Return to School

After Tuotu's car left the Old Camp, it soon merged onto the main road. Chen Chuan looked back and said, "That place seemed to have originally been a military camp?"

Wei Changan said, "That's right. It was an outpost left behind during the Great Exploration. Guo Fatty took it over, and no one bothers managing it now. Most of the Blood Scar Gang's leaders huddle together in the city. Only Guo Fatty doesn't get along well with the gang and is willing to scrape by outside the city."

Chen Chuan thought it over. Chou Huzi's illegal drugs all came from Central City, and National Avenue here led straight to Central City. No one would believe the two were unrelated.

Wei Changan said, "Not bad, junior. Clean and decisive. That kick—damn. Honestly, even your Brother Wei might not have been able to take it. Don't worry, I'll record everything truthfully. If I don't give you an excellent academic evaluation, I'm not human."

Chen Chuan considered it and said, "Brother Wei, you said earlier that once the evaluation was sufficient, I could get a certificate. What does getting a certificate mean? Why didn't I see it in the admission guide?"

Wei Changan said, "That? It was originally something your supervising teacher should explain, but I'll tell you first. You saw that everyone in the Blood Scar Gang carried weapons, right? But did you ever wonder why we came here empty-handed today?

Your Brother Wei was present today as the client, so it wasn't convenient for me to bring that kind of thing. As for why I didn't get you a weapon, it's because Wuyi Academy students generally aren't allowed to carry weapons outside. You have to take the Arms Certificate exam here. Once you have it, you can legally carry weapons anywhere, including small-caliber pistols and rifles. But firearms are tightly regulated, and you have to report them every time you use one. It's a hassle. Cold weapons, however, are fine to carry.

Only Wu University offers this certificate exam. Once you get it, it remains valid for life. It's recognized not only in our Great Shun Republic, but worldwide.

Although some local areas allow people to carry weapons, those permits are only valid locally. Once you leave the area, you aren't allowed to carry them unless you communicate in advance and obtain a temporary limited-term permit. There are other complications too. It's a real headache.

Besides that, there are many other useful certificates. You need these assigned tasks to raise your evaluation, such as the Armored Certificate. That one is even harder to obtain. It lets you wear Protective Suits of a specified grade. By then, ordinary firearms will be almost useless against you.

There's a saying: 'Armed and armored, nothing is forbidden.' It means Fighters like us are hard to deal with by ordinary means once we have weapons and armor."

If I could obtain an Arms Certificate, or even an Armored Certificate, that would indeed be excellent. It would greatly improve my chances of survival. At the very least, with a Protective Suit, the pebble that had taken the former Chen Chuan's life would no longer pose such a great threat.

He asked, "Are assignments like this common? Wu University has so many students every year. Surely they could handle any matter?"

Wei Changan glanced at Chen Chuan. "Junior, you still don't understand your current status. You should get used to it sooner. Who do you think the students who passed the retest are? Have you walked around the academy? You know that Martial Arts Arena, right? It's directly behind the Great Hall, on the same axis."

Chen Chuan said, "I saw it once. It was beautiful and quite large."

Wei Changan said, "That Martial Arts Arena was built five years ago with enormous funding from all sides. It can hold two thousand students in arena matches at once. But that is the stage for Class B Students. In the future, they are meant to win honor and fame through Arena Competitions and combat contests, becoming star Fighters or serving as security personnel for various departments.

And us? What those above want us to do is manage and restrain them, suppress them when necessary, and become the foundation for maintaining stability in this country and even the world. That's why only us Class A Students can take those external assignments and earn certificates!"

He smiled. "Of course, if you wish to continue your studies, you can remain at the academy and become teachers. Then you might have a chance to be recommended to the Head Institute, where you can learn more advanced combat knowledge. If you are outstanding enough, you may even have a chance to enter Central City."

Chen Chuan said, "If those above are so wary of students with combat ability, why do they keep expanding enrollment every year?"

Wei Changan said, "It's the trend of the times." He glanced at the rearview mirror, turned a corner, and smiled. "You'll understand someday."

Seeing that he was being cryptic, Chen Chuan did not press the matter. Instead, he said, "Brother Wei, since you mentioned Central City, does Wuyi Academy have teachers from Central City?"

"Yes, but they only teach recommended students. And they don't teach just any recommended student—only those who truly have the qualifications and talent. That teacher also stays only briefly each year, so we almost never see them.

What? Interested in Central City? I understand. Your Brother Wei has thought about it too, but... it's hard! The recommendation quotas each year are given by the upper levels of the academy, and most candidates are selected from among those recommended students. Still, it's good to have dreams. But remember..."

He slowed the car slightly, turned to look at him, and said sternly, "There are strict boundaries between students at the academy. Students of each level should do the things appropriate to their level and achieve what is appropriate to their level. Recommended students do what recommended students do. Class A Students do what Class A Students do. You must follow the rules and never cross the line. That is the only way to avoid making mistakes. Otherwise..."

At this point, a trace of melancholy appeared in his eyes. He shook his head and said, "Just remember that."

Chen Chuan did not ask any further questions.

Wei Changan drove straight to Yangzhi City's Patrol Headquarters in Ding'an District. He dragged Chou Huzi out and took him inside. After a while, he returned to the car and handed Chen Chuan three forms. "Here, sign these. Sign all three." Chen Chuan took them and saw that they were assignment completion reports.

They basically described everything that had happened today. The process was recorded in great detail and explained clearly, with each person's actions described separately and objectively.

In the executor section at the end, Wei Changan's signature was already at the front, with a blank space left after it.

After reading it, Chen Chuan picked up a pen and signed his name after Wei Changan's.

Once he had signed, Wei Changan took the forms and went back into the Patrol Bureau. He soon returned and handed Chen Chuan one copy bearing an official seal. "All right, keep this one yourself and store it carefully. The Patrol Bureau will send an attachment to the academy later. It'll definitely add something to your academic evaluation. Oh, and remember to get a personal seal in the future. Open a private account when you have time too. I'll transfer the money to you then, so you won't have to make another trip."

Chen Chuan folded up the form and put it away, smiling. "What, there's payment too?"

Wei Changan laughed. "You didn't think you were working for free, did you? Every assignment pays money. Otherwise, why would I say your Brother Wei is bringing you along? As for how much, you definitely won't get the short end of the stick. Oh, it's almost noon. How about your Brother Wei takes you somewhere good for a meal before sending you back to school this afternoon?"

Chen Chuan said, "No need to trouble you, Brother Wei. School starts today, so I'd rather head back early and eat at the Wuyi Academy cafeteria."

"All right, then."

Wei Changan drove Chen Chuan all the way to the male student dormitory at Wu Yi University and said, "This is as far as your Brother Wei takes you."

Chen Chuan unfastened his seat belt, opened the door, and stepped out with his suitcase in hand. He turned back and said, "Brother Wei."

"Hm?" Wei Changan was bent over examining a muddy patch on the car when he looked up at the sound.

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

Wei Changan's expression froze. Then he smiled. "That kid." Shaking his head, he got into the car, backed out, and drove away. He arrived beneath the Administrative Office Building.

After getting out of the car, he went straight to the fifth floor. Familiar with the place, he found the Recruitment Office and knocked on the door. Bian Feng looked over from behind his desk. "Come in."

Wei Changan entered and placed the written report on the desk.

Bian Feng picked it up and asked, "Handled?"

"It's handled, Teacher Bian. This kid is really good." Wei Changan could not help praising him. "But why assign him a task on the first day of school? Is it really that urgent? Don't tell me it's only because this matter involved him."

Bian Feng read through the form, set it down, and looked up. "As a precaution. If we waited until after today, someone might free up their hands and find all sorts of excuses to hold him back. Then he could only remain cooped up at school for one semester, maybe even two, unable to go anywhere." He shook the form in his hand. "But with this on his record, things will be much easier. We can give him more support."

Wei Changan understood.

For assigned tasks, clients usually required the students cooperating with them to have records and experience. Without those, no one would choose you.

There were quite a few students competing during the same period. If someone got ahead of you by one step, you would fall behind at every step. It was not difficult to manipulate things. Someone only needed to find an excuse to hold you back, and you would have nothing to say.

While others advanced, you could only watch from behind.

Moreover, he saw the deeper intention of the academy administration. The more students dealt with the various departments of the Department of Civil Affairs and different clients, the better their records would become, and the greater their returns. It would also make it easier to obtain scholarships, making it harder for others to control them through money.

If a student had a high success rate on assignments, all parties would court and support them. After all, no one turned down money. With the academy's backing as well, a network of connections would spread both inside and outside the school. Such invisible things could sometimes be a great help. Even if someone wanted to make a move, they would have to weigh the consequences.

Having reached this point in his thoughts, he grew serious. "Chen Chuan is ultimately from a Patrol Bureau family too. Teacher Bian, promise me you won't push him into that position. I really don't want to see what happened to that student two years ago happen again."

Bian Feng remained silent for a moment before saying, "We have all learned from the mistake of two years ago. We won't make it again."