"It's me." As soon as he finished speaking, a slender figure appeared out of thin air in the seat next to him; it was Xia Zhen.
Ling Yun breathed a sigh of relief: "How do I sneak in? Su Bingyan said she'll tell you where I am when she sees me."
Xia Zhen pouted, "I can find you myself without her telling me. By the way, how did you find me? I was just thinking of playing a joke on you."
She was somewhat surprised. During this period, Xia Zhen's cultivation had progressed very quickly, and she could even sense signs of a major breakthrough. Both her special skills and mental energy field had improved significantly compared to a few months ago. This was certainly due to her hard work in cultivation, but it was also inseparable from her talent and intelligence.
Even so, when she used her stealth technique to enter the private room today, before she could even make a move, Ling Yun saw right through her. This surprised the young girl, but also left her somewhat confused.
In Xia Zhen's memory, Ling Yun's abilities were probably inferior to hers. During the pursuit of the terrifying psychic in Tongjiang City, among the three of them—Xia Tian, Ling Yun, and herself—Xia Zhen possessed the greatest strength. Although Ling Yun ultimately killed the psychic, it was largely through opportunistic tactics rather than a direct victory through sheer power.
Clearly, Ling Yun's strength was far inferior to hers, and Xia Zhen naturally thought so as well, thus intentionally or unintentionally ignoring Ling Yun's progress. Of course, the young girl really wanted to bring Ling Yun into the Superpower Headquarters as well, because only in this way could Ling Yun receive guidance and training from the best instructors, and interact more with other powerful superpowered individuals, which would also continuously increase his strength.
But today, Xia Zhen suddenly realized that, without her noticing, the boy she had always treated as her younger brother had undergone tremendous changes.
Looking closely at Ling Yun, Xia Zhen suddenly realized that she couldn't quite see through him. If the Ling Yun of the past was still that simple and honest boy who could be understood at a glance, then the Ling Yun before her had become unfathomable, like a white cloud drifting across the sky—still visible, but impossible to grasp due to its great distance.
Xia Zhen suddenly felt a majestic pressure emanating from Ling Yun. It was an invisible domineering aura that only a person in a superior position could produce. Only when one reaches a certain level of power can one feel this way.
Chapter 110 The Ancient Xia Family
Ling Yun smiled faintly: "I was just guessing. I was just starting to get a vague feeling when you spoke. I thought another superhuman had come in, and I almost attacked."
"Do you think people with superpowers are like cabbages, hawked everywhere?" Xia Zhen rolled her eyes at him, picked up another cup of coffee and took a sip. "How many people with superpowers are there in the whole world? You and I are considered a lot at Jinghua University. All the major cities in the world combined probably don't even have one person with superpowers."
Ling Yun sighed softly: "You're wrong this time. I haven't been back for days, and I've not only seen a superhuman, but I've also discovered a ghost."
"Ghosts? There are still purely spiritual beings like that?" Xia Zhen was taken aback, and a look of curiosity immediately appeared on her face. "What exactly happened? Tell me quickly."
Ling Yun extended his index finger and gently tapped the doorway. After a flash of yellow light, a simple sound-isolating barrier was formed, preventing anyone outside from hearing what the person inside the room said. Otherwise, the matter Ling Yun was discussing was too bizarre and too important, and there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't eavesdrop. Although the room was separated by a partition, the sounds from the main hall could still be heard from there, indicating that the soundproofing was quite poor.
Xia Zhen patted Ling Yun on the shoulder approvingly: "Young man, you have potential. Just based on this meticulousness, you could be an undercover agent."
Ling Yun ignored her teasing and gathered his thoughts. He then recounted his experiences over the past few days in detail. He began by meeting the two disguised campus police officers, then went on to pretend to be a drug dealer to enter the Nightfall Bar, then encountered a gang fight, until he met Young Master Fan who was possessed by a ghost, then fought with the unfamiliar Ghost Lord, and after leaving, he encountered the superhumans from the Heavenly Eye Society. Only then did he finish his story.
As for meeting Gu Xiaorou and experiencing the fifth simulation, Ling Yun automatically omitted it. It wasn't that he wanted to hide anything from Xia Zhen, but firstly, the secret of the Heavenly Eye was too important, and secondly, the fifth simulation involved Yu Xiujie, which was his biggest secret. It wasn't that he didn't trust Xia Zhen, but it was best if as few people as possible knew about such things.
Lin Naimei obviously knew about the Heavenly Eye. After careful consideration, Ling Yun concealed her true identity from Xia Zhen. This woman had always been very mysterious and had superb skills. Her magic tricks were incredibly advanced, and it seemed that her abilities were in no way inferior to his and Gu Xiaorou's. Ling Yun decided that he should have a good talk with her when he had the chance.
Nevertheless, Xia Zhen was already dumbfounded, and when she heard about the Heavenly Eye Society, her expression gradually became serious, and then she began to stare blankly into space.
Even after Ling Yun finished speaking, Xia Zhen still hadn't come to her senses for a long time. She stared blankly at the tray on the printed plastic tabletop, her delicate fist supporting her cheek, lost in thought.
Ling Yun glanced at her and found that Xia Zhen was completely unaware of being startled, so he nudged her with his elbow: "Hey, are you alright?"
Xia Zhen then exclaimed in surprise and looked at Ling Yun, "What are you doing? You scared me."
Ling Yun said irritably, "Did I scare you, or were you just spacing out? I've been talking for ages, what are you thinking about?"
Xia Zhen sighed softly, a somber expression suddenly appearing on her face. She said quietly, "Ling Yun, you've probably heard me mention our Xia family before. I remember telling you about our family history when we were in Tongjiang City, and Xia Tian also mentioned it."
“I remember.” Ling Yun’s heart skipped a beat. “Your Xia family is an ancient and prestigious family that has made a living by doing business for generations. But that is only the surface of the family. The real secret of your Xia family is that every generation produces powerful superhumans. You are the most influential superhuman family in China.”
“Yes, I didn’t expect you to remember so clearly.” Xia Zhen seemed to be recalling something. “I can’t remember how long the family genealogy has been going on, probably several hundred years. Almost every generation has produced people with superpowers. In my generation, there are three young people with superpowers: me, Xia Tian, and Xia Lan. You know Xia Tian and me. I also have a cousin who is only two years older than me. Her name is Xia Lan, but you haven’t met her yet.”
"I've heard you mention her before. It's said that Xia Lan is one of the best of your generation, and the most outstanding genius with superpowers in the Xia family in the last hundred years." Ling Yun immediately recalled the proud and honored expression on Xia Tian's face when he mentioned Xia Lan. For the composed Xia Tian to be so excited, it seems that this Xia Lan, whom he had never met, was indeed very outstanding.
“Yes, my dad and Xia Tian’s dad, who is also my uncle, used to scold Xia Tian and me all the time before I went to university, telling us to work hard at cultivation. Xia Lan was our role model back then, which made Xia Tian and I really dislike her.” A warm smile appeared on Xia Lan’s face. “But Xia Lan is really amazing. Xia Tian and I once tried to play a prank on her, but she saw through our plan. However, Xia Lan has a really good temper and is very mature. Although we were always defiant towards her, she never blamed us or complained to my dad or my uncle. Gradually, we were truly won over by her. Even now, Xia Lan is still my role model.”
Ling Yun listened silently, his heart filled with longing for Xia Lan, whom he had never met before. Although Xia Lan sometimes acted like a child, playful and carefree, as the true head of the Sihai Group, he possessed a mature and shrewd mind and a calculating mind hidden beneath his seemingly innocent exterior. He was a true power holder and one of the leaders.
Moreover, although Xia Tian's superpowers are not particularly impressive, he has unique expertise in the financial field, making him a master-level genius. This is one of the main reasons why, in just a few years since he took control of the Sihai Group, it has become a giant among the world's financial groups.
Ling Yun had previously researched the Sihai Group online. With his keen intuition, he immediately noticed subtle connections within the seemingly chaotic mass of information. He once spent an afternoon meticulously organizing the financial information of Sihai Group's listed companies, ultimately arriving at a startling conclusion: Sihai Group's cash flow was definitely not as simple as it appeared, consisting of only a few hundred billion RMB. Beneath the surface of calm business operations lay a turbulent undercurrent. Every year, countless hundreds of billions of dollars flowed through Sihai Group's accounts, and at both ends of the cash chain lay a dauntingly mysterious entity: the National Defense Security Bureau.
Behind the vast empire of the Sihai Group, Ling Yun saw an even larger shadow, which represented the headquarters of supernatural abilities.
Although Xia Zhen was only an intern at the Supernatural Abilities Headquarters, she was resilient, decisive, and never hesitated in crucial moments. Moreover, she was beautiful and intelligent. Both of them were rare talents, and the fact that they both spoke so highly of this unfamiliar, magical woman made one imagine how outstanding Xia Lan must be. Ling Yun couldn't help but feel curious.
“What I want to say is, Lingyun,” Xia Zhen smiled gently, “it’s not that our Xia family is so glorious and has so many superhumans, but that even a powerful family like our Xia family is still an insignificant denominator compared to the Sky Eye Society.”
"In my father's generation, there were six siblings in total, including four brothers and two sisters. All four brothers were superhumans. Besides my eldest uncle and second uncle, who are Xia Lan's father and my dad, I also have an uncle, who is the youngest brother and the most outstanding superhuman of his generation. He was originally the most promising candidate to advance to the instructor position at the Superhuman Headquarters," Xia Zhen said, enunciating each word clearly.
“But he ultimately died at the hands of a major from the Sky Eye Society.” Xia Zhen sighed softly, her face pale. “So whenever you mention the Sky Eye Society, I can’t help but think of him.”
Chapter 111 Xia Zhen's Question
Ling Yun said softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know about this... I should have kept quiet."
"It's alright." Xia Zhen smiled, her cheerful and lively expression returning. "So much time has passed, I'm not sad anymore. My uncle and father retired from the Superpower Headquarters because of this incident, and now they're just enjoying their retirement at home. But they didn't lose their fighting spirit because of it, so when our generation grew up, they asked us to join the Superpower Headquarters as well. Now, Sister Xia Lan is already a senior member of the Superpower Headquarters, and Brother Xia Tian is in charge of the Sihai Group because he likes finance, so he's quite successful. As for me, I've been interning at the Superpower Headquarters for two years, and I just submitted my application for a full-time position a few days ago. I think I should be able to become a formal member of the headquarters."
"Congratulations, Xia Zhen," Ling Yun said with a smile. "You're a civil servant now, having a formal job before even graduating. It's truly enviable."
"Go away, you're never serious again." Xia Zhen spat at him, her expression turning serious again. "So, Ling Yun, when you mentioned encountering the superhumans from the Heavenly Eye Society, I was really worried about you. Although you seem to have become stronger now, you've never experienced a real battle between superhumans. I was afraid you would be in danger. Fortunately, you came back unharmed, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
Ling Yun suddenly realized that Xia Zhen's absent-mindedness stemmed from her worry for him. Hearing the sincerity and concern in her words, Ling Yun felt a surge of warmth and was deeply moved. He thought to himself that it was fortunate he had only mentioned the Heavenly Eye Society briefly and hadn't explicitly stated that he had experienced a fierce battle with Captain Steel; otherwise, this young girl would have been even more worried.
Remembering that Elder Yu had also perished because of this, Ling Yun couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Xia Zhen was right; the Heavenly Eye Society was indeed incredibly powerful. If even the lowest-ranking lieutenant possessed such formidable skills, then how powerful must the colonels and generals be?
"Moreover, I need to report this matter to the Superpower Headquarters immediately. Although the Sky Eye Society is very strong, it's not their place to run wild on our turf. And the fact that they dared to appear in a place like Beijing must mean something very important. In any case, I have to tell Xia Lan about this situation." Xia Zhen's eyes showed a thoughtful expression.
Ling Yun desperately wanted to tell him, "You don't need to report anymore; I've taken care of those superhumans." Unfortunately, he could only think this; he absolutely couldn't say it aloud. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire. Once the secret of the Heavenly Eye was leaked, it would likely trigger a chain reaction, and he and Gu Xiaorou would never have peace again. Moreover, the current tranquility would probably be shattered soon. At least Lin Naimei knew the secret of the Heavenly Eye, and who knew what actions the Heavenly Eye would take after its pursuit failed?
Ling Yun suddenly realized that he was very concerned about Gu Xiaorou's safety. Logically speaking, although Gu Xiaorou saved his life, he had brought her the Holy Healing Technique and shielded her from the pursuit of the Heavenly Eye Society, almost losing his life in the process. He should have repaid her kindness long ago.
But for some reason, Ling Yun always felt very worried. Gu Xiaorou was different from Xia Zhen. At least Xia Zhen had the Xia family and the headquarters of superpowers behind her, while Gu Xiaorou had nothing. Thinking of the girl who had been lonely since childhood in the fragments of his memory, Ling Yun's heart ached. No matter what, he had to help Gu Xiaorou get through the difficulties.
“I’ll take you to the Superpower Headquarters with me. We can report here and submit your internship application at the same time. I’ll also talk to Xia Lan about it. There shouldn’t be any problems.” Xia Zhen thought for a moment before saying, “Superpowered individuals are very rare talents. The Superpower Headquarters will not easily let go of any such individuals. Moreover, the ghost you mentioned is also very important information. Its desire to possess Young Master Fan’s body is probably not so simple. It probably still wants to use his father’s connections. I just don’t know if the ghost’s owner is also related to the Heavenly Eye.”