“The arson case…”

Cui Zhongcheng began, "Even if you didn't mention it, I would have."

"You passed the audit, which means you're one of us at the Tribunal, and your teacher, Zhou Jiren, is notoriously protective of his own." Mr. Cui slowly said, "I heard he's been investigating the 'arson case' recently, perhaps afraid that if you didn't pass the audit, you'd be implicated."

A flicker of emotion passed through Gu Shen's eyes.

That old fellow... he should be busy dealing with the impeachment from the council and his rivals.

And he still made time to take care of my case.

"Those two assassins... didn't they extract their genes?" Gu Shen asked, "Shouldn't it be easy to track them down?"

"Although the Deep Sea database contains the genetic data of citizens from all five continents, not every search yields results."

Cui Zhongcheng said, "Extraordinary abilities are an inexplicable 'mutation,' violating the order and logic established by science... Currently, the genetic data collected at the scene hasn't produced any matches in the database. It may take some time for us to provide results."

He glanced at Gu Shen.

"But I can offer you some clues."

"Or rather... a guess."

Mr. Cui said softly, "This assassination occurred before the Tribunal was preparing to recruit you... In fact, almost no one knows that you passed the audit and received an 'S' rating, even now."

"So, this assassination wasn't aimed at you. You were just a pawn. The people behind it were targeting Zhou Jiren. I suspect they received news of A-009's escape and hoped to create enough chaos."

At this point.

Gu Shen frowned. "You mean... this was done by people who want to impeach my teacher?"

Immediately, he thought of Zhu Wang and Han Dang.

"No, no, no..."

Cui Zhongcheng shook his head, his voice gentle. "Zhu Wang and Han Dang wouldn't do something so amateurish. The style of this operation is too reckless, directly blowing up a residential building, eager to attract everyone's attention. No one can stop a deliberate explosion. These people are most likely extremists resisting the 'Awakening Edict.'"

"Wait a moment..."

Gu Shen was a little confused. "What's the 'Awakening Edict'?"

Cui Zhongcheng frowned. "Didn't your teacher tell you?"

"Right... you've been preparing for this audit. If you hadn't passed, you wouldn't need to know about the edict."

Cui Zhongcheng stood quietly by the lake, watching the crowds of people walking across the opposite shore.

"The awakening of extraordinary abilities... has been confirmed to be controllable. There have already been successful cases, and more than one. The two major cities of the East Continent, Nagano and Dadu, have had intense debates and serious disagreements over this matter. Some believe that 'extraordinary awakening' is a secret that should be hidden from the public, while others believe that an edict should be implemented to allow every citizen to enjoy extraordinary power."

A wind blew past.

Mr. Cui's casual words made Gu Shen feel incredibly heavy.

Awakening Edict... These four words contained too much information.

The council has mastered the power to allow ordinary people to awaken extraordinary abilities... Are they planning to turn everyone into an extraordinary being?

The advancement of such a major event was like a torrent.

And he was like a tiny ant.

At that moment, he recognized his ignorance and powerlessness.

"Too crazy..." Gu Shen murmured, "If this news is revealed, everyone will... go insane, right?"

He couldn't imagine what the world would be like if this edict was promulgated.

How could order be maintained?

"Some support it, some resist it, but it's all based on self-interest. No one knows what the world will be like tomorrow." Cui Zhongcheng's voice was lighter than the wind. "Think about it... You go to sleep, and Deep Sea appears out of nowhere. You go to sleep again, and this computer connects five continents. This era is developing too fast. The only lesson we can learn is... we must board the ship of the new world as soon as possible to reach a more distant shore."

It was hard to imagine that this man, exuding an aura of antiquity, would utter such innovative and incisive words.

"You... you're right."

Gu Shen rubbed his brow and said, "So... my teacher supports the edict?"

"Yes. The other continents, and the highest seats of the council, basically all support it... You'll know the real reason later. It may not be a bad thing for humanity." Cui Zhongcheng said calmly, "But there are still some old people, some stubborn individuals, who are unwilling to accept the changes of the times. They hide themselves in every corner of the world."

"Of course... being unwilling to accept change isn't a sin. People should be allowed to appreciate and love the old era." Mr. Cui smiled. "Even if all the books in the world can be seen online, there will still be people sitting in the library with a book all day long."

At this point.

He blinked and whispered, "You know... I'm that kind of person."

"Actually, me too..." Gu Shen echoed softly.

No wonder.

No wonder Mr. Shu said when he drove him home for the first time, that the new era was coming.

The Awakening Edict truly gave Gu Shen a great shock.

He sorted out his thoughts.

"Some people hide themselves away, some people throw themselves out."

"Among the people you just mentioned, some... are not just unwilling to accept change, but are resisting, opposing, and even wanting to destroy everything."

Gu Shen tentatively asked, "So, the two extraordinary assassins who attacked me were extremists resisting the Awakening Edict?"

"That's right."

Cui Zhongcheng smiled. "You understand quickly."

"My personal guess is that these two assassins may be from the 'Everlasting Foundation.' This is a notorious extremist organization of transcendents. The location of their true lair is unknown, but a considerable number of fanatical Foundation believers are lurking in various parts of the five continents. In recent years, when they have been caught, they have chosen extreme measures such as self-immolation and self-detonation. No evidence is left at the scene, and I don't know what kind of technical means they have adopted, but their genetic data basically cannot be searched in the Deep Sea database."

Gu Shen's pupils shrank.

"This time they failed, probably because they didn't expect that the two transcendents they sent would be killed by you, an 'ordinary person.'" Mr. Cui smiled. "Thanks to you, relatively complete genetic data was preserved at the scene. Perhaps this is a breakthrough. If they are indeed members of the Everlasting Foundation, we can follow the clues to find other hidden members."