novelraw Chapter 1270: Seedling
Chapter 1270: Seedling
Twenty young people dressed in neat, uniform clothing, all with excellent spirit and bearing, now stood in five rows, chests lifted, eyes focused.
In front of them, Liu Minghao finally felt a little better—at least the branch had agreed to send some reinforcements this time.
Wei Zidào had rushed to the branch overnight and not only brought back support personnel, but also a large batch of Duanpian.
But what puzzled Liu Minghao was that early this morning, aside from the overwhelming online discussions about the earthquake, there wasn’t a single mention of the demon cloud.
Clearly, the Management Bureau hadn’t even had time to cover anything up yet—but somehow, no one actually brought it up.
He couldn’t tell whether this was good or bad… Liu Minghao quietly shook his head.
“Brother Hao, something strange happened… all our equipment malfunctioned.”
“What do you mean?”
“No idea. Everything was fine, but on the way back, they suddenly failed.” Wei Zidào frowned—he had actually just arrived. “Normal electronic devices work fine. Only the daoist tools stopped functioning. Also, no dao techniques can be used, but our spiritual power is still there.”
Liu Minghao’s heart tightened—he and Bu Bugao had been busy dealing with the people brought back from the research lab last night, so he hadn’t noticed.His spiritual power was indeed still present, but he hadn't used any dao techniques—if he didn’t try, he wouldn’t notice the anomaly.
Instinctively, Liu Minghao tried a simple small dao technique… his spiritual power flowed normally, but nothing happened. Now he was truly shocked.
Wei Zidào quickly added, “It seems it’s only this city. I called back—everything at the branch is normal. The surrounding regions are normal too.”
“A transcendental vacuum zone?” Liu Minghao instantly thought of the term.
A transcendental vacuum zone was something the Bureau had long researched—a purely theoretical concept. Rumor said that the massive formation buried beneath the capital could, if activated in full force, temporarily create a vacuum zone where no transcendent power functioned within city limits… though it had never been tested.
“What did the branch say?”
Wei Zidào said, “A specialist team will arrive soon to investigate. I brought my people back first to support you. Also, regarding the children and researchers from the lab, the branch said we should bring all of them back. Later, a team will split off specifically to escort them.”
“We have no choice.” Liu Minghao nodded.
Wei Zidào had only brought instructions for handling the situation… nothing more, especially regarding the Zhong family—though things were rushed, not a single hint had leaked out.
Were they planning to keep dealing with the noble families ambiguously…? Or were there secret actions he didn’t have clearance to know?
And one more thing: the head of the supernatural research lab, Zhong Luochen, had disappeared.
“Brother Hao, what should we do now?”
Liu Minghao thought for a moment. “Since the vacuum zone only restricts this city, there's no need to panic. What we need to do now is figure out whether anyone actually saw the demon cloud last night, or if they saw but didn’t dare talk about it… This workload is huge. Even with reinforcements, we’re definitely short-handed. Just do as much as we can.”
“What about rescue work?”
“That’s the local government’s job.” Liu Minghao shook his head. “We’re just a dozen people. We can’t help much. Better to properly investigate what’s behind all this… Right, go apply for authorization to seal off the Zhong family building. No one should touch it. It must not be cleaned up. There are things inside that ordinary people can’t be allowed to discover. I’m worried rescue teams might dig something out by accident during debris removal.”
“Got it.” Wei Zidào nodded. “So we let the building sit untouched until our people arrive.”
Then he pulled Liu Minghao aside and whispered, “Brother Hao, where’s Wang Hu?”
Liu Minghao also lowered his voice, “With Bu Bugao, watching over the researchers and the kids.”
Wei Zidào said, “Wang Hu is too strong—you saw last night. But I feel like his background doesn’t match the records.”
“You didn’t mention Wang Hu when you returned to the branch, did you?” Liu Minghao asked.
Wei Zidào shook his head. “Didn’t you tell me not to mention him? So I said nothing. I only reported that two mysterious great demons fought in the city.”
Liu Minghao lit a cigarette, exhaled, then slowly said, “The Bureau’s registration system for demons is strict. Especially for demons entering the Bureau workforce—even those in logistics aren’t handled casually… You saw Wang Hu’s power. A demon that strong… can he really be just a demon under a hundred years old?”
“Brother Hao, are you saying…?”
“I suspect someone inside forged or altered Wang Hu’s files. He might originally have been on the great demon list.”
“But… why would anyone do that?”
“I have no idea.” Liu Minghao shook his head helplessly. “But if this vacuum zone persists, at least we don’t need to fear Wang Hu losing control… Actually, it's better to keep him inside the vacuum zone.”
…
Capital City, Management Bureau Headquarters.
Inside the Special Operations Division Chief’s office.
At a clean desk, Yan Xiaoxi was reading several urgent documents—copies had clearly been sent to many higher-ups.
“Human experimentation… the Zhong family… hmph.”
Yan Xiaoxi frowned slightly. “First the Zhao family becomes restless, now the Zhong family… these four great families are getting more and more daring. But compared to that…”
His attention fell on another document—clearly the one he cared about more.
“A transcendental vacuum zone… it actually exists?” he murmured. “Is it man-made, or naturally formed…”
Someone knocked on the door. A staff member entered respectfully. “Department Chief, the Deputy Director requests your presence for an emergency meeting.”
“Understood…” Yan Xiaoxi closed the file, tucked it under his arm, turned off the lights, and left.
…
They wore uniforms bearing the names of various business associations, moving through disaster-stricken streets, helping distribute supplies, food, clothing, water—some were volunteers, some from neighborhood committees, some from the government.
In one corner of the disaster zone, in a black business van—
Zhang Qianrui was discussing matters with her elders. The Zhang family matriarch had taken the lead in this relief effort. As one of the southern region’s major business association leaders, her call had brought together many wealthy families. Their wives had even canceled their usual salons and card games to participate.
Zhang Qianrui glanced out the window at the busy socialite volunteers. She felt neither joy nor dislike. “Zhong Luochen is missing?” she asked.
“Mm, we haven’t been able to reach him since the incident,” Shi Shijie nodded. “Zhong Luochen’s commercial building is right at the center of the disaster zone—it’s already cracked through more than half. This morning, I contacted the entertainment company, but could only reach a few managers. They have no idea where Zhong Luochen is, and the same goes for President Cheng.”
“During the incident… he wasn’t still inside the building, was he?” Zhang Qianrui asked in surprise. “If that’s the case…”
She didn’t continue that thought.
When prominent families discuss other families, they often only touch the surface; much of it is speculation—they have the capability to infer the general movements of other families.
The Zhang family had a bit of connection here, partly because Grandma was old friends with the patriarch of the Zhong family. Last year, the two families almost formed a marriage alliance… but that didn’t happen in the end.
Even so, the two families had collaborated before, jointly investing in an entertainment company. Zhang Qianrui rarely paid attention to its operations; Shi Shijie generally handled it on her behalf.
Perhaps Zhong Luochen was in danger, otherwise he wouldn’t have disappeared without a trace. But Zhang Qianrui wasn’t overly worried—she didn’t have strong feelings one way or another toward Zhong Luochen; it was simply a matter of having known him.
Shaking her head, Zhang Qianrui said, “The entertainment company should be operating normally. The Zhong family will likely have news about Zhong Luochen soon, and we can see what the patriarch plans to say… Grandma has recovered quite a bit these past few days, and she’s in good spirits. Uncle Shi, don’t mention this matter to her yet; I don’t want her worrying too much and getting exhausted.”
“I understand,” Shi Shijie said with a slight smile. “Miss, you’re becoming more sensible by the day. Whoever marries you in the future will be truly lucky.”
He cared more that Zhang Qianrui could find someone she genuinely connected with, not be a pawn in a family alliance. With the Zhang family’s wealth, marriage for alliance wasn’t necessary—Grandma’s insistence last year was the only issue, and thankfully, she had let it go.
Zhang Qianrui felt it was still early for marriage, so she smiled faintly and moved on. “Alright, I’ll go help out. Look, Song Ying is already here.”
For this business association relief effort, Song Ying, representing the Song family, was starting new development in the south, so she naturally had to make an appearance. For this disaster relief, Song Ying personally contributed thirty million in funds and materials on behalf of the Song family. She also planned to participate in reconstruction activities, though that would probably involve government tenders.
Companies need good reputations… so Song Ying would have her share of public activities. With that in mind, Zhang Qianrui put on the pre-printed clothing and went to Song Ying’s side.
Sporty clothes and sneakers made her stand out among the wealthy ladies still in skirts and heels. Song Ying looked at Zhang Qianrui and found her far more visually appealing.
“When did you dye your hair this color?” she asked in surprise.
“Doesn’t it look good?” Zhang Qianrui shrugged. “It’s always been this color; I only dyed it black before.”
“Why change it back all of a sudden?”
“I said I was going to behave like a good girl, but then I realized I couldn’t, so I changed it back. Believe it or not,” Song Ying said casually.
Zhang Qianrui smiled without commenting and glanced around. “How much of the supplies have been distributed… huh?”
“See something?” Song Ying followed her gaze when she noticed Zhang Qianrui’s slight surprise.
In the crowd… there were all sorts of people: disaster victims, volunteers, police officers—all busy with their own tasks. Their eyes landed on a young man in casual clothing, also wearing the uniform of a neighborhood volunteer team.
Luo Qiu.
He was sweeping the streets, clearing debris.
As usual, Song Ying was more proactive and instinctively stepped forward—then stopped.
A blonde girl approached Luo Qiu, opened a bottle of water for him, and carefully wiped his face with a handkerchief.
Miss Ying froze, her expression shifting uneasily.
“Seeing him… with his girlfriend again,” Zhang Qianrui murmured behind her.
Song Ying turned, frowning. “You know her?”
Zhang Qianrui shook her head. “No, I’ve only seen her once or twice… but she’s really beautiful. I guess most men would like her.”
Song Ying glanced back at the crowd, muttering, “What a liar… said she was like a black tulip, but she’s obviously golden…”
“What?” Zhang Qianrui looked shocked.
Miss Ying snorted, grabbed Zhang Qianrui’s arm, and pulled her along. “Come on, we’re going to the SPA!”
“…Huh? But what about the disaster relief?”
“Doesn’t matter! I already spent thirty million of my own money! What am I, the general manager…”
Zhang Qianrui smiled wryly and let herself be pulled along. Despite the wealthy having significant assets, few would hand over thirty million without hesitation. Most donated tens or hundreds of thousands, which already earned them good reputations.
…
The volunteer work continued for two days.
During his volunteer work, Luo Qiu ran into many people he had met before… those who were still living happily.
During the relief effort, he witnessed much kindness—a large-scale expression of goodwill, which he found somewhat enjoyable.
“Humans learn to help each other in times of hardship.”
The next evening, Luo Qiu and Miss Maid went to the city park. In the deepest part of the park, they planted a small seedling that had finally sprouted.
The seed had been left behind by a spiritual vein guest who had gained sentience, and it only now had sprouted.
After settling the soil to give the seedling a stable home, Luo Qiu sat down—he on the left, You Ye on the right.
Luo Qiu smiled. “You’ve nurtured this land’s prosperity; now let this land give you a safe home…”
They stayed until the sunset faded and moonlight rose, then left.
That night, the air was still humid, and dew covered the seedling, sparkling in the light.
(End of Chapter)
Can anyone tell me the backstory about this seed? I can't remember what this seed is and where it came from.