After the Disaster

The snow in the sky was falling like goose feathers.

It landed on Yingzi and Qing Chen's hair and shoulders.

Qing Chen felt very lucky.

Even though life was so tough in the Outer World, he still felt very lucky.

Li Shutong, Li Xiurui, and Yingzi.

Although these three individuals have different styles of doing things, they are all trying their best to help him understand the world in their own way.

And teach him how to get along with the world.

Someone gave him Forbidden Item and the furthest path of spiritual practice in the human world.

Someone stands on Green Mountain Cliff, facing the rising sun, telling others what is truly the most precious thing in life.

Some people are taking concrete actions to win him over, trying to forcefully elevate him to the most powerful position in the Federation.

Shadow walked to the lakeside, found a black rock and sat down. Looking at the snow-covered lake, he said, "Qing Chen, one day you will have to face all of this by yourself. It's like the path on the Green Mountain Cliff. The first 599 meters were led by your predecessors, but no one can help you with the last meter."

Qing Chen was taken aback.

He suddenly looked at the shadow, his pupils contracting sharply.

If he weren't a knight, how could he possibly know all this?!

Many people know about that path to heaven, but only those who have actually walked it once truly understand what the most difficult part is.

Only then did I realize the significance of that last meter.

The shadow chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a knight, because I didn't leap that last meter. The knight's path is about selecting fellow travelers. Those who walk the same path, even if they have different identities, backgrounds, and personalities, will come together once they've made it. That's the wonder of the knight's path. In earlier years, the knightly organization was much looser. They would tell many people about this path and encourage them to walk it, without worrying about the organization's secrets being leaked. But you and I are destined to be different. Perhaps that's why I couldn't leap that last meter. I used a grappling hook. I didn't want to gamble with my life. I prefer to be in control."

The shadow continued, "So, you are willing to give your sincerity to Qing Yi, hoping that he will never betray you, and I will use my methods to win his loyalty."

Qing Chen fell silent.

He knew how desperate everyone felt when facing that final step, which is why he said that Hu Xiaoniu was actually very powerful, because this member of the White Day group couldn't even fully digest the ginkgo.

Everyone has potential in the daytime, and one day the daytime will surely grow into a towering tree. Qing Chen needs to do is have enough patience to wait for that result.

Qing Chen never expected that Yingzi had almost become a knight.

Therefore, the deal with Li Shutong was because the shadow had actually known Li Shutong for a long time.

It seems that very few people know about this.

At this moment, Shadow said with a smile, "There's no need to guess. You're still missing too much crucial information, so blind analysis will also be wrong."

"Your situation is actually quite bad," Qing Chen said in a low voice, sitting on a black rock by the lake. "I watched a documentary called Animal World in the Outer World. When a male lion is in his prime, hyenas don't dare to provoke him."

However, when the male lion grows old, or becomes sick or injured, the hyenas will slowly swarm around him, as if they have smelled carrion.

At first, it's a test; once it discovers that the male lion is truly powerless to resist, it will pounce and tear at him.

In this incident, Qing Chen originally thought that Shadow was trying to use him to gain influence over the Kamishiro Family.

Unexpectedly, the Shadow was targeting the Qing family internally.

Qing Chen can regard what is happening right now as a test.

The hyenas were already lurking around Shadow, making Qing Chen sense a dangerous aura.

If the shadow were still the shadow of its heyday, how would those people dare to test it?

Qing Chen continued, "So when this tiny probing occurred, you personally stepped in and swiftly extinguished the flames. This shows that you were actually worried that if the flames were allowed to grow, they might burn even more fiercely, making the hyenas even more smug."

Qing Chen's assessment was that Shadow's situation was already very bad; otherwise, the other party wouldn't have bothered with these small fry at all.

Why would I need to come here in person?

Shadow sat down next to him and smiled, "You've thought of quite a lot, but not all of it is correct."

Qing Chen asked, "I'm curious, you're about to step down, why are they still going to such lengths to test you? They've already waited ten years, what difference would waiting another two years make?"

Shadow waved with a smile, "Alright, you don't need to worry about these things."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and then asked, "If my deal with Qing Mu succeeds this time, what will happen next?"

The shadowy figure smiled and said, "The situation that the various faction leaders least want to see will happen: you will become the most suitable person to take over the Qing Clan Secret Intelligence Department. Even if I step down, the leader of the Secret Intelligence Department will still be one of my people. That way, they won't be able to manipulate me at will. Remember, within the Qing Clan, you can't trust anyone but me."

Qing Chen was taken aback. This so-called "no one can be trusted" should also include those Kite Falcon, Shadow Candidate, and the family head.

"But why can I trust you?" Qing Chen suddenly asked.

Shadow thought for a moment, "This question really stumps me, probably because... I have no reason to lie to you."

After saying that, Shadow stood up, brushed the snow off his clothes, and walked towards the camp. "You're quite a sought-after person now. I heard that quite a few people have come to the Qing family to propose marriage. I was originally thinking of arranging another marriage for you to gain some other support, but now I feel that you won't agree, so forget it..."

Qing Chen: "???"

How can there be such strange and bizarre things?

Someone went to the Qing family to propose marriage for him?!

Who?!

The camp was in a mess after the crisis.

The crew members all stood there in a disheveled state, looking around blankly, as if Qing Xing have survived a disaster, or as if they were at a loss after just experiencing a catastrophe.

The virtual life movie is definitely not going to be made. The director is dead, and several filming machines were damaged by stray bullets.

They come out to make a movie, and end up losing the director – who can stand that?

At this moment, Qing Chen changed back to his original appearance, walked into the camp, and asked Sun Chuci, "Are you alright? Are you injured?"

Sun Chuci shook his head. "No."

Qing Chen then looked at Qing Yi: "Next, you should go directly to the town outside Forbidden Zone 065. All the teams will probably stop there for a while."

Qing Yi: "Okay, sir... And where are you going?"

Qing Chen smiled and said, "I plan to act alone. Staying with the team might affect your safety."

The shadow stood in the camp, smiling, and said, "Hello everyone, I am the shadow of the Qing clan. Now, please cooperate and lie down on the ground without speaking. We are about to evacuate."

His seven subordinates stood coldly around him, silent like statues in a temple, while all of Director Zhou's men were captured and their hands were bound with special black handcuffs.

The crew members were somewhat bewildered.

This is... the legendary shadow?

They actually saw that mysterious shadow?!

But why do they lie on the ground when the shadows leave?

Yan Chunmi was the first to do so. When she made her move, she only used her ability, and no one knew her true identity.

Once the first person in the camp does it, others will follow suit.

Qing Chen pondered that Yan Chunmi must have gone through many life-and-death situations with Shadow, otherwise Shadow would never have brought her along on this mission.

And he wouldn't assign her to assist him.

After everyone was lying on the ground, Shadow smiled and looked at Qing Chen, silently gesturing with his eyes for him to lie down as well.

Qing Chen was a little puzzled. What was he going to do?

The next moment, the stagehand Zhou Cang silently got up from the ground and stood next to the shadow.

Standing in the heavy snow, he took off his coat and gave it to Qing Chen.

Qing Chen understood; the other party knew he intended to continue his infiltration to the town outside Forbidden Zone 065, and therefore had found the best possible identity for him.

The crew has already suffered a devastating blow, so who would notice a disheveled stagehand who was nearly killed?

Qing Chen was a little puzzled. Why were there so many of Shadow's informants everywhere? Could there be other people working for the other side in this film crew?

Moreover, Zhou Cang clearly knew his identity beforehand, so this shadow informant had been silently watching him act.

Qing Chen looked at Zhou Cang, only to see the other man give him a simple, honest smile...

Qing Chen: "..."

This Zhou Cang, Cang is similar in build and height to himself, which means that Shadow had already arranged things for him.

All of this was part of the other party's plan.

However, the crew probably won't continue north to the town now. After this incident, everyone's first choice will definitely be to drive back to City No. 10, right?

Qing Chen couldn't understand it, but he chose to believe the shadow.

He silently put on Zhou Cang's clothes, then lay down in the snow and changed his appearance to that of Zhou Cang.

At this moment, the shadow smiled at everyone and said, "Everyone, it's fate that we meet here. I hope that those who survived will cherish their lives more and pay attention to safety."

After saying that, he opened the Shadow Gate and, together with his subordinates, escorted all the assassins, including Director Zhou, into the gate one after another.

The shadow wanted to interrogate these people to see who was testing him.

Qing Chen was stunned for a long time. What was all this about?!

He was about to leave, but instead he had to say something nice like the emcee. He almost thought that after the other person finished speaking, there would be background music like "Unforgettable Night" playing.

However, Qing Chen knew that everything Shadow said was actually for the purpose of telling him those four words at the end, "Be careful."

Perhaps this trip was indeed too dangerous, and many people did not want to be able to successfully trade Qing Mu, so even Shadow was a little worried about his safety.

The entire crew lay prone in the snow, not daring to stand up until the thin layer of snow on the ground melted.

A person's name, a tree's shadow.

The Shadow's immense reputation in the Federation stems not only from his wielding of power, but also from numerous legends about how he viewed human life as worthless as ants.

Of course, the most crucial point is that the shadow left through the Shadow Gate, which means that the shadow's footsteps never went far at all...

From an ordinary person's perspective, it's like the shadows and others took two steps, then stopped and stared at them.

This inexplicable sense of oppression made everyone afraid to even breathe.

In the end, it was Qing Yi who stood up first.

Only then did some people stand up.

After getting up, they were even more confused. Where was the shadow? They clearly hadn't heard any footsteps fading away, so how come there was no one left?

Just then, some people finally snapped out of their daze and ran frantically towards where they had parked their cars.

It seems they're planning to drive straight back to City No. 10.

However, just as one of them opened the car door, he was blasted more than ten meters away by a huge burst of flames.

After Director Zhou and his team entered the camp, in order to ensure that no one escaped alive in the chaos, they installed booby traps in every car of Director Zhang's crew. The traps would explode as soon as the car door was opened.

After one vehicle exploded, the booby traps on the other vehicles also detonated in succession.