MCL CH28

Chapter 28: “I Saw It.”

The few seconds felt as long as several centuries.

Lin Xi had originally thought he would at least get a question from Yan Xingzhou, but the silent stalemate lasted even longer and was more unbearable than he had imagined. 

Finally, he was the one to surrender first. Adhering to the principle of “even if the sky falls, my mouth is the most stubborn,” he maintained the smile on his face despite his strong feelings of guilt. “President Yan, it seems the contaminants here are quite afraid of my fire, huh?”

As his words fell, the surroundings once again plunged into a deathly silence, as if frozen for a thousand miles.

Just when Lin Xi suspected he might never get a response from this man in his lifetime, he heard a familiar voice. “I saw it.”

The voice sounded emotionally stable, at least. This finally allowed Lin Xi to raise his eyes and observe Yan Xingzhou’s expression.

It was the same as usual—stern and unsmiling, without too many superfluous emotional fluctuations.

Lin Xi felt slightly relieved and opened his mouth. “Then…”

His words were cut off by Yan Xingzhou. “Let’s get out of here first. We’ll talk about everything else when we get back.”

The moment his voice fell, the massive blade that had been suspended in the air during the prolonged standoff suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light that threatened to swallow everything.

All previous stalemates and confrontations vanished in an instant. With a swing powerful enough to cleave the heavens, the A-class contaminant, which could strike fear into the hearts of many, was like a defenseless ant, brutally crushed into countless fragments by the sudden eruption of immense power.

BOOM—!

The crystal core shattered completely the moment it was hit, scattering like the fine sand around them, falling to the ground in a rustling shower, dismembered more thoroughly than ever before.

Lin Xi’s gaze lingered on the remains of the contaminant, which was now dead without a complete corpse. “.”

Emotionally stable, was it?

Stable my ass!

Lin Xi cleared his throat softly. “Um…”

Yan Xingzhou: “We’ll talk when we get out.”

Lin Xi: “Cough, alright.”

The once solemn and dignified funeral had long since descended into chaos with the appearance of several rifts.

Although this emergency crisis was quickly brought under control with the full support of the United Administration members, the news that several active A-class rifts had appeared simultaneously in the city center was enough to cause a huge uproar in the coming days.

At this time, Qi Xian, as the resident person-in-charge of the jurisdiction, was simultaneously arranging for personnel to assist with the cleanup and concluding work for the cleared rifts, while also maintaining contact with Mayor Zhou to ensure that the subsequent panic could be contained to a minimum.

A-class rifts posed no threat to the top-tier ability users of the United Administration. As teams returned one after another, having safely completed their clearing missions, the rifts were brought under effective control one by one.

Thanks to the swift and decisive arrangements, aside from the potential mutations among the evacuated ordinary citizens, the number of casualties at the scene remained at zero.

Gu Beiqiu led his team out after closing an A-class rift and, at a glance, saw the new rift at the entrance of the main hall, as well as Samuel, who was standing there as if he owned the place, studying who-knows-what.

When the incident first occurred, he didn’t remember a rift appearing in this location. After a scrutinizing glance, he strode over.

Hearing the footsteps, Samuel turned to look, raising an eyebrow slightly. “That was some fast cleanup, Mr. Gu.”

Though it should have been a polite pleasantry, when it came from him, it always carried a strange sense of ridicule. Especially since Gu Beiqiu became the Chief Executive of the United Administration, his forms of address were either “Mr. Gu” in English or “Mr. Gu” in Chinese. While polite, it always carried a sense of contempt, as if not recognizing his status, which was remarkably similar to Yan Xingzhou’s habit of calling him “Adjutant Gu Beiqiu.”

Gu Beiqiu was not the least bit angered by this form of address. On the contrary, he showed absolute humility toward this dual-ability X-user from Country A. “Thank you for your affirmation of my work.”

As he spoke, he opportunely glanced at the nearby rift and asked the question he truly cared about. “If I remember correctly, this rift was not originally here. So, did a new batch of rifts appear after we went in to clear the others?”

Samuel replied courteously, “Not exactly a batch. Just this one.”

Gu Beiqiu’s gaze asked the question for him. “Then…”

Samuel understood and smiled. “While it’s not convenient for us to interfere too much within your country’s borders, we wouldn’t go so far as to watch from the sidelines while rifts appear in the city center. Besides, someone has already gone into this rift, so we don’t need to worry our heads over someone else’s business.”

Gu Beiqiu opened his mouth but ultimately decided against commenting on Samuel’s choice of words. He looked around, his gaze finally landing on the sharply dressed figure in a suit standing nearby.

He had seen this man before. If he recalled correctly, it was Yan Xingzhou’s personal assistant.

Could it be that…

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Beiqiu’s eyes. He looked at the rift opening, which was about to fully expand, then at Samuel’s seemingly meaningful smile, and asked, “How long has President Yan been inside?”

“You don’t need to worry about the specific time. It’s just an A-class rift. The duration depends entirely on Yan’s mood, doesn’t it? Perhaps he’s having so much fun in there he’s forgotten to return. Right?” Samuel was very pleased with his repository of idioms and was about to show off more of his reserves when he caught sight of two figures, one behind the other, appearing in his line of vision. “Oh, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Aren’t they coming out now?”

As the two figures emerged from the rift, the opening behind them, which had been on the verge of fully expanding, seemed to lose all its power and slowly sealed itself up again.

It was clear that the clearing of this A-class rift had also been successfully completed.

Just as Samuel had said, for ability users of his and Yan Xingzhou’s caliber, dealing with a mere A-class rift could even be considered overkill.

After knowing who had gone to deal with the rift, Gu Beiqiu was not surprised by the result, only that Yan Xingzhou hadn’t gone in alone.

He subconsciously took another look at Lin Xi. His gaze paused subtly on that face, but before he could take a closer look, a figure had already moved to silently block his view.

Gu Beiqiu looked up and met Yan Xingzhou’s gaze, putting on the perfect smile suitable for all social occasions. “President Yan, I’m glad you are still willing to lend a helping hand to the United Administration’s work.”

“It was just an accident. It has nothing to do with your United Administration.”

As always, Yan Xingzhou was unwilling to engage too much with Gu Beiqiu. His gaze swept past him and landed on the assistant waiting behind. “Where is the car?”

“It’s been waiting downstairs for you to come out.”

Ju Ze understood and made an inviting gesture. “President, this way.”

Yan Xingzhou nodded. Just as he was about to step forward, his feet suddenly paused. A moment later, he added, “Stay close.”

“Oh…” Lin Xi had originally planned to slip away in the chaos, but he didn’t expect Yan Xingzhou to completely ignore Gu Beiqiu.

He sighed with pity in his heart. It could only be said that his former adjutant was now living a much more humble life than he had imagined. The position of Executive really wasn’t an easy one to sit in!

Yan Xingzhou’s private car was waiting not far away. The driver was also an ability user. After a call from Ju Ze, he drove directly to the center of the plaza.

Amidst the state of panic and chaos, the black Cadillac was particularly conspicuous. Everyone knew who this car belonged to, so its path through the bustling area was completely unobstructed.

Ju Ze immediately opened the car door.

Yan Xingzhou stood by the car, waiting for Lin Xi to get in before sitting down himself. Just as he did, another figure appeared in his field of vision. He decisively reached out a hand to block him. “I don’t believe I invited you.”

“Why not? Didn’t I come to Hua Country in response to your invitation?” The expression on Samuel’s face, set against his blond hair, looked even more hurt. “You can’t just forget an old love for a new flame. It’s been so long since I’ve been to your house for a date with the three of us. It wasn’t easy for me to come to Hua Country, you have to satisfy me at least a little, right?”

The phrase “date with the three of us” made even Lin Xi look over with curiosity.

“…”

The corners of Yan Xingzhou’s mouth pressed down to their limit. “You were saying it’s not easy to come to Hua Country through official channels, right?”

“What’s the difference?” Samuel said as he tried to squeeze into the car, only to be unceremoniously kicked out by Yan Xingzhou. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Yan, you’ve changed!”

“Watch fewer low-quality idol dramas in the future.” Faced with this entanglement, Yan Xingzhou was so exasperated he actually laughed. “Tomorrow, I’ll have Ju Ze arrange for a car to pick you up from your hotel, or you can set a time and come over directly. But if you don’t accept this condition, I can ensure you’ll never have to think about…”

“Okay, understood! See you tomorrow, take care.”

As Samuel spoke, he very briskly helped close the car door and waved goodbye elegantly through the window.

Yan Xingzhou didn’t spare another glance at this finally-resolved nuisance.

As Ju Ze got into the front passenger seat, the car started and slowly drove through the chaotic plaza. After leaving the main gate, it sped onto the well-connected main road.

The scenery outside continuously receded as they drove. In the undoubtedly subtle atmosphere inside the car, Ju Ze frequently glanced at the rearview mirror before tactfully lowering his head to organize the documents in his hand.

For a moment, only the rustling of paper could be heard.

Lin Xi kept his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the window, looking very serious and showing no intention of striking up a conversation with Yan Xingzhou.

Until a voice broke the suffocating silence. “Back in the inner world…”

Lin Xi turned his head. “Hmm?”

Only then did he realize that Yan Xingzhou had been watching him the whole time. As they sat facing each other, their eyes met unexpectedly.

Yan Xingzhou’s words paused subtly for a moment. It wasn’t clear if it was an illusion, but his voice seemed faintly strained at that moment. “I already answered you in the inner world. I saw it.”

He didn’t seem to need a real answer and continued almost without pause. “What this means is, if there’s anything you want to tell me, I’ll be in my room tonight. You can find me anytime.”

The car had just driven into the courtyard and stopped at the center of the villa.

Without another look at Lin Xi, Yan Xingzhou got out of the car.