Light Barrier - Chapter 53: The Eternal Foundation

“The fire case…” Cui Zhongcheng said. “Even if you didn’t mention it, I would have brought it up.

“You’ve passed the assessment, so you’re a member of the Adjudication Bureau, and your teacher, Zhou Jiren, is famous for protecting his disciples. I heard he’s been investigating clues about the fire case recently. Perhaps he’s afraid that if you didn’t pass the assessment, you might be implicated in this case.”

Gu Shen lowered his head silently and smiled. That old man… should have been busy dealing with the Parliament and his opponent’s impeachment during this time.

But he still took time to take care of this case for me.

“Weren’t the genes of the two men who attempted to assassinate me extracted?” Gu Shen asked. “It shouldn’t be difficult to investigate, right?”

“Although the genetic data of the citizens of the Five Continents is stored in the Deep Sea database, not every search yields results.”

Cui Zhongcheng said, “Transcendental abilities are inexplicable ‘mutations’ that defy the order and logic established by science. The genetic data collected on-site has yet to receive any matches in the database. It may take some time for us to provide results.”

He glanced at Gu Shen. “But I can give you some clues, or rather… speculations.”

Mr. Cui said softly, “This assassination occurred before the Adjudication Bureau was ready to absorb you.

“Therefore, this assassination wasn’t targeting you specifically. You’re just a pawn. The people behind the scenes were aiming for Zhou Jiren. I speculate that they obtained the news of A-009’s escape, so they hoped to use this event to create enough chaos.”

At this point, Gu Shen frowned. “Are you suggesting… it was done by the people who wanted to impeach my teacher?”

The first people he thought of were Zhu Wang and Han Dang.

“No.” Cui Zhongcheng shook his head. “Zhu Wang and Han Dang wouldn’t do something so unbecoming. The style of this incident is too crazy. Those people blew up a residential building outright and basically wanted to attract everyone’s attention. No one can stop a deliberate explosion. Those people are most likely extremists resisting the Awakening Act.”

“Wait.” Gu Shen looked confused. “What is the Awakening Act?”

Cui Zhongcheng frowned. “Didn’t your teacher tell you? Right, you were preparing for this assessment. If you didn’t pass, you wouldn’t need to know about the act.”

Cui Zhongcheng stood quietly by the lake, looking at the people coming and going on the opposite shore. “The awakening of transcendental abilities… has been proven to be controllable by humans. There have been successful cases, and more than one. The two major cities of the East Continent Parliament, Changye and Dadu, had intense debates and serious divisions because of this matter. Some people believe that transcendental awakening is a secret that needs to be hidden from the public, while others believe that laws should be enacted to let every citizen enjoy transcendental power.”

A gust of wind blew by.

Mr. Cui’s casual words weighed heavily on Gu Shen.

The Awakening Act… These three words contained too much information.

The Parliament has mastered the ability to allow ordinary people to awaken transcendence… Are they preparing to make everyone transcendents?

The momentum behind this significant event surged like a mighty river.

And he was like a tiny ant.

At this moment, he realized his ignorance and powerlessness.

“That is insane,” Gu Shen muttered. “If this news leaks, everyone will… go crazy…”

He couldn’t imagine what the world would become once this act was enacted.

How should order be maintained?

“Some support it, and some resist it, but they all come from positions of self-interest. No one knows what the world will become tomorrow.” Cui Zhongcheng’s voice was softer than the wind. “Think about it. After you went to sleep, Deep Sea appeared out of nowhere. After you slept again, this computer connected the Five Continents. This era is developing too quickly. The only experience we can obtain is… we must board the ship to the new world at the earliest opportunity and sail to the distant shore.”

It was hard to imagine that this man who exuded an old-fashioned air would say such revolutionary words.

“Perhaps… you’re right.” Gu Shen rubbed his forehead. “So… does my teacher support the act?”

“Yes. The other continents and the highest seats of the Parliament also support it… You will know the true reasons in the future. For humanity, this might not necessarily be a bad thing,” Cui Zhongcheng said calmly. “It’s just that there are some old-fashioned people and some stubborn people who are unwilling to accept the changes of the times and hide in every corner of the world.

“Of course, being unwilling to accept change is not a sin. We must always allow some people to appreciate and love the old times.”

Mr. Cui smiled. “Even if all the books in the world are available online, there will still be people sitting in libraries all day with books in their hands.”

At this point, he winked and whispered, “You know… I’m that kind of person.”

“Actually, I am too,” Gu Shen echoed softly.

No wonder.

No wonder the first time they met, when Mr. Tree drove him home, he said that a new era was coming.

The Awakening Act really shocked Gu Shen.

He sorted out his thoughts. “Some hide themselves away, while others throw themselves out.

“Among the people you mentioned, some are not only unwilling to accept change, but some resist it, oppose it, and even want to destroy all of it.”

Gu Shen probed, “So, the two transcendent assassins were extremists resisting the Awakening Act?”

“That’s right.” Cui Zhongcheng smiled. “You understand quickly.

“My personal opinion is that those two assassins may come from the Eternal Foundation, a notorious extremist organization of transcendents. No one knows the location of their true lair, but a considerable number of fanatical Foundation followers are lurking all over the Five Continents. When they were caught in recent years, they chose extreme methods similar to suicide bombing to end their lives, so there wasn’t any evidence left at the scene. Moreover, I don’t know what technological means they used, but their genetic data basically can’t be found in the Deep Sea database.”

Gu Shen’s pupils contracted.

“They failed this time. Perhaps they didn’t expect the two transcendents they sent would be killed by you, an ‘ordinary person’.” Mr. Cui smiled. “Thanks to you, relatively intact genetic data was retained at the scene. Perhaps this is a breakthrough. If they were indeed members of the Eternal Foundation, we can follow the clues and uncover other lurkers.”