Free Web NovelChapter 391: Chapter 121: Returning Home
After leaving the Profound Palace Building, Chen Chuan got directly onto the elevated highway. He drove for over an hour before reaching the checkpoint to leave the city.
His Realm Token flickered, and he passed straight through the checkpoint without stopping. He drove out of the city, gradually leaving the glittering lights of Central City behind.
It was pitch-black ahead, with only the streetlights illuminating the road. He had chosen to set out at midnight so he could arrive in Yangzhi early the next morning.
About ten minutes later, the Realm Token made a static sound before going silent. He took it off, placed it in a box he had prepared beforehand, and reached out to turn on the radio.
At this hour, besides a few midnight programs from Central City, he could also pick up channels set up by armed groups in the wilderness. They were almost all playing heavy metal, occasionally interspersed with what sounded like the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves.
He found it noisy and immediately changed the channel. But something seemed to be wrong; the radio just emitted static, and he couldn’t tune in to anything.
And at that very moment, he suddenly felt as if someone had appeared in the seat behind him.
His expression remained perfectly calm. He didn’t look at the rearview mirror and continued to turn the dial. After a moment, a normal, fast-paced song began to play. It was the channel for the National Path checkpoint, which played nothing but this kind of music and safety reminders.
As the music filled the car, the feeling vanished.
He glanced up at the rearview mirror. The back seat was empty.
He had left alone; there was no way someone could have been there. It must have been an anomaly he perceived after entering the Third Limit.
According to the *Investigation of Various Anomalies*, these things could appear from time to time, often popping up unexpectedly and seeping into a Fighter’s life. It was no wonder some Fighters were driven mad by them.
They were an inherently highly sensitive and vigilant group. Having something like this happen every now and then could easily cause problems.
The *Investigation of Various Anomalies* mentioned that the more one paid attention to these things, the more detailed and vivid they could become. The only way to deal with them was to "diligently maintain one’s Divine Constant and pay them no mind," and "in time, the strangeness will defeat itself."
’In my opinion,’ he thought, ’it’s because I’ve only just reached this stage. My Divine Qi is insufficient, yet my perception is greater than an ordinary person’s. This is the most vulnerable period. Once I slowly cultivate my Divine Qi until it is full and abundant, I’ll naturally be unshakable.’
However, Fighters who focused solely on Gathering Essence Blood likely didn’t have this kind of trouble. Only those with outstanding talent or those who trained their Divine Constant would encounter this frequently.
But to advance further, one eventually had to take this step.
Waiting to take this step until after one’s Essence Blood was consolidated was another option, but that path was just as difficult.
He glanced at the passenger seat. Chaoming, who had been bouncing around excitedly on the dashboard for the whole trip, had curled up and fallen asleep at some point.
He smiled, turned the music down a little, and continued driving slowly down the road, listening to the soothing melody.
Five hours later, it was past six in the morning. A brilliant red sun rose from the horizon, its bright light falling on the car. His was the only vehicle on the wide, endless highway, like the only moving object in a still frame.
CHIRP! Chaoming woke up with a start. It let out a melodious cry toward the distant sun, then climbed to the top of the passenger seat’s headrest, looking around excitedly.
A little over fifteen minutes later, the Gard Car reached the final checkpoint and slowly came to a stop. Beyond this point lay the territory of Yangzhi City.
Going from Yangzhi to Central City might involve a lengthy inspection, but passing through here from Central City was much less trouble.
A Patrol Officer from the checkpoint approached. Chen Chuan handed over his ID card. Seeing his Processing Bureau uniform, the Patrol Officer took the card, glanced at it, and then gave a salute. He returned the card and said, "Mr. Chen, Yangzhi is just ahead. Have a safe trip."
Chen Chuan took it, nodded, and said, "Thank you."
He restarted the car, left the checkpoint, and continued down the road. Just past seven in the morning, he finally entered Yangzhi City.
Looking at the familiar trees and buildings and the sparse morning pedestrians, he felt an indescribable sense of intimacy, even though it wasn’t as prosperous or grand as Central City.
Now that he was back, he suddenly felt the urge to walk around and visit the places he used to frequent, to see the people and things he hadn’t seen in so long.
He sped up slightly. A little over half an hour later, the car arrived at the Patrol Bureau’s family residential area. He stopped by the patrol post outside and slowly rolled down his window.
He had already called before coming, and today was a day off, so they should all be home.
He pushed open the car door, stepped out, and straightened his uniform. Gazing at the familiar alley and buildings ahead, he took a deep breath.
He went to the back of the car, took out his suitcase, and called to Chaoming. With a CHIRP, it leaped onto his shoulder and looked around.
Just then, a team of Patrol Officers responsible for security in the area happened to pass by. One of them saw him and said, a little uncertainly, "Brother... Chen?"
Chen Chuan glanced over and recognized him as a Patrol Officer who used to patrol this area often. He nodded. "Brother Wang, it’s me."
"It really is you!" Brother Wang’s face lit up with pleasant surprise. "That uniform... Tsk tsk, I almost didn’t recognize you. You... you’re back from Central City?"
Chen Chuan said, "Yes, the academy is on break, so I came back to see my aunt and uncle."
Brother Wang said, "Ah, back to see Captain Nian and his family. Good, good..."
Chen Chuan walked inside, pulling his suitcase, the voices of the Patrol Officers murmuring behind him.
"I’m telling you, that’s Brother Chen, Captain Nian’s nephew, the one who got into the Central City General Hospital last year."
"So that’s Brother Chen! Wow, he’s so impressive. I felt like I could barely breathe when he walked over. Even standing in front of Director Guan isn’t this intimidating."
"Of course! A Fighter who can get into the Wuyi General Hospital in Central City is no simple matter, right? Last year, this Brother Chen brought a lot of honor to our Patrol Bureau. Look at that uniform—he’s probably got a post at the Central City Processing Bureau."
"Isn’t he there to study?"
"Are you stupid? Even teachers from Wuyi Academy can hold a concurrent post at the Processing Bureau. Why can’t a student from the General Hospital?"
"A post in Central City..."
The Patrol Officers were all incredibly envious. Although they had never been to Central City, they yearned to go. But they could only dream about it; everyone knew that without official status, going there was just asking for trouble.
As Chen Chuan walked through the alley, many of the neighbors saw him.
"Xiaochuan? Is that you, Xiaochuan?"
Chen Chuan responded with a smile.
Someone said, "What do you mean, ’Xiaochuan’? Look at that uniform, that presence! He must have a position in Central City now. We should be calling him ’Sir’ or ’Officer’ from now on."
"Even if he is an officer, he’s still the kid we watched grow up. We’ll call him what we’ve always called him..."
This prompted a teasing retort, "No wonder you’re always calling ’Big Head,’ ’Big Head’ behind his back!"
The man instantly got flustered. "Don’t talk nonsense! When have I ever said that...?"
Just then, a clever child, prompted by their parents, ran to Nian Fuli’s door and shouted, "Uncle Nian, Brother Xiaochuan is back from Central City!"
The door creaked open, and Nian Fuli and Yu Wan emerged, holding Nian Mo and Nian Lu by the hand. The family had clearly been waiting and came out as soon as they heard the news.
Chen Chuan looked over. He hadn’t seen them in over half a year. Nian Fuli had gotten a little chubbier, his aunt looked the same as ever, but the two little ones had clearly grown much taller. All four of them were dressed in new clothes.
He let go of his suitcase and walked up to them. Looking at Nian Fuli and Yu Wan, he said, "Aunt, Uncle, I’m back."
Yu Wan came forward, grabbed his hand, and looked him over carefully. She reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his clothes, her eyes turning a little red.
Chen Chuan placed a hand on Yu Wan’s shoulder and said, "Aunt, I’m back."
Yu Wan dabbed the corner of her eye with the back of her hand and nodded repeatedly.
Nian Fuli said, "Ever since we got your call yesterday saying you were coming back, your aunt was tossing and turning all night, nagging about when you’d arrive. I told her, what’s the rush? Xiaochuan’s managed in Central City for so long, what’s another few hours?"
Yu Wan said, "I wasn’t anxious, I just missed Chan’Er." She sized up Chen Chuan. "You look a little taller than before, and a bit thinner, but you seem to be in better spirits than ever."
"Hi, Cousin!"
Nian Mo and Nian Lu crowded around to greet him, but most of their attention was on Chaoming. Their eyes sparkled. Chaoming wasn’t scared at all and let out a CHIRP at them, making the two little ones gasp in awe.
Nian Lu looked up with her small face and asked, "Cousin, can I pet it?"
Chen Chuan smiled and said to Chaoming, "Go play with them." Chaoming was very smart and understood him immediately. It left his shoulder and leaped toward the children, who caught it with a cry of delight.
Nian Fuli looked at it and asked, a bit puzzled, "Xiaochuan, what is this thing you brought back?"
Chen Chuan said, "It’s a Bird Lizard, an animal artificially bred in Central City. They’re very smart and can guard the house. This one’s just young."
Nian Fuli nodded. "Guarding the house is good. You need to be careful living alone in Central City. No matter how capable you are, you should always be extra cautious."
Chen Chuan fully agreed. "Uncle’s right."
Yu Wan gave them both a gentle push. "The sun is strong out here. You two, let’s talk inside."
Chen Chuan agreed and walked into the house, close beside his aunt’s family. His little cousins bounced inside, holding Chaoming and shouting cheerfully, "Cousin’s back! Cousin’s back..."
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