Li Keyi's appearance before Shen Feng was a sudden decision. The headquarters had discovered something significant through satellite surveillance: the mutated beasts in the forest and the mutated birds in the sky were showing signs of forming an alliance. The mutated beasts were gathering, and the mutated birds in the north were breeding at an alarming rate, laying eggs daily. After laying their eggs, they would steal human food to raise their young. If this continued, and the mutated beasts and birds allied, humanity's cities would face a grave crisis.
Upon learning of this, the headquarters needed to bolster its strength. To counter the mutated birds, fighter jets were essential, as only they could combat them. Additionally, esper abilities were a crucial force. However, the Esper Management Bureau and the Chosen Bureau had been operating in the field for half a year with little progress.
At this juncture, the headquarters understood the importance of uniting all possible forces. Having heard that Li Keyi had a good relationship with Shen Feng of Yuzhou, they decided to send Li Keyi as a negotiator to make peace with Shen Feng. Afterward, they could resume trade, with both sides compromising and continuing to obey headquarters' orders.
However, upon learning of headquarters' intentions, Shen Feng was at a loss for words. The speed at which headquarters changed its stance was astonishing. In just one year, their policies had shifted so drastically. Moreover, this so-called peace offering seemed to have ulterior motives.
"Has headquarters lost control of the situation? They want to make peace now and have me obey their orders. Are they hoping I'll continue fighting their battles? No chance!" Shen Feng said calmly. His meaning was clear: if headquarters wanted to maintain the blockade, so be it. Yuzhou was managing, but fighting for headquarters was out of the question.
Li Keyi couldn't say much about headquarters' current predicament. She merely smiled and replied, "How would I, a mere researcher, know if headquarters can control the situation? I'm just a messenger. If you don't agree, I have nothing more to say."
Shen Feng nodded, not holding Li Keyi accountable for delivering headquarters' message, understanding that one must yield when under another's roof. Delivering a message was hardly a reason to fall out.
"Shen Feng, you look troubled, as if you've encountered some worries. Can you tell me about it?" Li Keyi then asked.
Shen Feng didn't hide anything, stating calmly, "How could I be happy? First, my wife died, then my son fell into a coma. Yuzhou remains the same. Recently, there have been no good news. It's a miracle I haven't become reclusive under these circumstances."
Hearing this, Li Keyi became puzzled and quickly asked, "I didn't hear about your wife dying. Did something happen to Chang Jianyi or Chu Chaoyan?"
Shen Feng shook his head and said, "Neither. It was Du Xinshi, the former manager of Fengshen Palace whom you met before. Alas, it's all tears when I talk about it. Du Xinshi isn't exactly dead; she's been frozen in ice. I don't know if she'll ever wake up. It's as simple as that, don't overthink it."
Upon hearing this, Li Keyi couldn't help but frown and ask, "How many wives do you have? I only heard of one before, and now you're saying there's another. Aren't you deceiving me?"
Shen Feng sighed and shook his head, saying, "Life is always full of surprises. Let's not dwell on this. I have to go to the hospital to see my child later. I won't be able to entertain you. I'll have Luo Qing take care of you. You can stay in Yuzhou for a couple of days."
However, Li Keyi immediately said, "This isn't urgent. I still want to talk to you more. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Shen Feng leaned back on the sofa, saying helplessly, "It's not me who's in a hurry, but someone else is more anxious than I am. Believe it or not, someone will bring tea and snacks soon. Afterward, the person adding water and the person delivering documents to me will appear. You won't be able to have a private chat with me for long."
Li Keyi, being a sharp and intelligent person, understood Shen Feng's meaning after hearing his words. She couldn't help but laugh and ask, "I never expected the dignified Fengshen to be afraid of his wife. It's truly amusing."
"There's no such thing as a man afraid of his wife in this world, only men who respect their wives. If you have something to say, continue. If not, I won't be able to accompany you any longer," Shen Feng said seriously. Of course, this wasn't Shen Feng's original saying; he was merely quoting someone else.
Seeing Shen Feng's haste, Li Keyi had no choice but to reveal her current purpose: "I have some classified information now. Do you want to know?"
Shen Feng looked at Li Keyi expressionlessly, without saying any extra words. Li Keyi felt rather bored at this moment and continued, "Then I'll tell you directly. You're so uninteresting; can't you guess? I've received news that the mutated blue whale, the most evolved creature on Earth, is on the verge of death. The dying blue whale is not protected by other sea beasts. Now is the best time to salvage the meteorite."
There was too much news about the sea, with all sorts of rumors circulating. However, those spreading these rumors generally lacked concrete evidence. Shen Feng had always disbelieved online gossip. But now, Li Keyi had brought the latest news, and Shen Feng needed to consider its authenticity.
Therefore, Shen Feng said seriously, "Even if this news is true, why are you telling me? Do you expect me to go with you to salvage the meteorite right now?"
Li Keyi nodded and said, "That's exactly what I mean. I want to know what effects this extraterrestrial meteorite has, why it can create a divine realm, and what will happen to the blue whale after it dies. Thinking it over, you can fly, so I hope you can take me to see it."
Shen Feng directly refused such a request, saying seriously, "Forget it. I'm not interested in extraterrestrial meteorites anymore. As for salvaging them, this matter has always felt eerie from the start. I'm worried it's a trap, so I won't go. Figure it out yourself."
Shen Feng hadn't expected Li Keyi to invite him to salvage a meteorite in the southern Indian Ocean, but he refused. If it were just him and Li Keyi, the matter would be completely unreliable. Even if they went to sea, they would still face attacks from giant sea beasts. It was the same two years ago: when they started salvaging meteorites, nothing happened. But once people from the divine realm gathered, sea beasts would surround them from all directions. This time, it would likely be the same.
Just then, the office door was knocked again. A woman entered with a plate of tea and snacks, which appeared to be osmanthus cake, with a rich aroma that would surely leave a lingering fragrance. It was evident that the current development was proceeding exactly as Shen Feng had predicted.
"City Lord, this is a tea snack for our guest. Please chat at your leisure," the server said as she placed the tea and snacks down and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she observed Shen Feng and Li Keyi's postures, but their postures were exactly the same as before, with no apparent change.
Shen Feng also stood up at this moment and said to the server, "The conversation is over. Have Luo Qing entertain the guest and find a place to rest. As for me, I'm going to the hospital. I'll return this afternoon to continue processing documents."
Li Keyi stood up and said, "No need for entertainment. I'll also go to the hospital to check on Xiao Long's condition. When I saw him before, Xiao Long could barely speak. I wonder how he is now."
Shen Feng did not stop her and took Li Keyi to the hospital. At the hospital, Li Keyi learned that Xiao Long had fallen into a coma after consuming an evolution crystal and was still in the process of evolution. His current method of obtaining energy was through injected glucose.
"Shen Feng, actually, there's nothing wrong with Xiao Long's current condition. If you agree to go to sea with me, I'll tell you why Xiao Long is in a coma. I guarantee you'll be at ease once you know the truth," Li Keyi then said to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng also remembered that he had given an evolution crystal to Li Keyi for her experiments. He figured Li Keyi must know many special details. With this thought, Shen Feng quickly said, "As long as you tell me the truth, I'll go to sea. However, I'll decide based on the situation. If it's too dangerous, I'll turn back immediately. Is that okay?"
"Of course, it's no problem. Since you've agreed, I'll tell you then," Li Keyi said magnanimously and then explained, "Through my research in Yanjing, I've discovered the essence of this evolution crystal. It contains a high concentration of extraterrestrial elements, evenly distributed within the viral protein crystals. Furthermore, one crystal can cultivate twenty espers. A peak sixth-tier esper who consumes it will become a seventh-tier esper. But, if an ordinary person consumes it, then..."
"Then what?" Shen Feng quickly asked, wanting to know what would happen to Xiao Long.
At this moment, Li Keyi smiled slightly and said, "They will only become a first-tier esper. So, you don't need to feel so much danger. When Xiao Long wakes up, he will be a first-tier esper."
With this answer, Shen Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Xiao Long was alright. As for the evolution crystal, it was gone.
"Wait a minute, even if he's supposed to become a first-tier esper, Xiao Long has been in a coma for over ten days. Even if he's evolving, he should have completed it by now. Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Shen Feng suddenly thought of a serious problem. Xiao Long's prolonged unconsciousness didn't seem like an ongoing evolution.
Li Keyi also had an answer for this: "The extraterrestrial elements will combine with the central nervous system. In other words, these extraterrestrial elements will eventually enter the brain. And an evolution crystal is for twenty people, so the combination time will naturally be twenty times that of an ordinary person. Therefore, after four months, Xiao Long will fully wake up. If it's a bit later, it will be after five months."
"Coma for four to five months? How is that possible?" Shen Feng's explanation from Li Keyi made him skeptical, as such a long period of unconsciousness meant nearly half a year had passed.
Li Keyi shrugged and said, "That's how it is. Do I get any reward for lying to you? No, right? So, you should just believe what I say."
Shen Feng didn't quite believe Li Keyi's current reasoning, but with the facts laid out before him, he could only believe it reluctantly.
At this moment, Li Keyi said seriously, "We've made a deal. Prepare to take me to salvage the meteorite at sea. If successful, we can split the meteorite equally, and we will surely be recorded in history."
Shen Feng hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously and said, "No problem, I understand. I think we'll depart in three days. I still need to inform my family."