Xuanmingzi's rambling words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in everyone's hearts that lingered for a long time.
The smoke from the battlefield had not yet dissipated, and the air was still filled with the nauseating stench of blood and acrid burning. But everyone's attention had shifted from the barely surviving Night Owl to the saying, "The real boss is often hidden at the very end."
Lin Yi took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the surging blood and qi within his body.
The fierce battle with the night owl, especially the final gathering of the power of the origin of spacetime, took a huge toll on him.
He slowly closed his eyes, the meaningful smile of Xuanmingzi lingering in his mind.
"Ragnarok... Daddy Client..." He muttered these words to himself, a sense of crisis he had never felt before washing over him.
This is not just an enemy of Night Owl's caliber; what Xuanmingzi is implying is probably an existence far beyond imagination.
He opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the ravaged battlefield.
Long Wu was holding his severed arm, his face pale as he tried to regulate his breathing; Chu Yao's energy core was also somewhat dim, clearly indicating that the assistance he had just received had been quite taxing; and not far away, Su Qing's complexion had eased slightly with the help of several medical-type job changers, but the confusion and pain in her eyes were still hard to hide.
“It seems that old fellow Xuanmingzi deliberately jumped out at this time.” Lin Yi’s voice was a little hoarse, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. “He not only prevented me from completely eliminating Night Owl, but also put forward an even bigger mystery.”
Long Wu, panting heavily, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva: "Damn it, this old charlatan, his words are like farts, he only tells half and hides the other half! What party or party, I just want to kill all the enemies!" Although he complained, his eyes were also full of solemnity.
As the embodiment of the mastermind behind the game "Infinite", Xuanmingzi's words were by no means baseless.
Chu Yao gently walked to Lin Yi's side and said softly, "Master, based on Xuan Mingzi's energy fluctuations and words just now, the threat level of the 'Ragnarok' project has been raised to the highest level. Moreover..." She paused, her gaze inadvertently glancing at Su Qing, "the rebuilding of trust within the team is also urgent."
Lin Yi nodded; Chu Yao always managed to pinpoint the key points.
He looked at Su Qing, who, sensing his gaze, instinctively looked away.
The revelation of her identity, and her intricate connections with "Project Shadow Eclipse," undoubtedly became a thorn deeply embedded in the hearts of everyone on the team.
“That’s right.” Lin Yi said in a deep voice, “External threats are indeed terrible, but if we have internal problems, we will collapse before the enemy can even make a move.” He looked around at everyone, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable power: “Everyone, return to the temporary stronghold immediately. We need to have a meeting to sort out the current situation and… Su Qing’s problem.”
The atmosphere in the makeshift command center was so heavy it was almost palpable.
Besides Lin Yi, Long Wu, Chu Yao, and Su Qing, there are several other core team members who performed exceptionally well in previous battles.
Everyone's face showed exhaustion, but even more so, worry about the unknown and complex emotions towards Su Qing.
Su Qing lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, like a prisoner awaiting trial.
Lin Yi broke the silence first: "Everyone heard what Xuan Mingzi said. 'Ragnarok' is far from over. In fact, what we have faced before may just be an appetizer." His gaze swept over everyone. "At this critical juncture, any suspicion or division could cost us dearly."
His gaze finally landed on Su Qing: "Su Qing, I know you have many difficulties, and your identity has indeed shocked and...unsettled everyone."
Long Wu snorted but didn't say anything, though his dissatisfaction was evident.
The other core members also looked troubled, clearly indicating that their trust in Su Qing had plummeted.
Lin Yi continued, “However, I choose to believe her. Not because I am so kind, but because in the previous battles, she proved with her actions that she is on our side. Moreover, the information she possesses about the other dimension and the ‘Shadow Eclipse Project’ is crucial to us.” His tone shifted, becoming more earnest, “I hope everyone can give her a chance, and give ourselves a chance. In this world, having one more friend is far better than having one more potential enemy.”
These words resonated deeply, demonstrating Lin Yi's responsibility and vision as a leader.
He did not shy away from the problem, but frankly pointed out the crux of the issue and gave his own judgment and reasons.
The atmosphere in the meeting room seemed to have relaxed a bit.
Su Qing suddenly raised her head, her eyes slightly red, her voice choked with emotion: "Lin Yi... thank you." She took a deep breath, turned to the crowd, and solemnly said, "I know my past makes it hard for everyone to trust me. I don't need any forgiveness, but I beg you all to give me a chance to make amends. I am willing to accept any form of supervision, and I will tell you everything I know about the 'Ragnarok' plan and about the interdimensional invaders without reservation!"
As she spoke, she began to recount in detail the inside story she knew, including several key nodes that the "Ragnarok" plan might involve, as well as some of the secret deployments of the interdimensional invaders, and even some actions that she had participated in but later realized and secretly sabotaged.
Her narration was clear and well-organized, rich in detail, and contained much information that was previously unknown to most people.
As Su Qing recounted her story, the doubt and wariness on everyone's faces gradually gave way to solemnity and contemplation.
They began to realize that Su Qing's existence might actually be of great help in dealing with the crisis to come.
To further dispel everyone's doubts and to test Su Qing's true intentions, Lin Yi pondered for a moment before speaking, "Su Qing, you have a unique way of controlling energy. I'm currently researching a new spacetime mystery and need an assistant who can precisely guide my energy. Would you be willing to give it a try?"
This is both a test and an opportunity for Su Qing to demonstrate her value.
Su Qing nodded without hesitation: "I'm willing!"
Everyone immediately perked up. Lin Yi's mastery of spacetime was always awe-inspiring. What new tricks would he have up his sleeve this time?
Arriving at an open area outside the stronghold, Lin Yi's eyes flashed with silver light, and the divine power of the [Time and Space Dominator] suddenly erupted!
He raised his hand and pointed, and a huge rock in front of him was instantly compressed into fine sand. The next second, it returned to its original state as time reversed!
Immediately afterwards, he made a gesture of holding his hands together, and a miniature spacetime rift appeared in his palms, emitting a terrifying suction force.
"Su Qing, try to inject your energy into the stable node of this rift. Don't let it collapse, and don't let it expand out of control!" Lin Yi's voice came clearly.
This is undoubtedly an extremely difficult operation. Spacetime rifts are inherently very unstable, and the slightest mistake could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Su Qing held her breath, mobilized the remaining but pure energy in her body, and carefully followed Lin Yi's instructions to slowly inject a gentle energy into a certain light spot at the edge of the miniature spacetime rift.
Buzz—!
The spacetime rift trembled slightly, but unexpectedly stabilized.
Under Su Qing's precise energy transmission, the originally violent rift became much more docile, and even began to rhythmically absorb and release the surrounding spatial particles under Lin Yi's guidance.
"Beautiful!" Lin Yi suddenly increased the output of his spacetime power, and the rift instantly expanded several times, causing the surrounding space to distort.
"Hold on!"
Su Qing's forehead was covered in a fine sweat as she did her best to match Lin Yi's rhythm. Her energy was like the most skillful thread, constantly repairing and stabilizing the edges of the cracks.
This scene left Long Wu and the others who were watching in awe.
Lin Yi's control over the power of space and time has reached a state of perfection, while Su Qing's exquisite manipulation of energy is also breathtaking.
The two worked together so well that it was as if they had rehearsed countless times.
A few minutes later, Lin Yi slowly withdrew his power, and the space-time rift gradually dissipated, as if it had never existed.
"You succeeded." Lin Yi smiled and looked at Su Qing. "You did an excellent job."
Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face.
Through this collaboration, she not only demonstrated her abilities, but more importantly, she felt Lin Yi's trust and the warmth that melted away the frost in the eyes of her team members.
Long Wu scratched his head and chuckled, "Well done, Su Qing! You've got some skills! Let's fight side by side from now on, so don't hold us back!" Although his words were still blunt, the approval in his tone was obvious.
With Lin Yi's wise guidance and Su Qing's active cooperation, the internal trust crisis within the team began to gradually resolve itself.
However, just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Chu Yao's virtual projection suddenly lit up, her expression solemn.
"Master, urgent intelligence received!" Chu Yao's voice was urgent. "Large-scale movements of the Night Owl's remaining forces have been detected! Our undercover agents report that although Night Owl was severely injured by you, his core consciousness seems to have been transferred out through some secret method. Now, his subordinates are going to great lengths to forcibly activate the final stage of 'Project Shadow Eclipse.' They... they seem to be preparing for an even larger-scale sacrifice!"
"What?!" Everyone's expression changed drastically, and the atmosphere that had just eased tensed up again.
Lin Yi frowned, Xuan Mingzi's words still echoing in his ears—the real boss is often hidden at the very end.
Right now, the owl's dying struggle and the even larger "Ragnarok" weigh heavily on his mind like mountains.
He took a deep breath.
"It seems that before the final battle, we must find a way to raise everyone's strength to the next level."
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