Snow fell from the sky like goose feathers, softly landing on Shadow and Qing Chen’s hair and shoulders.
Qing Chen felt lucky.
Even though life in the Outer World was so hard, he still felt lucky.
Li Shutong, Li Xiurui, Shadow.
Although these three had different styles, they all tried their best in their own ways to help him understand this world and taught him how to coexist with it.
Soone gave him a Forbidden Artifact and the furthest Cultivation path in the world.
Soone stood on Qingshan Cliff, facing the rising sun, telling him what was most precious in life.
Soone used practical actions to help him win people over, intending to forcibly elevate him to the most powerful position in the Federation.
Shadow walked to the lakeside, found a black stone to sit on, and looked at the lake surface covered in swirling snow. “Qing Chen, one day you will have to Face[-] all this yourself. It’s like the road on Qingshan Cliff—the first 599 ters are paved by your predecessors, but the last ter, no one can help you.”
Qing Chen was stunned. He suddenly looked at Shadow, his pupils constricting.
If he wasn’t a Knight, how could he know all this?!
Many people knew about this path to heaven, but only those who had truly walked it once understood what was most difficult.
Only they knew about that last ter.
Shadow smiled, “Don’t look at like that. I’m not a Knight, because I didn’t jump over that last ter. The Knight’s path is about selecting companions. Even if you have different identities, backgrounds, and personalities, as long as you have walked the sa path, you will gather together. That is the wonder of the Knight’s path. In the early years, the Knight’s organization was more loosely structured. They would tell many people about this path, encouraging them to walk it, not worrying at all about the secrets of the organization being leaked. But you and I are destined to be different people, and perhaps that's why I couldn't jump over it. I used a grappling hook for that last ter. I don’t want to gamble with my life; I like everything to be under control.”
Shadow continued, “So, you are willing to give Qing Yi your wholehearted devotion, hoping he will never betray you, while I will use thods to secure his loyalty.”
Qing Chen was silent.
He knew how desperate everyone felt facing that last ter, so he said that Hu Xiaoniu was actually very powerful because this Daybreak mber couldn’t even fully digest the white fruit.
Everyone in Daybreak has potential. One day, Daybreak will surely grow into a towering tree, and all Qing Chen needs to do is have enough patience to wait for that result.
Qing Chen didn’t expect that Shadow had almost beco a Knight.
Therefore, the deal with Li Shutong was because Shadow had known Li Shutong for a long ti.
Few people seed to know about this.
At this ti, Shadow smiled, “Don’t guess. You lack too much key information, so blind analysis will be wrong.”
“Your situation is pretty bad, isn’t it?” Qing Chen sat on the black stone by the lake and said softly, “I watched a docuntary called Animal World in the Outer World. When a lion is in its pri, hyenas dare not provoke it.”
But when the lion grows old, or gets sick or injured, those hyenas will co slowly, like they sll decaying flesh.
At first, it’s a probe. Once they find that the lion is truly unable to resist, they will pounce and bite.
In this incident, Qing Chen originally thought Shadow was going to use him to lure out the Shendai Family’s forces.
But unexpectedly, Shadow was targeting the Qing Family internally.
Qing Chen could consider the current events as a test.
Those hyenas were already surrounding Shadow, making Qing Chen sll a hint of danger.
If Shadow was still in his pri, how dare they test him?
Qing Chen continued, “So, when this small probe appeared, you personally took action to extinguish the fla with thunderous force. This shows that you are also worried. If you let this fla grow, it might burn stronger, making the hyenas even more arrogant.”
Qing Chen’s judgnt was that Shadow’s situation was already very bad; otherwise, he wouldn’t need to bother with these small fry.
Why would he need to co here personally?
Shadow sat next to him and smiled, “You think quite a lot, but not all of it is correct.”
Qing Chen asked, “I’m curious, you’re about to step down, why are they still trying to test you? They’ve waited ten years; what difference would another two years make?”
Shadow smiled and waved his hand, “Okay, you don’t need to worry about these things.”
Qing Chen thought for a mont and said, “If I successfully trade Qing Mu this ti, what will happen next?”
Shadow said with a smile, “Those things that the bigwigs from various factions don’t want to see will happen. You will beco the most suitable person to take over the Qing Clan Secret Intelligence Agency. Even if I step down, the leader of the Secret Spy Agency will still be my person. That way, they won’t be able to easily control . Rember, within the Qing Family, you can’t trust anyone except .”
Qing Chen was stunned. This ‘no one’ should also include those Kestrel, Shadow Candidates, and the family head.
“But why can I trust you?” Qing Chen suddenly asked.
Shadow thought for a mont, “That’s a good question. Maybe it’s because I have no need to deceive you.”
After speaking, Shadow stood up, brushed the snow off his body, and walked towards the camp, “You’re a hot commodity now. I heard that many people have co to the Qing Family to propose marriage for you. I was going to arrange another marriage for you to gain so additional support, but now it seems you wouldn’t agree, so forget it.”
Qing Chen: “??? ”
What kind of bizarre thing is this?
Soone went to the Qing Family to propose marriage for him?!
Who?!
The camp after the crisis was a ss.
The film crew mbers all stood there in a sorry state, looking around blankly, like Qing Xing after a calamity, or like those who were bewildered after a disaster.
The virtual life movie definitely couldn’t be fild. The director was dead, and several filming machines were damaged by stray bullets.
They ca to film a movie, but ended up killing the director. Who could bear this?
At this mont, Qing Chen changed back to his own appearance, walked into the camp, and looked at Sun Chuci, asking, “Are you okay? Are you injured?”
Sun Chuci shook her head, “No.”
Qing Chen then looked at Qing Yi, “Next, you go directly to the town outside Forbidden Zone 065. All the teams will probably stop there for a while.”
Qing Yi nodded, “Okay, sir. What about you? Where are you going?”
Qing Chen smiled, “I plan to act alone. Staying in the team might affect your safety.”
Shadow stood in the camp and said with a smile, “Hello everyone, I’m Shadow from the Qing Family. Now please cooperate and lie on the ground without speaking. We’re leaving.”
His seven subordinates stood coldly around him, silent and imposing like statues in a temple, while Director Zhou’s people were all captured, their hands bound with special black handcuffs.
The film crew mbers were sowhat bewildered.
This is the legendary Shadow?
They actually saw the mysterious Shadow?!
But why did Shadow leave, and they had to lie on the ground?
Yan Chunmi was the first to do so. When she made her move, she only used her abilities; no one knew her true identity.
When the first person in the camp does sothing, others will follow suit.
Qing Chen pondered that Yan Chunmi must have fought alongside Shadow many tis, otherwise, Shadow wouldn’t bring her on this mission, nor would he arrange for her to assist him.
After everyone lay down on the ground, Shadow looked at Qing Chen with a smile and silently gestured for him to lie down too.
Qing Chen was a little strange. What was this for?
The next mont, the stagehand, Zhou Cang, silently got up from the ground and stood beside Shadow.
Standing in the snow, he took off his coat and gave it to Qing Chen.
Qing Chen understood. The other party knew that he was going to infiltrate Forbidden Zone 065, so he found the best identity for him: a stagehand from a film crew that had been severely damaged—who would notice a miserable stagehand who had almost been killed?
Qing Chen was just a little puzzled. Shadow's informants were everywhere. Were there any of his people in this film crew?
Moreover, Zhou Cang clearly knew his identity before, so this Shadow informant had been silently watching him act.
Qing Chen looked at Zhou Cang, but saw the other party give him a simple smile.
Qing Chen:
Zhou Cang’s figure was similar to his, the sa height, indicating that Shadow had already arranged for his follow-up actions.
All this was in his plan.
But the film crew shouldn’t be continuing north to the town now. After this incident, everyone’s first choice would be to drive back to City 10, right?
Qing Chen couldn’t figure it out, but he chose to trust Shadow.
He silently put on Zhou Cang’s clothes and lay down in the snow, changing his appearance to Zhou Cang.
At this ti, Shadow said to everyone with a smile, “Everyone, it’s been a pleasure eting you. I hope that those who survive will cherish their lives and stay safe.”
After speaking, he opened the Shadow Gate and, together with his subordinates, escorted all the assassins, including Director Zhou, into the gate.
Shadow was going to interrogate these people to find out who was testing him.
Qing Chen was stunned for a while. What was all this about?!
They left, but they had to say so nice words like a master of ceremonies. He almost thought that after he finished speaking, there would be a background music of “Unforgettable Tonight.”
However, Qing Chen knew that all the words Shadow said were for the last four words he said to him: stay safe.
Perhaps this trip was too dangerous. Many people didn’t want him to successfully trade Qing Mu, so even Shadow was a little worried about his safety.
The film crew mbers all lay in the snow until the thin layer of snow on the ground lted before they dared to stand up.
The reputation of a person, the shadow of a tree.
Shadow’s huge reputation in the Federation was not only about wielding power but also many legends about him treating human lives like ants.
Of course, the most important thing was that Shadow left through the Shadow Gate, which ant that Shadow’s footsteps never went far.
From the perspective of ordinary people, it was as if Shadow and his n walked two steps and then stopped to watch them.
This inexplicable sense of oppression forced everyone not to dare to breathe.
Finally, Qing Yi stood up first.
Then others followed suit.
After standing up, they were even more bewildered. Where was Shadow? They didn’t hear the sound of his footsteps, and no one was there.
At this mont, soone finally broke free from their bewildernt and ran towards their cars.
It seed that they were going to drive back to City 10 directly.
However, as soon as one of them opened the car door, there was a loud boom, and he was blown away by a huge explosion.
After Director Zhou and others entered the camp, to ensure that no one escaped alive, they had installed booby traps on each of the cars in Director Zhang’s film crew. As long as the car door was opened, it would explode.
After one exploded, the other booby traps on the other vehicles exploded one after another.
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