MCL CH138

Chapter 138: Thank you for not walking to the opposite side of humanity…

“What do you guys think that is?”

“Hah, who knows.” As Samuel replied, he was, like the other X-rank ability users, lying sprawled on the ground, with no energy left to care about his image.

The surrounding area was still filled with a nauseating stench. The corpses of contaminants were piled up like mountains, yet the surroundings were enveloped in a long-lost, deathly silence.

As if suddenly receiving an undeniable command, the contaminants that had been relentlessly crashing against the defensive line just a moment ago had now, in a short period, retreated completely.

The transition from brutal to silent was instantaneous. The development, without any warning, still made the ability users, who were on the verge of breaking, feel as if they were in a dream.

Exhausted, Samuel lay there in a ‘大’ shape. For someone who valued his self-image as much as he did, he no longer had any thoughts about the contaminant corpse fragments around him.

Directly in front of him, he could see a palace made of white bones rising from the ground.

These bones seemed to have a life of their own, constantly surging and rushing towards the highest point of the sky.

The familiar sense of déjà vu made Samuel frown. “Do you guys ever feel… that this palace looks quite familiar?”

The others looked茫然, “Does it?”

“Calamity.”

Park Joon-ki’s voice suddenly sounded. Samuel’s expression paused slightly, and he turned to look. “What did you say?”

Park Joon-ki met Samuel’s gaze. “The others weren’t present at the time, but you and I both participated in that support mission in Hua Country back then. Have you forgotten the scene from that time?”

“Calamity?!” Samuel’s eyes widened. He shook off his fatigue and stood up directly from the ground. “Wasn’t Calamity already dealt with by Lin Xi? How could He appear again! In that case, wouldn’t Lin Xi be…”

He started to move almost without hesitation but was stopped by Park Joon-ki. “The contamination radiation in that place is too high. You’d probably lose control of your ability halfway there before you even get close.”

“But we can’t just leave Lin Xi alone like this!” Samuel slowly exhaled, a look of desperation on his face. “We have to try, no matter what. As long as the spatial shift is fast enough, there might still be a chance to bring him out.”

Before his voice had fallen, he suddenly sensed something. His back straightened, and when he turned to confront it, his eyes were already replaced with a sharp intensity.

All the ability users instantly entered a state of high alert.

The constantly rising contamination radiation values in the surroundings brought a powerful sense of oppression. The tingling sensation on their exposed skin was a constant reminder that a very threatening presence was approaching them.

However, just as everyone was preparing to face a strong enemy, a smiling voice came through. “How touching, Samuel. It really is in times of trouble that you see true friendship.”

The familiar voice made Samuel’s spirits lift at once. “Lin Xi? You’re okay!?”

From the distance, blurred by the dense contamination radiation, a tall figure slowly walked out.

“Yes, I’m back. Thank you all for your hard work!” Just as when he arrived, Lin Xi greeted everyone with a smile in his eyes. However, the thick, murderous aura enveloping his entire body still caused the surrounding pressure to drop to an extreme low in an instant.

No one else responded.

Although reason told them that the person in front of them was indeed Lin Xi, his current appearance, filled with dense contamination radiation, still caused their bodies to instinctively enter a first-level alert response, completely unable to relax through conscious control.

“Oh my, we’re all old friends. I just changed my identity. No need to be so tense.”

In such a scene, only Lin Xi patted Samuel’s shoulder without any mental burden. Feeling the other’s body tense up at his touch, he couldn’t help but laugh mockingly. “Such a strong reaction to this little bit of contamination radiation. Samuel, are you capable or not?”

Samuel blurted out, “…A man can never say he’s not capable!”

But even though he said that, whenever Lin Xi touched him, the instinctive rejection of contamination radiation would still make him flinch subconsciously.

Lin Xi: “Heh?”

“…”

Samuel was silent for a moment and decisively changed the subject. “So are you really okay? Is everything resolved? Where have all those contaminants gone now? And what’s with that palace over there?”

“I’m fine. Things still need to be resolved. I called the contaminants back. That palace is my new future residence.”

Lin Xi answered Samuel’s questions one by one. Feeling the increasingly shocked gazes from the others around him, he spoke as if narrating a perfectly normal matter, “Now, I am the new King of Contaminants.”

Samuel: “…”

Silence. A long silence fell over the surroundings.

Finally, Samuel’s voice soared to the heavens. “The new King of Contaminants, you?!”

“Mhm, you can understand it that way. Or you can call it holding the emperor hostage to command the warlords.”

As Lin Xi said this, he also smiled as if he found it very interesting.

[…]

In his mind, a certain “emperor” who was being held hostage clearly did not find it funny.

“In any case, everyone can go back now. Go back to your own homes, find your own mothers, and get some good rest.”

Lin Xi looked down at the completely chaotic time counter on his communication device. Just as he was about to find a car to head back, he heard the sound of a vehicle speeding over from the distance.

Lin Xi paused slightly and instantly understood.

He casually ran a hand through his striking red hair and quickly strode forward to meet it.

The approaching vehicle came to a stop with a sharp screech of brakes. But before the person in the car could get out, what enveloped him first was a dense and familiar contamination radiation.

Like the most sincere embrace from a lover, it wrapped around him in an instant.

Yan Xingzhou looked up amidst the familiar scent and saw Lin Xi standing not far away. “The day is up. I’m here to pick you up.”

“Mhm, I know.” Lin Xi clearly also enjoyed the feeling of directly enclosing Yan Xingzhou in his own aura, but he didn’t forget to make a couple of excuses for himself. “But it’s really not that my speed was too slow. For the sake of better sustainable development in the future, I found a contaminant specializing in the field to adjust the time flow inside. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have made you feel so impatient.”

Yan Xingzhou glanced at the familiar and unpleasant white palace in the distance. “Adjusted the time flow?”

“Mhm, now for every day we spend inside, about a month passes outside.” Lin Xi got into Yan Xingzhou’s passenger seat with practiced ease. Noticing the other’s scrutinizing gaze, he smiled and blinked. “Don’t worry, I’m not injured, just a little tired.”

As he spoke, he had already leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. “You shouldn’t stay here for too long either. Let’s go, find Primo. I’ll rest for a bit first. Wake me up when we get there.”

Yan Xingzhou wanted to say something, but his gaze fell on Lin Xi’s tired expression. In the end, he just said “Mhm” and got into the driver’s seat.

Because they had given advance notice, the car coming from the special-grade contaminant zone drove unimpeded to the base of the International Ability General Administration building.

The moment the car doors opened, the surrounding contamination value detectors all let out sharp alarms. Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, they exploded one after another.

The loud commotion attracted the patrol departments to rush over.

In a state of high alert, they saw the car doors on both sides slowly open. The first to enter everyone’s sight was Yan Xingzhou’s tall figure.

Then, the person who got out of the passenger seat lazily stretched. His movement paused after noticing the situation around him, and then he closed the car door as if he saw nothing.

The members of the patrol departments looked at each other.

Although they had received news early on not to obstruct anyone no matter who they encountered, this man with President Yan clearly looked more like a contaminant.

Letting them in, was that really okay?

The situation was deadlocked for a moment.

At this moment, Primo’s voice came through everyone’s communicators: “Let them come up.”

The personnel who had been blocking the way exchanged glances and immediately made way.

Lin Xi didn’t care at all about these people’s hostility.

He had slept all the way in Yan Xingzhou’s car, and he was feeling quite good now. He walked into the building’s main entrance as if no one else was there.

The elevator went all the way up, finally stopping at the top floor.

For Lin Xi, going to Primo’s office was a familiar path.

He didn’t even look at the assistant waiting at the door and pushed the door open to walk in directly.

The person inside looked up at the sound. Glancing at the two who entered, he was not angry. “If you could, I hope you would remember to knock occasionally when you come to my place next time.”

“Okay, if I remember, I definitely will.” Lin Xi replied, but clearly didn’t take it to heart. He glanced at Primo and sat down on the sofa beside him. “Come on, it’s time to talk business. About—the beautiful future of humanity.”

Yan Xingzhou did not enter the room. He just closed the door and leaned against it, quietly listening to their conversation.

At the phrase “the beautiful future of humanity,” Primo’s gaze shifted entirely to Lin Xi. “Professor Shen has already come to see me. What I’m more curious about now is, Lin Xi, in what capacity have you come here now?”

“I am now, of course—the representative of the contaminant world.”

Lin Xi replied with a smile, but this answer made even Yan Xingzhou at the door frown.

A brief silence fell in the office.

After what seemed like an eternity, Primo’s voice sounded again. “Perhaps I really should say thank you. Thank you, for ultimately not choosing to walk to the opposite side of humanity.”

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