Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Rotten Adult
Yang Shen couldn’t imagine how devastating the consequences would be if hundreds of people with "Martial Arts Psychosis" had a collective episode across all of Jianghuai during the college entrance exams.
Or even... more than just a few hundred!
It would be a major incident recorded in the annals of Yanhua history! A great rift would form between Martial Arts Practitioners and ordinary people.
’Would the cutoff score also... wait...’
’No, no, no.’ Yang Shen shook his head.
’The system is too devious! It’s always trying to mess with my head!’
Chen Beiwang clapped Yang Shen on the shoulder. "In any case, you didn’t take that medicine, so what happens next has nothing to do with you. Your classmate already had an episode, so the ’Alien Source’ in her body has dissipated. It’s a one-time thing."
This adult, who was usually carefree and even a bit unreliable, sounded a little more serious.
He had told Yang Shen all this in the hopes that the boy wouldn’t worry, overthink, or, more importantly, do anything rash.
"What comes next is big and very serious, but for you guys, it’s already over. For the next two months, all of Jianghuai... and even the surrounding provinces and cities will be under massive investigation. Whether they can clean it all up will depend on the police. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of exam candidates... in hundreds of schools."
Yang Shen took a deep breath. "I understand. Oh, and sorry for dragging you into this mess. When I invited you, I had no idea it would turn out like this. I really just wanted to get some barbecue."
’Of course, it’s a good thing I called Chen Beiwang,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, Xu Bamboo’s safety would have been uncertain.’
Chen Beiwang retched. "Don’t... I won’t be able to even think about barbecue for a year..."
Recalling that criminal detective named Luo Sheng, Chen Beiwang felt a sense of dislike. He had been at the seminar last night, but Chen Beiwang always felt the man was a bit...
...crazy.
Chen Beiwang stood up, patting the dust off his pants. "Alright, I’m taking off. My date stood me up last night. She should be waking up just about now, so I’m going to go make... make it up to her."
Yang Shen nodded. "Thanks for your hard work."
Chen Beiwang chuckled. "No problem. It was a blessing in disguise for me, too. I unexpectedly got to verify the effectiveness of my company’s R&D. You should know, the government didn’t just commission my company. But this time, we were the first to validate our results."
To be honest, at least half the reason he’d been willing to be invited out by a high school student last night was because of the device attached to Xu Bamboo’s temple.
He had entertained the idea ever since he learned that Yang Shen and the others were going to a training camp. Compared to the other competing development companies, whoever validated their product’s effectiveness first was more likely to get the contract.
Adults are complicated. Did he really think a successful playboy would be interested in getting barbecue with a high school boy?
It’s not like he was a high school girl...
But after today, the way Chen Beiwang looked at Yang Shen was completely different.
In his eyes, this was a young man with limitless potential...
Mature, level-headed, quick-witted, had mastered Fist Intent, and was decisive in a fight.
He was an excellent investment.
Investing in relationships was also a form of investment.
Chen Beiwang made a money-rubbing gesture with his fingers. "The officials are taking this very seriously. By then, dozens of cities and counties throughout Jianghuai and the two neighboring provinces—every exam site, probably—will purchase our company’s equipment to prevent any residual ’seed’ problems. No matter how successful the police investigation is, the government won’t bet on 100% safety."
Chen Beiwang held up two fingers. "They want it, and they want it fast. They’ll have a hard time if the price isn’t right. I’ve done the math. This order is worth at least two hundred million. If other provinces and cities also need some for prevention, it’ll be even more."
Yang Shen’s jaw dropped.
A thought from the first time he met Chen Beiwang resurfaced in his mind.
’I can negotiate too! I can do research too!’
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The news of the incident at the training camp couldn’t be hidden from the parents. In fact, they had started notifying them one by one last night. It was just that Tao Ying worked the night shift and always had her phone locked in a cabinet. Plus, Yang Shen wasn’t seriously injured, so they only managed to contact her in the morning.
His aunt had just gotten off her night shift and rushed to the hospital, her eyes bloodshot. When she saw Yang Shen looking perfectly calm, she finally dared to exhale the breath she had been holding the entire way.
Yang Shen thought his aunt would cry, but she just sat down on the edge of his bed, took his hand, and said in a trembling voice:
"As long as you’re okay... as long as you’re okay..."
Yang Shen quickly hopped off the bed to show he was in one piece. "I’m fine! My injuries were the lightest. If the hospital room wasn’t free, I could have left last night."
Yang Shen told his aunt about what he had gained during the training camp and the incident on the last night. However, he left out the particularly dangerous parts, only saying that he had been quick-witted and smart, turning a perilous situation into a safe one.
This suddenly made him recall something Uncle Yiming used to say:
A man has to learn to carry his own burdens, keeping them from his mother above and his wife and children below.
With his aunt here, there was someone to run errands at the hospital. Yang Shen asked her to find out when he could be discharged and what procedures were needed.
About half an hour after Tao Ying left, the door to the hospital room was pushed open again. This time, however, a different person walked in.
The criminal detective who had appeared out of nowhere last night and killed Liu Yuankui...
"Hello... can I help you with something?"
The detective reeked of stale cigarette smoke and had that peculiar smell of someone who hadn’t bathed in days, trapped inside a leather jacket. His eyes were bloodshot, but his expression was relaxed.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Luo Sheng. You should remember me... I heard you want to be discharged, so I came to have one last chat with you."
"Normally, a minor’s statement requires a guardian to be present, but I’m guessing you don’t want to worry your family... So I won’t be taking any notes. I just want to ask you a few things."
Yang Shen nodded. "Go ahead."
’It’s not like I’ll necessarily tell the truth anyway.’
"Ten days ago, when I came to the school to ask you about the situation, you mentioned you thought something was wrong with Liu Yuankui. How did you notice?"
Yang Shen shook his head. "I just said he was a little strange, strangely gloomy. Nothing specific."
"Then tell me about the ’gloomy’."
"It wasn’t much. He seemed stricter, his expression darker. I’d occasionally see him looking out of it during gym class."
"Is that all?"
"That’s all."
Luo Sheng subconsciously pulled out a cigarette. He had just put it to his lips when he asked, "Do you mind? I haven’t slept all night."
Yang Shen said, "I don’t mind, but I’m pretty sure a nurse will burst in here and then report you to your own police department."
Luo Sheng froze and could only stuff it back into the cigarette case.
Yang Shen glanced over; it was a special kind of metal cigarette case.
"Where are the ’Dragon Mother Bone-Strengthening Granules’ that Liu Yuankui gave you?"
"At my house. I’ll hand them over to the school later."
"Why didn’t you take them?"
"I wasn’t short on supplements at the time, so I didn’t get around to it."
The exchange was quick and clipped, a back-and-forth where every sentence had a purpose.
But thankfully, Yang Shen kept up without revealing anything.
Luo Sheng: "The ’Dragon Mother Bone-Strengthening Granules’ are extremely effective for someone just entering the Bone Training realm. You could even call them essential supplements. Even if you weren’t short... you should have prioritized taking them."
Yang Shen: "Oh, because they had the longest expiration date. I’m a bit frugal."
Luo Sheng: ...
After asking a few more random questions, Luo Sheng got up to leave.
But before he left, he turned his head and said, "You’re in the Early Stage of Bone Training, Mid-stage at best. How did you manage to kill that woman who was in Mid-stage Marrow Refining?"
Yang Shen smiled. "I’m bold but cautious, and I’m very strong in actual combat."
Luo Sheng nodded. He was naturally aware that Yang Shen had mastered Fist Intent. "However... my colleagues reported that what ultimately decided the battle was when those red beetles suddenly turned on her, as if they were being controlled by someone else... What do you make of that?"
Yang Shen stared into Luo Sheng’s bloodshot eyes, confirming that he didn’t glance even for a second at the backpack by his bed.
’It’s not a big deal even if he did find out...’
’I’m a high school student. Isn’t it normal for me to do stupid things?’
’I just thought they were weird and interesting, so I secretly kept a few. The worst that could happen is a couple of scoldings.’
’He can go talk to my dean about it.’
"I don’t know. That kind of ability looked bizarre and disgusting. It was probably her own issue, like she didn’t train them well or something. By the way, who are these people?"
Yang Shen even turned the question back on him.
Of course, he didn’t expect to get an answer from Luo Sheng.
And yet... unexpectedly, Luo Sheng actually answered him.
"’Rebel Species.’ That’s the name of their organization. You probably won’t run into them again, though. Anyone who mentions those two words to you is definitely not a good person."
Luo Sheng hesitated no more and got up to leave.
"Alright then. Thanks for your cooperation. And thank you for helping to stop a... vicious incident planned by rebels from the Exotic Realm."
"Also, I’m sorry for killing your gym teacher."
Watching Luo Sheng’s retreating back, Yang Shen frowned slightly and decided to check his Life Chart.
"Luo Sheng: Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer"
"Life Chart: Luck Blade Entanglement Seal."
"Luck Blade Entanglement Seal: A mind as complex as a fortress, a heart entwined by calamitous stars."
’What a complex Life Chart. So complex that even with the system’s explanation, I can barely understand it...’
But he suddenly had a feeling...
If Chen Beiwang, as an adult, felt a bit "crooked"...
...then the man before him was closer to being completely "rotten."
But, after Luo Sheng left, once Yang Shen had pieced together the full story from the two adults...
...he had... actually completed a side quest he had almost forgotten about!
"Side Quest → My Turf, My Rules: A crisis has occurred in the family’s territory. As a future member of the Immortal Race, you should make your presence known."
"Option 1: Investigate the mastermind and cooperate with them to profit from the crisis."
"Option 2: Investigate the mastermind, foil their plot, restore peace to the region, and gain prestige."
"Quest Selection: Option 2."
"Quest Reward: One random Magic (Awaiting collection)."
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