When Yin Qing barged in, Zhao Wumian was in the middle of giving instructions to a man in black. She overheard words like "base" and "feedstock."
As the words of her accusation left her lips, she sensed a chilling aura emanating from the man in black. It was an aura that spoke of death, pressing down on her and robbing her of the courage to speak further. She could only stand by obediently.
"Yuan Que, leave now and do as I instructed. Begin immediately."
Zhao Wumian shot Yin Qing an displeased glance, dismissing the man named Yuan Que. His gaze then fell upon Yin Qing.
"Experiments carry risks. Failure is normal. When you agreed to the injections, you should have been prepared for the possibility of their deaths. If there's nothing else, you may leave. Remember, without my command, you are to stay put within the base and are not permitted to step outside."
Zhao Wumian's demeanor was a stark contrast to his previous self. There wasn't a hint of a smile on his face. He spoke coldly, as if addressing a mere servant.
"Are you trying to place me under house arrest? Zhao Wumian, I'm not afraid of you. We can take each other down if necessary."
Treated this way, Yin Qing was furious. The green lotus on her forehead flickered, ready to strike. She finally understood. When she brought the Xuanwu Base into their fold, she had intended to usurp his position. Instead, she had walked into a tiger's den, a trap, and had her wings clipped. In her rage, she summoned the green lotus, intending to kill Zhao Wumian and take his place. However, as soon as the green lotus appeared, it was suppressed by a feather, rendering it powerless.
"If you don't want to die, you will obey. Otherwise, I don't mind finding a new master for Cuiwei. I'm not killing you now solely for Cuiwei's sake. You've disrupted my plans. I had prepared a master for Cuiwei, and it shouldn't have recognized a new one so soon. For this, I've schemed for centuries. I placed it beneath Yuncheng to create the apocalypse, but you've ruined my plan. However, since it has already recognized you as its master, separating you now would mean starting over. That's why I haven't killed you. Do not test my patience. Stay put and cooperate with my commands. Otherwise, you will cease to exist. Do you understand? Don't think about escaping. Don't forget, you also participated in the injections. I've already activated the serum; your abilities have vanished. Even a Level 3 ability user could kill you with ease now."
Zhao Wumian grabbed Yin Qing by the neck, his voice turning sinister and terrifying. Yin Qing felt her abilities disappear. Like a small white rabbit facing a wolf, her body trembled with fear. She nodded involuntarily.
"Get out. Remember what I said."
He tossed Yin Qing out of the room and sat down in his chair, rubbing the space between his eyes with his long fingers. He had a headache. His outburst earlier wasn't solely due to Yin Qing's accusations. A significant part of it was because of Mingyue. He had just returned from Yunmeng Mountain, fleeing in disarray. He had gone with full confidence, intending to retrieve the lost Golden Crow. Not only did he fail to capture the Golden Crow, but the Floating Light Palace was also stolen, completely disrupting his plans.
He had led the Demon God Organization to this world centuries ago, meticulously planning. First, he placed Cuiwei beneath the Yuncheng Base to absorb the world's power. Then, he engineered the collision of two small planets, altering the world's magnetic field and creating the apocalypse. He thought everything was proceeding according to his plan, but first, the Golden Crow was lost, and then Cuiwei unexpectedly recognized a master. These unforeseen events had completely derailed his scheme. He had already resolved the issue with Cuiwei. Yin Qing's weakness was obvious, and with a little trickery, he had her under his control at the Azure Dragon Base. There was even an unexpected bonus: the personnel from the Xuanwu Base helped him solve some of his feedstock problems.
However, the Golden Crow and the Floating Light Palace were the most troublesome. This was because the mysterious Mingyue seemed to know a great deal about the Wu clan. To prevent his identity from being exposed before his plan succeeded, he had ordered Yue You to move the Azure Dragon Base underground. All traces on the surface had been destroyed to prevent Mingyue from discovering anything if she came to the Azure Dragon Base. This would then lead to a chain reaction, hindering his next steps. His current focus was to bypass Mingyue for now and complete his other plans. Once all preparations were made, he would deal with Mingyue and retrieve the Golden Crow and the Floating Light Palace.
Zhao Wumian pondered his next moves within the room. Outside, Yin Qing silently picked herself up from the floor. With a look of terror, she fled quickly back to her room. After calming down, she thought of something else. It was the terrifying aura that Yuan Que had emitted. It felt familiar. After racking her memory, she recalled. In her previous life, before she died, the Yuncheng Base was destroyed. The aura she felt then was identical to the one Yuan Que was exuding. Furthermore, she remembered that the ability user in her previous life who obtained the green lotus seed at Luoyan Mountain was named Yuan Que. It seemed Yuan Que joining the Azure Dragon Base wasn't because of the green lotus seed, but for some other reason. She suspected that in her previous life, all the survival bases were destroyed by a mysterious force, and the Azure Dragon Base was secretly behind it. Coupled with Zhao Wumian's agitated words earlier, Yin Qing suddenly realized she might have stumbled upon a shocking secret. That is, Zhao Wumian had created the apocalypse to achieve some goal.
Thinking of this, Yin Qing understood how laughable her previous assumptions were. Originally, she thought that whether in her past life or after rebirth, she was the chosen one, the protagonist. Now she realized that in both lives, she was merely a pawn. In the script already written by Zhao Wumian, she was just a minor character, destined for death. She locked herself in her room, filled with dread and apprehension, not daring to go out. She feared Zhao Wumian might see her and change his mind, deciding to end her life then and there.
Three days later, a knock came from outside her room. It startled her, her face turning pale, and she didn't dare to open the door.
"Miss Yin, it's Yue You. Please open the door."
Yue You's effeminate voice came from outside. Yin Qing hesitated for a long time before opening the door. She dared not refuse. Although Yue You was not an ability user, he was a trusted confidant of Zhao Wumian.
"Miss Yin, why do you look so haggard? Is something troubling you?"
Yue You's pale face showed no emotion. After entering, he casually closed the door.
"What do you want? Has Zhao Wumian changed his mind and wants to kill me?"
Looking at Yue You, Yin Qing asked involuntarily, her lips trembling.
"Don't worry, the leader is very busy. He's preoccupied with other matters. I'm here to see you on a personal matter."
Yue You looked at Yin Qing, his eyes gleaming. He then leaned closer to her ear and whispered.
"Why?"
After hearing Yue You's words, Yin Qing gasped in shock and couldn't help but cry out. Yue You quickly covered her mouth.
"Because I like him!"
Yue You said through gritted teeth.