Chapter 316 - 48: Strengthening
Chapter 316 - 48: Strengthening
After returning to the Profound Palace Building, Chen Chuan received the voucher sent by the Canglong Company.
The voucher had a handwritten note on it, informing him that if he didn’t have time this month, his session could be added to next month’s. However, it could only be postponed for one month, and he needed to give advance notice, or else it would be difficult to schedule.
He thought for a moment, then used his Realm Token to contact the assistant, Yin Fang, directly. He asked how long the three-hour monthly irradiation service would last in total.
Yin Fang politely told him that the authorization he’d received was for a period of twelve months. If Chen Chuan needed to increase the duration, he could contact Director Sun.
Chen Chuan said he understood. He then asked if he could combine his irradiation sessions if he had more hours available and get it all done in one go.
He currently had recommendations from the Processing Bureau, Cao Guiqi, and Wuyi Academy, which amounted to three hours. Adding the time Senior Brother Sun had given him, he had a total of six hours per month. If he had to do them all separately, he would have to make at least four trips each month, which would be too much of a waste of time.
Yin Fang thought for a moment and replied that it wouldn’t be a big problem; the Canglong Company could coordinate it for him. Then, he kindly reminded Chen Chuan that this type of irradiation was harmful to the human body.
Each irradiation required a certain amount of recovery time. Although, in theory, the longer the accumulated time in a single session, the better the effect, it was still best to be as cautious as possible and do them separately.
Chen Chuan said he knew and thanked him for his reply. He informed Yin Fang that he planned to go tomorrow, tentatively in the afternoon, and intended to use his Processing Bureau quota at the same time. He asked Yin Fang to try and adjust the schedule. Yin Fang’s response was swift. He said he would arrange it immediately and asked him to wait a moment.
Just a few minutes later, a message from Yin Fang arrived, informing him that there were open slots at one o’clock and six o’clock, and he could choose either.
Chen Chuan considered it and chose one o’clock. A reply came back immediately, informing him that the appointment had been logged.
After settling the matter, he checked the Golden Card that Lu Shiqi had given him. It was a non-registered account on the platform with a withdrawable balance of thirty thousand yuan.
’Excellent. Very practical.’
’With this, I can buy a few more Radiant Light irradiation sessions,’ he mused.
’By using these resources, I can strive to reach the Third Limit sooner. Not only would that be an increase in status, but it should also make it easier to access higher-level secrets.’
After looking over everything, he took out some medicine and consumed it.
After every training session, these medicines were necessary to better strengthen and restore his Mutated Organization. Besides these, his daily Breathing Technique and Power training were also indispensable. Fortunately, Teacher Wu had left behind a considerable amount, including various types of medicine, which was enough to last him for some time.
While the medicine took effect, he opened his Realm Token and scrolled through the news. He found that reports about the duel on the Rhino Cruise Ship had finally appeared. It seemed the Canglong Company had already smoothed things over with all parties involved. However, he couldn’t find anything useful in the official reports, so after a quick glance, he switched to the fringe channels.
The coverage here was much richer, even mentioning Wei Wusheng’s intrusion and the destruction he caused, though not in detail. The main topic was the pros and cons of Implants versus natural bodies.
He looked at the comments below. Many Fighters believed that even though no definitive winner was determined, many of their peers would surely go down the path of using Implants after these matches.
This was because, compared to natural bodies, Implants offered too many advantages. They could adapt to various environments, and even damaged limbs could be replaced at any time.
But a dissenting group voiced their opposition. For instance, he saw that user "Dancing on the Bottle Cap" had posted again, saying that the Fighter in question had a compatibility rating of over ninety percent. How many people could achieve that kind of result?
Moreover, all Implants on the market were produced by corporations, which meant any maintenance or upgrades depended on them, and users had to take Anti-Differentiation Medicine regularly. He also pointed out that these Implants all had built-in Domain vulnerabilities that the corporations could control, which could be exploited by a skilled Resonator. The conclusion was to choose with caution.
But someone below mocked him, asking who in Central City didn’t use Implants. Who wasn’t taking medicine every day? Was there any need to worry about that? The issue now wasn’t whether to use them, but that you *had* to use them, and the only question was *how*.
The commenter went on to lambaste "Bottle Cap," saying people like him had ill intentions, preventing others from enjoying the benefits of technological progress. He called his argument the prattling of a foolish traditionalist and a stumbling block to advancement.
"Bottle Cap" didn’t argue back, but the comments below erupted into a heated debate. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen new replies appeared. Chen Chuan casually scrolled through a few highlighted, valuable comments before closing his Realm Token. He went to the bathroom to wash up and then went to bed.
The next day, he went to see Cao Guiqi in the morning at the appointed time. Cao Guiqi gave him the two portions of Treasure Ointment he had received from Celestial Hundred Herbs for the month, telling him to go home and consume them. He also informed Chen Chuan that once his foundation was sufficiently established, he would formally guide him in the method to enter the Third Limit.
The exact timing would depend on how solid his foundation was. If he felt his progress was stagnating, he could go for another evaluation.
Although the evaluation wasn’t perfectly accurate, it was undoubtedly an important and reliable benchmark. If the evaluation showed a success rate of over sixty percent, he could attempt to proceed.
However, that wasn’t a guarantee of safety. If he wanted to go further in the future, it was best to reach over seventy percent. Therefore, he had to obtain every possible resource he could to improve himself.
Chen Chuan earnestly said he would remember this. After having lunch at Cao Guiqi’s place, he left Motie Mountain and took a tram toward the Sea Realm Arena.
A little over an hour later, he got off at the station.
There was no direct tram to the Sea Realm Arena, so he still had to walk for a bit. Moreover, once he entered this area, he couldn’t use his Realm Token. It didn’t bother him; he could use the walk to practice his Breathing Technique.
Along the way, he occasionally saw patrol convoys pass by. Seeing him walking alone, they would stop to ask a few questions.
Another half hour later, he arrived at the Sea Realm Arena. After he retrieved his records in the front hall, a medical staff member nearby noted that since he was unwilling to receive an injection, four consecutive hours of irradiation would have a severely adverse effect on him. They recommended he split it into two-hour sessions, one today and one tomorrow.
Chen Chuan considered this and asked if there was any oral resistance medication.
Hearing this, the medical staff member finally felt this client was a bit more normal. They patiently explained that while oral medication was available, it wasn’t as effective as the injection. It could be provided if needed, but regardless of the type, all medication incurred an extra charge.
Chen Chuan said he needed it.
’This way, it won’t be so shocking,’ he thought.
He could use his Second Self to transfer the effects of the medicine. That way, he could withstand four hours, or even a longer accumulated session.
As for the fee, he had already paid the bulk of the cost, so he wasn’t going to quibble over this small extra expense. If he didn’t take the medicine, he might attract more attention, which would only lead to more trouble.
After the medical staff brought the medicine and he took it, a supervisor led him into the irradiation hall. The session began at one in the afternoon and lasted until five.
This four-hour irradiation session made him feel his bones and muscles being continuously strengthened. During the session, he also had an invigorating workout, even practicing the Power variations in his Saber Techniques. The experience was excellent.
As he came out, he saw someone else also walking out from inside. He had learned last time that there was more than one Radiant Light hall; they could accommodate three Fighters for simultaneous irradiation. The quotas for the irradiation program had long been divided up among the various factions, so it was perfectly normal to run into other Fighters.
The person who came out was a young girl of fifteen or sixteen. ’At that age, she must have just started training at most. I didn’t expect her to already be qualified for Radiant Light irradiation.’
A man under thirty, dressed in an unmarked training uniform, was there to pick up the girl. When he saw Chen Chuan, he gave him a polite nod.
Chen Chuan nodded back in acknowledgment and left the facility with his things. He hadn’t gone far when he heard a car horn behind him.
He glanced back and saw a car pulling up. The window rolled down, revealing the man from before. He spoke to Chen Chuan politely, "Hey there, young man. I see you’re walking alone, and it’s getting a little late. We’re heading back to the city. Why don’t you ride with us? It’ll be safer."
Chen Chuan politely declined, "No, thank you."
The man wasn’t offended by the rejection. He smiled, gave another nod, and started the car. He glanced at the little girl in the back seat, who seemed a bit unhappy, and said with a chuckle, "What’s wrong? Are you sulking?"
The little girl said, "That young man from before... you were kind enough to offer him a ride, and he didn’t accept."
The man laughed. "Is that all? That’s perfectly normal. Fighters are very conscious of their boundaries. We don’t know him, so there’s nothing wrong with him refusing. If we insist that others accept our goodwill, isn’t that just forcing them?"
The little girl thought for a moment and hummed in agreement.
The man said, "That young man just now was probably a student from Wuyi Academy. Xiaojing, if you weren’t training with our grand-uncle and the others, you could have gotten into Wuyi with your talent."
"I don’t wanna go."
Xiaojing pouted. "Uncle said the academy has way too many rules, and you have to follow orders from corporations and various departments. There’s no freedom at all."
"Where in the world is there any place that’s truly free?"
The man sighed. He didn’t elaborate; it was better for his little sister not to know certain things at her age. He said, "Speaking of Wuyi Academy, Grand-uncle will be arranging a private exchange with some of their students soon. Do you want to come?"
Xiaojing’s eyes lit up, and she leaned over the back of his seat. "Yes! I wanna go, I wanna go!"
The man smiled. "Alright, I’ll take you then. It’ll be a good experience."
After Chen Chuan returned to his dorm by tram, he checked himself that evening and found that the Mutated Organization in his bones and muscles was still continuously improving. Based on his last experience, this would continue for at least four or five days. It was a great feeling.
’Next month, with the academy’s quota added, I should be able to get another hour. Hmm, I should also try to get a bit more of the quota from the Processing Bureau. The effect should be even better then.’
’Even if I don’t compete for it, those two trainees will probably compete with me. I should pay more attention to the Processing Bureau’s important missions from now on.’
...
...
mijobooks