Celestial Human Diagram

Upon arriving at the Shu Tianxia Hotel, Chen Chuan requested a private room with a view overlooking Central City’s nightscape. He ordered their food on his Realm Token, and in no time, steaming hot dishes were brought to their table.

Wu Han happily picked up a wobbly piece of braised pork, perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat. He took a bite; the texture was soft, sticky, and tender. The skin was slightly glutinous yet had a bit of a chew, and the juices instantly filled his mouth. He exclaimed in admiration, "Delicious! This flavor is just as good as what you get in Yangzhi!"

Chen Chuan said, "They say some of the water used here is shipped from Yangzhi. This is the only hotel in Central City that does that."

Wu Han had a moment of realization. "No wonder it tasted a little familiar. That explains it."

He shoveled a few more pieces of braised pork into his stomach, satisfying his craving for the moment. Setting down his chopsticks, he grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth and asked the question he hadn’t asked in the car. "By the way, Junior Brother, who exactly were those people who attacked us today? Judging by the commotion, with the guns and cannons, they can’t be small fries."

Chen Chuan said, "There’s no definitive conclusion yet, but I suspect they were from the Ferris Wheel Company. You two should be careful if you encounter them in the future."

"The Ferris Wheel Company?"

Wu Han pondered for a moment. "Where have I heard that name before?" Then he remembered. "Last time we went on a mission with you, Junior Brother, didn’t we run into that company?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "The very same."

Wu Han said, "This company seems pretty arrogant. Heh, the Molan Company used to be just like that. I bet they won’t last long either."

Chen Chuan said, "In some ways, these companies are a lot like us Fighters: if you don’t advance, you fall behind.

"But the environment they operate in doesn’t allow them to stand still. They’ll do everything they can to expand their own ecosystem. In the end, it’s either eat or be eaten."

The mention of eating reignited Wu Han’s appetite. He glanced over and discovered that in the time it took to exchange a few sentences, the quiet Weidong had already devoured more than half of the large plate of braised pork.

He hurriedly picked up his chopsticks. "Hey, kid, slow down! Leave some for me."

Chen Chuan smiled and tapped his Realm Token a couple of times, ordering several more plates for them.

As plates of food were brought out one after another, the two of them let loose, eating until their mouths were greasy and they were exclaiming with satisfaction.

Back in Wuyi or out on missions, they always ate Nutrition Paste. The stuff was very filling, so they rarely ate at restaurants. It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it—they had earned a good amount from commissions in Yangzhi—but mainly because eating out was a waste of time.

That extra hour or two could be spent on more commissions and more training. Nothing was as time-efficient and effortless as a few tubes of Nutrition Paste. Besides, the nutrition and energy provided by ordinary food weren’t as comprehensive as what the paste offered. So, at most, they would only eat out occasionally to switch things up when they were relaxing.

After dinner, both of them, contentedly holding their drinks, went to the window to look at the night view below, pointing at things and playfully arguing now and then.

When Chen Chuan went to pay the bill with his Realm Token, a notification from the hotel’s platform informed him that the Fusion Boundary Company’s account had already covered the cost.

He checked and discovered that the Fusion Boundary Company had an account linked to the Central City Public Service Platform. As the company’s Chief Security Advisor, any expenses he incurred at various service establishments in Central City during the new year holidays would be paid by the company, up to a certain limit. It was a corporate benefit.

He also took a look at the company platform. Everything had been normal for the past month. Meng Shu hadn’t been attacked on her outings, which meant the Ferris Wheel Company apparently had no intention of targeting her again. In that case, the previous attack, and this one, were very likely aimed entirely at him.

He scrolled through the news from the past month, paying special attention to the fringe channels. Besides the usual programs about daily violent conflicts throughout Central City, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly noteworthy.

However, as he scrolled down, a voice message caught his attention. After the new year, the number of Airships in the various district sky-harbors had apparently increased significantly. The number of ocean-going ships docked in the harbors was also much higher than in previous years.

’Whether it’s Airships or sea vessels, aside from military use, they’re all capable of trade and transporting bulk goods and large numbers of people.’

’This situation suggests that Central City isn’t as static as it appears on the surface. Something is being prepared, brewing behind the scenes, but it’s either too far removed from the average person’s life, or the Upper Layer is deliberately blocking the news.’

After reading, he picked up the hot drink from the table, finished it, and left the hotel with Wu Han and Weidong. They headed for his residence in the Wuding District. He planned to have them stay there for the night.

Although the Shu Tianxia Hotel also had guest rooms, they required citizen status and didn’t accept non-citizens at all. It was better to have them stay at his place. Besides, he could show the two of them where he lived.

After he brought the two to his residence, Wu Han gasped in amazement again. "Junior Brother, you have such a huge mansion in Central City? Do all the students from the Central Hospital make this much money?"

Chen Chuan said, "Most of the cadets at the Central Hospital are Recommended Students, so they come from well-off families. However, I acquired this mansion through other means. I’ll tell you the details later when I have time. There’s a training room on the fourth floor. Senior Brother, if you and Weidong feel restless, you can go there later for a workout."

Weidong’s attention was immediately captured. He asked eagerly, "Is it the same kind of training room as the one in the dorms?"

Chen Chuan said, "The size is about the same, but the functions are very different. The Domain resources at the Central Hospital are unparalleled. You’ll understand once you actually use it."

He gave the two a tour of the residence, from top to bottom, and then took them to the garage to see the "Invincible General," the vehicle with the banner planted on its roof.

Wu Han let out a "Whoa!" and walked up to circle the vehicle. "This car really suits my style, Junior Brother. I’ve got to get one of these to drive someday. Invincible General... that’s a good name. Very meaningful. It suits me perfectly."

Chen Chuan chuckled and said, "If you like it, go ahead and get in. I don’t usually drive it anyway. Just don’t take it out of the garage."

Wu Han shook his head. "Better not. Weidong is always so clumsy. I don’t want him to break it."

Weidong asked, bewildered, "Why would I break it?"

Wu Han snorted. "Who else but you? Remember that vehicle we confiscated last time? You drove it, right? It flipped over seven or eight times on the way. By the time we arrived, it was a wreck. The guy who took the vehicle off our hands gave us such a look of disgust."

Chen Chuan chuckled. Just then, his Realm Token flashed with a notification. Seeing that it was Ni Qianqian contacting him, he stepped aside.

"Sister Ni?"

Ni Qianqian’s voice came through. "Brother Chen, the bureau has received your report. The higher-ups are taking it very seriously and are investigating now. During the day, when we pursued the other convoy, we found the vehicles parked, but the people were already gone.

"The Lianwei Zhongyu emblems on them were temporary stickers. We’ve already had someone notify Lianwei Zhongyu and told them to prove their innocence."

Chen Chuan hummed in acknowledgment. ’It’s highly unlikely Lianwei Zhongyu was behind this. But since the Processing Bureau has an excuse, they definitely won’t let it go easily. It’s also a way to get Lianwei Zhongyu to use its own resources to investigate. After all, every company detests having their name used by impostors.’

"The combat personnel who attacked you came from various places. We ran a background check. Some are from the Outer Ocean, some from the Sheni Great Peninsula, and there were also people from the Lynx Federation.

"The Combat Implants on these individuals are all foreign products, and we can confirm they were custom-ordered as a batch. The two Third Limit Fighters appeared to be outsiders hired through a platform, but their past sponsorship histories are very obscure. This, in turn, suggests they share a similar background.

"We performed a residual Biological Domain scan on them. It seems both individuals have lived at sea for a period of time in the past.

"Combining this with the previous information, the analysis department concludes that the mastermind is very likely the Ferris Wheel Company."

At this point, she snorted. "Actually, I could have guessed that without their analysis. Who else could it be but Ferris Wheel? They’ve been the most aggressive lately."

Chen Chuan asked, "Sister Ni, how is the bureau planning to handle this?"

Ni Qianqian said, "This is no small matter. After all, it was a blatant attack on a government official on the National Path. The bureau has already reported it up the chain and applied for a strict audit of the Ferris Wheel Company. I hear the Upper Layer is meeting to discuss it. We’ll have to wait for the results. It won’t be resolved in a day or two."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you for the update, Sister Ni."

Ni Qianqian said, "Nothing to thank me for. The bureau owes you an explanation for this. You just enjoy your vacation. I’ll keep an eye on things and let you know if there are any developments."

Chen Chuan thanked her again and said he would treat her to a meal another day, then ended the call. Seeing how late it was, he decided not to return to the Profound Palace Building. After arranging guest rooms for both Weidong and Wu Han, he went back to his study on the top floor alone.

He took out the Broken Blade from earlier that day. The moment his hand closed around it, he felt the same sensation as before.

He turned the hilt toward him and noticed a pin. He pulled it out and saw something glittering in the light from within the hollow space. At the same time, his mind cleared. The source of that invigorating feeling had to be in here.

He tipped the contents out and found many small, shattered, crystalline objects. He didn’t know what they were, but he could clearly sense they were beneficial to him.

The moment they were out in the open, he felt his mind rapidly become clear and focused. He instinctively felt that these things were extremely helpful for cultivating his Divine Constant.

’It seems these things are responsible for Jian Chengsheng’s incredible mental focus.’

He tried to look them up on his Realm Token but couldn’t find any relevant information, which only proved how unusual they were. ’I should find some time to ask Senior Brother Cao about this,’ he thought. ’He’s bound to know what these are.’

As for the Broken Blade itself... He looked at the Long Blade, now in two pieces. ’Looks like I’ll have to ask the Processing Bureau’s logistics team to help repair it again. Only then can I put it in my collection room.’

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