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Chapter 36
Is it possible that Rong Qi and Su Jiqiao have an old grudge?
Intense pain.
Shake.
Zhang Zongxiao struggled to open one eye, feeling groggy, initially mistaking the sensation of being on a swaying boat amidst a storm. Only then did he realize that the jolting beneath him came from a car, with the window revealing a vast, dark, rainy night outside.
“…” He tried desperately to call for help but only managed to produce incomprehensible syllables coated in sticky blood. He attempted to lift his hand but found himself tightly bound to the back seat of the car. In the dim cabin, there was only him and the school-uniformed girl.
The girl drove skillfully with one hand while idly propping her cheek with the other, her mouth slightly pouting with a hint of innocence. But to Zhang Zongxiao, her seemingly innocent demeanor resembled that of a demon: “… Spare… me… please…”
“Awake?” The girl lazily glanced at him.
Zhang Zongxiao trembled violently, desperately wanting to open the car door, but in reality, he could do nothing but shake uncontrollably.
How did he manage to provoke this god of plague?! That was the only thought flooding his mind.
She was obviously just a weak and feeble little girl!
“Oh, by the way, I didn’t get to tell you one thing,” the girl said, looking ahead at the pouring rain on the road, her chin resting on her hand as she spoke softly, “The person you deceived and took away the stray cat from wasn’t me; it was a seventy-year-old lady.”
Zhang Zongxiao’s remaining pupil suddenly contracted.
“She’s just a lonely old lady who runs a rescue shelter. She doesn’t use the internet, doesn’t understand social media outcry, and doesn’t get your people’s little hobbies.”
The girl raised an eyebrow. “Luckily, she knows me.”
“…I’m really a confused old good-for-nothing! Why did I believe that scoundrel? He said he loved cats, but he’s actually a pervert who scalds cats with boiling water!…”
The old lady, with her white hair, sat crying on the small courtyard’s stone bricks. Her wrinkled hands pounded the ground desperately, with several dogs anxiously circling around her. Volunteers were at a loss; some wiped tears, some cursed, and some stomped their feet, wanting to call the police but having no evidence. Amidst the chaos, the clear and calm voice of the girl came from the back of the crowd:
“Give me their contact information.”
The volunteers turned around one after another, and one aunt blurted out, “Xiao Yan? Do you have a way?”
“Yeah, Xiao Yan is the smartest. Xiao Yan will definitely come up with a solution!”
“Anyway, let’s first find that person and get Xiao Mi back!”
……
The girl in the blue dress stepped forward and took the photocopy of the “adopter’s” ID card from the trembling hands of the old lady, even though most of the information on it was fake.
“Perverts usually band together. This person is just a liaison; killing him won’t solve the problem.”
The girl slowly clenched the paper in her palm, her knuckles showing blue veins, her voice low and calm:
“I will gather them and kill them.”
“I… I was wrong… Spare me, spare me…”
Blood and tears rolled from Zhang Zongxiao’s hollow eye sockets, but his mouth, with half of his teeth knocked out, couldn’t utter coherent pleas for mercy. The girl smiled, raising her eyebrows mockingly, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to take your life now. The bait still has some value left.”
Zhang Zongxiao hadn’t yet understood what she meant by “bait,” but he saw the girl hit the brakes at a red light, take out his phone from the storage compartment, unlock it in front of him with a glance, and smoothly log into a chat group.
As if she had already drafted it in her mind, she quickly composed a message and pressed send.
“!”
Witnessing all of this, Zhang Zongxiao suddenly realized something. Panic-stricken, he struggled desperately, but all his efforts were futile.
The girl casually tossed the phone back into the storage compartment, and just then, the green light came on. The Jeep raced forward like a lone boat in the vast, rainy night.
***
Central District, Evolutionist Specialized Hospital.
“I’m telling you, nothing’s going to happen, right?” Outside the special care ward, a guard changing shifts glanced at the time, feeling a bit worried, “I heard that Supervisor Shen had a really bad relationship with Section Chief Su back in the day, but Director Yue still wants to bring him to visit this ward…”
The older colleague seemed more experienced, “No worries; even if the sky falls, we have those supervisors backing us up. We’re just standing guard here; what does it have to do with us?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” The former guard felt reassured, then couldn’t resist gossiping, “Hey, have you ever seen that Supervisor Shen? They say he was really famous back in the day. What does he actually look like?”
“…”
His colleague’s face took on a somewhat mysterious expression, as if pondering what words to use to describe him. After a while, he said slowly, “He looks… you’d recognize him at first sight.”
“Huh?”
“No matter how many people are present, as long as you see him, you’ll definitely know it’s him.” The seasoned colleague shook his head somewhat ruefully and said, “It’s pretty much that kind of appearance.”
The young guard was very puzzled. Just then, the lights at the end of the corridor lit up, and the two metal doors of the elevator slowly opened.
Both guards fell silent and stood upright.
Yue Yang, with a stern face, stepped out of the elevator first, followed by several subordinates from the supervision office, as well as the radiant and proud Witch Italdo. The group walked through the corridor towards the special care ward. The curious gaze of the guards turned to the back of the crowd, simultaneously noticing two individuals.
Bai Sheng’s gait was casual, his long legs covering twice the distance with each step, and he smilingly tucked his left hand into his pocket. His right arm was draped over the shoulder of another person; the gesture seemed natural at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that his fingers were inwardly clenched with restrained force—an unconscious movement.
Only an extremely strong possessive nature in a person would reveal such detail, no matter how carefully concealed it was on the surface.
The guard glanced curiously at the person beside him and suddenly understood something.
“As long as you see him, you’ll definitely know it’s him.”
Chief Supervisor Shen Zhuo, notorious among the evolutionists, exuded an aura and presence that defied description. It was hard for anyone to carefully observe his features or facial shape the first time they saw him, because when he glanced at someone, it was like a shining pearl passing by, leaving only one thought in their mind: Ah, he’s seen me.
He sees you, but he doesn’t really look at you. He never truly looks at anyone; he just passes by in an instant, leaving no emotional ripples behind.
“Chief… Chief Yue!”
The guard suddenly snapped out of it and saluted. Chief Yue Yang nodded slightly, pushed open the door of the ward, and the group entered one after another.
The guard dared not steal another glance at Shen Zhuo, only casting a sidelong glance at the ground from the corner of his eye. He saw the shoes of Supervisor Shen, bypassing him without the slightest pause and directly entering the ward.
“…”
At that moment, a shadow emerged from the door, startling the guard. He saw Bai Sheng leaning back, teasingly looking at him, “—You can indeed recognize him at first sight, right?”
“!!”
He heard it?! He heard it in the elevator?!
The guard was speechless, but he saw Bai Sheng wink mischievously, smiling, then playfully closed the door as he turned back into the ward.
***
The ward was a spacious suite, all white as far as the eye could see. Countless life support machines surrounded the bed, with a figure lying quietly in the middle.
His facial contours were gentle, and his eyelashes were peacefully resting on his eyelids, appearing as if he were merely asleep. Only the nearly flat brainwave curve silently displayed one fact: he was in a vegetative state.
The former Deputy Chief of the Central Supervision Office, A-class evolutionist Su Jiqiao.
“We gave him a consultant every three months, but there’s no sign of awakening.” Yue Yang stood by the bed, his tone somewhat heavy. “When we found Rong Qi on the surveillance, I thought he might be trying to awaken Su Jiqiao, so I arranged an emergency brain scan… but found nothing unusual.”
“Maybe he doesn’t need to wake up Su Jiqiao at all,” Shen Zhuo said lightly, then turned to instruct, “Italdo.”
Witch Italdo carried a Himalayan platinum bag; her attitude was noticeably friendlier than before, even with a hint of negotiation, “Why did you call me? To kill someone? This kid? Okay, okay, after killing him, can I eat him?”
“This person is a key concern of the Central Supervision Office; we can’t afford to let him die,” Shen Zhuo sneered, “Just recreate the scene; try to rewind to 8:00 p.m. four days ago.”
Upon hearing that she couldn’t kill or eat him and her basic needs weren’t met, Italdo’s interest waned, “Well, okay.”
She reluctantly put down the platinum bag, placed her hand on Su Jiqiao’s forehead, and once again uttered the same stiff and hoarse incantation, just like she did at the Quanshan County Health Care Center.
The scene of time reversing flooded in like a torrent.
Outside the window, day and night swiftly alternated, light and shadow flipped forward rapidly, and medical staff entered and exited mechanically. The wall clock’s hands spun backward until they abruptly stopped at a certain moment—
The clock on the wall pointed to 8:11 p.m.
The scene regression was random and became more difficult to control the further back in time it went. To be able to pinpoint a scene from four days ago with only an eleven-minute discrepancy was already quite impressive.
Two figures appeared by the bedside. One was the tall and slender young man, Rong Qi, while the other figure, wearing a blue dress, was a short-haired girl with a fair and delicate face, very familiar.
She was the girl who beat up Zhang Zongxiao and dragged him away.
Shen Zhuo had a premonition, and he glanced up at Bai Sheng. Both of them shared a knowing look.
“—So, it’s settled then.”
Rong Qi looked at the girl, his tone very gentle. “I’ll lend you the ability of this person named Su Jiqiao. In exchange, you try to help me out as much as you can, alright?”
The supervisors from the Central District couldn’t help but express their confusion. “Lend?” “Abilities can be lent?”
“He said help. What does Rong want help for?”
……
Yue Yang made a gesture for silence, and everyone immediately quieted down. They heard the girl respond calmly, “I understand.”
She was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, maintaining composure in front of evolutionists who were obviously higher-ranked. Her tone was respectful but not submissive. “Although my abilities are limited, to thank you, I’ll do my best no matter what.”
Rong Qi nodded approvingly, then reached out toward the bed, his palm suspended above Su Jiqiao’s chest.
Even though it was just a scene regression, with this gesture, a powerful and indescribable force, as if it could directly touch the soul, suddenly surged forth. Except for Bai Sheng, all the evolutionists present felt their hairs stand on end, and several even staggered back, clutching their hearts as if struck by lightning.
“What… what is this—”
It felt like some force from deep within, even from the marrow, was being forcibly drawn out of their bodies!
Bai Sheng, who had been lazily leaning on Shen Zhuo’s shoulder, suddenly changed his expression, swiftly stepping forward and commanding in a deep voice, “Step back.”
Then he raised his hand and struck down, and a transparent barrier descended from the void, instantly neutralizing the terrifying suction!
The pressure on everyone suddenly eased, and someone stumbled to regain their footing. “What just happened?!”
Bai Sheng’s expression seemed to carry a hint of sternness as he raised his chin in the direction of the bed.
They saw several faint blue dots breaking free from Su Jiqiao’s body and converging into Rong Qi’s palm, forming a rapidly rotating light sphere about the size of a coin.
“…. Abilities,” Shen Zhuo murmured.
Su Jiqiao’s ability had unexpectedly transformed into some kind of high-purity energy, absorbed by Rong Qi, who then transferred it with a gentle stroke on the girl’s head, as if affectionately patting a child’s hair.
The azure light sphere then dissolved into countless points of light, instantly entering the girl’s body.
Someone exclaimed in shock, “He… he can transfer other people’s abilities!”
“No, it’s just because Su Jiqiao himself has the ability to ‘lend’. Rong Qi simply helped him complete the ‘lending’ action forcibly,” Bai Sheng said softly, rubbing his chin. “Evolutionists without the ability to lend won’t have their abilities sucked away, but they will feel extremely uncomfortable. However…”
However, to be able to transcend time and space, causing so many evolvers who arrived at the scene four days later to feel suffocated, what kind of terrifying power was that?
Rong Qi wasn’t lying; he was indeed still evolving, and his abilities were actually getting stronger!
“Su Jiqiao’s ability is actually quite simple; it’s called ‘Daydream’.”
Rong Qi’s attitude was very meticulous, showing no impatience despite the girl’s young age and lower rank. “The practitioner can freely create dream content, which can be a calm and beautiful illusion, an endlessly looping horror scene, or the most unbearable memories of the dreamer’s life. When the dream becomes too painful and terrifying, the dreamer’s brain will suffer severe damage, even leading to self-harm, forever lost in the unending dream.”
“This kind of ability has a very significant advantage in concealment. It cannot be detected by instruments, making it easy for people to mistake it for hysteria or a mental disorder. Only with specialized ability detection devices can traces of psychic attacks be discovered through brain scans, but by then, it’s often too late for treatment.”
The girl lowered her head, looking at her hands, which trembled slightly.
“There are two points you need to pay special attention to,” Rong Qi continued. “Firstly, the borrowed ability can only be used four times at most. After four uses, it will automatically become ineffective. Secondly, since you are only B-class, ‘Daydream’ can only exert B-class effects. However, it should be sufficient for seeking revenge against those murderers.”
The room fell silent.
“… Thank you very much for your help,” the girl said after a long pause, squeezing her hands tightly and looking up at Rong Qi. “As an exchange, I will do my best to fulfill the task you assigned…”
Unexpectedly, Rong Qi waved it off casually. “No need to go all out. Just give it a try.”
The girl was taken aback.
“It’s best if you can help, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t. I wasn’t expecting too much to begin with,” Rong Qi paused, speaking gently. “Most importantly, I don’t want a child to take unnecessary risks because of this.”
“…Why?”
“I’ve always liked children.”
Rong Qi said with a slight smile in response to the girl’s puzzled gaze. “For several years, there was only one child I could interact with and observe in this world. Later, I realized that period of time was the most precious. People change a lot as they grow older.”
The girl was still puzzled.
“Go ahead, Chu Yan. Consider it as me fulfilling a child’s wish on a whim.”
So, the girl’s name was Chu Yan.
Shen Zhuo turned to Chen Miao and whispered, “Look up this name.”
“Yes!”
“…Thank you.” The girl hesitated for a moment, bowed her head, and repeated, “I’m really very grateful.”
Rong Qi waved his hand, indicating that she could leave.
The girl nodded slightly, then retreated step by step out of the ward, gently closing the door with a click.
In the quiet space, only Rong Qi remained.
All eyes were on him, subconsciously holding their breath.
Rong Qi didn’t move, showing no intention of leaving. Under everyone’s gaze, he stood by the bedside, staring motionlessly at the unconscious Su Jiqiao, his gaze completely shrouded in shadow.
Suddenly, Bai Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, sensitively sensing something unusual. But before he could step forward, Rong Qi reached out—
He grabbed Su Jiqiao’s throat.
This action exposed his eyes to the light, and within them flickered an unmistakable disgust!
Everyone present was stunned simultaneously: “What’s going on?” “What is he doing?” “Is he trying to kill Su Jiqiao?”
Bai Sheng and Shen Zhuo looked at each other at the same time, both with astonishment in their eyes.
Is it possible that this person, surnamed Rong, has a grudge against Su Jiqiao?
The air seemed to freeze; the few seconds felt incredibly long, until Rong Qi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
As if using that gesture, he restrained some unknown hatred in his heart, slowly, inch by inch, forcing himself to release his grip, then turning to walk toward the door.
It was actually a strange scene, where the reversal of time and the reality of the hospital ward intersected. Everyone wanted to know why he suddenly wanted to kill Su Jiqiao, but no one could find the answer from Rong Qi’s actions. They could only stare as he passed through the crowd, reaching out to open the door to the ward.
Just then, he seemed to suddenly sense something, pausing for a moment:
“…Are you watching me, Supervisor Shen?”
For an instant, it seemed as if even time stood still.
He slightly turned his head, his gaze wandering around the entire ward, and he smiled, “Is it another time and space regression?”
Everyone couldn’t believe their ears, even Witch Italdo herself was stunned, and Shen Zhuo’s pupils silently contracted.
“You must be disappointed that I didn’t kill Su Jiqiao.”
The curve of Rong Qi’s lips deepened in the light and shadow, a somewhat eerie smile appeared, and his tone even carried a hint of comfort, “It’s okay; there will be opportunities in the future. I also want him dead.”
He waved his hand lightly.
A rush of sound, like receding tides, swept away the reversal of time, taking Rong Qi’s figure with it, revealing the walls and floor of reality.
“…”
The ward was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop on the floor, and it was a long time before someone asked in a trembling voice, “He… he can sense us watching him across time and space?”
“What exactly is the background of this person, surnamed Rong?”
“He’s simply not human. How could we possibly oppose him? We wouldn’t stand a chance against him!”
……
Although everyone present was a supervisor, the reverence, awe, and subservience of lower-level evolutionists towards top-tier peers were ingrained instincts. Especially after Rong Qi’s powerful and illogical display just now, it completely overturned the imagination of ordinary evolutionists. For a moment, everyone around was in panic, murmuring and whispering to each other.
Even Yue Yang’s expression turned serious. He turned to look at Shen Zhuo, about to say something, when suddenly Bai Sheng’s voice resounded, suppressing all discussions:
“—There’s nothing to be surprised about. He simply guessed that we would use time and space regression.”
Everyone turned their heads back, only to see the young S-class evolutionist, contrary to his usual unserious demeanor, unexpectedly composed and serious, his tone carrying an irresistible force, “This Rong Qi has been to our Shenhai. He knows about the Shenhai City Supervision Office, and he has even clashed with Witch Italdo. He knows we have time and space regression, so it’s natural for him to guess that we would use it here. It’s not surprising at all.”
The influence of S-class pheromones was almost irresistible. Although they knew it wasn’t that simple, the people present found a glimmer of illusory comfort:
“…Is that so?” “Could it be that he’s just testing us…”
“Yes,” Bai Sheng said calmly, “don’t overthink it. Suspicion breeds paranoia.”
Bai Sheng was the kind of person who usually mingled with everyone, playing with children as if he were one of them. Only when there was a need for someone to stabilize the situation would he shed his playful facade and reveal the calm demeanor of an S-class alpha wolf.
Although not completely reassured, most people felt a slight comfort, and for the moment, the panicked discussions were completely suppressed.
Only Shen Zhuo’s lips were pursed tightly with a cold and stern expression in the light and shadow.
Bai Sheng tightened his hand on Shen Zhuo’s shoulder and was about to lean in and whisper something comforting in his ear when suddenly hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. It was Chen Miao, who had just been ordered to urgently retrieve some files.
“Senior, we just investigated the name Chu Yan, and we received a call from Director Wang. There’s been activity on Zhang Zongxiao’s WeChat!”
Zhang Zongxiao had already been beaten half to death and couldn’t possibly be holding a phone. The one logging into his WeChat must be the girl named Chu Yan.
Bai Sheng asked, “What did she send?”
Chen Miao stopped in his tracks, showing the message screenshot, his expression indescribable: “She organized an offline event in the massacre group in the name of Zhang Zongxiao.”
“Live streaming the torture and killing of a large animal, 1.75 meters long, weighing 80 kilograms, inviting everyone to the scene to record and sell videos for free.”
Author’s Note:
The discussion about Shen Zhuo’s first encounter with Su Jiqiao, where he immediately remarked that Su Jiqiao was a parallel import, sparked intense debate. I wonder if my formatting makes it easy to follow because Shen Zhuo wasn’t talking about Su Jiqiao (￣.￣). The first time he saw Su Jiqiao, he didn’t fully understand the student, so he wouldn’t judge him. Shen Zhuo handed a list to the old dean and said that apart from a few students on the list, the others were parallel imports and should be returned. Su Jiqiao was just a new student standing in the office witnessing the scene, and he hadn’t even had a chance to apply to join HRG, so (.
Maybe next time I’ll add more line breaks to make it clearer (￣▽￣)~ (I just went out to take a look and realized that my paragraphs do seem a bit crowded.
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