Book 3, Chapter 28: Assistance Program

As Chen Chuan continued forward, he could sense Ling Jianxing’s stare boring into him. It lasted until the doors shut.

But Chen Chuan’s gait remained natural. He never showed any abnormalities.

With the Realm Pass guiding him, he reached the end of the hallway. There he found an office with the words,

Office Of The Stationed Officer,

written on it. The door was wide open.

“Chen Chuan, reporting in,” he announced.

“Come in,” the person inside said.

Chen Chuan walked in. The room was spacious, at least four hundred square meters in size, with the back wall being a wide floor-to-ceiling window.

In the center of the room stood a heavy, curved desk. A woman with wavy hair sat behind it with her back turned to Chen Chuan. She had a toned body, and her elbows were propped on the desk behind her, giving her a relaxed, carefree air.

When Chen Chuan drew closer, the woman said, “The view here is great. Whenever I look out, I feel like I’m a bird flying freely in the sky. What about you, Chen Chuan? Don’t think, just tell me the first thing you feel.”

Chen Chuan looked out. From the window, he could see countless skyscrapers, and it did give him the feeling that he was flying in the sky and hugging the whole city. “It’s a great view, but it doesn’t belong to me,” he replied seriously.

The woman was stunned for a moment, then giggled. Her shoulders shook with laughter, and she kept laughing for so long that it looked like she was about to pass out.

Chen Chuan observed her quietly and thought that she was easily amused.

After a while, the woman panted and wiped away her tears before she turned around.

She was wearing green eyeshadow and appeared to be in her thirties. Her lips were rather thick, her eyes quite big, and wore light blue nail polish. The moment Chen Chuan saw her, he immediately thought that she looked like a true professional.

The woman also sized Chen Chuan up. When she was done, she said approvingly, “You’re much easier on the eyes than in your picture. Next time, get a better photographer.

“Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. I’m the internal affairs officer assigned by the Resolution Department to the main campus. Don’t go calling me Internal Affairs Officer Ni, though. It’s going to remind me of the guys from the Internal Affairs Department. Just call me Officer Ni.”

Before Chen Chuan could say anything, she continued, “I asked you to come here today because of some things that concern you. The Resolution Department has always paid attention to outstanding students like you and dedicated some resources to focus on training you guys.

“But don’t be too happy. Training you guys is a form of investment. We won’t invest our resources into students who won’t give us returns. We need to see results.

“That’s why we’ll observe and test you regularly. If you fail, then sorry, but we’ll stop training you. Also, you’re not the only one getting this chance. We’re picking three students from the main campus, and none of you are irreplaceable.

“The one with the best performance among the three of you will get the most resources, along with recommendations and benefits you’ll learn about later.

“That’s all I wanted to tell you. Next are your thoughts on the matter.” Ni Qianqian tapped the Realm Pass hidden under her hair and sent a document.

“The contents and terms are there. Take a look. Remember not to make a copy. If you agree to the terms, we can continue negotiating. If you don’t, then you can walk out of here and pretend you’ve never come here before.”

Chen Chuan took a look. It was the Resolution Department’s assistance program created with the goal of training up outstanding back-up law enforcers. One of the terms stated that the students who were part of the program weren’t allowed to join any company or non-state-owned enterprise during the training and had to complete the Resolution Department’s tests. They also had to work with members of the Resolution Department to carry out certain missions.

There were no other terms forced on them aside from these.

Chen Chuan read through the document a few times and thought about it carefully before saying, “I’ll join it.”

Ni Qianqian hummed, pleased. “Good. Most of the students like you are quite stubborn, since they’re young and capable.”

She pouted then, as if someone had come to mind.

Chen Chuan wondered whether she was talking about the other two students whom the Resolution Department wanted to assist.

“Anyway, we’re done here then.” Ni Qianqian clapped her hands. “Since you said yes, let’s talk about your studies. I’ve checked your entrance exam’s mark. It’s decent enough.

“While you only scored seventy-two, you’re from a branch campus, where they have a limited amount of resources. You’ve done pretty well by getting such a high mark. I’m sure that it’ll get a lot higher after some training.

“You got a remark saying that your technique lacks variety. As a martial artist, you need to master your weapon, or your weakness will turn into something that will kill you in the future.”

At this point, her voice turned serious. The relaxed tone from before was gone.

Chen Chuan nodded at that.

“Good. Keep that in mind. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from now on.”

Ni Qianqian stared into his eyes, as if she wanted to put pressure on him, but her attention soon shifted somewhere else.

Oh, hey, he has pretty eyes. They’re full of life, and are those double eyelids?

she wondered.

She only collected her thoughts after a while. “Let’s get back to business. We’ll recommend a lecturer skilled with saber techniques to you. If you think they’re suited for you after talking to them, you can learn from them. You don’t have to worry about the fees. We’ll waive them for you. If you don’t find them suitable, you can reject them and buy your own course.

“Also, your probability of reaching the Third Limit is too low. Most martial artists only show a difference in strength after entering the Third Limit. Think of it as a turning point.

“If you perform well, we’ll recommend a lecturer who will teach you one-on-one. It’s a rare chance, so make sure to seize it.”

“I understand,” Chen Chuan replied.

With a wave, Ni Qianqian dismissed him. “Alright. I’ve said all I needed to. I don’t like wasting my breath, so you can go back. Someone will approach you to sign the assistance program’s contract later. I’ll also send you the details. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

Chen Chuan nodded at that. “Thank you, Officer Ni. I’ll be sure to read everything carefully.”

After saying goodbye to Ni Qianqian, he left the office and went back to his room. The moment he stepped inside, he received a document.

Before he could read it, Tan Zhi invited him to a discussion platform. The participants were all students, and most of them were talking about their sponsors.

After reading through the discussion for a while, Chen Chuan learned that the Resolution Department wasn’t the only one investing in the students. The companies in Central City often approached outstanding students in Martial Valor University.

That was why while the training equipment and courses appeared expensive, the university wasn’t actually targeting the students’ wallets; they were targeting the sponsors’ coffers.

However, once the companies and government departments invested in the students, they naturally wanted returns. It seemed like Chen Chuan was going to have to do a lot of things in the future.

***

Meanwhile, while sitting in her office, Ni Qianqian was talking to someone through her Realm Pass. “Yes. I’ve told him, and he agreed to it. Verbally, that is. It should be fine, though. Draft the contract as soon as possible and send someone to him.”

“What’s your impression of the student?” the person asked.

“Pretty good. I think he’s decent. He’s pleasant to the eye and has a good temper,” Ni Qianqian answered.

“I’ll send someone over as soon as possible. After signing the contract, we’ll test him,” the person stated.

“You want to test him immediately? Why won’t you let him take a few classes and get used to life here first?” Ni Qianqian asked in surprise.

“His marks are a little too low. He scored the lowest among the three students we’ve picked for the assistance program, and it doesn’t match his performance in the past. That’s why we need to get a real, accurate assessment of his skills.”

Ni Qianqian scoffed at that. “You’re so meddlesome. There’s no way the entrance exam can figure out the full extent of a person’s strength. Only you rational types treat it as the absolute truth.

“Besides, he’s really outstanding despite not having any powerful families supporting him. I’m sure a lot of organizations want to invest in him. I wouldn’t be surprised if some companies are already eyeing him up like hyenas.”

“Don’t worry about that. He won’t choose them, and neither will those companies invest in him.”

“Well, don’t you sound sure of yourself,” Ni Qianqian remarked in surprise.

“I’m just stating facts: He didn’t choose any of them,” the person said meaningfully. “You should have seen his resume. He answered the country’s summons and worked together with the National General Affairs Bureau before, right?”

Ni Qianqian was stunned for a moment before she sank into contemplation. “Are you saying... No wonder.”

“He worked directly under the National General Affairs Bureau, so who can say that he’s not part of them already? Before the companies can make sure of that, they won’t invest in him,” the person pointed out.

“Speaking of the National General Affairs Bureau, I thought the old coots in our department didn’t like them. Aren’t they worried about Chen Chuan being a mole?” Ni Qianqian chuckled.

“Why are you so sure that our department doesn’t have moles from the National General Affairs Bureau already?”

Ni Qianqian was rendered speechless for a moment before she said in resignation, “True that.”

The National General Affairs Bureau was everywhere. They couldn’t even be sure that their colleagues didn’t lead double lives after working with them for years.

“Let the higher-ups worry about those things. It has nothing to do with us. We just need to do our jobs well,” the person reminded her. “When he signs the contract, hand this to him as well and see how he reacts.”

Just then, Ni Qianqian received a notification saying that the department sent a document to her.

She skimmed through it and gasped. “Hey, you’re setting the standards so high right from the get-go? Aren’t you just making things hard for him intentionally?”

“We need outstanding back-up law enforcers, and our funds don’t grow on trees. We need to be careful and meticulous with every investment.”

“Fine. I’ll inform him about it.” Ni Qianqian pouted.