"What should we do now?" Xiao Rou asked softly. She had always been independent and strong, and she had her own plans and intentions when doing anything, including considering her way out. However, after meeting Ling Yun, Xiao Rou's dependence suddenly became much stronger. It seemed that as long as Ling Yun was by her side, she didn't have to think about anything or do anything. She could just enjoy his embrace and tenderness.
Xiao Rou suddenly felt that this feeling of dependence was very warm and happy, and she had a relaxed and comfortable feeling. Perhaps her personality was that she liked to rely on others. However, her constant cultivation and adventures from childhood to adulthood had completely stripped her of this dependence. Before she met Ling Yun, she could only choose to rely on herself.
Ling Yun glanced at his girlfriend, his mind racing as he considered his next move. The trip to Hong Kong was now over; it had been a perilous journey, but thankfully, he and Xiao Rou were both unharmed, and Tianyan hadn't been lost. Although stepping into Tianyan's trap had nearly brought them to the brink of death several times, the benefits they had gained were undeniable.
After breaking through Matsumoto Tomoki's Wind Movement Unity and Mochizuki Nami's Blood Sacrifice Delusion, Ling Yun once again felt a breakthrough in his power. However, compared to the explosive and obvious breakthroughs of the past, this one came so quietly that Ling Yun himself didn't even notice it. It was only after Tian Yuning broke through the Blood Sacrifice Delusion he and Mochizuki Nami had jointly set up, and then suffered a backlash from the delusion but healed herself and recovered from her injuries, that Ling Yun suddenly gained a clear understanding of this breakthrough in power.
The mental field seemed to have become purer and more vast, the panoramic view had increased in distance by almost two times, and new superpowers were emerging. Although he hadn't acquired any new superpowers, Ling Yun felt that he had entered a new level in terms of overall understanding and realm. He also had more profound thoughts and insights about his original superpowers and experiences. If he calmed down and reflected on them, he should gain even more.
Striving for perfection is Ling Yun's feeling. At this moment, he is like a newly honed sword, exuding unparalleled sharpness and icy light.
As for Xiao Rou, Ling Yun could clearly see that her strength had grown a lot. After the Extreme Thrust, Xiao Rou's progress seemed to be even more rapid and obvious. However, unlike Ling Yun, Xiao Rou's progress was more reflected in her strength than in her realm. This was related to the two people's direction of superpower cultivation and their personalities.
Xia Lan turned her head slightly to look at Ling Yun. Of course, she could also sense the changes in Ling Yun. In just a few months, this young man had become even stronger. He exuded the charm and temperament of a mature man. He was taciturn and not good at talking, but he inadvertently showed everything about himself to the fullest, making people unable to help but be attracted to him. His ordinary face, upon closer inspection, also had incredibly vivid lines and a charming spirit.
"Sigh, why am I thinking about these useless things again..." A slight sour feeling suddenly swept through Xia Lan's heart, and she sighed inwardly. She didn't know why, but she really liked the feeling of being with Ling Yun, but she didn't want Ling Yun to maintain a friendly and polite attitude towards her.
"Xia Lan, what should we do next? Should we return to the mainland and report what happened in Hong Kong to headquarters?" Ling Yun couldn't figure it out for a long time, so he simply gave up thinking and asked Xia Lan directly.
In his memory, Xia Lan had always been a shrewd, capable, and experienced superhuman, far surpassing him in both experience and handling affairs. Moreover, after reconciling with the Superhuman Headquarters, Ling Yun had accepted Tang Tiejin's goodwill in his heart. After all, Xia Lan and Li Zhongqi had traveled a long way to Hong Kong to protect him and Xiao Rou, and Ling Yun had already remembered this kindness. If he were to refuse their goodwill now, it would not only be a sign of his immaturity but also seem a bit too much.
Moreover, with Xia Zhen acting as a buffer, Ling Yun's question actually meant that he considered himself a member of the Superpower Headquarters. After experiencing so many things, Ling Yun also deeply felt the exhaustion of being alone and isolated. Even if it was just for Xiao Rou's sake, and for the sake of their peaceful life together in the future, having a backer would be a good thing.
Xia Lan was lost in thought when he suddenly asked her this question, and she was immediately startled. She couldn't help but exclaim, "What did you say?"
Ling Yun was somewhat helpless, wondering how someone with superpowers could be so distracted, so he had no choice but to repeat himself. Xiao Rou quietly looked at Xia Lan, seemingly seeing right into her mind, and couldn't help but smile mysteriously.
Xia Lan was both surprised and delighted. She knew that his words meant he had accepted the kindness of the Supernatural Abilities Headquarters and had redefined his own identity. The thought of being able to work with Ling Yun as colleagues in the future made her spirits lift, and she felt an indescribable joy. She thought about it seriously and said, "Let's wait for Chief Li to return first. I've already made an agreement with Chief Li beforehand that if we are separated, we will wait for him at the Huangdui Hotel when we meet again."
“Oh, what a coincidence. When Xiaorou and I arrived in Hong Kong, we also stayed at the Royal Hotel,” Ling Yun said, a hint of worry on his face. “But I wonder if it will be dangerous for Chief Li and Tian Yuning to make a move.”
Xia Lan smiled and tossed her hair: "Ling Yun, have confidence. Although I don't know the true strength of Chief Li, I'm sure a major general from the Tianyan Society can't hurt him. If we fight, that Tian Yuning will definitely suffer."
"Then I'm relieved." Ling Yun nodded, as if he had remembered something. "By the way, Xiao Rou, you and Xia Lan go back to the hotel first. I need to go back to the Yang Group to take another look and give Yu Qi an explanation. Also, Xia Lan, I've already awakened Yu Qi's latent genes. Could we attract her to the Superpower Headquarters, or provide some support to the Yang Group? I'm worried that after we leave, if another superpowered person causes trouble for the Yang family, Yu Qi's current abilities won't be enough to deal with their attacks."
Xiao Rou couldn't help but snort, "Why do you want me and Xia Lan to go back? Do you want to have a secret rendezvous with Yu Qi? You're really taking care of her, even arranging the follow-up matters. Why have I never seen you care about me like this?" She had been keeping quiet and didn't want to speak, but seeing Ling Yun considering Yu Qi's needs in everything, she suddenly felt uncomfortable and spoke up without caring that Xia Lan was present.
Ling Yun awkwardly shut his mouth, knowing he had fallen into his old habit again. How could he say such a thing in front of his girlfriend, and even ask Xiao Rou to stay away? It was an extremely foolish choice. Actually, he didn't have any romantic intentions; he had just not thought things through. But if he explained now, it would only make things worse, so it was better to keep quiet.
Xia Lan felt a little uncomfortable, thinking, "You're so nice to Yuqi, why are you so cold to me?" But she wasn't Ling Yun's girlfriend, so she couldn't scold him or even feel a little jealous, otherwise the relationship between them would be completely messed up and they wouldn't be able to get along anymore.
So he said, "Lingyun, since Xiaorou and I don't have anything to do anyway, we'll go with you to Yuqi's place. Now that Yuqi has become a superhuman, you are her recommender. I think as long as the conditions are right, it shouldn't be a problem for her to enter the Superhuman Headquarters. I've heard of the Yang Group's reputation; it has a good influence in the country. We have a way to get the Sihai Group to cooperate with the Yang Group and help the Yang Group reach a higher level. Yuqi can then focus on her training at the Superhuman Headquarters without worry."
“That’s great! Let’s go now. After we finish this, we’ll go back to the Royal Hotel to wait for Chief Li to return.” Ling Yun was delighted to agree to her suggestion. He glanced at Xiao Rou, who had a stern face, and quickly grabbed her arm, whispering, “Xiao Rou, don’t be angry. I know I was wrong. Yu Qi and I are really just good friends. Come with me, just think of it as keeping an eye on me, okay? Once things in Hong Kong are settled, we can go back to the mainland to continue our studies and live a quiet life.”
Xiao Rou rolled her eyes at him, feeling a warm glow inside. Touched by his words, she thought, "You've finally learned your lesson." She chuckled and gently tapped his forehead with her slender, white finger: "You're smart. I really need to keep a close eye on you, so that when I can't see you, there aren't always beautiful girls chasing after you. You're too attractive to girls; if I don't keep a close eye on you, you might slip away from my grasp."
Xia Lan watched the two of them flirting with a bitter taste in her mouth. In the past, she would have found it ridiculous, as she was indifferent to relationships. But now, for some reason, she felt a pang of jealousy.
……………
In the suburbs of Hong Kong, in a simple bungalow built hastily on a hilltop with just a few pieces of wood, the dark, damp ground, which is only soil, is covered with old straw. Countless circles made up of nameless runes are drawn on the straw, and in the center of the circles is a small altar. On the altar are blood-stained sacrificial items, among which are two skulls still covered with blood and flesh!
A rustling sound came from the ground as a short, indigenous shaman struggled and crawled painfully across the grass-covered floor. A black sorcerer, no bigger than a fist, lay motionless at his feet. The black aura on the sorcerer had completely disappeared, revealing a pale, deathly gray body. Suddenly, the sorcerer cracked open in countless places, and with a few soft snapping sounds, it turned into a shapeless cloud of dust.
The native shaman was blind, and dark purple blood flowed from his ears, nostrils, and eyes. His face was extremely ashen, his eyes were empty, and the muscles on his face twitched incessantly, making him look incredibly ferocious and in pain. Almost every time he crawled out, he would spit out a mouthful of dark purple blood beside him.
Judging from the direction he was crawling, he was heading towards the exit of the bungalow. But just as his hand reached the door, a large foot clad in a heavy black leather boot suddenly appeared out of nowhere and slammed down on his back. With a crack, the native shaman's already exhausted spine snapped into several pieces. The shaman coughed up a mouthful of blood, his withered hands flailing aimlessly in the air for a moment before collapsing limply to the ground. His lips twitched for a moment, and he uttered a mumbled, incoherent sentence: "Why...why did you deceive us..."
"Revered Gu Witch, your mission has come to an end. Go and meet the Witch God with your clansmen, the Dream Witch and the Curse Witch. Do not delude yourselves into trying to revive your witch clan through others. This was the root cause of your destruction. I hope your descendants will make a good choice. Farewell!" The deep voice spoke slowly.
Chapter 271 The Assassin's Embarrassment
The top floor of the Yang Group building has no partitions at all. The nearly 1,000 square meters of space contains only one office. Apart from the floor-to-ceiling windows that are completely covered by light blue louvered blinds, the top-floor office is furnished with only a few simple but brand-name office furniture pieces. On one side of the wall, there is a small oval conference table with several chairs neatly arranged around it. This is the venue for small meetings of the senior leaders of the Yang Group. On the other side, there are several huge bonsai trees imported from Spain and a 53-inch LCD plasma rear projector. The floor is covered with an Indonesian scarlet carpet with exquisite patterns.
The entire office is grand, magnificent, solemn, and luxurious, with light and cheerful music playing at a suitable volume from speakers hidden in the ceiling.
This enormous office serves only one person: the chairman of the board of directors of the Yang Group. Since Yang Cheng is still lying in bed recuperating, the person sitting here is a very beautiful young woman named Yang Yuqi.
Behind the large, luxurious, nearly three-meter-long imported purplish-brown desk, Yuqi was buried in a mountain of documents and materials, writing furiously. One after another, financial statements, project plans, group approval documents, official documents requiring external approval, and administrative orders flowed from her hands like water. Then, Yuqi only needed to lightly click on the 17-inch LCD computer screen to the left of the boss's desk, and the order, which only had the chairman's approval authority, would be issued through Yang's Group's internal OA system. The departments or personnel who needed to execute the order would see it, without the need for secretaries or subordinates to relay it again. The whole process was efficient, orderly, organized, and logically clear, without a single error.
In just a few minutes, Yuqi could read through a hundred pages of materials filled with professional rankings and dazzling data. Yang Cheng's rich business management memory was fully mobilized in her brain. Under the influence of her mental field, she digested this business and professional knowledge in the fastest and most efficient way. After fully understanding the information, she immediately conveyed the acting chairman's opinion in a very mature manner. This was not just a simple copy of the information in Yang Cheng's mind and making the same judgment. Yuqi's own understanding and opinions had been added. This beautiful girl was growing at a rapid pace and had already become the most qualified business owner of the next generation of the Yang family.
The documents awaiting her approval on the desk were decreasing rapidly, visible to the naked eye. An hour later, all the documents awaiting approval had disappeared. After issuing the final command on the computer screen, Yuqi finally raised her head. Although her gentle and beautiful face already appeared very mature, wise, and noble, a trace of bewilderment and longing suddenly flashed across it. A layer of misty light veiled her autumn-water-like eyes, and her bright pupils seemed to be lost in some kind of reverie, making them appear radiant and captivating.
Yuqi slowly stood up from the large leather executive chair she was only sitting on halfway, walked gently to the French windows, stretched out her flawless white hand, and gently parted the light blue blinds, gazing absently at the bustling and lively city sky outside the window.
She wore a business suit befitting a chairperson, her long, flowing hair styled in a high bun, and a pair of gold-rimmed, subtly elegant glasses adorned her clear eyes. This attire was more for decoration than practical use; even without supernatural abilities, Yuqi's eyes were normal. However, this wasn't the acting chairperson's intention, but rather a design choice by the Yang Group's image design department. The reason was simple: the chairperson had to look like a chairperson, not a student or a movie star. Therefore, for the sake of the Yang Group, Yuqi had no choice but to abandon her beloved long hair and attire.
He hasn't come back for three days. Where did he go? Yuqi thought to herself, feeling a little worried, but she could only sigh helplessly. The gap between her and him was too wide. Not only could she not help him, but she would also be a burden to him. She wondered when she would be able to truly enter his world. The girl thought with melancholy and unconsciously bit her lip.
In just two days, Yuqi had already recovered her composure. It has to be said that the power of a superhuman is quite terrifying when their mental energy field is activated. Just when everyone thought that Yuqi was not capable of taking on the responsibility and might make a mess of the Yang family, Yuqi's sudden display of shrewdness in handling business affairs surprised everyone.
Yang Wei had even prepared a think tank for his niece. No matter what the plan or strategy was, his niece only needed to nod her head, and the think tank would handle all the analysis. Although this was not a reliable solution, it was a necessary measure at the moment. Unexpectedly, his niece was truly remarkable. Not only did she not need the think tank, but she also managed the group's business in an orderly manner. Yang Wei was so happy that he could hardly stop smiling and kept exclaiming that the Yang family had produced another genius business manager.
Whenever she had time, Yuqi was constantly absorbing the cultivation information and power of the supernatural arts that Lingyun had passed on to her. The girl was rapidly transforming from an ordinary person to a superhuman, and the driving force was incredibly fast and powerful. However, most of this power came from her longing for a certain man. Born into a prestigious family, Yuqi deeply understood the principle of marrying someone of equal social standing. If she wanted to be with him or maintain contact, she had to become like him; otherwise, the two people from different worlds would quickly drift apart. No matter how difficult it was, Yuqi would grit her teeth and persevere.
Lost in thought for a moment, Yuqi suddenly remembered that she had a meeting to arrange in the afternoon. She couldn't help but smile bitterly. Only by being busy with work could she offset her longing for Lingyun. Or perhaps, this was also a way for her to mature quickly. Thinking of the figure that she would dream of, Yuqi felt both sweet and sour in her heart.
She lowered the blinds and was about to walk back to her desk to make a call when, as if sensing something, her expression changed. Dressed in a business suit, her slender body moved several meters to the side with incredible speed. In her haste, Yuqi didn't know why she did it, but her mental energy field had naturally caused her body to react.
Suddenly, a lithe black figure descended from the sky. The thick, sturdy glass curtain wall of the Yang Group building seemed to pose no obstacle to him. As the figure's long arm drew a huge arc, a crisp, loud bang followed, and the glass curtain wall and the hard acrylic lining shattered instantly, creating a huge circular hole. As sparkling shards of glass scattered in all directions, the strong wind from above immediately caused the surrounding blinds to flutter. The black figure nimbly darted into the office, rolled sideways to absorb the momentum, and then slowly stood up to face Yuqi.
Yuqi took another step back, looking at the dark figure with some surprise. It was a middle-aged man dressed entirely in black, with a striking long face that was as expressionless as if he were wearing a human skin mask. The belt around his waist was specially made, with evenly spaced hooks at the bottom to hang various special tools. His black leather pants and sleeves had sturdy zippered pockets, bulging with contents, clearly full of things.
Yuqi noticed that a gleaming, silver pen-shaped object was held in the burly man's left hand. Instantly, the scene of the long-faced man barging in flashed through her mind, and Yuqi suddenly realized why the long-faced man was able to smash through the glass curtain wall. It turned out that he already had the diamond pen in his hand. After scratching the glass with deep marks, it was much easier for him to break in by using his body to ram through.
Although this long-faced, burly man didn't appear to be a superhuman, nor did he exhibit any signs of a psychic aura, his skill was enough to demonstrate that he was no ordinary person. Of course, these things meant nothing to Yuqi; even the weakest supernatural ability was enough to create a qualitative difference between her and ordinary people. What made her slightly nervous was that the long-faced, burly man was also holding a pistol, the dark muzzle already pointed at her forehead. Judging from the way he held the gun and the stability of his grip, he was clearly a veteran.