trade
When they left the Visa clan, the atmosphere between them was still somewhat tense. Even the Great Elder, who had come to see them off, noticed it and turned to Ying Yungui, saying, "If you're not satisfied, I'll have someone pick out a better and more similar one and send it over. Don't make things difficult for me. If someone dies, it will damage your image if the news gets out."
Unexpectedly, President Ying's expression darkened even further. "Don't worry, Great Elder. Just handle your portion of what we've discussed. Also, tell Chief Tamer that my personal conduct issues won't affect the association's operations, and that outsiders don't need to worry about them."
Having said that, if the Great Elder continued to linger, it would be like flattering someone and it would be a disastrous situation. So he smiled and gave up, sending the man to the plane.
After everyone had completely left the Visa clan's territory, the elder called his granddaughter and asked her, "Send me Assistant Lin's movements over the past few days, accurate to the hour." Standing next to him was the somewhat reckless female secretary, who was busily transmitting data through the exclusive chip path.
Ten minutes later, the elder's voice, as old as a waterwheel, sounded again: "Is that all? He and Ying Yungui have never gone out alone? Have they met with anyone?"
The girl replied, "According to the observation eye I left on him on the first day, apart from Senior Kulin's brief visit to their room, there really wasn't any strange behavior." She furtively studied the Great Elder's expression as she spoke, "Grandfather, I can tell that neither he nor President Ying has any interest in me. Are you... overthinking it?"
The Great Elder sighed and patted the back of her hand gently: "That's great. No one who follows Ying Yungui will have a good ending. I am also thinking about you."
——
The problem between Shi Youchen and Ying Yungui was not resolved, and they both tacitly chose to postpone it.
But Ying Yungui didn't know that Kulin had already reached a consensus with Shi Youchen in private.
"I have to go back and deal with Noah's matter first. This time I must make him completely give up the idea of attacking Kulin." Ying Yungui's eyes were cloudy, almost filled with bloodshot.
Shi Youchen paused. "Well, Pei Chanbai is showing signs of waking up. I'll go back and make preparations with He Xian." Before leaving, he reminded her with some concern, "In your current state, it's best not to go to the Arctic Experimental Base anytime soon. If possible, handle it remotely."
The two eventually parted ways beneath a streetlight. Ying Yun returned to the association's headquarters, while Shi Youchen returned to the Mirage Abyss.
In the Mirage Abyss, Shi Youchen approached Li Sen and asked her how she was doing. The girl chattered non-stop, unusually for her. "I'm doing fine! I went to see the friend you mentioned earlier, and he's even nicer than I thought. I mentioned wanting to go to the amusement park, and he took me there the next day! It's a shame we can't take pictures, but he promised me we can go again next time, with everyone!"
As she spoke, she suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously, acting like an undercover agent from a TV show. She leaned close to Shi Youchen's ear and said, "Don't worry, brother. I'm watching him. He's quite honest and doesn't have any bad thoughts."
Shi Youchen looked at her with a smile: "Really? That's a great help to me. Where is he now?"
01 swam briskly a few times, even timing himself with great interest. As soon as he emerged from the water, he saw a snow-white ankle on the shore. He wiped the water from his face and looked up leisurely: "Busy man, it's been a long time since we last met."
Shi Youchen leaned over, reached out and pulled him up, throwing him a bath towel: "I came to thank you for helping take care of the little conch, and by the way, ask if you are willing to make another deal with me."
01 took the towel, crossed his legs, and began to dry his hair. He replied indifferently, "You're welcome. That child is quite cute. I've been bored lately, and it's much more lively with her around." Then he tilted his head to rub the water out of his ears, squinting at Shi Youchen. "Trade? What difficulties have you encountered? No way, with your current abilities, what difficulties can there be?"
Shi Youchen took a few steps back, and waited until he finished shaking his head before approaching again. He said, "It's not difficult, but I can't take care of both ends by myself. The guys under my command are either dead or injured. There's no one to rely on."
01 hummed, then remembered that there were indeed several people missing from his side. He was quite curious: "I won't ask you what you want to do. Just tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Shi Youchen paused, a rare moment, before speaking for a long while: "To be honest, I don't know what to ask you to do. I can only tell you what I hope to achieve. As for how to proceed, that's up to you."
Under 01's half-doubtful, half-excited gaze, he said, "In the glacier area north of Area 3, a natural energy crystal core has been nurtured ten thousand meters below. I want it, but I must first break the glacier to draw it out."
01 opened his eyes wide.
"This level of commotion will definitely attract the attention of the association and several northern families. So, in order to avoid interference, we need to do something else to divert their attention." Shi Youchen looked straight ahead. "After much thought, I think you are the only one who can do this."
"Wait a moment, let me think about it." 01 stretched out his hand to signal him to pause, turned around and dived into the swimming pool. A series of gurgling tiny bubbles emerged from the water surface, and Youchen was stunned.
After a long while, the back of a head finally surfaced, followed by a full body. 01 rolled over in the water, facing the roof, and said dazedly, "07, I've sorted things out. You're saying that the thing you want is beneath a 10,000-meter glacier. To get it, you need something so catastrophic it would attract the attention of all the superpowers in the world, preventing them from catching up and stopping you."
"You think I'm the best cannon fodder for this devastating event."
“…”
“…”
"Are you still human?"
"Although we are not sworn brothers, we are still comrades who have shared the same hatred for so many years. You want me to die just for a crystal core?" 01 looked at Shi Youchen with resentment.
Shi Youchen glanced at his corpse-like appearance and coughed lightly, "It's not that serious. You don't need to confront them head-on. As long as you can prevent them from reaching the glacier immediately, that will be enough. Of course, the longer you can trap them, the better."
"Crystal core? What's it for?" 01 asked, "I'm curious what this thing is that would make you take such a risk."
Of course, Shi Youchen couldn't tell him that it was the source of the power of the bear totem, the foundation for the Visa clan's prosperity for more than a hundred years, and one of the cornerstones of today's supernatural world.
"It is a vessel I need for my eternal life."
01 He looked at Shi Youchen as if he was a lunatic, and his expression was more complicated than if he had been forced to swallow a hundred flies.
Obviously, he didn't believe this talk of a Chuunibyou outbreak at all.
"Come on, I won't ask anymore." He finally sighed and admitted defeat. "Then let's talk about the reward. Last time, you asked me to find those two old men and make them misunderstand the true cause of Lynch Feller's death, and by the way, to sow discord between several families. I was exhausted from fighting them, and you exchanged four years of your life for it. Later I think it was a loss."
In the empty room, 01's slow voice echoed over the swimming pool: "This time, if I'm not careful, I could end up with a dismembered body. That's a huge mistake. I'd like ten years."
Shi Youchen frowned: "Four years."
"How much did you say?" 01 thought he was hallucinating. "Are you kidding? Just ten years."
Shi Youchen: “Four and a half years.”
01 laughed in anger: "Then I'll take nine and a half years, you five years, I'll take another nine years, you'll take another five and a half years, and finally we'll be done in seven and a half years. Tsk, are you treating this like buying vegetables at the market?" He said without question, "No room for negotiation. I don't have to do this deal. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't."
Shi Youchen really regretted showing his cards right at the start and telling this guy that he was the only one who could do this.
Isn't this just asking for trouble?
But he really didn't expect 01 to negotiate terms like this.
"I'll tell you the truth." At this point, he had to be honest, "I can't afford ten years of compensation. To be more precise, I don't have ten years."
01's expression finally changed. He swam to the shore, pinched his chin, and looked him around. "07, what do you mean?"
Shi Youchen pulled his hand away: "If I had it, I wouldn't be stingy and give it to you. But unfortunately, I really can't give it to you. I can't give it to you this time, and I can't give it to you in the future. I won't be able to give it to you until my plan is accomplished."
"..." 01's eyes darkened, and the face hidden in the mist became clearer. "Five years. This is my final concession. After this is done, I will do my best to help you. You must...stay with me for a long time."
A heavy voice, the final word.
"make a deal."
......
Ten days later, within the Arctic glacier.
When Kulin arrived at the coordinate point, Shi Youchen was already waiting there.
"Here he comes." He glanced at the visitor who was obviously nervous, without any expression.
"Coming." Kulin responded, then noticed two people standing behind him. Just as he was about to greet them, the shorter one turned around and was surprised: "Lin..."
Lin Zhouze nodded at him, pointed to the solar plexus, and asked, "Did you put the thing in?" Kulin instinctively replied, "Yes," and then suddenly startled, "Is your chip off?"
He thought that Lin Zhouze was able to sense him in this environment because of the chip implanted in the experimental subjects by the research center. After all, there were many people who knew the identities of the first batch of experimental subjects.
At the moment, he couldn't say what shocked him more: the fact that Lin Zhouze, a senior executive of the association's research center and also the experimental subject, appeared here, or the meaning behind his calm appearance when he saw him.
Lin Zhouze explained: "It's off. This is my special ability."
Now all the previous things were nothing, Kulin confirmed - this was undoubtedly the most shocking news to him.
An experimental subject who degenerated from an ordinary person into an inferior and then was transformed has actually awakened superpowers.
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