident from the previous day, he maintained contact with Wu Bei throughout the journey.
There were no unexpected events on the way, and he only disconnected after entering the alert zone of the Sea Boundary Field. It was impossible to use the Boundary Token or track him through the biologic field in this area.
He wondered if someone might be lying in ambush here.
Despite its remote appearance, the Sea Boundary Field was patrolled by security teams, and watchtowers dotted the vast landscape. If something went wrong, there was nowhere to escape, so he concluded that even if someone intended harm, they wouldn't take action here.
Just as he had anticipated, there were no incidents during the half-hour walk from the tram stop, and he spent a total of seven hours in the Sea Boundary Field that day, leaving at 7:00 pm.
By then, darkness had completely enveloped the area, and there were no streetlights, only the flickering red lights from the distant watchtowers. Occasionally, patrol cars would pass by and stop to inquire from a distance upon seeing him.
Chen Chuan arrived at the station without incident, waited for a while, and boarded the tram. This time of day, the carriage remained empty, with only a few passengers coming and going.
After two stops, they exited the Sea Boundary Field zone, and Chen Chuan intended to reestablish contact with Wu Bei. However, for some reason, there was no response from the other end.
Just then, he noticed the lights in the carriage flickering, and the tram seemed to enter a dark tunnel, with the outside scenery becoming blurry and dim. The only sound was the tram's movement, and a faint shadow appeared on his Second Self.
A ghost story? Or...
His eyes flickered, and he reached out to deactivate the Boundary Token, but the situation around him persisted, indicating it wasn't a biologic field effect.
However, he sensed something amiss, so he ignored the Boundary Token and allowed his Second Self to withstand the biologic field invasion.
In an instant, everything around him vanished.
Was it the Boundary Token malfunctioning?
The faint sense of invasion seemed to linger.
Chen Chuan contemplated for a moment, feeling that this method didn't resemble Wei Wusheng's style. Someone else must be targeting him, and they likely had more in store than just this.
If this was a move against him, he was curious to see their approach.
After considering, he decided not to isolate the biologic field invasion but to let it continue. In a moment, the surroundings returned to the previous scene.
Suddenly, a person wearing a skull mask appeared at the other end of the carriage, their empty eye sockets fixed on Chen Chuan. They took a step forward, moving towards him, and their pace quickened until they were running.
Chen Chuan noticed that as the person approached, his Second Self's dematerialization deepened. Instead of allowing them to advance, he calmly raised the Xuejun Blade and waved it forward. At the moment of contact with the masked person, they vanished.
Everything returned to normal, and the tram continued moving forward, the night's neon lights reflecting into the carriage.
Had the opponent retreated?
Chen Chuan glanced at his Second Self, and the signs of dematerialization remained.
In a dimly lit room in the Deep Unreached Zone, a hunched figure sat amidst an array of empty cavities. Vines extended from outside, entwining around their body.
When Chen Chuan deflected the skull-masked person with his blade, the figure suddenly opened their eyes, bloodshot and filled with red threads. They uttered in a hoarse voice, "Success."
Slowly, they stood and approached a stone niche in front of them, featuring a bizarre statue resembling a standing lynx with bulging eyes and mouth. Its paws held a stone tray, creating an eerie sight.
The figure picked up a small knife, carefully cutting open their chest. When the incision was wide enough, they reached in, extracted fragments of altered organ, and scattered them onto the stone tray. Then, they took a few steps back and bowed deeply.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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