Light Barrier - Chapter 38: Showdown

“Since the establishment of the Adjudication Bureau, A-009 has been sent to various places in the East Continent for investigation. Zhao Xilai has always wanted to figure out what caused her to lose control. But the ‘corrosion ability’ is too troublesome, making it difficult to carry out experiments.”

Mr. Tree took out a cigarette from his pocket and tried to light it once. It failed.

The wind on the roof was strong, and the flame was extinguished as soon as it was lit.

Seeing this, Gu Shen astutely went forward to block the wind. He opened his jacket, and this time, the old man successfully lit the cigarette.

Smoke was gently exhaled.

A gust of wind blew it away.

“As you can see, there are no shackles that can retrain A-009. No matter what material is used, it will slowly dissolve. No matter how many restraints are replaced, it’s only a matter of time before they dissolve.” Mr. Tree’s face was shrouded in the drifting smoke, and he seemed to smile. “So for many years, Zhao Xilai has consumed a lot of resources in this experiment, but he has made no progress. The only breakthrough came when researchers observed A-009 take out a boning knife and an old newspaper in a sealed environment. They believed that these were transcendental sealed objects that couldn’t be underestimated and were most likely the objects that caused her loss of control.”

Looking at the face under the smoke, Gu Shen started speculating. Why would that powerful big shot be so persistent in investigating A-009’s loss of control?

Ancient Text Society… Alan Turing… Old newspaper… A series of keywords flashed through his mind.

Alan Turing, who had single-handedly developed Deep Sea and connected the data of the Five Continents, had been dead for many years.

It was said that Alan Turing died of illness. On the day he passed away, the flags of the Parliament were lowered across the Five Continents, and many people spontaneously took to the streets to hold a grand funeral for him. It was before he was born.

The Father of Deep Sea had worked in the Ancient Text Society for a while, researching forbidden sciences… But later, no one heard any news about the Ancient Text Society again. With Alan Turing’s death, this mysterious organization had vanished from the world, as though it had never existed.

No one cared, because without the Ancient Text Society, this world continued to operate very well.

But it was obvious.

The truth wasn’t like that… some people still cared about the Ancient Text Society. The big shot who had granted the pardon order had been investigating for over a decade and still hadn’t given up.

“Wait. Has A-009 never taken out the ruler in front of outsiders?” Gu Shen suddenly realized something very important.

“Never!” Mr. Tree showed a happy smile. “At least… not in front of them.”

“Then, how do you…” Gu Shen immediately shut up halfway through his sentence.

He was someone who understood how to read people’s expressions and knew what to say and what not to say.

He realized that Mr. Tree knew too much about A-009. Could the two of them have been acquaintances before A-009 lost control?

Curiosity killed the cat.

Since Mr. Tree had decided to ‘protect’ him, the cause and effect were not that important anymore.

“Do you want to know?” Mr. Tree was as straightforward as ever. “I can tell you!”

Here we go again! Gu Shen quickly shook his head. “No, no, please don’t.”

Seeing this, Mr. Tree laughed. But as he laughed, a complex expression appeared in his eyes.

The old man gazed into the distance.

This time, he didn’t insist and remained silent.

The rooftop fell silent for more than ten seconds.

But with Mr. Tree really not saying anything, Gu Shen became curious.

Looking at the old man’s stubbornly tight-lipped appearance, Gu Shen thought it over and calmed down, suppressing his urge to the bottom of it.

He took a deep breath and asked seriously, “So, are you saying this to me to take back the ruler?”

“No.” Mr. Tree shook his head.

“This ruler… just keep it. Its name is the Ruler of Truth. I believe you already know how to use it.” Zhou Jiren looked at Gu Shen solemnly. “You handled the transcendental incident on the roof very well. In the future, you have to remember that battles between transcendents are extremely dangerous. You have to be ruthless and not show the slightest mercy. If you had any thoughts of sparing your opponents’ lives at that time, then you would have been the one cut into pieces on the roof.

“But there’s one thing you need to pay attention to. The Ruler of Truth consumes a lot of mental power. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t use it lightly. Otherwise…”

He smiled teasingly. “It doesn’t feel good lying in a hospital bed, does it?”

Gu Shen’s face turned pale. He knew all too well the pain of overdrawing his mental power.

“Since you can use the Ruler of Truth, it means that your mental power potential isn’t that bad. I won’t misjudge. You had a trick up your sleeve when it came to comprehending the Jingzhe Dream, right?” The old man smiled slyly. “You don’t have to admit or deny it. It’s fine as long as you know it yourself. Knowing how to conceal your abilities is a good thing. But when necessary, you still have to show your edge.”

Gu Shen’s heart skipped a beat.

He felt that this old man had seen through him inside and out. What secrets do I have that he doesn’t know? Perhaps… it’s only my connection with Chu Ling.

“Okay. Since you’ve said everything…” Gu Shen looked at Mr. Tree and took a deep breath. “Then, I have nothing left to hide.”

Zhou Jiren smiled encouragingly and gestured for Gu Shen to continue.

Gu Shen asked word by word, “Since you’ve chosen me, I want to know what my ability is. Why are you so sure about me? Aren’t you afraid that I’m just an ordinary person?”

Over the past few days, he had shown no signs of awakening.

Gu Shen wondered why Zhou Jiren was so sure of him.

After Gu Shen finished speaking, Mr. Tree still had that faint smile on his face as he looked at Gu Shen quietly.

The old man, in a rare departure from his usual talkativeness, remained silent like a serious listener.

Finally, Gu Shen asked in a low voice, “… Am I really a transcendent?”

After waiting for Gu Shen to finish speaking, Zhou Jiren asked, “Then, do you want to be?”

Gu Shen was stunned.

Scenes flashed through his mind.

Nan Jin could overturn a light rail train with a single strike, and Senior Brother Zhong Wei was even faster than a cheetah. Needless to say, Senior Sister Luo was practically… an earth immortal.

Who wouldn’t want to become such a person?

“I heard about what happened in the training ground from Zhong Wei. After two weeks of special training, you used your own strength to cut down a wooden dummy.” Mr. Tree saw Gu Shen’s embarrassed expression and spoke earnestly. “Don’t think it’s nothing. This is an amazing achievement. Everything starts from small beginnings. At least this is your own power!”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Nan Jin’s ability is called Mist Cut. When she was entrusted to me, the power of Mist Cut couldn’t even cut through a wooden dummy. It took her ten years to reach her current level. No one is born a genius capable of rivaling gods. Everyone in the Adjudication Bureau, including me, started from scratch and grew step by step.

“So, Gu Shen, I’ll only ask you one question.”

The old man stared solemnly at the young man and spoke again. “Do you want to be?”

The wind on the roof blew, and the clouds swayed.

The confusion in the youth’s eyes dissipated with the wind.

He looked up.

The last scene that lingered in his mind was the moment Senior Sister Luo gazed at him on the training ground.

And what Chu Ling had said to him.

[“Belief is more important than anything else.”]

Gu Shen said earnestly, “Of course.”