Chapter 246 - Chapter 246: 195, ACE-005? I gave it to you a long time ago.
Chapter 246: 195, ACE-005? I gave it to you a long time ago.
Countdown 18:00:00.
At six in the morning, outside the glass window was Great Snow and dense forests, while inside the cabin, the crackling sound of burning firewood could be heard.
It wasn’t actually snowing outside; it was Qing Chen’s switched “white noise sleep mode.”
For some reason, Qing Chen slept particularly soundly in such an environment.
Knock, knock, knock. There was a knocking at the door, and he immediately sat up from the bed, thinking to open the door.
However, when he walked out of the bedroom, he saw Uncle Li Dong sitting on the sofa, smiling, “I’ll get the door.”
Qing Chen didn’t know when his master had returned; he hadn’t heard any movement at all.
He watched as Uncle Li Dong opened the door, and outside stood Yan Yan, looking somewhat uneasy: “Hello, uncle, I came to see Qing Chen.”
“He just woke up; what do you need him for?” Uncle Li Dong asked with a smile.
“Oh, I’m calling him to join the rally. Why don’t you come with us too, uncle?” Yan Yan asked. “The Federation’s education system has already decayed. We need to push for educational reforms first, to ensure everyone has knowledge. Only then can we loosen the corporations’ grip on the Federation!”
Uncle Li Dong smiled, then turned to ask, “Xiao Chen, you go to the rally. Yan Yan is here to get you.”
“I won’t go,” Qing Chen said from within the house. “I still have to go to the boxing gym to watch the match today.”
“Alright,” Yan Yan nodded. “Then Zheng Yi and I will go together. Uncle, if you and Qing Chen change your minds, you can join us anytime. We’re starting from Cloud Mountain Square and heading towards the city center. Don’t worry, it’s a legally registered rally.”
“Hmm,” Uncle Li Dong watched Yan Yan and Zheng Yi leave with a smile, then closed the door.
Qing Chen walked out of the bedroom and calmly speculated, “She lives here, probably to use her force field ability to make sure you and I are not in Luo Shen Building during the last moments.”
After all, with a Demigod like Uncle Li Dong stationed at Prison 18, who would dare take action?
“Time Traveler, check whether they really left?” Uncle Li Dong asked.
“Confirmed, they have taken the Number 22 light rail train to Cloud Mountain Square,” Time Traveler replied.
Uncle Li Dong turned to Qing Chen with a smile, “Then she should have given up monitoring us by now. After all, if she really wanted to monitor us, she would have stayed in this Luo Shen Building all day so she would know whenever we leave. Perhaps she initially did it for the Spades Organization, but it seems not anymore.”
Qing Chen pondered, “Hmm, that’s possible.”
Uncle Li Dong smiled, “We should also get going. Today, so many organizations and forces are pulling together a big drama, but before the show starts, the main characters must also make their appearance.”
The master and apprentice changed into clean white sportswear and each put on a cap, then walked out of the building.
Uncle Li Dong stood in the glass elevator, quietly enjoying everything before him.
…
In the hovering Cloud Mountain Square, the area was densely packed with rally participants, their faces painted with red symbols.
In the crowd, thousands of students moved about, voluntarily organizing and distributing small flags filled with slogans, along with banners.
The small flags appeared quite cheap; they were handcrafted by the students working through the day and night to save on expenses.
Their hands were covered in low-quality glue, yet their faces beamed with enthusiastic smiles.
As the students distributed their flags, they encouraged each other, saying, “Change the world!”
“Change the world!”
Though they themselves might not have fully figured out how to change the world, the crowd was moving powerfully towards the Upper Three Districts.
Dozens of reporters were live broadcasting this massive rally on the roadside, and the representatives of the rally faced the media with composure, voicing their demands.
A student representative looked at the camera and said, “This is a legal rally, with the number of participants, demands, and routes all duly registered. Moreover, we promise not to use any force and will strongly resist any force!”
A rally is a rally; they aimed to ensure that the event remained pure to the end.
A hover car flew over the procession, and Qing Chen sat inside, silently watching below, wondering what was on his mind.
Uncle Li Dong suddenly asked, “What do you think about these student protests?”
Qing Chen said, “This world cannot be changed through protests; the control of the consortia over this world is far more terrifying than they can imagine.”
“Indeed,” Uncle Li Dong said with a smile, “On the day the protest was reported to the authorities, although the Federation approved it, the Li Family began looking for the small business owner who sponsored the protest that very night. That small businessman was one of our people, and we arranged for him to quietly leave the Federation two nights ago, never to return.”
This smokeless war had already begun, unbeknownst to the students.
Startled, Qing Chen looked at Uncle Li Dong; he hadn’t expected that his master had been busy with this matter the past two days, nor that his master was the sponsor behind the protest.
Uncle Li Dong laughed and said, “I just sponsored it casually, really; they looked so pitiful I couldn’t bear to watch. At least, we couldn’t let the children shout slogans on an empty stomach.”
“Master, this path will be very dangerous,” Qing Chen said.
Uncle Li Dong said, “While other consortia and forces are vehemently searching for, arresting, and executing Time Travelers, I have spoken with many of them, including about the history of your Outer World.”
“Why did the master want to discuss that?” asked Qing Chen, puzzled.
“A teacher doesn’t know everything, so it’s never wrong to listen, observe, and learn more,” Uncle Li Dong said pensively, “I’ve spent half my life in martial training only to be dragged into plotting by a group of like-minded friends, then watched them die one by one. In truth, I’m just a Martial Warrior, Xiao Chen, so I don’t harbor noble ideals. I’ve come this far only because I didn’t want my friends’ deaths to be in vain. They were eager to achieve something, and I want to use the rest of my life to help complete it.”
Qing Chen stared at Uncle Li Dong, not expecting him to define himself as just a Martial Warrior.
He asked, “Which part of history did you discuss with the Time Travelers?”
“The period when the New World was born,” Uncle Li Dong said smilingly, “I had them bring a USB drive back for me. I read tons of documents and materials until my eyes almost fell out. But my favorite was still the process of establishing the New World. In that period of history, many sages fell before dawn.”
Honestly, the technology of the Inner World far surpasses that of the Outer World, so many people think there isn’t much from the Outer World that can benefit the Inner World.
But many people are wrong; the brilliance of ideas doesn’t dim, whether technology is advanced or primitive.
“Master,” Qing Chen repeated softly, “this path is very dangerous.”
Uncle Li Dong looked at him and said, “Qing Chen, have you ever thought what it is that allows you in the Outer World to live a comfortable life, and how your ancestors achieved victory? What they were going through at that time.”
Qing Chen fell silent.
Uncle Li Dong continued, “Many Time Travelers admire them, but actually, your ancestors deserve even more admiration than anyone imagines. From the perspective of their successors, of course, you know there will be a New World, and you also know that you will ultimately win, but your ancestors didn’t know that.”
“When they said ‘We will definitely achieve final victory’, they weren’t so certain either; they just wanted to give themselves a bit of courage. At that time, your ancestors didn’t really know whether their sacrifices would result in victory or if their sacrifices held any meaning, but they persisted anyway. With trepidation and fear, they fell one after another in pursuit of their ideals, waiting through the long night for the dawn. That is true conviction.”
Qing Chen remained silent, knowing not to judge history from a modern perspective is the correct historical view.
He always knew his ancestors were great, but he still underestimated their greatness.
“Let’s not think too much about it now,” Uncle Li Dong said with a chuckle, “These things don’t concern you for the time being. What you need to do is to enrich yourself, solidify your foundation, and make sure every step you take is firm. I hear from Zheng Yi that you were at the Begonia Boxing Gym watching the match all day yesterday; you should understand what I mean.”
“Yes, master, you think my foundation is too weak. If one day I encounter an opponent with the same strength as myself, it’s very likely that I’ll be defeated by his skills and experience,” Qing Chen said.
“Yes, many Transcendents, once they make a name for themselves, feel they no longer need to learn mundane skills, but that is not the case,” Uncle Li Dong said, “In a fight for survival, a single skill can make the difference between life and death. It’s good that you are so pragmatic.”
“I will master all the fighting skills quickly,” Qing Chen said.
“I’ve always found it strange,” Uncle Li Dong said with a smile, “why you are so patient, knowing that I have the Taboo items ACE-002 and ACE-005 here, but you never ask what they are, where they are, or what they’re for.”
Qing Chen earnestly said, “When you want to tell me, you will naturally tell me.”
“That makes it less fun for me,” Uncle Li Dong sighed, “Usually, students actively ask for something, and that gives a teacher a sense of achievement. You never ask for anything, which makes it quite boring for me.”
“Then give me ACE-005, Master.”
Uncle Li Dong laughed, “I already gave it to you.”
…
I owed everyone an update yesterday, which I’m making up for today. Today’s three chapters total 12,000 words, and I thank everyone for their understanding yesterday.