“Cultivating enhanced plants through Awakened abilities was certainly no simple feat. A spur-of-the-moment decision would be utterly unfeasible; it demanded extensive, long-term planning.”
Huang Xiu, though brimming with excitement, forced herself to calm down and analyze the situation.
She needed to ascertain the viability of her idea. The first crucial step was to confirm whether plants could indeed inherit the beneficial traits after undergoing mutation.
As a student, she could manage to dedicate some free time to cultivating a few potted plants for self-breeding and initial verification.
But what if, after this preliminary stage, the idea proved truly viable?
Then, merely tinkering with a few potted plants would no longer suffice. It would necessitate significant investment in targeted mutation and breeding programs.
This undertaking would demand ample land, manpower, and time.
Unfortunately, she possessed none of these three crucial resources.
Land required substantial capital, and given the exorbitant property prices in a major metropolis, Huang Xiu felt she would have to sell herself to afford even a toilet.
So…
“Relying solely on my own strength is definitely not enough.”
Huang Xiu twirled a strand of hair by her ear with her pinky. “I need to collaborate with the Research Department and propose this as a major project, leveraging the school’s resources to advance it.”
As a student of Tiandu University, the immense power of her institution was her greatest asset.
Once the school recognized the value of her proposal and committed to supporting it, any obstacle would dissolve.
“For the project application… I can ask Fang Miaoging. She shouldn’t refuse such an excellent opportunity to bolster her resume.”
Huang Xiu recalled Fang Miaoging complaining about the difficulty of securing school projects during a previous meal. For a freshman like Fang Miaoging, with no prior experience, getting involved in a good project was quite challenging.
“Seen this way, collaborating with the school is a win-win situation all around!”
Fang Miaoging would gain resume credits, experience, and school rewards.
The school would acquire a batch of superior plants, potentially yielding significant economic value.
As for Huang Xiu’s benefits, they were self-evident… she wanted it all!
Huang Xiu nodded subtly.
A triple win was ideal; she preferred outcomes where everyone benefited. If there were no losers, the world would be a better place.
After a brief contemplation, Huang Xiu quickly finalized her plans.
Upon returning to school, she would first contact Fang Miaoging. She would then decide whether to proceed with breeding for feasibility confirmation or directly apply for the project.
“Junior Female Student, what are you thinking about? You’re smiling so happily. Is this sugarcane really that delicious?”
Through the rearview mirror, Yun Ning noticed his Junior Female Student had been inexplicably smiling the entire way since taking a bite of sugarcane, her lips almost splitting from the grin.
He couldn’t help but feel a touch of curiosity.
“Hehe, the sugarcane is delicious, and useful too,” Huang Xiu replied, then shared her idea with Yun Ning.
Yun Ning was pleased with Huang Xiu’s concept, praising her without reservation: “Especially the part where you aren’t planning to do it alone.”
“As students of Tiandu University, the school’s strength is our most valuable asset.”
Praised for her unique insight, Huang Xiu’s smile widened further, enough to hang an oil pot on. She cut a piece of sugarcane and offered it to Yun Ning.
“Senior Male Student, you’ve worked hard driving. Don’t talk, come, have a bite of this great hero sugarcane.”
*Crunch…*
Yun Ning chewed twice, the sweet sugarcane juice filling his mouth. It was indeed very sweet.
****
The Awakened individual’s special flight wasn’t scheduled until four o’clock. Huang Xiu and her companions, however, arrived in Yanghai at a quarter past two.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time, over an hour before boarding, Yun Ning drove directly to the Yanghai Jurisdiction Bureau headquarters.
Earlier that morning, he had received an update regarding Lin Wude from the Song City Jurisdiction Bureau.
“Lin Wude died shortly after we left last night,” Yun Ning explained to Huang Xiu on the way. “The Song City Jurisdiction Bureau’s equipment is incomplete, so they couldn’t determine the exact cause of death.”
“Lin Wude’s body has now been sent to Yanghai for an autopsy. The people there want to meet us. If we don’t have time, it’s fine, but if we do, it’s worth a look.”
“He actually died!”
A solemn expression flashed across Huang Xiu’s face. The image of Lin Wude’s twisted, curled body and pained expression suddenly flickered in her mind.
While she certainly wished Lin Wude dead, his inexplicable demise was not within her expectations. Dying like this was far too easy for him.
“I’m going to the autopsy site shortly. Do you want to come?” Yun Ning asked, concerned that Huang Xiu might be afraid to see a corpse.
Witnessing corpses versus living people on the brink of death were entirely different experiences. However, Huang Xiu knew that as an Awakened individual, she would inevitably deal with corpses in the future and had already prepared herself mentally.
She gently shook her head. “It’s fine; let’s go together.”
Yun Ning hummed in acknowledgment, nodded, and said nothing further. After registering their names at the guard post, he drove the car into the suburban compound housing the Yanghai Jurisdiction Bureau.
He parked the vehicle, opened the door, and stepped out. Leading the way, with Huang Xiu following behind, they quickly passed through the lobby and corridor before entering the elevator.
The elevator doors slowly closed, obscuring the faces of Huang Xiu and Yun Ning. Accompanied by elegant music, the car ascended, passing the negative third-floor training level where Huang Xiu had her re-examination that day.
Finally, it stopped on the negative fourth floor.
As the elevator doors slowly opened, Huang Xiu’s gaze immediately fell upon seven large characters hanging on the wall: ‘Awakened Individual Detection Center.’
According to Yun Ning’s explanation on the way, this center was regularly used by Jurisdiction Bureau personnel to check their own conditions. It also accepted detection applications from unregistered Awakened individuals.
Of course, these services were paid for with Void Web points. However, for students from Tiandu University like Huang Xiu, the school’s internal detection equipment was just as good, if not more comprehensive, making it unnecessary to spend points here.
“Yun Ning?”
A young man in a White Coat leaned against the wall, his left hand holding the glass door open to prevent it from closing, his right hand engrossed in his phone. Hearing the commotion, he looked up at Yun Ning and Huang Xiu stepping out of the elevator and spoke.
“It’s me. Take me inside to see.”
The White Coat nodded at his words, then turned and walked into the detection center. With nothing obstructing it, the glass door slowly closed.
Huang Xiu and Yun Ning followed him, soon arriving at the innermost part of the detection center—a room used by the Jurisdiction Bureau for autopsies.
The room was quite cold, its overall structure resembling a morgue Huang Xiu had seen in movies. Many pull-out temporary morgue cabinets were embedded in the walls, but there were also numerous instruments Huang Xiu didn’t recognize.
She surmised they were specialized equipment for detecting Awakened individuals. At the center of the room, on the autopsy table, a human-shaped form lay covered by a green medical sheet.
Huang Xiu knew it was Lin Wude’s body.
“The main reason I called you two here is to show you something quite interesting.”
The White Coat walked up to the autopsy table, preparing to pull back the green medical sheet. However, he suddenly paused, turning to glance at Huang Xiu.
“It’s a bit gruesome. You won’t throw up, will you?”
“No!”
Huang Xiu shook her head vigorously. She felt a bit disrespected; she had already mentally prepared herself to come here.
“That’s good. I was just worried you’d throw up all over the place.” The White Coat said, “You, you promised. If I vomit, you’ll strip naked for me.”
With that, he casually flipped back the green medical sheet, instantly revealing Lin Wude’s upper body. His clothes had already been removed. His skin was pale, tinged with a faint blue.
His abdominal cavity had been cleanly cut open, his stomach peeled back and placed aside, revealing his internal organs with stark clarity. At this single glance, the intense sensory impact left Huang Xiu feeling momentarily dizzy.
Her face paled, and she swallowed hard, forcefully suppressing the urge to vomit that had risen in her throat.
“Not bad,” the White Coat praised, looking at Yun Ning. “Are the freshmen at Tiandu University all this strong now? I remember the first time I saw something like this, I threw up so much the world went dark.”
“It’s because Junior Female Student is exceptional,” Yun Ning replied, then turned to Huang Xiu with a touch of concern. “Junior Female Student, if you can’t handle it, you can go out and rest.”
“It’s fine.”
Huang Xiu shook her head. A man couldn’t say he couldn’t do it, and she had already said she was fine. If she backed out now, where would she put her face?
“Lin Wude, twenty-eight years old, from Ying City, an Awakened individual of Mercury Rank. He officially died at 2:20 AM after you handed him over to the Ying City Jurisdiction Bureau.”
The White Coat looked at Lin Wude’s bloodless face. “Knowing you’re short on time today and have a flight to catch, I’ll keep it brief. I called you here because we found a very unusual wound on his body.”
He propped up the corpse, revealing its back. “Look here.”
The White Coat pointed to the area over Lin Wude’s back heart. “There’s a pinhole-sized wound here. Can you see it?”
Huang Xiu and Yun Ning nodded. The wound was tiny, slightly larger than an IV injection site, but visible upon close inspection.
“Initially, I thought this wound was similar to the stab wounds on his hands.”
The White Coat paused. “But I later realized the two wounds were different in size. And if it truly was caused by a sharp object, there wouldn’t be only one such wound here. You two should be very clear about that.”
Huang Xiu nodded. She remembered Huang Xiaoxian had used the ‘Pointy Punch’ once, and Lin Wude had blocked all the sharp points with his hand.
“So?” Yun Ning asked in a deep voice.
“If it were just these things, I certainly wouldn’t have called you two here. Do you still remember that berserk tattooed man on the flight the other day?”
The White Coat’s words seemed somewhat nonsensical, but Yun Ning’s brows immediately furrowed. He had considered a certain possibility.
“Are you implying…?”
“Exactly,” the White Coat nodded. “The tattooed man also had an identical wound on his back, over his heart. If these wounds on both men’s backs were a little deeper, they would have pierced their hearts, leading to certain death. Such wounds are definitely man-made.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. These two Awakened individuals, dying one after the other, having the same wound, there must be something amiss,” he concluded.
“Indeed, there’s something suspicious.” It seemed this was how it always unfolded. Serial murder cases always began with minute discrepancies in seemingly isolated incidents.
“I’ve already reported this. The higher-ups intend to temporarily merge these two cases,” the White Coat said.
Huang Xiu: “???”
‘Wait, is the script wrong? Shouldn’t the higher organization intervene and dismiss it as a coincidence? How is it that with you, the higher-ups readily agreed?’
“You two are the only witnesses to both incidents. While from the flight, this seems inevitable, I believe it might also be related to luck.”
The White Coat continued, “Of course, it’s also possible that this matter has a deeper connection to both of you.”
“In any case, I hope that when you return to Tiandu City, if you encounter such situations again in the future, remember to inform the Jurisdiction Bureau.”
Huang Xiu and Yun Ning immediately nodded. “We will.”
However, despite saying so, she didn’t believe she would actually encounter such events again.
“Also, do you know Lin Wude’s true cause of death?”
Without waiting for their reply, the White Coat answered his own question: “He died because his Awakened core overloaded, lost control, and disintegrated, leading to a Void Energy backlash.”
‘An Awakened core disintegrating… To be honest, unless truly forced into a desperate situation, taking three ‘Fateful Pills’ in succession, it’s practically impossible to push one’s ability to this extent on their own.’
Therefore, he said meaningfully, “That’s why I said there’s something strange about the deaths of these two individuals.”
Although the first tattooed man died from a headshot, if he hadn’t been shot in the head… would he have also replicated Lin Wude’s cause of death? The White Coat didn’t voice these thoughts, but Huang Xiu and Yun Ning instantly understood.
‘An Awakened core disintegrating… This was the first time Huang Xiu had learned that over-exerting one’s ability could lead to such a catastrophic loss of control.’
Huang Xiu boarded the plane back to Tiandu City. She sat in her seat, recalling the previous night’s battle, wondering if anything truly amiss had occurred.
Even as the plane took off, its fuselage roaring and vibrating, she couldn’t pinpoint anything out of place.
“Forget it. Who cares if there’s a problem or not? If I encounter one, I’ll deal with it then.” Huang Xiu was too lazy to think further.
As long as she was strong enough, no problem would remain a problem. She would face whatever came her way.
She turned sideways, watching the airport below shrink into the distance. Then, looking up at the entire city of Yanghai, from this aerial perspective, the urban areas resembled vast farmlands planted with steel and concrete.
In truth, the farmlands consumed by the city had never truly vanished; they had merely reappeared in a different form.
*Whoosh!*
The engines roared, and the plane climbed higher and higher, finally breaking through the clouds with unstoppable momentum. It also vanished from the depths of the man’s eyes.
****
It was already quite warm in Yanghai in May. At four in the afternoon, the sun was at its peak.
In a sparsely populated park, a man squatted in the shade of a tree, chewing on the upper half of a one-yuan frozen popsicle.
He wore a blue delivery rider uniform, looking as if he were starving, and a matching blue helmet adorned with a bamboo dragonfly that swayed gently in the wind.
“The hands and feet have been cleaned up. They won’t know what we did,” the man said with a smile.