After the space was sealed off, the light outside was blocked off as well, and everything inside the tree-like structure sank into darkness.
A moment passed, and Chen Chuan saw glowing liquid being secreted from the walls in the space. The liquid quickly coagulated and spread out. Soon, it formed a glowing membrane.
Then, the entire space lit up. A second later, all he could see was white.
It made him feel like he was standing inside a gap.
Just then, he suddenly sensed something strange, and he turned to his second self. He was blurring faintly. Without a doubt, he was being attacked by some external force.
It seemed like his previous guess was correct. The examination could force martial artists to defend themselves through unseen damage. Their reactions would make them show their real state without being able to hide anything. If this entity detected anything wrong, it would immediately give the relevant signal.
But the moment Chen Chuan walked into the Crisis Management Center, he overlapped with his second self to go back to his pre-fusion state. He also had his second self bear all the unseen damage.
The people standing outside waited with bated breath, but the examination this time seemed to last a really long time. Xu Chan had come out in around two minutes. Meanwhile, Chen Chuan had been inside for five minutes, and it still wasn’t over.
This was despite the entity showing green light, just like it had for Xu Chan’s examination, at the three minute mark.
The two politicians’ expressions were dark.
“He’s clear? How could he be clear? Are you sure?”
“The third examination result shows that the target has no abnormalities,” the gentle voice answered.
They couldn’t accept this.
Based on their analysis, Chen Bitong had torn the gap open, and Chen Chuan had stayed with him during his final moments. There was also proof that they had worked together. Chen Chuan was highly suspicious, and all the politicians were sure that he had absorbed pure essence.
Even an active biosentient entity had come to that conclusion through an analysis.
Hence, the two politicians had come on a mission today, but the examination results overturned everything, and they couldn’t continue with their plan.
Yet the higher-ups wouldn’t even consider that they could have made a mistake. They would just think their chosen representatives were useless.
“Just because there’s nothing wrong with his examination results doesn’t mean that there’s nothing wrong with him,” one of them said.
“What do you plan on doing?” the other asked.
“The target is proficient in rituals. Could his lack of abnormalities be due to one? I have reason to suspect that he used a ritual to avoid the examination. That’s why we need further verification. Detain him!”
“If we detain him after having found nothing wrong, the Resolution Department and World Ring Defense System are going to have a lot to say about this.” The other politician was hesitant.
“We just did some logical deductions and are dealing with the problem strictly. We’re being responsible here,” the politician snapped back coldly.
The other politician hesitated for a moment before nodding.
***
Once the examination ended, the branches moved away, and Chen Chuan walked out. His expression was one of calmness.
Those who had inside information were surprised that Chen Chuan had managed to pass without trouble. The security guards on the floors above didn’t receive any orders and continued being on guard.
After Chen Chuan returned to the hall, he nodded at Xu Chan’s team and was about to head to the side. He would leave once things were about to end, but a voice called out from behind him.
“One moment, Captain Chen.”
He turned around and saw Yan Zhiwen walking over to him. Once he was in front of him, he said, “The Crisis Management Center believes that they need to perform further inspections. Please don’t leave for the time being.”
“Are you saying that the examination just now wasn't enough? I read the procedure while on my way here, and there was nothing about the need for further examinations,” Chen Chuan argued.
“This is the center’s procedure. Please cooperate with us, Captain Chen,” Yan Zhiwen said firmly.
“I don’t see a need for it,” a voice piped up from not far away.
Yan Zhiwen instantly felt his hair rise. The voice had appeared suddenly, and the speaker had shown up abruptly. He hadn’t noticed them before.
He turned around rigidly and saw a world-weary, dejected middle-aged man standing behind him with his hands in his pockets.
“Mr. Xue?” Chen Chuan was quite surprised.
Xue Shou walked over and patted Chen Chuan’s shoulder before casting a glance at a certain direction above. Then, he smiled. “Chen Chuan is my student. I’ll be his guarantor.”
“Mr. Xue...” Yan Zhiwen recognized him. Xue Shou was a martial arts master from the capital, and facing him in such close proximity filled his entire being with fear.
Even though Xue Shou appeared friendly and casual, his self-preservation instincts screamed at him through his biofield and mind that he was dangerous. They wanted him away from Xue Shou, immediately.
He wasn’t the only one. Everyone felt the same thing. Martial artists had gone through tons of training and were confident in their ability to protect themselves. They also insisted on doing so themselves. But when standing in front of Xue Shou, all that confidence turned into something negative, because it pushed them into fight-or-flight mode.
The two politicians felt their backs get covered in cold sweat. They had never expected this to happen.
They knew just how strong a martial arts master was. Their minds became a mess, and they didn’t know what to do.
Just then, they heard an emotionless voice from their Realm Passes. “Let the target leave.”
The moment Xue Shou showed up, the municipal government learned of it through the information fed back to them via the domain information exchange function. With a martial arts master serving as Chen Chuan’s guarantor, even if there really was something wrong with him, they couldn’t spit in Xue Shou’s face. Besides, the results of the examination showed that there was nothing wrong with Chen Chuan. If they continued pursuing the matter, it would make things ugly.
The two politicians immediately acted like they had received a pardon. Then, they heard something else. “Use the backup plan.”
They quickly agreed to it and notified Yan Zhiwen. Upon receiving the new order, he stepped aside and bowed his head. “You can leave now, Captain Chen.”
“Have I passed my inspection?” Chen Chuan asked.
“Yes,” Yan Zhiwen answered.
“I like how efficient you are.” Chen Chuan nodded.
The gentle voice spoke up again. “Squad Captain Lu Huo, Squad Captain Wang Weiguang, please head to the south and north examination platforms for your safety check.”
Lu Huo and Wang Weiguang exchanged glances before heading down.