Chapter 361 - 323: Reunion
Chapter 361: Chapter 323: Reunion
"Thanks, driver. Drive safe on your way back!"
Around noon, the taxi arrived outside the gates of Xingwu University.
Lin Yi paid the fare and smiled at the driver as he got out.
The driver leaned his head out and glanced at him.
"Kid, I’ve got a good feeling about you. Keep it up!"
Lin Yi just smiled and nodded in response.
The driver then turned the car around and drove off in the direction he came from.
Walking through the university gates, everything was just as familiar as ever.
After nearly two months away, Lin Yi felt a strange sense of unreality.
However, as he walked the paths of the university campus, he realized something.
The once-bustling grounds had now become somewhat desolate.
Students were few and far between; he could barely see anyone.
In contrast, squads of Xingwu Guards frequently marched past him.
He entered Zone 1 of the dormitories, which was as quiet as usual.
However, just as he reached his dormitory building,
he saw a display board next to the main entrance covered in names.
Lin Yi stopped in his tracks when he saw them.
When he saw the six words "List of Students Killed in Action,"
his heart clenched, and he scanned the list, searching for any names he knew.
Thankfully, among the dozen or so names, he didn’t find anyone familiar...
This brought him a small measure of relief.
But at the same time, he realized the situation in Songshan City was likely even more grim than he had imagined.
He entered the building and made his way up to his dorm room.
But when he opened the door and went inside,
the room was empty. Wei Nan, Wei Shang, and Feng Lei were all gone.
Lin Yi sat on the sofa and took out his phone.
RING... RING...
The line rang.
After four or five rings, the call was finally answered.
"Hello? Holy shit, you finally called me! Where are you?"
Wei Nan’s voice was a mix of joy and impatience.
The knot of anxiety in Lin Yi’s chest finally loosened a little.
"I’m back at the dorm. Where are you guys?"
"We’re out right now. Just wait there, we’re heading back. We’ll talk in person!"
After hanging up, Lin Yi sat on the sofa.
He let Xiaoqi out.
Xiaoqi had already reached a 7-star cultivation level.
It never seemed to cultivate, yet its realm was advancing at an even more ridiculous rate than Lin Yi’s.
It was the type that could genuinely raise its realm just by breathing.
This was the importance of bloodline. Possessing the blood of an Ancient Divine Beast, Xiaoqi seemingly never had to worry about cultivation or realms.
It could raise its realm with casual ease.
Aside from this, there was another subtle change in Lin Yi.
Within his [Heart Spirit Domain], an embryo had appeared.
Moreover, this embryo was alive.
It seemed to be nurturing something.
Lin Yi had observed it a few times during his seclusion.
He had even begun to suspect that the embryo was related to the Spiritual Ape bloodline he had absorbed, and that it was now conceiving a new life within his [Heart Spirit Domain].
’And could this new life be the Spiritual Ape itself?’
’Reborn in another form?’
Whether this guess was accurate or not, Lin Yi knew one thing for sure.
The moment this life was born, it might, like the White Tiger...
...become his second Heart Spirit Beast, guarding his [Heart Spirit Domain].
Lin Yi took out some Demon Beast Meat from his Storage Ring and fed it to Xiaoqi.
「Twenty-some minutes later.」
Wei Nan and Zhou Qi rushed in.
The moment the three saw each other,
Wei Nan’s eyes reddened, and he looked like he was about to cry.
"You’re a grown man. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other in that long. What’s with the tears?"
Lin Yi couldn’t help but laugh and tease his childhood friend.
He then glanced behind the two of them.
"Hm? Where are Shen Mengyi and Sun Tao? Didn’t they come back with you?"
At his words, Wei Nan could no longer hold back his tears.
Zhou Qi’s brow was also deeply furrowed, and he let out a soft sigh.
Seeing their expressions, the smile on Lin Yi’s face gradually vanished.
"What? Did something happen?"
Wei Nan quickly pulled Lin Yi down to sit, exchanging a look with Zhou Qi.
"It’s nothing major, don’t worry. They were injured and are in the hospital!"
Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed. He muttered, "Was it those men in black?"
Wei Nan and Zhou Qi were both stunned. "How did you know?"
"Just yesterday, Dragon Tiger Mountain was also attacked by those men in black!"
"So it seems these men in black have infiltrated Songshan City as well?"
Wei Nan nodded. "It’s not just the men in black, it’s the demon beasts, too... Ever since we got back from Lishui City, the number of demon beasts hasn’t decreased. In fact, it seems to be increasing!"
"You know how the university allowed students to form teams to go out and hunt demon beasts?"
"They even set up a Demon Hunting group chat where all the school’s Demon Hunting Squads had to register their members."
"They’d also assign missions and give out rewards."
"At first, everyone was really enthusiastic. The Demon Hunting Squads formed at school would spread out to every corner of the city before nightfall."
"During that time, it was like all the demon beasts went into hiding. None of them dared to show themselves."
"For several days in a row, everyone went out with high hopes but returned in disappointment."
"After running around all night without finding a single demon beast, everyone thought that Songshan City had been completely cleared of them."
"So they started to slowly expand their operations to the surrounding cities."
"Even the Demon Hunting Bureau praised the university. If it weren’t for our help,"
"the situation would have definitely become much more serious!"
"It was all because of Principal Tang’s decision to let students go out and train under the guise of Demon Hunting. Not only did the students get experience, but they also helped solve the demon beast invasion crisis!"
"But about half a month ago—no... more like a little over a week ago, a group of mysterious men in black appeared!"
"At first, they targeted the Demon Hunting Squads in various cities. Later, they started attacking indiscriminately!"
"A lot of students from our university were killed by those men in black!"
"Our dorm zone is okay since we’re all elite students. The number of people killed here was relatively small."
"The casualties in the other dorm zones were much worse!"
"If I remember correctly, the death toll for students in Zone 8 and Zone 9 reached thirty to fifty people!"
Upon hearing this number,
Lin Yi’s brow tightened, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.
He hadn’t expected these men in black to be so brazen.
’They’ve even started killing indiscriminately in the heavily policed New District?’
Thinking about the men in black who had attacked Dragon Tiger Mountain yesterday,
Lin Yi immediately realized an even more serious problem.
These men in black seemed to be killing randomly, but in reality, they had already infiltrated various departments.
Even the Eldest Senior Brother, who had followed the Elder Celestial Master since childhood, could betray his sect.
And that Senior Brother’s disciples had turned on their own, slaughtering their fellow sect members.
Lin Yi couldn’t understand what could make them do such a thing.
They didn’t even spare their own sect brothers, killing them without a hint of hesitation.
That was the truly terrifying thing about these men in black.
First the demon beast invasion, then the infiltration by the men in black.
No matter how he looked at it, this all seemed like a massive conspiracy.
Lin Yi glanced at Wei Nan and Zhou Qi. "So you’re saying Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi were attacked by the men in black?"
"Not exactly!" Wei Nan shook his head.
Lin Yi: "..."
Zhou Qi said with a smile, "They were injured over a week ago while hunting demon beasts."
"Because of that, we actually managed to avoid disaster."
"We were at the hospital with them for those few days, so we didn’t go Demon Hunting."
"And it just so happened that during those nights, the men in black appeared, and many students from our school were ambushed and killed..."
Lin Yi nodded. It was a stroke of luck amid the misfortune.
If Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi hadn’t been injured,
it was hard to say what might have happened to the others.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise!
"Wait, were you two the ones staying with Shen Mengyi these past few days?" Lin Yi asked quickly.
The expressions on Wei Nan and Zhou Qi’s faces changed instantly.
"We wanted to stay with her, but the staff at the School Medical Bureau wouldn’t let us! Two girls from Shen Mengyi’s dorm went to stay with her instead."
Hearing this, Lin Yi finally nodded.
"You two wait here for a bit. I’m going to my room."
After saying that, Lin Yi left without even taking Xiaoqi.
He walked back toward his own room.
Closing the door, Lin Yi picked up his phone and dialed a number.
The screen displayed: Qin Zhaoxue.
After a few rings,
the call was suddenly answered.
"Hello? Lin Yi?"
Qin Zhaoxue’s voice came through the phone.
Lin Yi’s expression relaxed, and he said with a smile, "It’s me."
"Where have you been all this time? I couldn’t reach you, and there wasn’t a single message!"
When Qin Zhaoxue heard Lin Yi’s voice,
she began to complain in a slightly coquettish tone.
Lin Yi chuckled. "Things happened so suddenly, I didn’t have a chance to tell you."
"How have you all been lately?"
"We’re okay, I guess. Cao Gang was killed in action."
"What? Cao Gang is dead?"
Lin Yi’s expression changed. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Cao Gang,
his deepest impression of him was of a simple and honest big kid.
Cao Gang wasn’t like Chen Shuang, who was more cunning.
Besides, his first impression of Chen Shuang hadn’t been very good.
In contrast, Cao Gang, his senior, had been much more talkative and friendly.
Who would have thought... after not seeing him for nearly two months, Cao Gang was dead.
"Where are you now? I’ll come find you,"
Lin Yi said in a low voice.
Qin Zhaoxue quickly replied, "Wait a few days. Our squad is in another city. It might be a few days before we can head back."
"Okay."
Lin Yi nodded.
He chatted with Qin Zhaoxue for a little while longer before hanging up.
The phone call greatly eased both Lin Yi’s and Qin Zhaoxue’s worries about each other.
Right now, the cities in the New District were fraught with danger due to the infiltration of those men in black.
Many of the smaller families, as well as the Demon Hunting Bureau and the Town Martial Department, had been ambushed by them.
The shadow of death hung over everyone’s head.
That’s why they were so worried about each other’s safety.
Lin Yi’s call had put their mutual concerns to rest.
When Lin Yi walked out of his room,
he saw Wei Nan and Zhou Qi both looking at him with knowing smirks.
"Let’s go. To the School Medical Bureau. We’ll go see Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi."