Free Web NovelChapter 340: Chapter 340: Reunion
Chen Xuan thought for a moment and then refused.
"Staying hidden in the shadows" is still his key means of protection and offense. As long as he remains behind the scenes, the mechanism cannot act recklessly. Beitian Academy’s victory was also calculated against the unprepared, delivering a fierce counterattack when the opponent mistakenly thought the adversary was just a few Wanderers, shattering all their plans in Jiang City. This is the advantage of having the initiative.
Once he stands in the public eye, these advantages would disappear. freewebnσvel.cøm
Although the Dimensional Limit Mechanism had a branch cut off, their overall strength remains. If they put all their effort into dealing with him alone, it would be quite overwhelming for him.
"Won’t you reconsider?" Dean Sun asked unwillingly, "This position will allow you to mobilize all the superpower resources in Jiang City in the future. No matter what you want to do, it should be of great help, right?"
It is this way for him, and the same for Beitian Academy; Chen Xuan is well aware of this. The Dean has foresight, transforming Beitian Academy from a semi-secluded state to an active presence with the belief in the significant role Ability Users will play in the future. Although each city region will set up an organization for Ability Users, these resources will inevitably create a leading effect, just like in economics, eventually forming a few leading giants. If Beitian Academy can seize this opportunity, it is bound to soar in the next century.
"I hope you can continue to keep this a secret for me, so I must decline this position." He paused and then added, "Additionally, I am willing to secretly assist Beitian Academy in cultivating talents, for instance, testing if someone has abilities suitable for certain jobs."
This is considered a compromise.
He would not need to invest too much time and energy, and Beitian Academy wouldn’t be completely in the dark.
Seeing this, Dean Sun had no choice but to agree to his request.
Later that night, Chen Xuan received a message from You Chi: "The person has been delivered to Beitian Academy."
He closed the store, switched the branch location, and the next second he was in the quiet courtyard of Beitian Academy.
Honglian had just come downstairs when a figure rushed into the store from outside, crying and throwing themselves at Honglian.
"Team Leader, I missed you so much—!"
It was Wang Baihu.
In just a few days, he seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight. His spirit appeared good, without signs of too much torment, but the visible grievance and fear on his face didn’t seem to be an act. He hugged Honglian, unexpectedly bursting into tears, "Wang Qianduan said... said you were executed as a traitor..."
Two more people walked in afterward, Little Pigeon and Jiang Siqi.
Seeing Honglian, they visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sister Honglian, what’s going on?"
"Why were we caught? Did the mission to protect the captain fail?"
Honglian was at a loss for words, but everyone being here was truly... wonderful...
No, there were still some missing, "What about Han Yuhao and Li Xing?"
"They were not implicated." Venus You Chi appeared at the door, "The mechanism talked with them, and they decided their own fates. As far as I know, Han Yuhao and Lin Jia opted to go to the overseas Chiyoda City branch, and Li Xing plans to find another job domestically with his severance fee."
"I see..."
"Actually, Miss Little Pigeon was not implicated either; she chose to come here herself," You Chi explained.
"Brother Niao, that fool, kept saying you’re dead on the way, I told him it’s impossible, yet he kept shouting nonsense." Little Pigeon angrily kicked Wang Baihu’s shin. freeweɓnovel.cøm
"I-I was just afraid they’d really do it!" Wang Baihu argued while wiping his tears, "You don’t know what I went through, with Wang Qianduan looking like he’d eat me alive... I really thought I’d die in that cell..."
"Did they torture you too?" Honglian involuntarily grabbed his shoulders, "I’m sorry... this is all my fault!"
"It’s okay, I didn’t hold out for long... they shocked me a few times while I was tied to a chair, and I confessed everything."
She froze, pushing Wang Baihu away from her, "Just a few shocks?"
"Yes... they shocked my hand and ankle, burnt a small area of my skin," he said aggrievedly.
Honglian raised her fist and knocked him on his forehead, the hazy guilt in her eyes vanished entirely.
...
After You Chi left, the three spent about twenty minutes recounting their experiences, giving Chen Xuan a basic understanding of what they had been through.
Upon entering the space summoned by Zhang Yingzi, they were immediately isolated, never seeing any other colleagues throughout, a common method to prevent collusion during interrogation.
Little Pigeon was the first to pass through interrogation. Her room seemed like an ordinary living room, and Wang Qianduan briefly questioned her before telling her to stay put, saying there was a traitor within the organization, and they needed to conduct an internal investigation, instructing her not to move around.
Jiang Siqi was taken to a confinement room and confessed everything under intimidation by the intelligence team. However, her exposure to secrets was limited, and the worst thing she’d done was take some photos and leak a few duty assignments arranged by the mechanism to Lin Qing, so Wang Qianduan didn’t trouble her much.
Wang Baihu had a much harsher experience, similar to Honglian, being imprisoned right after leaving the corridor. He tried to bluff his way through, but Wang Qianduan possessed a mind-reading-like ability. After a round of beatings, he directly resorted to electric shocks. Being a pampered young master, Wang Baihu had never encountered such circumstances; his psychological defenses collapsed quickly. Furthermore, Wang Qianduan brought news of Honglian’s "death", leading him to spill everything about his encounters with the Wanderers.
In other words, only Honglian had been forced to reveal information.
The others didn’t even need mind-reading; Wang Qianduan’s ability spared them from extra physical torture.
Honglian twitched the corner of her mouth, unsure whether to laugh or be angry.
"In any case... you’re all okay, that’s what matters."
Little Pigeon tenderly cradled her team leader’s hands. A few days’ time was insufficient for her injuries to heal fully; Blood Orange could only scab and stop the bleeding. Her fingertip remained bare, new flesh appearing red and tender, "How could they treat you like this? It’s too much..."
"Perhaps Shixin’s news posed a real threat to the mechanism," Honglian comforted her instead, "Actually, aside from enduring a bit more hardship, I escaped earlier than you, which can be seen as an early relief."
"I really thought at that moment Wang Qianduan might really kill the team leader because of the way he looked at me, like a dead person," Wang Baihu still felt uneasy, "That guy certainly isn’t new to murder, no wonder he always looks so cold and indifferent."
"I heard Xiao Canong ordered to spare your life," Honglian worriedly rubbed her forehead, "Sometimes I really don’t know what he’s thinking. If he had mentioned you were still alive, you wouldn’t have had to endure so many punches."
Chen Xuan lightly adjusted his glasses at this point.
Was it really all because Xiao Canong was merciful?
The "Lucky Star" in Wang Baihu’s ability column was notably prominent.
"Lucky Star" LV2, blue.
——"While others find a dime, you find a dollar; when others get hit by a car, you might just trip. Don’t expect luck to save you from life-threatening situations; it merely keeps you away from them one time accidentally."
In a way, this kid’s life is quite fortunate.
"By the way, Sister Honglian, what about Miss Lin?" Jiang Siqi curiously scrutinized Chen Xuan, as it was their first meeting, "Handsome, are you a Wanderer too?"
Chen Xuan’s heart sank slightly—it was true, they were in another world at that time and still remembered Lin Qing.
Honglian turned to glance at Chen Xuan, seemingly waiting for his response. After he nodded slightly, she proceeded with introductions, "This is Chen Xuan, an Ability User who has formed a pact with Shixin. He is the one who rescued me from Zhang Yingzi’s abilities. Not only that, he also set an ambush at Beitian Academy, utterly defeating the private forces of the mechanism. Without him, we wouldn’t have had the chance to reunite."
She then briefly explained the changes in Jiang City’s situation after the attack ended.
"He... defeated the mechanism’s Ability Users?" Little Pigeon’s gaze at him changed, admiration in her tone, "Thank you for rescuing us... Little Pigeon bows to you!"
She then genuinely bent over, giving Chen Xuan a deep bow.
The other two also stared at Chen Xuan like they had seen a monster, eyes full of awe!
