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Chapter 375 The World of Mysticism, Firewall Protocol

Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Tokyo University.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a slanted glow on the gleaming mahogany floor.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of old book pages mixed with a faint scent of tea.

The office is furnished in an elegant and dignified style. The bookshelves on one wall are filled with all kinds of thick legal classics and Chinese and foreign documents, exuding a sense of profound knowledge.

Dong Yunchuan was sitting behind the coffee table, skillfully arranging a set of exquisite purple clay teaware.

His fingers were thick and strong, clearly the result of years of martial arts training, which seemed somewhat out of place with his identity as an academy professor.

However, the act of brewing and pouring tea at this moment carries a unique elegance characteristic of literati.

"Come on, Acheng, try my pre-rain Longjing tea."

He steadily pushed a cup of clear, emerald-green tea in front of Fang Cheng, a kind and friendly smile on his face.

Fang Cheng picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

The tea is warm and slightly bitter at first, but quickly turns sweet, leaving a refreshing fragrance on the lips and teeth.

"Excellent tea, thank you for your hospitality, Dean."

After putting down his teacup, Fang Cheng calmly focused his gaze on the old man opposite him.

The image of Dean Dong before me subtly overlaps with that of the composed and dignified old man who accompanied Councilor Zhao at Wangjiang Tower that night.

Although he recognized him, Fang Cheng did not bring it up.

After all, interpersonal relationships in officialdom are somewhat sensitive.

At this moment, however, the other party's attitude seemed a bit too friendly. The warm concern and concern made it seem like an elder was coaxing their most valued junior.

"Hehe, it's been a long time."

Dong Yunchuan smiled and asked with concern:
"How is your mother? And your grandfather? I heard from Senior Brother Ma that he wasn't feeling well last time, are you feeling better now?"

As they spoke, he poured Fang Cheng another cup, as if he had only called yesterday to chat about ordinary family matters.

"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Dean Dong."

Fang Cheng responded politely and thanked him again.

After a few pleasantries, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer, he took the initiative to speak:
"Dean Dong, is there something you wanted to discuss with me today?"

Dong Yunchuan's hand, holding the teacup, paused slightly in mid-air.

He put down his teacup, his smile fading slightly, and his expression becoming serious.

"Acheng, it's like this..."

The old man pondered for a moment, seemingly considering his words, and spoke in a very tactful tone.

"Didn't you apply to our Dongdu University for a Master of Laws degree?"

"Based on our school's comprehensive evaluation and feedback from the background review by higher authorities, your qualifications do not currently meet our school's admission requirements."

"Therefore, we deeply regret this..."

The office fell silent for a moment.

Only the occasional birdsong from outside the window and the rustling of the camphor tree branches in the wind remained.

Fang Cheng's expression remained unchanged, as calm as a deep pool of water, without the slightest ripple.

Dong Yunchuan observed his expression and couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

He had expected the young man to be taken aback, to be angry, or at least to express his opinion and question him.

But... the other party did nothing.

Thinking that Fang Cheng's disappointment stemmed from his introverted personality, Dong Yunchuan quickly explained:
"Don't misunderstand, this has nothing to do with your grades."

"To be honest, whether it's the written test or the interview, your performance is the best I've ever seen in my life!"

"The problem with this matter lies mainly in the background check of the candidates."

"Background check?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he finally asked:
"I've checked the requirements for the political background check for graduate students, and the conditions for the law program I'm applying for. As long as I don't have a criminal record or bad behavior, I should meet all the requirements, right?"

It's important to know that background checks for graduate students are far less stringent than those for civil service exams, and they certainly don't easily involve family members.

"Ugh……"

Dong Yunchuan sighed heavily, looking at him with a complicated expression.

"This matter is complicated; it involves an unspoken rule that ordinary people are unaware of. The problem lies in your father's file."

Fang Cheng's hand holding the teacup tightened imperceptibly at the knuckles.

He raised his head, and his once calm eyes instantly became as sharp as knives.

"Does graduate school admission require investigating blood relations?"

Fang Cheng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange sense of dominance.

In that instant, Dong Yunchuan felt as if the air in the office had frozen.

He even had an illusion.

It was as if he was facing not a student in his early twenties, but a seasoned veteran who held the power of life and death.

This imposing aura vanished in a flash, so quickly that he thought it was his imagination.

Dong Yunchuan composed himself, shook his head with a wry smile, and decided to stop beating around the bush.

“Acheng, I know that a large part of the reason you applied for a Master of Laws degree is to try to overturn the verdict against your father.”

“I completely understand how you feel, and in fact… I personally respect your persistence.”

Dong Yunchuan's tone was full of sympathy, as if he were carefully uncovering an old wound.

"You are indeed of good character and have excellent grades; there are no problems whatsoever."

"But this review and verification process is quite special. It was not led by our school, but by an official agency, the Special Investigation Team."

Special Investigation Team!
These three words made Fang Cheng's heart sink.

To be honest, he didn't really care whether he was admitted to graduate school or not.

Because he has absolute self-confidence and is able to control his own destiny.

If this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will. There's beauty everywhere in the world.

But the involvement of the special investigation team made this matter seem unusual.

This means that you may have been exposed to the view of this massive law enforcement agency.

"School admissions fall under the education system, while the special investigation team is part of the law enforcement system. How could they get involved in something like background checks on applicants?"

Fang Cheng's thoughts shifted, and he asked the key question that had been on his mind.

"Because... your father is identified as a 'mentally unstable superhuman' in the Special Investigations Team's files."

Dong Yunchuan hesitated for a long time, then finally laid it all out:

"Regarding the Special Investigation Team and the Extraordinary People, you should have learned about them from Senior Brother Ma Jianguo when you joined the Martial Arts Research Association."

“I have seen the case file of your father’s crime. Your mother appealed. There are indeed many doubts, but the written records cannot be erased.”

"According to regulations, the special search team is required to conduct long-term monitoring of the direct blood relatives of high-risk individuals to prevent similar mutations from occurring."

"However, you have always behaved normally since you were a child, so the monitoring personnel left a long time ago, which is why you didn't feel anything."

"But that doesn't mean the file has been destroyed. Once your life trajectory touches on certain sensitive areas, the alarm will be sounded again." At this point, the old man paused, lowering his voice and becoming even more cautious.

“I need to explain why. This is not a punishment for the family members of criminals like you, but a… necessary procedure involving firewall protocols that the government has been operating for a long time.”

"Firewall protocol?"

Fang Cheng remained silent, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Dean Dong, could you please explain in more detail? I really don't know much about this."

This is the question that Fang Cheng is most concerned about after hearing the news of his failure to be admitted today.

This unknown agreement may not only reveal the truth behind her father's death, but it may also determine how she will act in the future.

"can."

Upon seeing this, Dong Yunchuan nodded, his expression becoming more serious than ever before.

"This agreement was established because of the world war that swept the globe seventy years ago."

"Ordinary people only know that it was an invasion launched by ambitious people, but behind it, there is a shadow war involving 'mysterious forces'."

"Before that, people with special abilities were mostly hidden in a few aristocratic families or were regarded as legends, but with the arrival of the war, everything changed completely."

"In pursuit of absolute military power, many non-governmental associations have emerged to study supernatural phenomena, and many national governments have also established research institutions, resorting to any means to find so-called 'mysterious forces' to arm their armies."

As he said this, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

"For example, the Nazi German group formed the infamous 'Jan's Succession Research Society,' which frantically searched for legendary places like Atlantis and Shambhala all over the world, especially in the snowy plateau of my country."

"They even conducted extreme human experiments in concentration camps, using cruel and bloody methods. They also implemented an Aryan racial program called 'Lebensborn,' claiming themselves as a chosen race and attempting to rule the world with so-called superior races and mysticism."

“Once these powers are awakened, it’s like Pandora’s box being opened.”

"The phenomenon of 'superhumans' began to appear on a large scale in society. The disasters caused by the loss of control over their abilities were far more bizarre and deadly than the gunfire on the battlefield. The whole world was in turmoil and people suffered."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's heart stirred.

I was reminded of Noah, who was equally mysterious and whose style of doing things had a touch of extremism.

Are these secret plans still ongoing?

"Have."

Dong Yunchuan answered decisively.

"Not only does it exist, but with the development of technology, it has become more efficient and more terrifying."

"The only difference is that before they were semi-public secrets, now they are completely hidden in the darkness that no one outside the participants could ever know."

His gaze suddenly became distant, as if he were lost in a long-ago memory, and his voice trembled slightly.

"When I was young, I joined a mountaineering team and followed a scientific expedition into the uninhabited area of ​​the snowy plateau. The wind there was like a knife cutting into my face, and the world was deathly silent. You couldn't even see the traces of birds and beasts."

"Beneath the glacier, we discovered a massive ruin that did not belong to any known civilization. Once inside, we saw... we saw something indescribable."

"It wasn't a living thing, nor did it seem like a machine. It just 'existed' there, and that caused everyone's spirits to begin to break down."

"That night, some people attacked their companions like madmen, some knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing until they were covered in blood, and some... laughed as they pulled out their own internal organs."

The old man's face turned pale, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

The scalding tea overflowed from the rim of the cup and splashed onto the back of his hand, but he seemed completely oblivious.

“My fellow team member and I were the only survivors. When the follow-up forces found us, we were on the verge of death. It was only after that that I realized that this world is far more dangerous than we imagined!”

He abruptly stopped, shaking his head as if trying to shake the terrifying memory out of his mind.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, it's all old news."

Dong Yunchuan forced a smile, picked up his teacup, and drank it all in one gulp, as if trying to suppress the chill in his heart.

"In short, after that devastating world war, the surviving nations realized that the unrestrained exploration and use of this power would only lead to destruction."

"Therefore, under the leadership of several major powers, all countries jointly signed a top-secret bill, the 'Firewall Agreement,' which completely banned all civilian research institutions and propaganda channels related to supernatural powers."

"As for those who are outcasts hiding in society, the agreement aims to establish a barrier to prevent two situations from occurring."

"First, the entry of individuals with the risk of going out of control into key positions in government, judiciary, military, and education could cause even greater disasters."

"Secondly, individuals who are related to high-risk superhumans by blood, without knowing whether they themselves are also at risk of awakening, wield power sufficient to influence society."

"They must undergo long-term monitoring and review before their risk level can be gradually reduced and they can live a relatively normal life."

"This is not discrimination, but a responsibility to the whole society."

"When relevant personnel apply for access to these key areas, their personal information will automatically trigger the agreement."

“As the implementing party, our university must report the data and cross-reference it with the special search team’s ‘high-risk abnormality file database.’ Once a match is found, the system will issue an alarm.”

"That's how your file was marked."

Dong Yunchuan spoke solemnly, revealing information to Fang Cheng that ordinary people could not know:

"Currently, you have two labels: one is 'direct blood relative of an out-of-control alien,' and the other is 'involved in a high-risk case.' The system has classified you as a 'potential awakener' with a lower danger level."

After listening to Dong Yunchuan's explanation, Fang Cheng finally understood.

In reality, he had already stepped one foot into the scanning range of the national security apparatus.

His so-called graduate student status, this "reassurance charm" he carefully prepared for his mother, this "protective color" used to conceal his true intentions, was destined to be impossible to truly achieve from the very beginning.

Fang Cheng wasn't worried about himself, but about his mother.

He could imagine the deep disappointment and worry his mother felt when she learned the news.

Furthermore, my uncle said that my father was wronged, and that there was an extremely dangerous secret hidden behind it.

But in the face of this cold "firewall" protocol, the truth seems to be completely unimportant; what matters is the "original sin" that comes from one's bloodline.

Seeing Fang Cheng remain silent, Dong Yunchuan quickly comforted him:

"Acheng, don't worry, I've already applied to the higher-ups for a temporary suspension of the process."

“You have a very strong advantage. During that high-risk case, you participated in a comprehensive search organized by the special investigation team. Your medical records show that you are normal, and your physical activity level is within the normal range. All the data indicates that you are an absolutely normal person. I will argue for you on the basis of reason.”

Dong Yunchuan leaned forward slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Moreover, I have a very close personal relationship with a member of Congress. It was that night at Wangjiang Tower that you helped take care of two assassins and rescued Congressman Zhao."

"He is a person who always repays kindness. With him vouching for you and speaking on your behalf, things will be much easier."

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly; he neither admitted nor denied it.

"At that time, as long as you undergo another medical examination to prove that you are in good health, obtaining a Master of Laws degree should not be a problem."

"After all, you're just studying, not taking the civil service exam to become a judge, so they don't need to be so strict."

At this point, Dong Yunchuan couldn't help but complain.

"Ultimately, it's because these rules are too rigid and should have been updated a long time ago! Their special investigation team often breaks the rules and exploits loopholes, yet they criticize us ordinary judicial and educational system personnel!"

"Thank you, Dean Dong."

Fang Cheng thanked him, pondered for a moment, and then posed another question.

“Master Ma once told me that many members of the special search team enhance their bodies by injecting drugs, which also puts them at risk of losing control of their minds.”

"Does this firewall protocol not work on them?"

Dong Yunchuan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and his expression immediately became extremely complicated:

"Sigh... this is a last resort."

(End of this chapter)