239: Chapter 239 What you hold in your heart will surely come back to you

Chapter 239: "To Those Who Never Forget, There Will Surely Be an Echo"

Inside the dilapidated office, the smell of engine oil and pungent cigarette smoke intermingled, spreading wantonly.

An incandescent lamp hung beneath the ceiling, casting its dim, yellowish light upon several figures sitting in a circle.

It illuminated faces that wore expressions of either solemnity or anticipation.

"Cough, cough..."

Suddenly, a slight cough broke the silence.

"Crow, can't you smoke just one less?"

A crisp, oriole-like voice rang out next, her tone carrying a trace of dissatisfaction.

"Sorry, I was feeling a bit drowsy and wanted to wake myself up."

Li Dingjian yawned while grinding the half-burned cigarette in his hand into the ashtray.

"Open the window and let some fresh air in."

The Professor spoke in a deep voice, giving instructions.

Hearing this, Dachui immediately stood up and strode towards the window.

As the window was pushed open with a creak, fresh air carrying the chill of the night rushed in, dispersing the turbid air inside the room.

Everyone's spirits lifted as they once again focused their gazes on the graceful young woman in the center.

She wore a long black dress, her soft, long hair draped casually over her shoulders.

Her pair of eyes were bright, as if concealing brilliant stars.

Even through her lenses, one could feel the magnificent radiance blooming within them.

At the same time, the pen in her hand glided lightly across the drawing paper, seeming to be endowed with life as it wandered wantonly along with her thoughts.

The room was dead silent.

Aside from everyone's faint breathing, there was only the soft rustle of the pen tip rubbing against the paper surface, as if recounting scene after scene of a story.

Gradually, the lines wound outward, and a detailed, lifelike picture abruptly took shape.

Everyone couldn't help holding their breath, widening their eyes, and watching carefully.

On the white paper, a forest shrouded in heavy fog leaped into view.

Mist coiled between the grayish-black tree trunks, making the woods appear deep and mysterious.

Several people with their mouths wide open seemed to be shouting something with all their might.

Behind them appeared certain eerie shadows, lurking within the mist.

Some figures were hunchbacked, others slender and twisted, blurry and unclear, just like malicious ghosts crawling out of Hell to devour people.

Merely its presentation on paper exuded an eerie aura that made one's spine chill.

And deeper within the heavy fog, the shadow of a towering giant tree faintly emerged.

That giant tree soared into the clouds, its trunk so thick that it required dozens of people to embrace it.

Its massive canopy flickered indistinctly in the fog, with firefly-like spots of light drifting and dancing up and down.

This added an indescribable touch of mystery to the already bizarre picture.

One had to admire the artist's superb skill, being able to express the Concept so vividly.

While admiring this in their hearts, Li Dingjian and the others looked at each other, their eyes full of doubt.

They did not know what this painting actually meant.

"Xiaochu, is this the scene of two days later that you predicted?"

The Professor pondered for a moment, raised his head to look at the artist, his gaze carrying a probing intent.

"Yes."

Lin Chuqiao nodded slightly, put down her pen, and raised her hand to rub her sore glabella.

After letting out a long sigh, she also voiced the doubts in her heart:

"During the last prediction, I already felt something was wrong. This time, the reaction was even stranger, as I couldn't even see the shadow of the golden bumpa bottle..."

Hearing this, the Professor couldn't help taking a deep breath.

The results of the three predictions were completely different, clearly indicating that there was a very critical variable among them.

Either the golden bumpa bottle involved too many factions and the situation was intricate, leading to vastly different prediction results;

Or someone was similarly casting some ability to cross the sea in broad daylight to confuse the public and deliberately cover it up.

Causing Lin Chuqiao to only catch glimpses of it by chance, unable to accurately see the full picture.

It was just unknown which one was the scene closer to reality.

While everyone was deep in thought, Lin Chuqiao continued to add an explanation:

"As time goes on, my prediction ability becomes more accurate the closer it gets to the real scene. Therefore, although this prediction seems to deviate greatly, its reliability should actually be higher."

"Does Young Miss mean that the real golden bumpa bottle might not be in that manor?"

Li Dingjian's brows suddenly twitched, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes as he proposed a possibility.

"That's not right!"

Dachui then chimed in with a muffled voice:

"According to the confessions of those guys who escaped, didn't they say they saw with their own eyes that the golden bumpa bottle was hidden in the Underground Vault of the manor?"

"Aiya, Dachui, why don't you like using your brain more?"

Bailing, sitting nearby, couldn't help speaking up.

Hearing this, Dachui argued with a face full of unconvinced resentment: "How am I not using my brain?"

"Don't you know that our opponents are a dignified conglomerate Family?"

Bailing rolled her eyes, her tone full of exasperation at his failure to live up to expectations:

"The suspicious part is that those guys clearly had ordinary strength, yet they managed to escape successfully. If the manor's defensive strength were truly that simple, the Professor alone could handle all the guards."

Dachui was rendered speechless by the words, and scratched his head in some embarrassment.

He pondered inwardly, thinking that it indeed made sense.

Listening to everyone's bustling discussions, the Professor sat aside with tightly locked brows, likewise plunging into deep thought.

Over these past few days, the team members worked closely together and searched for clues without stopping, finally locking their target onto a manor in Miwu Mountain.

But following that was an unexpected situation: far more other teams attracted by the treasure appeared than imagined.

One after another, like sharks smelling blood, they swarmed into this small Miwu Mountain.

It seemed that the golden bumpa bottle being hidden in the Lu Family's hands was no longer a secret, but common knowledge.

Sensing something fishy about this, the Professor had Lin Chuqiao perform divination and prediction once again to clarify the target.

Unexpectedly, after the prediction once more, the situation seemed to become even more bizarre and eerie.

After pondering for a moment, the Professor's gaze flickered slightly. He then picked up his phone and dialed a number.

After it rang a few times and the call connected, he spoke first:

"Monkey, how is the situation on your end?"

"There is no movement inside the manor yet. The other few teams in the woods are somewhat restless; I observed signs of them moving frequently, and their numbers are greater than yesterday."

After a brief silence on the other end of the phone, the replying voice was low and crisp.

"Stay vigilant, pay attention to safety, and report at any time if there is any situation."

The Professor issued his order and then hung up the phone.

His brows furrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, making a rhythmic "da da" sound as he seemingly pondered a very important question.

The room instantly quieted down, and everyone looked at him, waiting for him to speak and deploy the next step of action.

After a long while, the Professor suddenly raised his head and cast his gaze toward Lin Chuqiao, his eyes flashing with an unusual radiance:

"Xiaochu, do you think there is a possibility that the Lu Family's Legacy Secret Realm is actually hidden in Miwu Mountain?"

Hearing this, Li Dingjian and the others couldn't help being stunned; clearly, none of them knew what the "Legacy Secret Realm" mentioned by the Professor actually was.

However, Lin Chuqiao furrowed her delicate brows slightly, and after pondering for a moment, she said:

"There is that possibility. The Lu Family's old residence is in Wanghu Town, and they bought the entire mountain two years ago, also spreading some sensational stories."

"Moreover, as far as I know, the Lu Family has had quite a few things happen in recent years, and their internal affairs are relatively turbulent. Perhaps using the golden bumpa bottle as bait this time to attract outsiders to seize the treasure has some connection to their Family Secret Realm."

"That makes sense then."

Seeing that Lin Chuqiao's thoughts coincided somewhat with his own, the Professor's expression relaxed slightly, a trace of certainty flashing in his eyes:

"If the method they rely on is merely setting up a maze using the Family Secret Realm, our team has four Mental Energy users, so we won't suffer too much in this regard and will instead have a greater advantage over other teams because of it."

Bailing and Dachui listened in utter confusion, feeling as if the two of them were speaking in riddles.

Li Dingjian seemed to recall some past events and faintly guessed something.

The Professor did not explain much further. He simply continued to tap his fingers on the table, pondered for a moment, and muttered to himself:

"It seems the plan needs a slight adjustment."

Afterwards, his gaze swept across the crowd, and he said in a deep voice:

"Monkey is already lying in ambush in Miwu Mountain, observing the movements at a fixed point. How are the tasks I assigned to you yesterday coming along?"

"Professor, I haven't been idle these past two days; I've been training hard, and I guarantee the imitation will be so lifelike it'll pass for the real thing when the time comes."

Hearing this, Bailing immediately responded crisply, her face brimming with confidence:

"If you could give me more detailed information on the key figures in that manor, I could prepare even more thoroughly."

Lin Chuqiao then took out a stack of printed documents from her briefcase and said methodically:

"All the information that could be gathered about the Lu Family is right here. Everyone can familiarize yourselves with it in advance. It covers the information of the Lu Family's main members, industrial structure, and their development in the real estate and security industries in recent years, which is very important for us to understand the enemy's situation."

As she spoke, she reached out and distributed them to everyone.

The Professor took the documents, quickly flipped through a few pages, and nodded slightly.

Li Dingjian then spoke up:

"I've already contacted a trusted old friend. The boat is docked at the wharf and can leave Xiaguo at any time. The supplies stored on board are also enough for us to hold out for a while, and the fuel is ample, so we don't need to worry too much even if we encounter unexpected situations."

"Good."

After listening to everyone report on the execution of their tasks, the Professor said with a solemn expression:

"The risks of this operation are not small. What we are facing is a behemoth like the Lu Family; the slightest mishap, and I'm afraid we won't have a foothold in Dongdu in the future."

"Therefore, before taking action, we must consider all circumstances and resolve any worries back home so that we can give it our all."

Pausing for a moment, the Professor slightly raised his chin, his eyes revealing a bit of resoluteness and decisiveness:

"I've decided that the original plan will continue to be executed as usual, but just in case, we must also equip ourselves with a fallback Plan B to ensure we can escape safely regardless of success or failure."

As he spoke, he briefly and concisely described the framework of the plan he had just preliminarily conceived in his mind to everyone.

Everyone nodded repeatedly as they listened, their eyes shining with excitement, and their admiration for the Professor's deep foresight grew even greater.

For a time, everyone opened up their chatterboxes, checking for omissions and making up for deficiencies to jointly improve the plan.

Unconsciously, the hands of the wall clock swept past a few ticks, nearing midnight.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, with sparse lights.

"Alright, today's gathering ends here."

The Professor stood up, looked at everyone with a gaze like torches, and gave his final instructions:

"Plan B is our 'safety valve' and must not be taken lightly. Dachui, Monkey, and I will be responsible for implementing it together."

"Over the next two days, rest well, build up your energy, and wait for my call at any time. Meeting adjourned!"

Everyone got up one after another, bidding farewell and leaving with mixed feelings, either excited or nervous.

Lin Chuqiao picked up her bag and looked at Li Dingjian walking ahead, a trace of hesitation showing on her face.

She couldn't help muttering inwardly.

Should she tell Fang Cheng about this matter? Or tell Li Dingjian that Fang Cheng possessed extraordinary abilities?

After all, if Fang Cheng participated in this operation, the success rate would definitely increase a lot.

Although the Professor's plan was formulated very rigorously and thoroughly, what she and the others were facing was, after all, an old-fashioned Family with unimaginably formidable strength.

The process would inevitably be fraught with danger and wouldn't be smooth sailing; having one more source of assistance would mean an extra layer of security.

Lin Chuqiao opened her mouth, but on second thought, she decided against it.

The nephew and uncle were keeping secrets from each other; if she poked her nose into it rashly, she would only appear gossipy.

Lin Chuqiao shook her head gently, thinking of that man who always gave her a sense of reliance, a self-deprecating smile curling up the corners of her mouth.

Soon suppressing her thoughts, she took out her keys and walked towards the car parked on a nearby street.

Her boot soles struck the ground, making a crisp sound as she blended into the city's night like a modern lady.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, inside a luxurious hotel room.

Fang Cheng had just finished enjoying a hot bath and stood up from the bathtub.

Amidst the swirling steam, he cozily stretched his body which had just been worked out, his bones emitting a light "ka ka" sound.

Suddenly, a sneeze burst out without warning.

Fang Cheng rubbed his nose, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upwards as he muttered to himself:

"Who is missing me again?"

This is a good thing!

Ever since he finished absorbing those "distracting thoughts and Heart Demons" that plagued him and increased his mental attributes by 2 points,

whether practicing Meditation or in daily life, Fang Cheng rarely heard those whispers that sounded like prayers or ghost chatter anymore.

Although his ears were much quieter, his actual gains had also inexplicably decreased because of it.

According to the mental Cultivation Technique taught by the mysterious person:

"Mental Cultivation is like thunder in an empty valley—wave after wave, layer upon layer, endless and continuous, thus imprinting upon the heart and connecting to the other shore."

"For all things, to those who never forget, there will surely be an echo..."

Fang Cheng pondered inwardly.

Perhaps if more people missed him, the external consciousness attracted and attached by the Flame of Spirituality would become more numerous.

Then, his mental strength would naturally increase by a fraction as well.

The warm yellowish light spilled over his robust physique, casting clear muscle lines.

After drying his body with a bath towel, Fang Cheng casually put on a loose pajama, walked to the window, and gently pulled open a corner of the curtain.

Looking at Yulong Lake under the moonlight, his thoughts drifted away.

And at this moment, quite a few people were indeed thinking about Fang Cheng.

Among them were those staying in the same hotel.

Inside a certain suite, midnight had arrived, but the lights were still bright.

Three people sat on the sofa, looking at each other, the atmosphere appearing slightly frozen.

"Black Wolf, who on earth is that person you mentioned?"

One person suddenly opened their mouth to ask.