Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 47 - 38: Returning to School

After the Toutu Vehicle left the old camp, it soon turned onto a major road. Chen Chuan looked back and asked, "Was that place originally a military barracks?"

Wei Chang’an said, "That’s right. It’s a watchtower left over from the Great Expansion, and Fatty Guo took it over. No one bothers with it now. Most of the Blood Mark Gang leaders stick together in the city. Fatty Guo doesn’t really get along with the rest of the gang, so he’s willing to mess around outside the city walls."

Chen Chuan considered this. ’Moustache Chou’s illegal drugs all came from Central City, and the National Path here leads straight there. It’s impossible there isn’t a connection.’

Wei Chang’an said, "Not bad, junior brother. That was clean. That kick... tsk, tsk. Honestly, even your Brother Wei might not have been able to take that. Don’t worry, I’ll report this exactly as it happened. It’d be a crime not to give you an excellent academic evaluation for that."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then asked, "Brother Wei, you mentioned that with enough good evaluations, I could get a permit. What’s that all about? I don’t remember seeing anything about it in the admissions information."

Wei Chang’an said, "Ah, that. This is really something for your advisor to tell you, but I’ll give you a heads-up. You saw how everyone in the Blood Mark Gang was armed, right? But did you ever wonder why we didn’t bring anything today?"

"As for me, I’m here today acting as the client, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be armed. And the reason I didn’t get you a weapon is because Wuyi students generally aren’t allowed to carry them off-campus. You have to pass a test to get a Weapon Permit. With that, you can legally carry weapons anywhere, including small-caliber pistols and rifles. Firearms are strictly controlled, though. You have to file a report every time you use one, so it’s a hassle. Carrying melee weapons, however, is fine."

"And you can only test for this permit at Wuda. Once you have it, it’s good for life. It’s not just recognized here in our Dashun Republic, but all over the world."

"Some local authorities also issue weapon permits, but those are only valid in their own jurisdiction. Once you leave the area, you can’t carry your weapon unless you’ve made prior arrangements to get a temporary, limited-term license. And even that involves a lot of other red tape. It’s a huge pain."

"Beyond that, there are many other useful certifications, and you need to build up your evaluation score through these assigned missions to get them. For example, the ’Armor Certificate.’ That one is even harder to get. It allows you to wear regulation-grade Protective Clothing. Once you have that, common firearms will be practically useless against you."

"There’s a saying: ’Armed and armored, with nothing to fear.’ It means that for Fighters like us, once we have weapons and armor, there are very few conventional ways to stop us."

Chen Chuan thought, ’If I could get a Weapon Permit, or even an Armor Certificate, that would be amazing. It would drastically increase my chances of survival. For one thing, if I had Protective Clothing, the stone that took the life of this body’s previous owner wouldn’t be nearly as much of a threat.’

He asked, "Are there a lot of off-campus missions like this one? Wuda has so many students each year; I’d think you could handle just about anything."

Wei Chang’an glanced at Chen Chuan. "Junior brother, you still don’t understand your own status, do you? You’d better get used to it. Who do you think the students who passed the final entrance exam are? Uh, have you had a look around the academy yet? You know that Martial Arts Hall, right? It’s right behind the grand auditorium, all in a line."

Chen Chuan replied, "I’ve glanced at it. It’s beautiful, and very large."

Wei Chang’an continued, "That Martial Arts Hall was built five years ago with huge donations from various parties. It can hold two thousand students competing in tournaments at once. But that’s the stage for the Class B students. Their future is to win honor and fame through arena matches and fighting competitions, to become celebrity Fighters or to serve as security personnel for various departments."

"And us? What the people in charge want us to do is manage and restrain them. To suppress them when necessary. To become the bedrock that maintains the stability of this nation, and even the world. That’s why only we A-class students can take on these off-campus missions and earn certifications!"

He smiled. "Of course, if you’re interested in pursuing higher education, you can continue your studies here at the university and become a teacher. Then you might get a chance to be recommended to the Central Hospital to learn more advanced fighting knowledge. If you’re good enough, you might even have an opportunity to enter Central City."

Chen Chuan asked, "If the authorities are so wary of students with martial ability, why do they keep expanding enrollment every year?"

Wei Chang’an said, "It’s the way things are heading." He glanced at the rearview mirror, made a turn, and added with a smile, "You’ll understand later."

Seeing that he was being cryptic, Chen Chuan didn’t press the issue. Instead, he asked, "Brother Wei, speaking of Central City, are there any teachers from there at Wuyi?"

"There are, but they only teach Recommended Students. And not just any Recommended Student, either—only the ones who are truly qualified and talented. Besides, that teacher isn’t here for long each year. We almost never see them."

"What, interested in Central City? I get it. Your Brother Wei has thought about it, too. It’s just... difficult! The recommendation slots each year are handed out by the university’s Upper Layer. Most of them are chosen from among the Recommended Students. Still, it’s always good to have a dream. But remember..."

He slowed the car a bit, turned his head, and said sternly, "There are strict boundaries between the students at the school. Each class of student does their own thing and achieves their own kind of success. Recommended Students do what Recommended Students do, and A-class students do what A-class students do. You have to play by the rules. Never cross the line. That’s how you avoid making mistakes. Otherwise..."

At this, a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes. He shook his head and said, "Just remember what I told you."

Chen Chuan didn’t ask any more questions.

Wei Chang’an drove directly to the Yangzhi City Patrol Headquarters in the Ding’an District. He hauled Moustache Chou out of the car and took him inside. A little while later, he returned to his seat and handed Chen Chuan three forms. "Here, sign these. All three of them." Chen Chuan took them and saw it was a mission completion report.

It basically recounted the events of the day. The write-up was detailed, clear, and objectively described the actions taken by both of them.

In the ’Executor’ field at the bottom, Wei Chang’an’s signature was already there, with a blank space left after it.

After reading it over, Chen Chuan took a pen and signed his name in the space.

Wei Chang’an waited for him to sign, then took the forms and went back inside the Patrol Headquarters. He returned a moment later, handed Chen Chuan a stamped copy, and said, "Alright, this copy is for you. Keep it safe. The Patrol Bureau will send an attachment to the school, so this will definitely be a nice addition to your academic evaluation. Oh, right. You should get a personal seal made later, and open a private bank account when you have a chance. I’ll wire you the money then so you don’t have to make an extra trip."

Chen Chuan folded the form, put it away, and asked with a smile, "What, we get paid for this?"

Wei Chang’an laughed. "You didn’t think you were working for free, did you? All assigned missions come with a payout. Why else do you think your Brother Wei is looking out for you? As for how much, don’t worry, you won’t get short-changed. By the way, it’s almost noon. How about I take you somewhere nice for a meal? I can drop you back at the school this afternoon."

Chen Chuan said, "I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Brother Wei. It’s the first day of school, so I should probably get back early. I’ll just eat at the Wuyi Canteen."

"Alright then."

Wei Chang’an drove Chen Chuan all the way to the men’s dormitory at Wuyi University Hall. "This is as far as I go," he said.

Chen Chuan unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and stepped out. He picked up his suitcase and turned back. "Brother Wei."

"Hm?" Wei Chang’an was bent over, inspecting a patch of mud on the car’s body. He looked up.

Chen Chuan smiled. "You should throw away that mop Captain Wei hid." With that, he turned and walked into the building.

Wei Chang’an’s expression froze for a moment, then he broke into a smile. "This kid..." He shook his head, got back in the car, reversed, and drove away, heading to the administration building.

After getting out of the car, he went straight up to the fifth floor. He navigated the familiar path to the Recruitment and Preparation Department and knocked on the door. From behind the desk, Bian Feng glanced up. "Come in."

Wei Chang’an walked in and placed the report on the desk.

Bian Feng picked it up. "Is it handled?" he asked.

"It’s done, Teacher Bian. This kid is really something," Wei Chang’an couldn’t help but praise. "But why assign him a mission on the very first day of school? What’s the rush? Don’t tell me it was just because he had a connection to the case."

Bian Feng read through the report, then set it down. He looked up and said, "As a precaution. If we’d waited until after today, certain people would have freed up their hands and could have used any number of excuses to hold him back. He would’ve been stuck on campus for the better part of a semester, unable to go anywhere." He waved the report in his hand. "But with this on his record, things are much better. We can offer him more support."

Wei Chang’an understood.

When it came to assigned missions, most clients requested students with a proven track record and experience. Without that, no one would pick you.

You had to remember, there were plenty of other students in his year. If someone got a step ahead, you’d fall further and further behind. It wasn’t hard to manipulate the system; someone could just find a random excuse to block you, and there’d be nothing you could say.

While others were advancing, you’d be stuck watching from the sidelines.

He also saw the school administration’s deeper intentions. The more a student interacted with the various departments of the Civil Affairs Hall and the different clients, the more impressive their record became. The rewards would be greater, and it would be easier to get scholarships. This would make it harder for anyone to control them through financial means.

If a student had a high success rate on missions, various parties would compete to recruit them. After all, no one turns their nose up at money. With the school’s backing on top of that, a network of connections would spread both on and off campus. These intangible assets could be a huge help sometimes. Anyone who wanted to make a move against such a student would have to think twice.

As he thought of this, his expression turned serious. "At the end of the day, Chen Chuan is one of our own, from a Patrol Bureau family. Teacher Bian, promise me you won’t push him into that position. I really don’t want to see a repeat of what happened two years ago."

Bian Feng was silent for a moment before replying, "We all learned from the mistakes of two years ago. We won’t repeat them."

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