56: Chapter 56 The Official Probe: "Your power needs to be reported."

The bluestone slabs of the training hall had just been dampened by the morning dew when three black sedans with special license plates rolled over the fallen paulownia leaves and stopped at the entrance. The moment the car doors opened, twelve individuals in navy blue uniforms deployed in two columns. The silver shields on their shoulder straps glinted coldly in the morning sun—these were formal personnel from the Special Incident Response Department. Unlike Zhao Yi's plainclothes team, their tactical boot soles were engraved with micro Taiji diagrams, which stirred up faint ripples of Qi Energy when they stepped on the ground.

Chen Wu's wooden dummy suddenly hummed. A blue-gold flow of "Qi" slithered along the dummy's body, condensing into a defensive Formation within the century-old fist imprints. His "Listening Energy" captured the leather ID holder at the waist of the leader—besides identification, it contained a bronze "Summoning Token," whose Qi Energy frequency was identical to the lock on Zhao Yi's briefcase.

"Mr. Chen Wu, Enforcement Division of the Special Incident Response Department." The middle-aged woman in the lead presented her credentials; the number below the photo started with "001." "According to the 'Regulations on the Management of Abnormal Ability Users,' we need to conduct a Rank assessment and registration for your 'Brute Force.'" Her nails were trimmed extremely neatly, and there were very thin calluses on the web of her hands, clearly the marks left by years of gripping some kind of short weapon.

A warning box suddenly popped up on Lin Mo's tactical tablet. The data stream jumping on the screen showed that these people's communication devices were uploading the training hall's Qi Energy data in real-time; even the blue-gold Qi flow driven by Chen Wu's breathing was being precisely captured. The young man's fingertips tapped lightly on the touchscreen, attempting to jam the signal, only to find that the encryption protocol the other party was using was homologous to his own System—both were internal codes of the Bureau of Abnormal Incident Management.

Grandpa Wang's bronze statue suddenly rotated by half an inch. The old man stood in the shadow of the statue, leaning on his dry tobacco pipe. The sparks from his pipe bowl formed a strange echo with the reflection on the uniforms' shoulder straps. "Back in 1953, a group like this came too." He lowered his voice toward Chen Wu, "They wanted to register the Qi Energy purity of my 'Overlord Spear,' saying that if it exceeded 70%, it would have to be confiscated by the state."

The Chief of the Execution Division's gaze swept over the fist imprints on the wooden dummy, and her pupils constricted slightly. She took a silver fountain pen from her briefcase. After twisting the cap three times, a micro-scanner popped out, aiming at the "Crushing Fist" marks Chen Wu had left last night: "Detected Qi Energy residual purity of 89.7%, reaching S-Rank standard. According to the regulations, you are required to submit training reports weekly, and you must report 48 hours before any major actions."

Chen Wu's "Qi" flow suddenly spread along the ground, and the blue-gold energy lines wove into a web beneath the feet of the twelve uniformed personnel. When the scanner's beam touched the Qi Energy web, it emitted a harsh alarm, the numbers on the screen jumping wildly, finally settling at "92.3%"—nearly three percentage points higher than the previous detection result.

"This is 'Displaying Energy.'" Chen Wu's voice carried the unique resonance of Qi Energy, causing static in the other party's communication earpieces. "It proves that my power can be retracted and released at will, and does not need to be constrained by regulations. Just like your guns; it is the hand that pulls the trigger, but it is the heart that decides whether to fire."

On the conference room's long table lay a seventeen-page "Registration Form for Abnormal Ability Users." The fibers of the special paper were mixed with bronze powder. When Chen Wu's fingertips brushed across the third page, the "Qi" flow was suddenly obstructed—the clauses there were written with special ink that would absorb the Qi Energy sample of the person touching it, effectively acting as an invisible ability detection report.

"Article 7 requires special explanation." The Chief of the Execution Division's fountain pen slid across the paper, stopping at the "Emergency Call-up Rights" clause. "When the country faces a major threat, the registrant must unconditionally obey the deployment of the Special Incident Response Department, including participating in overseas operations." Her nails tapped heavily on the words "unconditionally," and a trace of bronze-colored liquid oozed out from the wood grain of the tabletop.

Lin Mo suddenly knocked over his teacup. The brown tea spilled across the form but strangely diverged when approaching the third page—the young man had mixed a Qi Energy neutralizer into the tea, an internal formula of the Bureau of Abnormal Incident Management. He gave Chen Wu a look, and the screen of his tactical tablet reflected the scene under the table: the soles of the twelve uniformed personnel were glowing with bronze light, clearly preparing some kind of suppressive Formation.

"The 1987 Qinling Incident; my grandfather also signed a similar document." Chen Wu's Qi Energy spread along with the tea, condensing into a miniature Taiji diagram in the liquid. "But when he was purifying the blood of the Shadow Beast, your predecessors were outside sealing off the Ancient Tomb, almost letting him be trapped to death inside." He suddenly closed the form, the bronze powder between the pages being shaken off by the Qi Energy, forming the three characters "Tomb Guardian" in the air.

The Chief of the Execution Division's expression flickered for the first time. She took a yellowed file from her briefcase, with a black-and-white photo of Chen Wu's grandfather attached to it. There was a tiny tear on the corner of the photo—it could perfectly match the half-old photo in Chen Wu's sandalwood box. "That time was an accident." Her voice lowered a bit. "The blockade was to prevent the Shadow Beast from leaking out. Your grandfather volunteered to stay and purify it, we..."

"The diary he left behind wrote of a 'Last Stand.'" Chen Wu interrupted her, his Qi Energy pushing the file back to her. "When registration becomes a shackle, the regulations become an accomplice. Just like now, your people have set up a 'Qi-Locking Formation' around the conference room; are you afraid I will refuse to sign the form?"

A metallic clanging sound suddenly came from outside the window. Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe had somehow gotten stuck in the car's exhaust pipe, and the blue-gold Qi Energy rose along with the smoke, forming a barrier above the training hall. The communicators of the twelve uniformed personnel sounded an alarm simultaneously, and the bronze light under the table dimmed instantly—the old man had broken their suppressive Formation using the most primitive method.

The Chief of the Execution Division stood up abruptly, and an awkward silence filled the air of the conference room. Her fountain pen drew a long slanted line across the registration form but stopped when it reached the signature line. "Your grandfather's registration number was 007, and this number is still vacant." Her tone softened. "The Special Incident Response Department needs people like you, but it also needs rules to prevent power from spiraling out of control."

On the metal floor of the detection room were engraved dense Qi Energy sensing patterns. The detection instrument brought by the Enforcement Division looked like a huge bronze compass, its pointer consisting of twelve sharp metal blades that would rotate according to the intensity of the subject's Qi Energy. It was said that when the pointer was fully deployed, it could instantly release an energy field capable of suppressing S-Rank ability users.

"Please stand on the detection platform." The Chief of the Execution Division's finger hovered over the red button; the small text below the button read "Emergency Brake: Only use when Qi Energy intensity exceeds 95%." Her peripheral vision glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner, which was connected to the highest command of the Special Incident Response Department, where the Minister was personally watching the real-time transmission.

Chen Wu's Qi Energy slowly spread out on the detection platform. The blue-gold energy flow traveled along the patterns, causing the bronze compass's pointer to begin rotating. When the pointer opened to the sixth metal blade, the lights in the detection room suddenly flickered—the System showed that the Qi Energy intensity had reached 91%, only 4 percentage points away from the emergency brake.

"Focus your mind, imagine the moment you shatter that blue brick." The Chief of the Execution Division's voice was seductive; she knew this was a common tactic to break the psychological defenses of registrants, as many ability users would subconsciously release their full power under such suggestion. In the surveillance footage, the Minister's finger was pressing on the encrypted call button, ready to issue a forced constraint order at any moment.

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly retracted. The bronze compass's pointer began to rotate in reverse, but more blue-gold liquid seeped out from the patterns in the detection room—he was demonstrating the highest Realm of "Listening Energy," capable of hiding 90% of his Qi Energy in blind spots that the detection instrument could not capture while releasing power. This level of control, being able to retract and release at will, shocked the Enforcement Division even more than pure intensity.

"This is the real S-Rank." Lin Mo's tactical tablet suddenly connected to the detection System, pulling up the detection report of Chen Wu's grandfather. "The 1987 record shows that his Qi Energy intensity was only 85%, but his control reached 100%. This is also the core of the Tomb Guardian's Legacy—it's not about how strong you are, but how steady you are."

The detection platform suddenly emitted a groan of being unable to bear the load. Chen Wu's Qi Energy composed the fist manual of the Baji Fist within the patterns, and the pointer of the bronze compass was pulled by the Qi Energy, actually carving a complete "Martial" character onto the metal plate. The Chief of the Execution Division's red button was never pressed. She looked at the value stabilizing at 88% on the screen and suddenly understood his intention—he was proving that he could perfectly control his power and did not need external constraints.

In the surveillance footage, the Minister stood up suddenly. He ordered into the communicator: "Terminate the mandatory registration procedure, initiate the 'Cooperation Agreement' plan." This decision stunned everyone in the Enforcement Division—in the seventy years since the Special Incident Response Department was founded, it had never made concessions to an S-Rank ability user, and Chen Wu was the first.

When returning to the conference room, a blue-covered document had been added next to the registration form on the table. The Chief of the Execution Division's fountain pen had been replaced with an ordinary black ballpoint pen. The font of the words "Cooperation Agreement" was significantly softer, and the first clause was completely different from the registration form: "Based on the principle of voluntariness, Mr. Chen Wu may independently decide whether to participate in the operations of the Special Incident Response Department."

"This was specially approved by the Minister." Her finger drew a circle on the "Tomb Guardian Privilege" clause. "You can access all abnormal incident archives since 1949, use the department's arsenal, and even call upon special action teams in emergencies. But in exchange, you need to submit a Qi Energy fluctuation report every month, which will be used to improve the research data on the 'Tomb-Guarding Beast.'"

Grandpa Wang suddenly pushed the door and entered, a bronze bell hanging from his dry tobacco pipe—it was the "Honorary Tomb Guardian" token issued by the Special Incident Response Department in 1953. "When I refused to sign the registration form back then, they gave me this." The old man's pipe bowl tapped lightly on the cooperation agreement. "They said that wearing it, any martial arts gym in the world would give you a bowl of rice to eat."

Chen Wu's Qi Energy spread along the bell and discovered a microchip hidden inside, which stored the highest-level access key of the Special Incident Response Department. His grandfather's diary had mentioned this method of "invisible registration": using tokens to replace forms, and using tacit understanding to replace clauses, was a unique balance reached between the older generation of Tomb Guardians and the official authorities.

"I will sign this one." Chen Wu's fountain pen fell on the cooperation agreement, and the Qi Energy made the ink glow with blue-gold light. "But I have an additional condition: all Mutants, including Li Meng, should have the right to choose independently; they cannot be forced by regulations."

The Chief of the Execution Division's pen paused for a moment before finally signing the additional clause. Her signature carried a faint fluctuation of Qi Energy, and Chen Wu's "Listening Energy" captured a sense of relief—clearly, she did not agree with the hardline policy toward Mutants either. In the surveillance footage, the Minister nodded slightly at the camera and signed his name on another document; that was the special protection order for Li Meng.

When leaving the training hall, the twelve uniformed personnel suddenly stood at attention and saluted in unison. Their boot soles no longer released suppressive Qi Energy; the bronze light formed an archway for their departure, resonating with Grandpa Wang's bronze statue. Outside the car window of the Chief of the Execution Division, Lin Mo's tactical tablet was uploading a global Qi Energy distribution map—the blue-gold light points within the territory of Huaxia had increased by 30% compared to yesterday, and each light point represented a newly awakened Martial Artist.

Chen Wu looked at the unsigned registration form on the table, and his Qi Energy suddenly rolled it up and stuffed it into the interlayer of the sandalwood box. His grandfather's diary said: "The best rule is one that makes people willing to follow it voluntarily." Just like the blue-gold clouds above the training hall at this moment, they neither broke through the sky nor were suppressed by the dark clouds, maintaining a delicate and resilient balance.

As the sun set, a special file was added to the internal network of the Special Incident Response Department. On the registration page for number 007, there was no Qi Energy intensity data, only a photo of Chen Wu practicing boxing, with Grandpa Wang's bronze statue glowing in the background. Below the photo was a note written by the Minister himself: "Power needs constraints, but it needs trust even more. Some registrations are better kept in the heart."

The wooden dummy in the training hall emitted a long hum. Chen Wu's "Crushing Fist" landed on the familiar fist imprint, and the Qi Energy condensed into a miniature cooperation agreement at the contact point, then slowly dissipated—he knew that the official probing was not the end, but a new beginning. When the rules of the Special Incident Response Department and the Legacy of the Tomb Guardian found common ground, those threats hidden in the shadows would eventually have nowhere to hide under the blue-gold sunlight.

Just like the sunset in the sky at this moment, half was the ink-black solemnity of the System, and half was the golden heat of the Martial Arts Dao, blending together to form an unprecedentedly magnificent picture.