Heartbeat

Countdown 719:00:00.

Another thirty-day time travel period has passed, and the next return will likely also be thirty days. Many Time Walker equipped with mechanical limbs are probably starting to think about how to recharge.

Qing Chen returned to the 112th floor of the Utopia Tower alone.

He knew the shadow was already inside when he opened the door.

The aroma of Jingshan Tea wafted out as soon as the door was opened.

Chuang Wang said that the other party was holding a family meeting at the Ginkgo Manor in City No. 5, facing accusations from the Qing clan leaders.

If the Chuang Wang wasn't lying, then the true terror of this Shadow Gate lies in the fact that it has no distance limitations.

I can reach any place I've ever been before.

Qing Chen walked into the house, taking off his coat and hanging it on a hanger as he went. "As far as I know, you should be in City No. 5 right now."

The room was completely silent, without a sound.

Qing Chen paused for a moment, then looked at the shadow lying on the sofa. The person was wearing a black mask and a black baseball cap, and appeared to be asleep.

However, Qing Chen could not hear the slightest breath from the other person, not even a heartbeat.

This made Qing Chen feel that something was wrong.

Even if a shadow can hold its breath, why doesn't it have a heartbeat?

Is he dead?

Qing Chen frowned. He couldn't believe that a generation of shadows would die so forlornly in his own room.

Should we take this opportunity to remove the other person's mask and see their face?

Never mind.

What if the other person comes back to life and I get silenced?

Qing Chen calmly moved a chair from the restaurant and waited for the other person to wake up.

I don't know how much time will pass.

With a thud.

As if a drumstick had struck the drumhead again, the shadow's heartbeat began to revive.

Shadow sat up with a smile, "You're so heartless! You saw me lying here with no heartbeat and didn't even check if I was alright? I bet you hesitated, wondering if you should take a look at what I look like."

"You're really too much of a playboy," Qing Chen sighed. "Coming over in the middle of the night to make tea, and then pretending to be dead?"

"The meaning of life is to be happy," the shadow laughed.

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "You used your ability to manipulate the flow of time directly on yourself, didn't you? That's why your heartbeat intervals are several minutes long."

However, there is a problem.

The average human heart beats about 75 times per minute, which means that the ability of a shadow to stretch the passage of time can extend one second to several minutes.

In such absolute time, who can defeat a shadow?

By the time you make your move, even your shadow will have scattered your ashes...

Shadow did not answer Qing Chen's question.

Qing Chen looked at the other person and was suddenly startled.

Just now, could Shadow have really fallen into some kind of near-death state? This reminded Qing Chen of the other party's repeated statements that he didn't have much time left.

Qing Chen asked doubtfully, "Do you really not have much life left?"

The shadow shook its head. "Don't worry, I still have a long life ahead of me, at least two or three more years."

Qing Chen instinctively felt that something was wrong.

Will a shadow tell the truth? He thought not.

Then there are two possibilities: one is that the other person's lifespan is much longer than two or three years, and it is very likely that they could live for two or three hundred years without any problem.

Another possibility is that the shadow's lifespan is less than two or three years.

But he couldn't let anyone know that he didn't have time.

At one point, Qing Chen's answer even leaned more towards the latter.

It was simply because the shadow always seemed to have a sense of urgency when arranging things for him.

Eager to hand over the intelligence network to him, even at the cost of revealing some information, he was eager to get Qing Chen into the game. He went to great lengths to chat with Qing Chen and promised to give him the Forbidden Item when Qing Chen became the Shadow.

Given Shadow's usual behavior, why would he need to be in such a hurry?

Qing Chen looked at the shadow. "How much time do you have left?"

Shadow chuckled, "Didn't I already tell you? There are at least two or three more years."

Qing Chen didn't ask any more questions. He calmly inquired, "I heard you were reprimanded at the family meeting?"

Shadow said with a smile, "Your information network is quite impressive. Who told you this? Do you have an inside man within the Qing family? That's incredible!"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "A Time Walker told us that your support for the Intelligence Department One's deal with Qing Mu has already made many important figures in the Qing Clan unhappy."

Shadow shook his head. "No, you don't need to worry about that. Just focus on bringing Qing Mu home. Remember, the transaction is scheduled for 20 days from now, to be completed in Forbidden Zone 065. As for how to successfully bring Qing Mu home, that's something you need to consider."

"Wait a minute," Qing Chen paused, "Aren't you going to send some experts? My agents aren't exactly experts. How am I supposed to get Qing Mu back if you don't send someone skilled?"

Shadow thought for a moment, "Qing Ye and the others have left on a mission. You'll have to figure something out yourself."

Qing Chen: "???"

How can I figure out a solution myself?

The shadow said, "Don't worry, the Kamishiro Family won't send out any experts."

"Why?" Qing Chen asked suspiciously.

Shadow said calmly, "They are worried that the deal with Qing Mu is a sham, and that I actually set a trap to kill their experts."

Qing Chen understood.

Qing Mu had been in the north for over ten years, and no one had ever offered to take him home.

More than ten years later, when Shadow suddenly said he wanted to take Qing Mu home, Shendai's first reaction was... something was wrong.

On the Kamishiro side, that old man from the Li family just tricked and killed one of Kamishiro Yunsugi.

Now, what worries them more is whether this shadow figure from the Qing family is also planning a scheme to eliminate their high-end individual combat power.

Therefore, the other side will not send an A-level expert.

"But even if they don't send A-level warriors, they'll send some B-Class gene warriors," Qing Chen said seriously. "The highest-ranking person under my command is only D-Class, and I myself am only C-Class. How can I possibly handle a bunch of gene warriors?"

"B-Class gene warriors aren't exactly commonplace," Shadow said, half-laughing and half-crying. "The Kamishiro Family only sent eight to assassinate someone as important as Li Changqing, and quite a few of them died. Don't worry, I trust your abilities."

Qing Chen felt something was off and said, "Why do I feel like you might just want me to run into some danger?"

"No, that's not true," Shadow said with a smile. "I'm just helping you grow. Men always have to face some pressure during their growth. I'm not like Li Shutong. He protected you too well before, hoping you would be carefree, and even wanted you to go back to school. But I'm different. I know how cruel this world is. If you want to grow up faster, you have to go through countless dangers."

Qing Chen was stunned for a moment.

This statement subtly implies the urgency of time; the shadow hopes he can grow up quickly, so it doesn't hesitate to create danger for him.

But why would the other party want him to grow up quickly?

Is it because the time left for shadows is truly running out?

Qing Chen said, "What if I die in danger?"

The shadow said, "That's your fate."

"Alright then," Qing Chen sighed. It seemed that he would indeed have to rely on himself to make this deal with Qing Mu.

It must be said that both Shadow and Li Shutong were actually doing it for his own good, but their methods were completely different.

One reason is the hope that he can rediscover the happy times he has lost.

The other is the hope that he will soon have the means and will to survive in this chaotic world.

The former protected him, while the latter left him to face danger alone.

At this moment, Shadow took a sip of tea and said, "I heard that your Parent's Association just launched a surprise attack on the Mechanical God Cult in City No. 18 and kidnapped a cardinal? When Luo Wanyai came to City No. 10, I thought you were going to avoid the limelight for a while, but it turns out that you ended up capturing a cardinal."

Qing Chen: "... Actually, it was an accident."

Sure enough, Luo Wanyai's arrival in City No. 10 and his relationship with Luo Wanyai could not be kept secret from the Shadow.

Shadow said, "The Parent's Association is making headlines right now. To be honest, this is the first time the Mechanical God Cult has been insulted like this. A cardinal and a cardinal deacon were snatched from their headquarters... It's a cause for celebration just thinking about it."

The Mechanical God Cult is really unlucky; City No. 18 seems to have become their black hole.

First, one of the branch headquarters was abducted, then a cardinal and a cardinal-deacon were taken away, and they were also abducted.

Some people are now joking that if the Pope himself were to arrive, he might be abducted as well. Will this deter the Pope from visiting City No. 18?

Everyone knows that the Mechanical God Cult and the Parent's Association are locked in a life-or-death struggle.

But everyone is wondering who exactly founded this Parent's Association, since it has only been a short period of one or two months from its inception to the abduction of the cardinal.

In such a short time, how could it have achieved such a terrifying influence and cohesion?

Shadow glanced at Qing Chen: "Just you wait, the Mechanical God Cult is going to get really angry this time. These charlatans and monsters may not be respectable, but they still have some tricks up their sleeves. The Chen family and the people from Deer Island are also mixed in. I'd like to see how you plan to resolve this matter."

Shadow continued, "Tell Luo Wanyai to hide well in City No. 10. Don't think that just because you're on your own turf you can start a war with the Mechanical God Cult. They'll find out Luo Wanyai's whereabouts very quickly and come looking for you... Of course, if you ask me for help, I can deal with the Mechanical God Cult for you."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "You clearly want to deal with this Mechanical God Cult, but you're acting like you're planning to negotiate with me."

Shadow nodded. "Yes, I do want to teach them a lesson."

Qing Chen said, "You want to deal with them? Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Shadow: "I did it. I had my informant tell them that Luo Wanyai has come to City No. 10."

Qing Chen: "... Can you please have some decency?"

He could already imagine that the bigwigs of the Mechanical God Cult would probably flock to him.

Meanwhile, the members of the Mechanical God Cult in City No. 10 have begun to mobilize all their resources to search for the Parent's Association's Association.

There will be another chapter at 11 PM.