57: Chapter 57 Chen Wu's Bottom Line: No Harm to Society, Retention of Freedom

Before the morning mist had crossed the threshold of the training hall, Chen Wu's "Crushing Fist" had already left a seventh new mark on the wooden dummy. The blue-gold Qi Energy traveled along the grain of the century-old post, coalescing into two lines of small characters deep within the fist print: "Do not harm society, preserve freedom" — this was the core of the additional clause he had attached to the cooperation agreement, and at this moment, it was becoming a vow firmer than any signature, branded in the form of Qi Energy.

Lin Mo's hand, holding the tactical tablet, suddenly paused. On the screen, the encrypted channel of the Special Incident Response Department was pushing a new mission: "Requesting assistance to suppress a genetically modified human riot, location: abandoned factory in the south of the city." The words "indiscriminate elimination" in the mission description were like a thorn in the youth's eyes. "They are testing your bottom line."

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly tightened, and the wooden dummy let out a painful groan. He could capture the fluctuations of Qi Energy at the scene through the tablet — the energy fields of the thirty-seven genetically modified humans were chaotic and desperate, among which six carried resonance frequencies of the peace lock similar to Li Meng's, clearly victims coerced by the Grey Shadow Organization.

"Reply to them: Save people only, do not suppress." Chen Wu's fingertips traced a blue-gold trajectory on the tablet. In the automatically generated reply, every character carried the unique tremor of Qi Energy. "If the rules of the Special Incident Response Department cannot accommodate this bit of freedom, the cooperation agreement can be voided."

Grandpa Wang tapped his dry tobacco pipe against the blue brick floor, sending out sparks. The old man stood against the morning light beside the bronze statue, the pipe bowl reflecting the vow in Chen Wu's fist print: "In 1948, my Master also said similar words." He suddenly pulled open his shirt, revealing a hideous scar on his left ribcage. "Back then, the Military Statistics Bureau forced him to assassinate progressive students; he would rather take three bullets than touch people he shouldn't."

The reply from the Special Incident Response Department came faster than expected. After the green light on the encrypted channel flashed three times, it pushed a new instruction: "Permission granted to prioritize rescuing victims; elimination authority is limited to modified humans who actively attack." On the attached coordinate map, a certain corner was marked in bronze as "Grey Shadow lurking point" — clearly, the Chief of the Execution Division was conveying a cryptic message.

When Chen Wu grabbed the rosewood box left by his grandfather, the blue-gold Qi Energy suddenly resonated with the heart fragments inside the box. He could "hear" the heartbeat of the sleeping Tomb-Guarding Beast, forming a wondrous resonance with those desperate genetically modified humans in the southern factory, as if they were all expressing the same longing: freedom without being bound.

The rusted iron gate of the abandoned factory groaned and deformed under the "Mountain-Leaning Strike". Chen Wu's Qi Energy spread along the door frame, forming a defensive formation on the bullet-riddled walls — the blue-gold energy net was like a layer of soft armor, capable of blocking bullets without harming the modified humans who crashed into it.

"It's Master Chen Wu!" Cries erupted from the crowd. A girl in a school uniform rushed over holding a peace lock, the red string on the lock wrapped around an IV tube identical to Li Meng's. "They said if we don't obey, they'll dismantle our peace locks!" Her arm suddenly expanded into a giant claw, but she desperately restrained it as she approached Chen Wu, afraid of hurting anyone.

Lin Mo's tactical tablet projected a real-time Qi Energy analysis chart. Among the energy fields of the thirty-seven modified humans, twenty-nine appeared as a contaminated ink-green, but ripples appeared when they touched Chen Wu's blue-gold Qi Energy — just like ice and snow meeting a warm sun, the violent factors planted by the Grey Shadow Organization were dissolving.

The black sedan of the Special Incident Response Department stopped a hundred meters outside the factory. Twelve uniformed personnel formed a perimeter holding special tranquilizer guns. The Chief of the Execution Division's binoculars were fixed on Chen Wu's back, her finger hovering indecisively over the "Forced Intervention" button — her watch showed that fifteen of the modified humans at the scene had a Qi Energy purity exceeding 70%, and according to regulations, they should have been eliminated on the spot.

"Move!" A modified human with a tiger's head and a human body suddenly broke through the crowd, the ink-green liquid on his sharp claws dripping onto the ground, corroding hissing pits. His Qi Energy field was mixed with the energy of a Shadow Beast, clearly a "weapon" deeply controlled by the Grey Shadow. "Whoever blocks the road dies!"

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly turned into thin threads. The blue-gold energy flow, like an agile snake, traveled along the tiger-headed man's arm, coalescing into a miniature Taiji diagram at his heart. When the sharp claws were only three inches away from the girl's peace lock, the modified human suddenly let out a painful roar — the Qi Energy was purifying the Shadow Beast toxins in his body, allowing reason to temporarily overcome the violence.

"He can still be saved." Chen Wu's voice carried the unique penetrating power of Qi Energy, causing all the modified humans to freeze. "The Grey Shadow's genetic serum can change the body, but it cannot change the heart. Look at your own peace locks."

The thirty-seven modified humans lowered their heads simultaneously. The peace locks on their wrists were glowing, the metal pieces wrapped in red strings resonating with Chen Wu's rosewood box, forming a complete Taiji diagram on the ground — the contaminated Qi Energy met this light, gradually dissipating like ink drops merging into clear water.

In the hidden compartment on the second floor of the factory, the Grey Shadow lurker's sniper scope was trembling. His vision, enhanced by genetic serum, could clearly see the free will within Chen Wu's Qi Energy, which was what the organization feared most — a power more capable of dismantling control than any armed force.

When the last modified human's peace lock restored its pure gold luster, the uniformed personnel of the Special Incident Response Department finally entered the factory. The Chief of the Execution Division's gaze swept over the purified modified humans, then looked at the vow in Chen Wu's fist print, and suddenly put away her tranquilizer gun. "According to regulations, these people need to be forcibly contained." Her voice carried an imperceptible softening. "But they can be arranged in a special rehabilitation center, retaining partial freedom of movement."

"What I want is not partial freedom." Chen Wu's Qi Energy lifted an injured modified human, the blue-gold energy flow repairing the other's fractured bones. "It is the right to choose life, just like ordinary people." He suddenly pointed to the machine tool in the corner of the factory. "That tiger-headed man was originally a lathe operator here; he should have the freedom to return to his post."

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up a video of Li Meng. The youth in the hospital ward held up his peace lock to the camera, the red string on the lock wrapped around a handwritten application: "I want to go to the martial arts school to teach Taiji after being discharged, even if I can only teach basic Cloud Hands." In the background, Elder Zhou was using Qigong to help him clear his Meridians, the old man's voice filled with a smile. "This is the true meaning of Brute Force — using power to protect freedom."

The Chief of the Execution Division's watch emitted a hurried alarm. On the screen, the Minister's encrypted communication was flashing, clearly dissatisfied with the handling of the scene. Her finger hovered over the communicator for three seconds, and she finally chose to turn off the device. "Give me three days." Her bronze-colored pupils reflected Chen Wu's fist print. "I will prove to my superiors that trust is more effective than force."

Suddenly, the roar of helicopters came from outside the factory. Three aircraft bearing the logo of the Special Incident Response Department hovered in mid-air, their cabin doors opening to reveal pitch-black gun barrels — it was the rapid response force directly dispatched by the Minister, clearly feeling angry at the Chief of the Execution Division's "indulgence."

"They are going to get serious." Grandpa Wang appeared at the factory entrance, not knowing when he had arrived. The bronze bell on his dry tobacco pipe made a clear, crisp sound. "Back then, my Master was surrounded just like this; he said he would rather die standing than live kneeling."

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly soared into the sky, the blue-gold energy flow forming a huge character "Wu" (Martial) above the factory. The thirty-seven modified humans' peace locks responded simultaneously, pouring their respective Qi Energy into this barrier; even the Chief of the Execution Division's bronze token emitted a faint light — in front of the bottom line of freedom, people of different stances unexpectedly stood together.

The helicopter's attack order was ultimately not issued. When the Minister saw through surveillance that the modified humans had spontaneously formed a human wall to protect civilians, and saw that Chen Wu's Qi Energy only defended and did not attack, this veteran official suddenly took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. He recalled what Chen Wu's grandfather had said in the Ancient Tomb of the Qinling Mountains in 1987: "A true Tomb Guardian does not guard rules, but human hearts."

On the way back to the training hall, the modified humans spontaneously formed an honor guard. The tiger-headed man used his giant claws to carefully clear the rubble on the road, and the girl in the school uniform helped Chen Wu carry the rosewood box. Her arm had returned to its original state, but her fingertips still retained a faint blue-gold color — that was the mark left by Chen Wu's Qi Energy, and also the proof of freedom.

The encrypted channel of the Special Incident Response Department pushed a new file. In the "Draft on the Rights of Genetically Modified Humans" uploaded by the Chief of the Execution Division, Chen Wu's bottom line was marked in red: "On the premise of not harming society, preserve the freedom to choose one's lifestyle." In the signature column of the attachment, besides the Section Chief's name, there were seven signatures in different handwritings, clearly supporters from other departments.

Grandpa Wang's courtyard suddenly became lively. The modified humans sat on the blue brick floor, listening to the old man tell stories of the past: "In 1956, during the public-private partnership, my Overlord Spear was almost confiscated." His dry tobacco pipe pointed to the bronze statue. "Later, Premier Zhou gave special approval, saying that when a Martial Artist keeps a handy weapon, it is not for destruction, but for protection."

When Chen Wu opened the rosewood box, the heart fragments of the Tomb-Guarding Beast suddenly shot out golden light. The blue-gold Qi Energy formed a star map above the training hall, each point of light corresponding to a Soul that held fast to its bottom line: the back of his grandfather in the Ancient Tomb of the Qinling Mountains, the three bullets Grandpa Wang took, the peace lock in Li Meng's hospital ward, and those trembling yet firm modified humans in the factory just now.

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly connected to the Global Martial Arts System. The search volume for the entry "freedom" on the screen was skyrocketing. In the boxing practice videos uploaded by Martial Artists from various countries, all carried Qi Energy fluctuations similar to Chen Wu's — not imitating the Move, but inheriting the spirit of both guarding rules and not being bound.

The Minister of the Special Incident Response Department suddenly appeared at the door of the training hall. This official, who had always been hidden behind the scenes, was now wearing an ordinary Zhongshan suit, holding a brocade box in his hands: "In 1987, your grandfather refused our medal of honor." He opened the box, inside was a token identical to Grandpa Wang's bronze bell. "Now, I represent the department in apologizing to all those who hold fast to their bottom line."

Chen Wu's Qi Energy lifted the medal and suspended it in mid-air. The blue-gold energy flow resonated with the medal, projecting the faces of countless people onto the dome of the training hall: Tomb Guardians, modified humans, members of the Special Incident Response Department, Martial Artists from all over the world... Their bottom lines might be different, but they had reached a perfect harmony on the point of "Do not harm society, preserve freedom."

When night fell, new fist prints were forming on the wooden dummy in the training hall. When Chen Wu's "Crushing Fist" landed, the blue-gold Qi Energy was no longer just a vow; it transformed into a flowing river, flowing from the training hall to every corner of the city — there, there were the lives of modified humans starting anew, new regulations revised by the Special Incident Response Department, and the figures of countless people practicing martial arts under the moonlight.

On Lin Mo's tablet screen, the encrypted channel of the Special Incident Response Department was still flashing. The latest mission was "Assist in establishing a Genetically Modified Human Mutual Aid Center," and in the remarks column, the Chief of the Execution Division wrote in bronze color: "Freedom is not being unrestrained; it is knowing what cannot be done, and then bravely doing what should be done."

Chen Wu looked at the fist prints of varying depths on the wooden dummy and suddenly understood that what his grandfather left behind was not just bronze fragments, but a kind of balanced wisdom: between rules and freedom, between guarding and letting go, finding a bottom line that belongs to oneself. Just like the moon above the training hall at this moment, it is neither swallowed by dark clouds nor scorching the earth, but only gently and firmly illuminating the path forward.

This perhaps is the ultimate meaning of the Dao of martial arts — not possessing the power to break everything, but being clear about what should never be broken.