novelraw Chapter 305: Heaven's Favor
Chapter 305: Heaven's Favor
Wang Mingyuan concluded, "These points of suspicion are precisely part of the value of this mission. If you can discover clues about the source of his power or his motives during the pursuit, their value might even surpass the completion of the mission itself."
After hearing this, Feng Jue nodded silently, the desire for investigation in his eyes growing stronger.
Liu Ziming and Xu Hao also wore thoughtful expressions.
Wang Mingyuan looked at the three of them and instructed once more, "Remember, stay vigilant. This target... is far more dangerous than ordinary high-risk Aberrants. Be careful in everything."
The three of them confirmed their acceptance of the mission on the task screen, then turned and left.
Liu Ziming even waved his fist excitedly, "Secrets make it exciting! Who cares where he's from? Once we catch him and interrogate him, everything will be clear!"
Wang Mingyuan's gentle smile gradually faded. He immediately turned around and walked quickly through the academy corridors and took the elevator.
He went straight to the office of Dean Ye Hongyu and pushed the door open without knocking.
Ye Hongyu was standing by the window, looking out at the academy scenery.
Hearing the commotion, she turned back with some displeasure, but when she saw it was Wang Mingyuan, her brow furrowed slightly, "Mingyuan? What's the matter, why are you in such a hurry?"Wang Mingyuan looked somewhat agitated. He first deployed a Spiritual Energy soundproof barrier and lowered his voice, "Teacher, do you know of a person named Chen Qing?"
Ye Hongyu's gaze sharpened, "I've heard of that mission. High-risk peak level, indeed suitable for Feng Jue and the others to gain experience. But is this worth you losing your composure like this?"
Wang Mingyuan shook his head forcefully, his eyes blazing, "No, teacher, the key isn't the mission itself. It's that Chen Qing! Not a member of the Transcendence Society, yet he masters the method to summon the Mist. He operates long-term in the Uninhabited Zone. His behavior pattern completely defies all logic!"
Ye Hongyu's brow smoothed out as she listened carefully to what followed.
"Teacher! I... I have a speculation... That child Su Zhan... Could it be... he never died at all? That he... returned from the Mist World!?"
Wang Mingyuan excitedly voiced his inner speculation.
The office fell into silence.
Ye Hongyu's expression was shaken.
The news was too shocking, leaving her momentarily speechless.
The two looked at each other, both seeing the disbelief in the other's eyes.
After a long while.
Ye Hongyu slowly drew a breath, "Mingyuan... your speculation is too earth-shattering. But without solid evidence..."
"Teacher, please think carefully. Behind all of Chen Qing's abnormal behaviors, there is a logical chain. If we substitute in someone we thought was already gone, it all makes perfect sense!"
Wang Mingyuan spoke rapidly, "We all know that Su Zhan... he possesses the special ability to absorb the Life Essence of Mist Creatures to strengthen himself. This is one of his core secrets. This Chen Qing has been entrenched in the northwestern Uninhabited Zone for a long time, frequently summoning Mist incidents, yet he never attacks human settlements. This would seem utterly pointless, a pure waste of opportunity, to any other Aberrant or Transcendence Society member. But what if his goal was never to create panic or hunt humans, but rather... to hunt Mist Creatures?"
Ye Hongyu, intrigued by his speculation, found it more and more plausible the more she listened.
"Summoning the Mist in the Uninhabited Zone, attracting Mist Creatures, then hunting and absorbing them using his own abilities. This would be the safest and most efficient cultivation method tailor-made for him. This perfectly explains why he stays in the Uninhabited Zone and how he could reach the high-risk peak level so quickly!"
Wang Mingyuan went on torrentially, "Also, Su Zhan displayed extremely high tactical intelligence while at the academy. Being nationally wanted, yet managing to evade capture time and again, even disappearing off the face of the earth for a while... this style... All these fragments pieced together... Su Zhan, he didn't die in the Mist World! He came back, and somehow mastered the ability to summon the Mist. He's using this method to frantically increase his strength in the Uninhabited Zone. Right now, he's trying to head to Black City to evade pursuit!"
This meticulous, step-by-step analysis perfectly matched all of Chen Qing's illogical behaviors with Su Zhan's unique abilities and situation.
Wang Mingyuan quickly pulled up the wanted poster photo of Chen Qing on his phone, "Teacher, look at this face!"
Ye Hongyu leaned over to look.
Wang Mingyuan pointed at the details in the photo, "This appearance is completely different from Su Zhan's. It's a very ordinary face. I once analyzed the worst-case scenario with Su Zhan. I explicitly told him that the first thing to do after fleeing the academy was to completely alter his appearance, cutting off any possibility of being easily recognized! I even mentioned some precautions regarding underground channels to him... He listened very attentively at the time. Looking at it now, he not only took it to heart but actually did it! This face is highly likely Su Zhan's appearance after altering his looks through some means. This face is utterly unremarkable, exactly the best kind for someone skilled in concealment. He used the characteristics of the Uninhabited Zone to increase his strength and changed his appearance to hide his tracks... All of this fits!"
Ye Hongyu stared at the unfamiliar face on the screen.
Wang Mingyuan's addition incorporated the crucial element of appearance change into the logical chain, making the entire speculation more complete and even more startling.
If all of this were true, then what Su Zhan had experienced over this past year and more was far more profound than they had imagined.
"Mingyuan, your analysis and speculation are logically sound and indeed very reasonable. However, you have not personally entered the Mist World. That place is a forbidden zone for human life."
Ye Hongyu spoke slowly, "The Mist itself continuously erodes flesh and soul. Below the Tide Realm, without special protection, stepping into it would turn one into pus and blood in moments. Even those at the Tide Realm or Abyss Realm need to constantly expend power to resist that omnipresent corrosion. Mist Creatures have bizarre forms and wildly strange abilities;
many cannot even be understood by conventional logic. You never know what will emerge from the Mist the next second... it could be a swarm of low-level cannon fodder, or it could be an ancient existence you simply cannot contend with. The despair there is enough to shatter the sanity of most living beings. So, when you say Su Zhan might have returned alive from there, the first thing I feel is not excitement, but... disbelief."
Wang Mingyuan wanted to say something more.
Ye Hongyu raised a hand to stop him, "If all your speculations are true... then, for Su Zhan to survive in such a place and successfully return... that in itself is a miracle, a miracle that transcends logic, nearly impossible... It is some kind of... Heaven's Favor that we cannot comprehend."
Wang Mingyuan couldn't help but speak up again, "I also know it's almost impossible. But the facts are right here. Or rather, the evidence and speculation are right here, teacher. You..."