The meeting adjourned. Several gray aircraft, covered in rivets, with spinning propellers wrapped in a barely perceptible layer of twisting bloodline energy, stood silhouetted against the night on the edge of a flat square.
As the plane took off, Hong Haocheng watched the distant black shadow gradually fade away, his hands in his pockets.
“Mr. Wei, are you sure you still don’t need us to arrange a special plane to see you off? “
Anabeiru, who had walked up beside him, asked, standing close to the middle-aged man with a smile in her pure black eyes.
Her skin was snowy white with a hint of translucence. Even with constant travel, she showed no signs of fatigue, marking her as a fellow villager with high mental strength.
However, such fair skin actually indicated that her bloodline ring count wasn’t very high yet.
Once one reaches the Fourth Ring, one can freely control their external complexion.
Hong Haocheng chuckled lightly. “Really, there’s no need. I’ll see myself out. I’ll collect the relevant information from tonight’s meeting. If I have an investment intention, I’ll contact you later. “
“Much appreciated. “
After speaking, the woman watched the middle-aged man disappear into the darkness beside her. Jin Baiyun, watching their departure from near the corridor, slowly closed his eyes and began to sense.
Walking in the darkness, two slender halos flickered around Hong Haocheng’s pupils, followed by three more faint, slightly dashed halos.
He raised a finger, and a red broken line swiftly curled across his chest, constructing a continuously transforming map.
“Traveler’s Veil. “
Instantly, the world’s scenery around him shifted rapidly, like a three-dimensional film fast-forwarding. In a moment, he was standing inside the ship cabin.
On the thread-map in his hand, a small, blinking red dot came to rest within the drawn shape of a boat on a magnified ocean map.
Slap!The map, materialized from his bloodline ability, vanished.
The girl, who had been reading inside, looked up with a start, then patted her chest. Immediately, grinding her teeth, she hurled a plush pillow at him.
She grumbled with feigned anger, “‘You’re over fifty or sixty years old, and you still appear out of nowhere in the room. “
siopHong Haocheng’s skin, bearing the marker of middle age, rapidly rejuvenated. His facial features became slightly more defined, appearing, outwardly, with a mildly dry sheen ofthis color, this lack of density,Black hair framing contained depth.
Catching the pillow, he gave a heh-heh laugh and tossed it back into the maiden’s arms. “Hey, it’s my room, isn’t it, Guifen? “
“Don’t call me by that full name when it’s just the two of us inside. “
Shen Ruyue extended slender legs from under the bed sheet, hooked a pair of slippers, and, on her way back to her room, said,
“Yang Zicang didn’t attend the computer conference. Will he continue his research through other channels later? “
“Ah, woo. ” (A meaningless sound, like a yawn or a playful growl)
Hong Haocheng’s expression shifted slightly as he looked at the woman on the bed, who proudly tilted her chin upward.
You’ve even taken the initiative to help me cover my tracks.
“Even Zhao Anlong was sent away by me from that conference room. ” The boy replied, taking off his coat and continuing with a smile:
“Rest assured, with our operation this time, that bastard Yang Zicang definitely won’t be able to have any entanglements with the fate of the era related to the ‘computer’. “
The Maiden smilingly extended her other snow-white long leg, slightly curling her four cute little toes, and gave a thumbs up.
Hong Haocheng signaled her with his eyes to act normal.
Then he slightly raised his gaze towards three black-and-white paintings hanging on the cabin wall of his room, which were cut and drawn to aid memory, a three-dimensional Celtic knot diagram for communicating with the “distributor. “
……
“Our six projects this time will definitely leave a profound mark on the traces of the era. “
Among those leaving on the same flight, a man with stubble on his chin remarked emotionally.
“Indeed, they are indeed researches worth pursuing in an era with more backward future technology. “
“Among projects this time, at least the two that I know of, if successful, would bring a great change to the land capitals of the next era. “
As the few chatted, Yang Zicang, who was at the back of the plane, came out from the small changing room wearing new clothes.
Seeing a group of people all wearing thin burnt umber trench coats and matching black brimmed hats, he felt they quite had the flair of a gathering of detectives.
“It sure is cold over here. ” One person said, yawning.
“The current planes don’t have much of a constant temperature system either. Being able to breathe is already a blessing. “
The propeller blades whirred and spun in the air. With the mechanic using an Ability Sphere, its speed and altitude suddenly increased a bit. Yang Zicang looked out the window and noticed that its flight path deviated from the normal flight trajectory, avoiding large cities and nuclear explosion zones that spread out like ugly stains.
“Mr. Li Shihui, will you be landing here? ” the mechanic in the co-pilot’s seat turned around and asked.
“Yeah, right here is fine. “
Saying this, Li Shihui stood up and walked to the plane’s door. Suddenly remembering something, he turned back:
“Ha, Chairman Yang, would you be interested in backing me up with a Secret Fruit? Jumping down like this isn’t a big deal, but landing is still quite painful. “
The surroundings echoed with snickers and laughter.
“Of course, I’m also quite interested to see if this will create an interesting experience. I just didn’t bring a statue. “
“We have one on the plane. “
The mechanic passed back a statue about thirty centimeters tall, which was taken by a woman attendant in charge of the rear cabin service, who then handed it to Yang Zicang.
“Let me offer some support to everyone then. “
“That would be for the best. “
Several Ability Spheres were distributed, and even the flight attendant received one.
“Well then, farewell, all. If anything comes up, you can reach me through Mr. Jin Baiyun. I’ll thank you another day, President Buchen. “
At the airplane door pulled open by the flight attendant, Li Shihui pressed the hat down with his hand holding the Ability Sphere, stepped both feet out into the rushing airflow, and turned into a black spot plummeting straight down toward the dark, somber earth.
……
The cabin door was temporarily closed.
The air warmed up a bit immediately.
Zhao Anlong swept his gaze over the few people chatting on the other side of the aisle, then turned back to Yang Zicang and said:
“Over at my place, there’s an operating table. Do you know what Mr. Kim Feierman’s research project is? “
The people around glanced over. “I do, ” One man spoke up,
“It’s related to computers. The project name is ‘Star Bead Labyrinth’. Heh, as for the rest, if you’re interested in participating, you can contact Jin Baiyun. “
“So that’s it. Truly, every project is tied to reviving that future era. ” Zhao Anlong murmured.
Hearing Zhao Anlong’s words, Yang Zicang’s expression faltered for a moment, but then he sighed inwardly. This was a different matter from reviving the dead.
He returned the Symbiotic Statue to the mechanic.
At the same time, he pondered, the Symbiotic Statue he had acquired on the ferry three months ago—if it could resonate with a Bloodline Lineage Shield Slot that never-roused a first ring, it should, like Zhao Anlong, show that pattern somehow.
“Anlong, within what range of effective distance can one Symbiotic Statue expand the financing scope, like you did last time? “
Zhao Anlong’s expression shifted slightly: _”Uh, that time I used a Bloodline Statue.
Yang Zicang was briefly at a loss for words.
This guy, such extravagance…
“Haha, mainly no one had those low-level companion statues on hand back then. Thinking about it still stings a bit. “
Yang Zicang let out a soft breath, quietly consoling himself.
“Buchen, when we leave, remember to have the train take us to retrieve that statue. “
As Zhao Anlong grinned, showing his teeth, the plane door was flung open again with a bang, and a gust of wind surged into the cabin.
One person said, “Farewell, ” then stepped out and dove into the deep, dark night.
Yang Zicang patted Zhao Anlong on the shoulder from behind.
“Let’s disembark soon too, and go back there. “
“Huh? Yeah, okay. “
The captain said:
“In about ten minutes, we’ll be nearing the northern extension of the Jisuo Mountains. Anyone getting off? Once we climb back up to a few thousand feet, it won’t be easy to open the door. Might even cause a loss of control. “
“We will. ” Zhao Anlong raised his hand.
“Alright. ” The plane accelerated for a bit. The two unbuckled their seat belts and stood up, bidding farewell to the others on board. They also waited to put some distance between themselves and the previous jumper, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Six or seven minutes later, the brown-haired flight attendant pulled open the cabin door and waved amidst the strong wind: “Take care, you two. “
“Farewell. “
One tall, one medium—Yang Zicang and Zhao Anlong—gave a slight push off from the steps at the door, leaping out of the plane in tandem, plummeting into the dark land below.
The sharp, blade-like cold wind howled in their ears, and the two figures, squinting mid-air, touched the keys held close to their chests.
Then, the rippling energy that enveloped them flickered, causing the two silhouettes to vanish into the air, leaving only the fading, silent aircraft behind.
Doors 407 and 410 opened one after the other.
Zhao Anlong poked his head out. “Are we sleeping here tonight, or going back to our World Ark headquarters? “
A mischievous grin crept onto his face. “Koeni’s been inviting you for supper a lot lately, huh? “
Yang Zicang, however, stood frozen in place, silently fingering the key.
“What’s wrong? ” Zhao Anlong dropped the smirk, deliberately stiffened his expression, and walked over with feigned seriousness.
“I… I just remembered, I forgot to check in with Jisuo… ” Yang Zicang saw Zhao Anlong looking so unserious and changed his tune. “No, nothing. I think I might need to leave for a few days, starting tomorrow or the day after. “
“Eh? “
Zhao Anlong looked at the man at the door of 407, his face with its sharp features, one hand on the doorknob, the other pinching the key as he stood rooted to the spot.
“Just some personal business. So we need to hurry back tonight and start making preparations for our ‘Unveiling the Future’ project. “
“Now that’s more like it. That bastard Jin Baiyun obviously wants to steal our Radiance. “
Zhao Anlong gave a snort and said:
“Once the ‘Unveiling the Future’ plan truly succeeds, he will definitely have the qualification for the final flash. We can’t allow that. While you still have the momentum from being the first to propose this plan, let’s throw more fuel on the fire and snatch the light back. “
From Room 408, a faint collision sound came from behind the door.
It was as if someone had bumped their head against the wooden door in shock.
The two of them looked over together.
Yang Zicang took a few steps forward.
“You inside, I’ll give you one more chance. Come out now and voluntarily sign a unified management agreement for hotel check-in with me, and I’ll spare you any trouble. “
No response from inside.
Zhao Anlong walked over, knocked on the door with his knuckles—dōng dōng—then leaned in and pressed his eye to the peephole.
He caught a glimpse of a terrified eyeball pulling back from the other side of the peephole.
“You bastard, still spying on us! “
Through the hole in the door, a dark shadow flickered as light seeped through. Zhao Anlong saw, under the bedside lamp in the bedroom hallway, a gaunt man stumbling while glancing back, running toward the bedroom door.
The man inside leaned against the doorframe, hesitating, then bolstered his courage as though gambling once more and said:
“I.. I want a portion of the flash, plus five hundred thousand silver coins, then—then I’ll come out! “
“This scumbag. “
Zhao Anlong rattled the door handle. “Go to hell! “
With that, he moved his head aside and gestured with ashushat Yang Zicang.
A halo lit up on Yang Zicang’s chest, and shadowy flames flickered around Zhao Anlong’s body.
Outside was silent. After waiting for three or four minutes, both of them, highly focused, heard a scraping sound as the doorknob turned.
But the turning of the knob then stopped.
“Well…” a voice came from inside, “thirty thousand silver coins would also be acceptable. Thirty thousand plus one share of… hmm, how about fifty shares of Radiance? Hello?“
Yang Zicang let out a breath.
“Fifty shares is too many. I’ll transfer ten shares of Radiance to you, plus four hundred thousand silver coins.“
After all, money was of little use to him. Yang Zicang didn’t mind giving him all the funds he hadn’t spent on the World Ark.
Hearing the voice outside, Samis’s expression lit up with joy. He swallowed his saliva, and his voice trembled slightly.
“Si—sixty shares of Radiance—ah, spit—Radiance. If—if you refuse, I’ll raise the price again, you know?“
As he said this, he pressed his ear against the door.
Bang!
Zhao Anlong’s palm, imbued with destructive energy, slammed into the door, sounding like a thunderclap. It shook the man inside, making him stagger dizzily like a drunken fool for a few steps before stumbling unevenly into the bedroom.
“Let’s go,” Zhao Anlong said.
Yang Zicang glanced at the key and hummed an acknowledgment as he followed him toward the second floor.
The Jisuo Mountains… Even as the plane approached, I hadn’t remembered that letter from King Clayster.
But… when he returned to the Nomads’ Rest Inn and touched the Key, the mention of Mount Jishan suddenly connected it to the letter from about ten days ago.
Had he truly forgotten, or… had something happened again like the previous two times?
A trace of panic involuntarily arose in Yang Zicang’s heart. But if there really was a problem, directly asking Zhao Anlong would be enough; he believed the severity of the matter would spread everywhere before long.
“What should we do? ” Zhao Anlong’s steps moved quickly and nimbly across the stairs.
“We can also proceed with the research project on the Blood Shells simultaneously. “
As Yang Zicang said this, he felt a sense of resistance in his heart.
He analyzed it; perhaps it was because if that thing really was a biological egg, it clearly had nothing to do with his hometown.
Although this world was a different world, Yang Zicang still held onto a glimmer of hope that this world might have some connection to Earth.
But whether in terms of bloodlines or the tracks of fate, or regarding the strange world’s Treaty Moon Envoys and Vein Integrators, they all had huge differences from the reality of Earth.
Now the appearance of this crystal, suspected to be a biological egg, made Yang Zicang feel a bit of regret, but he also resignedly thought that Earth should still be somewhere in the universe, silently revolving around the sun.
“Heiwen Zike is also researching the Blood Shell data, and this topic has already been studied by the Steffen people for many years. “
Nearing the entrance of Building 203, the venue Yang He was invited to in Steffen, Zhao Anlong said:
“But so far, I don’t know of anyone who has actually obtained crystal-related data from Steffen. Even Blood Beast samples are extremely rare, and outsiders can’t figure out much from those corpses. “
Thinking of Yang Zicang, who had hidden away the documents inside the Lost Illusion Company, his eyes lit up slightly.
“It seems some force is protecting these materials. This should be a rather challenging matter. “
“Sigh, I just don’t know which force is protecting them, nor where all the files are hidden. Otherwise, watch me knock them over like little babies, directly splitting open their vaults and ripping the data out. “
“Doesn’t Council President Dawuti know? ” Yang Zicang asked with an inquiring tone. But he then realized that target was far too conspicuous.
“Guess why no one’s gunning for him. “
“Why. ” Assuming the armored soldiers were after him, Yang Zicang pushed open the door.
“These official Steffen blood science researchers are ruthless with themselves. However, President Dawuti only oversees the soldiers’ modification research, and he’s already had his own heart modified. Any time he feels like it, he can walk out of this world with the secrets. “
……
The two of them appeared in a dilapidated-looking civilian house on the outskirts of Steffen’s capital. But the true location they’d arrived at was the hidden chamber beneath the room’s heavy floorboards.
Returning to the lodgings in Kruen Hall, Yang Zicang knocked on the doors of Dereiano and Bai Yuan, while Zhao Anlong went to fetch Ying Renyu and Hei Yang.
“Can I sit out on this one? ” Spotting the figure of that woman inside the room, Bai Yuan glanced from the doorway, a trace of unease creeping in.
The lady inside turned her head, and Bai Yuan quickly shut his mouth.
Hei Yang’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Come on in. Tonight, we need to settle one thing, ” Yang Zicang said as he led the group inside.
Everyone took their seats. After briefly outlining the previous meeting—mentioning that someone was conducting a bait operation for the “Unveiling the Future ” plan—the few inside immediately changed expression, visibly alarmed.
“That’s absolutely despicable. “
“And they actually invited you over. “
A chill radiated from Zhao Xuemei, who then looked toward Hei Yang, the woman from the seafaring vessel pursing her red lips. The latter said:
“Inviting Buchen is most likely an attempt to link the actions of both sides. On one hand, they want to ignite the ‘Heroic Flash’ as quickly as possible. On the other, they have no intention of an all-out confrontation with us. “
“That’s what I think as well. “
Zhao Anlong leaned back in his chair, letting out a yawn.
“But I reckon those young lads are also thinking the same—as for whose name goes on this first ‘Heroic Flash,’ it’ll come down to each person’s skill. “
Once the “Unveiling the Future ” plan succeeds, everyone will likely rely on the platform of this project, and—like trees bearing fruit—new “Heroic Flashes ” will emerge.
But that is a matter for the distant future. What matters now is the flash that comes from seeing results on the “Unveiling the Future ” plan.
“As long as we succeed with one project ahead of them, and that project has a certain degree of influence on the era’s civilization, there is absolutely no way we’ll lose this flash, ” Ying Renyu said.
“But what about the curse? ” Zhao Xuemei looked over. “The President has already grandly proposed the ‘Unveiling the Future’ plan. All the ripples generated by similar future plans should be attributed to President Buchen. “
“Buchen, do you need to recuse yourself from this meeting? ” Hei Yang turned her alluring face, and her pure black, crystal-like eyes had a pearlescent sheen.
Bai Yuan gave a light cough. “Um… I suggest you recuse yourself. “
“Not necessary, ” Yang Zicang said. “Because I’ve thought of an action plan. If I don’t bring it up, I’m afraid there’s no way to outdo those grand and foundational research projects of the Elder Fellowship. “
“Oh? What is it? ” The others looked on with curiosity.
“Alternating current and direct current. Let’s pick the branch that the previous era didn’t choose. Find someone to research it quickly. “
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