Dong Yunchuan picked up the teacup, gently blew on it, but didn’t drink.
His gaze fell on the tea stems floating in the cup, as if looking at a small, unsteady boat.
"Ah Cheng, since you plan to pursue a master’s degree in law, I have a question for you."
His voice was very steady, carrying a weightiness that comes after weathering storms, as if wanting to reconfirm something. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"What do you think is the cornerstone of the order in our current society?"
This question came suddenly, yet also seemed reasonable.
Fang Cheng looked at him without immediately answering.
The office was very quiet, only the rhythmic "tick-tock" of an old-fashioned clock sounded, neither fast nor slow.
"The ’stable expectations’ guaranteed by law, and the social consensus built on those expectations."
After some thought, Fang Cheng gave a textbook-style answer.
"As a member of society, everyone can clearly foresee the consequences of their actions."
"As long as you obey the law, life, property, and personal freedom are safe, and when disputes with others arise, there is a fair procedure to arbitrate, and government power has boundaries; it cannot arbitrarily infringe upon an individual’s legal rights."
"This predictability allows each of us to confidently plan our lives, work, and future. Farmers are willing to plant in spring because they believe the harvest will not be stolen; entrepreneurs are willing to invest in building factories because they believe contracts will be fulfilled and property rights will be protected."
"It is this certainty and security granted by law that allows the whole society to run orderly rather than slip into a ’jungle state’ where everyone is in danger."
Hearing this, Dong Yunchuan put down the teacup, making a light sound.
"Right, but not completely."
He raised his head, his eyes becoming sharp like an eagle for the first time, staring directly at Fang Cheng.
"These are the cornerstones in conventional situations, but in the darkness unseen by us, there’s another set of rules at play."
"Like a game of chess where some play by the rules on the board, while others possess the power to overturn the board itself."
This law school dean, a top legal expert in the country, at this moment spoke words filled with deconstruction and helplessness towards the existing rules.
"We all know that the ’mutant’ phenomenon is not something of recent years but has existed since ancient times. It is only in the past century, with the dramatic global environmental changes, that they’ve begun to burst forth on a large scale."
"When such extraordinary powers appear in individuals, the original social order undergoes dramatic shocks."
"Imagine, an ordinary person, no matter how strong or well-trained, how could they confront a monster that can lift a car with bare hands or kill invisibly with their mind?"
Dong Yunchuan sighed deeply, leaning back and sinking into the soft sofa backrest.
He no longer looked at Fang Cheng, as if his gaze penetrated the office walls, reaching into distant past memories.
"There’s no comparison."
"The police system composed of ordinary people can’t even talk of confronting those ever-emerging monsters; often, they can’t even track their traces."
"Ah Cheng, you should know, the predecessor of the Special Search Team was the National Martial Arts Hall, and the first head was Senior Brother Ma Jia Guo’s grandfather."
Fang Cheng nodded, Ma Jianguo had mentioned these details before.
"In the 25th year of the Republic, as Shen Zhou fell and monsters rampaged, the country officially created the Special Search Team to tackle such chaotic situations."
Dong Yunchuan’s tone turned deep, as if recounting a past he was unwilling to touch easily.
"The initial members were all selected from the most robust martial artists and battle-scarred soldiers, combined with the most sophisticated modern weapons of that time, for special operations."
"Yet, even such an elite force found it hard to withstand against some mutants possessing bizarre abilities, especially those adept at spiritual attacks and telekinesis users, suffering heavy losses."
"I heard Senior Brother Ma mention a battle that took place in Shanghai, where the Special Search Team deployed a full team of a hundred to eliminate a Japan mutant who could create illusions."
"The result was, in less than an hour, the team was nearly entirely wiped out, with more than half dying under their own teammate’s guns and blades."
He paused, as if trying to calm the heavy emotions brought on by that history.
"Only later, with breakthrough developments in biotechnology, did they see a different hope for becoming stronger, gradually stepping onto the path of bio-modification, forcibly catalyzing human potential to gain power that could rival the mutants."
"Even to the point that nowadays, this method of enhancement through drugs and body modification has become mainstream within the Special Search Team."
Fang Cheng listened quietly without interrupting.
This information filled in the bloody details for the vague and mysterious image of the Special Search Team in his mind.
"It is certainly a shortcut."
There was a tinge of sigh in Dong Yunchuan’s voice.
"But it’s also a perilous road of exchanging life for life, with flaws you understand without me needing to elaborate."
"The Special Search Team seems like a defender of order, but it’s also a sword hanging over everyone’s head, not knowing when it might fall."
"However, the country needs this power!"
His tone shifted, filled with cold reality-based pragmatism.
"The broad base of the populace also needs them to maintain social stability, to suppress those noble families who hold the economic lifelines and also ambition to extend their grasp into politics."