As Chen Chuan stepped outside, he was met with waves of cheers. The Wuyi Students had clearly received the news that he was safe. It might not have been the exact announcement the Judge had mentioned, but the outcome was the same.

As he walked out onto the platform in front of the Judgement Court, the students spotted him.

"He’s out! He’s out!"

The students below looked on excitedly, gathering around him.

Chen Chuan looked down at the Wuyi Students, each one brimming with youthful energy. They weren’t driven by complex motives but had come here purely out of passion. Though young, they all possessed a simple, pure sense of right and wrong.

He actually understood Shen Zheng’s reasoning. Shen Zheng had set an example. Even in failure, he had shown future generations a possibility. No matter how slim that chance was, as long as one more person stood up and followed through—even if they only succeeded once—a path would be forged.

And while he hadn’t followed in Shen Zheng’s exact footsteps, he had reached the same destination by another route.

This path was not one he had walked alone. He’d had the help of many people, and more importantly, he had ridden the turning of the tide. But that didn’t stop him from becoming part of that tide—from becoming the highest, most ferocious wave that would smash the dam standing in their way!

Now, looking at his fellow students, he didn’t say much. Instead, he raised his hands and gave them a formal fist-and-palm salute.

The students below were stunned for a moment, but their surprise quickly turned to excitement. One after another, they cupped their fists and returned the salute.

After lowering his hands, Chen Chuan descended from the platform. The students voluntarily parted to make a path for him. Just before getting into the car, he turned back, smiled, and said, "Everyone, I’ll see you next semester." With that, he stepped into the sedan.

"See you next semester, Senior!"

"See you next semester, Junior Chen!"

"See you next semester!"

Their replies echoed across the plaza. They weren’t just saying goodbye to Chen Chuan; they were encouraging one another, full of anticipation for the new semester.

Watching all this from a distance, Lu Fang felt his eyes grow warm. ’If only our senior were here to see this, how great that would be.’ He turned to the members of the Fenxin Society and said, "Everyone, from now on, I’m leaving the Fenxin Society in your hands."

"Don’t worry, Senior. This is the society he founded. We’ll take good care of it."

Lu Fang smiled. "I have no doubt you will."

Elsewhere, Tai Dong suddenly had a thought and muttered, "Hey guys, do you think we still need to take the Unlimited Defense Certificate exam?"

Deng Fu stared at him as if he were an idiot. "Of course we’re taking it! Why wouldn’t we? We already signed up, so why not go? Nobody’s forcing you to fail now. We’d be morons not to get it, right?"

Tai Dong’s head snapped up. "The exam’s tomorrow! If we catch a ride over today, we should make it in time!"

"Exactly. So let’s not waste any more time here. Let’s go," Deng Fu said. He’d only taken a few steps when a voice called out from behind him, "Brother Deng."

Deng Fu glanced back and saw Geng Zheng looking at him. "What is it?" he asked, puzzled.

"Brother Deng, you were right," Geng Zheng said with great seriousness. "As long as we can stay alive, and live long enough, we can witness anything."

Deng Fu was taken aback for a second, then he burst out laughing. "Heh, I guess my words really do come true." He sighed, as if a thought had just struck him. "Hey guys, what if..."

Tai Dong was alarmed, and Geng Zheng jumped in fright. Both of them rushed forward to stop him in unison. "Brother Deng, just stop talking for now! Can’t you wait until after the exam to say anything else?"

Deng Fu looked at the two of them restraining him, their expressions fraught with anxiety. "Alright, alright," he said helplessly. "I wasn’t going to... I just wanted to say..."

"Don’t say it!"

After getting into Gao Ming’s car, Chen Chuan was quickly brought back to his aunt’s home. The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Yu Wan rushed over, grabbed him, and looked him over from head to toe. Seeing that he was unharmed, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Auntie," Chen Chuan said, "I’m sorry for making you worry."

Yu Wan feigned nonchalance. "What’s there to worry about? Don’t underestimate your auntie. For years, Old Nian has had cases pop up in the middle of the night, sometimes not coming home for days. I’m long used to it."

Chen Chuan smiled. "Auntie, rest assured, I’ll take good care of myself."

"Cousin’s back! Cousin’s back!" his two younger cousins cheered, clapping their hands.

Chen Chuan smiled faintly. He took a handful of candy he’d bought on the way from his pocket and tossed it to them. The two little ones leaped up to catch it, then happily unwrapped the sweets and started eating.

After reassuring Yu Wan a little more, Chen Chuan turned on the radio. It was broadcasting a report on the day’s events at the Judgement Court. The news detailed how the scions of powerful families had conspired to murder a Wuyi Academy student, how their families had tried to cover it up by various means, and had even attempted to frame another student. As a result, they were now being taken in by the Patrol Bureau for investigation.

This broadcast was clear proof: the public narrative, once controlled by a select few, had been seized.

As he was pondering this, the phone in the living room suddenly rang. His aunt’s voice called out, "Chan’Er, phone for you."

Chen Chuan came out and took the receiver. "Hello, this is Chen Chuan."

"Student Chen Chuan." A stern, vaguely familiar voice came from the receiver. "Please bring your Unlimited Defense Certificate and come to the entrance of the alley."

A thought struck Chen Chuan. He hung up the phone, called out a quick goodbye to his aunt, and walked out of the courtyard. At the mouth of the alley, he saw the same luxury sedan from last time. It was surrounded by men in black trench coats, a few of whom he recognized from before—both from here and from the edge of the wasteland.

One of them reached out and opened the car door for him, gesturing inside. "Chen, please get in."

Chen Chuan thanked him and got in. As soon as he was inside, he saw Specialist Cao sitting in the back. He nodded in greeting. "Specialist Cao."

Specialist Cao nodded. Once Chen Chuan was seated and the door was shut, he spoke gravely. "Student Chen Chuan, when you received your Unlimited Defense Certificate, I told you that possessing one makes you a quasi-Law Enforcer."

"With power comes responsibility. Now, in my capacity as a special commissioner of the Dashun Administration Bureau, I am issuing you a national conscription order. What is your answer?"

Chen Chuan looked up and replied in a solemn tone, "I accept the national conscription."

Specialist Cao remained expressionless, but his eyes betrayed a hint of satisfaction. "Then as of this moment, you are on standby. Await my orders."

Chen Chuan nodded, then asked, "Specialist, may I know the objective of the mission?"

Specialist Cao held out his hand, and someone immediately passed him a document. It bore the seal of the Dashun National Affairs Bureau and the words "National Conscription." Once Chen Chuan had taken it, Specialist Cao said in a low voice, "You’ve likely already guessed the mission. We are to raid the Molan Gaoling Company."

"The Molan Gaoling Company is headquartered in Central City, but you don’t need to concern yourself with that location. Someone else will handle it. Besides, it’s little more than an empty shell now. Two years ago, the Molan Company secretly moved its primary Implant research and development equipment, along with its main technical files, to a branch."

Chen Chuan asked, "What does Yangzhi have that Central City doesn’t?"

"It does."

Specialist Cao’s voice was grim. "Yangzhi’s water has unique properties that are extremely beneficial for the Molan Company’s Implant research. That’s why they have been trying to seize control of Yangzhi’s water supply. And if necessary... they could introduce a special toxin into it, holding the lives of the tens of millions of people in Yangzhi City and the surrounding towns hostage!"

Chen Chuan’s eyes narrowed.

Specialist Cao said grimly, "That is a line we absolutely cannot allow them to cross. But through bribery, infiltration, and sabotage over the last two years, they have forcibly seized control of several sections of the waterways. This has forced our hand."

Chen Chuan nodded. He suddenly recalled that his classmate, Han Shu, came from a family in the Water Affairs Bureau. Han Shu had later joined the Molan Company as a trainee. ’It seemed,’ he thought, ’that Molan Company’s plans had been in motion for a long time.’

But if they truly controlled the water supply, the Molan Company would indeed have the Dashun Government by the throat. There was no way the government would allow tens of millions of its people to be controlled and held hostage by them.

’At the same time, though, he felt Specialist Cao probably hadn’t told him the whole truth. There were clear signs of other companies being involved, not just Canghong Celestial Canal. If this was purely a government concern, those companies would have no reason to participate. They must be after something else. But since the specialist hadn’t brought it up, he knew better than to ask. Some things likely involved state secrets.’

Specialist Cao gestured again, and an aide beside him handed a briefcase to Chen Chuan. "This contains some files on the Molan Company’s armed forces. Take it back and familiarize yourself with the contents."

After Chen Chuan took the briefcase, Specialist Cao suddenly asked, "If that Recommendation Card of yours were still valid, would you use it?"

"No," Chen Chuan replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Specialist Cao studied him. "Oh? And why not? Wouldn’t it be good to join one of those corporations? You could even become one of their Recommended Students. With that card, your starting point would be much higher than most."

Chen Chuan answered frankly, "Because whether one joins a company as a manager or becomes a Recommended Student isn’t determined by a card. It’s determined by the resources and family background that gets you the card in the first place. The resources come first, then the card—not the other way around. Since I started with nothing, my choice was always clear."

Specialist Cao stared at him intently for a moment, then grunted, nodded, and said, "Chen, you may return home. Be ready for my orders."

The car door beside him opened. Chen Chuan gave the specialist a nod, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the alley across the street, briefcase in hand.

Specialist Cao watched through the window as Chen Chuan’s straight-backed figure receded into the distance. His aide asked, "Specialist, can his words be trusted?"

"Does it matter?" Specialist Cao replied. "He has answered the national conscription, which makes him a Law Enforcer of the state. As long as he can obey orders and serve the country, that is sufficient. We don’t need to know what he’s truly thinking. We only need to watch what he does."

"Besides, what he said just now was remarkably candid. It’s far better than those who pay lip service to serving the nation but want others to be on the front lines when it matters. Let’s head back. We still have a lot to do today."

"Yes, sir."

The men outside got into their respective vehicles. The sedan slowly pulled out of the street, merging with other cars waiting at the corner before the convoy headed toward the Administrative Affairs Hall.

...

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