229: Chapter 228 Wang Lin's Plan

The third page depicted a formation, with complex patterns intertwined to form a circular design.

The text beside it read: "This formation can stabilize space, halving the power of cracks."

"However, it requires three days of carving, without interruption. Once the formation is complete, space becomes as hard as iron, and cracks cannot enter."

Wang Lin's eyes lit up.

This formation was the key to dealing with Shen Tianhe.

Shen Tianhe's [Void Rending] was a spatial crack attack; if space were reinforced, the power of the cracks would be greatly reduced.

He needed to find a place to carve this formation in advance, lure Shen Tianhe to that location, and fight on his home turf, in a place where space was reinforced.

Wang Lin finished reading the booklet, closed it, and put it back in its original place.

Wang Lin did not take it with him, because he had already memorized all the content, all the patterns, and all the text.

When Wang Lin walked out of the library, he felt that the people around him were deliberately distancing themselves from him.

In the cafeteria, wherever he passed with his tray, students who had been sitting would subconsciously shift to the side;

In the hallway, people walking toward him would switch to the other side in advance;

In the classroom, the moment he walked through the door, the noisy chatter would suddenly quiet down for a second, then turn into lower, more fragmented whispering.

That feeling wasn't hostility, but an unavoidable distance, as if he were covered in something dirty, and getting close would only invite trouble.

At lunch, he sat in a corner of the cafeteria, and the conversation of a few students at the next table drifted over without any attempt at concealment.

"Did you hear? The Shen Family has offered five million for Wang Lin's head. Five million, that's enough for me to spend for a lifetime."

"Forget it, can you beat Wang Lin? It's not like you didn't see his performance on the day of the physical fitness test."

"If you can't beat him, you can poison him, or do it while he's sleeping... anyway, there are plenty of ways."

"Keep your voice down, he's right over there."

"What are you afraid of? He can barely protect himself, let alone come after me."

The students laughed, not loudly, but enough for everyone around to hear.

Wang Lin kept his head down while eating, not looking up at them.

Wang Lin knew those people were just talking; they didn't dare to make a move.

They were afraid of the Shen Family, and they were also afraid of him.

He was just fodder for their after-dinner conversation, a tool for them to show loyalty to the Shen Family.

Five million was enough for an ordinary person to live a lifetime in the Holy City.

The Shen Family didn't offer this price to find someone to kill him; they did it to create an atmosphere, to let everyone know that he was the Shen Family's prey.

Whoever got close to him was an enemy of the Shen Family.

Whoever helped him was an enemy of the Shen Family.

This was a signal, the Shen Family declaring to the entire academy: Wang Lin is our target.

Wang Lin put down his chopsticks, stood up, picked up his tray, and walked toward the return area. When he passed by the students who were discussing him, Wang Lin paused for a moment.

Those people immediately shut their mouths; some lowered their heads to pretend to eat, while others turned to look out the window.

Wang Lin didn't look at them or speak, continuing to walk forward.

Those people let out a sigh of relief, but none dared to speak again.

When he walked out of the cafeteria, the sunlight shone on Wang Lin's face, and he narrowed his eyes.

The Shen Family could no longer sit still.

The five-million bounty, the isolation within the academy, the students' distancing—all of this was forcing him to leave the academy.

But Wang Lin was not in a hurry; he still had to lay his plans.

Wang Lin returned to his dormitory, closed the door, and stood in the center of the room.

He closed his eyes, a force surged within him, and he activated his [Clone] Superpower.

An identical face, an identical uniform, an identical stance.

The clone stood in front of Wang Lin, revealing a calculating smile.

"Go to the classroom, sit in my seat, and sleep," Wang Lin said.

The clone nodded, turned, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Wang Lin stood in place, waited for a while, and confirmed that the clone had gone far away without anyone noticing anything unusual.

Then, Wang Lin's body began to change...

His skin became a bit rougher, his height shortened, his hair became shorter, and his facial features became ordinary.

Wang Lin had become an ordinary student, wearing an ordinary uniform, carrying an ordinary bag, and would not attract anyone's attention.

Wang Lin walked out of the dormitory, passing the playground, the teaching building, and the cafeteria; along the way, no one looked at him, and no one paid him any mind.

After walking out the back gate of the academy, Wang Lin followed a small path for about forty minutes and arrived at the abandoned industrial zone in the west of the city.

The warehouse was right in front, a huge red-brick building with a rusted iron roof and windows mostly shattered.

Wang Lin walked in; it was very dark inside the warehouse, but that didn't matter.

Wang Lin put down his bag and took out a few tools from his space ring...

A carving knife, a lamp; the content of that booklet was already carved into his mind.

Wang Lin walked to the west wall of the warehouse, squatted down, and began to carve the first pattern.

The spatial formation needed to be carved into the wall using Mental Energy; every pattern had to be precise and flawless. If one was wrong, the entire formation would fail.

Wang Lin carved very slowly and carefully.

By the end of the first day, he had carved one-third.

When the sun came out on the second day, he returned to the warehouse and continued carving.

By the afternoon, his fingers had developed blood blisters, but he did not stop.

On the evening of the third day, the setting sun shone through the broken windows, falling onto the warehouse floor, and he carved the final pattern.

The formation was complete.

Wang Lin walked back to the dormitory, closed the door, and sat on the bed.

The clone was still in the classroom sleeping for him, and the people stalking him outside were still watching a non-existent target.

Wang Lin now needed to take the final step... to cast the bait.

Wang Lin took out his phone, opened the chat box with Zeng Aniu, typed a line of text, looked at it for a few seconds, and then pressed the send button.

"Uncle Niu, help me pass on a message. Just say that I'm going to the abandoned warehouse in the west of the city tomorrow night to get something, alone."

Before long, the phone screen lit up.

Wang Lin picked it up; it was a reply from Zeng Aniu.

It was very simple, only two words: "Received."

Wang Lin looked at those two words, placed the phone on the table, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

On the other side, Zeng Aniu was sitting in the office of the The Slaughterhouse, walked to the door, and shouted: "Old Zhao!"

Not long after, Old Zhao walked over from the other end of the corridor.

"Boss Niu, what's wrong?"

"Spread the word that Wang Lin is going to the abandoned warehouse in the west of the city tomorrow night to get something, alone."

Old Zhao was stunned for a moment, but didn't ask any further.

"Understood."

"Also... you go to that abandoned warehouse in the west of the city and keep an eye on things; don't let my nephew get into trouble."

Old Zhao nodded and said: "Alright."

The news spread faster than Wang Lin had expected.

That evening, as Wang Lin was walking to the cafeteria, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Zhou Zhenghao: "Wang Lin, I heard you're going to the west city warehouse the night after tomorrow? Don't go, people from the Shen Family are already staking out the place."