Book 3, Chapter 137: Hill

The number on the elevator kept jumping. When it showed the first floor again, the doors opened slowly. Chen Chuan walked out and looked outside the window as he strolled down the corridor.

When he looked past his reflection in the window, he saw the sky, which was a little cramped due to all the towering buildings. The blue sky remained as bright as ever, though there were a few thick clouds in it.

A layer of secrets had been revealed, but behind it was an even greater, heavier curtain.

Liang Guanghai had shared a lot of things, but Chen Chuan had a feeling that he hadn’t told him everything. After all, this concerned the safety of the world, so Liang Guanghai was likely to pick and choose what to tell him.

Liang Guanghai had only talked about the government’s stance in this matter, even though the world was ruled by the governments and mega corporations. Neither side could ignore the other. If that were the case, what was the companies’ stance on this?

Chen Chuan needed to think long and hard as to what path he should take in the future, as well as what he should do about this.

As he walked down the long corridor, the light and scenery outside slowly fell behind him. When he was about to leave the building, he suddenly received a message.

Resolution Department: Officer Chen, you have an item in your personal storage. Please remember to retrieve it.

Chen Chuan followed the Realm Pass’ directions and went to his personal storage. Two minutes later, he arrived at a lounge and got a key from the manager.

After signing some papers, he went to a door at the back. Even though they said that this was just a small storage, it was actually a storeroom of around six square meters. The number on the door showed 6,001.

Chen Chuan went inside. The storeroom had a metal table and a corner cabinet taller than an adult male standing against the wall. Once Chen Chuan inserted the key into the cabinet, he found that it was divided into three sections: Top, middle, and bottom. The middle section contained a long, wooden box with a strap.

He took the box out and placed it on the table before removing the seal on it. Upon opening the box, he found a short saber resting on a cushion.

The saber was exactly the length he had ordered: around sixty centimeters long. Chen Chuan picked up the saber and pulled it out a little from its sheath. The smooth, bright blade reflected his image back at him.

With a whistle, he drew out the entire saber and brandished it. The weapon was easy to use. It had been made exactly as he requested.

Chen Chuan could also sense that it had mutated tissue. He could make it grow, just like the Frost King Saber. Now, he had short-range and mid-range weapons, and he could use both with ease.

But the most important part was that now he had a backup weapon.

Wei Wusheng had seized his weapon with his muscles in their fight, which forced Chen Chuan to fight against him barehanded.

If he’d had a short saber back then, he would have had another option.

Chen Chuan returned the saber to its sheath and placed it back into the wooden box before shutting the cabinet. Then, he left with the wooden box.

Once he was at the parking lot, he retrieved his car and left the place. While driving, he couldn’t help but start thinking. According to Liang Guanghai, special medicine was required for training in the Third Limit, but it wasn’t like the government was going to provide it to him once he answered their summons. He had to contribute and achieve a lot before they would provide it to him.

And it was certain that the amount the government gave would only be what other Third Limit martial artists required, while Chen Chuan required much more medicine than the average person. That largely limited his room for growth.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

But the amount of information he currently had was limited too. He felt that he should look for suggestions from other places, like Cao Guiqi.

Just then, Gao Ming called him.

Chen Chuan answered and asked, “What happened?”

“Border Fusion approached me yesterday saying they’d like to meet you,” Gao Ming replied.

“Border Fusion?” Chen Chuan checked using his Realm Pass. It was a company focused on producing high-performance biomaterials and bioparts. They had business ties with the City Patrol, City Defense, and the Resolution Department. Plenty of security guards used their protective gear and bio-shells.

Border Fusion was considered a mid-sized company in Central City. While it couldn’t compare to the top companies and mega corporations, it was on the same level as Black Orchid Co. before its decline, and it was showing signs of expanding.

“The one who asked to see you is a familiar old friend,” Gao Ming said with a cackle.

Surprise flickered in Chen Chuan’s eyes. There was only one person who could be considered their mutual old friend in Central City. “Meng Shu?”

“Yup,” Gao Ming confirmed.

Chen Chuan had known that Meng Shu lived in Central City, though she never told him the details of her family background. All he knew was that she came from a pretty well-off family. So, she apparently had ties with Border Fusion.

“Why is she asking to see me?” he asked.

“I think it’s because you became a Third Limit martial artist. I checked and found that Border Fusion is the same as other companies. It has been investing in martial artists long term, but the senior executives of the company are displeased with the progress. They’ve switched the person in charge five times already.

“Also, I still need to verify this, but I heard that Meng Lai intends to retire and pass on everything to his successor. Right now, the one in charge of the main business of the company is Meng Huang, his grandson.

“But the founder hasn’t yet officially named Meng Huang as his successor. Apparently, Meng Shu’s grandfather regards her highly. I believe that Meng Lai has silently agreed to let them compete against each other.

“Meng Huang is more than thirty years old and has lived in Central City for most of that time. He has been involved in managing the company’s businesses for a long time and has a strong foundation in Border Fusion. If Meng Shu wants to fight against him for the title of successor, things aren’t looking good for her.”

Chen Chuan nodded but didn’t continue the topic. Instead, he said, “I went to the Resolution Department and learned about certain important things. I was just about to approach you about it. I can’t tell you about it via the Realm Pass, though. We need to talk face to face.”

Gao Ming could hear the seriousness in Chen Chuan’s voice and agreed to it readily. “Sure. You’re my biggest client, so I’ll come out right now.”

“I’ll give you an address. Let’s talk there,” Chen Chuan said. After sending the address to Gao Ming, he ended the call and drove to Wu Ruo’s resting place.

He only waited for a short time before a silver-gray car arrived. It parked at the foot of the hill, and the door opened. Gao Ming walked out and headed over to Chen Chuan while tugging at his collar. “The wind sure is strong here.”

“That means that there are fewer things blocking our sight, and we can see further into the distance.” Chen Chuan looked ahead.

When Gao Ming arrived next to him, Chen Chuan handed him an NDA. “Sign this. Once you do, I’ll be submitting this agreement to my superiors. If you expose any of the secrets I’m going to tell you, they’ll hold us accountable.”

Gao Ming signed without any hesitation, then started reading the agreement. “What secret is it?” he asked afterwards.

Chen Chuan told him everything he had learned earlier.

He was allowed to tell two family members, but he thought that he had no need to tell his aunt and uncle about it. That would just make them worried for no reason. Gao Ming was his personal lawyer, though, and needed to know about it.

Gao Ming showed no signs of fear. Instead, his eyes sparkled, and he said with a grin, “I’ve always felt that the central government is hiding something, but I did not expect something like this. Honestly, I look forward to this change.

“Most of the paths that would let us climb up the social ladder are blocked. Because of it, we can only go up step by step via the few fixed paths still available to us, but they are steep, uphill climbs. Once you reach a certain height, you also find yourself having a hard time taking a single step upward, unlike before.

“With this impending crisis, all things that are impossible now will become possibilities. This great pressure on our shoulders will start loosening the twisted structure binding us all together. It will unravel, and gaps will show up.”

Gao Ming stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Chuan and looked into the distance. “You’re right, cuz. While the wind is strong here, we can see further into the distance because there are so few obstacles within sight.”

“The world might go through intense changes over the next few years,” Chen Chuan pointed out.

Gao Ming nudged his glasses up. “You’re right. The new era is about to arrive, and we’re lucky to have gotten to know about it ahead of time. We can get ready, and it’s not too late.

“You have to seize this chance, cuz. Based on the government’s stance, they’re going to ostracize the martial artists who didn’t go through the national education system. They won’t be able to get any benefits from this event or in the future.

“The closer you are to the epicenter of danger, the greater your rewards will be. If you stay away, you’ll end up being tossed around by the chaos the changes will bring to the world. Instead of passively going through them, it’s better to participate willingly.”

Chen Chuan nodded.

“What’s your opinion regarding the fact that Meng Shu wants to see me?” he asked.

“I’d suggest meeting her. After all, we were once classmates, and she’s one of the possible successors to a company. Meanwhile, you’re a martial artist. Your statuses don’t clash and won’t affect your interests. Even if you don’t work together, you can still talk to each other like friends.

“This secret also gives you another reason to see her. You can try figuring out how much she knows about it.

“If she doesn’t know, it means that her family doesn’t value her. If that’s the case, just remain friends with her. There’s no need to get too close with her.

“If she does know, perhaps we can ask her some questions. The companies might have a different story compared to the government.

“She might also give you information you’ve never heard before while trying to recruit you. At the very least, she’s an extra channel from which we can learn about this.”

Chen Chuan pondered over what Gao Ming said before nodding. “Book an appointment with her, then.”

“Got it. I’ll take care of it for you,” Gao Ming promised.