"What? You two want to go too?"
In the office, Wu Zhangkong looked at the three students lined up before him and spoke with some surprise.
Tang Wulin wanting to go was still within his expectations. School had been in session for a while, and he knew the boy was rather short of money. After all, if he could get into a fight over something like that, his family probably wasn't very well-off.
But the other two students' decisions left him puzzled.
First was Xie Xie. As the young master of the Xie Family, one of Eastsea City's mecha families, the boy shouldn't have been short of money. As for cultivation, he possessed twin martial souls, so he should have had every hope of breaking through to level 90.
Gu Yuena's decision surprised him even more.
He still couldn't forget the scene when that girl had first come to enroll.
He had already started teaching when she arrived late. He stopped her and decided to test her, partly to put her in her place and teach her that she couldn't casually break school rules.
Who could have imagined that she would single-handedly beat the entire class into the ground?
Then he took a closer look, and good grief—she actually possessed the legendary silver dragon martial soul.
Although this martial soul lacked the Golden Dragon's ultimate strength, it offered control over seven elements, with an affinity for each approaching the ultimate level. It ranked among the very best even among super martial souls.
Moreover, according to the dean, the power backing her was far from ordinary, and she didn't seem to be a local of Eastsea City.
Looking at it that way, she had even less reason to call that soul-conducting communication number, didn't she?
"Well, Teacher Wu, actually, Wulin wanted to go, and I was a little worried, so I wanted to go with him," Xie Xie explained haltingly. Then he hurriedly elbowed Tang Wulin beside him, signaling for him to help say something.
Tang Wulin hurriedly chimed in, "That's right, Teacher Wu. Didn't you say we should be careful? That's why I asked him to come with me. Having another person along gives me a little extra protection."
"Hmph. Protection means something that can ensure your safety, not a burden who can't even beat you. I think you're the one who wants to go, Xie Xie." To their surprise, Wu Zhangkong snorted and mercilessly exposed their flimsy lie.
"Well... um... Teacher Wu, I..."
"Enough. I won't interfere. It's your own decision, after all. Make sure you tell your parents, understood?" Wu Zhangkong waved a hand and turned to Gu Yuena. Even his perpetually expressionless face softened a little. "What about you? What excuse are you going to make up?"
Gu Yuena tilted her head. "Huh? I have to make up an excuse too? What a hassle."
She had thought she only needed to come and let him know, and even that had seemed like a hassle to her.
Wu Zhangkong drew in a sharp breath. "Fine. Do as you please. Now, all of you, get out. You're not allowed to miss this afternoon's training."
With that, Wu Zhangkong dismissed them.
Soon, classes were over. Xie Xie worked up his courage and dragged Tang Wulin along to find Gu Yuena, suggesting that they make a soul-conducting communication call together and see what happened.
Gu Yuena thought it over and agreed.
Xie Xie quickly took out his Soul Guidance Communicator, dialed the soul-conducting communication number Wu Zhangkong had left them, and switched on the speaker.
There wasn't even a single ring from the other end. The call connected almost the instant he dialed.
Then a sweet female voice sounded. Listening closely, however, they could hear a mechanical quality to it. It clearly didn't sound like a real person.
"Hello, thank you for calling Anti-Entropy Technology's Eastsea City First Laboratory. How may I help you?"
Uh...
Xie Xie looked up at Tang Wulin, his eyes pleading for help. Clearly, he hadn't expected that sort of greeting...
Tang Wulin shook his head too. He didn't understand either.
But... Anti-Entropy Technology... that sounds like a company name, doesn't it? And the last part was... a laboratory?
Tang Wulin suddenly recalled what he had experienced a few years earlier.
While the two boys stood there in a daze, Gu Yuena wasn't about to hold back. Especially since certain reasons she couldn't reveal had left her with plenty of pent-up anger, putting her in a highly combustible state.
She immediately snatched Xie Xie's Soul Guidance Communicator and demanded loudly, "What do you mean, how can you help? Weren't you the one who left your number at the academy?"
"Keyword 'academy' detected." At the other end, the female voice detected the keyword and immediately changed its tone. "Hello, outstanding students of Eastsea Academy. Thank you for calling our laboratory. Please come to Building No. 9 on Central Street in Eastsea City at eight tonight. We will not wait for late arrivals."
Then the other end terminated the call.
Listening to the busy tone, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged bewildered looks.
What was all that about? Why make everything so mysterious...?
"Um, Wulin, are we still going?" Xie Xie asked.
"Let's go. There's nothing to lose by taking a look..." Tang Wulin scratched his head, then finally gritted his teeth and decided to check it out.
Then both boys looked at Gu Yuena beside them.
"What are you looking at? If you two have the guts to go, do you think I don't?" Gu Yuena glared at them, clearly unwilling to be outdone.
"Then shall we go together after dinner?"
Tang Wulin looked up to check the time. If they headed over after dinner, the timing would be just right.
"Sure!"
Gu Yuena nodded too. "No objections here."
After dinner, the three set off. They weren't far from Central Street in Eastsea City, and the walk wouldn't take long, so they decided to go on foot.
Of course, before leaving, Xie Xie let his family know. Tang Wulin, on the other hand, didn't want his parents to worry, so he didn't tell them.
As for Gu Yuena...
What parents did she have to tell?
"Building No. 9 on Central Street... Building No. 9..."
As they walked, Xie Xie kept muttering the name. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Holy crap! How did I forget about that?"
"Hm? What did you remember this time, Xie Xie?" Tang Wulin asked curiously.
Even Gu Yuena turned her head, wanting to see what the boy was up to now.
"Oh, I knew that name sounded familiar... If I remember correctly, isn't Building No. 9 the building closest to the Spirit Pagoda in Eastsea City?"
"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"
Tang Wulin scratched his head. As an outsider, he clearly knew nothing about it.
"Well... when Eastsea City was first built, they specifically reserved a stretch of land in the central district and put up some buildings to attract major powers. Quite a few powers did end up settling there. Building No. 1, for example, is the city hall. Building No. 8, where the Spirit Pagoda is located, was built together with Building No. 9. They have the same specifications and are the same height."
"Apparently, people in Eastsea City used to call the two of them the Twin Towers. Later, the deep-pocketed Spirit Pagoda bought Building No. 8. I heard they originally wanted to buy Building No. 9 too, but they never managed it."
"But that person told us to go to Building No. 9. Doesn't that mean it has an owner now? Namely, Anti-Entropy Technology?"
Xie Xie rubbed his chin like a master detective, feeling as though he had uncovered the truth.
"The Twin Towers?" Tang Wulin murmured.
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that the name sounded... rather unlucky.