“Second Brother! You’re awake?!”
The moment Lian Qiguang opened his eyes, Lian Xiaozhu did not even have time to wipe away her tears. She immediately threw herself onto Lian Qiguang, crying with tears and mucus all over her face.
His eyes had only just adjusted to the light. Before he even had time to catch his breath, Lian Xiaozhu had already pressed down on him with all her strength.
Lian Qiguang almost lost control of his breathing.
“Get off.”
Looking at Lian Xiaozhu’s foolish face so close to his own, Lian Qiguang expressionlessly pushed her face aside.
“Where does it still hurt?”
Lian Yucheng pulled Lian Xiaozhu away and stepped forward to support Lian Qiguang’s body, adjusting the angle of the bed for him.
“I’m fine.”
After shifting himself slightly, Lian Qiguang finally began observing his surroundings.
“Where is this?”
“Hospital!”
Lian Xiaozhu immediately answered.
Her eyes were still red as she stared at Lian Qiguang.
“Second Brother, do you know how scared I was when I saw you yesterday?
You were covered in blood. I thought you were dead.”
“……”
Lian Qiguang.
“The doctor said they’re only external injuries. Don’t be afraid.”
Seeing that Lian Qiguang remained silent, Lian Yucheng assumed he had been frightened.
He reached out and patted Lian Qiguang’s shoulder comfortingly.
“Mm.”
Lian Qiguang responded expressionlessly.
His thoughts had already returned to that mysterious man in black.
Looking at Lian Qiguang’s silent side profile, Lian Yucheng opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.
“About your teammates… accept my condolences.”
‘Teammates?!’
Lian Qiguang suddenly raised his head.
He expressionlessly looked at Lian Yucheng.
“If you want to cry, I can pretend I didn’t see.”
Lian Yucheng silently pressed down on Lian Qiguang’s shoulder and comforted him softly.
“Mi Xiaobao and the others…”
“Awake?”
The sound of the door opening interrupted Lian Qiguang’s unfinished sentence.
Qing Murong walked in from outside.
“Dean Qing.”
Lian Yucheng stood up and nodded in greeting.
“Mm.”
Qing Murong smiled in response.
Then he turned his gaze toward Lian Qiguang.
“How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?”
“No.”
Facing Qing Murong’s concern, Lian Qiguang simply replied expressionlessly.
He lowered his head and fell into thought again.
Qing Murong did not mind being ignored.
He only assumed the child had been frightened.
“Can I speak with him alone?”
Qing Murong looked toward Lian Yucheng and asked with a smile.
Lian Yucheng glanced at the distracted Lian Qiguang.
After a moment, he nodded.
“Alright.”
“Xiaoxiao, come outside with me first.”
“I want to stay with Second Brother.”
Lian Xiaozhu was reluctant.
She looked at Qing Murong with obvious hostility.
Qing Murong could only feel helpless.
“I’ll be back soon. Come on.”
Lian Yucheng held Lian Xiaozhu’s hand.
He nodded toward Qing Murong before turning and leaving the room.
‘It’s all this old man’s fault!’
Lian Xiaozhu glared fiercely at Qing Murong.
Unwillingly, she followed Lian Yucheng out.
After the door closed, Qing Murong walked over and sat beside Lian Qiguang.
“Zhang Qi died.”
“Ji Renlin and Ye Chengcheng disappeared. There has been no news of them until now. They are likely already dead as well.”
“……”
Lian Qiguang.
“This training resulted in three student deaths.”
“All three were from your Seventh Team.”
“……”
“Not only that, the incident has already attracted the attention of the government.”
“It is not only because of the deaths of Ji Renlin’s group.”
“Your entire class of six students has also become the focus of attention.”
Qing Murong stared directly at Lian Qiguang’s face, carefully watching for even the slightest abnormal reaction.
“Ji Renlin, Ye Chengcheng, and Zhang Qi were third-year students from the Azure Emperor Military Academy.”
“Although their talents were not considered extraordinary, they were still excellent students.”
“And your first class…”
“First-year students from the rescue department.”
“To put it bluntly, any one of those three could have easily killed all of you.”
“So?”
Lian Qiguang raised his head.
He looked at Qing Murong expressionlessly.
“Ten people entered.”
“Three died.”
“Of the six survivors, all of them were from your class.”
“Leaving aside you and Qiu Li Mo…”
“The strength of both of you is obvious to everyone.”
“But the others…”
The smile on Qing Murong’s face slowly disappeared.
What replaced it was seriousness and solemnity.
“Qing Yi, Feng Qingyang, Mi Xiaobao, and Lan Qi.”
“The combined strength of their abilities was not even at Warrior Rank Level Five.”
“But after this accident…”
“Not only were they completely unharmed…”
“Their abilities all broke through Warrior Rank and reached Human Rank.”
“What?!”
Lian Qiguang suddenly raised his head.
His eyes stared directly at Qing Murong.
The shock in them was impossible to hide.
They…
were still alive?
“You didn’t know?”
Qing Murong looked confused.
“……”
Lian Qiguang hid the surprise in his eyes.
He lowered his gaze and spoke coldly.
“The ground collapsed. I was separated from them.”
“When I woke up, there was no one around me.”
“Then what happened to your injuries?”
Qing Murong pressed further.
His voice became stern.
“There are ability fluctuations inside your wounds.”
“It is obvious that you were injured by another person.”
“……”
Lian Qiguang.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
Seeing Lian Qiguang remain silent, Qing Murong softened his tone and spoke gently.
“I don’t mean anything by it.”
“These few students have attracted the attention of those above.”
“Although I have been suppressing the matter and preventing them from interfering…”
“But you know.”
“I am only an ordinary academy dean in the Third District.”
“When facing the First District…”
“When facing the government…”
“I have no power to resist.”
“Overnight, they went from useless people to Human Rank ability users.”
“I think you should understand how they will treat these children.”
“So, Lian Qiguang…”
“I need to know what happened.”
“They wanted to take Mi Xiaobao and the others to the laboratory.”
Lian Qiguang raised his head.
His eyes were dark as he looked at Qing Murong.
“Xiao Guang…”
“They wanted to take Mi Xiaobao and the others to the laboratory.”
Lian Qiguang emphasized his words and repeated them expressionlessly.
Looking into Lian Qiguang’s deep, dark eyes, Qing Murong remained silent for a moment.
Then he let out a quiet sigh.
“If this matter is not handled properly…”
“They may not be able to escape that fate.”
“They wouldn’t dare.”
Darkness filled Lian Qiguang’s eyes.
A bone-chilling coldness spread from him.
“If they dare capture them for experiments…”
“I will flatten their laboratory.”
“Xiao Guang!”
Qing Murong frowned.
“I admit you are a genius.”
“I also admit you are very intelligent.”
“But do not forget…”
“Who exactly are you facing?”
“That is the entire government!”
“If not for the Xiahou family protecting you…”
“Do you think you could still be sitting here peacefully?”
“You would have already been captured by the people in the laboratory and cut into pieces!”
“……”
Lian Qiguang.
“Sorry.”
Qing Murong closed his eyes, suppressing the anger in his heart.
“I just…”
“I am simply too worried about those children.”
“I can.”
Lian Qiguang looked at Qing Murong expressionlessly.
His experiences from his previous life guaranteed that his cultivation path would be smooth.
Although all the crystal cores he had collected before were gone…
Now that he had the lake water…
He was completely confident that he could restore his former strength in the shortest amount of time.
“Xiao Guang…”
“Tell me.”
“What exactly happened in the training area?”
Qing Murong looked up.
His expression was serious and heavy.
Looking at Qing Murong’s stiff expression, Lian Qiguang remained silent for a long time.
Then he leaned back against the pillow.
“I told you.”
“I was separated from them.”
“Lian Qiguang…”
“When I woke up, I was in an empty forest.”
“Later…”
“I met someone.”
“A person?!”
Qing Murong was startled.
“Who?!”
“I don’t know.”
Lian Qiguang shook his head.
“He wore a very large cloak.”
“I couldn’t see his face.”
“He also never spoke.”
“The injuries on your body…”
“Were also caused by him?”
“Yes.”
Lian Qiguang raised his head.
Expressionlessly, he looked directly into Qing Murong’s eyes.
“Corrosion ability.”
“Corrosion… ability?”
Qing Murong was shocked.
“How is that possible?”
“It was indeed corrosion ability.”
“And it was extremely powerful.”
Lian Qiguang thought for a moment, then added:
“Not weaker than Shaoxuan.”
“Not weaker than Xiahou Shaoxuan?”
This time, Qing Murong was truly shaken.
How abnormal Xiahou Shaoxuan was, he understood better than anyone.
If the person Lian Qiguang described truly existed and possessed strength as powerful as he claimed…
Then this matter was far more serious than anyone imagined.
The corrosion ability.
The legendary ability from the apocalypse era that only existed in records.
No one had ever seen it before.
Everyone thought it was merely a myth.
But now…
It truly existed.
“Mi Xiaobao and the others’ abilities…”
Lian Qiguang interrupted Qing Murong’s thoughts.
“Are not impossible either.”
“Hmm?”
“I think they may have accidentally eaten something.”
“Something that stimulated their bodies.”
“Causing their bodies to undergo modification and mutation.”
“The power that had accumulated for a long time erupted all at once.”
“That is why they broke through continuously.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Back then…”
Lian Qiguang pressed his lips together.
Then continued making up an explanation.
“Back then, I think I accidentally ate something.”
“After that, my ability awakened.”
“And I continued breaking through.”
“What thing?!”
Qing Murong suddenly stood up.
He grabbed Lian Qiguang’s hand.
His face became flushed with excitement.
His eyes shone brightly as he stared at him.
Lian Qiguang’s body stiffened.
Expressionlessly, he pulled his hand back.
“It was many years ago.”
“I forgot.”
“Forgot?!”
“How could you forget?!”
“Do you know that if this is true…”
“This would be a huge breakthrough!”
“It would be the natural enemy of those mutated beings!”
“It would be the beginning of a new world!”
Qing Murong could no longer control himself.
He shook Lian Qiguang’s shoulders and shouted.
“Do you know how many people currently have no abilities?”
“Do you know how many people’s abilities are stuck at bottlenecks and cannot break through?”
“Do you know—”
“……”
A blade appeared.
Qian Ming stopped two centimeters away from Qing Murong’s neck.
Lian Qiguang looked at him expressionlessly.
“Alright, Xiao Guang, don’t get excited!”
“……”
“I said I don’t remember.”
Lian Qiguang spoke expressionlessly.
“If you don’t remember…”
“Then slowly think about it.”
“First, put the blade away.”
“Leave.”
“Xiao Guang…”
“Get out!!”
Qian Ming moved slightly.
A chill immediately appeared against Qing Murong’s neck.
The dean instantly stood straight.
“Alright! I’ll leave!”
“Immediately!”
Lian Qiguang flipped his hand.
Qian Ming vanished back into space.
“Xiao Guang…”
Qing Murong still wanted to say something.
But the moment Lian Qiguang moved his hand again, Qing Murong turned around and ran out of the room.
“Xiao Guangguang, I’ll wait for you!”
“Remember carefully~~~~”
After the door closed, Lian Qiguang leaned against the pillow.
He stared expressionlessly at the ceiling.
His mind was a complete mess.
At this moment, Lian Qiguang felt as if he had fallen into a gigantic pit.
The surroundings were completely dark.
He was trapped inside.
Unable to find a way out.
After thinking for a long time without finding any clues, Lian Qiguang pushed all those chaotic thoughts aside.
He sat up.
Thinking about the nonsense he had just told Qing Murong, Lian Qiguang opened his optical brain.
He found the number that Mi Xiaobao had stubbornly forced him to save in the past.
Then he sent a message.
After finishing, he weakly lay back down.
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
The spatial lake water having such an unbelievable effect was something he had never expected.
What he had just told Qing Murong was not completely fabricated.
It was also one of his own theories.
The lake water stimulated the body.
Caused modification and mutation.
The power accumulated over time erupted all at once.
That was why the abilities continuously broke through.
During the apocalypse, he had once heard of an ordinary person who accidentally obtained a mysterious treasure.
Afterward, everything happened exactly as he described.
So…
Did this mean it would also work on Lian Xiaozhu?