Roadmap to the Boundless Sky-Chapter 152: Receiving The Permit

Chen Chuan was wiping the Frost King Saber in his room and oiling it.

After the battle, he could sense that his bond with the saber had become stronger. He could even see a red, bloody line on the back of the blade.

It should mean that the mutated tissue in the saber was also transforming, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

Chen Chuan replayed the fight in his head to examine his weaknesses and consider how he could have done better.

When Lionfist invited him to sit close to him, Chen Chuan was bound to win. From that distance, he could use his full speed and strength, and nothing was more important than those two things in a normal fight between martial artists.

Once Lionfist’s main fighting force was taken out, the others were easy pickings.

But if they had fought head-on without the element of surprise...

Chen Chuan thought about it. If the bioweapon didn’t participate in the fight, the results should still be the same, though the fight would have taken longer, and he would have wasted more energy. One or two of the lackeys could have run away too. If the fight dragged out until the other buyer arrived, things could have gone either way.

Chen Chuan turned to the metal box with the Tayana Combat Spider. It wasn’t huge and could fit into a briefcase, so it was easy to carry around.

After taking Hu Xian’s words to heart, he found three calorie- and nutrient-dense cans of food in the building. By the looks of it, every time he wanted to wake the spider, he would have to feed it one can.

Such canned food was difficult to find, and he would have to go through specific channels to get it, but the main problem was that it was expensive. It was not surprising that Lionfist had been in a hurry to get rid of it. Even if Chen Chuan kept it, he wouldn’t have much use for it. Only the rich could make use of this “pet.”

Just then, he heard a powerful, rhythmic knock, and a voice traveled through the door, “Chen Chuan, are you asleep?”

Chen Chuan sheathed the Frost King Saber and went over to open the door before turning to the side to make way. “Please come in, Mr. Feng.”

Lao Feng walked in and swiftly scanned the room, only to laugh at his own actions. He wasn’t carrying out a mission, but work habits were hard to forget.

He turned around to face the young man. “Chen Chuan, I received a telegram from the examination committee. Your results have been finalized.” He handed Chen Chuan the translated telegram. “Congratulations.”

Chen Chuan took the paper and read the contents before the worry in his heart finally settled. He looked up and said, “Thank you for bringing this to me, Mr. Feng.”

Lao Feng smiled. “When I have good news, I like giving it to the ones involved immediately and sharing their happiness with them. I also need to tell you something else: Based on procedure, someone will come and organize a simple permit presentation ceremony for you later.”

“Do I need to go somewhere for that?” Chen Chuan asked.

“The telegram didn’t mention anything about it, but I think someone will come and find you. Just stay here, and you’ll be fine,” Lao Feng answered.

“Right here?”

“Yes. Right here. The difference between the tests, the efficiency of the completion, and the method used lead to the examination committee treating each examinee differently. The previous examinees who had to take their tests in the Chaotic Land either gave up or completed them with the help from other people. Only a handful managed to complete them alone, and none have ever completed them... as efficiently as you did. That’s why there’s going to be a special meaning to your permit presentation ceremony.”

There had been no need for him to tell Chen Chuan these things before the test, and they did not matter after the test. After all, all the examinees who got the Class B permit caught the examination committee and the government’s eye, so he was only doing this as a favor to Chen Chuan. But even without that, he would still have done this because he was impressed with him after reading his file.

“How long do you think I have to wait?” Chen Chuan asked.

“It shouldn’t take long. At most, it’ll just be a few days.” Then, in a decidedly fake stern voice, Lao Feng said, “But you’ll have to pay the hostel fees yourself. The examination committee won’t be responsible for your stay anymore.”

Chen Chuan laughed at that.

“It’s late now. We can continue our chat tomorrow. But this is still the Chaotic Land. Even if your test has ended, you should be careful,” Lao Feng cautioned him.

Chen Chuan nodded.

After sending Lao Feng off, he wondered whether he should call Cheng Zitong. They had agreed that once he passed, he would call a certain number without bothering to make sure the call went through.

But if he called Cheng Zitong just a day after arriving, Cheng Zitong might think about every other possibility instead of Chen Chuan passing. Since it was only going to take a few days to get the permit, Chen Chuan would call him after he got it.

He finished maintaining his saber, washed up, and went to bed.

The hostel was quiet, but the streets closest to the Chaotic Land were lively. Various gangs got telegrams from their informants.

They said that Lionfist had met a buyer from outside the Chaotic Land. Once again, he wanted to rip off a capitalist bastard, but the expert martial artist the buyer brought with him took them all out. The buyer also had such a powerful background that even Blue Sparrow didn’t dare to linger around and left immediately after he came.

Since Blue Sparrow refused to talk about this, the forces of power who hadn’t been concerned before became quite interested. They wanted the informants in the city to figure out what had happened and who the buyer was, but they weren’t able to get any clues even after some time.

Three days later, a special train arrived at the train station. After it came to a stop, a group of men in black trench coats came out. Their eyes were sharp, and the armed security guards at the station saluted them.

There was a middle-aged man with a broad, square jaw among the newcomers. He was Mr. Cao, the man who had personally delivered Chen Chuan information about the test. He looked at the snow at the square and said, “When I took my test, it was also snowing. It’s been twenty years since then, but this place hasn’t changed much.”

“The place may not have changed, but the people here are all different now,” the man beside him said.

“Yes. They’re different now.” Mr. Cao’s tone grew more solemn.

A bunch of cars drove forward from behind the train station and stopped by the side, but Mr. Cao and the others remained still.

After a few minutes, one car entered the snow-white square before stopping not too far away from them. The door opened, and Lao Feng came out to stand in front of Mr. Cao. He extended his hand to him and said with a smile, “You must have been waiting for a long time, Mr. Cao.”

Mr. Cao gave him a firm handshake. “Thank you for your hard work, Lao Feng. Is he still around?”

“He’s still here. I have to say, this is the most motivated I’ve been to examine an examinee. That kid gives a real boost to your spirits,” Lao Feng remarked.

“That’s how youngsters should be,” Mr. Cao said.

“Come on. Get in my car.”

Mr. Cao nodded and walked over. “Don’t you dare drive into a ditch again.”

Lao Feng pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You’re still holding a grudge? It’s been twenty years, and you’re still talking about it?”

Mr. Cao got into his car as he said, “When you revisit somewhere familiar, you have to talk about past experiences. It’s hard not to.”

Once he got in, the others also entered the cars. The car doors slammed shut, and the long car fleet headed down the road leading to the building where Lionfist’s gang had stayed.

Mr. Cao and Lao Feng got out of the car.

“I’ll go and call—”

Mr. Cao stopped Lao Feng and walked in.

***

Lao Feng had told Chen Chuan about the visit beforehand, so he had been waiting. When the group came in, he recognized the person leading them.

Lao Feng made the introductions. “Chen Chuan, this is Mr. Cao.”

“We’ve met before, Chen Chuan. I’ve come here at the behest of the examination committee to present to you the unrestricted defense permit.”

He brought his hand up, and a subordinate wearing gloves dragged a box over. After opening it, he brought the object inside to show it to Chen Chuan with both hands.

Chen Chuan took a look and found that it was a jade card similar to the weapons permit. It was green and black, with red hues on the surface like cinnabar diffused in water. His name and ID were carved into it. Just like on the weapons permit, the letters were in seal script.

Mr. Cao grabbed a booklet from another subordinate. He opened it and read what was written there.

“I hereby acknowledge that Chen Chuan has displayed great bravery, resolution, and resourcefulness. He is thereby granted the unrestricted defense permit. A noble man conceals his strength and fights only when the time is ripe. May you continue to hone both your body and mind and pursue your studies with diligence. In recognition of this, you are hereby awarded the permit.

“Written by: Liang Yonghang, captain of the National Examination Committee.

“Summer, ninety-third year of the Great Shun Republic.”

He shut the booklet and handed it to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan schooled his face and walked forward to take the booklet with both hands. Once he put it away, the subordinate placed the unrestricted defense permit back into the box and presented the box to him.

Chen Chuan sucked in a deep breath and took the unrestricted defense permit out. It was cool to the touch and felt quite heavy. Its material seemed to be even better than that of the weapons permit.

Mr. Cao said sternly, “I must remind you that with the unrestricted defense permit, you’re considered a partial law enforcer. You have the right to protect yourself but also the duty to fight for the country. If the country calls you for duty, you will be given two chances to deny it, but any more than that, and your permit will be revoked. You will also lose the right to sit for the test again.”

“I understand,” Chen Chuan said with a nod. He was well aware that the government hadn’t given him this right for free. If he wanted it, he had to shoulder the responsibility that came with it too.

Mr. Cao’s expression relaxed a little. “I look forward to your achievements in the future, Chen Chuan.”

Then, he turned around and left with his subordinates.

Mr. Cao knew that the examination committee had argued extensively about whether they should allow Chen Chuan to take the test.

After all, only a limited number of people were allowed to take the test each year, while Chen Chuan was just a freshman. Logically, his slot should have belonged to a senior, but his recommendations and evaluation points from three different governmental departments made him too outstanding. There was no proper reason to stop him. Still, that meant that one senior lost their spot for the test, which led to the argument.

It wasn’t because they thought that Chen Chuan was infringing on another person’s interests, but because he hadn’t reached the standards required for the test. It would be better to let him grow for a while more and give him his chance when he was a sophomore.

But others were against this idea. After all, Chen Chuan had already received evaluation points from three different governmental departments despite being a freshman, and none of them were from the Resolution Department. This was an unprecedented case. Clearly, they were looking at a naturally gifted teenager the likes of which the country had never seen before, which was why they should make an exception for him.

The argument should have come to an end by now.

“Where should we go next, Mr. Cao?” a subordinate asked after he got into the car.

Mr. Cao looked outside. “Since we’re here, we might as well meet a few old friends. Let’s go.”

He trained his eyes in front as the car slowly drove away and left the place.

***

After Chen Chuan got his permit, his business was done. He went back to the hostel to pack his things and go back. Originally, he wanted to stay and take it easy for a few more days, but the examination committee had already booked his train ticket back, and it was scheduled for the afternoon. When he remembered the number of times the examination committee had mentioned how tight their budget was, he didn’t want to add to their burdens. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Once he finished packing, he bade goodbye to all the people in the hostel and got ready to go to the train station. Hu Xian and Lao Feng came out to send him off.

“Ms. Hu, Mr. Feng, I’ll be going back now. Please take care,” Chen Chuan said.

“You too,” Lao Feng said earnestly.

“Remember to write to me, kid,” Hu Xian said.

Chen Chuan grinned. “I will.”

He waved at them, then with the Frost King Saber’s box on his back and the luggage in his hand, he walked to the train station.

As Hu Xian watched him leave, she said, “I’ve been here for years. I won’t talk about those who come to rest here forever, but those who passed all struggled to get their permit. I’ve never seen anyone like Chen Chuan before. He’s bound to achieve great things in the future, while I’ll probably still be here, overseeing this goddamn place.”

Lao Feng had other thoughts. “I agree with him achieving great things, but don’t make your own fate sound so tragic. With Chen Chuan passing the test, the senior members of the examination committee should notice this place, and you might get another position.”

“Then who will take over this place?” Hu Xian asked, then immediately gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Why am I worried about this? This rotten world will keep turning, with or without anyone.”

“True, but if there were more people like you, the world would be a better place,” Lao Feng whispered.

“The world will be a better place with more people becoming slaves to work, is it?” Hu Xian pulled her collar tighter around herself and walked back to the hostel. “Let’s go. Why would you want to stand here and get blasted by the cold wind? Even if you’re not cold, I am.”

Lao Feng looked at the blue sky and smiled. “Are you? But I feel a fire in my heart.”