Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 154 - 136: Bone Bead

Liu Zhan’s earlier remark had just been a polite pleasantry, but hearing Chen Chuan’s response, his expression remained perfectly natural. He was still all smiles as he said, "Chen, go ahead. If it’s something we can solve, we certainly won’t refuse."

Chen Chuan said, "I’d like to ask Director Liu to not make this recommendation public, and to please not tell anyone about it for the time being."

"This..."

Chen Chuan added, "Keeping it under wraps for one year will be enough."

Liu Zhan smiled and glanced at the silent Director Lei beside him. "What Chen has requested is within regulations. Chen, you can rest assured. As long as I’m still in this position, I can guarantee it."

Director Lei then said, "The Esoteric Review Bureau will do the same."

Liu Zhan quickly chimed in, "Right, right. This is our promise."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, both."

With the matter settled, Chen Chuan and Director Lei left the Foreign Affairs Bureau and got back into Director Lei’s car.

As the armored car started to move, Director Lei leaned back into the soft rear seat and said, "Your Senior Sister He and I are getting engaged at the end of the year. You have to be there."

Chen Chuan smiled. "Congratulations to you both, then. I’ll definitely be there."

Director Lei said, "Once Xiaoying is doing a little better, I want to thank you in person."

Chen Chuan asked, "Director Lei, how is the child doing now?"

"She’s still recovering. She didn’t speak a word to anyone for two years, so her language skills have regressed a bit. She’s also a bit shy around strangers. Doctor Li says that as long as her parents are patient, she should be able to recover in about half a year."

"That’s a great blessing," Chen Chuan said.

Director Lei sighed. "Yes, a great blessing."

He looked at Chen Chuan. "Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. You said to keep it quiet for a year. What, are you confident you can secure a spot in Central City this year?"

Chen Chuan said, "That’s my plan."

Director Lei didn’t ask for specifics on how he planned to do it. He said, "I hope a young man like you can make it into Central City. Its technological level is undoubtedly the highest in the entire nation. I’m not just talking about current biotechnology, but all aspects. If you can establish yourself there, only then will you be qualified to say you know the true state of the world. Otherwise, you’ll ultimately just be confined to your own little corner."

He added a warning, "But there are many enemies blocking the path. If you want to move forward, they will come to stop you, to push you down.

"If you choose to retreat, you might preserve yourself, but you’ll just live out a mediocre life. Only by advancing can you have a brilliant life. Some people are born with nothing; they don’t have the luxury of thinking about such things, so there’s nothing to be said. But since you have the talent, you should take the gamble."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then asked, "Director Lei, I’d like to ask for your guidance on something, if it’s not too presumptuous."

Director Lei smiled. "Go ahead and ask. If it’s something I can’t answer, I won’t."

Chen Chuan said, "I’d like to ask about Esoteric Rituals. What are they exactly?"

Director Lei pondered for a moment. "This involves some classified information, so I’ll just give you a simple explanation. Regardless of the ritual, they all utilize the anomalous substance I mentioned to you before. However, there’s another common name for it internationally: ’Anomaly Entanglement.’ Through certain special methods and rituals, one can guide this substance to move according to specific, predetermined patterns."

Chen Chuan asked, "Are Anomalies like that too?"

Director Lei shook his head. "Anomalies aren’t that simple. They’re complex and varied, and can’t be generalized as one type of thing. Some can be utilized, while others cannot. Besides, they don’t fall under the jurisdiction of our Esoteric Review Bureau.

"Let me put it this way: what we manage and review are all the methods summarized and made usable by Esoteric Buddhism throughout history. Most Anomalies, on the other hand, cannot be summarized or made to follow a pattern. Their origin is still a matter of debate.

"Perhaps the higher-ups know something more, but my position isn’t high enough for me to be privy to it. If you’re interested, you can search for the answers yourself. You should be able to find all sorts of answers you’re looking for in Central City."

Hearing this, Chen Chuan’s desire to go to Central City grew even stronger. His goal was to become stronger, to transcend his limitations, but he was also deeply interested in these strange, mysterious phenomena.

Director Lei drove him all the way back to the university. After getting out at the entrance of Wuyi and bidding him farewell, Chen Chuan entered the campus. This time, instead of heading back to his dorm first, he went to Cheng Zitong’s office.

When Cheng Zitong saw him, he closed the office door and asked, "You’re back? How did it go? Was it smooth?"

After sitting down, Chen Chuan said, "Teacher, I’ve secured the two student evaluations from the Esoteric Review Bureau and the Foreign Affairs Bureau." He added seriously, "They should be able to cover for me for a year, so my next step is to test for the Unlimited Defense Certificate."

Cheng Zitong looked at him for a moment, then opened a drawer in his desk and took out a letter for him. "This is Old He’s reply to you. Take it back and read it first. If you’ve made your decision, I will support you completely. However, I suggest you wait a little longer. Wait until the last file on your cousin is found. Look at that similar precedent before deciding what to do."

Chen Chuan reached out, took the letter, and nodded. "Yes, Teacher. Although my mind is made up, I won’t be too hasty." He then told Cheng Zitong about the raid on the Copper Embroidery Corps and handed over the Implant for him to handle before leaving.

After returning to his dorm, the first thing he did was open He Xiaoxing’s letter. He had previously written to ask about the upper threshold of the First Limit.

With the growth of his own Mutated Organization and the overall improvement of his body, he had sensed that trying to reach the absolute upper threshold of the First Limit within that stage was likely impossible.

The body had to maintain its functions, so progress in one area inevitably drove progress in the whole. Although the initial improvements were rapid, they would become slower and slower later on, turning inefficient.

Even if he could keep improving indefinitely, it might take several years, or even more than a decade. Forcing his way to the limit like this was clearly not cost-effective, nor was it necessary.

’The First Limit, Second Limit, and even higher limits probably aren’t a simple, linear progression,’ he thought. ’They might need to promote and complete each other synergistically. If that’s the case, I probably can’t fully complete the First Limit before moving on to the Second.’

He wasn’t sure if his idea was correct, so he had consulted He Xiaoxing. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned that he himself wanted to reach the threshold, framing it purely as a theoretical discussion.

He Xiaoxing’s reply confirmed his suspicions. The letter praised his inquisitive spirit and told him that from the First Limit to the Second, and even the Third, they could all compensate for each other’s deficiencies before a certain ultimate limit was reached. They could even be classified as parts of a single whole.

The letter also mentioned that very few people noticed this issue, let alone actively brought it up. Those without talent would neither be able nor have the opportunity to seek out this problem. At the end, He Xiaoxing expressed his hope that Chen Chuan would continue on this path, stating that while superior martial strength was certainly important, it was the constant spirit of inquiry and pursuit that truly pushed a person forward.

After reading the letter, Chen Chuan understood.

’At my current stage, I don’t need to excessively pursue the threshold, because it’s impossible to complete right now. Once I’ve grasped the power of a higher limit, I can come back and improve them all together.’

’In that case, the time to enter the Second Limit will be when I feel I’ve hit a bottleneck and my progress has become minuscule.’

’So, what comes next is to train hard and wait for that moment to arrive.’

After some thought, he reached into his pocket and took out the Bone Bead Bracelet he had gotten from Qi Sai.

While carrying it, he had discovered that in addition to causing harm, it also had a slight stimulating effect on his Mutated Organization.

’But this stimulation is really faint. Is it just a slightly special accessory?’

He examined it again, holding it against his wrist. He discovered that there clearly weren’t enough Bone Beads on it to encircle a man’s thick wrist.

Moreover, besides the spot where he had pulled on it that day, the cord showed signs of frequent disassembly. ’Does this mean...’

An idea stirred in his mind. He thought for a moment, then untied one of the Bone Beads. After examining it for a moment, he squeezed it hard. A pile of powder fell onto the desk. In the instant the bead shattered, his Second Self flickered and became illusory. The intense sensation was just like coming into close contact with an Anomaly.

’So that’s it!’

Chen Chuan’s eyes lit up. He understood. Qi Sai must have been using this object as a substitute for drugs to stimulate his Mutated Organization for his combat training.

’But this is much stronger than similar drugs, and it probably comes with other unknown harmful side effects. While it stimulates the Mutated Organization, it’s likely also draining one’s life force.’

’Considering Qi Sai had probably reached the Second Limit, maybe he could withstand it?’

’It’s also possible that because Qi Sai spent long periods in the wilderness, he couldn’t get enough drugs, so he carried this for emergencies.’

’But I can’t rule out the possibility that the Maka people, being from a small and weak nation, couldn’t provide abundant drugs like Wuyi, so they used this method as a substitute.’

But regardless of the truth, this thing was perfect for him.

He looked at the illusory image of his Second Self. ’I just don’t know how long it will last. I’ll wait and see.’

Just then, there was a knock on the door. He put the item down, walked over, and opened it to see Feng Xiaochi. "Chen," he said, "I’ve finished counting. There’s a total of five thousand three hundred fifty Jianyuan Coins and five hundred thirty-seven Trading Vouchers."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. ’Over five thousand Jianyuan Coins?’

That was actually a considerable sum. After all, even after Nian Fuli was promoted to battalion commander, his monthly salary was only a little over two hundred. However, considering this money was to be split among forty to fifty people, and it was blood money, it wasn’t actually that much.

He said, "Alright, I’ll make the calls. Once Senior Brother Ren and Brother Wei are done on their end, we’ll pick a day and have everyone come over to split it."

"Sounds good."

As for the two Wansheng Finance gold notes, he had asked Cheng Zitong about them earlier. They required an appointment in advance, the timing was uncertain, and it could take up to sixty days. For the Implant, Cheng Zitong had told him to wait, as he should be able to find a suitable buyer. Given this, it was better for him to distribute the cash on hand to everyone first.

Over the next three days, Ren Xiaotian and Wei Chang’an called one after another. They reported that the vehicles, firearms, and bounties had all been taken care of, and the payments had been settled. The commission from the Foreign Affairs Bureau had also been deposited into his account.

The next step, without a doubt, was to divide the money.

Chen Chuan thought it over and decided to book a private room at the Du Yi Hotel in the city center. He notified all the team members who had participated in the operation to come there on their day off. They would have a meal together and distribute the payment at the same time.

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