Chapter 42 Supernatural Powers! Supernatural Powers!

[Wuyue City · Alien Cult Investigation Bureau · Medical Center]

[Inside the intensive care unit, precision instruments emit a rhythmic ticking sound.]

[Liu Yiyi lies quietly in a life-support pod filled with nutrient solution.]

[Her face is as pale as paper, and her breath is so weak it seems it could cut off at any moment.]

[Liu Qing stands outside the glass window, her hands clasped together against her forehead.]

[Her knuckles have turned white from excessive force, and her eyes are filled with prayer and fear.]

["Let's begin."]

[Inside the ward, Cold Kite stands beside the pod.]

[She isn't wearing her solemn combat uniform, but has changed into casual clothes.]

[But that cold aura of hers still makes the surrounding medical staff afraid to even breathe loudly.]

[She extends her slender palm and presses it gently against the glass lid of the pod.]

["Hum—"]

[A surge of cyan Origin Qi, pure to the extreme, pours out from her palm, instantly penetrating the thick glass and nutrient solution to gently envelop Liu Yiyi's frail body.]

[This is a technique of a Soaring Realm Expert—'Origin Qi Infusion, Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Tempering'.]

[In Cold Kite's perception, there is a dense green light cluster inside the girl's body, tightly entangled and suppressed by several sinister black threads.]

[That is the 'Life Source Severing Technique' planted by Zhang Dehai.]

["Break."]

[Cold Kite's vermilion lips part slightly.]

[The cyan Origin Qi transforms into countless tiny blades, precisely severing those black threads.]

[Boom!]

[As the Restriction is lifted, the long-accumulated Wood-element Origin within Liu Yiyi's body...]

[...like a seed meeting sweet rain after a long drought, instantly erupts with astonishing vitality!]

[The originally withered Qi and blood begin to boil, and the deathly silent Meridians resume their rhythm.]

[Under the personal protection and guidance of a Soaring Realm Expert...]

[...the natural Awakening process, which would have originally taken a long time, was accelerated at an incredible speed.]

[In just twenty minutes.]

[The nutrient solution in the life-support pod becomes clear at a speed visible to the naked eye.]

["Click."]

[The pod door opens automatically.]

[The girl, who was originally at death's door and breathing her last, slowly opens her eyes at this moment.]

[In that instant, the entire ward seems to brighten up.]

[Starting from the roots, her hair rapidly turns into a vibrant emerald green.]

[Her originally cloudy pupils become clear as water, as if containing the lush green vitality of an entire forest.]

["Sister?"]

[Although Liu Yiyi's voice is still a bit weak, it no longer carries that detached feeling of a dying person.]

["Yiyi!"]

[Liu Qing can no longer hold it together.]

[Ignoring the nurses' attempts to stop her, she rushes over and pulls her sister, who is sitting up, into a tight embrace.]

[The long-accumulated fear, despair, and grievances turn into a torrent of tears at this moment.]

["It's okay now... it's okay... Sister is here..."]

[Although Liu Yiyi doesn't know what happened and is still in a daze...]

[...she sensibly reaches out her hand, gently patting her sister's trembling back and comforting her in a soft voice.]

["Don't cry, Sister. I'm okay now, it doesn't hurt anymore."]

[Cold Kite stands to the side, quietly watching this heartwarming scene.]

[In those eyes of hers, which are like icebergs all year round, an imperceptible ripple flashes.]

[She seems to remember something from the past, or perhaps she is just simply touched.]

[A long time later, when Liu Qing's emotions have calmed and she turns around to kneel and give thanks...]

["Who helped you?"]

[Cold Kite suddenly speaks, her voice still indifferent but carrying an unquestionable authority.]

["With you being just a coach at the Qi and Blood Seventh Stage, it's impossible for you to have obtained such a detailed pathological analysis."]

["And even more impossible for you to have instantly incapacitated Zhang Dehai."]

[Liu Qing's body stiffens.]

[The figure of that mysterious youth surfaces in her mind, and she remembers the instructions he gave before leaving.]

["No one helped me."]

[Liu Qing grits her teeth and lowers her head, her tone firm.]

["I discovered the clues myself, and I was the one who launched a sneak attack when Zhang Dehai was off guard."]

["If someone must be arrested, then arrest me. It has nothing to do with my sister."]

[Cold Kite gives her a deep look.]

[As a Soaring Realm Martial Artist with powerful Mental Energy, how could she not see that Liu Qing is lying?]

[But she doesn't expose her, nor does she press further.]

["If you want to seek revenge against the cult, you must Cultivate well."]

[After saying this, Cold Kite turns and leaves, her black trench coat cutting a sharp arc in the air.]

...

[Cangwu Mountain Range · Nameless Cave]

[The next morning, at dawn.]

[The mist in the mountain forest has not yet dispersed, and the air is moist and fresh.]

[You sit cross-legged on a damp rock, engaged in deep meditation.]

[After a full day of rest, with the support of the 'Hardworking and Enduring' talent, your energy and spirit have recovered to their Peak.]

[You are confident that in this deep mountain where the magnetic field is chaotic and even satellites can hardly scan...]

[...even if the Investigation Bureau conducts a carpet search, they won't find a trace of you within three days.]

[However, at the very moment you prepare to finish your session...]

["Thump!"]

[Your heart violently skips a beat.]

[There is no Killing Intent, and the surrounding sound of wind and birds has not changed at all.]

[But the Profound Water Spirit Body Origin within you, derived from the dimensional secret treasure, suddenly begins to warn you frantically!]

[That feeling is like a fish in the deep sea encountering a tsunami about to overturn heaven and earth.]

[This is a shudder originating from life instinct!]

[But weirdly, your 'intuition', tempered through countless life-and-death struggles, seems to have malfunctioned at this moment.]

[You cannot sense any specific source of threat.]

[You snap your eyes open, wanting to stand up.]

["Little friend, what are you doing hiding in the deep mountains and old forests?"]

["At your age, shouldn't you be in school attending classes right now?"]

[Suddenly, a gentle, aged voice, like that of an Old Grandfather next door, sounds behind you without any warning.]

[No footsteps, no airflow fluctuations, not even a speck of dust was disturbed.]

[He just appeared out of thin air within your 'absolute safety zone'!]

[Your body instantly stiffens, and cold sweat falls from your forehead like a waterfall.]

[You don't dare to look back, don't even dare to move an inch.]

[Because you feel as if the surrounding space has frozen.]

[Your body is no longer under your own control; you are like an insect sealed in amber, your life and death no longer your own.]

[This sense of pressure even exceeds the fear brought by that Masked Man in the last simulation!]

["Junior... Li Ang of Longnan."]

[You forcibly suppress the Surging Waves in your heart and speak with difficulty, your voice dry.]

["I wonder which Senior..."]

["Li Ang? Hmph, it really is you."]

[A cold, sharp female voice interrupts you.]

[It's Cold Kite's voice; she has come too.]

["Elder Zhao, stop wasting words with this kid. Let's take him back to the bureau for interrogation first."]

[Cold Kite's tone carries a hint of impatience.]

["Hahaha, Little Leng, don't be in such a hurry."]

["Don't scare the little fellow."]

[That aged voice is still chuckling, revealing a sense of unhurried calm.]

["Scare him? I don't think so."]

[Cold Kite sneers, "He's quite bold."]

["Trespassing into a hospital, seriously injuring a doctor, and even daring to impersonate a special agent of the Alien Cult Investigation Bureau..."]

["These few charges added together are enough for him to stay in the Black Prison until he dies of old age."]

["Hey, don't make it sound so serious."]

[The elder seems to be pleading for you, "For a young man, having a sense of justice is a good thing."]

["Although his methods were a bit radical, it was to save someone after all."]

["In my view, why not give him a chance? Penalize him by having him join the Investigation Bureau upon high school graduation to atone for his crimes."]

[Listening to the 'double act' of the two behind you, the cold sweat on your back has already soaked your clothes.]

[You know that all your trump cards and all your disguises have become transparent before these two.]

["My apologies, two Seniors. This Junior was wrong and is willing to accept punishment."]

[You immediately choose to back down.]

[In the face of absolute power, any sophistry is pale; only a proper attitude might win a slim chance of survival.]

["Turn around."] Cold Kite says indifferently.

[You take a deep breath and slowly turn around.]

[What meets your eyes are two people.]

[The one on the left is indeed the Investigation Bureau's Deputy Director, Cold Kite.]

[She is still in her black combat uniform, hand on her Tang sword, her gaze sharp as a blade.]

[Her whole body radiates the sharpness of a Soaring Realm Expert.]

[As for the one on the right...]

[That is an elder dressed in a white practice suit with hair and beard all white.]

[He looks ordinary, just like an old man practicing Tai Chi in a park, with no ripples of power from his body.]

[However, when you gaze at him...]

[...you will find that the surrounding mountain forest, the wind, and even the light seem to be pulsing with him as the center.]

[He hasn't merged into the environment; rather, the environment is catering to him, surrendering to him!]

[The elder looks at you with a smile, playing with a specially made crystal bottle in his hand.]

[Inside the bottle, a wisp of pale blue aura is moving like a living thing.]

[It is precisely the wisp that Cold Kite took from Zhang Dehai!]

["Let me introduce myself."]

[The elder speaks with a smile, "I am Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian, Director of the Suhang City Alien Cult Investigation Bureau."]

["Of course, if you're willing, you can also call me Elder Zhao."]

[Your pupils shrink abruptly.]

[The Suhang City Bureau Director! The top leader in the fight against cults in the entire Jiangnan Province!]

["Is it very strange why the Bureau Director would appear in these wild mountains?"]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian seems to have seen through your thoughts.]

[He shakes the crystal bottle in his hand and taps it lightly with his fingertip.]

["Hum—"]

[An invisible thread extends from the bottle, actually ignoring the distance of space to connect directly to your brow!]

["I originally came to Wuyue City to visit an old friend, and just happened to hear Little Leng mention this case."]

["She was very curious about that 'mysterious expert', and I also found it interesting."]

["So, I used a little trick."]

["This is one of my awakened Divine Abilities—[Tracing Cause and Seeking Effect]."]

["As long as there is a wisp of aura as the 'cause', even if you hide at the ends of the earth..."]

["...as long as you are still in this plane, I can follow the thread of Karma to find that 'effect'."]

[A Divine Power Realm Grandmaster!]

[Mortals fear the effect, while Bodhisattvas fear the cause.]

[But in the eyes of the mighty, both cause and effect can be controlled.]

[The pyramid chart from the document instantly flashes in your mind.]

[The old man before you is an existence two major Realms higher than the Soaring Realm!]

[You give a bitter smile.]

[It turns out that from the moment Cold Kite took that wisp of aura, you had already lost.]

[Before the Divine Ability of a Divine Power Realm expert, so-called 'stealth', 'counter-reconnaissance', and 'testing' are nothing but child's play.]

["As for your identity..." Cold Kite adds coldly from the side, holding a tablet computer.]

["At first I thought it was some old monster with youthful looks."]

["I didn't expect that upon checking, it's actually a second-year high school student."]

["Li Ang, a student of Longnan No. 1 High School."]

["Half a year ago, you were a waste at the Fourth Stage of Qi and Blood, but a few months ago you suddenly erupted in the final joint examination, taking the top spot with the strength of the Qi and Blood Seventh Stage."]

["But in reality..." Cold Kite stares into your eyes.]

["You are already at the Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood, and have awakened an extremely rare Water-system mutated ability."]

["There is no record of you ever leaving Longnan in your files."]

["So, how exactly did you become this strong in such a short time?"]

["And why would you appear in Wuyue City, hundreds of kilometers away?"]

[Faced with Cold Kite's aggressive questioning, you fall silent.]

["Alright, Little Leng."]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian waves his hand, interrupting Cold Kite's interrogation.]

[His gaze becomes deep, as if it can see through your Soul.]

["Everyone has secrets. As long as one isn't a spy for the cult, I don't care to pry into the fortuitous encounters of Juniors."]

["Since we have come personally, it isn't to take you back to sit in prison."]

[Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian puts away the crystal bottle, his tone becoming a bit more serious.]

["What we are interested in is that letter you left at the subway station."]