Within the hundred-meter range of his Psychic Vision, Lin Qi possessed absolute perception that went far beyond sight.
He could eavesdrop on a Third Rank Wizard's communications without alerting him.
Compared with the Train Conductor's ability, the first extraordinary ability Lin Qi had gained seemed even more unusual.
What the Train Conductor said fits what I know about Extraordinary Professions. An information-gathering ability as absurd as Psychic Vision is extremely rare among extraordinary professionals.
Lin Qi was delighted with his ability and kept listening.
On the other end of the call, Liu Xingyuan said grimly, "The mole in the Liu Group is an old, deep-rooted problem."
The Train Conductor continued, "I sent you the details from Car Two. We still can't identify what killed that mercenary squad, but there are no external injuries. It looks a lot like Liu Li's style."
Liu Xingyuan shook his head. "Liu Li's extraordinary power was an experiment, but as far as I know, she can't kill people through walls."
The Train Conductor sighed. "Then I don't know. It could be another company's doing. The passengers on this train have far too many complicated connections."
Liu Xingyuan replied, "The Large Enterprise Alliance is putting too much pressure on us. The Liu Group and the Si Clan can't withstand it alone. The Eastern Alliance would have to mediate, but from the looks of things, that's almost impossible."
"The Eastern Alliance only cares about the overall stability of the Asian Political Zone. Unless a war threatens to destroy a city, they won't intervene directly. They may even have had a hand in the Assassin's League's moves this time."
"Once you reach Greenland City, you only need to protect Liu Xuan and Liu Li. Liu Yue and Liu Heng are just decoys."
The Train Conductor nodded. He was the real bodyguard on this trip.
A Third Rank Wizard with a host of strange abilities—one who was the natural enemy of cybernetic implant users.
He could even hold his own against an S-Class Implant User.
"Are you sure it has to be Liu Xuan? Her condition is quite serious. I'm worried..." The Train Conductor's words caught Lin Qi's attention.
What's that supposed to mean?
Are they planning to get rid of me?
Liu Xingyuan sighed too. "Only if there's no other choice. As for Liu Xuan's condition, we may find a way to resolve it someday. Until then, you need to keep Lin Qi safe. He may be Liu Xuan's weakness, but he's also a genius with a chance of becoming an X-level researcher. The Liu Group needs talent."
Liu Xingyuan sounded utterly helpless.
The Liu Group seemed to have reached a turning point in its fate.
Would it continue to prosper?
Or was it nearing its end?
The chairman of Liu Heavy Industries seemed close to losing control of the great ship as the waves battered it from every side.
Protect me?
That was good news. Apparently, the Train Conductor had only been trying to scare him earlier.
As for why he was Liu Xuan's weakness?
Lin Qi didn't fully understand, though he had formed a vague guess over the years.
It went back to that laboratory accident.
Who knew what kind of experiment Liu Xuan had been conducting? It had unleashed a powerful psychic storm.
Under the storm's influence, Lin Qi's Mental Power had collided with hers.
That was the first time Lin Qi had clearly sensed the [Gate].
The [Gate] had kept him conscious through the psychic storm, allowing him to find Liu Xuan and shut down the machine.
After that, Liu Xuan had started appearing in his life now and then.
She rarely paid him much attention, but after years of repeatedly running into this familiar NPC, Lin Qi had struck up something of a friendship with her.
The rest of Liu Xingyuan and the Train Conductor's conversation yielded no more information. They discussed how to handle the aftermath in Car Two, then ended the call.
Lin Qi learned nothing more.
Reclining in his spacious seat, he kept Psychic Vision active and watched.
Car One was utterly quiet, but Lin Qi noticed that the two men from the Liu Family were trembling faintly.
They were afraid.
"Decoys." That was how Liu Xingyuan had described them.
Their purpose aboard this train was to draw fire away from the sisters, Liu Xuan and Liu Li.
They were all members of the Liu Family, yet the gulf in their status was enormous.
Those two were cannon fodder.
Lin Qi respected their fate and stopped paying attention to them.
He turned his attention back to Car Two.
Bodies lay everywhere inside, though some people were still alive.
They were all A-level researchers. Who among them hadn't equipped themselves with a few life-saving cybernetic prostheses?
A few were still breathing.
But their breaths were growing shallow. Without treatment, they wouldn't last long.
As always, Lin Qi respected other people's fate and left them alone.
He withdrew his Psychic Vision.
The trouble aboard the train was all but over. Nothing more required Lin Qi's intervention.
All he needed to do was keep his identity hidden, stay alive, and decide what came next after reaching Greenland City.
He closed his eyes and rested.
The train moved steadily onward. By his reckoning, they were nearing the final stop.
Lin Qi opened his eyes, but he couldn't see outside the train.
Once the train had set off, all its armor plating had come down, blocking any view of the outside.
But it couldn't stop Lin Qi's Psychic Vision.
He extended Psychic Vision to its full hundred-meter range and saw the scene beyond the train.
Greenland City was close.
So this is the Iron Curtain.
The Iron Curtain System's true form came into view.
It resembled a massive lotus, its petals rising out of the ground.
The bud was closed, enveloping Greenland City on every side.
The petals weren't sealed without a gap. One opening lay directly ahead of the train.
The Iron Curtain System had not sealed Greenland City completely.
Judging by its shape, Lin Qi estimated there were at least six gaps like this train entrance.
But they were probably under the Si Clan's strict control.
Arthur's trapped in there?
No wonder he can't escape. It'd be a miracle if he could.
The Iron Curtain System had physically sealed off Greenland City on all sides.
To leave, someone would have to break through the Iron Curtain—through one of those lotus petals.
The Iron Curtain's material might not be especially high-grade, perhaps only around M-level or L-level, but it was bound to be covered in sensors.
Anyone who tried to break through it would alert the Si Clan before they could get out.
Greenland City was the Si Clan's stronghold. They might not have a monstrous X-level fighter, but they certainly had S-Class Implant Users, and probably quite a few.
Should I still contact Arthur? I don't think I can help him. He might even bring trouble down on me...
Whatever. Guangleng has already replied. I should at least get in touch with Arthur.
I have the Liu Group's protection now, so I'm unlikely to run into too much danger.
At tonight's meeting, I'll first find out exactly what kind of trouble Arthur's in.
The train passed through the long, narrow gap in the Iron Curtain and entered Greenland City at a reduced speed.
Its route led straight to the city center.
Two towers, each hundreds of floors tall, rose from the center of Greenland City.
High on the Twin Towers, in the most prominent position, was the Si Pharmaceutical logo.
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