Chapter 318: The Application
Chapter 318: The Application
Upon hearing Lu Fang's question, he couldn't help but inquire, "Has her face been altered? Can you confirm this, Brother Wu?"
Wu Bei replied, "I don't know what she originally looked like, but her skeletal structure and facial features have been adjusted to some extent, and she also underwent fiber consolidation with implants."
Lu Fang recalled hearing something similar from his family, "Some companies provide unique services or create individuals resembling certain people based on their clients' preferences and personal fetishes."
As Lu Fang listened, he suddenly understood what was going on. He sighed and looked at the girl, then turned to Chen Chuan and said, "If that's the case, then she's probably not Senior Shen's sister. Perhaps she's just a puppet ordered by Zhao Qian to resemble someone, maybe to humiliate Senior Shen. Or maybe he wanted to replicate someone?"
Chen Chuan also considered this possibility. If this were true, the girl who claimed to be "Number 13" might have been modeled after Senior Shen's sister by Zhao Qian.
However, there was something odd about this. Zhao Qian had taken Senior Shen's sister away, so why would he go through the trouble of ordering a similar puppet?
What had transpired between them?
Lu Fang paused for a moment, then asked, "Did Zhao Qian ever mention who you resembled?"
The girl replied softly, "Mr. Zhao seemed to say that I looked like someone, but I don't know who it was."
Lu Fang muttered, "Perhaps that's how it is."
Chen Chuan suggested, "Senior, there might be more clues in this house. Let's search the place and see if we can find anything."
Lu Fang nodded in agreement.
Chen Chuan turned to the girl, "Do you know if there's anything unusual about this place?"
The girl answered, "There's a study in the southeast corner of the third floor that Mr. Zhao usually doesn't let me go near."
Noticing her willingness to answer, Lu Fang remarked to Wu Bei, "She doesn't seem to have a strong resistance."
Wu Bei explained, "Large companies often use a consciousness-editing implant and hypnosis techniques to predetermine a puppet's behavior logic. However, the higher the requirements, the more expensive it becomes. Zhao Qian might not have ordered such services."
Lu Fang understood and pointed to the man lying on the floor, "Then who is he?"
The girl replied, "He's the person Mr. Zhao assigned to guard the house. His name is Zhao Er."
Lu Fang asked further, "So, is he the one who orders the nutritional paste daily?"
The girl nodded.
Confused, Lu Fang inquired, "Why not order more at once?"
"Mr. Zhao transfers a limited amount of money to his account daily, just enough for daily consumption. We can't buy too much at once, and we're not allowed to contact Mr. Zhao proactively. We can only wait for his instructions."
Lu Fang sighed, realizing that these two were genuine tools in every sense. Since they couldn't contact Zhao Qian proactively, they wouldn't even leave after his death but would rigidly follow his orders.
After gathering this information, Chen Chuan and Lu Fang decided to search separately. Lu Fang took charge of other areas, while Chen Chuan headed straight to the third floor and the room the girl had mentioned.
The lock on the door was no obstacle for him. With a gentle push, he opened the lock and stepped inside, only to find a plant growing from the floor all the way up to the ceiling.
Wu Bei's voice chimed in, "This is a field interference plant. It's a mid-range product from the Five-Face Company called 'Cactus.' It can fix five field signals and needs to be replaced every six days."
Chen Chuan glanced at the plant and surveyed the room. On one side of the wall, he discovered a hidden door. He opened it and found several gun models mounted on the wall, each sealed in a transparent membrane suit.
There was a metal cabinet at the front of the room. He tried to open it and found it unlocked. Inside were three rows of drawers. The first drawer contained some spare cash, roughly three to four thousand units.
The second drawer held paper records, most of which were password-protected. However, judging by their arrangement, they were likely related to the Union Vast Control Company.
He pushed the drawer back and opened the third one, revealing a beautifully crafted red wooden box. Expecting something important, he opened it only to find a Zhao family genealogy.
He took out the genealogy and flipped through it. It recorded that the Zhao family had served as the Commander of the Holy Army in the old era, and one branch had settled in Yangzhi Town, which later became Yangzhi City.
Before the Algal Revolution, the entire old town's land belonged to the Zhao family. In the new era, the Zhao family ventured into international trade.
During the Great Expansion Era, the Zhao family actively supported and cooperated with the military, becoming one of the civilian military suppliers and regaining political status.
However, not long after, the Zhao family lost in business competition and faced political suppression, retreating once again to Yangzhi City. It wasn't until they connected with the Inklan Company that they regained their prominence.
Chen Chuan skimmed through the genealogy, realizing that it wasn't just a simple family record. He felt there was more to it, especially with the detailed description of the pre-expansion era. In school, this period of history was briefly mentioned, but here, it was elaborately documented. He decided to take it back for further examination.
At the bottom of the clan genealogy box was a Commander Tiger Token, crafted entirely from pure gold, with the ancient characters "Commander Fongsheng" inscribed on it.
Could this belong to the legendary Commander Fongsheng? According to the genealogy, the Zhao family of Yangzhi was just one branch, so how did this token end up in Zhao Qian's possession?
As he pondered this, a voice filled with excitement came from the Boundary Token, "Chen Xueyuan, come take a look at this."
Chen Chuan put down what he was holding and walked upstairs to the second-floor bedroom. There, he found Lu Fang holding a photograph. As Chen Chuan approached, Lu Fang handed it to him.
Chen Chuan took the photo and examined it. It depicted a girl around ten years old, and although she bore a slight resemblance to the girl known as Number 13, a closer comparison with the photo revealed that they were two different people. Moreover, her facial features were closer to those of Shen Zheng in the photo he had seen before.
Lu Fang pointed out, "The photo has a date. It's from four years ago."
"Four years ago, the year when Shen Xuelong got into trouble?" Chen Chuan asked.
"Yes," Lu Fang confirmed in a somber tone. "The year when the commander's younger sister was taken away by Zhao Qian. The girl in the photo is of the right age, so it's likely the commander's sister."
Chen Chuan glanced at the photo's background, which looked very familiar. It seemed to be taken in the abandoned factory where the Mutual Aid Society had plotted against Shen Zheng. The location matched, confirming the girl's identity.
"Let's see if we can find any other clues," he suggested.
Lu Fang nodded vigorously.
Unfortunately, despite searching the entire building and repeatedly questioning the girl, they couldn't find any more useful information.
Chen Chuan suggested they call it a day, as Zhao Qian had left behind some passwords that might reveal something. Lu Fang agreed.
Since it wasn't appropriate to let Number 13 and Zhao Er roam freely, Lu Fang volunteered to stay and keep an eye on the two.
To be cautious, Chen Chuan established some secret signals with Lu Fang before leaving the residence with some valuable items and returning to the Mystic Palace Tower.
The next day, he first visited Gao Ming and handed over the password book and some suspected Liangwei Zhengyu materials, asking him to investigate the origin of such passwords.
After that, he went to Mr. Zheng's residence for training.
Recently, every time he came here, he engaged in practical combat training with Zheng Tongtong. From being completely dominated at the beginning to now, he could hold his own in the sparring sessions.
This time, however, was different. Not only had his muscles and internal organs become stronger due to continuous resource investment, but his heightened senses also granted him faster reaction times and coordination, even in a low state. This allowed him to match Zheng Tongtong's rhythm.
Both of them fought with composure, neither revealing any openings. They sparred throughout the entire day without stopping.
With their stamina and endurance, they could continue for several more days, but it would simply become a test of endurance.
While this was useful for honing skills, the results weren't very effective. So, as if on cue, both of them started to speed up their attacks and increase the force of their swings. In just a few seconds, they exchanged over a hundred blows, the sound of their blades clashing echoing throughout the training ground.
Seeing that their speed was increasing and the force of their swings was growing, Mr. Zheng knew that if they continued, they might lose control. He casually picked up a training wooden sword and, at the perfect moment, inserted it between their blades, gently deflecting their weapons.
Chen Chuan seized the opportunity to sheath his sword. He felt that the incoming force had perfectly separated him and Zheng Tongtong, with the timing and strength being just right. Even if he released his state, he couldn't have achieved this, indicating that he still had a long way to go in terms of technique.
Mr. Zheng spoke with satisfaction, "Chen Chuan, let's end today's training here. Your progress is remarkable. Now, you don't need to learn too much more. Just focus on honing and mastering what you've learned. My suggestion is that you can apply for a skill evaluation exam after you return."
Chen Chuan nodded. It was already early June, and less than a month remained until the end of the semester. His skill level couldn't be improved much in a short time, so it was time for the evaluation.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Zheng and his daughter, Chen Chuan returned to the Mystic Palace Tower and contacted the Shang Wu Yi Platform. "Hong Fu, I'm applying for a skill evaluation exam for this semester."
Hong Fu's voice came through, "Application received, Chen Chuan. Based on your application time, the available exam dates are June 5th, 10th, and 25th. Please confirm your preferred date."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. The 5th was tomorrow, and he didn't see the need to wait, so he replied, "I choose the June 5th for the exam."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
