Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 44 - 35: An Unusual First Day of School

September 1st, the first day of school at Wuyi University Hall.

At six in the morning, Chen Chuan straightened his clothes in front of the wardrobe mirror. He put on the official Wuyi University Hall student uniform, which Yu Wan had already ironed neatly for him.

He reached out, picked up his student cap, and placed it squarely on his head. After smoothing out his clothes once more, he turned, walked to the entrance, and picked up a suitcase. He stepped outside, took one last look at his room, and slowly pulled the door shut.

Yu Wan was waiting in the living room. "Xiaochuan," she urged, "there won’t be anyone to look after you at Wuda. Remember to eat well, don’t study too hard, get to bed early, and don’t overtire yourself."

Chen Chuan smiled. "Don’t worry, Auntie. The school has always been generous with food and lodging. Plus, we get a break every ten days. I’ll come back to visit you and Uncle."

Yu Wan came over to adjust his cuffs, patting them lightly. She took two steps back and said with satisfaction, "My Chan’Er is so handsome."

Chen Chuan said, "Auntie, I’m leaving. Please say goodbye to Uncle for me."

"Alright. Be careful on your way."

Chen Chuan pushed the door open and was greeted by a gust of fresh air. He didn’t ride his bike today, opting to walk directly to Wuyi University Hall.

’I’ll run through today’s schedule in my head,’ he thought. ’The opening ceremony is at around nine. Before that, I have to drop my luggage off at the dorm. After the ceremony, a senior student will show us around the School Office to get familiar with our main fields of study. After that, we’re free. Tomorrow, my new academic life officially begins.’

After walking for less than an hour, he could already see the school gate.

Just as he was about to walk over, a silver-gray Tuotu sedan pulled up and stopped a short distance in front of him. The door opened, and a tall young man stepped out. He had neat, black short hair and was dressed in a crisp, dark blue, foreign-style suit with a tie. His black leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine.

"Junior Brother Chen Chuan, is that you?" The young man smiled, walked over, and extended a hand. "Let me introduce myself. I’m Wei Chang’an, a third-year student at Wuyi University Hall."

Chen Chuan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the name. He shook the offered hand and said, "Hello. Senior Brother, are you the son of Captain Wei...?"

Wei Chang’an laughed. "That’s right. I’m Wei Oldhu’s son. No need to be shy about the nickname. Calling him ’the Tiger’ is perfectly fine."

Chen Chuan looked him over. He had met Wei Oldhu before—a boisterous, fierce, and burly man. He never expected his son to be such a respectable gentleman. This person seemed to have sought him out specifically. "Senior Brother Wei," Chen Chuan asked, "is there something you need from me?"

"Here’s the thing..." Wei Chang’an’s expression turned a bit more serious. "Junior Brother Chen Chuan, there is currently an off-campus assignment from the academy that requires your cooperation. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to attend the opening ceremony on time today."

Chen Chuan was rather surprised. "An off-campus assignment? Senior Brother Wei, are you sure? I’m just a new student who hasn’t even officially enrolled yet..."

Just then, the rear window of the car rolled down, and a familiar, deep voice came from inside. "Chen, you go with him. This is a mission from the school. Wei Chang’an will explain the specifics to you."

Chen Chuan looked and saw it was someone he recognized: the lecturer who had admitted him during the entrance exam, Bian Feng. He quickly greeted him, "Hello, Teacher Bian."

Bian Feng said, "Chen, now that you’ve passed the re-examination, you are an A-class student of the academy. You have an obligation and a responsibility to cooperate with the Civil Affairs Hall and its subordinate departments." He took out two forms. "Wei Chang’an, give this one to him, and have him sign the other."

Wei Chang’an ran over to take them, then walked back and handed one to Chen Chuan. "This is your travel authorization from the school. With this form, you can be excused from school activities and are granted the right of limited self-defense."

Chen Chuan took it and glanced at it. It bore the seals of three school departments—the Recruitment and Preparation Department, the Affairs Office, and the Executive Department—as well as the signature of Vice-Principal Gu Botang.

Wei Chang’an handed him a pen. "Could I trouble you to sign the second form, Junior Brother? Teacher Bian needs to take it back for the records."

’It seems this matter has been decided by the school’s administration,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’In that case, I have no choice but to comply. I just don’t know what this is all about. Is the reason they chose me related to that re-examination?’

He took the pen and signed the form.

Wei Chang’an took it, glanced at it, and walked back to hand it to Bian Feng. Bian Feng placed it in the briefcase he was carrying, then got out of the car. "I’m heading back to the school now. I’ll leave this matter to you two. Remember to handle it well."

Wei Chang’an said, "Don’t worry, Teacher Bian."

As Bian Feng walked toward the school gate with his briefcase, Wei Chang’an held out a hand. "Junior Brother, let me help you put your luggage in the trunk."

Chen Chuan said thank you. Wei Chang’an took the suitcase, walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and placed it inside. He then went to the front, opened the passenger door, and gestured. "Junior Brother, get in. Let’s get going. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can get back."

Chen Chuan walked over, sat in the front passenger seat, and fastened his seatbelt.

Wei Chang’an got in from the other side, also fastening his seatbelt. He placed his hands on the steering wheel, turned the key, and with a series of practiced movements, the algae-oil engine ROARED to life as the car pulled out onto the main road.

After driving for a while, he noticed Chen Chuan was quiet and said with a laugh, "What, a little disappointed you can’t attend the opening ceremony? If you ask me, there’s nothing great about it. Just a bunch of old men and women talking on stage. It’s so boring. If you want to know anything, just ask your Brother Wei."

Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Brother, can I ask what this mission is?"

"Don’t call me Senior Brother. Just call me Brother Wei. Hmm..." Wei Chang’an kept his eyes on the road. "Actually, this matter has something to do with you."

"Hmm?"

Chen Chuan was slightly taken aback.

Wei Chang’an said, "Do you remember being attacked on the road before the re-examination?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Is it related to that?"

Wei Chang’an said, "The person who attacked you is named Dou Qi. He was in charge of protecting an underground drug exchange. The day the Patrol Bureau went to arrest him, they discovered a fugitive named Tong Qianjiang. Oh, this guy is an accomplice of a group of fugitives. They broke out of Qiguang Prison three months ago and still haven’t been caught..."

Just then, he flipped on the right turn signal and took a side road. Chen Chuan glanced at the direction; they seemed to be heading toward the east side of the city.

Wei Chang’an continued, "After discovering this lead, Captain Yu... oh, that’s the Patrol Captain from the Xigang District who led the team that day... he reported the matter and conducted an interrogation.

"Dou Qi’s employer is named Old Hei. He controls a channel for prohibited drugs. And this time, Tong Qianjiang was there to buy Anti-Differentiation Medicine. Now, that’s where it gets interesting."

Chen Chuan mused, "Anti-Differentiation Medicine... I feel like I’ve heard about it somewhere."

Wei Chang’an glanced in the rearview mirror and said, "Implants, you know about them? Global megacorporations and major companies use bio-cultured bodies to replace human limbs and organs, allowing people to gain functions beyond their natural human capabilities. Of course, military-grade and civilian-grade products are different. Most of what’s circulating out here is civilian-grade. They say everyone in Central City uses them. The catch is, you need to take or inject Anti-Differentiation Medicine long-term. Otherwise, you’ll have a mutated reaction, and the consequences are severe.

Implants aren’t very common outside of Central City, perhaps because implantation requires a certain level of technical support. Even Anti-Differentiation Medicine is considered a prohibited drug outside of Central City.

"Here’s the interesting part. When Tong Qianjiang’s group was arrested, none of them had any Implants. What do they need Anti-Differentiation Medicine for? Did they get Implants after breaking out of prison, or are they buying it for someone else?

"The Patrol Bureau investigated and found that Old Hei gets his drugs from his supplier, Moustache Chou. According to Old Hei’s confession, Tong Qianjiang’s group had probably gotten medicine from Moustache Chou before, but were later referred to him. But Old Hei played it safe. He was afraid of getting implicated, so he didn’t show up himself. He had an unwitting subordinate meet with Fang Dawei’s people."

"To find Fang Dawei’s group, the Patrol Bureau needs to get leads from Moustache Chou. This guy is under the protection of a leader in the Blood Mark Gang. We’re on our way to find this leader now and make him hand the man over."

Chen Chuan was a bit confused. "Since this involves a gang, why doesn’t the Patrol Bureau just go and arrest him themselves? Why send students from Wuyi to do it?"

"Why not arrest him directly? Heh, the Molan Company is behind the Blood Mark Gang. The gang’s public-facing companies are subsidiaries of the Molan Company. They not only have their own Litigation Masters, but they’re also backed by Molan Company’s legal team. If we go through official channels without concrete evidence, we can’t touch them."

"As for why this matter was given to us," Wei Chang’an smiled, leaned forward, and pulled a Name Card from the glove compartment, handing it to him. "Take a look."

Chen Chuan took it and saw the words written on it: "Registered Member of the Client Association, Handler of Essential Affairs, Wei Chang’an."

Wei Chang’an said, "At Wuyi Academy, internships start in the second year. By the third year, you can either take a position in one of the Civil Affairs Hall’s departments or go freelance. I’m currently a member of the Client Association, specializing in handling negotiations and communications with non-governmental groups."

Chen Chuan had heard of Clients before. The Client system was not only prevalent within the Dashun Republic, but abroad as well.

When a department or individual needs to manage or contact another individual or organization outside of their own system, they hand the matter over to a Client for the purpose of saving costs and avoiding cumbersome procedures. The Client is then responsible for communication and handling all related affairs.

These Clients hold vast networks of connections and resources. They both cooperate and compete with one another. Some Advanced Clients are even granted actual authority.

Understanding Wei Chang’an’s current status made it clear why he was able to get involved in this matter.

Wei Chang’an said, "Don’t worry, Junior Brother. The Client company I’m affiliated with has already communicated with the Blood Mark Gang’s leader. They’ve agreed to hand the person over to us. This time, we’re just going through the motions."

Chen Chuan asked doubtfully, "You’re bringing me along just because this matter is related to me?"

Wei Chang’an let out a sigh. "Brother Wei is doing you a favor! You know, off-campus assignments like this count toward your academic evaluation. This affects your future certifications—you know, the ones that only Wuyi students are eligible to test for in the entire country!"

"Then I thank you, Brother Wei."

"Of course! We’re both sons of the Yangzhi Patrol Bureau. In such a large bureau, there are only four of us who have passed the re-examination and are currently enrolled, including you and me. If I don’t help you, who will?"

’The Patrol Bureau does have a tradition of solidarity,’ Chen Chuan thought, ’but...’

His expression turned a bit strange. ’Could it be that Wei Oldhu is about to have to eat a mop, so he had his son come over and do me a favor to make my uncle too embarrassed to bring it up again?’

...

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