Qin Shuli

A long-awaited return.

Sun Chuci sat quietly in the library of Zhengzhou University.

He looked down at his arm.

Within the white countdown lines, tiny mechanical parts interlock, propelling time forward.

Countdown 720:00:00.

As expected, the time travel mechanism is relatively balanced. They were in the Inner World for 30 days, so they were also given 30 days to return.

Of course, this balance is not absolute; there have been instances where the journey took 7 days but the return took 2 days.

Even at midnight, the library was still brightly lit, surrounded by students diligently studying for their postgraduate studies, still striving hard.

Sun Chuci originally wanted to continue pursuing a master's degree. Zhengzhou University is the top university in the province, gathering more than half of the province's elites.

Zhengzhou University may not rank highly nationally, but its degrees are highly recognized within the province, and its alumni association has a significant influence within the province.

Generally speaking, students who graduate from Zhengzhou University have no trouble finding jobs.

In many companies, Zhengzhou University alumni have their own factions, much like the "classmates" in the ancient official system.

But that kind of life seems very far away from Sun Chuci now. From the moment he became Time Walker, many things changed.

He developed a taste for a more adventurous life and stopped caring much about student council affairs.

Sun Chuci looked up at the opposite side, where the seven members of the Wilderness Hunting Team were sitting with him at the long table in the library.

They agreed to come here before crossing over, to enter the Inner World together, so that they could easily communicate with each other when they came out.

Just then, a phone call came in. Sun Chuci picked it up and glanced at it; the contact was labeled "Senior Li Yi".

He took a deep breath and answered the phone, "Hello, senior."

Li Yi calmly asked, "Have you made your decision?"

Sun Chuci glanced at his companion, then said to Li Yi, "Senior, after careful consideration, we've decided not to join your 'Dragon Lake Commune'."

Li Yi said, "Your days in the Inner World must have been incredibly tough. You were unwilling to work in the city, and Awakened, you couldn't cultivate, and you couldn't afford gene serums. A group of people from the Outer World went to the wilderness to become hunters, but their business couldn't even make ends meet. Sun Chuci, what are you still holding on to?"

Sun Chuci thought for a moment and said, "We just don't quite agree with the Dragon Lake Commune's philosophy and prefer freedom."

"No one is restricting your freedom; we're just working towards a common goal," Li Yi said. "Our Dragon Lake Commune has already secured support from local businesses in the Outer World, and alumni will also be investing. In time, we won't be any worse off than Los Angeles's Daylight. I promise you, you'll be a Level 2 member as soon as you join. You also need to understand that Level 1 members have special status in the Inner World. You're just a wilderness hunter; being Level 2 is already quite good."

Li Yi continued, "Sun Chuci, you are very smart. I believe that you will have a brighter future after joining Dragon Lake Commune."

Sun Chuci sighed, "Senior, no need. I don't like turning life into a business."

He had previously told Qing Chen that he did not like the local Time Walker organization in Zhengcheng.

This is because the organization here is extremely bureaucratic and highly aggressive.

Within Dragon Lake Commune, all Time Walker are divided into five levels, with level 1 being the highest and level 5 the lowest. Level 5 members must bow and pay their respects to level 4 members.

They're all Time Walker, yet the hierarchy is so strict.

Sun Chuci didn't like that place.

Moreover, he knew that the level 1 members in Dragon Lake Commune at most held official positions in the Inner World, and the best they could get were just peripheral branches of the Li family in City No. 10.

Sun Chuci recalled how Li Menglin groveled before Qing Chen.

Recalling the scene at the barbecue restaurant, the people who stood solemnly and subtly protected Qing Chen, and the boy who sat steadily and motionless.

Even the most skilled Level 1 member of Dragon Lake Commune couldn't possibly be more skilled than this person, right?

Of course, if he hadn't encountered Qing Chen in the wilderness, he might have died at the hands of the Wilderness People, or even if he had managed to return to City No. 10, he would have been penniless and unable to leave the city again.

By then, Sun Chuci might really have to join Dragon Lake Commune.

We have to keep living, right?

At this moment, Li Yi was silent for a moment. "Let me reveal a secret. Dragon Lake Commune has now made contact with a certain Shadow Candidate. The other party is Time Walker. Do you know what this means? If he can win the Shadow Struggle, then our Dragon Lake Commune will become one of the most powerful Time Walker organizations in the country. That is the Qing family."

Sun Chuci was stunned for a moment. This matter was somewhat unexpected. He did not expect that Dragon Lake Commune would be involved with the Shadow Candidate.

Moreover, among the renowned Shadow Candidate, there is even Time Walker?!

He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I'm sorry, senior."

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, "Since you refuse to join Dragon Lake Commune will not provide you with any assistance in the future. Think it over carefully."

Sun Chuci said, "Senior, I've thought it through."

Li Yi bluntly retorted, "You'd better watch yourself."

After hanging up the phone, Sun Chuci let out a long sigh of relief.

Tuanzi said worriedly, "If we completely reject Senior Li Yi this time, will they suppress us?"

"It wouldn't be too outrageous," Sun Chuci nodded. "After all, we're both Time Walker and alumni; they wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics..."

In fact, Sun Chuci himself was not very sure, because Dragon Lake Commune had done similar things before.

What Li Yi didn't know was that Sun Chuci and the others were no longer so poor and destitute; they even had more weapons and equipment than they could use.

Before his return, even a calm person like Sun Chuci couldn't help but take a look at their armory every day.

For the first two days, he slept directly in the armory.

It gives you the feeling of suddenly becoming rich and sleeping on money.

Therefore, they no longer need to be mindful of anyone's feelings.

Sun Chuci looked at Tuanzi and the others. "Now that we have a foothold in City No. 10, I think that Inspector Qing Chen has helped us several times, so he must have his own plans. So there's no need to rush, just wait."

There is no love without a reason, nor is there hatred without a reason.

Tuanzi and the others couldn't understand why Inspector Qing Chen was helping them so much.

After picking up the gun, Sun Chuci calmed down and thought about it for two days, finally figuring things out.

They are useful to Qing Chen.

Most things in this world that seem incomprehensible become clear once you examine them from a perspective of self-interest.

Sun Chuci looked at Tuanzi and said, "Instead of joining Dragon Lake Commune, you should think about how to get closer to Inspector Qing Chen. Although his status in the Qing family is definitely not as high as that of the Shadow Candidate... he is much easier to get along with than the people in Dragon Lake Commune."

Tuanzi suddenly said, "Senior, do you think we have any hope of becoming a Time Walker organization like Daylight, Matrix, or Red Maple?"

Sun Chuci smiled and said, "You're thinking too far ahead. It would be great if we could be like the Freemasons founded by my cousin Nangong Yuanyu. I heard they got involved with Bai Zhou when we returned last time. This time the return is going to be long, so why don't we go to Los Angeles together? It only takes half an hour by high-speed rail."

Tuanzi's eyes lit up. "Are there many delicious foods in Los Angeles?"

"It seems like there are quite a lot."

This time travel lasted so long that upon returning, all the Time Walker suddenly felt like they were on winter vacation.

I can't resist the urge to go out and relax.

Actually, people like Sun Chuci have already done quite well.

It's important to know that there are some Time Walker in the Inner World who have no means of making a living and can only work in factories.

It really felt like a 30-day journey, during which I actually worked 30 days straight and ate the Inner World 30 days.

Of course, there are also rich second-generation Time Walker, although lacking means of making a living, can bring gold bars from the Outer World to the time traveler's world.

However, in the past, it would take 7 days to get through, and everyone would just have to endure it.

All you need to do when you go to the Inner World is stuff two Xiao Jin in your mouth, and you can still live a very comfortable life.

But this 30 days was far too long. The gold bars they brought were exchanged for cash and spent in less than half a month. One by one, the rich kids were forced to become working people...

This made some wealthy parents extremely happy. Their children's time travel was like a transformation program, curing their picky eating habits and making them enjoy everything.

Therefore, this return has given many people the feeling of being on vacation.

The first thing I did when I got back was to go eat at Haidilao hot pot at midnight, then get a good night's sleep, and maybe go on a trip.

Surprisingly, those spoiled brats who flocked to Prison No. 10 because of Liu Dezhu seem to have become the biggest winners.

In these 30 days, they have completed the public prosecution stage and have been officially transferred to Prison No. 10.

The spoiled rich kids went to find Liu Dezhu with great joy, only to be told by their fellow inmates that Liu Dezhu had already been released from prison...

The despair of those spoiled young men was written all over their faces.

While they were in Prison No. 10, they spent every day planning how to question Liu Dezhu settle accounts with him after their release.

Prison No. 10 is where important federal figures are held, so much so that federal funding for Prison No. 10 has always been higher than that for other prisons, and the food and environment are also much better than those in other prisons.

At this moment, the spoiled brats who originally intended to question Liu Dezhu about the situation suddenly felt that they had actually benefited from the misfortune when they saw the miserable state of other Time Walker on the trending topics...?

This left the spoiled young men somewhat bewildered...

Inside a small townhouse in the Guobao Garden villa area of Luocheng.

Zhang Wanfang sat on the living room sofa, looking at her husband Qin Shuli: "You said you've become Time Walker? How did you suddenly become Time Walker?"

As she spoke, Zhang Wanfang's eyes reddened; her peaceful life had been shattered just like that.

Just after midnight today, Qin Shuli, who had just finished his work, suddenly said that a countdown had appeared on his arm.

Qin Shuli himself was also surprised; the news completely stunned him and Zhang Wanfang.

They had all heard how dangerous the Inner World was, and it also meant that couples who were together could suddenly become long-distance.

Qin Shuli frowned. "Why did I suddenly become Time Walker?"

He had been following the news about Time Walker, so he knew some of the information.

To travel through time, three conditions must be met: the same location, the same name, and the same genes.

However, considering the location, if Qin Shuli from the Inner World was also in Luo City, he should have become Time Walker long ago. Why did he only become Time Walker today?

Could it be that Qin Shuli from the Inner World has just arrived in City No. 18? Was he not there before?

But whatever the reason that led Qin Shuli to become Time Walker, his most important consideration should be how to survive.

"Wait a minute, I heard that Luo Wanyai is also a Time Walker, along with his subordinates," Qin Shuli suddenly realized something, "If he is Time Walker, he should also be in City No. 18, right? Could I ask him for help?"

Zhang Wanfang hesitated and said, "You said before that he wasn't a good person. Won't asking him for help just get you into trouble?"

"There's no other way now, we can only try asking first," Qin Shuli got up, put on his coat and scarf, and walked with Zhang Wanfang deeper into the villa area.

As Qin Shuli walked, he said, "Let's establish ourselves in the Inner World first. If we can ensure our safety, becoming Time Walker might be a good thing... Perhaps we can offer some money and ask President Luo to help us out."

"Hmm," Zhang Wanfang responded solemnly.

At this moment, her mind was entirely focused on her husband's safety, and she had no time to think about anything else.

However, the next moment, before they could even enter the depths of the villa area, they saw a top-of-the-line two-tone Mercedes-Maybach drive out from a side road.

The driver was none other than Luo Wanyai. There seemed to be another person sitting in the back seat, but their face was obscured by the front seat and could not be seen at all.

It was early morning, and the car was dimly lit with the lights off. The windows of this executive-class vehicle were tinted to prevent peeping.

Upon seeing Luo Wanyai, Zhang Wanfang waved frantically and shouted, "President Luo, stop! Please stop!"

Luo Wanyai turned around and asked in a low voice, "Boss, do you need a parking lot?"

Qing Chen: "Stop for a moment, see what they're up to, and don't let them know I'm in the car."

The Maybach stopped, and Luo Wanyai got out, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Qin Shuli said clearly, "A countdown suddenly appeared on my arm. I haven't been out of town recently, so I might become Time Walker in City No. 18... I heard that you are also Time Walker, and a very powerful one at that. I wonder if you could help me out in City No. 18?"

As he spoke, Qin Shuli couldn't help but look into the car, but Luo Wanyai's sturdy figure blocked his view.

Qin Shuli thought to himself that there are rules for riding in a car: generally, people of lower status drive, while people of higher status sit in the back.

In Qin Shuli's worldview, Luo Wanyai is already considered a prominent figure in Luo City. So, what kind of person would be the one who makes Luo Wanyai their driver?

Luo Wanyai glanced at Qin Shuli. He knew very well who this person was. He owned a medium-sized machinery processing factory and did export trade.

But that's not important. What's important is that this is Qing Chen's mother, Zhang Wanfang's, current husband.

When he first met Zhang Wanfang and Qin Shuli at the door, he seemed nonchalant, but he did a lot of work afterward.

For example, someone like Luo Wanyai, who is a man of Jianghu, would not so readily and wholeheartedly seek to curry favor with others without conducting any investigation.

However, whether he was willing to help Qin Shuli become Time Walker was no longer something he could decide. "Gentlemen, I'll take my boss to the North Suburb Airport. Can we talk about your business when we get back? This countdown is quite long, so there's no rush."

Qin Shuli was stunned for a moment. Luo Wanyai's boss?

I've never heard of Luo Wanyai having a boss before.

He quickly replied, "Okay, you go ahead with your work. I live in apartment 27-101 of Phase 1 of the 'Sakura Town' villa area. I also have my business card. You can call me anytime."

Luo Wanyai got back into the car and quickly drove away.

Qin Shuli and Zhang Wanfang stood by the roadside, silently watching the car drive away. The important figure in the back seat of the car didn't utter a single word from beginning to end.

Extremely mysterious.

The car was silent.

Qing Chen asked, "You called me 'boss' because you wanted to test my identity?"

Luo Wanyai said with a slight embarrassment, "Boss, please don't be angry, and please don't kill me to silence me. I'm Jianghu, and I'm very good at reading people. In the villa during the day, Hu Xiaoniu, Nan Gengchen, and Jiang Xue were clearly looking at you like you were looking at a boss. I was sure I could tell..."

Qing Chen smiled and said, "There's no need to test me, and you don't need to worry so much. I won't kill you to silence you. Now that you're a full member of Daylight, we're family. It won't matter if you find out."

Luo Wanyai quickly replied, "Yes, yes, family!"

To be honest, when Luo Wanyai discovered the truth of the matter, he was a little shocked, because he realized that it was this handsome young man who had been playing everyone for fools, and that he was the one who single-handedly supported the mysterious and powerful Bai Zhou.

Now, the other party has become a big shot in City No. 10. After he arrived there, he heard that this person's name and title made people tremble with fear in the officialdom of City No. 10.

Luo Wanyai asked cautiously, "What should we do about Qin Shuli?"

"If you can get in touch with them during your next time you travel through time, then help them out," Qing Chen said calmly. "No need to help too much, and no need to kick them when they're down. Just let things take their course."

In Qing Chen's view, Qin Shuli was just a normal person with some ulterior motives, and the other party was just maintaining her family and had not made any mistakes.

It's not enough to warrant Qing Chen seeking revenge.

Moreover, in Qing Chen's view, this was already a trivial matter, not even worth discussing further.

Qing Chen said, "Do you know why I asked you to take me to the airport?"

Luo Wanyai said in a low voice, "Boss, you have something to say to me privately."

Qing Chen nodded. "Firstly, after careful consideration, I decided to tell you my identity tonight. Secondly, I want to remind you about the appropriate level of discretion regarding Parent's Association."

Qing Chen continued, "I know you're good at brainwashing, but you also need to consider that those you brainwash might go insane, causing their families to break apart and their lives to fall apart. So, I hope that even if you continue to expand, you must ensure that the members of the Parent's Association's association remain on their original life tracks, and not use them to gain benefits for you, nor coerce them into doing illegal or disorderly things."

Luo Wanyai asked cautiously, "Then what's the point of the boss having me start this Parent's Association?"

Qing Chen said, "They just need to continue their lives and then compile the valuable information they've seen and heard into your possession."

After founding the Parent's Association, Luo Wanyai became somewhat recklessly crazy.

However, the clear-headed Qing Chen realized how much harm the existence of the Parent's Association would bring to those families and to society as a whole.

Therefore, as the leader of the daytime, he must keep the organization on the right track, and if anyone goes astray, he must be responsible for correcting them.

What Qing Chen needed was simply an all-pervasive intelligence network, nothing more.

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