270: Chapter 271: After Slaying the God, He Left with His Backpack; The S-Rank Wanted Notice Went Viral Online

The doors of the exhibition center closed behind him.

Lin Qi walked out; the sunlight was blinding, and he raised a hand to block it.

This action was captured perfectly by at least twenty cameras outside.

The colonel in charge of the outer perimeter security hadn't left yet. Seeing him come out, he stood at attention instinctively, opened his mouth, but then swallowed his words.

Although he hadn't gone inside, he had felt the strange celestial phenomenon that occurred in the venue just a few minutes ago very clearly.

The sky above had changed color, all electronic devices had crashed simultaneously, and an indescribable sense of oppression had radiated from inside the building, lasting for seven or eight minutes.

Then everything returned to normal.

Now, this youth was strolling out with a backpack on, looking like nothing had happened.

The colonel swallowed hard: "Mr. Lin, do you need a vehicle arranged?"

"No need, my car is outside."

Lin Qi nodded at him and strode toward the outside of the restricted area.

Behind him, the doors were burst open from the inside.

"Mr. Lin Qi! Please wait!"

"Mr. Lin! Can you accept an interview? Just one question!"

"Move aside! We're from NBS! The National Station!"

A group of reporters rushed out like madmen, but they were stopped firmly by the perimeter soldiers before they could even run ten meters.

The sounds of chaos grew fainter.

Lin Qi did not look back.

Turning a corner and walking into a side road, a modified black heavy-duty truck was parked on the side of the road with its engine still running.

The cab door popped open, and Zhang Wei's chubby head poked out.

"Qi... Brother Qi!"

The fat man's voice cracked.

He had been staring at the live stream in the car; he hadn't seen anything during those few minutes when the signal was cut, but after the signal was restored, the screen was flooded with comments and screams, with "Long live the God Lin" scrolling for dozens of pages.

In the footage, Li Qingcang was slumped on the podium, unconscious, and Chen Shu was kneeling on one knee before Lin Qi.

Then Brother Qi packed up his small stool, put on his backpack, and left.

It was incredibly cool.

"It's done." Lin Qi pulled the door open, sat in the passenger seat, and tossed his backpack into the back row. "Drive."

"Okay, okay, okay! Where... where to? Back to the safe house?"

"First, return to Huichun Hall; the medicinal herb consumption was too high, and I need to replenish a batch."

Zhang Wei's chest tightened.

Replenish again? Wasn't the batch from last night worth over a billion not enough?

He didn't dare ask, honestly stepped on the gas, and the car merged into the traffic of Tianhai City.

Silence for three minutes.

Zhang Wei couldn't help it anymore: "Brother Qi."

"Hmm."

"What exactly happened in there? The live stream cut out for those few minutes, and the comment section went crazy. Some said the sky collapsed, some said they saw five suns, and others said you crushed the skull of the old god. That's a relic from the Ancient Era, something even harder than legendary equipment..."

"It's not important."

"But..."

"I know what you want to ask." Lin Qi closed his eyes. "The Kyoto Li Family is finished, the skull of the old god is destroyed, two of the three-piece set are ruined, and one is in my hands. That mysterious person has played their biggest trump card and won't be able to make a comeback for a short while."

Zhang Wei digested this, his brain spinning rapidly.

"Then Li Qingcang..."

"He's alive."

"You didn't kill him?"

"Killing is too simple."

Lin Qi's tone when saying this was extremely casual, much like saying "The weather is nice today."

"His assets are all gone, right?"

"You arranged it yourself, don't you know?"

Zhang Wei chuckled and slapped the steering wheel: "I know! I know perfectly well! Thirteen international capital firms joined forces to short them; the layout started last night! Old Xiao provided four firms, I found three, and the rest just pounced on the scent of blood! That capital chain of the Kyoto Li Family is more fragile than paper!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and the smile on his chubby face couldn't be hidden.

"Brother Qi, you didn't see it. The moment the Kyoto Li Family's stock price crashed, I almost jumped out of my seat! A century-old elite family! Vanished into thin air in a single day! This matter can be written into business school textbooks in the future! I've even thought of the case name: 'Don't Mess with Brother Qi'!"

Lin Qi ignored him.

Zhang Wei glanced at Brother Qi's expression in the rearview mirror and stopped talking.

Although Brother Qi said it was "not important," having been by his side for so long, he could tell a thing or two.

His complexion was much better than last night, but still a bit off; his lips lacked color, and there was a very faint grayish-blue tint under his eyes.

The battle at Longya Academy last night, combined with using "My Body is the World" at the exhibition center today—the drain was compounded—even with that terrifying medicinal absorption method, he hadn't fully recovered.

"Brother Qi, should we reschedule the victory celebration? You are today..."

"No change, we'll hold it tonight."

"So urgent?"

"While the entire Federation's attention is still on the Kyoto Li Family, some things need to be pushed forward." Lin Qi opened his eyes, watching the streetscape receding outside the car window. "The celebration isn't just about eating."

"I invited Instructor Su Qing."

Zhang Wei thought for a moment and nodded: "Fine, you decide the place."

"The secret chamber under Huichun Hall will do."

"Brother Qi, holding the victory celebration in the medicinal storage basement? Isn't that too shabby? It's a big day for destroying the Kyoto Li Family! Can't we go to a top-tier restaurant? My treat!"

"Your treat?"

"Yes! My treat!"

"Whose money are you using to treat?"

Zhang Wei's mouth shut instantly.

It was true that he managed the money, but as for who that money belonged to, he really didn't dare to quibble over that question.

"... Then the basement it is."

"Hmm."

The car continued to drive toward Huichun Hall.

While driving, Zhang Wei secretly swiped on his phone a few times and almost jerked the steering wheel crooked.

The Federal Daily headline, in extra-large font:

"Breaking News: Unknown Law anomaly occurs at the Tianhai City Exhibition Center; Kyoto Li Family head Li Qingcang fainted on the spot, suspected of treason-level felony! What exactly happened during the few minutes the live stream was interrupted? Our reporter's exclusive reconstruction."

The comment section was already boiling.

The top comment, with over six million likes:

"Is there anyone else like me who was so anxious during those minutes when the signal was cut that they were jumping back and forth in front of the screen?"

Second comment, four million likes:

"I've watched the footage after the signal was restored seventeen times. Li Qingcang lying on the ground, Chen Shu kneeling, and Lin Qi walking away with his backpack. What level of big shot is this?"

Third comment, three million likes, official selection:

"A reporter on the scene confirmed it. He really brought a small stool and sunflower seeds. At a Federation-wide broadcast press conference. Eating sunflower seeds. I've been laughing for an hour and can't stop."

Zhang Wei swiped to the tenth comment and saw an interesting post.

"Everyone, the point isn't the sunflower seeds. The point is that in the last frame before the live stream cut out, that youth's body became transparent, and the ceiling was disappearing. Can any experts analyze what ability this is? Law-type? Mental-type? Or a bug?"

The replies underneath were a chaotic mess, with some saying it was a legendary skill, some saying it was a hidden talent, and others saying it was high-tech projection effects.

There was also an anonymous user claiming to be a reporter on-site who posted a message:

"I was on the scene and saw it with my own eyes. That wasn't a skill or a talent. He turned himself into a world. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I really don't know how to describe it. The sky above changed color, five light orbs of different colors appeared, and the skull of the old god shattered directly in mid-air. Throughout the whole process, his expression was about the same as if you had broken a cup."

The top-rated reply to this comment had only four words:

"I believe it."

Zhang Wei put down his phone and glanced again at Lin Qi, who was resting with his eyes closed.

Did this person have any concept of what he had done today?

Over ten billion people across the entire Federation were discussing him, and forty-three of the top fifty trending topics on all social platforms were related to him.

A teenage high school student, single-handedly overturned a century-old elite family, and did it in front of the whole world.

This is called becoming a legend.

"Brother Qi." Zhang Wei couldn't help but speak again.

"Speak."

"You might be the most popular person in the entire Federation right now."

"Oh."

"Just an 'oh'? The term 'God Lin' has already hit number one in annual search volume! Do you know who was ranked number one before? The Federation President!"

"Help me suppress the heat."

Zhang Wei almost slammed on the brakes.

"Suppress?"

"It's too high-profile. That mysterious person ran away, didn't die; he should be watching from the sidelines now. Too much exposure isn't good for me."

"But this matter can no longer be suppressed..."

"It doesn't need to be completely suppressed. Let the focus of public opinion concentrate on the Kyoto Li Family treason case, direct the fire toward Li Qingcang, and dilute my presence."

Zhang Wei pondered for two seconds.

"Understood. Let the Kyoto Li Family's scandal continue to ferment; let everyone discuss how Li Qingcang fell, not what ability you used."

"Correct."

"It can be done, but it will cost money, a lot of money."

"Spend it."

One word, crisp and decisive.

"There's one more thing." Zhang Wei remembered something. "Xiao Zhenguo just sent a message saying that the trail for the mysterious person behind the scenes stopped at Chen Shu..."

"No need to investigate further."

"Huh?"

"Chen Shu is my person now."

The car was quiet for two seconds.

Zhang Wei shivered, half-excited and half-chilled.

After the live stream was restored, he had seen the scene of Chen Shu kneeling and thought it was a show of force, but now hearing Brother Qi's tone...

"You recruited Chen Shu?"

"Hmm."

"How did you recruit him?"

"You don't need to know."

Zhang Wei's mouth twitched twice, and he didn't pursue it further.

Knowing too much about some things isn't a good thing.

He only knew one thing for sure: from today on, the shadow network passed down through three generations of the Kyoto Li Family, one of the most dangerous intelligence handlers in the entire Federation, had a new boss.

The heavy-duty truck drove through an intersection. Pedestrians were walking on the street, and the big screen on the roadside was still rolling news about the exhibition center. Passersby stopped to watch, pointing and whispering.

No one noticed that inside this ordinary heavy-duty truck sat the youth currently being discussed by the whole world.

Lin Qi's phone vibrated.

A message from Instructor Su Qing.

"The teacher's condition is temporarily stable. The academy's top brass are very shaken and are fully investigating the identity of the intruder. I blocked it for you; no one suspects you."

"What time tonight?"

Lin Qi replied with two words and an address.

"Eight o'clock."

After sending the message, he threw his phone back into his pocket and closed his eyes again.

What was turning in his mind wasn't today's events.

Today's situation had long been within expectations; two of the three-piece set were ruined, the Kyoto Li Family's liquidation was complete, and the public opinion war was over—all were part of the plan.

What really concerned him was something else.

When he used "My Body is the World" at the exhibition center, he had sensed a subtle change.

The moment the System's rejection was covered by his Law, the underlying rule network of the world had produced an extremely brief "ripple."

That ripple wasn't a reaction from the System.

More accurately, it was as if something in the deeper depths of the rule network had glanced at him and then retracted.

This feeling was very light, so light that even he wasn't sure if it was an illusion.

But his intuition had never been wrong.

"The waters of this world are much deeper than I thought," he said to himself in his heart.

The heavy-duty truck turned into a quiet alley, and the back door of Huichun Hall appeared in his field of vision.

Zhang Wei turned off the engine and turned to look at him: "Brother Qi, we're here."

"Let's go."

Lin Qi pushed the door open and got out, stretching his back.

At this moment, Zhang Wei's phone suddenly rang. He took it out, looked at it, and his expression darkened.

"Brother Qi!"

"What's wrong?"

"The Federal Military has just issued a wanted notice."

"Wanted for whom?"

"Li Qingcang." Zhang Wei took a deep breath. "Treason, S-rank wanted notice. Isn't this too fast? When did the federal top brass get those pieces of evidence of yours?"

Lin Qi didn't answer, just the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.