"Understood. I will have them head over immediately," Yuan Chenyang pondered for a moment.
It wasn't until the silhouette outside had walked far away that he muttered, "That old fox Zhang Hongbo. Who knows what he's scheming now."
'They really are doing body searches,' Su Chen couldn't help but think to himself.
Since the two of them had now established a preliminary foundation of trust, Su Chen seized the opportunity to say, "Teacher, there's clearly something wrong with Zhou Xian. He was blatantly covering things up when we were leaving the academy gates."
"Are you that impatient?" Yuan Chenyang snorted irritably. "Who do you think he is, some random foot soldier? He's not that easy to deal with."
Having his little scheme seen through so easily didn't embarrass Su Chen in the slightest. He pressed on, "Doesn't the City Lord possess some sort of hypnosis-like ability?"
"The City Lord cannot use his abilities so casually. It causes immense mental damage. Unless he has concrete evidence linking him to the crime... furthermore, Zhou Xian is the Director of Internal Affairs, specifically appointed by Yingfeng..." Yuan Chenyang shook his head. He suddenly paused, casting a highly suspicious and scrutinizing look at the thoughtfully silent Su Chen.
'Where did this freakishly sly kid come from?'
He suddenly changed his tone, "Don't worry. You are my student now. He can't just casually use that ability on you either."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yuan Chenyang clearly caught the flash of surprise in Su Chen's eyes. Unable to hold back, he slammed his hand on the table and demanded, "Do you take me for a fool?!"
"How could I? Your discerning eyes miss nothing," Su Chen hurriedly flattered.
"Enough..." Yuan Chenyang snorted coldly and stood up. "I'm heading out. The two of you go and get yourselves examined in a bit."
Watching Yuan Chenyang leave the tent, Su Chen turned his head and said, "There's that look in your eyes again."
Meeting Su Chen's gaze, Bai Fengxi averted her eyes and replied softly, "He's a good person. You don't need to be so tightly wound around him."
"You and I are different," Su Chen shook his head. He had actively sought out this connection, so naturally, he had to keep a lower profile and act more humble.
"Well, you finally got what you wanted," Bai Fengxi said, a hint of deep emotion in her voice. The Su Chen standing before her now was completely different from the boy in her memories.
But then again, who wasn't wearing a mask in this world? Mm... except maybe Little Pigeon.
"Surviving in the cracks, seeking life from the jaws of death..." Su Chen murmured calmly. Changing the subject, he asked, "By the way, Old Bai, what exactly are this 'Black Buddha' and 'Evil God Cult' the City Lord mentioned earlier?"
Bai Fengxi tilted her head in thought for a moment before explaining, "Black Buddha is a type of Evil God."
She didn't wait for Su Chen to ask what an 'Evil God' was, proceeding to explain, "An Evil God is an incredibly powerful entity possessing unimaginable power. By offering them sacrifices, one can acquire bizarre and miraculous abilities."
"However, it will also cause anyone who comes into contact with them to gradually descend into madness until they eventually turn against everyone, including their own flesh and blood."
Su Chen finally understood. So it was basically a demonic cult.
"Furthermore," Bai Fengxi shot him a teasing look, "you shouldn't be calling me 'Old Bai' anymore."
"Err..." Su Chen wasn't the least bit embarrassed, immediately changing his tune. "Senior Sister."
A weird, indescribable smile finally broke through Bai Fengxi's perpetually stoic expression. "Who told you I was Yuan Chenyang's student?"
"You're... not his student?" Su Chen was genuinely dumbfounded.
Bai Fengxi maintained an air of elegant restraint. "Yuan Chenyang is actually my Senior Brother. He accepted me as a student on behalf of our Teacher."
"Huh?!" Su Chen was absolutely flabbergasted.
Witnessing Su Chen's reaction, the corners of Bai Fengxi's lips curled up silently. "This is a secret. Aside from you, only the City Lord knows."
...
"...Killed with a single strike..." Zhang Hongbo bent over, closely examining the fatal wounds on the fallen lions.
Since the corpses hadn't been processed or butchered yet, he had a clear view of the hairline incisions piercing their skulls.
"Y-yes, sir." Standing behind him, Hu Xiang felt incredibly anxious. "The methods Little Brother Su Chen used must be exceedingly complex. That's why he spent so much time charging up his attack when the ambush first began."
"Exceedingly complex, huh...?" Zhang Hongbo straightened up, offering a half-smile. "Charging up an attack?"
Hu Xiang kept his head bowed, only to hear a question that made his blood run cold.
"During the battle, you shouted that you would give Su Chen a 'proper explanation.' What kind of explanation were you referring to?" Zhang Hongbo's tone was completely flat, yet Hu Xiang felt as if he had been plunged into a freezing abyss. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Old Zhao standing nearby.
Colluding with outsiders to secretly assassinate a student of the academy—that was an absolute taboo for the City Lord.
"This..." Hu Xiang's scalp went numb.
"You earned merit by protecting everyone, and Su Chen used his words to exonerate you. You also spoke up to cover for him. Regardless, the merits offset the faults. This matter ends here," Zhang Hongbo stated evenly.
Thud—
Hu Xiang immediately dropped to one knee. Like a drowning man finally hauling himself ashore, the overwhelming relief of surviving a disaster caused his voice to tremble. "Th-thank you, City Lord."
"Thank yourself." Zhang Hongbo walked past him, heading toward Yuan Chenyang, who was walking over.
"This student of yours is quite extraordinary..." he praised, pointing at the sea of lion corpses. "Twelve 1st-tier Mutants and fifteen ordinary Mutants, all killed in a single strike. The entire battle didn't even last ten minutes."
'He's that strong?!'
Yuan Chenyang felt a massive jolt of shock in his heart. He didn't actually know the precise details of the battle.
He had originally assumed that Su Chen had managed to grueling defeat them by cooperating with the City Patrol guards. To think it had actually been a one-man show! Was that profession really that ridiculously powerful?!
"Su Chen's talent is quite good. I've been deliberately grooming him as a key prospect," he replied, maintaining a perfectly composed exterior.
Zhang Hongbo asked seemingly casually, "It appears to be a physical-type profession. What's his talent grade? Bronze? Or perhaps Brilliant Silver?"
"Brilliant Silver," Yuan Chenyang replied without batting an eye.
"Truly a pillar of my Nanfeng City..." Zhang Hongbo's eyes sparkled as he sighed with deep emotion.
Unwilling to continue digging deeper into the topic of Su Chen, Yuan Chenyang asked, "City Lord, how do you plan to handle Zhou Xian?"
"Handle him?" Zhang Hongbo frowned. "Did you find any evidence linking him?"
"No," Yuan Chenyang shook his head.
"If he didn't even involve his own son, then what makes you so certain the father is involved? What kind of father would use his own son to transport such a crucial item?" Zhang Hongbo noted in dissatisfaction.
"I understand," Yuan Chenyang nodded, as if he had already anticipated this outcome.
Zhang Hongbo sighed. "The personnel from Yingfeng will be arriving any day now. We're all colleagues; we must help one another out."
Yuan Chenyang remained silent for a moment before asking, "Why the sudden order for body searches? Did you discover something else?"
"Zhou Xian reasoned that since Tang Chen was an anomaly, there's no guarantee there aren't other hidden Believers among the squad. Better to do a thorough check," Zhang Hongbo explained simply.
"Is that all?" Yuan Chenyang frowned.
Zhang Hongbo shot him a glance. "Four months ago, a cooperative investigation notice was issued over in Yunlan regarding the theft of three Spatial Crystals. Intel suggested they might have circulated into our territory."
"Wait, wasn't that already investigated and closed?" Yuan Chenyang recalled the incident.
Zhang Hongbo looked out across the camp where everyone was carrying out their duties. "Just in case. Since they were able to smuggle out the Saint Word Stone, there's no guarantee they haven't done the same with the Spatial Crystals."
...
Long lines formed in the camp, separated by gender. The Exploration Guards conducted thorough "examinations," while a few others slipped soundlessly through the empty tents.
It was a simple process: strip down and get scanned by a specific piece of specialized equipment. Su Chen's turn came around quickly, but no anomalies were found on him either.
"No anomalies found at all?" Hearing the Exploration Guards' report, the muscles in Zhou Xian's cheeks twitched violently.
Zhang Hongbo shook his head in disappointment. "Let's head back."
With the packing mostly complete, the group began their return journey. Escorted by the heavy hitters of Nanfeng City, their journey back naturally proceeded without a hitch.
...
Three days later.
"We're finally back." Su Chen gazed up at the towering, majestic city walls before him. Cheering erupted all around him.
The squad had bloated significantly in size, and accommodating the exhausted students along the way had resulted in the journey taking a few extra days.
However, Su Chen hadn't been idle either. With Yuan Chenyang backing him, he had spent the entire return journey training. His entire supply of Black Flame Potions was now completely depleted.
【Molten Stone Forging Method -- Proficient: 10%】
【Void-Rending Warrior: 36%】
Zhang Hongbo granted the entire group a three-day leave. The students naturally cheered wildly before disbanding and heading their separate ways.
Hu Xiang checked in with him quickly before leaving, promising to tally the value of the Azure-Scaled Lions. Once the official procedures were completed, he would deliver the money personally.
The news of the students' early return instantly caused massive ripples across the city. The duration of this city patrol had simply been far too short, and they had even been escorted back by the City Lord himself.
Numerous well-connected individuals immediately began sniffing around, desperate to find out exactly what had happened out there in the fog.
...
"What the hell do I even pay you for?!"
Inside a dimly lit room, Zhou Zong's corpse lay on a metallic slab, the missing half of his skull glaringly prominent. Zhou Xian's face was terrifyingly grim, his eyes completely shot with blood.
"Does that Su Chen look like a fucking refugee to you?!"
Kneeling on the ground, Qi Chuan was sweating bullets. He still had absolutely no idea what had happened. He had been summoned abruptly, only to be met with Zhou Zong's mangled corpse and a violently enraged Zhou Xian.
Zhou Xian's voice was hoarse and raspy. "Qi Chuan. You have thoroughly disappointed me this time."
"Hm?" Qi Chuan's heart leaped into his throat. He asked carefully, "Director, could you please tell me... what exactly happened?"
"Su Chen slaughtered twelve 1st-tier Azure-Scaled Lions... in under ten minutes."
"How is that possible?!" Qi Chuan cried out, his face etched with profound shock. "He's clearly just a refugee! How could he possibly..."
"Stop calling him a fucking refugee!" Zhou Xian cut him off with a thunderous roar, crackling arcs of electricity filling the air. "He... he is Yuan Chenyang's student!"
"That old bastard somehow noticed something was amiss and deliberately had Su Chen quietly lay low within the patrol squad!"
"Zhou Zong's death absolutely has something to do with him!"
'Su Chen is actually Yuan Chenyang's student?!'
Qi Chuan felt dizzy. Who could have ever predicted that a simple trip outside the city would completely flip the sky upside down upon their return?!
Zhou Xian glared down at Qi Chuan coldly. "I want to know everything. Everything about him. This is your absolute final chance."
Enveloped by the terrifying shadow of Zhou Xian's wrath, Qi Chuan braced himself and agreed, "Please rest assured, sir. I will definitely provide you with a satisfactory explanation!"