583: Chapter 583 The Meaning of the Strong, National Treasures (Wishing everyone a Happy New Year)

Regarding whether his background check would pass, Fang Cheng actually didn't care too much.

When he originally applied for graduate school, it wasn't really because he wanted to do academic research.

It was merely to drape himself in the cloak of an "intellectual".

Using a refined student image to create a huge contrast and reduce the suspicion and guesswork of interested parties.

After all, his current strength was still far from sufficient to contend with the entire state apparatus.

He needed to wear a mask, disguise his image, and isolate the two completely incompatible identities of "murderous demon" and "good citizen" to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He even more needed a safe and stable place to let himself continue developing and growing stronger.

Being able to enter the Special Investigation Team now could be considered reaching the same goal by different means, or even with better results.

After all, having joined the Special Investigation Team, he had become a member of the official law enforcement forces.

Other factions that might be probing him in the dark, such as the Xiao Family and Utopia, would have an extra layer of hesitation before taking action.

They might feel that the Special Investigation Team was deliberately targeting them.

Consequently, they would focus their primary vigilance and attention on the behemoth that was the Special Investigation Team, rather than on him, a small civil servant working for the organization.

This was what they called enjoying the cool shade beneath a big tree and practicing cultivation within an official yamen.

Aside from these considerations, what moved Fang Cheng the most was still solid, tangible benefits.

Fang Cheng walked at the very end, his gaze flickering slightly as he looked at the translucent panel in front of him that only he could see.

[ Bone-setting Lv1 (91/250) ]

[ Acupoint Striking Lv0 (57/100) ]

[ Tuina Massage Lv0 (83/100) ]

[ Qigong Lv3 (45/1000) ]

With the officially certified new identity of the Special Investigation Team and entering the sanatorium as a new dungeon, he would be able to legitimately contact a large number of wounded and sick patients next.

By then, the speed at which skills like Bone-setting, Acupoint Striking, and Tuina Massage farmed experience points would definitely take off.

Once these medical skills were trained to max level, the opportunity for Qigong to break through to Lv4 and reach the King Realm might be right before his eyes.

"A-Cheng, stop standing outside, come in quickly and have a drink with Grandfather again!"

Grandfather Li Zhenhua's full-voiced shout came from inside the house.

"Dad, your body hasn't fully recovered yet, the doctor said to drink as little alcohol as possible."

Li Biyun's helpless dissuasion followed closely behind.

"Aiya, I'm happy today! Let's make an exception just this once, not as a precedent, not as a precedent!"

Hearing the commotion inside the house, a hint of a smile curved the corners of Fang Cheng's mouth.

"Coming."

He acknowledged, stepped over the threshold, and following the bright light slanting into the house, walked into the room filled with family laughter.

...

The afternoon sunlight was just right.

The surface of Yulong Lake shimmered, looking like a huge spread-out satin ribbon sparkling with fine golden light.

The black executive sedan drove smoothly along the lakeside highway, the reflections of the willow trees outside the window flashing past swiftly.

The air conditioning inside the car was turned on high, isolating the sultry heat of early summer and making the atmosphere inside the carriage appear exceptionally quiet.

Driver Xiao Zhang held the steering wheel with rapt attention, keeping his eyes on the road conditions ahead.

Wei Zheng sat in the front passenger seat, but his body was somewhat restless and uneasy.

From time to time, he glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror, hesitating to speak, his fingers subconsciously touching the tip of his nose.

This was his habitual action when he had something hidden in his heart.

"Just say whatever you want to say."

Shi Chengyi's gentle voice came from the back seat.

The old department head closed his eyes to rest, as if an extra eye had grown on his forehead, taking in all of his Disciple's awkwardness:

"You've been twisting and turning since getting in the car, are there nails poking you in the chair?"

Wei Zheng smiled awkwardly, turned around, and finally stopped holding it in:

"Teacher, I really don't understand."

His brows furrowed slightly, and his tone was full of incomprehension and regret:

"The three conditions Fang Cheng proposed, regarding work freedom and investigating the old case from back then, are all reasonable, and I can understand them. But..."

"He clearly stated that he is willing to join as a traditional Martial Artist, but only wants to stay in the medical team to treat the sick and save lives, and doesn't want to get involved in the fight between us and the 'Science Modification Faction'."

Wei Zheng spread his hands somewhat eagerly, his tone filled with helplessness:

"If we don't use this sharp blade on the cutting edge, and don't let him step forward to counter the suppression of Ling's group and fight for interests for us Martial Artists, what difference does that make from before?"

"Why did we go to such great lengths, and even have you personally visit him three times to recruit him? Could it really just be to recruit a miraculous doctor for the Special Investigation Team?"

Shi Chengyi slowly opened his eyelids, turning his head to look at the fleeting lake scenery outside the window, a meaningful smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

He didn't answer directly, but instead raised his hand to point at the scorching sun hanging high outside the window:

"Xiao Wei, look at that sun."

Wei Zheng instinctively raised his head, blinded for a moment by the dazzling sunlight, and had to squint his eyes.

"The sun rises from the darkness; it itself perhaps doesn't feel like it is illuminating anyone, it is just burning quietly there, releasing its own light and heat, yet it can affect everything around it."

Shi Chengyi's voice was calm and heavy, exuding a wisdom that saw through the ways of the world:

"All things grow and reproduce relying on it; this is not because the sun is benevolent and universal in love, nor is it because it wants to save all living beings."

"It is simply because—it is strong enough."

"Strong enough that its mass is sufficient to distort space-time, strong enough that a trace of aftermath it radiates is enough to change the ecology of the entire galaxy."

Wei Zheng was thoughtful, his gaze gradually focusing as if he had grasped some key point.

Shi Chengyi withdrew his gaze, looked at his loyal Disciple, and slowly said:

"Fang Cheng is that sun that has not yet risen to its highest point."

"He doesn't need to wave flags right now, rush to the front and shout slogans, leading us to fight for anything."

"What we need to do is simply guide him onto the right track, give him soil, and give him the sky."

The old man leaned back against the back of the chair, hands crossed, sharp light flashing in his eyes:

"As long as he remains in the Special Investigation Team for a day, as long as he continues to grow stronger, there will eventually be a day when he displays that astonishing martial power that shakes the past and present, sufficient to crush all technological creations..."

"Even if he does nothing, just standing there, he will become the totem in the hearts of all Martial Artists, becoming the great banner that unites people's hearts."

"By then, whether it is the internal layout of the Special Investigation Team or this world alienated by technology and external mysterious forces, everything will be affected by his existence and change accordingly."

"Compared to this change in 'momentum', does it still matter whether he personally is willing to participate in those trivial office struggles?"

Speaking of this, Shi Chengyi's gaze became sharp, directly looking at Wei Zheng:

"You must remember, at that level of extent, for a strong person, his very existence is a deterrence, a rule in itself."

Wei Zheng was greatly shaken in mind and spirit, as if enlightened by a divine teaching, and his entire person suddenly became clear-headed.

"I understand..."

He took a deep breath, his face showing heartfelt admiration:

"Teacher, you are still the one who looks far ahead. I was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, only thinking of using him as a gun, yet forgetting that his talent is comparable to Chief Li, and he himself is a pillar of the country capable of suppressing national Luck."

Shi Chengyi smiled, closed his eyes again, and said no more.

Wei Zheng turned around, sat up straight again, and cast his gaze toward the road extending ahead.

His mood became turbulent like never before.

He seemed to have already foreseen that with the joining of this Junior Brother possessing terrifying potential, the future situation in Dongdu would inevitably be rewritten.

The entire Special Investigation Team might truly usher in a long-awaited revolution.

The heavily suppressed Martial Artist faction would henceforth straighten their backs and exhale their grievances proudly.

The engine hummed lowly, and the interior of the car returned to silence.

The black sedan carved a streamlined arc in the sunlight, accelerating towards the distant city that resembled a forest of steel.

...

The howling wind roared, and sand and gravel flew all over the sky.

This place didn't seem to belong to anywhere on Earth, just like a corner forgotten by the world.

The sky presented a suffocating leaden gray, and the heavy clouds were like pieces of rusted iron plates, pressing down layer upon layer overhead.

There was no sunlight, no flying birds.

Even the wind carried a sharpness that sliced the skin, emitting a mournful wail.

On the barren earth, not a single blade of grass grew, and there was no trace of life at all.

Only black rocks were exposed outside, their surfaces covered in countless gullies, as if they had been repeatedly roasted by fierce fire for millions of years.

In this apocalyptic scene, a pitch-black skyscraper rose abruptly from the ground.

It was like a spear piercing the dome of heaven, aggressively tearing apart the oppressive clouds and plunging straight into the depths of the rolling Chaos.

Looking at it with the naked eye, the top could not be seen at all, as if it were the only pillar between heaven and earth.

Thick purple lightning coiled and leaped at the spire of the tower, continuously emitting low rumbles.

Resembling the breathing of an ancient giant beast during its sleep, it overawed this wasteland.

At the base of the tower, two tens-of-meters-tall giant bronze doors were tightly closed.

A man stood in front of the doors.

He wore a retro white long robe, had a slender figure, an effeminate and handsome face, and his long black hair was casually tied behind his head.

The howling wind whipped up sand and gravel as it swept past, but automatically parted three feet in front of him.

He was like a temperatureless jade carving, guarding there quietly, completely out of tune with the harsh environment around him.

Clack, clack, clack.

Heavy footsteps shattered the dead silence.

In the distance, a burly figure walked over in large strides through the sand and wind filling the sky.

That was a typical European-descent man, his facial contours as deep as if carved by a knife and chiseled with an axe, sporting a head of wild red short hair.

He was bare-chested, his bronze muscles bulging in lumps, covered with all sorts of hideous scars.

As he approached, the originally cold surrounding air suddenly heated up.

Even the black gravel on the ground began to tremble slightly, as if fearing the violent aura resembling magma emanating from within his body.

The man in white slowly lifted his eyelids, his narrow eyes devoid of any emotion, coldly gazing at the newcomer.

"Halt."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly penetrated the howling wind.

The red-haired man suddenly stopped at the bottom of the steps.

He raised his head to glance at the lightning-surrounded tower top, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

Then he withdrew his gaze, looked at the man in white, his voice rough and thick:

"Has my lord not come out of seclusion yet?"