Airport Pickup

Only after the car started did Gu Shen finally let out a sigh of relief.

He knew Grandma too well. If he did not slip away quickly, she would definitely find some way to stuff the money back into his hands.

"Why were you in such a hurry to leave?"

Nan Jin asked blandly, "Why not stay a little longer... Those people seemed to treat you quite well."

"That's exactly why I had to leave in a hurry." Gu Shen smiled. "Don't you get it? Sentimental attachments are a huge hindrance when roaming the martial world!"

Nan Jin took off her black-rimmed glasses and rolled her eyes at Gu Shen irritably.

After leaving the Welfare Institute, she was no longer that considerate big sister. She put her sunglasses back on and became the cold, ruthless Nan Jin again.

"The assessment is right around the corner... I really don't have the mood for anything else. I want to get back to training as soon as possible. Any improvement is better than none." Gu Shen's smile was somewhat bitter. He murmured, "Once the assessment is over, there should be plenty of time to come see them, right?"

"..."

Nan Jin fell silent for a while before answering honestly, "The Adjudication Court has many daily assignments, and it's very busy. You may often have to travel on business, all across the Eastern Continent. But there are also certain special missions that require an executor to remain stationed in one city for a long time... You'll only have less and less time, but you'll never have to worry about money again. The Council's subsidy will definitely be generous."

"That works too." Gu Shen smiled. "Since ancient times, one could never have both money and leisure. Once Grandma knows I can earn this much, she'll probably praise me for making something of myself, right?"

"Maybe Grandma just wants you to spend more time with her?"

Nan Jin always liked laying bare the truth.

Seeing that Gu Shen had fallen silent, she changed the subject. "But now really isn't the time. Do you remember that car that stopped outside the Welfare Institute just now?"

Gu Shen froze, his expression turning grave.

Nan Jin had noticed it too... He slowly nodded.

"There's something wrong with that car. It may have been there for you. Did you come into contact with its owner?" Nan Jin said crisply, "I've already notified Senior Brother and the others to investigate... The assessment is the day after tomorrow. You absolutely cannot have an accident in these next two days."

Did she suspect that someone might try to assassinate him?

That was indeed the most reasonable first reaction and conclusion. Unfortunately, Nan Jin did not know that he had already crossed paths with that man... The danger involved had been no less than, if not greater than, the previous assassination attempt.

"We briefly interacted in the courtyard. I thought he seemed pretty suspicious too." Gu Shen scratched his head and began playing dumb with practiced ease. "That gentleman's surname is Han. He was always smiling, looked young but rich, and spent money freely. He donated a hundred thousand in one go."

"Surname Han? Always smiling?"

At that, Nan Jin immediately thought of Han Dang, whom Senior Brother Zhong had mentioned.

He was a Mental Affinity Transcendent rated at severe danger level.

Her expression grew solemn. "Did he say anything to you? Or make any physical contact with you?"

"Ah..." Gu Shen looked completely blank, pretending to think hard as he murmured, "I can't really remember... Oh, oh, oh, I remember now. He seemed to say he would visit me in Da Teng City."

Nan Jin immediately called Zhong Wei.

Da Teng City was hit by a rainstorm, neither too heavy nor too light.

Dark clouds filled the sky.

A young man and woman stood alone beneath a single umbrella before the empty airport apron. Rain poured onto the ground and splashed back up, yet not a single drop touched their clothes. It was as though an invisible barrier of wind kept the raindrops away.

The umbrella was merely there to make the two of them look less strange.

"Thirteen minutes until the Assessment Team lands."

Luo Er spoke softly. Her expression was somewhat complicated. Because of the heavy rain, the Assessment Team's plane would arrive about an hour later than scheduled. The two of them had already waited in the rain for an hour.

"It's been a long time since I was alone with Senior Sister."

Zhong Wei chuckled quietly. "If not for this special training, how much longer were you planning to avoid me?"

He and Luo Er were Mr. Shu's first two students. They had known each other for ten years, counting from the year they entered the Adjudication Court.

"I wasn't avoiding you." Luo Er sighed. "The Adjudication Court's assignments are too demanding. Teacher can't be everywhere at once. Whenever a Transcendent incident beyond A-rank occurs, I'm the only one who can handle it."

"Maybe next time you can call me. I can help... We've partnered up for so long." Zhong Wei sounded helpless. "I don't have any other intentions... I just... want to help you. I don't want to see you dealing with high-risk loss-of-control incidents alone."

Luo Er opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

"Actually, I'm quite grateful to Gu Shen. If not for this S-rank newcomer, when would we meet again? Would we even still be alive by then?"

Zhong Wei held the umbrella with one hand and raised the other, thrusting all five fingers into the curtain of rain. He did not rein in his Transcendent power.

The next instant, a sharp gale suddenly erupted, spinning as it shredded and tore apart a large swath of rain before them.

"Do you remember what Teacher said? Those who awaken as Transcendents lift the crown with their own hands, and with those same hands send themselves down a road of no return. Countless white bones are buried beneath Qingzhong in Nagano. I don't want to meet Senior Sister there one day." (Note 1)

"Actually, there's something I've always wanted to tell Senior Sister."

He smiled. "I..."

"Beep, beep, beep."

A phone always rang at the most inappropriate time.

For example, when someone had finally worked up the courage.

"I need to take this..." The quiet atmosphere was shattered by the ringtone. Zhong Wei answered with a bitter smile, lowering his eyes and listening quietly until the call ended.

After hanging up.

"Was that Nan Jin? Is there an emergency on Gu Shen's end?" Senior Apprentice Sister Luo asked.

"...Not exactly an emergency. They just found a suspicious vehicle. I'll investigate it once I get back." Zhong Wei sighed softly. The courage he had painstakingly gathered had been interrupted by this call.

So both of them fell silent.

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo was clearly somewhat irritated as well. Gazing into the rain, she said, "When exactly are those people from the Assessment Team getting here?"

Her task in picking them up this time was to receive the Assessment Team and, at the same time, draw as much intelligence from them as possible.

Information regarding the Assessment Team's internal evaluation of Gu Shen.

And... most importantly, the content of this assessment prepared specifically for the S-rank!

Zhong Wei took several deep breaths. Once again, he had gathered his courage. "Senior Sister, um..."

"Ring, ring, ring!"

The phone rang again.

Zhong Wei could not take it anymore.

When he answered again, Zhong Wei's expression gradually turned grave.

After he hung up, Senior Apprentice Sister Luo frowned. "Nan Jin again?"

"Mm."

After being interrupted twice, Zhong Wei had completely forgotten what he had wanted to say. He said seriously, "The owner of that suspicious vehicle has basically been identified... It's Han Dang."

(Note 1: Nagano is the most developed and one of the most representative major cities in the northern Eastern Continent.)