Seven-Day Countdown

"Among the known Forbidden Item, there is nothing that can change the fate of others and bring misfortune," Qing Chen said.

On his way back from his first climb of the Green Mountain Cliff, Lin Xiaoxiao had already sent the compiled list of Forbidden Item to his reader.

Therefore, if it were a known Forbidden Item, Qing Chen would have suspected it long ago.

Qing Chen looked at Mr. Shadow opposite him. "But the fact that Forbidden Item is not recorded does not mean that it does not exist. Since the Hu Corporation Intelligence Agency has recorded such an extraordinary person who can write destiny, it is very likely that he extracted the Forbidden Item."

"Do you feel Qing Xing to possess a Forbidden Item that has never been recorded before?" the shadow asked.

"Yes," Qing Chen got up and paced back and forth in the living room, "But the conditions for containing and using this Forbidden Item must be very strict. Otherwise, Qing Xing to have already written myself as the head of the Qing family. Why would I need to go through all this trouble?"

The conditions for using Forbidden Item are quite strict. Even Qing Chen has been considering a problem this month: his Puppet Master hasn't met the monthly containment requirements yet.

If it weren't so dangerous tonight, he might have gone into the buildings on both sides of the Kamiyo Style Street and fought with the assassins.

Qing Chen sent Yan Chunmi a message: "Qing Xing, here's the data..."

Yan Chunmi returned a document. "Boss, you finally remembered me. The information is all here, but we haven't found Qing Yuan yet. That kid is hiding it well."

Qing Chen replied, "Keep searching."

He opened the document and had to admit that Yan Chunmi's work ability was absolutely outstanding. She had actually categorized the Qing Xing and unlucky events that had happened around her into different tables.

Murder cases, assault cases, and so on, were all clearly distinguished.

They even arranged these events chronologically, noting the exact time each event occurred, and Qing Xing what they were doing.

It must be said that the secret agents and Kite Falcon of the Secret Intelligence Department are more capable than imagined, at least not comparable to the agents of the PCA and the CIA.

Of course, Qing Hua and Yang Xuyang also have their advantages, namely, they are more loyal to Qing Chen.

Qing Chen and his Kite Falcon were more like business partners, but Qing Hua and the others were his people.

Qing Chen stopped thinking about it and began to carefully analyze the information in the document.

At this moment, Qing Shi's shadow suddenly noticed that Qing Chen, who had been pacing back and forth, suddenly stopped in place and did not disturb him.

"Qing Xing, even becoming Shadow Candidate was due to his 'lucky aura.' Originally, it was supposed to be his brother who participated, but his brother was suddenly caught in a honey trap while soliciting a prostitute, which made his parents very disappointed in his brother, so they chose him instead."

"In these materials, all the murder victims had close contact with Qing Xing, while the victims of the assault cases had less frequent contact with Qing Xing."

"Let's assume the other person really does possess such a notebook that can write down destiny. Then I guess Qing Xing when they are writing down their destiny, the 'strength' of that destiny depends on how much they understand their target."

"For example, writing down only the name can be used to arrange an assault, while writing down both the name and the date of birth can be used to write a murder."

Qing Shi Yingzi looked at Qing Chen with some surprise. "Then how do you explain picking up so much money? 3491 people lost money, and he might not even know their names."

Qing Chen said, "This shows that he can also control his own destiny, write down his name and birthday, and then have himself find money when he goes out. I noticed that, in the second year after the lucky halo incident, Qing Xing suddenly started learning to paint. But he only learned sketching."

"How could an average person learning to paint only learn sketching? If they didn't give up halfway through, they would most likely continue learning techniques like oil paints and gouache. But Qing Xing, she only learned sketching. Yan Chunmi's information shows that Qing Xing that she didn't give up halfway through and still occasionally goes out to sketch."

"So I guess this painting technique is likely related to writing fate. He may not be writing fate, but rather painting the fate of others."

Of course, all of this is just Qing Chen's speculation, but he firmly believes that the Qing Xing lucky aura surrounding him must be man-made, not a true destiny.

Qing Chen looked at the shadow. "Yan Chunmi can find the information, you can definitely find it too. If I can think of something, you can definitely think of it too. Is it fun to keep it from me?"

"Interesting," Shadow laughed. "But I really don't know what he has in his hand, and so far, that Forbidden Item doesn't seem to have the ability to cause much damage, so I'm not interested in it."

"Even if it doesn't have much destructive power, it's still a decent Forbidden Item. Haven't you thought about using it for yourself? Arranging other people's fates seems like a very interesting thing," Qing Chen said.

Shadow shook his head and laughed, "Qing Xing, he's one of the Qing family. There's no reason for us to snatch toys from our own children. To you, he's your competitor, but to me, all Shadow Candidate are equal in principle."

Qing Chen nodded. "So, Qing Xing I have two Forbidden Item on me now."

One was obtained during the first round of the Shadow Struggle, and the other was something Qing Xing for, something that allowed me to write my destiny.

The known loot from the first round of the Shadow Struggle is the Forbidden Item ACE-054: a worn-out matchbox.

According to the information provided by Lin Xiaoxiao, a match will spontaneously generate in this matchbox every day. Once lit, the flame will illuminate the person you most want to see at that moment and show you what that person is doing.

When Qing Chen saw the description of the Forbidden Item ACE-054, he thought to himself, "Who robbed the little match girl?"

The little match girl is so pitiful.

Of course, the one who extracted this Forbidden Item is in an even worse situation. If their ability is simply to light a match and see the person they want to see, then their combat power is even less than that of a "wild monster"...

The effects of the Forbidden Item ACE-054 are relatively limited, but it is still considered a Forbidden Item.

Qing Chen suddenly developed a strong interest in this Qing Xing.

At that moment, he recalled an extremely subtle detail from Yan Chunmi's file.

The document contained tens of thousands of words, but that one sentence only made up a small part of it. "Qing Xing I got sick."

The important thing is not these four characters, but the time marked next to them.

Qing Chen felt that this time was so familiar... It was exactly the first day he had arrived at Prison No. 18 after his transmigration.

This made Qing Chen frown. Was Qing Xing to be Time Walker as well?

Uncertain, but worthy of suspicion.

Qing Xing, I was in City No. 10 when I fell ill, which means that if the other person is Time Walker, then they should be a resident of Zheng City.

Qing Chen asked, "Mr. Shadow, you actually guessed long ago that Qing Xing's ability comes from Forbidden Item, right? Even the big shots of the Qing family should have figured it out."

"That's not important. What's important is what he can actually do with it," Shadow chuckled. "I noticed the details you did too, so are you guessing he's a Time Walker?"

"No," Qing Chen shook his head and said, "This document contains Qing Xing's paintings from different periods. First of all, it's not easy to draw sketches at Qing Xing's level. Secondly, his painting style did not change before and after his illness."

"I don't know if it's him or not, but I do know that among the remaining Shadow Candidate, one of them is... oh, besides you," the Shadow chuckled.

Qing Chen was stunned for a moment. There was one more?

Who?

Is it Qing Yuan, who has been missing for a long time?

Qing Yuan is not a native of City No. 10, but of City No. 19. However, after he arrived here, even the secret agents' Kite Falcon could not find him, which means that there is an organization assisting him behind the scenes.

Perhaps it's the power of Qing Yuan's parents, but it could also be the power of the Time Walker organization in Taicheng, the Outer World!

At this moment, Shadow stood up. "You have guests again. This little shabby house is surprisingly lively. I'm leaving now. Once you've chosen the transaction location, you must let me know by tomorrow at the latest. I need to prepare in advance."

"Okay, I will send you the chosen transaction location and the reasons for choosing it before 6 pm tomorrow," Qing Chen nodded.

The next moment, the shadow opened the Shadow Gate, and a knocking sound came from outside.

Qing Chen opened the door and saw Su Xingzhi standing suspiciously outside. The other party had changed out of his white suit and into casual clothes.

To be honest, this guy is more cautious than Li Dongze, probably because his strength level isn't as high as Li Dongze's.

Su Xingzhi didn't stand on ceremony and squeezed through the door. "Young boss, it's great to see you again! You don't seem surprised at all to see me!"

"It's not surprising at all," Qing Chen said as he closed the door. From the moment Li Dongze appeared at the Utopia Tower, he knew he would see Su Xingzhi here sooner or later.

These two perfectly exemplify the term "involution."

Qing Chen looked at Su Xingzhi: "Where are your glutinous rice balls? Didn't you bring them?"

"How could I possibly bring frozen food to cook for the boss?" Su Xingzhi said righteously. "Li Dongze must have brought frozen food, I'm not like him."

As they were talking, Su Xingzhi carried a black bag into the kitchen, skillfully tied an apron on himself, and then... he actually started kneading dough!

The bag contained meat, chives, scallions, ginger, and garlic—a luxury that only the wealthy in the city could afford.

For ordinary people, the only food they can afford is synthetic protein bars, and they rely on inexpensive multivitamin tablets to achieve a balanced diet.

Su Xingzhi chopped the meat, cut the chives, and rolled out the dumpling wrappers with effortless skill, finishing everything in less than half an hour.

During this time, this guy even washed his hands and took selfies from time to time, recording the process of making dumplings.

"Why are you filming this?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"To avoid Li Dongze accusing me of bringing ready-made dumpling wrappers and filling," Su Xingzhi said seriously, "Young boss, you don't know, Li Dongze is no good person. I clearly made an appointment with him to come to City No. 10 to visit you, but he secretly came alone. That guy's heart is black!"

Qing Chen returned to the living room and waited, thinking to himself that it was time for another round of mutual slander.

A moment later, Su Xingzhi came out with dumplings. "Little boss, let's take a picture together."

Without waiting for Qing Chen to refuse, she sat down next to him and pressed the shutter button on her phone.

But Su Xingzhi seems to be more meticulous than Li Dongze, and he also acts more.

After taking the photo, he felt something was missing, so he went back to the kitchen, put some flour on his face, and took another picture.

This makes it look like you've just finished a job.

"Alright, young boss, please enjoy your meal. My dumpling-making technique is superb, absolutely unlike the frozen food Li Dongze bought!" Su Xingzhi said with a smile. "If you need anything, just let me know. I also have connections in the black market of City No. 10."

"Oh, right," Su Xingzhi said as if he remembered something, "That Luo Wanyai is one of your men, right? The Mechanical God Cult a cardinal to City No. 18 to capture him, but they didn't find him. But you must remind him to be careful, Boss. The Cult of the Mechanical God Cult's technology is quite sinister. It's only a matter of time before they find him. So before you have a solid foundation, it's better to go somewhere else to lay low for a while."

The struggle between the family members and the Mechanical God Cult has been ongoing, and the Mechanical God Cult has escalated this matter to the highest level of crisis, treating it as a conflict of faith.

What alarmed the Mechanical God Cult was not only the speed at which its "family members" spread their influence, but also the emergence of a group of core practitioners within this "family."

The growth rate of this core group of practitioners was so rapid that the cardinals of the Mechanical God Cult actually believed that a conglomerate was secretly supporting this matter.

The family members felt wronged. They had simply returned to a warm and loving family. What had they done to deserve this?

Qing Chen glanced at Su Xingzhi: "Thanks for the reminder, I'll make arrangements."

He actually thought that Luo Wanyai, this local strongman in Los Angeles, was a talent. The Mechanical God Cult was so powerful that even the Cardinal himself couldn't capture him in City No. 10.

No wonder this guy managed to slip through the net in the Outer World of legality back then.

So, what they're really good at is running away and lying low...

Since the Mechanical God Cult is currently focused on City No. 18, why not let Luo Wanyai develop in City No. 10, spreading his influence across multiple areas and using a point-to-area approach?

Right now, the family members certainly can't confront the Mechanical God Cult- on.

But Luo Wanyai, Outer World, must have been familiar with guerrilla warfare.

"By the way, which conglomerate is behind the Mechanical God Cult?" Qing Chen asked.

Su Xingzhi thought for a moment and said, "That's hard to say. I'm afraid the Kamishiro family, Kashima, and the Chen family all have a share."

7 days to go.

Qing Chen finally felt the usual urgency of time travel; he still had so much to do in the remaining seven days.

Even after returning to the Outer World in 7 days, he has new plans, such as completing the next Life and Death Trial challenge.

During this period, he has been immersing himself in the mysterious world of "Conquer by Virtue" during his rest time, preparing for the challenge of Life and Death Trial.

Qing Chen has stayed at the D-Class for too long. While his sniping skills have given him the ability to snipe B-Class enemies, his sniping ability has now become a kind of identifier for him, and he can no longer use it lightly.

Moreover, relying too much on external things is not a good thing.

Therefore, as Qing Chen thought, if this return also lasts 30 days, it would be enough for him to complete a transformation and take a long trip.

Now it seems that he is thriving in City No. 10, turning the intelligence community upside down.

But what if Shadow hadn't helped him last night? Wouldn't he have been in danger?

We must improve our strength.

He is ready to face the next Life and Death Trial challenge.

When Qing Chen arrived at the Intelligence Department One building, he was surprised to see Qing Yi already sitting in his office, and all the agents were eating the snacks that he had painstakingly brought back.

"Hey, there aren't any bodyguards outside the door. You've learned to keep a low profile today, huh?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

Qing Yi said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "I pretended to be flamboyant before to cover up my true feelings and make everyone lower their guard. Now that you're here, sir, I don't need to act anymore, so the brothers and sisters in Intelligence Department One won't dislike me."

"You're a little devil," Qing Chen patted Qing Yi's head. "Come to my office. While I'm working, you can practice on the sofa. I'll teach you the second section of the Breathing Technique."

Thinking of this, Qing Chen glanced at the intelligence personnel in the large office. Most of these people were just gene warriors who had received one or two injections of gene serum.

The agents' role is really just the uniforms they wear; their actual skills aren't that great.

Although the Qing Clan allocates a small amount of gene serum to this area every year, it's not something everyone can get. After all, there are too many people in the Qing Clan waiting for gene serum, while the Federation Group Army is the main user of gene serum.

Therefore, Qing Chen felt that since the agents had already won over the team, it was time to improve their skills.

Upon entering the office, Qing Yi whispered, "Sir, Mr. Shadow has finally given us the first small task in the third round of the Shadow Struggle."

"Is there only one small task?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"Yes, his top fighters contacted us and said that whoever wins this small mission will have an advantage in the next mission," Qing Yi said.

Qing Chen sighed. Shadow hadn't mentioned any mission to him at all last night.

I'm not acting like a candidate at all, even as a Shadow Candidate.

"What is the mission?" Qing Chen asked.

"Find the mastermind behind last night's attack on the Kamiyo Style Street," Qing Yi explained. "Mr. Shadow said that the mastermind is still at large. Many assassins escaped last night, and we need to capture them all. A total of 12 assassins escaped, making a total of 13 including the mastermind. The first person to capture six or more assassins, or the candidate who directly captures the mastermind, will win."

"Understood," Qing Chen nodded. "Alright, let's begin our cultivation."

After saying that, he grabbed Qing Yi's wrist, preparing to guide him into the meditative state of the second Breathing Technique.

Qing Yi for a moment. "Sir, please wait a moment. Do you have other things to attend to?"

He was thinking that Qing Chen had promised to help him win the third round of the Shadow Struggle, but now it seemed that the other party had no intention of making a move.

Qing Chen shook his head. "No, my business will have to wait two days."

"Aren't we going to catch those assassins now?" Qing Yi asked curiously. "I'm not rushing you, it doesn't really matter whether we catch them or not, I'm just a little curious."

Qing Chen smiled and said, "What's the rush? Let the bullets fly for a while."

A 5,000-word chapter, with another chapter at 11 PM tonight.

Requesting guaranteed monthly votes for October!