127: Confused concept of time

Stepping inside the city wall, Yang Dian first underwent a series of inspections.

This included, but was not limited to, bacterial and viral checks, radiation detection, and parasitic examinations.

Only after confirming he wasn't carrying any Alien Planet germs or parasites was he placed on a hospital bed by Li Xia, treated, and then wheeled into a sanatorium newly built behind the city wall.

There were many familiar faces in the sanatorium.

Li Gui, Liu Han, Su Qinglian... everyone had some injuries, more or less. Seeing Yang Dian being pushed in on a hospital bed, many revealed smiles of relief:

"I told you this kid was fine, didn't I? He just came back a few days late, no need to make such a fuss."

"You came back so late, making us worry for so many days. Did you find some treasure on the Alien Planet?"

"Tsk, those injuries don't look light. Why so many bandages?"

The questions from normal people were, well, relatively normal.

Su Qinglian's words, however, were exceptionally abstract:

"Did you fall for a Four-Armed Lizardman and get beaten up by other Lizardmen when you tried to force yourself on her?"

Yang Dian: ...'I'll force myself on you...'

Yang Dian greeted everyone and turned to Li Xia, asking the crucial question:

"How long was I on the Alien Planet?"

Li Xia immediately provided the precise data:

"You were on the Alien Planet for a total of 6 days, 13 hours, and 37 minutes."

Yang Dian was stunned again.

"When did the others return?"

"The fastest to return was Public Security Officer Li Gui. He was only on the Alien Planet for half an hour."

"Besides you, the latest to return was Public Security Officer Su Qinglian. She was on the Alien Planet for five days and three hours."

Yang Dian fell into thought.

When he entered the Alien Planet, it was daytime there.

After entering the Alien Planet, he reached the Lizardmen Sacred Mountain that same day, then went to the underground grotto.

That same night, after eating the golden lotus, he fell into a hallucination and sat on the cheese leopard for an entire night.

After one night, the golden lotus energy was completely digested, and the hallucination disappeared.

The next day, as soon as it was light, he began to practice his sword.

He practiced until evening, developing the first trait of Night Battle in All Directions: Malice Perception.

Then he entered the crystal cave and went all the way down.

Yang Dian understood his own situation very well; he spent at most less than 10 hours in the underground passage.

That is to say, the time he spent on the Alien Planet would not exceed two days, or 48 hours.

But Li Xia said he was on the Alien Planet for a week!

At this point, he could only think of one reasonable explanation.

'Did that crystal passage distort my concept of time?'

While he was deep in thought, he was pushed into a private room.

Before being pushed into the room, he saw the anti-aircraft gun turrets on the ceiling once again shoot out brilliant fireworks.

From the direction of the spatial node, countless Lizardmen roars also came.

Subconsciously reaching into his patient gown for the object suspected of being an 'Mutant biological egg,' Yang Dian couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

'Suspected distortion of time concept.'

'The anger and sneak attack of the Crystal Lizardman.'

'The uprising of the multi-armed Lizardmen.'

'Is this thing really that important?'

'Aren't there many in the crystal passage?'

Li Xia didn't know what Yang Dian was thinking.

After the medical staff pushed Yang Dian into the room, she pulled up a chair and sat by Yang Dian's bed, taking out a small notebook and looking at him:

"Public Security Officer Yang, could you tell me about your experiences on the Alien Planet?"

Yang Dian nodded:

"Yes."

He first took out a small metal bottle, about the size of a pinky finger:

"When I entered the Alien Planet, I chose to land on a Gobi Desert."

"On the Gobi, there's a creature similar to a sandworm, but huge in size, with golden-yellow skin and blood. I named it Golden Sandworm."

"This is the skin and flesh tissue of the Golden Sandworm. I collected some to bring back."

Li Xia took the metal bottle and placed it in a sealed box nearby.

"After dealing with the Golden Sandworm, I headed towards the Lizardmen Sacred Mountain."

"Along the way, I encountered several Lizardmen tribes and killed 7 Six-Armed Lizardmen and 23 Four-Armed Lizardmen."

Li Xia recorded Yang Dian's kill count in her notebook.

"After that, I ascended the Sacred Mountain and searched the giant bird's nest at the summit, but unfortunately, I didn't find anything useful."

At this point, he changed his tone:

"You should know that the Martial Arts I Cultivate is Heaven and Man Unity Skill, right?"

Li Xia was puzzled for a moment.

She didn't know why Yang Dian suddenly brought up the Cultivation Technique, but she still nodded:

"Yes, it's recorded in your file."

Yang Dian nodded slightly, answering her confusion:

"After Heaven and Man Unity Cultivates to Major Achievement, one enters a state of Unity of Man and Nature."

"In short, this greatly increases a Martial Artist's perception of heaven and earth, of nature. Do you know that?"

Li Xia tightened her grip, and the pen tip tore through the notebook:

"You mean, you entered the Unity of Man and Nature state by Cultivating Heaven and Man Unity Skill?"

"The legendary Unity of Man and Nature, similar to comprehending the Dao?"

Yang Dian waved his hand:

"It's not comparable to comprehending the Dao."

"It was just that I felt something while observing heaven and earth on the Sacred Mountain, and coincidentally entered that state."

"After entering the Unity of Man and Nature state, I realized that the intelligence our organization obtained from England was incorrect."

Li Xia sat up straight:

"Please tell me."

Yang Dian pointed to the recorder on Li Xia's collar and the camera in the corner of the room:

"Turn them off."

Yang Dian wouldn't forget the malicious gaze from behind the anti-aircraft gun window.

Although there seemed to be many corrupt elements in the organization, and news would eventually leak, such important information, if it could be delayed by even one day, should be delayed.

Li Xia was stunned by Yang Dian's request, then immediately stood up and saluted Yang Dian:

"Please wait a moment. I'll report to my superiors."

With that, she walked out of the room.

Ten minutes later, the door to the room was pushed open again.

But the people who entered had changed.

One elderly, two middle-aged.

The old man had half his beard missing, one middle-aged man had both hands wrapped in bandages, and the last one, though without injuries, seemed to be cosplaying Bu Jingyun, with curly hair that made him easily recognizable.

Seeing the three of them arrive together, Yang Dian's eyes widened slightly.

"What? Are you surprised to see us?"

How could he not be surprised?

After all, the people who came were the Grandmaster-level Martial Artist Old Daoist Qingfeng, Deputy Director Yue Shan of the Wuan General Bureau, and Deputy Director Lei Ming of the Special Administration Main Bureau.

Seeing Yang Dian nod in acknowledgment, Yue Shan, whose hands were wrapped in bandages, walked to the bedside and patted his shoulder, making him gasp.

This Martial Arts Grandmaster indeed had great strength.

"Good kid, your physique is really not bad. Staying in the Special Administration Bureau is a waste of your talent. Do you want to come to our Wuan Bureau?"

Lei Ming, beside him, began to bare his teeth:

"Little Yang is still an injured person. Is that how you pat people?"

"Also, Little Yang has awakened his talent; he rightfully belongs to our Special Administration Bureau!"

"But he awakened a talent that assists in practicing Martial Arts. Wouldn't it be much better for him to come to our Wuan Bureau than to stay in your Special Administration Bureau?"

Seeing the two start arguing again, Old Daoist Qingfeng quickly separated them:

"Alright, alright, stop arguing for a bit."

"You've been arguing from the capital all the way here; if you're not tired, I am."

"Did we come here to let the junior watch you argue?"

Saying that, he turned to Yang Dian, his face amiable, and said:

"Li Xia said your Heaven and Man Unity Skill has reached Major Achievement, and you even entered the Unity of Man and Nature state on the Alien Planet?"

"There's an old Daoist priest on our Qingcheng Mountain who also Cultivates this Cultivation Technique."

"After things are settled here, would you like to visit our Qingcheng Mountain?"

Lei Ming was furious:

"You Old Daoist Qingfeng, you even want to poach people right under my nose!"