Light Barrier - Chapter 52: Requests
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Cui Zhongcheng read the last dozen or so pages for more than an hour. After the sunlight shifted, only remnants of the light landed on the two of them.
The man closed the book and said apologetically, “I thought that your assessment… would end in the evening at the earliest.”
Dream Decipher was the longest test.
Unexpectedly, Gu Shen finished so quickly.
“You’re too polite.” Gu Shen quickly shook his head. “I’ve always wanted to come here to read, so I don’t think it took long.”
Cui Zhongcheng glanced beside Gu Shen’s hand.
His reading speed was very slow, while Gu Shen’s was the opposite. Since sitting down across from him, Gu Shen had already finished reading two books.
“Electromagnetic topology?” Cui Zhongcheng smiled. It was an old subject that had long been mastered, and the person who had mastered it was quite famous. “Why did you choose this book? Was it a casual choice? Or are you interested in Alan Turing?”
“I’m actually interested in Deep Sea…”
This sentence sounded a little arrogant, so Gu Shen quickly corrected himself. “To be precise, I’m curious about the development process of Deep Sea, so I read some relevant books when I have time. There are all kinds of things.”
“Then, you shouldn’t have chosen this book. It’s too outdated, and there’s not much connection between topology and Deep Sea.” Cui Zhongcheng smiled. “Perhaps you should read books on cloud computing and the Deep Sea language.”
“Logic and algorithms should only be the framework…” Gu Shen thought for a moment and scratched his head. “Mr. Turing said that the true flesh and blood of technology are knowledge and truths that have not been entered into the database. I know I’m not very smart, so I usually choose these kinds of books… Once a subject is mastered, all the difficult points are annotated, so there’s basically no confusion after reading them.”
Cui Zhongcheng was silent for a while while looking at the young man meaningfully. “Gu Shen, you’re different from what I imagined. Don’t underestimate yourself. Perhaps you’re much smarter than you think.”
Gu Shen skipped over the praise in embarrassment and said honestly, “You’re different from what I imagined. I thought you would…”
He paused and then mimicked typing on a keyboard and smiled. “… be very busy.”
Who would have thought that the busy assistant to an MP would spend the entire day leisurely sitting in a library and reading paper books?
“Today is an exception because I wanted to meet you.” Cui Zhongcheng stood up, tidied up the books on the table, put his monocle into his jacket pocket, draped his jacket over his arm, and smiled. “Let’s talk while we walk. I’ll show you my alma mater.”
The two of them left the library and strolled around, occasionally stopping.
“I studied at the University of Oto for six years, and my dream was to become a teacher. If nothing unexpected had happened, I should have realized my dream.” Cui Zhongcheng recalled his past, and complicated emotions flowed in his eyes. He smiled with a hint of guilt. “I’m really ashamed. The affairs of the Parliament keep me so busy that I haven’t had the chance to visit my alma mater in over a decade.”
“Unexpected?” Gu Shen asked carefully.
“Back then, my mother, who raised me alone, fell seriously ill and needed a lot of money. The Blossom Flag Group was hiring talents for high salaries, and Mr. Zhao took notice of me and offered me a very good position and a large sum of money,” Cui Zhongcheng said softly. “With this money, I could treat her illness and ensure my livelihood. Sometimes, people need to bow to reality. Ideals can’t feed you or cure illnesses. I’ve seen your file. The reason you joined the Adjudication Bureau is because of money, right?”
Gu Shen was silent for a moment before nodding.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Cui Zhongcheng said calmly. “People die for wealth, and birds die for food. No one in this world is a pure-hearted saint free from desires. The missions of the Adjudication Bureau are very dangerous. If you have any requests, feel free to ask. It’s a good thing that money can satisfy you now. Perhaps you won’t care about those worldly possessions anymore in the future…”
“I hope the matron and the little guys at the orphanage can live better lives.” Gu Shen knew that since Mr. Cui had asked to see him alone after the assessment, it wouldn’t just be for small talk.
Only by passing the assessment would they have the chance to meet.
So now, it was time for him to state his conditions.
“That isn’t a problem,” Cui Zhongcheng said. “It wasn’t easy for Matron Xu Ya of the Morning Light Orphanage to rause you. If she’s willing to move to a big city, I will send someone to arrange it at any time. If she wants to continue staying at Five Elders Mountains, I will directly allocate funds from the group. The group can take care of the educational resources, social security, and future employment of those children.”
“…” Gu Shen thought for a moment and said seriously, “Can you directly transfer the funds to my account? I hope you won’t inform the matron and the others about this. For those children, it’s enough to ensure educational resources. They can handle the other issues themselves.”
“Alright,” Cui Zhongcheng agreed cleanly. “We’ll do as you say.”
It was easy to go from frugal to extravagant but hard to go from extravagant to frugal. Children who grew up in remote and impoverished areas often possessed perseverance and tenacity that exceeded their peers. But if this drive was corroded by comfort and enjoyment, it might never return.
“Any other requests?”
Gu Shen thought for a long time this time.
He stopped in front of a lake. Its surface reflected countless reflections of him.
“I told the matron that I work at a research institute. I need your help to make this believable to her,” Gu Shen said. “That shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
“Don’t worry,” Cui Zhongcheng said. “I’ll make your research institute credentials more authentic than those of a true researcher.”
After receiving this promise, Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief.
“Mr. Cui, I want to ask about the upcoming missions,” he said seriously. “I’ve experienced the A-009 incident, so I know what transcendental missions entail.”
In the future, he would deal with many dangers. There would be out-of-control individuals, sealed objects, and many transcendental phenomena that science couldn’t explain.
“You’ll be away from the Azure River District for a while.”
Cui Zhongcheng stood beside Gu Shen, looking at the countless silhouettes in the lake, and said softly, “There’s a mission that will be assigned to you. It’s not as dangerous as you imagine. It involves dealing with ordinary people. Of course, it won’t be easy either.”
“Sometimes, ordinary people can be scarier than out-of-control individuals.” Gu Shen laughed self-deprecatingly.
Everyone thought that A-009 was a ferocious beast, but only he knew that this tall lady was at least gentle to him.
On the other hand, the two unknown transcendents who had burned down the building were cruel and infuriating.
“Finally, I have one more request. I don’t want the fire case to end here or be forgotten by everyone.”
The ripples in the lake dissipated, returning it to a smooth mirror, reflecting the young man’s calm face. “This storm was caused by the pardon order, and the assassination attempt on me was clearly organized and premeditated. I can’t forgive the actions of the people behind the scenes. They took innocent lives and escaped the punishment of the law.”