Cyber City

Back in Prison No. 18, Lu Guangyi came over and asked, "Boss, did Qing Yan say anything?"

"No." Qing Chen shook his head. "Continue according to my plan."

The exclusion by the other factions of the Qing family, or even the Shadow Struggle, was unimportant to Qing Chen right now.

He had not rebutted any of Qing Yan's aggressive remarks today, because only when you were strong did the way you responded have any value.

The surprise the Breathing Technique brought him was not merely the opening of a door to the extraordinary.

Last night, he had clearly been so exhausted that he could barely walk, yet when he woke up this morning, he was not only full of energy but could move freely, without the slightest trace of fatigue.

The feeling was too miraculous. It was something he had never felt, seen, or heard of in the Outer World.

Lu Guangyi asked in a low voice, "Did you and Li Shutong really fall out?"

Qing Chen glanced at him. "Yes, we fell out. But we never intended to rely on outside help to carry out our mission anyway, did we?"

"That's right," Lu Guangyi said. "You still have me, Boss."

Night. Countdown: 5:59:59.

District 7, City No. 18.

Jiang Xue was slowly walking through the city as its lights first came on. For someone from the Outer World like her, this place was like an enormous maze.

When she raised her head to look at the sky, she saw not smog, blue skies, or white clouds, but a towering, uneven forest of steel and dazzling holographic neon in every color.

The holographic sign of a barbecue shop rotated in midair. Pedestrians could see the enormous skewers of synthetic meat from afar and smell the cumin drifting out from the shop.

A mechanical dolphin suddenly appeared in the sky, as if it had burst from the sea to the surface.

As it slowly swam past the buildings, a flick of its tail sent holographic blue waves splashing outward.

The waves fell toward the ground. Anyone seeing it for the first time would surely instinctively cover their head to keep the water from splashing onto them.

Yet after falling for more than ten meters, the waves turned into brilliant fireworks and vanished.

Only then did illusory yet dazzling letters appear in the sky: "Yuzu Phones, giving you the best holographic communication experience."

Countless skybridges connected the buildings.

From the ground, those skybridges looked like ropes binding all the buildings together.

As Jiang Xue walked along, she brushed past countless Inner World residents. Whenever they saw the auspicious cloud emblem on her chest, they instinctively stepped aside.

That was the emblem of the Li Corporation.

She entered the elevator of a building and pressed the button for the thirty-second floor.

The transparent elevator rose swiftly. She turned and looked down outside, watching buildings emerge and disappear from view. Occasionally, hovercars roared through the air outside the elevator, flying off to places unknown.

The silver hovercars had sleek lines. The four places where tires should have been were instead fitted with jet turbines spitting blue flames.

With a ding, the elevator arrived at the thirty-second floor. Jiang Xue stepped out and crossed a broad aerial plaza toward the first floor of Cloud Mist Tower, where her clinic was located.

But before she could enter the tower, someone stopped her at the entrance. "Hello, Miss Jiang Xue."

The man wore a precise, impeccably tailored suit. A refined gold tie clip adorned his tie, and its surface also bore the auspicious cloud emblem.

What was more, two people stood behind him, each carrying a black sealed case.

Jiang Xue froze for a moment. This was Zhang Tianzhen, the peripheral Li Corporation member who had previously invested in her clinic.

"Hello, is something the matter?" Jiang Xue asked timidly.

"Hello, it's like this," Zhang Tianzhen said politely. "The company is pleased that the investment went through successfully. To show our appreciation, I was specifically ordered to deliver the Li Corporation's latest mechanical arms. In addition, we have arranged for an expert in mechanical limb installation to provide you with specialized training..."

The more Jiang Xue listened, the more she felt something was off.

Time Walkers from the Outer World often talked about how terrifying the corporations were, but why did this company seem so kind? Not only had it invested money in her clinic, it was even giving her mechanical limbs for free and finding the best expert to train her, as though it knew she did not know how to install mechanical limbs.

She began to grow suspicious.

Then Zhang Tianzhen suddenly said, "I can see that you have some doubts, so let me explain. Two years ago, you accidentally helped a middle-aged woman. She is a member of the Li Corporation. She spent two years looking for you and only recently found news of you, so these are all gifts from her."

Jiang Xue nodded vaguely. "Oh, oh, so that's how it is..."

As for whether she had helped anyone two years ago, how could she possibly know?

Li Tongyun was exploiting the blind spot in a Time Walker's memories. She knew that Jiang Xue knew nothing about her own past.

Moreover, she knew perfectly well that even if her mother was confused, she would not dare ask too many questions. That also cleared Li Tongyun of any connection to the matter.

By then, Jiang Xue no longer doubted anything else and happily accepted the Li Corporation's gift. "These two mechanical arms..."

Zhang Tianzhen explained, "These are the most advanced products currently on the market. Not only do they contain high-energy weapons, they also have extremely long endurance. Their neural connection synchronization rate can reach 97%."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Jiang Xue was even more delighted.

Countdown: 00:30:00.

Only the final half hour remained.

In the fitness area, Ye Wan led Qing Chen through crunches, combining them with six training movements to improve his explosive core strength.

After core strength training, there was also targeted training for cardiopulmonary function.

The night was long, and the training was grueling.

By Ye Wan's estimate, Qing Chen would only need another half month of training before he could begin weight-bearing exercises. That was when the real test would begin.

But time seemed about to split apart for Qing Chen. He was still undergoing Ye Wan's training now, yet half an hour later, he would return to the Outer World.

Then, after who knew how many days, he would return again in the middle of the night to continue training...

At that moment, Li Shutong suddenly appeared in the fitness area. Looking at Qing Chen, he asked, "Are you about to return to the Outer World?"

"Yes." Qing Chen nodded. "What is it, Teacher? Do you need something?"

Li Shutong said, "I want to see this miraculous act of world travel with my own eyes. Perhaps I might discover some secret."

"Alright." Qing Chen was drenched in sweat. Ye Wan brought him an energy supplement and beef for replenishment during training.

It had to be said that while the Breathing Technique was useful when paired with training, it consumed far too much of the body's energy.

If he went without food for even a little while, Qing Chen would feel ravenous.

Like a gluttonous beast, he ate frantically and trained frantically.

At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly noticed a trace of hesitation in Li Shutong's expression.

He asked curiously, "What is it, Teacher? Is there something else?"

"Well... it's like this." Li Shutong thought for a moment before saying, "Could you memorize a few more incomplete chess records and bring them back for me?"

Qing Chen was stunned for two seconds, then smiled. "No problem."

Only then did he feel that the aura of authority Li Shutong usually carried had faded somewhat, replaced by something more human.

Under Ye Wan and Li Shutong's watchful eyes, Qing Chen put the USB drive into his mouth.

Then an idea struck him, and he pulled a gold bar that had been kneaded into a lump from his pocket.

Ye Wan said in surprise, "So that's why the gold bar on Lu Guangyi's arm was gone."

Li Shutong: "..."

In an instant, the Flame Markings on Qing Chen's cheeks spread toward his ears. The breath that had once wandered through his body wrapped around the gold bar in his hand under the command of his will.

A look of surprise appeared on Li Shutong's face.

Countdown: 10.

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The world returned to darkness.