Book 3, Chapter 35: Criminal Case

The light in the pillar was getting stronger, and his second self seemed to be flickering.

The damage from the Radiant Light might not have been strong, but it was a constant presence. The place also had no hiding places or blind spots, so there was no way to hide from it.

All Chen Chuan could see was white, giving him the false impression that he was floating. Since no one could monitor him through biofields or see what was happening inside, he didn’t need to put on a show, but he would still be wasting an hour if he just sat there and did nothing.

After some thinking, he stood up and began going through the moves. The inside of the pillar was average-sized, and he didn’t bring the Frost King Saber inside, so he couldn’t practice the saber techniques. Instead, he decided to practice Principal Sanshou.

As he began moving, he realized that it increased the efficiency of absorbing the light.

The increase was marginal, but Chen Chuan had learned the Respiration Node Breathing Technique and had a clear grasp of every minute change of his mutated tissue. He could clearly sense that his mutated tissue had become more active than before.

This gave him all the more reason to do it.

With the light enveloping him, he continued practicing Principal Sanshou. Soon, he felt his body heating up, and his mutated tissue gluttonously lapping up the light seeping into him. Even if he wasn’t using the Furnace Breathing Technique, wisps of steam came out of him.

Chen Chuan was forced to stop because of it and drink half the bottle of water he had brought with him. Then, he continued.

***

While Chen Chuan was spending every moment inside to its fullest, the medical team outside started feeling uneasy. Was he coming out or not? Could the young man really last that long inside?

“Has he fainted?” someone asked.

Their expressions turned serious.

That was possible.

The Radiant Light sessions were pure torture, and some people fainted inside while trying to tough it out, but that didn’t do them any good. Otherwise, they could just knock themselves out the moment they went in.

Once a martial artist fainted inside, their mutated tissue would return to dormancy and wouldn’t absorb any of the Radiant Light. If that happened, not only would they be unable to get any benefits from the session, but they would also experience all sorts of negative effects. One such case had happened before.

But according to the rules, unless the martial artist came out on their own, they were not allowed to go in and bother them before the time was up. That was why they stayed outside while being tormented by unease.

***

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

As Chen Chuan delivered another punch, he heard rhythmic hits against the striking pad outside, which meant that time was about to be up.

So soon?

Chen Chuan hadn’t had enough.

He exhaled slowly and straightened his body. At the same time, the light around him faded away until it vanished completely.

Chen Chuan picked up his stuff, opened the door, and walked out.

The medical team immediately surrounded him and observed him carefully. When they saw the wisps of white steam coming out of him and the redness on his skin, they knew that he had endured great torment inside.

But he appeared fully conscious. Had he managed to actually endure the entire session?

This had been his first Radiant Light session.

They sighed in relief while being impressed. After all, such cases were rare, and they were lucky to have witnessed one themselves.

The medical team leader eyed him head to toe and asked, “How do you feel, young man? Do you want an examination?”

Chen Chuan shook his head.

When the medical team leader saw that he was truly okay, he stepped aside. “You can go back now, young man.”

Chen Chuan nodded and left the place. Once again, he saw the unsmiling manager. The man brought him back up through the elevator, and after signing a form at the receptionist’s desk, Chen Chuan left the building.

Cao Guiqi was waiting for him outside. The moment he saw Chen Chuan, he asked, “How was your first Radiant Light session?”

Chen Chuan could already feel that his bones and fascia had become stronger, so he said, “Great.”

Cao Guiqi was momentarily taken aback by that, but a hint of melancholy and longing appeared in his eyes. He asked nothing else and just said, “Let’s go, then.”

Chen Chuan nodded and left the place. While they were in the limousine, Chen Chuan cast a glance at the building. It was a pity that it was so hard to get here. Even with the Resolution Department providing him with another opportunity, he could only come at most twice a month. Should he think of ways to get more chances?

Cao Guiqi spoke up after some time. “The Radiant Light’s purpose is to strengthen your bones and fascia. For your organs, you need the Treasure Paste from Tiancong Baicao.

“I have twelve allotted portions with me, but Tiancong Baicao is really strict about the distribution of the medicine, so I can only collect it at most three times a month. It’s no longer of any use to me, so once I get them, I’ll be handing them to you.

“You don’t have to thank me for it. As I’ve said before, I’m just returning a favor to the Resolution Department. But since I’m in charge of teaching you over this period of time, you can ask me if you have any questions.”

Chen Chuan nodded. After mulling over his words a little, he asked, “Aside from the opportunities provided by the university and the Resolution Department, are there other ways for me to get these Radiant Light sessions and medicine?”

“Based on your situation, unless you get a state-owned company to sponsor you, then no. Since you’ve received assistance from the Resolution Department, only state-owned companies can give you such chances, and that’s a big if. Getting those chances from them is nigh impossible.

“State-owned companies only train up martial artists they trust, and they should have already found suitable martial artists from the main and branch campuses. The only chance for you to get something is if something were to happen to the sponsor targets, and the companies would have to look for a substitute. Even so, they wouldn’t prioritize someone another department is sponsoring.

“I’d suggest trying for it within the Resolution Department itself. The department receives more than one Radiant Light session per month, which are evenly distributed among their sponsored students.

“Every month, the Resolution Department also assesses all of you, and the student with the lowest assessment points loses their chance. If you show enough value, you can get an extra chance to go.”

Chen Chuan pondered over this. It was a good idea to try and get more opportunities from the Resolution Department. Even though that might mean that he would have to work for them more, that was nothing. If he wanted something, he had to work to get it. He was still weak and shouldn’t be bothered by feeling bound by these things. Once he was strong enough, he could remove those shackles one by one.

Half an hour later, the limousine was closing in on the center of Central City. Chen Chuan sensed something and looked over in the direction of the flyover. In the distance, a large ball of flame burst out of a building, followed by the sound of an explosion.

Almost immediately, he received an audio notification on his Realm Pass.

“An explosion has occurred two kilometers southwest. Please evacuate the area.”

A few seconds later, he heard another voice. “An attack has happened near Taowo Market, and martial artist criminals are involved. Backup Law Enforcer Chen Chuan, you are closest to the area and will be given temporary rights to enforce the law. Please head to the market to stop the criminals in their activities.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan looked up and said, “Senior Cao, I need to go now.”

Cao Guiqi understood what had happened and asked, “Is that a notification from the Resolution Department? It’s just their passive biosentient entity, who sent it. The department isn’t forcing you to do it, so you can choose not to go.”

Chen Chuan thought differently about it. He wanted the Resolution Department to give him more opportunities, so since he had already received the notification and was near the area, there was no reason for him to not go. “I know, but I think I should go.”

Cao Guiqi watched him for a moment before he instructed the driver, “Exit from the ramp ahead.”

Then, he turned around and cast a glance at the Frost King Saber. “You only brought your saber with you, didn’t you?”

He then extended his hand. “Give me my handgun.”

Immediately, the butler opened the storage box between the car seats and took out a handgun from it.

Cao Guiqi put the handgun into a beautiful gun holster and passed it to Chen Chuan. “This is Lightning Shock, a handgun made by Dragon’s Roar. It’s yours now.”

Chen Chuan readily accepted it with a thank you and put it into the trench coat’s waist pocket. With that done, right before Cao Guiqi’s eyes, he took some medicine. Once the limousine exited the flyover, he opened the car door, said goodbye to Cao Guiqi, and left with the Frost King Saber in hand.

The moment he stepped out, he felt a strong gust of wind blowing against him, and he pushed the top hat down before taking a deep breath and running to the explosion site.

Mr. Ding watched him run without any hesitation whatsoever. “He reminds me of you when you were younger, Young Master.”

Cao Guiqi hummed in agreement and clenched his uninjured hand, only to subconsciously hide it under his sleeve. “Let’s go back. He can take care of it.”

“Alright.”

The Resolution Department kept sending new information to Chen Chuan's Realm Pass. It was mainly about the attackers’ locations and identities.

Preliminary estimates indicated that there were four attackers. Two of them were Second Limit martial artists. All of them had military-grade armor plate implants, strengthened bones, and implanted cardiovascular systems.

Such things were pretty common among mercenaries, and Chen Chuan had fought against people with them before. However, based on their model number, their implants were more advanced than the ones he had encountered in the past.

For the moment, the group was still in the place they had attacked. They were currently engaged in a stalemate with the City Patrol.

While running, Chen Chuan could sense that it had become easier for him to generate power and link his movements together.

The strengthening of the mutated bones and fascia allowed him to draw out even more power and helped him move more swiftly and nimbly. Even though the improvement was marginal at present, the process was ongoing and might last for several days.

If Chen Chuan could receive Radiant Light sessions a few times every month, he could greatly strengthen his foundation. This helped him make up his mind.

If there was a way to get more chances, he was going to do everything he could to get them.