Shadow Struggle: Second Round

Qing Chen had thought about forming a team in the Inner World before, since one person's strength is very limited, and having teammates can always provide some help.

For example, the wound medicine that Jiang Xue brought back, the information provided by Li Tongyun, and the information provided by Nan Gengchen were all combined with inside help.

But he always felt that now was not the right time.

In Qing Chen's opinion, it would be best to have a suitable opportunity to introduce each other and then help each other.

But he didn't expect this moment to come so suddenly.

"I think I understand," Qing Chen said, looking at Li Tongyun and Nan Gengchen. "Xiao Tongyun, you are Li Yinuo's closest younger sister in the Li family, Nan Gengchen, you are... Li Yinuo's partner, so you met in the Inner World. You both suspected each other of being Time Walker, so you did some tests, but neither of you admitted to being Time Walker, right?"

"Yes," Li Tongyun nodded obediently, "Brother Qing Chen is so smart."

Nan Gengchen explained from the side, "Li Yinuo suddenly decided to take us to watch a boxing match, and that's how we met you, Brother Chen, at the Begonia Boxing Gym."

As he spoke, Nan Gengchen threw the bag on his back onto the sofa and plopped down on it.

But no sooner had he sat down than he roared and stood up again, his face contorted in pain, grimacing.

Qing Chen hesitated for a moment before asking, "Isn't Li Yinuo a girl?"

Nan Gengchen was shocked. "Brother Chen, you can drive with those thick eyebrows and big eyes? This is like my dad getting injured!"

"What's going on?" Qing Chen asked, frowning.

During his last seven-day return, Nan Gengchen stayed briefly at Qing Chen's place for two days because his father had a drunken outburst.

However, high school students can't stay away from home forever, so after two days, they went back home.

Now, Qing Chen saw the other person carrying a large bag of things, and it was clear that they were really going to stay at his place.

Nan Gengchen explained, "When I made my last comeback, my mom officially filed for divorce from my dad. They signed the divorce agreement, and then they hardly ever came home anymore."

"Then what happened to you getting beaten up?" Qing Chen asked.

"Before the last time I time-traveled, my dad suddenly came home drunk at 11:30 pm. He started hitting me as soon as he saw me, and before he finished, I time-traveled," Nan Gengchen said jokingly, trying to sound relaxed. "To be honest, this time-travel is quite magical. My dad was hitting me seven days ago, and after I returned seven days later, he was still hitting me. It felt like he had been hitting me for seven days straight..."

Therefore, Nan Gengchen broke down.

"You An Xin stay at my house for now," Qing Chen suddenly felt that it was time to put reporting Nan Gengchen's father on the agenda.

However, he suddenly realized that Li Tongyun, himself, and Nan Gengchen all seemed to have no good fathers.

This has truly become a fathers' worry alliance!

"I'm curious about something. Besides the two of you, are there any other people Li Yinuo can trust?" Qing Chen asked.

Li Yinuo has many subordinates and bodyguards, but she may not trust any of them.

Nan Gengchen and Li Tongyun thought for a moment, then shook their heads simultaneously. "No."

Li Tongyun added, "Brother Qing Chen, I think Sister Yinuo is a very nice person."

"Don't worry," Qing Chen patted her little head, "I have no conflict of interest with her, and in a sense, we are even an invisible ally."

"Also," Li Tongyun muttered softly, "Could you let Xiao Nan sleep on the sofa? The bedroom next to yours is my mom's..."

Upon hearing this, Nan Gengchen immediately assured him, "I'm fine sleeping on the sofa; sleeping on the sofa is better than going home!"

"By the way, Brother Chen," Nan Gengchen said, "After returning this time, He Xiaoxiao's group chat exploded. Everyone had been waiting for the time travel and hadn't spoken for several days, but now that they're back, they're talking non-stop."

As he spoke, Nan Gengchen took out his phone.

Li Tongyun curiously leaned closer. She first glanced at Nan Gengchen's profile picture and nickname "A Little Duck" in the chat interface, then looked at Nan Gengchen again. "Brother Nan, why did you enter your profession in the nickname field?"

Nan Gengchen's face turned green instantly.

Qing Chen ignored the two bickering. Now that so many major events had occurred in the Inner World within seven days, he was also curious to see how the Time Walker would react.

After this return, the chat group initially only shared some scattered information.

For example, it is said that someone purchased the patented technology for artificial gills from the Inner World.

This thing was quite popular in the Inner World a few hundred years ago. Divers could wear an artificial gill and stay underwater for 12 hours to breathe freely. However, the water systems in the Inner World became dangerous, and this patent was gradually abandoned.

But the water system in the Inner World is dangerous, while the Outer World is safe.

Then someone discovered the huge business opportunity in this technology, went through great lengths to find the owner of the technology, and bought the data from him at a very low price.

A storage device the size of a fingernail in the Inner World can bring data back to the Outer World intact.

This person has already established a company and registered a patent, and artificial gills will soon be mass-produced.

In addition, it is said that someone from across the ocean brought back new oil refining technology and sold it for a large sum of money.

The Inner World is like a technological treasure trove to the Outer World.

These people expressed that becoming Time Walker does not necessarily mean participating in conflicts; they can also use technology to change the Outer World.

In this world, there are Time Walker like Qing Chen who pursue transcendence, and there are also many others who diligently work as "miners," hoping to extract valuable technology from the Inner World and return to the Outer World to live a more prosperous life.

However, Qing Chen felt that things were not so simple. Without the ability to protect themselves, ordinary people would find it difficult to protect what they had obtained from the Inner World.

Those Time Walker who had their mechanical limbs removed are examples.

The Outer World has also become dangerous.

After discussing all sorts of random things in the chat group, they suddenly got down to business.

Li Si asked in the group chat, "Chuang Wang, do you know anything about what happened at Prison No. 18 this time?"

The Chuang Wang replied, "Of course I understand."

"I heard that a meteorite hit Prison No. 18. Is that true?" Li Si asked.

Chuang Wang: "Hehe, looks like you're not doing so well in the Inner World, brother. This news is too fake."

Li Si quickly and humbly flattered him. "Of course, a nobody like me doesn't have the same access to information Chuang Wang. Please enlighten me."

"What hit Prison No. 18 wasn't a meteorite at all, but the Qing Clan's space-based weapon: the Deity's Scepter!" Chuang Wang sent a message triumphantly.

"Li Shutong is dead?!" Li Si exclaimed in shock.

"Of course he's not dead," said the Chuang Wang. "All the core members of the conglomerate know very well that the Deity's Scepter couldn't have killed Li Shutong. That was just Illusion Technique put up by the Qing family and Li Shutong to take the Forbidden Item ACE-002!"

"Are you sure Li Shutong isn't dead?" Li Si asked.

"Of course, after the Deity's Scepter pierced through Prison No. 18, the Tribunal of Taboos and the Federation Group Army's Scepter arrived. Their first task was to search for Li Shutong's body, but they found nothing. Not only that, they also discovered underground the container that originally contained the Forbidden Item ACE-002, which had been pierced by the Deity's Scepter."

"What about the others in the prison?" Li Si asked, puzzled.

"Of course they're all dead," said the Chuang Wang. "The Li, Qing, and Chen families—all the members of those three conglomerates have perished in prison."

At this moment, an ID named "Lu Ya" said, "You're wrong. There are no members of the Qing family in Prison No. 18."

Qing Chen paused for a moment when he looked at the chat group; this person also seemed to be one of the people in the know.

But the Chuang Wang replied, "You only know one side of the story. It seems like no one from the Qing family is involved, but in fact, the most mysterious candidate in this Shadow Struggle is actually in Prison No. 18. I also know that he failed to test Li Shutong and was warned by a bigwig in the family. Many people didn't take him seriously before, and I was looking forward to seeing what he would do, but now it seems that he is just cannon fodder."

"I see, thank you," Lu Ya replied.

For a moment, everyone in the chat group was astonished by the identity of the Chuang Wang. Some people wondered: Why does this person know so much about so many hot topics? Did he become a high-ranking person after traveling back in time?

Moreover, the Chuang Wang seemed to be quite generous with this information, as if this invaluable intelligence in the eyes of others was not worth mentioning.

The ID "Chuang Wang" suddenly became mysterious in everyone's eyes.

Apart from Nan Gengchen and Qing Chen, it seems that no one else has any clues about his identity.

"Brother Chen, did you investigate those two people after you went back?" Nan Gengchen asked.

"Well, not only Qing Huai's uncle and that adjutant, I also investigated the seventh platoon leader in the Forbidden Zone. If I met him in the Outer World, I would definitely recognize him," Qing Chen said. "I am now more inclined to believe that he is Qing Huai's uncle, otherwise he would not be able to obtain so much core information."

At this moment, Li Si suddenly asked again, "Chuang Wang, if I want to choose between the First Branch and Second Branch to curry favor with, what should I do now?"

The Chuang Wang replied, "Of course, we'll go to City No. 18."

"City No. 18?" Li Si asked, puzzled.

"Now there are only 7 people left in the Shadow Struggle. The first round is over, and the second round has begun," Chuang Wang continued. "Soon, all the Shadow Candidate will gather in City No. 18 because their second round missions will be concentrated there. So, if you want to find a Shadow Candidate to rely on, go to City No. 18 and try your luck. I believe that the major events that will happen in the Federation in the near future will all take place in City No. 18."

"What is their mission?" Li Si asked.

"I can't say for now," the Chuang Wang said mysteriously, "But I'll give you a hint, it's related to the Li family."

Qing Chen frowned upon seeing this.

He always felt that someone was deliberately concentrating all the Shadow Candidate in City No. 18, and then letting them fight each other out like a breeding ground for poison to produce the final winner.