He finally understood why this place was called Central City.

Old Qi said to him, "Pretty magical, isn’t it? That’s why few people who come to Central City ever want to leave. But to live here without a Yin Yang Ceremony..."

He pointed to the Implant behind his own ear. "You won’t be able to see or touch any of those things. You can’t enjoy the convenient services, and even buying or selling things is a hassle. You can only take a few fixed transport routes, and you can’t make convenient account transactions. People will even refuse to talk to you. Hmm, it’s like living in a completely different world."

Chen Chuan asked, "Are there people in the city who don’t use these?"

"Of course. There’s a whole group in the city that rejects all this, refusing to enter the ’real’ world. We usually call them the Skeleton Race. There’s a gang, the Skull Gang, and they never use this stuff. There are also some lunatics who spend all day claiming the Yin Yang Ceremony is a conspiracy by the higher-ups to control every single person, telling us to refuse the implants."

Old Qi then scanned Chen Chuan. Even with his Bone Mask on, Chen Chuan could clearly see one of Old Qi’s eyes flash with an orange light.

"Hmm, you only have temporary identification right now. It’s only valid for fifteen days. You need to go to the academy and get a student card from the main campus to update your status. Only then will you be considered an official citizen."

He turned and walked back toward the vehicle. "Let’s go. We’ve been delayed for another twenty-some minutes. It’s already past four. We’d best get into the city before dark."

Chen Chuan followed him. He paused to think, however, letting his Second Self bear the external intrusion. With a glance at Central City, the brilliant lights instantly vanished. But as soon as he let down the barrier, they quickly returned.

Lost in thought, he got back in the car.

After getting into the driver’s seat, Old Qi didn’t forget to remind him, "Brother Chen, I’d advise you to have the Yin Yang Ceremony active at all times. With it, you can move around Central City freely and access all kinds of information and services. Otherwise, you’ll find it impossible to get anywhere."

After a moment’s thought, he added another warning. "But once you go get your Implant, remember not to just add any random strangers to your contacts..."

Amidst his rambling warnings, the off-road vehicle drove on for another ten minutes. Suddenly, a sharp buzzing sound rang out. Old Qi’s expression changed. Chen Chuan, still wearing his Bone Mask, saw a patch of intersecting, blood-red light appear on the road ahead.

"Damn it, a roadblock and inspection." Old Qi cursed, slapping the steering wheel. "Some other lunatic must be causing trouble in the city."

He looked back at Chen Chuan. "This inspection could take hours. We might be here until nighttime. I say we take a detour. Brother Chen, what do you think?"

Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Qi, didn’t you say that would be trouble?"

"It’s better than waiting here like idiots. Who knows when they’ll lift the block? What if it’s a day or two? Are we supposed to just wait out here? We have to find another way."

Chen Chuan replied, "Mr. Qi, you know this area better than I do. I’ll leave the decision to you." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Alright!"

Old Qi was decisive. He cranked the steering wheel, and the off-road vehicle swung around, charging off the main road. It headed south. Once they were away from the road, however, he began to scan their surroundings warily, his earlier relaxed demeanor gone.

After about fifteen minutes, a piercing sound suddenly blared in their ears, followed by a cold, synthesized voice. "Vehicle ahead, you are ordered to stop for inspection. I repeat, you are ordered to stop for inspection."

"Shit, it’s the boundary patrol," Old Qi cursed.

Chen Chuan looked back and saw two armed patrol vehicles, each with a light machine gun mounted on its roof, closing in from either side.

Old Qi had no choice but to stop the car. He knew that if he didn’t stop by the third warning, the patrol team would open fire without hesitation.

"We have to get out," he said, resigned. "No way around this inspection." He pushed his door open and stepped out.

Chen Chuan got out of the vehicle as well.

The two vehicles stopped about twenty meters behind them. Three patrol officers in helmets, goggles, and heavy combat suits got out, each holding a submachine gun.

From inside the patrol vehicles, others kept rifles aimed at them.

One of the patrol officers looked at Chen Chuan, a light flickering in his goggles. "Temporary citizen: Chen Chuan. Affiliation: Wuyi Student. No Implant."

He then turned to Old Qi. "Citizen: Qi Gao. Occupation: Contractor, affiliated with the Transit Commission Company. Implants: Camel-Type 3 Realm Token, endocrine co-regulator, external neural port, multi-sensory contacts..."

Another patrol officer aimed his weapon at them. "You are currently persons of interest in a case involving the destruction of corporate and public property. Please come with us to assist in the investigation."

Old Qi swore. "We just fucking got back to Central City from the outside! How could we have destroyed property in the city? Are you out of your minds?"

The patrol officer’s tone remained flat. "Your time and location make you persons of interest. Please cooperate."

Old Qi’s expression soured. He knew what these boundary patrol officers were like. If they caught the real culprit, it would be fine; as citizens, he and Chen Chuan would be released. But if they couldn’t find their man, they’d use them as scapegoats. Then he’d have to spend a fortune hiring a Litigation Master to fight the charges.

Just then, Chen Chuan spoke. "I have no intention of going with you for questioning."

The officers in front of him instantly raised their weapons, aiming them at him. The rifles from the vehicles also swiveled in his direction.

Chen Chuan held a card up in front of him. As he performed the simple action, he abruptly closed the seven or eight meters between them, reappearing just two meters away from the officers.

The lead officer’s goggles flickered. "Dashun Country Unlimited Defense Certificate, B Certificate... Target strength assessment: Third Limit..."

The patrol officers glanced at one another, then lowered their weapons. Without a word, they retreated to their vehicles and drove off, leaving only a thick cloud of dust in the clearing.

Chen Chuan calmly watched them leave, then put away his Unlimited Defense Certificate and walked back.

Old Qi watched him return, swallowing hard. "I say... Brother Chen, what... what did you just show them?" Chen Chuan had suddenly appeared in front of the officers in an instant; Old Qi hadn’t even had time to react.

"Just my Unlimited Defense Certificate," Chen Chuan said nonchalantly.

"Unlimited Defense Certificate?"

Old Qi glanced at him. He’d heard of that certificate; many students at Wuyi’s main campus had one. But what was more important was the inhuman speed Chen Chuan had just displayed.

That speed, combined with an Unlimited Defense Certificate, was a clear warning to the patrol officers: don’t cross the line, or there’s no telling what might happen.

He was just a contractor, so he didn’t know much about Wuyi Academy. Before, he’d had trouble connecting Chen Chuan with the Fighters from the academy, but now he was starting to think they were one and the same.

Back in the vehicle, a trace of awe had crept into his gaze whenever he looked at Chen Chuan. He spoke more carefully now, his earlier casualness gone.

Their journey continued without any further interruptions. They passed two more armed patrol vehicles along the way, but neither made any move to stop them for an inspection.

"So many patrol vehicles... something big must have happened," Old Qi muttered. The off-road vehicle drove between two facing skyscrapers and climbed onto an elevated highway.

By now, the sun had set, and the sky had grown completely dark.

As they drove deeper into the city, multicolored lights flickered both inside and outside his Bone Mask. Ribbons of light and shadow from the roads and barrier walls cascaded over the vehicle, colliding and throwing up splashes of brilliance. They then fell to the pavement in the vehicle’s wake, instantly merging into the fast-flowing river of neon.

On both sides of the elevated highway, skyscrapers of varying heights shot up from the ground. Some were so close they seemed within arm’s reach, looming over them as they passed as if about to topple. Others sat at the far edges of his vision, stretching out to the distant horizon along with the sea of star-like lights on the ground below.

The spatial contrast between near and far evoked a vast, hollow sense of detachment.

An hour later, the vehicle descended from the highway. As they rounded a wide curve, Old Qi gestured. "Look, that’s the Wuyi Main Campus."

Chen Chuan looked and saw a skyscraper rising before them, a full moon hanging just above its peak. The building had an octagonal, prismatic design. High up on its facade, he could see traditional upturned eaves, rainbow bridges, and ringed corridors. Amidst ribbons of light and shimmering, auspicious clouds, bright yellow floating lanterns drifted around the tower, slowly ascending into the sky.

Old Qi glanced at him. "Beautiful, isn’t it? You Wuyi folks... oh, and this is the official name, too... you call it... the Profound Palace."

...

...