“Are you crazy, foolish, or have you gone mad? The dead cannot come back to life; they are dead. Virtual terminal technology might condense a person’s mental essence, or what people commonly refer to as the soul, into the virtual world, but it’s impossible to revive the souls of the dead. Don’t be so naive, please!”
“Ha, this is the first time someone has called me naive!”
“Be serious! It seems you’ve really made up your mind about this! Twenty-five years ago, you suddenly withdrew from the public eye, so you’ve been planning this all along. Hey, I must commend your imagination; you’ve come up with such a summoning method!”
“Overpraise, overpraise! I’m not that clever to have thought of such a method over twenty years ago. And they are definitely not what you think, just some so-called dead people! Lin, forgive me, there are many secrets I can’t tell you due to confidentiality, but I can assure you, this is definitely not what you think, trying to use ‘Net Spirit’ and your virtual reality technology for some spooky summoning ritual. You can rest assured, no one will use the country’s name to openly violate the natural cycle of life!”
Lin Feng said earnestly, “The Ghost Festival on July 15th, choosing such an inauspicious day, I hope you don’t take things to the point of no return.”
“Enough of that. Lin, I have something else to discuss with you today, something you’ll need to decide on your own!”
“What is it?”
“A cash flow of 100 billion US dollars.”
“Recently, there will be a special counter-terrorism combat simulation exercise by the military, and they’ve expressed an interest in inviting you. However, I haven’t agreed to them. This is something you should consider for yourself!”
“Alright, I understand.”
“Okay, okay! Let me tell you the truth! Seeing your indifferent expression just irks me. The real reason for suddenly setting up this event and specifically inviting you, a reserve major, is to temporarily remove you from this place! You can think of it as some sort of disguised house arrest or whatever! I know you must be thinking this. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it! Are you thinking it’s time for the rabbit to be cooked and the millstone to be discarded? Ha, look at your expression, don’t deny it!”
Lin Feng’s jaw clenched, his cheeks visibly puffed: “Old man, isn’t that exactly what you’re planning? But he was too lazy to argue with Qin Jian about it.”
“Ai Fu Le Oil, here’s the situation! It’s classified information. Recently, a large number of unidentified individuals have infiltrated the city, posing a special level one danger. After extensive data analysis, the intelligence department has concluded that the targets these unidentified individuals are aiming at are all you, the hotshot CEO of Wanmei! I know you’re capable of dealing with these threats, but you also know, different places have different considerations. For the sake of maintaining stability and public reassurance, the city bureau has listed you, a prominent businessman, as an extremely unstable factor. If it weren’t for the relevant departments intervening, you would have been politely asked to leave the country long ago.”
“Absurd!”
“This is indeed absurd! A Chinese citizen in his own capital being forced to leave due to the arrival of some unfriendly foreign visitors, I understand your feelings!”
“Oh, long live understanding! Thank you.”
“Instead of thanking me, you might as well curse at me, that would feel better! I don’t know what pressures those above are under to come up with such a ridiculous plan, so I’m saying, this decision is entirely up to you!”
“Okay, I understand! If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving, I’m busy!”
Qin Jian seemed to have more to say, but in the end, he didn’t voice his thoughts. He just watched Lin Feng turn and leave with a somewhat forlorn expression, shook his head, and left as well.
Xu Xiaoman had become like a vegetable, Qiao Feini and Wang Qiang, although their lives were not in danger, one was dull, the other was mad, and there was also the old man of the Wang family; these people were all closely related to Lin Feng, yet they were in such a state. The strangest thing was Wang Xiaoyun, who had been missing ever since. It was a huge irony that a special agency like the State Security Bureau couldn’t find a person in such a small place, especially since Wang Xiaoyun’s disappearance was due to her undercover mission in the enemy camp at the behest of the State Security Bureau. The severely injured had been secretly transported to the capital, but Qin Jian suddenly couldn’t decide whether to tell Lin Feng about these matters. Ever since Lin Feng agreed to cooperate and followed him to Beijing, there had been an invisible barrier between them. Qin Jian knew that his unilateral decisions had hurt Lin Feng’s feelings. He valued this young man so much, wanting to bind Lin Feng to himself, but suddenly realized that the tighter he pushed, the further Lin Feng seemed to drift away. Qin Jian naturally understood that his impatience had deprived the other party of time to adapt. However, as he always told Lin Feng, what he lacked most now was time. Moreover, on some fundamental issues, as long as Lin Feng did not truly agree to join the core of the organization, he had to adhere to the principle of confidentiality and could not be completely open with Lin Feng. Thus, their relationship became increasingly formalistic. The Ghost Festival on July 15 was an opportunity to mend their relationship and also a chance for Qin Jian to make amends for a regret from many years ago.
Twenty-five years ago, there was an unexpected war among the Yizhe, and very few knew the truth. As a survivor of that war, Qin Jian still could not forget that scene. A squad of fourteen, thirteen died to protect him, the only naturally awakened one. Qin Jian still harbored doubts about the sudden outbreak of that total war among the Yizhe. He refused to easily believe the reasons for the war’s outbreak. At a secret meeting convened by the Global Yizhe Union, what was originally a high-level council to discuss and coordinate resource allocation and future development among various nations’ Yizhe, unexpectedly turned into a chaotic battle where all perished. Why did members of the Yizhe Alliance suddenly become enemies and clash? What exactly happened back then? Was it really, as rumored, because several co-chair elders of the Yizhe Alliance were jealous over a mysterious woman, leading to a full-scale conflict?
Twenty-five years ago, he was not much older than Lin Feng now, attending such a grand event for the first time, filled with anticipation, but he never imagined that the happiest days would be so fleeting. The friendly exchange meeting, like a poetic scene, suddenly turned into a hellish battlefield. Everyone died. If not for the thirteen comrades who fought to the death, using their bodies to open a path for him, he would have long been buried underground. The final angry shout of his companions before they died, he could not understand its meaning until now, after Lin Feng appeared, he finally grasped a bit of it. What exactly did their shout of “Xutian Huanjing” refer to? When Lin Feng first entered the “Huanjing” space, he caused numerous upheavals and directly activated the hidden storyline of “Huanjing” known as Xutian Huanjing, surpassing the realm he had strived for years to reach.
