Qian Renxue put the jade talisman away, then stood up: "Rest for now. I still have some documents to attend to. I'll have someone notify you when dinner is ready."
She walked to the door, then suddenly stopped and looked back at Su Chen: "Your hand—remember to change the medicine on schedule. The bone-setting paste must be changed twice a day, morning and night. Otherwise, the bone fractures will heal with hidden injuries."
Su Chen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "Got it."
Qian Renxue said nothing more. She turned and left. The sound of her footsteps faded down the corridor, finally disappearing in the direction of the stairs. Li Yang was still standing by the window. He finally turned around now, the fury on his face suppressed, replaced by a heavy, oppressive silence.
"Strategist," he spoke, "why do you think they do this? Those people... they were living, breathing human beings too."
Su Chen looked at him. After a long while, he said: "Because in their eyes, there is no difference between humans and soul beasts. They are all consumable materials. And maximizing the value of materials—that is their logic."
Li Yang clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. In the end, he unclenched his hands and exhaled a long, turbid breath: "I'm going to check on Chen Hao."
After he left, only Su Chen and Lin Xue remained in the conference room. Lin Xue was still copying down materials, the tip of her pen rustling against the paper. Su Chen looked at her lowered brows and eyes, and suddenly said: "You don't need to copy everything down. Just bring the data back to headquarters."
Lin Xue raised her head. Her eyes were somewhat red, but her expression was still calm: "I want to make a copy to keep for myself." She paused. "I want to remember those names."
Su Chen was silent for a moment and didn't stop her. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the azure noon sky outside the window. Two white doves fluttered up from the eaves, tracing an arc before vanishing into the distant horizon. He suddenly wondered: where was that High Priest of the Void right now? Was he plotting his next move in some core-level base, or had he already set out for his next destination? When he said "the Tian Dou Empire will be destroyed"—was that merely a threat, or had it already been penciled into a timetable?
He didn't know. But a gut feeling told him that time was running out.
—
Chen Hao woke at dusk the next day. When Su Chen received the news and rushed over, Zhang Wan was supporting Chen Hao half-reclined against the headboard, feeding him a bowl of warm rice porridge. Chen Hao's face was still pale, his lips bloodless, but his eyes were open. Though his gaze was somewhat unfocused, he could at least manage to fix his attention.
"Strategist..." He gave a weak smile when he saw Su Chen enter. "How long was I out?"
"A day and a night." Su Chen sat down on the edge of the bed, the fingertips of his left hand probing Chen Hao's wrist, his soul power sweeping through Chen Hao's meridians. "Your soul power has recovered about twenty percent. You overdrafted yourself too severely this time."
"That guy was too strong." Chen Hao closed his eyes, as if recalling the scene. "That strike of mine used all the power of my Solar Will, and it only burned off one of his hands. Titled Douluo... are they really that terrifying?"
Su Chen didn't answer. He thought of the scene in that cavern where he had been sent flying by a single strike, that feeling of being completely unable to resist still etched into his bones. That wasn't a gap that technique or strategy could bridge. It was a crushing difference in realm.
"You'll catch up." Su Chen said. "You're still young. How long has it been since you advanced to Soul King? When you reach Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, and encounter a Titled Douluo again, you won't be as passive as you are now."
Chen Hao opened his eyes and looked at Su Chen's right arm fixed in the soul tool brace, his gaze dimming: "Strategist, your hand..."
"Just a bone fracture. It'll heal in two weeks." Su Chen said lightly. "You finish your porridge first. Recovering your strength is what matters. Once you're better, we'll still have plenty to do."
Chen Hao nodded, took the bowl from Zhang Wan's hands, and slowly drank it himself. The steam from the porridge rose up, blurring his brows and eyes. Su Chen sat beside him watching, a complicated, indescribable emotion welling up in his heart. From the team's initial formation until now, they had been through many life-and-death trials, but this time had been the closest brush with death. If Qian Renxue hadn't arrived in time, if that Titled Douluo hadn't had his right hand injured by Chen Hao's Solar Will, the outcome would likely have been completely different.
He watched Chen Hao finish the porridge, watched him lie back down, watched him close his eyes and sink into deep sleep once more. Zhang Wan quietly gathered up the bowl and spoon, then made a "let's talk outside" gesture to Su Chen. The two walked out of the room, closed the door, and stood in the corridor.
"His physical foundation is excellent." Zhang Wan said. "The tempering effect of the Solar Will on his meridians is even stronger than I anticipated. Though the overdraft this time was severe, as long as he recuperates properly, there won't be any aftereffects."
Su Chen leaned against the wall: "You too. Setting up such a large formation in succession—your soul power consumption wasn't much less than Chen Hao's. Don't focus only on taking care of others. Remember to rest yourself."
Zhang Wan smiled, revealing two small canine teeth: "Since when did the Strategist become so naggy?"
Su Chen smiled too: "Since after nearly dying."
Zhang Wan's smile faded slightly. She looked at Su Chen, her voice lowering: "Strategist, are you afraid?"
Su Chen looked at the window at the end of the corridor. The color of the sky outside had shifted from golden to dusky orange, the afterglow of the sunset slanting across the floor. He thought for a moment, then said: "Yes." His voice was very soft. "What I'm afraid of isn't dying myself. It's watching the people around me die."
Zhang Wan was silent for a moment, then said softly: "Me too."
The corridor was quiet for a while. In the distance came the sound of Li Yang and Lin Xue talking, seemingly discussing the working principles of some soul tool. Those sounds passed through the walls, muffled and indistinct, drifting over as if from somewhere very far away.
Su Chen straightened up from the wall: "I'm going to find Lady Qian Renxue to discuss something. You go rest too. I'll have someone bring dinner to your room."
Zhang Wan nodded and turned back to Chen Hao's room. Su Chen walked along the corridor toward the stairwell. Rounding the corner, he ran into Lin Xue head-on. She was still clutching that notebook in her hand, but her eyes were no longer red, her expression much calmer.
"Strategist." She stopped him.
Su Chen halted.
"When I was sorting through the materials just now, I discovered a detail." Lin Xue opened the notebook, pointing to a page. "On the core experiment cycle schedule of the Qingfeng Valley base, a date is marked—two months from now. Next to this date is a red circle with the word 'migration' written inside. I've been wondering: what does migration mean? Moving the base elsewhere, or transferring the experimental results to another location?"
Su Chen took the notebook and carefully examined those few lines. The handwriting was messy, clearly jotted down in haste, but the word "migration" had been written with great force, the pen tip even tearing through the paper. He thought for a moment, folded down the corner of the page, and returned the notebook to Lin Xue: "This clue is very important. I'll go find Qian Renxue and see if there's any corresponding information in the other materials."
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