AGTCTCC Chapter 39

Chapter 39 The future is death.

The glass bottle containing Qi Xiao’s thin Spiritual Power was placed by Yan Zhou Ping on a simple instrument he had hastily made. The faint purple color blended harmoniously within the shadowy room.

On the miniature of the massive base, that wisp of Spiritual Power traversed above it like a gentle stream, never settling.

Half of Yan Zhou Ping’s face was shrouded in shadow, the edges of his figure blurred, the dark lines seeming to spread outwards at any moment.

He casually grabbed a tube from the prepared reagents beside him and downed it. Several bubbles floated within the clear liquid. Only after swallowing the entire tube did his outline become slightly clearer.

[Yan Zhou Ping: Unable to lock onto their positions, only confirmed that Ning Li An is indeed on the Main Star.]

Xiang Li frowned upon receiving Yan Zhou Ping’s message.

[Xiang Li: The base can’t confirm either?]

[Yan Zhou Ping: Hard to say.]

Bai Yan lounged to the side like an old codger, legs crossed. He glanced at their chat logs, his expression unchanging. Even if he had one, it wouldn’t be visible on his featureless face.

Bai Yan: “What are you planning to do next?”

Xiang Li fiddled with the communicator in his hand, still messaging Yan Zhou Ping, and replied without looking up.

“Xing Qing Kun sent Qi Xiao’s address to Chu Qi’s communicator.”

Bai Yan grunted in acknowledgement, his tone slow and leisurely, nodding in agreement. A few seconds later, he realized the oddity in Xiang Li’s words.

“Which Chu Qi?”

Xiang Li: “…”

He didn’t speak, only gave him a “are you stupid?” look.

Bai Yan: “How did you know?”

Truthfully, Bai Yan was five years older than Xiang Li in terms of age, but he came to the lab later. It could be said that those who survived all entered later than Xiang Li.

Except for Qi Xiao and Ning Li An.

Xiang Li displayed the communicator screen in front of Bai Yan.

“Chu Qi sent it to me.”

Bai Yan: “…”

His gaze wasn’t on the address. The few messages visible on the screen were all sent by Xiang Li. He couldn’t help but give him a look of sympathy.

Xiang Li’s face darkened at his gaze.

Bai Yan resumed his old codger posture.

“Commander Chu didn’t ask you anything else?”

Xiang Li: “Ask what? He’s not stupid.”

The door was pushed open. Xiang Li turned to look, while Bai Yan instinctively burrowed into Xiang Li’s shadow.

It was Sang Quan Shi Li.

Sang Quan Shi Li saw “Chu Qi” sitting on the sofa and a moment of awkwardness flashed across his face.

Sang Quan Shi Li: “Shen Gui told me everything.”

Xiang Li: “Mm.”

He turned his head back.

The door behind Sang Quan Shi Li closed. The next second, Bai Yan suddenly appeared in front of him, stroking his chin as he sized him up.

The other man was clearly startled by the sudden appearance of the black figure. His face paled for a moment, then he quickly rubbed his face, restoring a bit of color.

“Hello, my name is Sang Quan Shi Li,” he said, extending a hand.

Bai Yan shook his hand without much resistance. The instant they clasped, Bai Yan’s other hand slapped Sang Quan Shi Li’s shoulder, smiling as he turned to ask Xiang Li.

“Xiang Li, does he look familiar to you?”

Xiang Li looked up. He saw Sang Quan Shi Li’s face turning a bit red, but he didn’t resist Bai Yan’s actions. Bai Yan grabbed Sang Quan Shi Li’s wrist, a light brown Spiritual Power flowing out from the connection point, which Bai Yan pinched in his hand and occasionally brought to his nose to sniff.

Bai Yan: “The scent is familiar too.”

Xiang Li walked over, seeing Sang Quan Shi Li’s face flushed, letting Bai Yan do as he pleased without resistance.

Sang Quan Shi Li: “I, I… I might be able to provide some clues,” he said, taking a deep breath.

“?”

Bai Yan paused his sniffing, straightening up, but the grip on the wrist didn’t loosen.

Xiang Li: “You.”

Sang Quan Shi Li nodded, handing over the item he was holding in his other free hand.

“These are my parents’ belongings. I saw the reports Shen Gui took. My family has the same thing.”

“…left by my parents.”

Sang Quan Shi Li: “Our family has been doing experimental research for generations. My parents were always absorbed in research when I was young and never let me get involved. A few years after my parents died in an accident, these were left unattended.”

“I saw them once while organizing their belongings. I like mech modifications and I’m not interested in Spiritual Power research, so I didn’t pay much attention at the time…”

Xiang Li and Bai Yan exchanged a look. The latter took the bag from Sang Quan Shi Li, releasing his hand at the same time.

Inside were several neatly arranged Spiritual Power experiment reports. At first glance, there was nothing wrong, but a closer look revealed several abnormalities.

For example, some of the photos were of the conditions on Planet C079, all taken when it was entering its lockdown period.

[Reagent B86 failed, no Spiritual Power ability development observed, re-entered dormancy.]

Xiang Li stared at the conclusion, lost in thought. He put away the experiment report.

“In other words, your parents knew about Planet C079. Why didn’t they report it to the management?”

Sang Quan Shi Li: “I don’t know.”

As he spoke, he kept his eyes lowered, looking at the logo on the bag in Bai Yan’s hand.

After all… immortality was indeed tempting, especially now, surrounded by Polluted Entities, with humanity struggling to survive.

Xiang Li: “Where’s Shen Gui?”

Sang Quan Shi Li came back to his senses. “He went to see Xing Zi Mu. He’s alone in the interrogation room. Shen Gui is worried about his condition.”

Before Xiang Li could speak, Bai Yan laughed out loud, putting an arm around Xiang Li’s shoulder and bending over to stare at Sang Quan Shi Li.

“What, is that old man Xing Qing Kun really willing to keep his useless grandson in the interrogation room all the time?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding air suddenly shifted. Xiang Li felt the weight on his shoulder lighten. The next second, a bullet struck exactly where Bai Yan had been standing.

Bai Yan: “…shit.”

The high-speed spinning bullet, still carrying residual heat, was embedded deep in the floor, fine cracks spreading around it.

Bai Yan looked at the unfazed Xiang Li, enraged. His figure vanished, disappearing without a trace.

Xiang Li held the report Bai Yan had shoved at him, flipped through it quickly, and asked.

“Have you had your Spiritual Power or blood tested?”

Sang Quan Shi Li: “No.”

His expression showed confusion, but he still said, “I’ll go find Lin Wu to do one now.”

Without waiting for Xiang Li to respond, he turned and left. In Chu Qi’s vast home, only Xiang Li, the “fake Chu Qi,” remained.

The “fake Chu Qi” stared at the bullet embedded in the floor, his eyes shifting slightly.

The address Chu Qi gave on the communicator was far from the main city, almost touching the barrier. It wasn’t that people couldn’t live outside the main city, but it was less safe.

The entrances and exits of the main city were guarded. If the Source Stones were to run out, it would ensure temporary safety.

It was still bright sunshine. Xiang Li wore his youthful, nineteen-year-old face, brazenly approaching the location on the communicator.

The area bordered a forest, the same forest where they had their monthly exams. Now, it was divided in two by the barrier, one half inside and one half outside.

The withered trees were layered, but it was easy to spot the out-of-place house among them. The floors were stacked like tofu cubes, square and neat, without windows, like a giant iron box.

Xiang Li’s eyes darkened. He stretched his limbs, making a movement to accelerate forward. The next second, his figure faded away.

The room was dark, not a sliver of light could penetrate. The faint light emitted from the various Spiritual Power liquids in the room barely provided visibility.

But this didn’t affect Xiang Li. His Spiritual Power shifted in his eyes, and everything in the room was clearly presented before him.

Xiang Li examined the room as he walked forward, the virtual figure making no sound on the floor, silent and still.

Xiang Li didn’t choose to go upstairs, but instead looked under the coffee table, his eyes flashing with understanding.

Sure enough, like Yan Zhou Ping, they all liked to build secret passages in plain sight.

The basement was much more cluttered than upstairs.

Disorganized experimental equipment, yellowed photographs, masks with unfamiliar faces, incomplete corpses and limbs stored in nutrient-filled glass containers…

Further ahead, several robots worked busily, in front of them were several huge nutrient capsules. The transparent glass domes allowed one to clearly see what was inside.

Xiang Li scanned them one by one, all of them were students who had disappeared from the military academy. Spotting a familiar figure on the experimental platform, he kept his hands moving, constantly dripping various colored reagents onto something.

Professor Lainsdito: “…”

Xiang Li’s eyes darkened, and he stepped forward gently. The object in front of Professor Lainsdito was slowly revealed in Xiang Li’s sight.

…Ke Man.

Xiang Li: “!”

Ke Man’s Peace Talisman wasn’t in Ke Shi Zhuo’s hand?

Qi Xiao: “I was also very surprised. This kid actually managed to find this place. An ungraduated brat, I don’t know whether to call him loyal or reckless.”

Xiang Li turned his head. Qi Xiao stood at the entrance to the basement, a smile on her gentle face, seemingly in her twenties. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was greeting children coming to play at her house.

Qi Xiao: “I’m very curious about this talisman.”

Xiang Li: “You didn’t bring me here just to talk about this, right?”

Qi Xiao would definitely not register her real address on the Main Star. Moreover, Xing Qing Kun was still under her control. She must have been trying to find him.

Far away in Chu Qi’s home, Bai Yan and Shen Gui sat on the sofa watching the scene before them. The surveillance camera on Xiang Li’s chest captured Qi Xiao’s face clearly.

Qi Xiao’s gaze only fell on his chest for a moment, her face still sporting a proper, gentle smile.

Shen Gui stared at Qi Xiao, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. He shouldn’t have seen this face before, but a voice in his heart kept saying.

You’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, this face is so familiar, how could you not have seen it? Where have you seen it? Where have you seen it before…

Xiang Li and Qi Xiao exchanged a few words. Professor Lainsdito, who was on the side, was still busy with his own affairs, not even raising his head.

Qi Xiao didn’t care that she had been exposed. Even if she was captured, it didn’t matter. Ning Li An was still here, and she could be abandoned at any time.

Qi Xiao: “Experiment Body Number 054, I’m sorry to call you that, but I’m more familiar with your designation than your name.”

Xiang Li didn’t speak.

Qi Xiao suddenly looked him up and down with an impolite gaze, scoffing. “Using your Spiritual Power so much during your weakened period? Are you planning to capture me and Lao Ning back to Planet C079 this time?”

Xiang Li: “You don’t seem to trust my abilities very much.”

Qi Xiao’s movements were gentle and soft, but her words were not polite at all. “The weakening period is becoming more and more painful. You’re relying on Lao Yan’s half-baked skills to develop an antidote. Why not trust us?”

Qi Xiao: “If we cooperate…”

Bai Yan gritted his teeth. “To hell with cooperating!”

Perhaps because of his agitation, the color on his chest grew darker and lighter, lighter and darker.

Shen Gui just watched quietly, without saying a word.

Qi Xiao’s voice was empty, hollow, slowly and irresistibly entering the ears of the three of them.

“The future is death.”