Jiang Wei stared intently at the dark figure, then shot forward, reaching the door in an instant. He dodged to the side, but even though he was fast, one of his arms was still severed.

But his expression didn’t change. He had seen it clearly: the creature had to pause before accelerating. ’This is my chance to get out,’ he thought. ’An arm is nothing. As long as I escape, I can retrieve it. At worst, I’ll just get an Implant.’

But just as he twisted the handle, he suddenly felt as if he’d been shoved hard. Then he found himself pressed tightly against the door. He slowly moved his cheek and looked down to see the blade of a knife piercing through his abdomen, pinning him to the door.

Even then, he refused to give up. Enduring the pain, he forced himself back a little, grabbed the blade with his one remaining hand, and slowly retreated, trying his best not to widen the wound. Finally, he pulled the knife out of the door.

At that moment, a hand reached out, grabbed the hilt of the knife from behind him, and yanked it out.

Jiang Wei felt a sudden coldness in his abdomen and let out a muffled grunt. But he didn’t look back. Instead, he clutched his stomach and staggered forward a few steps, continuing to reach for the doorknob. His hand was covered in blood, however, causing it to slip several times without getting a grip. Finally, he turned, leaned against the door, and slowly slid down into a sitting position, still clutching his abdomen.

His face was pale, and cold sweat dripped incessantly from his forehead. He looked at Chen Chuan and spoke weakly, "Why does it have to be like this? If you kill us, you’ll die too. Let me go, and I can protect you..."

Chen Chuan just looked at him calmly.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Wei seemed to realize something. He stared fixedly at him. "You won’t die? You... you have an Unlimited Defense Certificate? You’ve already gotten an Unlimited Defense Certificate? Is that it? IS THAT IT?!"

By the end, he was screaming with all his might.

Chen Chuan didn’t answer him. Instead, he turned and left the hallway. Only one person was left. Jiang Wei’s voice grew fainter and fainter, his consciousness gradually fading, until finally his head drooped to his chest, and he fell silent.

From within the main factory area, Wei Jun’s voice carried over, accompanied by the BANG, BANG, BANG of something smashing against pillars, beams, and walls.

"Shen Zheng, you’re not dead? Why aren’t you dead? Why don’t you just die? Die!"

"Don’t come near me! Your sister isn’t here! She was taken to Central City by Zhao Qian! Don’t you fucking come for me!"

"On what grounds? How are you so good at fighting? Talent? I’m the one with the most talent!"

When Chen Chuan walked out, he saw Wei Jun, his face contorted, desperately strangling a steel pillar with his hands. But it looked as though he was the one suffocating, his condition worsening by the second.

Chen Chuan watched silently. He had noticed it when they first made contact: Wei Jun seemed immune to external harm, but he appeared to be trapped in some inescapable illusion. Furthermore, when he had tried to attack Chen Chuan, he had ended up injuring himself instead.

He guessed this was likely related to the strange phenomenon and the Secret Ceremony he had encountered today.

This must have been what Shen Zheng encountered back then, which was why the final autopsy concluded that all injuries were self-inflicted.

Wei Jun’s face gradually turned purple. He could no longer scream, but as if he were facing the most dangerous thing imaginable, his hands continued to squeeze with all their might while the whites of his eyes began to show...

At the same time, the sky outside was slowly brightening. On the road leading to the factory, Lu Fang, Shu Han, and others were riding in several SUVs, driving at top speed.

"Faster, go faster," people kept urging the drivers.

The members of the Fenxin Society had heard a rumor that Chen Chuan had received a recommendation from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. But this news had been intercepted by the Mutual Aid Association, who then arranged to "talk" with Chen Chuan at the Li’an Machinery Old Factory.

The address immediately struck a nerve, because that was where Shen Zheng had died all those years ago. And his death had been ruled self-inflicted.

Now Chen Chuan had been summoned there too. Were the events of that year about to repeat themselves?

The Fenxin Society immediately decided to go to that place together. Although they had little martial prowess and had lost much of their strength after many core members left, those who remained all shared a tenacious obsession in their hearts.

Shu Han said to Lu Fang, "Senior Brother Lu, you’ve already graduated. You didn’t have to come."

Lu Fang shook his head and said resolutely, "I wasn’t there when our senior brother was in trouble back then. I hate myself for it. Why wasn’t I the one who died instead of him? I think if he were still here, things might be completely different today." He took a breath. "But at least today, I can make amends."

"Senior Brother Lu is right. Three years ago, when our senior brother died, we couldn’t do anything. But now, we can’t just do nothing. Junior Chen got the recommendation, which means he can test for the Unlimited Defense Certificate. He’s our only hope after our senior brother. We can’t give up. Even if our senior brother is gone, someone has to carry on down this path!"

The members of the Fenxin Society all nodded to each other. Some of them had already graduated, but they had come anyway. Although Chen Chuan had refused their invitation, they had still been keeping an eye on him.

They later discovered that Chen Chuan’s combat skills hadn’t fallen behind because he chose the Circulation Technique. On the contrary, he had accomplished one feat after another that ordinary students couldn’t, proving that the path he chose was the right one.

After driving a while longer, the cars finally arrived near the old factory district.

"That’s it!" someone said, pointing at the building that had appeared up ahead.

The eyes of the Fenxin Society students held a complex mix of grief and fury.

Three years ago, this was where they had watched Shen Zheng’s body being carried out. And now, when they finally had another hope, those people were trying to do it all over again. They would never allow it!

But when they reached the intersection, they found that the perimeter was not only blocked by barriers but also patrolled by security guards. There was no way to get in directly, so they all got out of their cars.

However, as they approached, they were immediately stopped by the security guards stationed there, who told them this was a private factory area and they were not allowed to get any closer.

The Wei Family’s butler saw them. It had been over an Hour, and the door still hadn’t opened. ’Considering the young master and his friends might not be finished having their fun,’ he thought, ’I have to keep these people out.’

’But dawn is breaking. It’s probably time for them to wrap things up. I just received a radio message that people are on their way.’

Lu Fang and the others, however, were anxious. They knew that every minute of delay meant another minute of danger, so they decided to force their way in. These security guards weren’t armed, and they couldn’t stop the students with brute force alone.

Just as they were about to make their move, the ground suddenly began to tremble. Then, one after another, armored patrol vehicles came driving down the road toward them.

"It’s the Patrol Bureau! The Patrol Bureau’s cars!"

As fully-armed Patrol Officers disembarked and lined up on both sides, a dedicated car in the middle stopped. Deputy Director Guan Yuming stepped out.

The butler was startled. He never expected Guan Yuming to be here. But before he could step forward, he heard another commotion. He looked to the other side, where another convoy of black, armored vehicles was driving up before stopping in front of them.

His expression changed slightly. ’The Esoteric Review Bureau?’

The door of the lead armored car opened, and Director Lei stepped out. Behind him, people emerged one by one, each with cryptic patterns on their faces and the backs of their hands, all wearing black trench coats.

...

...