Chapter 297: Old Acquaintances
Chapter 297: Old Acquaintances
As the screech echoed, Chen Chuan witnessed the dematerialization signs on his second self rapidly intensifying. In that instant, he could barely make out the faint, translucent shadow of his second self.
The convergence time was rapidly diminishing at an incredible speed.
Everything around him—the concrete bricks and shattered glass—trembled incessantly. Simultaneously, he noticed the esoteric ritual patterns on the surrounding walls gradually fading, indicating an ongoing struggle between the ritual and the ghost story.
Fortunately, he had anticipated the power of this ghost story. This time, the ritual included a substantial amount of ceremonial materials, and he himself stood there, bearing a significant portion of the intrusion. Therefore, he wasn't concerned about the ghost story escaping.
Ignoring the lynx's cries and gnawing sounds, Chen Chuan bent down and picked up the stone that was originally located at the back of the lynx statue's neck. The stone had been shattered into a small cube by the impact.
Withstanding the ghost story's piercing assault, Chen Chuan threw the other shattered stones away, one by one, and finally placed the cube in the center of the ritual.
After arranging the stones, he stepped back from the center and picked up a pen to complete the last stroke of the binding ritual on the outer circle. As the pen touched the surface, he heard a "Wuh-eh" sound, and the stone cube trembled and flipped over.
In that fleeting moment, Chen Chuan witnessed the intrusion effects on his body instantly dissipate, indicating that the ritual had taken effect. He stepped back into the ritual and picked up the stone cube.
Upon contact, a subtle dematerialization sign appeared on his body.
Chen Chuan had already planned to take this object back, polish it, and carve it so he could carry it with him at all times. Due to the unique nature of this ghost story, it might not only be useful for cultivation but also serve other purposes in the future.
Returning to the Gader Car, Chen Chuan drove back to Xuan Gong Mansion. The past day and night had been long; ever since the attack by the stealthy antagonist, he hadn't stopped. Now, he could finally rest after returning.
As Chen Chuan thought about resting, An Cheng, looking slightly fatigued, emerged from a local Processing Bureau residence. He stood in the open space for a while before using the Boundary Vessel to contact another student.
After a moment, a voice came through, "What's the matter?"
An Cheng replied, "You should know by now. The newcomer underwent the second test, and although we don't know the exact numbers, it's clear that his evaluation has surpassed ours." He emphasized, "One of us will inevitably be eliminated."
The other person spoke with a mocking tone, "Are you saying that by sharing information, we can seize the opportunity that rightfully belongs to him? We've indeed accomplished a lot these days, but it seems futile."
An Cheng defended himself, "I did say that, but who could've predicted such a sudden and significant improvement? No one could've foreseen this. This advancement only proves that he had been hiding his true abilities. It's not my fault for misjudging, and the Bureau must have noticed our hard work these days."
The voice on the other end said, "But in the end, the Bureau will choose the one most likely to reach the Third Limit. Now that he has proven himself, what's the point of our efforts?"
As they were talking, both of their Boundary Vessels emitted a warning signal. The Processing Bureau was contacting them, just as they had suspected. The more capable they demonstrated themselves to be, the more tasks the Bureau would assign to them.
For many days, the Bureau hadn't assigned Chen Chuan any tasks because any mission given to the students would be immediately known and taken up by either him or An Cheng.
However, the problem was that none of this compared to the potential of reaching the Third Limit. As long as Chen Chuan's evaluation remained higher than theirs, no matter how many tasks they completed, the Bureau would not give up on him.
An Cheng sighed, "Let's just focus on our tasks for now."
The other person said, "Remember what you said before? If the newcomer reaches the Third Limit first, we might as well concede."
"Impossible! I will never concede!" An Cheng clenched his teeth. "Then let's see who reaches the Third Limit first."
Several days passed, and the month changed to April.
Chen Chuan emerged from Teacher Zheng's home and drove his Gader Car to a crafts shop in the Dewy Zone. He placed the half-carved stone plaque on the shop owner's counter.
The owner immediately secured the stone with a foot-operated rope and took out a chisel from his toolbox. Chen Chuan requested that the owner not touch the stone directly and not keep it for carving, even though the request was odd. The owner ran a small shop, and with business, he complied.
Chen Chuan's carving request was not overly complicated; he only needed the stone to be chiseled into the shape of a lynx.
On the previous rest day, he had already carved most of it, and today, he just needed to do some finishing touches.
Chen Chuan waited patiently as the owner began chiseling with a clinking sound. He didn't want to disturb the owner's work.
Chen Chuan had an idea about the ghost story. On the previous rest day, he had taken photos of the information he obtained from the stealthy antagonist and sent them to Director Lei. It was likely that the details about this ghost story were in those photos. Once he figured it out, he might be able to make good use of the ghost story.
After waiting for about half an hour, a communication came through the Boundary Vessel). Chen Chuan answered it, and Ni Qianqian's voice came through, "We just received news that another fighter has been killed by Wei Wusheng."
"Chen Chuan's voice trailed off, "Another one?" After the incident at the combat gym, Wei Wusheng hadn't stopped but continued to seek opportunities, and this was already the third time in recent days.
The Processing Bureau wasn't unwilling to keep an eye on them, but with so many cases to handle daily, it was impossible to focus all their energy on these fighters scattered across various locations. And even though these fighters knew they might face threats, they disliked being under the Bureau's scrutiny and arrangements, strongly resisting it.
Nixianxian spoke seriously, "Wei Wusheng has a highly skilled Resonator backing him, perhaps even a team of Resonators. The Bureau's technicians have tried several times but couldn't find any traces of them. I'm here to remind you to be cautious once more."
"Thanks for the reminder, Sister Nixianxian," Chen Chuan said.
Although Wei Wusheng had a team, or even a company supporting him, Chen Chuan could tell that each time, Wei Wusheng personally took action instead of relying on others.
A few days ago, he had asked Teacher Zheng for advice on dealing with such cross-training fighters. The latter told him that unless one's skills reached a certain level, there was almost no way to handle these cross-training fighters who had attained profound mastery.
The logic was simple. Techniques were all about creating opportunities to defeat the enemy, but if each opportunity didn't result in a fatal blow, it was as good as none.
Moreover, most of these cross-training masters were adept at escaping. Many times, even if they were severely injured, they would flee at the slightest sense of danger, as long as they had their wits about them.
Chen Chuan found this reasoning very convincing. Wei Wusheng was exactly like that. When he felt something was off, he would turn and run. So, to deal with such a person, the only way was to defeat and kill them within an extremely short time, with a strength that absolutely surpassed them by a level.
He pondered and felt that achieving this might still be challenging. To have complete assurance, he would have to reach the Third Limit.
"Customer, all done."
Chen Chuan lifted his head. The shop owner placed a half-palm-sized stone plaque with a lifelike lynx on it. The edges were adorned with cloud thunder patterns, and as per his request, a hole was drilled at the top for attachment.
The craftsmanship was excellent, and Chen Chuan was quite satisfied. From now on, he could carry this plaque with him.
He paid the shop owner, took the plaque, and left as the owner bid him farewell, "Take care, customer, and welcome back anytime!"
After leaving the Dewy Zone, Chen Chuan drove back to the Xuan Gong Mansion. As he approached the square, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure walking along the road. He took a glance and slowed down, rolling down the window to call out, "Lu Fang?"
Lu Fang turned and, surprised, said, "Chen Chuan?" But then he laughed. "I was just saying that this place isn't far from Wu Yi General Academy, and I was wondering if I'd run into you. I didn't expect to meet you so soon."
"What brings you to Center City, Senior Lu?" Chen Chuan asked.
Lu Fang smiled and said, "I always felt Yangzhi was too small, so I came to Center City to broaden my horizons."
Chen Chuan glanced at the second-hand boundary vessel Lu Fang was wearing and said, "Senior, are you here because of Shen Fang?"
Lu Fang fell silent for a moment and finally nodded.
"Over there, not far from here, is the Jin Wei Refreshment Shop. It's pretty good. We haven't seen each other in a while, let's go there and chat," Chen Chuan suggested.
Lu Fang turned and saw that the refreshment shop was indeed on this side of the street. The store was understated and not flashy, so he agreed.
Chen Chuan went to the square to park his car and then walked back to the shop with Lu Fang. They found a seat and sat down.
Once inside, Lu Fang relaxed. The record player, old-fashioned tables and chairs, and normal lighting made him feel like he was back in Yangzhi City, not in the flashy, colorful light screens outside that always gave him an unreal feeling, as if he were walking on a cotton-filled ground, never quite solid underfoot.
Chen Chuan ordered two drinks and asked, "How long have you been in Center City, Senior?"
"I came in late March, so I've been here for about half a month. I just found a place to stay a few days ago. Today, I had some time, so I wanted to see what Wu Yi General Academy was like. I didn't expect to run into you so coincidentally," Lu Fang explained.
"Are you looking for Zhao Qian's whereabouts, Senior?" Chen Chuan asked.
Lu Fang took a breath, picked up his hot drink, took a sip, put it down, and said, "Yes, since you've guessed it, I won't hide it from you. After the Mutual Aid Society was disbanded, Zhao Qian is the only remaining member involved in the incident from your senior year."
"Do you know Zhao Qian is now a Tier Combatant, Senior?" Chen Chuan asked.
Lu Fang nodded and said, "I know, but I'm not here to cause him trouble. I also know I don't have the ability to do so. But..." He spoke seriously, "Shen Fang's sister was taken away by Zhao Qian back then. I want to find her, or at least confirm her whereabouts."
"Senior, have you been to Fengxin Society?" Chen Chuan asked.
Lu Fang shook his head. "I went there, but they said they didn't know anything. I also went to the Securities Bureau, but they said they couldn't help me."
Chen Chuan frowned. "I have a friend in the Securities Bureau. I'll ask him to look into it."
"Thank you, Chen Chuan," Lu Fang said gratefully.
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "I'll go to Fengxin Society and ask around. I'll also go to the Securities Bureau and see if I can get any information."
"Thank you, Chen Chuan," Lu Fang said again.
Chen Chuan said, "I'll do my best. I'll go to Fengxin Society and the Securities Bureau and see what I can find out."
Lu Fang nodded gratefully.
Chen Chuan said, "I'll do my best."
(End of Chapter)
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