Old Qi sighed wistfully for a moment, then his gaze settled on something in the distance. "It’s 3:42," he said. "It’s getting late. We’d better hurry." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He turned around and said, "Brother Chen, where are your student ID and the enrollment notice from the Main Campus? Take them out."

Chen Chuan reached into his jacket pocket and took out his student ID and the notice.

Old Qi pointed to a nearby pillar. "That spot is a Domain interaction node, also called a ’Boundary Point.’ Put on your Yin Yang Ceremony, get up there, and present your documents. That will let the ’Fumu’ confirm your identity."

"Fumu?" Chen Chuan asked.

Old Qi explained, "That’s the administrator of Central City’s largest Biological Domain. It’s not a person, but a biological consciousness body that helps manage public services. Don’t worry about that for now. Brother Chen, if you want to learn more, you can look it up after your identity is confirmed. It’s not classified information or anything."

Chen Chuan walked over to one of the pedestals and stepped onto it. He put the Bone Mask back on, and the two insects crawled back down into his ear canals.

Only then did he realize the pedestal wasn’t made of stone as he’d imagined, but something more like wood. The surface under his feet wasn’t smooth, either. It was a platform formed from countless tiny, densely packed, tentacle-like objects, and it had a slight give to it.

He raised his hand and tapped the mask twice.

In an instant, the cacophony of sounds flooded his ears again. This time, however, he didn’t look toward Central City. He looked down at the pedestal. A layer of rapidly flickering light floated around its edge. Standing there, he felt a faint, tingling numbness, like a mild electric current passing through him.

Old Qi reminded him, "Focus. You have to concentrate. Feel the Boundary Point, let the Yin Yang Ceremony attune to you. These old models are such a pain..."

Chen Chuan immediately focused his attention downward. As a Fighter, he could easily control his concentration. Soon, the chaotic sounds around him began to fade away. The rapidly flashing light in front of him slowly stabilized, forming a pillar of light around his body.

He glanced around and saw a similar pillar of light rising from every pedestal on both sides of the road. They shot high into the sky, like real pillars supporting something unseen.

Just then, a gentle and friendly female voice reached him: "Welcome to the Jibei Dao Central City ’Pusuo’ Public Service Platform. Hello, visitor. Do you wish to confirm your identity?"

"Yes," Chen Chuan said.

"Please wait..."

A moment later, the female voice spoke again: "Name: Chen Chuan; Identity: Student, Wuyi University Hall Main Campus; Age: Seventeen; Current Status: Not yet enrolled."

"In accordance with the joint management agreement between the Central City Government and various corporations, this student is granted temporary citizen status, valid for fifteen days."

"Citizen Chen Chuan, please report to the university as soon as possible to update your status and obtain a long-term residence permit."

"An account with the Wansheng Conglomerate has been detected. As per the platform’s agreement with the Wansheng Conglomerate, you may authorize unrestricted transaction access. Would you like to do so?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then asked, "What are the risks and permissions associated with platform transactions?"

The voice replied, "Apologies, your current temporary citizen status does not grant you inquiry privileges. You may inquire about this service after your status has been updated."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, but I don’t need it right now."

"Understood. Do you require any other services?"

Chen Chuan looked at Old Qi. "Mr. Qi, I’ve confirmed my identity. What’s next?"

"That’s it," Old Qi said. "The Fumu has confirmed your Biological Domain." Seeing Chen Chuan about to step down, he added, "Wait a moment, let’s establish a link..." As he spoke, he touched a finger to his neck and looked at Chen Chuan.

The voice sounded in Chen Chuan’s ear again: "Citizen Qi Gao is attempting to establish contact with you through this platform. Do you consent?"

"I consent."

"Contact established..."

The next moment, Old Qi’s voice sounded directly in his ear:

"There we go. As long as we’re within Central City’s limits, we can contact each other. You’re using an old model, though, so it can only transmit sound and has no other features. Plus, you’ll get a ton of annoying ads all day, and you still need to find a Boundary Point to access public services.

But that’s what the university issues. The High-Level Yin Yang Ceremony doesn’t have these hassles. If you have the money, you can buy yourself a new one.

The best option, though, is an Implant. It allows for a much tighter connection to the Domain and is way faster. You’ll know what I mean if you ever try one. How can I describe it... it’s like having your vision restored after being nearsighted for decades. Yeah, that’s the feeling. Anyway, Brother Chen, you can come down now."

Chen Chuan stepped down from the pedestal. When he looked at Central City in the distance again, the chaotic, jumbled scenes were gone. Light and shadow were now neatly confined to each building, and everything appeared orderly. Yet, compared to its earlier monotonous appearance, it was now magnificently vibrant.

It was like a black-and-white painting that had been splashed with brilliant colors, becoming rich and radiant, but also concealing all its darker aspects.

In that moment, the city no longer seemed like a mere silhouette on the horizon. It felt like the intersection of dream and reality, the center of heaven and earth.