Shan Xiong, Liu Cai, and a few other sophomores stood in a row at the main hall. Each of them waited beside black printers that were half the height of an adult man.
Soon, well-dressed teenagers walked through the wide-open main gate, walked up the stairs leading to the main hall, and headed toward them.
One of the students came to Liu Cai and handed an exquisite card to him. With a smile, he said, “Sorry for the trouble.”
Unlike the student IDs of those who took the entrance exam, the ones who received recommendations to join the university got student IDs in the form of cards, which they received long before they were admitted.
“No worries. It’s no trouble at all,” Liu Cai hurriedly said.
He inserted the card into the printer’s slot and typed a series of numbers based on the color of the card. Then, he cranked the lever, and a smooth, hard piece of paper slid out onto the output tray.
The paper contained the detailed information of a single upperclassman, including their height, weight, speed, blood type, heart rate, punching and kicking force, habits, measurements of limbs, body proportions, and so many other details that it bordered on excessive.
Liu Cai picked up the paper and put it into a document envelope with the university name printed on it. He then used both hands to hand it along with the card to the student.
“Thanks.” The student took both items with a smile, waved him goodbye, and walked into the main hall.
After Liu Cai was done, he noticed that Shan Xiong was a little on the slower side. He seemed to be a little distracted. The student in front of him was displeased and snapped at him, “Why are you so slow? Can you do it or not?”
Shan Xiong cursed inwardly. He wanted to lash out, but he could not. The students who joined the university through recommendations had elites supporting them. Even though they just joined, Shan Xiong could not afford to get on their bad side.
His face muscles twitched as he grabbed the paper and card before hurriedly stuffing them into the document envelope and handing them over to the student. The student glared at him, still displeased, then took the items and walked into the main hall.
Liu Cai cast a cursory glance at Shan Xiong and gave him a reminder. “Keep that temper of yours in check. You don’t want to cross these elites. There’s only a few dozen of them. Just endure it, and it’ll soon be over.”
Shan Xiong huffed. If he had known that he would be assigned to this place after participating in the entrance exam, he would have never done it. Speaking of which, his friends outside the university had said that they found the bastard who defeated him and would help give him the payback he deserved, so all he had to do was wait. It was strange, though. A full day had passed, but there was no news. Did they fail to catch the bastard, or were they delayed because of something else?
When Chen Chuan walked out of the old building, he left Martial Valor University and went to a phone booth across the square. Another student was making a phone call inside. It seemed like he was asking his parents for money, and it was taking a while. Judging by the depressed slump of his shoulders once he was done, he did not get the money.
Chen Chuan went in and picked up the phone receiver, then took out a dozen coins from his bag. He inserted them into the coin slot one by one. He called a number, and soon, he heard a sweet, female voice. “You’ve reached Mi Law Firm. How can we assist you today?”
“I’m looking for legal assistant Gao Ming. I don’t have a reservation, but I’m his cousin,” Chen Chuan replied.
“One moment, please.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꞁire.net
After a moment, a lazy voice came through the phone. “Chen Chuan? What made you call?”
“Gao Ming, it’s me. I got into Martial Valor University two months ago, and I need to take the follow-up exam next month,” Chen Chuan said.
Gao Ming paused for a moment, then guessed that Chen Chuan had not called him to brag. His voice became much more serious. “Continue. I’m listening.”
Chen Chuan shifted to the side. “Martial Valor University has a Mutual Aid Group that provides all kinds of aid for students. Apparently, they can even provide suggestions on how to prepare for the follow-up exam and pick out the most likely opponent. I’m wondering whether you know anything about this Mutual Aid Group.”
Gao Ming giggled. “Mi Law Firm is one of Martial Valor University’s partners. I can find the information for you, but I’m a legal assistant, and my consultation fees are ten devs per minute. Are you sure you want my help?”
“Yes,” Chen Chuan said firmly.
He heard a beep before Gao Ming spoke again. “I’ll start charging from now. Based on the files in the law firm, Martial Valor University’s Mutual Aid Group is formed by the student council of elite students.
“The Mutual Aid Group helps its sponsored students during the follow-up exam and provides support in their studies later. The group tries to recruit outstanding students by making them sign the contract so they will have to work for them and the groups and organizations supporting them after they graduate.
“If mediocre students aren’t willing to obey them, they transfer the contracts to various companies and high-ranking law firms. Then, these companies and law firms deal with this matter.”
Chen Chuan listened quietly. He did not ask about how to take care of the matter. It was next to impossible for a single individual to go up against the various companies and law firms. After some thinking, he asked, “What’s Martial Valor University’s stance on this?”
“The executive members pay attention to the matter only if a student proves to be especially valuable,” Gao Ming answered simply.
Chen Chuan nodded and asked, “I heard that Martial Valor University also provides aid to the students. Is that true?”
The sound of pages turning came through the call. After a moment, Gao Ming said, “They do, but you need to apply for it beforehand, and the university’s administrative office passes your request to the university board. At least three members of the university board have to approve the application for it to be accepted. The review usually takes a long time and few people get it. The files I have here don’t show me the details, so the funds only exist in theory.”
“Got it. Those are all the questions I had,” Chen Chuan said.
There was another beep, and Gao Ming said, “That’s the end of the consultation. It was a total of ninety-two seconds, so I’m rounding it up to two minutes. The law firm actually charges twenty devs per minute for consultation, but since this was my first consultation, I'm going to give you a 50% discount.”
“Thanks, Gao Ming.” Chen Chuan knew that this information would not actually be available at such a cheap price.
Gao Ming laughed. “Why didn’t you tell me that you got into Martial Valor University? Next time I’m back in Yangzhi City, you have to treat me to a meal.”
Chen Chuan laughed too. “It’s a deal. By the way, I have something else I’d like you to look into, but we can talk about it when we meet. I’ll stop bothering you now. Bye.” He hung up after Gao Ming bade him goodbye as well.
Once Chen Chuan walked out of the phone booth, he put his hands into his pockets and stood on the empty square. Martial Valor University’s gates were right across from him.
Two steady streams of people were entering and exiting.
When the Mutual Aid Group provided aid to the students, it wanted good returns for its money. If Chen Chuan did not want to be under the control of the group, he had to rely on his own strength to pass the follow-up exam.