"Mr. Ming, why do Different Dimensional Spaces open up?" Wang Lan asked curiously on the way back. "Although you are already a qualified warrior, you’ve only just started college and are still a newbie, so what you know is similar to what most newbies know. "First of all, one question: why do Different Dimensional Spaces exist? Initially, humans always believed that Different Dimensional Spaces were the work of the Demon Clan. Since ancient times, the Demon Clan and Exotic Beasts, like natural allies, have been continuously invading our world, causing one disaster after another. "With the resurgence of technology two hundred years ago and its vibrant development up to the present, many things we once steadfastly believed in have come into question. This includes Different Dimensional Spaces. "Different Dimensional Spaces actually have nothing to do with the Demon Clan. Exotic Beasts are the original inhabitants of Different Dimensional Spaces. These spaces are very complex; the most mainstream view is that they are Subspace—spaces without complete Laws or operational rules. "The mystery of their existence is like the mystery of humankind’s own existence, or why there is life on Sky Blue Star. It’s one of the ten great unsolved mysteries of antiquity. Different Dimensional Spaces are inevitable and exist randomly. "It’s like where there is light, there are shadows. You might like the light and not the shadows, but you can never throw your shadow away. "Other smaller countries suffer greatly from the unregulated openings of Different Dimensional Spaces. Every time one opens, the Exotic Beasts inside charge out, causing substantial damage to cities and people. Meanwhile, powerful countries are relatively stable, with much lower frequencies of Different Dimensional Space openings. Do you know why?" Wang Lan shook his head. "Because of the existence of Pioneer Spaces." Ming Baiye looked out the window, towards the east. "Pioneer Space is essentially a Different Dimensional Space, only much larger. At the very beginning, Pioneer Space was a very, very small space, which the Pioneering Legion expanded step by step into a huge space. "Why pioneer? Many people don’t understand. Pioneers work so hard, always at risk of dying in battle. Are they doing it for Soul Beads? To become stronger? "Neither. It’s to protect our country. If the army is our country’s sharp sword, then the Pioneers are our country’s shield. Pioneer Space is like a wall locking down our territory. "Different Dimensional Spaces open randomly; no one knows when or where one will appear. And Different Dimensional Spaces have an attraction to each other. It’s like soap bubbles: if one space opens, then another Different Dimensional Space opening nearby will be absorbed by the first one. Do you understand this concept?" "I get it. It’s like universal gravitation." "Another Law of Different Dimensional Spaces is that smaller spaces are dependent on larger spaces. As long as a Pioneer Space is large enough, any other spaces that would have opened randomly in its vicinity will instead open within that Pioneer Space. Because our country has five large Pioneer Spaces, there are almost no records of unregulated openings of Different Dimensional Spaces here. "However, there is one exception: Different Dimensional Spaces forcibly opened using Space Stones. Space Stones act like magnets that firmly attract Different Dimensional Spaces. Spaces that would have been drawn towards a Pioneer Space are thus forcibly kept in place." "So, that’s the reason for the space that opened up just now?" "So, this is why the state strictly forbids smuggling Space Stones," Ming Baiye said coldly. "Space Stones are good things; used well, they benefit the state and the people. But they are also double-edged swords that can bring catastrophic disasters upon us. Therefore, many Star Martial families smear this state law, saying things like, ’Only officials are allowed to commit arson, while commoners can’t even light lamps.’ But it’s all just to satisfy their own interests." "Interests? Can they be sold for money?" "Money? What does that mean to the Star Martial Families? Didn’t you just see? Exotic Beasts! Soul Beads! These Exotic Beasts and Soul Beads are all unrecorded and tax-free." "Are you saying that today’s Different Dimensional Space opening is..." "But what if the Exotic Beasts in the Different Dimensional Space they opened are extremely ferocious?" "If they can handle it, they’ll deal with it. If not, they’ll just walk away. As long as they clean up their tracks, who’s to know it was them? Even if someone suspects it, without evidence, what can be done to them? In the end, doesn’t the Tianjian Bureau have to clean up the mess? If the Tianjian Bureau can’t handle it, isn’t there still the military, and experts dispatched by the state?" "So, people like that, we deal with them as we find them, regardless of their status or position. Once they touch this red line, there will be no leniency." As they talked, the group returned to the Tianjian Bureau. "Wang Lan, thank you for tonight. I’ll arrange an affiliation procedure for you; you’ll be attached to my Action Department. Any problems with that?" "Later, you’ll need to make a written statement for our records." "Alright... By the way, Mr. Ming, do you know about the female student who committed suicide at Modu City’s Star Martial Academy two years ago?" "That... I need to check the internal records. Why? Are you interested in this? Do you have some connection to that female student?" "No, there isn’t a connection. It’s just... Mr. Ming, with your wide knowledge and experience, do ghosts exist in this world?" "Ghosts?" Ming Baiye looked at Wang Lan and suddenly laughed. "There are certainly no ghosts. Don’t worry about that." "But..." Wang Lan immediately told Ming Baiye about the events of the previous night. Ming Baiye, who had initially dismissed it as a joke, gradually grew serious. "What you’re describing isn’t a ghost, but an apparition of spiritual power remnants. After all, as Star Martial Warriors, we are different from ordinary people. If it were purely spiritual power, it couldn’t remain after death. But for a Star Martial Warrior, it’s possible. It’s similar to an Illusion Technique! "For instance, if a Star Martial Warrior casts an Illusion Technique on another, making them believe they’ve turned into a dog, the one under the illusion will genuinely think they are a dog and mimic all of a dog’s behaviors. Even if the Caster is killed, the Illusion Technique won’t automatically dispel. "Another Star Martial Warrior would need to disrupt the victim’s Star Power to help them break free from the Illusion Technique’s effects. And what you saw could very well be a room where an Illusion Technique was placed, set to trigger when certain conditions are met." "So you’re saying, I was under an Illusion Technique last night? Was the Illusion Technique cast by that senior student back then, or by someone else?" "Normally, even an Illusion Technique wouldn’t last that long. Moreover, the girl in the Illusion Technique asked you to avenge her. But if it was the Caster themself, why wouldn’t they directly tell you who to seek revenge against? Who to target? "The only possibility I can think of is that the Caster also didn’t know the truth. He believed the girl died unjustly but was unclear about who was responsible for her death. So... he cast the Illusion Technique on you." "I see, that makes sense. As long as there are no ghosts... hahaha..." "Wang Lan, look at this. This is the file from the incident two years ago; it was ruled a suicide. Her boyfriend was from the main lineage of the Duanmu Family and, moreover, the son of the clan leader. Ma Chuchu, on the other hand, was just an ordinary girl from ChuanProvince. Although her talent was outstanding, her social status was vastly different. The couple was ultimately forced to separate. Ma Chuchu, heartbroken, then used the weapon her boyfriend had given her to take her own life." "Are we certain it was suicide?" "The Tianjian Bureau’s official finding was suicide. If you want to reopen the case, you can investigate, but you’ll need compelling evidence." Wang Lan laughed. "School is about to start. I don’t have time for that." Right then, a sudden commotion was heard from outside, and a captain in bloodstained red attire entered the office, hesitating slightly as he glanced at Wang Lan. "Juan, take Wang Lan to give his statement, then arrange for him to rest. He can’t go back to the school dormitory." "Director, we were too late. After receiving your instructions, we immediately followed the leads. However, by the time we reached the trading company, someone had already beaten us to it, killing everyone there and destroying all the ledgers and computers." "Killed everyone? How many?" "This trading company was established by a Pioneer Team. Its seventeen core members were all murdered. These core members rarely gathered together. Yet today, all were present and wiped out in one fell swoop. I suspect the perpetrator was someone in a position of command over them." ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥 "That’s obvious. But a lost lead isn’t a reason to give up the investigation. Keep looking!" Wang Lan slept in the Tianjian Bureau’s dorm for one night and returned to his dorm the next morning. Neither He Jing nor Ming Guodong asked where Wang Lan had been, acting as if he had never left. 「Before he knew it, the official start of school on September 1st had arrived.」 The school, which had been almost empty just days before, was suddenly teeming with people. The atmosphere of the university campus was completely different from that of high school. If high school students looked like unripe peaches, still showing their greenness, then university students were like fully ripened fruit, exuding an alluring temptation. Girls who were still bare-faced and wore ponytails were undoubtedly new students, freshly arrived at the academy. The upperclassmen, in contrast, all projected an air of maturity. They even managed to wear the standard school uniforms with a distinct, sophisticated flair. As a combat-proficient Star Martial Warrior, which idiot assigned me to the Auxiliary Department? Wang Lan fumed internally. Even if not the Mage Department, I should have been assigned to the Close Combat Department, right? Although Wang Lan was utterly reluctant, He Jing and Ming Guodong were so envious they practically wished they could take his place. The Auxiliary Department was notoriously female-dominated. At the Star Martial Academy, the Mage Department had the most balanced gender ratio. The Close Combat Department was full of burly guys, and while the Investigation Department had more males, it wasn’t excessively so. But the Auxiliary Department? Eighty percent female Star Martial Warriors. Each one of them was sweet and delicate. Wang Lan, walking through the Auxiliary Department’s building, felt like a lone blade of grass in a vast garden of flowers—glaringly out of place. Being surrounded by beauties might sound wonderful, but actually being immersed in it wasn’t so great. Especially with all the stories about girls pranking their male classmates—like forcing them into drag... There were tons of posts about it online, enough to make Wang Lan’s hair stand on end and break out in a cold sweat. The first order of business wasn’t military training; that was for ordinary universities. It was entirely unnecessary for the Star Martial Academy. The actual first order of business was choosing electives. Mandatory courses included Tactics, Battlefield Survival, In-depth Study of the Demon Clan and Different Dimensional Worlds, Advanced Combat, and Spiritual Engraving. All students also had to choose at least four electives. With a total of nine courses, the workload was by no means less than that of high school.