At 8:00 AM the next morning, Chen Chuan changed into a formal suit and went to the administration building with his advisor, Cheng Zitong.

Similar to when he got his Weapon Permit, there were a total of seven review personnel present, seated behind a long table.

After they verified his identity and he filled out the forms, one of the reviewers, an elegant woman in her thirties with light makeup, sized him up for a moment before speaking in a very friendly tone:

"Chen, we’ve reviewed your file. You’ve completed more than one mission during the national conscription, and your evaluation was ’superior’ every time. You are an exceptionally outstanding student. Now that you’re a second-year student at Wuyi, I was wondering if you’ve given any thought to an internship?"

Chen Chuan replied, "Of course I have."

The reviewer asked with a smile, "Oh? May I ask what your thoughts are, Chen?" As she spoke, the other members of the committee began to pay closer attention.

’Of course my plan is to go to Central City,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’It doesn’t really have anything to do with you people. But it’s probably not a good idea to say that so bluntly, is it?’ So he said humbly, "Perhaps I’ll start at a commission-based company for a transition period, or maybe join a government agency to learn from my seniors for a while."

The reviewer’s eyes lit up, and she said in an even more eager tone, "In that case, Chen, what do you think of our Finance Bureau? We offer very generous compensation. We’re in desperate need of talented individuals like you to contribute to our security."

Another member of the review committee spoke up. "The Communications Bureau also has its eye on you, Chen. Would you be interested in joining us? We’ve always been lacking in security and are in urgent need of powerful reinforcements. If you’re willing to come, we can offer you the best possible compensation."

He glanced at the woman from the Finance Bureau and cleared his throat. "It might not be on par with the Finance Bureau, but we can provide more benefits and conveniences in other areas."

Once he started, the other members of the review committee all began to speak up, each of their statements, in one way or another, an invitation for Chen Chuan to intern at their department.

Standing to the side, Cheng Zitong understood what was happening. These people, or the agencies behind them, saw Chen Chuan’s potential and wanted to recruit him for their departments.

Anyone could see that a student like Chen Chuan—who held an Unlimited Defense Certificate, had participated in the national conscription, and had limitless potential—would go on to do great things no matter which department he joined. He might even rise to a high position in the future.

If they could bring such a talent into their own department, even setting aside the tangible benefits, it would greatly add to the department’s prestige.

Even if Chen Chuan eventually left their department, the connection would remain, and they would still have a line of communication in the future.

At this point, Cheng Zitong stepped forward and spoke on Chen Chuan’s behalf. "Distinguished reviewers, I already have plans for my student. If you have any issues, you can come to me."

The reviewers looked at Cheng Zitong with some dissatisfaction. Cheng Zitong met their gazes. They weren’t from the same department, and his rank was no lower than anyone present, so he wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Besides, his student was headed for Central City; getting entangled in other matters was an unnecessary distraction of his focus and energy.

The members of the review departments were helpless. After all, this man was Chen Chuan’s advisor. If he said he had plans for his student before graduation, there was truly no way for them to get around him.

The questioning ended abruptly, and the review committee issued the Armor Certificate.

This was also a jade slab-like object, but it was predominantly black. Though it was a thin sliver, it felt very heavy. Its surface was covered with wispy, white, cloud-like patterns that vaguely formed the shape of a large shield. Just like the other certificate, it was engraved with Chen Chuan’s name and ID number in ancient seal script.

With the Armor Certificate in hand, their business was concluded. Cheng Zitong didn’t bother with pleasantries with the committee members, leading Chen Chuan straight out. Once outside, he said, "Xiaochuan, it seems they all think very highly of you."

Chen Chuan said, "They only think highly of me because I’m strong enough. But personally, I don’t feel I’m strong enough yet."

Cheng Zitong said, "Exactly. It’s good that you see that, Xiaochuan. Once you have strength and status, you won’t have to seek others out; they will come to you. Just stay firm in your goals and keep moving forward without hesitation."

Chen Chuan nodded.

"Alright, now you have both your Weapon and Armor Certificates. You already have a Martial Halberd, so do you need me to get you a suit of Protective Clothing?"

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, sir, but the task force gave me one during the national conscription. It’s still usable."

Although the Armor Certificate was theoretically harder to obtain than the Weapon Permit, anyone could use the armor without any barrier to entry, because no one would know if you were wearing it underneath your clothes. The key was the origin of the Protective Clothing. Only by obtaining the certificate could one use it openly without fear of investigation.

"That’s good," Cheng Zitong said. He paused, then added, "As for the internships, it’s up to you whether you go or not. You don’t need that on your resume anymore. However, I must remind you that you need to start thinking about making more money.

"There are too many things that cost money in Central City. You should save as much as you can before you go. Otherwise, you’ll probably spend a lot of your time just trying to make ends meet, which will leave very little time for training."

Chen Chuan nodded. He knew that in Central City, no amount of money would ever feel like enough, so every bit he could save now counted.

It seemed he would have to keep taking commissions. Whether they were from the Esoteric Review Bureau, the Patrol Bureau, or the paranormal-type cases, he would do whatever he could. While accumulating money, he could also accumulate overlapping time, making more preparations for his move to Central City.

After parting ways with Cheng Zitong in front of the administration building, he headed back to his dormitory. Before he even reached the hallway, he could hear the voices of Feng Xiaochi and Luo Kaiyuan from a distance.

"I heard they’re preparing to build a railway up north to connect Cold Valley City with our Yangzhi City by land. But that whole area in the north, the place where Molan Company was wiped out, has all turned red."

"They say it’s from a drug originally used for health and beauty, Molan Company’s core product. Even after being refined again, it’s still effective. That’s why a lot of people have been buying it up recently. I heard a hundred pounds of it sells for one yuan—a hundred pounds of dirt for one yuan! What a profitable business! I’m tempted to go myself."

Luo Kaiyuan said, "I don’t believe it. If it was such a great deal, why didn’t the government just shovel up all that land themselves instead of leaving it for others? And even if it really was some kind of drug, it would be useless after being burned."

Feng Xiaochi said, "If there’s a rumor like that, there must be some truth to it. What if it is useful? Besides, that’s the place where Molan Company was destroyed. Isn’t that worth seeing?"

Luo Kaiyuan seemed a bit swayed after hearing that. Just then, the two of them saw Chen Chuan walking over and greeted him.

Feng Xiaochi called out to Chen Chuan, "Chen, we were just talking about checking out the place where Molan was wiped out. What about you? Interested in going with us to take a look?"

Chen Chuan smiled and said, "If I have time, I’ll go take a look. It’ll be like a memorial visit."

The place where Molan Company met its end... of course, he had to go "pay his respects." He hadn’t gone to Zhang Mountain before because it was in the direction of his old family home, and he was afraid of running into danger. But now that he had already been there, he no longer had any such reservations.

Feng Xiaochi said happily, "Then let’s go together on our day off! Maybe we can even shovel up a few pounds of dirt to sell for some cash."

After settling the plan in a few words, the three of them went their separate ways to train.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the mid-month day off arrived. The three of them rode their bicycles toward Zhang Mountain. They had originally planned to invite Weidong and Wu Han along, but Weidong had gone with Wu Han to do a commission, and they had no idea when he’d be back, so they dropped the idea.

However, they discovered that the closer they got to Zhang Mountain, the more people there were on the road. It seemed many people had the same idea as them, though it was more likely they were after the red soil.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they were surprised to find a parking spot for vehicles. Upon asking, they learned it was run by the Iron Chain Gang. The three of them felt at ease leaving their bikes there. A gang as big as the Chain Gang wouldn’t stoop to ripping them off for a few bicycles, and no thief would dare to steal from the Iron Chain Gang’s territory.

The three of them easily followed the mountain path to the top of the slope. They passed through a flat corridor full of fortifications and came out on the other side. Here, the mountain receded, and the view opened up. Feng Xiaochi pointed down below and said excitedly, "Look, that’s it."

Chen Chuan and Luo Kaiyuan looked down. All they could see was a stretch of vibrant, blood-red land, as if a huge swath of earth had been stained with blood. Many people were bent over, shoveling the soil. After filling a bag, they would happily take it to a scale on the side to exchange it for money. It looked like someone had specifically set up a collection point.

But no matter how much they shoveled, the ground beneath was still red.

"See? I told you this stuff could be sold for money! Look at how many people are shoveling." Feng Xiaochi was very excited. He lifted the camera hanging around his neck. "I’ve got to take a few pictures."

While he was snapping away—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK—Chen Chuan stood there and looked at his Second Self. He saw a slight blurriness appear on it. The feeling was extremely faint; he might have missed it if he hadn’t been paying close attention.

And that color...

He stared at the open ground below, suddenly remembering the bead-like, blood-colored objects he and Ren Xiaotian had collected near Jiaoshan during their first commission in the wasteland.

It seemed someone was buying those up, too.

After a few glances, he, Luo Kaiyuan, and Feng Xiaochi walked down the slope. In truth, the feeling down there wasn’t very pleasant. People were turning over soil everywhere, kicking up clouds of dirt and dust. Coupled with the already sandy air of the wasteland, it was really no place to linger. So, the three of them took a quick look around and headed back shortly after.

Although Feng Xiaochi had talked about shoveling some soil, he didn’t actually do it.

On the way back from Zhang Mountain, Chen Chuan was still thinking about the red color they had mentioned, and about the fall of Molan Company... Molan Company, red...

He suddenly thought of something. Making the excuse that he had some company business to attend to, he split off from Feng Xiaochi and Luo Kaiyuan halfway there and rode his bike alone to the original location of the Molan Building in the city center.

He first parked and secured his bike, then walked down into a nearby river channel. He carefully inspected the banks and the riverbed for a while, where he discovered an extremely faint, hard-to-distinguish red trace. The trace was very long. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He followed the trace, swimming submerged along the river channel, all the way to the vicinity of the White River in South City. He found that the trace still didn’t break, continuing to stretch forward into the unknown.

He stopped there and returned to the bank. The moment he emerged, wisps of white steam rose from his body. By the time he stepped into a phone booth, his clothes were already dry.

He picked up the receiver and dialed a number. After a short wait, the call connected. "Director Lei? This is Chen Chuan. I think I know what that person is trying to do."

...

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