187: Chapter 187 Five Years of Acting, Have They Had Enough?

Su Ming did not know that because of his appearance, Instructor Ying Wuhen had returned and made drastic changes to the exchange rules, causing the level of internal competition throughout Shadow Academy to jump up a level out of thin air.

He carelessly stuffed the badge into his pocket and tilted his head to look at Night Crow.

"So, now that I am at the top of the rankings, what value do you have left?"

These words were harsh, but they were also the truth.

Everyone present could see it clearly, given Su Ming's unfathomable strength.

Never mind Tier 6 Source Beasts, even Tier 7 ones could probably be hunted whenever he pleased. He had absolutely no need for a so-called "sidekick."

Night Crow fell silent.

The shadow under his hood obscured his expression; only his tense jawline was visible.

A few seconds later, he suddenly let out a low laugh. The laughter carried a hint of self-deprecation and a kind of self-destructive honesty.

"I... have nothing."

He raised his head. His eyes, hidden in the shadows, were shockingly bright. The arrogance of a Prodigy was gone, leaving only the determination of someone burning their bridges.

"My life, how about I give it to you?"

"Night Crow!" Instructor Shen Yuee's expression changed. Ignoring the sharp pain in her severed arm, she shouted sternly, "Don't talk nonsense! If your father knew..."

"Father?"

Night Crow interrupted her. Turning his head, his eyes beneath the hood stared straight at this Tier 6 instructor.

"Is my father still alive?"

In the gaps between the howling wind and sand, this sentence was as clear as a blade.

Instructor Shen Yuee's hand froze in mid-air.

"You have been acting with me for five years." Night Crow's voice had no inflection, calm to the point of being chilling, "How much longer do you intend to keep acting?"

The entire charred basin instantly fell into a dead silence.

Instructor Lin Yan gripped his short blade tightly.

Instructor Shen Yuee and Instructor Lin Yan's bodies stiffened simultaneously.

Young Master Gu Lingfeng and his two guards were also stunned. They looked at Night Crow, then at the two Tier 6 instructors, their faces full of the bewilderment of "Who am I, where am I, and why am I watching this family drama?"

Night Crow did not give anyone time to react.

"The account labeled 'Father' in my communicator has never been able to answer any details about our life from five years ago!"

"I asked him which gun he used when he took me to the western suburb shooting range when I was a child, and he said he couldn't remember. My father used his service weapon for twelve years; would he really forget that?"

"Every time I asked about the battle situation at Black Spider Canyon, he would only use the most standard official rhetoric to give bureaucratic, empty answers!"

"I've calculated it." Night Crow raised his head. In his eyes beneath the shadow of his hood, there was not a shred of confusion.

"My father was the captain of the Western Frontier Direct Assault Brigade, a Senior Colonel in a frontier branch. Even if he didn't eat or drink for ten years, and converted all the family savings and military merit he had accumulated in his life into supplies, it wouldn't be enough to support what I'm enjoying now!"

He paused, his speaking speed steady, as if reciting a bill he knew by heart:

"Starting from when I entered the academy at eighteen, every month I received a fixed Tier 2 Shadow Body Tempering potion, and every quarter a bottle of Origin Soul-Condensing Dew; every year two exclusive Secret Realm entry spots, and a full-time Source Energy Training Room; last year when I was pushing for the Peak of Tier 5, they even sent two Shadow Demon Cores. Just taking out one of them would be worth half a year's salary for an ordinary Senior Colonel."

"And this time, two Tier 6 instructors accompanied me the whole way to protect my path. Just the resource quota for this single mission would be enough to empty out all the military merit and savings of an ordinary Colonel."

With every sentence he spoke, Instructor Shen Yuee and Instructor Lin Yan's faces grew paler.

"You weren't hired by my dad with money, were you!"

Instructor Shen Yuee opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. Instructor Lin Yan also lowered his head.

"I knew long ago that my 'father' was fake, and I also knew that the so-called 'military merit exchange' was someone arranging everything for me behind the scenes!"

"But I pretended to believe it for five years." His voice finally had a hint of fluctuation. The string that had been taut for five years developed its first crack.

"Because as long as I still believed it, the resources would remain. And I could still climb higher."

"If he's alive, I want to see the person; if he's dead, I want to see the body." His voice trembled slightly from agitation, his eyes reddened, but he stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

"I will find the answer to Black Spider Canyon myself!"

After saying this, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Su Ming again, his gaze as hard as a blade tempered in cold poison.

"I have no background, no money, but I am more familiar with the terrain of the Source Abyss periphery and the distribution of exotic beasts than the academy's database! My Shadow Stealth can evade the perception of the vast majority of Tier 6 exotic beasts!"

"If you want to go deeper into the Source Abyss in the future, I will be your best eyes and your sharpest blade!"

"I only want my father's whereabouts! Everything else, I give to you!"

...

The only sound in the basin was the wind. Su Ming crossed his arms, saying nothing.

He looked at Night Crow, his gaze devoid of condescending pity, carrying only a faint, almost imperceptible sense of acknowledgment.

Instructor Shen Yuee leaned against the black stone; she could no longer feel the pain from her severed arm. She looked at Night Crow's straight back and exchanged a glance with Instructor Lin Yan. Shock. Sorrow. And then, relief.

He... knew everything. This child whom they had carefully protected for five years had finally grown up.

Instructor Shen Yuee coughed lightly, her voice sounding a bit hoarse. "When... did you find out?"

This counter-question was tantamount to admitting all of Night Crow's guesses. Night Crow's fists clenched and then loosened, but he did not turn back.

Young Master Gu Lingfeng was listening from the side, completely confused. Although his brain wasn't very sharp, the instinct for gossip was carved into his DNA. "Wait a second, what does that mean? What happened to his father? For real or fake?" He couldn't help but ask.

Instructor Shen Yuee was silent for a few seconds. She looked up at Night Crow. Night Crow did not turn around, just nodded slightly.

Only then did Instructor Shen Yuee speak, her voice very soft. "His father, Ye Canglan, was the Deputy Commander of the Federal Shadow Legion's Western Frontier branch, and also the most outstanding instructor of our Shadow Academy's previous generation."

"Five years ago, the Black Spider Canyon rift erupted, and the Tier 7 Shadow Spider swarm poured out in full force. He led the team to block the rift and cover the retreat of the wounded and civilians."

"When the last wave of the assault came, he handed his military terminal bracelet to his comrade to take out."

"Then he rushed into the depths of the rift alone."

"The Federation posthumously honored him as a martyr and issued a pension."

"But in the internal files of the Shadow Legion, his status... is forever 'Missing'."

Speaking up to this point, Instructor Shen Yuee's voice began to choke with sobs.

"The 'father' who contacted you on the other end of the communication was the late Senior Colonel Ye Canglan's direct superior, now a Major General of the Legion." Instructor Lin Yan finally spoke.

"The old subordinates who survived back then jointly entrusted him to pretend for five years."

"First, because we were afraid you were too young to accept it."

"Second..." Instructor Lin Yan looked at Night Crow's back, "We wanted to leave you with a thought. To give you something to look forward to so you could live on."

"Instructor Shen Yuee and I were also entrusted by several old generals in the Legion to act as your guardians under the name of 'military merit exchange.' From beginning to end, it had nothing to do with money."

"The higher-ups were hiding it from you while also waiting."

"Waiting for you to be strong enough, strong enough to shoulder the truth, strong enough to walk into the depths of the Source Abyss yourself."

Night Crow's shoulders sank heavily, as if he had been struck by a hammer from behind.

Instructor Shen Yuee looked at that stubborn back and sighed softly.

"You've grown up. Some things really should be known to you."

Instructor Lin Yan put away his short blade and nodded silently.

...

Su Ming did not interrupt the whole time. He just leaned against the carcass of the Thunder Horn Rhino, his fingers tapping on his knee unconsciously. The images flashing through his mind were the crack on the ceiling of the low-rent housing. Eight hundred yuan in relief funds. Seven-yuan fried rice. The repetitive, endless life every day. He pulled his gaze back and landed it on Night Crow. He didn't say any sentimental nonsense.

Young Master Gu Lingfeng was an emotional creature; after listening, his eyes turned red again. He smashed his fist hard against a nearby rock.

"Damn it, those Source Beast bastards!"

Then he strode to Night Crow's side and patted his shoulder heavily.

"Brother Night! In my life, what I admire most is the soldiers who kill enemies for the Federation in the Source Abyss! Your dad is a hero!"

"Regardless of whether my Big Brother goes or not, I will accompany you for a trip!"

Night Crow finally turned around. The tear stains on his face were not yet dry, but his expression had already re-converged into that cold, hard appearance. Only, there was a bit more warmth in his eyes than before.

Su Ming rolled his eyes at Young Master Gu Lingfeng. This guy was just forced by him to call him Big Brother, and now you're acting like a Big Brother yourself?

"Fine. It's settled. From now on, the jobs of scouting paths, gathering intelligence, and tailing in the Source Abyss are all yours."

He looked at Night Crow.

"I'm only responsible for clearing monsters."

"Black Spider Canyon, right? I'll accompany you to find clues."

Night Crow suddenly raised his head, his eyes beneath the hood full of gratitude. He opened his mouth, wanting to say a lot. In the end, he just spit out two words heavily.

"Thank you."

Su Ming nodded, as if completing a trivial matter.

"When are we leaving?"

Before Night Crow could speak, Instructor Shen Yuee spoke first.

"At the earliest, five days from now."

Night Crow frowned.

Instructor Shen Yuee looked at him with the usual unquestionable authority of an instructor.

"Since you already know, the old files with corresponding permissions can be opened to you."

"Shadow Kill..."

Night Crow's pupils shrank suddenly.

"You can learn it for free."

"Even if you take the military merit from the Thunder Beast this time, it's still not enough to exchange for the true transmission of Shadow Kill. The exchange threshold for that set of things was never intended for you to exchange with military merit points from the beginning."

Night Crow was stunned.

Instructor Lin Yan added from the side, "Instructor Ying Wuhen... is your father's Junior Sister."

"She was afraid that you would be eager for success and, in a situation where your strength was insufficient, go alone to challenge the Tier 6 Peak Shadow Demon Spider."

Everything connected. Instructor Ying Wuhen changing the rules. It was actually to stop him. Instructor Ying had been protecting him from beginning to end. It was just done in the most cruel, and also most effective, way.

Night Crow lowered his head. The tears in his eyes finally couldn't help but roll down. But he didn't wipe them. He let them fall onto the charred gravel, silently evaporating.

"Come back to the academy with us first." Instructor Shen Yuee's voice softened a bit, "It won't be too late to look for clues about Senior Colonel Ye after you have practiced Shadow Kill to a usable level. The depths of the Source Abyss is not a place where you can come back alive just by relying on hot-blooded passion."

"With your talent, five days is enough to master it."

Night Crow nodded forcefully.

...

After a brief silence, Young Master Gu Lingfeng broke the atmosphere first. He rubbed his sore nose, his mind already starting to wander—how good his performance was just now! Loyal and broad-minded! It's a pity Commander Huangfu Jing wasn't there. He had even learned to take off his colored glasses to look at people! This is growth!

"Then I'm going too!" Young Master Gu Lingfeng shouted, "Big Brother, Brother Night, two instructors, let's all add each other! Meet at the gate of Shadow Academy in five days!"

Soon, the few of them exchanged communication numbers.

Su Ming took the Thunder Horn Rhino carcass, along with the two-meter-long thunder horn, and swept them all into his System Space. He waved at the crowd.

"Assemble at Shadow Academy in five days. I'm heading back to Jiangcheng first."

After speaking, with a thought, a light blue Thunder fighter jet appeared out of thin air, hovering in mid-air. Su Ming leaped and landed steadily in the cockpit. Accompanied by a slight engine roar, the fighter jet drew a beautiful arc and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Su Ming sat in the cockpit, took out his phone, and sent a message to Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng.

[The Thunder Beast has been brought to justice. This Captain is returning with the evidence.]

After sending the message, he opened the System panel and took a look.

[mass points: 136932]

Five days later, Black Spider Canyon. The nest of the Tier 6 Shadow Spider swarm, there must be Tier 7 monsters, right?

He licked his lips.

This time... I can go crazy and feast, right!