Chapter 147 Taking the Exam
By the end of May, Chen Chuan had already prepared to go for the assessment. He had informed his aunt's family in advance, on the grounds that he and Cheng Zitong would be going out for special training recently and might be traveling in the wilderness, so it might be difficult to pass on the message.
He had already written some letters and would ask Cheng Zitong to send them out when the time came. This would both reassure his family and create the illusion that he had been staying somewhere.
This type of letters not only includes family members, but also familiar people in the company, classmates from the college, and even old classmates such as Ding Jiao. However, in order not to be too deliberate, these are just preparations and do not need to be sent out unless necessary.
He had to be so cautious because that was where Shen Zheng had experienced the same thing. Not to mention that the latter had already passed the unlimited defense certificate at that time. He had not passed it yet, so naturally he had to be doubly careful.
To those students he was familiar with, he had already mentioned casually in his conversations before that he would follow the instructor to practice, so the students already had some vague ideas about it. When he brought it up at this moment, they did not feel it was abrupt at all, and many of them wished him success in his practice.
On the evening of the 30th, around 11 o'clock in the evening, Chen Chuan carried a suitcase and the Xuejun Knife packed in a box and got into Cheng Zitong's car.
The vehicle headed west out of Yangzhi City and drove for more than six hours before arriving at Shangbu City, located southwest of Yangzhi City. This is the junction of two prefectural roads and an important water and land transportation hub.
According to the assessment process, he needs to make a phone call here, and a member of the assessment team will come over, hand him a train ticket, and let him take the train to the next designated station.
Once here, he needs to go to the examination venue by himself.
After getting off the car, he said to Cheng Zitong, "Teacher, please go back. I have to walk the rest of the way on my own."
Cheng Zitong looked at him and said with some emotion: "Student, you have grown a little taller than last year. Time flies so fast." He walked up and said: "Concentrate on the assessment. The teacher is taking care of the school and family matters. You don't need to worry too much. Also, be careful outside. The teacher is waiting for your news in Yangzhi." As he said that, he patted Chen Chuan's shoulder heavily.
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Student, please remember this."
"Teacher, I'm going back now. By the way, I left some things for you in the box. You might need them. Please take a look at them when you have time."
Cheng Zitong waved to him and got back into the car. As the engine started, it drove back to the road it came from. After watching him leave, Chen Chuan clicked his hat and turned to walk towards the station square not far away.
He checked his watch. Although it was only a little before six in the morning, the streets were already crowded with people carrying large and small bags. The sun shone from behind him, falling on the square, and most of the thick walls of the train station were also illuminated.
He looked around and found a row of roadside telephone booths at the edge of the square. He walked over and found a place with less queues. After waiting for the people inside to come out, he walked in, picked up the receiver, put in a coin, and called the number given by the assessment team. After waiting for a while, the call was connected.
He said, "I have arrived at the designated station."
The voice on the other end said, "Wait there," and then hung up with a click.
Chen Chuan came out of the phone booth and bought a newspaper and two story magazines when passing by a newsstand. He sat down on a waiting chair in the square and waited.
Half an hour later, an ordinary-looking man sat down next to him and handed him a train ticket naturally, saying:
"You have a train ticket for 7:50 this morning. Call the number below when you arrive. Before you enter the chaotic area, someone will come to check your belongings and see if you have anyone helping you or accompanying you. Do you have any questions?"
Chen Chuan pulled out a slip of paper with a number written on it from the back of his ticket. He thought for a moment and said, "What if the phone number is wrong, or if we can't contact anyone after we reach the border, what should we do?"
The person replied, "You can call me again and I'll reschedule you. The time lost won't be counted towards your assessment, but you'll be responsible for any extra expenses during that time. The assessment team won't be responsible."
Chen Chuan nodded, "Then I have no doubts."
The man rolled up the newspaper in his hand, stood up, walked away, and soon disappeared into the crowd.
Chen Chuan did not leave immediately, but read the newspaper for a while before getting up and walking into the station.
After entering the waiting hall, he glanced at the timetable and chose a seat near the side. An hour later, the announcement informed him that his train had arrived and he could check in and board.
He stood up, queued up and passed the ticket gate smoothly. When he walked out, a completely black train had already stopped there. He let a snack cart pass and walked up from the narrow entrance. After walking a few carriages, he found his seat, put his suitcase and Xuejundao on the luggage rack above, and sat down.
It seemed that the audit team was on a very tight budget. He would have to sit on the train for almost a whole day, but the ticket he was given was not a sleeper berth, but a seat ticket.
But he didn't mind. As a fighter with a tough physique, this wasn't a big requirement for him. He could rest even while standing.
He took out a tube of nutritional paste, tore it open and ate it, then continued reading the newspaper.
This was his first time traveling far away. The news and newspapers in Yangzhi City usually all focused on the local area, with very little information about the outside world. This was still the case here. The local news in Shangbu City was the most common, but since it was a transportation hub, there was also some news from cities along the railway.
At this time, a small man came over with a ticket. He checked it and knew he had found the right seat. However, his luggage bag seemed a bit heavy. Even when he stood on tiptoe to lift it several times, it kept sliding down. He said to him with a bitter face, "Brother, can you give me a hand?"
Chen Chuan raised his head, stood up, and with a slight lift of his hand, he lifted the suitcase inside.
"Thanks, buddy. You're really tall, and with that physique, you must be a martial artist, right?" The man looked at Chen Chuan enviously, then glanced at the box containing the Xuejun sword on the luggage rack, took out a cigarette and handed it to him.
Chen Chuan indicated that he didn't and sat back down. The man didn't care, but he was obviously a very outgoing person. After sitting down, he asked where Chen Chuan was going. Chen Chuan answered casually for a few seconds, and then he talked about the rest. He talked about how many people in his family there were and what business he was going to do this time. He also said that the roads were always dangerous and it was difficult to do business.
He talked incessantly, but his eyes glanced around from time to time. Chen Chuan did not show any impatience, but just read the newspaper.
At this time, several people with unfriendly eyes came over, saw him talking here, glanced at Chen Chuan opposite, hesitated, whispered a few words, and left.
The man seemed relieved.
After a while, with a few whistle sounds, the train under him finally began to move slowly. The man also fell silent and looked at the scenery outside.
After only three stops, the man seemed to have arrived at his destination. He quickly put on his hat, jumped up and pulled off his duffel bag. Before leaving, he whispered, "Thanks, buddy."
Chen Chuan looked up at him and nodded.
As the train passed from station to station, the passengers on the opposite side kept changing, and the sky outside changed from bright to dark, and then fell into complete darkness.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Chen Chuan went to the bathroom to wash up briefly, then returned to his seat and closed his eyes to rest.
At this moment, he also discovered that after the internal organs were alienated, the two were not simply merged into one. The alienated tissue was like another set of his organs, which could alternate and rest with the original organs.
When one set is dormant, the other can continue to be active. This can be said to be an organ born to adapt to combat.
Therefore, as long as there is a slight movement around, or something that is inconsistent with the environment appears, his senses will immediately alert him and he will react quickly.
But maybe it was because he looked like someone who wasn't someone to be trifled with, and he also had that invisible aura that a fighter carries with him, so even on a train where there was a lot of traffic, he didn't encounter any foolish people who would mess with him. Some people who were obviously pickpockets would consciously stay away from him when they saw him, and it was obvious that they had good eyesight.
The next day, when the first ray of sunlight appeared from the horizon behind him, Chen Chuan opened his eyes. He looked out and saw that the scenery outside the car had become extremely desolate. There were only a few sparse passengers left in the car. All of these people were silent, and a few of them obviously had a background in fighting.
He understood that these people were most likely to have the same destination as him, and were also heading to a chaotic place, because to go there the first thing was to have the military power to protect themselves.
At around six o'clock in the morning, the train finally arrived at the last stop of its journey. The friction sound between the axles and the tracks gradually weakened, the train slowly stopped, the steam valve opened, and as the residual steam was released, a long exhalation sound came from the exhaust pipe, and the surrounding sounds became clearer.
Chen Chuan took his luggage, put the box containing the Xuejun Sword on his back, and got off the car. When he walked out of the station, he felt a cold wind blowing towards him. There was still snow on the ground. Many people around him were wrapped in thicker clothes, but he felt very comfortable. However, in order not to be too conspicuous, he also took out a scarf and put it on.
The passengers coming and going here are all walking in a hurry, and few of them gather together. On both sides of the station are security personnel with guns, each with sharp eyes, who occasionally glance at the people coming and going in the square.
After looking around for a few times, he found a telephone booth at the edge of the square, put a coin in, and dialed the number given by the man. When the call was connected, he said, "I've arrived at my stop," and reported the number on a piece of paper.
A female voice with a smoky voice came from the other side: "Coming right up."
He waited for less than a quarter of an hour before he saw a modified off-road vehicle drive up and stop not far in front of him. The person in the driver's seat shook his head at him and said, "Get in."
Chen Chuan saw that this was a woman of about 27 or 28 years old, wearing a short coat and goggles on her forehead. At first glance, she was quite pretty, but there were many traces of weathering at the corners of her eyes. Her eyes were very sharp, and she looked like someone who was not to be messed with.
He walked over, opened the door, and got in the car. After he sat down, the man spoke first, "Are you Brother Chen who is taking the test this time?" Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "May I ask your name?"
"No need to bother, my surname is Hu, Hu Xian."
Chen Chuan said, "It's Ms. Hu. Could you please come and pick me up? Is Ms. Hu also a member of the review team?"
Hu Xian said casually, "Yes, I'm the auditor. I'm also responsible for providing you with intelligence, weapons, and logistical support. Of course, I'll also be responsible for..." She glanced in the rearview mirror, "collecting your bodies."
As she said this, she stared at Chen Chuan, as if trying to read something from his face, but Chen Chuan's eyes were calm. She said, "I can see that you are experienced, but every year there are students who are seriously injured or die during the assessment here. I hope you won't be one of them, so as to avoid causing me more trouble."
Chen Chuan asked, "Has Ms. Hu been here long?"
"It's just a job. No one else wants to come to this crappy place, and I don't have any connections. I can't be transferred back even if I want to. Besides, I've been here a long time. Every time a new boss comes in, they think I'm doing a good job. They take a look at my file and say, 'Hey, you're a veteran, you've never made a mistake. Okay, you can stay here.'"
Hu Xian laughed at herself for a few words, then stepped on the accelerator and drove the SUV at full speed. After about ten minutes, it stopped at an old-fashioned hotel. She walked in with Chen Chuan, asked the pretty woman at the reception desk for the key, and tossed it to Chen Chuan.
"I own this hotel. It's my personal property. The first three days are free, but you have to pay for the rest. If you need anything, just tell Lao Wan. The bearded man at the gate, though he looks rough, is a very attentive man. He's as good as a horse on his elbows and as good as a flower on his fingers. You can ask him for anything."
Chen Chuan followed her upstairs and into a room. The living room floor was covered with thick carpet and there was a chandelier hanging above. There was a long wooden table in the middle and a dartboard hanging on the wall.
Hu Xian walked over and opened the window. "The view here is pretty good, and the sun shines through. Of course, if you don't like it, you can change it, but the conditions here are like this. This one is already the best."
Chen Chuan took a look and nodded, saying, "No need to change." He put the suitcase down and gestured, "Do you need to check it? The person who took care of me said there is such a procedure."
Hu Xian glanced at him and said nonchalantly, "No need. How much can you bring? What can't be found here? Wait a moment." She turned and left, then returned moments later, tossed a stack of booklets onto his desk, and said, "Your assessment objectives."
…
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(End of this chapter)
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