Chapter 48

Back in Cell 18, Lu Guangyi approached and asked, "Boss, what did Qing Yan say?"

"No," Qing Chen shook his head, "continue according to my plan."

The so-called exclusion by other forces within the Qing family, or the struggle for the shadow, was not important to Qing Chen at the moment.

Today, he did not refute any of Qing Yan's aggressive remarks, because only when you are powerful does your response have value.

The surprise brought by the breathing technique was not just the opening of the door to the extraordinary.

Last night, he was so exhausted that he could hardly walk, but this morning, he woke up feeling full of energy and completely free of fatigue.

This feeling was too magical, something he had never experienced, seen, or heard of in the surface world.

Lu Guangyi asked in a low voice, "Have you really fallen out with Uncle Li?"

Qing Chen glanced at him, "Yes, we've fallen out, but we didn't plan to rely on external forces for our mission, did we?"

"Right," Lu Guangyi said, "You still have me, Boss."

...

Nighttime, countdown: 5:59:59.

Zone 7 of City 18.

Jiang Xue was slowly walking through the city, which was just beginning to light up. For someone from the surface world like her, this place was like a giant maze.

When she looked up at the sky, she saw not smog, blue sky, or white clouds, but towering steel forests and dazzling holographic neon lights.

The holographic sign of a barbecue restaurant rotated in the air, and passersby could see the large synthetic meat skewers from a distance and smell the cumin scent wafting from the shop.

A mechanical dolphin suddenly appeared in the sky, as if it had emerged from the depths of the sea.

As it slowly swam past the buildings, its tail flicked, splashing holographic blue waves.

The waves fell to the ground, and if it were the first time someone saw them, they would instinctively cover their heads to prevent the water from splashing on them.

However, after falling more than ten meters, the waves turned into brilliant fireworks and dissipated.

Only then did the sky reveal the illusory and dazzling GG logo: "Yuzu Phone, giving you the best holographic communication experience."

Between the buildings, countless sky bridges connected them.

From the ground, these sky bridges looked like ropes binding the buildings together.

As Jiang Xue walked, she passed countless people from the inner world. Everyone who saw the auspicious cloud symbol on her chest would instinctively make way for her.

That was the Li family's symbol.

She entered the elevator of a building and pressed the 32nd floor.

The transparent elevator quickly ascended, and she turned to look outside, where one building after another appeared and disappeared. Occasionally, a flying car would zoom past the elevator, heading off to unknown destinations.

The silver flying car had a smooth design, and the four positions that should have been tires were replaced with jet turbines, emitting blue flames.

Ding, the 32nd floor arrived. Jiang Xue got out of the elevator and walked through a spacious sky plaza toward the first floor of the Cloudy Building, where her clinic was located.

However, before she could enter the building, someone stopped her at the entrance: "Hello, Miss Jiang Xue."

The man was dressed in a neat, well-tailored suit with a delicate gold tie clip, which also had the auspicious cloud symbol.

Moreover, two people behind him were carrying two black sealed boxes.

Jiang Xue was taken aback. This was Zhang Tianzhen, a peripheral member of the Li family who had previously invested in her clinic.

"Hello, is there something you need?" Jiang Xue asked weakly.

"Hello, it's like this," Zhang Tianzhen said politely, "The company is pleased with the successful investment and, to show our gratitude, has specially sent me to deliver the latest model of the Li family's mechanical arm. Furthermore, we have arranged for an expert in mechanical limb installation to provide you with special training..."

The more Jiang Xue listened, the more she felt something was off.

Time travelers in the surface world often talked about how terrifying the corporations were, but she found the company to be very kind. Not only did they invest money, but they also gave her mechanical limbs for free and even found the best expert to train her, as if they knew she was not skilled in mechanical limb installation.

She began to doubt.

Then, Zhang Tianzhen suddenly said, "I can see you have some doubts, so let me explain. Two years ago, you inadvertently helped a middle-aged woman who is a member of our Li family. She has been looking for you for two years and only recently found your whereabouts. So, this is all her gift to you."

Jiang Xue nodded in a daze, "Oh, oh, I see..."

As for whether she had helped anyone two years ago, she had no idea.

Li Tongyun was taking advantage of the time traveler's memory blind spot, knowing that Jiang Xue was unaware of her past.

Moreover, she was well aware that her mother, even if confused, would not dare to ask too many questions, thus clearing her of any involvement.

At this point, Jiang Xue no longer doubted and happily accepted the Li family's gift, "These two mechanical arms..."

Zhang Tianzhen explained, "These are the most advanced products on the market now. They not only contain high-energy weapons but also have an extremely long battery life, with a neural synchronization rate of up to 97%."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Jiang Xue was even more delighted.

...

Countdown: 00:30:00.

Only half an hour remained.

In the fitness area, Ye Wan was training Qing Chen, doing sit-ups and combining six sets of exercises to improve his core explosive power.

After core strength training, there was targeted cardiovascular training.

The night was long, and the training was arduous.

According to Ye Wan's estimate, Qing Chen would be able to start resistance training in just half a month, which would be the real test.

However, time for Qing Chen felt like it was about to be split. He was currently undergoing training with Ye Wan, but in half an hour, he would have to return to the surface world.

Then, after an unknown number of days, he would come back in the middle of the night to continue training...

At this moment, Uncle Li suddenly appeared in the fitness area. He looked at Qing Chen and asked, "Are you going to return to the surface world soon?"

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded, "What's the matter, Teacher? Is there something you need?"

Uncle Li said, "I want to see this inter-world crossing with my own eyes. Perhaps I can discover some secrets."

"Sure," Qing Chen, drenched in sweat, was given a functional supplement and beef by Ye Wan to replenish his energy during training.

It had to be said that while the breathing technique combined with training was effective, it consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

If he didn't eat for a while, Qing Chen would feel extremely hungry.

He devoured and trained like a glutton.

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly noticed a hint of hesitation in Uncle Li's expression.

He curiously asked, "What's the matter, Teacher? Is there something else?"

"Um... it's like this," Uncle Li thought for a moment and said, "Could you bring me more chess endgame puzzles to remember?"

Qing Chen was taken aback for two seconds, then laughed, "No problem."

At this moment, he felt that Uncle Li's usual air of authority had diminished, and he seemed more human.

Under the watchful eyes of Ye Wan and Uncle Li, Qing Chen put the USB drive in his mouth.

Then, he thought for a moment and pulled out a gold bar that had been crumpled in his pocket.

Ye Wan was surprised, "I was wondering where the gold bar on Lu Guangyi's arm had gone."

Uncle Li: "..."

In an instant, the flame patterns on Qing Chen's cheeks spread to his ears, and the energy that had been circulating in his body, under his will, enveloped the gold bar in his hand.

Uncle Li's face showed a look of surprise.

Countdown: 10.

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The world turned dark.