"Boss, the principal called me. What should I say?" Hao Yunyi retracted his gaze from the projection, holding up his phone, "Can I tell him the truth?"
Shen Qi suddenly coughed violently, his pale lips stained a vibrant crimson by the blood.
"Boss!" Hao Yunyi's expression changed slightly, "You're actually injured!"
In the eyes of Hao Yunyi, or rather, the extraordinary individuals of China, Shen Qi had always been at the pinnacle of power, arguably the strongest in China.
Shen Qi indifferently wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes placid. "I won't die. When the next Longkan opens, I'll go myself."
Hao Yunyi frowned, his thoughts racing as he guessed, "You're deliberately not getting treatment? Why?"
Shen Qi looked up at Lu Zhi in the projection, his tone casual, "Ah, who knows..."
He had been having dreams lately, and in those dreams, he was filled with despair, pain, hatred, and unfulfilled longing... all for someone whose appearance he couldn't even make out clearly.
When did Shen Qi first notice Lu Zhi?
From the very first glance.
His empty heart felt as though it had found a home.
*Buzz buzz...*
The phone vibration interrupted Shen Qi's thoughts. He placed it on the table, switched to speakerphone, and a furious roar was about to leap from the phone: "Shen Qi!!! Do you know what you're doing? They're all just newcomers, and you threw them into the grand clock of the illusory and real. What if they get hurt!!!"
After the principal finished his tirade, Shen Qi slightly raised an eyelid and casually replied, "This isn't a game, it's a gamble with lives. I thought you understood that better than I do."
The principal's anger seemed to be doused by a bucket of water, flickering but not extinguishing. He sighed, "You still can't toy with students' lives. Let them out quickly."
Shen Qi did not agree.
Hao Yunyi, who was anxiously watching, quickly interjected, "Principal, let me give you a heads-up. Apart from four who passed the test, all the other newcomers have been eliminated."
Principal: "What!!! Where are they?!"
Hao Yunyi glanced at Shen Qi, who remained silent, and replied, "They're fine. All good."
The principal mumbled something on his end, then quickly replied, "Regardless, the lives of those newcomers must be protected. What about the remaining four? Shen Qi? Speak!"
Shen Qi glanced at the four individuals still training in the projection and said, "As long as they meet the standards, they can come out."
This meant that the operation of the grand clock of the illusory and real would not stop. Time inside the clock was accelerated. Ten minutes had passed outside the clock, but an hour had already elapsed within the grand clock. The speed could also be adjusted by the controller.
The principal asked sternly, "Reason."
Shen Qi lowered his gaze. "The gods are awakening, Longkan is collapsing, anomalies are invading. You only have three days left."
The principal's tone became serious, "Why didn't you tell me such important news earlier!"
"That you'll have to ask Vice Principal Guang," Shen Qi's steady tone gained a hint of mockery.
The principal fell silent, then sighed deeply, "I understand. You... take care of yourself."
With that, he hung up.
The sea breeze was gentle. Hao Yunyi suddenly felt like smoking and asked, "Boss, anomalous invasion... won't this world be finished?"
Shen Qi spun the bronze ring on his index finger. The faint red light was absorbed by the ring. The gears of the grand clock above the sea of clouds began to spin faster.
"Then... let it be destroyed."
This wasn't the first time Hao Yunyi had heard Shen Qi say that.
"I have something to attend to. Tomorrow morning, they should be able to come out," Shen Qi said, then boarded a helicopter that arrived and left the campus.
...
Time flew by like flowing water. Lu Zhi and the other three finally experienced a hellish training mode.
Lu Zhi couldn't help but wonder each time, this endless training, with no need for rest, wouldn't a normal person have died from exhaustion?
But they not only didn't die, they didn't feel tired or hungry, like robots refueled and continuously "tormented" by the Xiaolun system.
*Whoosh—*
An arrow suddenly shot from his side, and Lu Zhi's body instinctively dodged the ambush with sharpness.
"Ahhhh~ When will this end?" Lan Yushan was being chased by a group of robots armed with guns.
*Bang bang bang—*
Lu Zhi looked towards the one o'clock direction. Gu Weiyu adopted a boxing stance, sweat dripping profusely as he engaged in a life-or-death struggle with a simulated combatant. One wrong move, and he'd be hit in the face by a punch from the simulator.
Behind Lu Zhi, Luo Shiyu was the only one who could go blade-to-blade with the Xiaolun coach. As Lu Zhi turned his head, he saw Xiaolun coach sever a lock of Luo Shiyu's hair...
In comparison, Lu Zhi realized his own obstacle evasion training was the easiest.
It's just...
When will this training ever end!!!
...
Non-Natural Management Academy (I) Conference Room.
*Bang—*
"Guang Fenghe! Have you said enough!" Principal Shen Lu slammed his teacup down beside Guang Fenghe, who was seated to his right, and roared, "Shen Qi is my son, raised by my own hands. If I hear you say that one more time, don't blame me for not being merciful!"
Guang Fenghe's face was ashen. As he was about to say something else, a woman placed her hand on his shoulder and mediated, "Alright, alright, Principal, don't mind Old Guang. You know his mouth. Let's discuss the important matters first."
Shen Lu, the principal of the Non-Natural Academy, was over forty but looked only in his early thirties. He was handsome and mature, yet he had a son, Shen Qi, who was twenty-eight.
However, Shen Qi was not Shen Lu's biological son. He was an infant Shen Lu brought out from Longkan at the age of eighteen. But Shen Qi displayed extraordinary abilities at the age of six, and without needing to borrow "Gilded Leaves," he faced prejudice from "non-humans," was not trusted, and was questioned and suspected.
It wasn't until a few years ago, when they obtained a true prophecy from a divine ruin and learned that individuals who could gain extraordinary abilities without "Gilded Leaves" were rare "Spiritual Bodies," not "non-humans," that the prejudice against Shen Qi gradually lessened.
But Vice Principal Guang Fenghe, an old man in his sixties, still harbored immense prejudice and mistrust towards Shen Qi. This included the news Shen Qi had sent back being intercepted by Guang Fenghe, causing such crucial information to be missed.
Guang Fenghe's face was etched with a sharp and mean expression. "Those not of our kind are a threat. What anomalous invasion, collapsing Longkan, are all baseless rumors! Longkan has existed for thousands of years. On the basis of his empty words and lack of evidence, he wants to cause panic and disrupt the world?! I don't believe a single word he says!"
Shen Lu's face darkened, and he finally erupted in fury. Veins bulged on his forehead as he strode over, grabbed Guang Fenghe by the collar, his eyes chillingly dark, and gritted out, "He is my son, not some alien! Old man, I've tolerated you for too long!"
"Stop!" A pistol was pressed against Shen Lu's temple. It was the woman accompanying Guang Fenghe.
Shen Lu sneered. Just as he was about to act, the tightly shut conference room door was violently pushed open.
A man in a black and gold military uniform strode in. His stern face and dark eyes, upon seeing Shen Lu with a gun to his head, turned as cold as quenched ice. His voice was chilling and filled with oppressive pressure, "Who are you pointing a gun at?"