White light flashed through the space.
Before Lin Dong could think of a solution, he appeared on the station platform.
"What is this?"
Lin Dong stared at the train roaring past him, its windows covered in bloody handprints and marks left by gnawing zombies. He froze for a moment. "The entrance to the Train to Busan instance?"
"Tsk. I didn't think you'd make it out alive!"
A voice devoid of life, like that of a dead man, suddenly rang out.
Lin Dong spun around. "Chen Kai?!"
"That's me."
Not a flicker of emotion crossed Chen Kai's signature corpse-like face. He merely glanced at the dying Bai Ruoxue and said, "Looks like you were pretty lucky."
"Lucky?"
Lin Dong frowned, forcibly suppressing his anger as he pleaded, "She's about to die. Please find a way to save her!"
Chen Kai glanced at Bai Ruoxue with his lifeless eyes and said coldly, "She forced herself to use Curse Words?"
"The backlash isn't so easy to remove. The merits she earned aren't enough to cover her treatment."
"Then count mine too!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Dong said, "We brought back crucial intelligence. Surely I deserve a share of the credit for that?!"
"Your intelligence is indeed important."
Chen Kai shook his head. "But it's still not enough. Removing the backlash isn't as easy as you think."
Seeing this, Zhou Gong was about to say something, but Lin Dong stopped him.
"In that case!"
Lin Dong asked, "What if I give up my chance to advance straight to the second examination?"
"Are you sure?"
A trace of emotion finally appeared on Chen Kai's face. "This is an unprecedented first for the entire Federation. Are you sure you want to give it up?"
"Besides, the poison in your arm doesn't look simple either."
"I'll just take the exam again."
Without even thinking, Lin Dong said, "Whether I advance directly makes no difference to me."
As he spoke, Lin Dong glanced at his left arm, which had turned a purplish black and was on the verge of necrosis. He said calmly, "It's just an arm. I owe her my life."
"You're pretty cocky, kid."
Chen Kai's corpse-like face twisted into a smile uglier than a grimace. "If you're willing to give up direct advancement, your combined merits would indeed warrant intervention from some important people."
"Then stop wasting words."
Lin Dong said bluntly, "Save her!"
Chen Kai didn't act immediately. Instead, he asked, "I'm not holding out much hope, but I still have to ask. Did you get the Hundred-Soul Affinity Pill?"
At those words, Lin Dong instinctively frowned.
Chen Kai caught that reaction keenly and asked in surprise, "You got it?"
Seeing that, Lin Dong stopped hiding it and took the Hundred-Soul Affinity Pill from inside his clothes.
"You really got it!"
Looking at the pill, whose surface seemed to hold a hundred wailing ghosts, Chen Kai instinctively stepped forward.
"Wait!"
Lin Dong stepped back and tucked the pill away. "Bring me the fruit first!"
"You think I'd rob you?"
Chen Kai gave a disdainful chuckle and said flatly, "Wait here!"
The next second!
Chen Kai vanished in an instant!
"What was that?!"
A hint of wariness flashed in Lin Dong's eyes. "A Ghost Domain?!"
Lin Dong had already suspected something about the Ghost Bus's origins. Now that Chen Kai had displayed a Ghost Domain, he was even more certain that Mystery Revisited existed in this world!
But why had I never heard anyone mention it?!
"What are you thinking about?"
Before Lin Dong could find an answer, Chen Kai returned, now holding a fruit covered in scales!
The Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon Form!
That's it!
At the sight of it, Lin Dong's heart gave two quick, excited thumps.
"Wait!"
Imitating Lin Dong, Chen Kai took a step back and held out his hand. "The pill!"
"Someone at your level copying a kid-is that really fun?"
Lin Dong grumbled as he handed over the pill.
"Anyone who can fight their way out of a mutated instance is no kid!"
Chen Kai smiled coldly and casually tossed the Azure Dragon Fruit to Lin Dong. "This is yours. I'll take Bai Ruoxue for treatment first. You two can get off at No. 1 Middle School. Any objections?"
Lin Dong caught the Azure Dragon Fruit, but had no time to inspect it. He immediately looked at Bai Ruoxue. "Save her first!"
"We'll be fine."
Zhou Gong nodded in agreement.
At that, Chen Kai beckoned with one hand. "Then let's go!"
The next second!
Darkness enveloped the three of them!
They vanished on the spot!
Only the train full of roaring zombies remained, hurtling past.
At the gates of No. 1 Middle School.
Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, Zhou Gong looked at Lin Dong worriedly. "Captain, is your arm really going to be okay?"
"If you don't find a solution soon, it might become necrotic!"
Lin Dong lowered his head and glanced at his left arm. Third Brother's poison was even more potent than he had imagined!
He had never expected that even baleful qi, something so steeped in yin energy and resentment, would fail to counteract Third Brother's poison.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
He had to visit the Battle Through the Heavens Secret Realm!
Raising Xiao Yan's affection within three days was his top priority.
With that thought, Lin Dong smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. I won't die."
"As long as you know what you're doing."
Zhou Gong didn't press him further. Instead, he said, "I need to head back to the Special Affairs Bureau first. Chen Kai has already put everything on record, but I still have to report in."
"No problem."
Lin Dong nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "I might be busy for the next couple of days. Sorry for the trouble, but please help look after Bai Ruoxue."
"Of course."
A trace of relief crossed Zhou Gong's face. "She saved my life too."
"Thanks."
Lin Dong nodded.
"I should be thanking you."
Zhou Gong bowed solemnly to Lin Dong. "Thank you for saving my worthless life, Captain!"
"All right, we can drop the formalities out here!"
Lin Dong smiled and waved a hand. "I've still got something to do, so I'll head off first."
"Goodbye, Captain!"
Zhou Gong bowed respectfully once more.
Lin Dong rented a Secret Realm Room from the school.
After locking the door behind him.
Lin Dong eagerly took out the Azure Dragon Fruit.
This was what he had taken such a huge risk for!
"Please don't let me down!"
Looking at the Azure Dragon Fruit's strange, dim glow, Lin Dong smiled broadly, opened his mouth, and prepared to swallow it!
But the next second!
Lin Dong suddenly stopped mid-motion.
A thought suddenly stirred in his mind, and he said calmly, "Activate Heavenly Blessing!"
The blessing awarded by the Heavenly Dao lasted only three seconds.
With so little time, Lin Dong had been pondering how best to use it.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, a flash of inspiration had struck him. He felt that this was the perfect opportunity!
Crunch!
Almost at the exact instant Heavenly Blessing activated, Lin Dong bit into the Azure Dragon Fruit!
Crunch!
In the second second of Heavenly Blessing, Lin Dong took another bite!
Crunch!
In the third second, Lin Dong gulped down all the remaining fruit!
[Ding! Heavenly Blessing has ended. Good luck!]
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