Celestial Human Diagram

Fang Zhixin said, "Xiaojin is better than the average person, that’s for sure. He’s Teacher Chen’s son, after all, and he showed talent beyond his peers at a young age."

At this, he looked up at Chen Chuan. "But, Captain Chen, do you think Xiaojin can compare to you?"

He shook his head. "Forget you. How do you think Xiaojin compares to Brother Ding, or the others here today?"

Chen Chuan said, "That’s not really a fair comparison."

He knew what Fang Zhixin was getting at. Xiaojin’s talent was better than average, but it wasn’t particularly outstanding when compared to the elite.

But a person’s future achievements aren’t determined by talent alone. There’s also their willpower, their own effort, the resources invested in them, and changes in their external environment.

’Judging a person’s entire life’s worth based on a single phase is far too rash.’

"But Captain Chen, he’s Teacher Chen’s son. He’s bound to be compared like this. It’s something Xiaojin can’t avoid."

Fang Zhixin explained, "Teacher Chen is always surrounded by and in contact with outstanding students like you, Captain Chen, Captain Zhan, and the others here tonight."

"Even Xiaojin’s older brother and sister were brilliant. At his age, they were already in the Merging Land, learning how to fight our enemies. You could say they were the cream of the crop. Compared to them, Xiaojin is just unremarkable."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I saw Xiaojin practicing his punches today. It seems like he lacks systematic guidance?"

Fang Zhixin sighed softly. "Teacher Chen only has so much energy. He needs to focus his limited time and energy on the students with greater natural talent."

"Plus, he’s stationed at his post year-round and rarely comes home. Ever since his wife passed away, he’s been neglectful of Xiaojin."

"How should I put it... their father-son relationship isn’t terrible, but when they see each other, it’s limited to just a nod of greeting. To us, he’s like a stranger to Xiaojin sometimes, not even as close as the nanny who takes care of him at home."

"As for us, even though we’ve noticed Xiaojin’s training might be a bit off-track, to be honest, the worst that can happen is he’ll have limited achievements. It won’t cause any real problems."

"Many of us were teammates with his older brother and sister. Seeing them sacrificed one after another was hard on us. We really don’t want to see Teacher Chen’s only remaining son walk the same path. His lack of talent might not be a bad thing for him."

Chen Chuan asked, "But have you asked Xiaojin what he wants?"

Fang Zhixin froze for a second, then shook his head.

They deeply respected Teacher Chen and felt a sense of camaraderie with Xiaojin’s older siblings, but they didn’t have much of a connection with Xiaojin himself.

They were willing to look after him when they could, but they all had their own lives. They didn’t have the time or the energy to try and understand a young boy’s thoughts.

Besides, it wasn’t their place to interfere.

Chen Chuan said, "That may be what you think, but from what I saw, Xiaojin is still working very hard. It doesn’t seem like he’s given up on this path."

"Yes, Xiaojin works very hard."

Fang Zhixin affirmed this, sighing, "He’s just as persistent as his brother and sister. But there’s a clear gap in their talent. No matter how hard he works, he’ll never catch up."

"Besides, Xiaojin is very introverted and barely talks to anyone. But I think I saw him talking to you earlier, which is rare."

’A boy like Xiaojin may not be fully mature and lacks experience, but he knows perfectly well who is genuinely kind to him.’

Just as they were speaking, a man from the opposite table walked over. When he got close, he greeted Fang Zhixin and Ding Vein, then turned to Chen Chuan. He extended his hand with a smile and said, "Captain Chen, a pleasure to meet you. My name is Gu Haiting."

Chen Chuan stood up and shook his hand. The man wasn’t in uniform, but judging by his confident air and his familiarity with those around them, he was most likely from a high-ranking military family. He was, without a doubt, one of their own.

Gu Haiting smiled. "I currently work in the public relations department at Canglong Company. I’ve heard Manager Sun mention you. I didn’t expect to run into you here today. What a pleasant surprise."

Chen Chuan’s interest was piqued. He said, "Is Senior Brother Sun doing well? We haven’t seen each other since we parted ways on the cruise ship."

"Manager Sun is doing very well. He’s still in charge of the cruise ship project, and he recently returned to Central City. He also mentioned that if it weren’t for your help last time, Captain Chen, things would have been much harder to resolve."

Chen Chuan replied, "Senior Brother Sun exaggerates. I just happened to be there at the right time. Even without me, he would have handled it just fine."

Gu Haiting made small talk with him for another moment, didn’t say much more, and quickly left. It seemed, just as he’d claimed, that he had only come over to make an introduction.

But Chen Chuan felt there was more to it. Gao Ming had mentioned to him the other day that with the Ferris Wheel Company joining the Federation, a company like Canglong Company, whose main business was in the Outer Ocean, would inevitably feel the pressure and would not sit by and do nothing.

And he, as someone who had been attacked by the Ferris Wheel Company and was clearly on bad terms with them, was a natural ally. Adding their past connections to the equation, it was highly likely they would contact him to probe his stance.

’Could this be a coincidence?’

He slowly sipped his drink. ’I’ll just have to wait and see.’

He stayed for over two hours, chatting with Ding Vein and Fang Zhixin about their experiences in the military and the Merging Land. He also managed to indirectly learn a bit more about Chen Bitong. During that time, quite a few others came up to introduce themselves and network with him.

When the gathering ended, he exchanged contact information with Ding Vein and Fang Zhixin, then left the bar with everyone else.

But unlike the others, he didn’t leave the building right away. Instead, he returned to the Training Ground upstairs and saw Xiaojin still there, sullenly throwing punches.

He watched for a while, then said, "Practicing your punches isn’t for venting your frustrations or forcing yourself. Your Mutated Organization can feel your emotions. The more you think this way, the more it will reflect that back to you, and that will only limit you. Only when you find genuine joy in it can you make greater progress."

Xiaojin stopped and looked at him.

Chen Chuan said, "No matter why you practice, the goal is always to make yourself stronger. There are many ways to become strong, but all of them require you to walk the correct path."

Chen Xiaojin thought for a moment and nodded.

Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "You have talent. Don’t waste it."

"I..." Chen Xiaojin hesitated. He seemed to lack confidence, but his gaze held a hint of hope. "I have talent...?"

Chen Chuan said, "In my eyes, you do. And I’d like to think my judgment is better than most."

Chen Xiaojin nodded, convinced. Chen Chuan’s earlier demonstration, along with the match just now, made his words extremely persuasive.

Chen Chuan said, "I’m leaving now. Remember not to train for too long. Give your Mutated Tendons and Ligaments time to rest." After speaking, he turned to leave.

"Captain Chen..."

Chen Chuan turned back to look at him.

Chen Xiaojin asked tentatively, "Can I add your contact information? I have some questions... things I can’t figure out that I’d like to ask you. Would that be okay?"

Chen Chuan smiled. "Of course." He tapped his Realm Token, added Chen Xiaojin as a contact, gave a wave, and then turned and left.

As he stepped into the elevator, he heard the sound of punches hitting the Puppet from the Training Ground again.

Once outside the building, he drove his Gard Car away. On the road, he contacted Counselor Pei. After the call connected, the person on the other end said, "One moment, I’m switching to a different channel."

A moment later, he was connected to a secure channel. Counselor Pei said, "Captain Chen, go ahead."

Chen Chuan said, "I’ve been to the training class, but I didn’t see him."

Counselor Pei replied, "He was a guest at Chairman Quan’s place today. It was a last-minute invitation. We only just received the news ourselves."

Chen Chuan said, "But I did meet quite a few other people."

He recounted the people he had met that day, but he only briefly mentioned Chen Xiaojin without going into detail.

After listening, Counselor Pei said, "If you didn’t see him today, there’s no need to rush. Just let things happen naturally."

"On the next day off, he’ll definitely be at the theater. If you get a chance, exchange a few words. If not, just showing your face is enough. Don’t be too deliberate about it."

Chen Chuan acknowledged. He understood that whenever Chen Bitong appeared in public, everyone he approached or interacted with would be noted by the Defense Department’s surveillance teams. There was no need for him to do anything extra.

After ending the conversation, he didn’t head back immediately. Instead, he turned the steering wheel and drove to the Deep Unexplored District to visit Lu Fang, who had already returned to Central City.

He had also wanted to visit the new place Wu Han had found, but after contacting him, he learned that Wu Han was out with Old Qi on a job, even on their day off.

Old Qi wanted to make up for lost time because he always remembered the favor and money he owed Chen Chuan. Wu Han, on the other hand, was single-minded and didn’t know the meaning of rest. Having just arrived in Central City, he was bursting with energy.

He then used his company’s platform Domain signal to contact Lu Ke and Yu Gang. Everything was normal on their end recently. With support from the Fusion Boundary Company, they were gradually recovering the market share they had lost.

He came to an open area next to a lush park, so he stopped the car, got out, and leaned against it. From there, he could see the towering skyscrapers and brilliant neon lights in the distance.

With old classmates and friends moving to Central City one after another, he was getting to know more and more people in the city.

After joining the defense plan, his current rank actually allowed him to bring his aunt’s family to live in Central City. However, given the current situation, it was safer for his family to remain in Yangzhi.

Besides, his uncle was unlikely to give up his position at the Patrol Bureau. There were still many things to coordinate, so he would have to wait.

At the very least, the threat from Ferris Wheel had to be eliminated.

After watching for a while, a message suddenly came through his Realm Token. He accepted it, and Ni Qianqian’s voice came through. "Brother Chen, the first installment of your personal compensation from the Ferris Wheel Company has arrived at the bureau. Come pick it up when you have a moment."

Chen Chuan replied, "Alright, I’m on my way."

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