qizi / 60
The author has something to say:
Today and tomorrow are the final chapters of Bikong Academy. We’ll have to say goodbye to some people temporarily or permanently, and everyone will be happy in their own lives.
Pu-tong, pu-tong, pu-tong…
The two were so close they could even hear each other’s heartbeats.
And this pulsating rhythm had already become the last sound between Heaven and Earth for them.
Ling Xiao gazed foolishly at the man in front of him, not understanding why he switched worlds all of a sudden.
Even all the candidates were confused. A moment ago, Ling Xiao was obviously still in the other screen, and the monsters were in the middle of their final rush towards him, but just before his imminent crisis, Ling Xiao abruptly disappeared, and reappeared by Ying Feng’s side in a blink of an eye.
At the very moment they touched each other, one by one, the enemies that were already pouncing in midair turned into smoke with a bang, vanishing into thin air. The countdown timer was also permanently stopped at 00:00.
The candidates didn’t know the first thing about what just happened, but good thing there were still many seniors at the scene with them. They were absolutely familiar with this sort of spectacle.
“Summoning Qizi. Qizi can be summoned to your side within a certain distance. As a mid-level ability for Qizhu, it’s usually mastered after half a year of enrollment, but it’s awfully surprising that it appeared on a candidate.”
Aha, so it’s like that. Everyone finally understood. But since they used this method to find Qizi, does it actually count as passing the test? Or does it not?
The entire audience turned their line of sight to concentrate on the indicator light that would decide the fate of these two people. Among these pairs of eyes included Ling Xiao’s and Ying Feng’s as well. Although the light still hadn’t lit up yet, it’ll soon be perforated by the scorching gazes of everyone there.
Whether it was the two who stood at the center of the exam room, or the audience who sat in their seats, they were all on the edge as they waited for the judgment result.
Even the judgment system felt the invisible pressure. After some time, a yellow light unexpectedly lit up on the site.
A confused voice rang out. Why is it a yellow light? What is a yellow light?
It wasn’t the green light that represented passing, nor was it the red that represented elimination. Instead, it was an begging-for-answers yellow. Ling Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, what exactly does it mean, is it still not ok?
In the proctors’ seating area, several instructors stared at one another.
“Out of all previous candidates, there were hardly any Qizhu that even knew teleportation. It’s because I knew he could that I specifically added an extra anti-teleportation barrier to the space where Qizi will be,” the staff in charge of setting up the site explained.
“But this barrier works only one-way, it’ll only block people from teleporting in, but won’t prevent people from coming out. Who would’ve thought that he’d suddenly also understand how to summon Qizi?”
“Let alone summoning Qizi needs his spiritual power to reach 40 before it can get going, and that the affections part of it also needs at least four stars before it can work, but it was clearly only yesterday that they…”
He looked at her, she looked at him, everyone looked at each other. Not only did they possess spiritual power that far surpassed those of their peers, they also had an affections level that was rapidly heating up. Exactly how much potential can burst out from these two, and how much surprise will they bring?
“Since it is an oversight of the rules, then the candidates shouldn’t be held responsible for the result,” Fu Yao’s voice interjected in a timely manner, “They didn’t violate any rules, and they also achieved the required outcome, therefore this result should be considered valid.”
“Yellow light means the committee of proctors will hold a referendum. As one of the proctors, I vote to pass them.” After speaking, he pressed down on the green light in front of him.
The second person pondered for a moment, “Even if it’s four stars, this affections level is still too low, and does not satisfy our Joint Combat Department’s long-standing requirement. For that reason, I’m sorry, but I object.” He pressed down on the red light.
“The strengths of these two candidates are so rare. It’ll really be such a shame if we eliminate them just like this. I believe we should give them a chance to be manually screened, so I, too, vote to pass.”
“It’s true that such talents are hard to come by, but what my department cares about most is mutual understanding and cooperation. This type of power where it’s only individual strength is hard to endorse, my apologies.”
It was two v. two, and all eyes were fixed on the remaining instructor. He gingerly peeked at Fu Yao, and noticed that the other’s face bore an enigmatic smile that made him feel as though his personal safety was being threatened. “That,” he wiped some sweat off his forehead, “well, affections can be cultivated right, yesterday they were still at three stars, today they hit four stars, so if they follow this rate of progress, maybe they’ll be stuck together like glue before school starts…right? So I, I also pass them.”
As the last person pressed down on the green light, the indicator light on the site also turned from yellow to green, and a burst of cheers sounded out. Ling Xiao breathed out a long sigh of relief.
The wait just now was practically more nerve-racking than going through the entire exam. Once he was thoroughly relaxed, he realized that his palms were completely soaked in cold sweat. He didn’t know whether it was his, Ying Feng’s, or both of theirs.
Nah, how could it be possible for a T. rex to sweat? He immediately shut down this idea. Before he had time to think more about it, Ying Feng already pulled him forward and walked out of the site. With his brain in semi-shutdown mode, he didn’t notice anything out of place at the moment.
Hong Mao and Bingcan waited outside the exit to greet them.
“Congratulations you two,” Bingcan smiled, “Your performance just now was truly brilliant, everyone can’t help praising it.”
“Ling Xiao’s confession was even more touching, I almost cried.” Hong Mao added, inviting death to his doorstep.
Ling Xiao was thunderstruck, “Wha-What confession?”
“It’s the stuff you said at the end, the whole ‘you’re very wonderful I’m very proud’ and whatnot. It was yesterday that got you to say such things right.”
Ling Xiao was utterly dumbstruck, “You can all hear the words I said through the intercom?”
“Not only can we hear it, but we can see it too,” Hong Mao pointed to the ring-shaped screen above, a comprehensive 360° experience without any gaps, all surrounded by stereophonic sound, so that no matter how one looks or listens, everything literally couldn’t be any clearer.
“You’re joking!” Ling Xiao’s face slowly heated up.
He thought that only Ying Feng on the other end of the headset could hear his words. Why didn’t anyone tell him he was on live broadcast?!
And it was also not until this moment that Ling Xiao realized their hands were still firmly intertwined.
He quickly threw it away, “I-it’s not a confession, y-y-you better not misunderstand.”
Then he impatiently turned around, dying to get out of the public view. He didn’t expect that his embarrassing words would actually be heard by everyone. If he knew it was going to happen, he might as well have slipped it to him in private yesterday.
“You’re walking with the same hands and feet, hey!” Hong Mao shouted behind him, not ashamed of creating more chaos.
Bingcan held back a smile, “He’s going the wrong way, that way’s the exam site.”
Ying Feng only had to reach out his hand and grab, and Ling Xiao, who had already walked more than ten meters away, returned to the same spot. He didn’t even know what was going on, just that his position shifted, and that his hand was held once more.
Ling Xiao: “…”
A dream, this is all a dream.
He hypnotized himself and continued his walk in a different direction.
“Hey, that way’s the proctor’s seating area,” laughed Bingcan helplessly.
Ling Xiao didn’t even take two steps before he was caught again.
“Are you done playing yet!” Ling Xiao finally couldn’t help yelling, “Doesn’t this goddamn ability use up spiritual power?”
“Still alright.” The implication being, if you leave again, I can still catch you.
Ling Xiao renounced his struggle and sincerely didn’t move, remaining perfectly still.
Hong Mao looked very envious, “My family Qizhu will quickly learn how to do it too, then we’ll also get to play catch-and-roll.”
Ling Xiao was finally reluctantly dragged to the auditorium. But not long after the next exam started, this thick-headed person completely tossed the embarrassing thing that happened to him to the back of his mind.
The candidates were truly very strong. Anyone can do their best to fight against the enemies in the labyrinth, but when one person used one punch to hit all monsters and paralyzed them, the whole crowd went wild.
“Ah, that’s the two-star couple from yesterday!” recalled Ling Xiao.
That Qizhu’s success rate of opening the correct door was even more miserable than Ying Feng’s, but relying on this one trick, he successfully opened the correct door before time was up, and his Qizi did not even see the shadow of a monster.
As for the Bingcan duo, it goes without saying that a 90% success rate on top of nine support stars made it a piece of cake for him to reach Hong Mao’s room. When he found him, Hong Mao was still grumbling about missing out on all the fun. The pair’s overall score was still in the lead.
The last day of exams was finally over. Before they departed, Ling Xiao spotted Fu Yao.
“I received an impromptu assignment and only returned yesterday. It was not my intention to abandon you without regard,” explained Fu Yao briefly.
Ling Xiao was very moved that the person he admired thought of him, so how could he blame him.
“The authority to handle you two was transferred over to General Long Yin. I know this must involve something I can’t know about, so I won’t ask questions that will put you in a difficult spot. Long Yin is a war maniac, but he is absolutely loyal to the country. I’m not worried about him using you to do harm, I’m just afraid that with everything he’s trying to attain, it will do you harm, and I am only an outsider, so it’s not convenient for me to intervene. You two can only depend on yourselves to be careful with everything around you.”
“We will,” replied Ying Feng solemnly.
“That’s good,” he faced Ling Xiao, “I watched the exams for the last two days. The performances from you two were excellent, they did not disappoint me. I hope to see you here in the new school term.”
The exams came to an end, and following this, Ling Xiao reported the results to the teachers who cared about them. Although the finalized results were still not out yet, everyone was still awashed with hope for the admission offer.
“You should also go to Dr. Yao’s and say goodbye. You are her specially beloved students. She’ll surely want to see you one last time before she leaves.”
“Goodbye? Dr. Yao is leaving? Going where?”
The principal smiled, “Go find her and you’ll know.”
When the two people got to the infirmary, Yao Tai was indeed packing things up.
“Dr. Yao, where are you going?” asked Ling Xiao nervously as soon as he arrived.
When Yao Tai saw them, she couldn’t help wanting to reach out and pat his hand, totally forgetting that he was no longer a kid, and that even his height had surpassed hers.
Ling Xiao also noticed that Yao Tai was in an exceptionally good mood today, as the smile on her face couldn’t be any brighter.
“I’m going back to the Base.”
“The Base?”
“Yep. I didn’t tell you before, but I used to work at the Base. Because of some factors, I became the school doctor, but I’ve always wanted to go back.”
“When I was about your age, I aspired to be a researcher at the Base, but after I achieved my goal, I didn’t cherish it. Zhi Shang has been applying to transfer me back for so many years, and now that the superiors have finally approved it, I’ll definitely cherish this opportunity.”
“That’s great!” The joy this news brought was not any less than when they passed the military academy exams.
Yao Tai couldn’t hide how ecstatic she was. What she didn’t mention was that today was actually a double celebration occasion. After going through a period of military interrogation, the allegations against Zhi Shang have finally been dropped, and he was officially reinstated this morning.
But this matter can’t be brought up to the two individuals present, lest it causes them guilt.
“Actually I’ve always felt very guilty…” revealed Ling Xiao suddenly, startling Yao Tai.
Yao Tai sighed while smiling, “He has never blamed you. Rather, he has also always felt very guilty towards you, because…of that matter.”
She reopened old wounds, and everyone’s mood became somewhat downcast.
It was quiet for a moment. Yao Tai pulled herself together again, “That’s why when the military opened an investigation, he also tried to excuse you at all costs, hoping with this, he can compensate for the debt he owes your friend. Since you all share the same thoughts about this incident, how about we say that everything is settled from this point forward. No one needs to feel guilty anymore.”
“Even if you say it that way,” said Ling Xiao as he scratched his head, “Dr. Yao, can you wait a bit before you go? We have a car, so why don’t we take you there? I want to tell him I’m sorry in person.”
Yao Tai thought for a while, “That works too, but when did you buy a car?”
“Chief, you are back?”
“Welcome back.”
Zhi Shang nodded and said hello to the people who greeted him along the way. It has been three whole weeks of suspension for the investigation, causing him to immensely miss working at his post.
But today, besides being reinstated, there was still one more business that made him even happier.
“Oh, by the way Chief, when will Assistant Yao arrive? We’re preparing to have a small welcome party for her.”
Zhi Shang smiled when he heard this, “She should be here soon, I just received a message from her that she’s on the way. Oh, her students are taking her here.”
“Then we’ll go get ready right now.”
“How thoughtful.”
Zhi Shang kept walking forward. Suddenly, he saw some figure ducking around a corner from afar, seeming extra sneaky in broad daylight.
With his curiosity piqued, he followed behind, but the person’s shadow could no longer be seen. At the end of the corner was a rarely frequented old storeroom.
This storeroom was filled with abandoned archives, why would anyone deliberately come here?
His intuition told him that something inappropriate was going on, so he softly crept closer, and was taken by surprise as a voice carried over from inside the storeroom. That voice was so familiar, but he couldn’t quite place who it was at the moment.
“Yes, he’s already back. The military will soon continue their investigation, the situation will be quite unfavorable for us.”
The other person’s voice started, and despite how it was somewhat distorted by the communicator, there was no way Zhi Shang could ever forget this voice.
That was his former mentor, the one who he was most grateful for in his life, the person who had enormously benefited him, and at the same time, the one who also plunged him into the difficult choice between repaying his teacher’s grace or loyalty to the greater good.
Teacher was still alive? And he still had connections to the people at the Base? A sense of foreboding arose in Zhi Shang’s heart.
“Didn’t I have you erase all the evidence?” This was unmistakably Tai Yin’s voice.
“You only told me to let them copy and take out the research data at first. Who knew they would take other liberties with this chance and cause such a huge ruckus that even I almost got exposed. If there’s no scapegoat for this story, the military will not let it go.”
Zhi Shang covered his mouth in shock. It turned out there really were traitors in the Base, the incident from last time was not a coincidence, the students were being used! This issue must be raised to the military as soon as possible!
Just as he took a step back, a sharp pain spread out from his back, and an ice-cold feeling instantly enveloped his whole body.
Tianxiu people’s greatest weakness: pierce the heart, swift death with one blow.
The door to the storeroom was open, and a person slowly walked out, as if he had expected that such a thing would occur outside the door.
“It’s you…”
Zhi Shang turned around with great difficulty, and finally made out the true identity of the other murderer. These two people colluded together to plot against him, and by now, everything was too late.
“You…”
“Sorry, this story needs a scapegoat. If, at that time, you chose to help your own teacher, today wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
Zhi Shang’s soul was slowly gathering, getting ready to cast off to his next reincarnation. He exhausted the last bit of his energy to shake his head, “No, even if you give me another chance to choose, I still won’t…”
His eyes gradually closed. His consciousness that was breaking away from his body was drifting towards a certain someone who was coming this way with her heart full of joy.
He whispered the name of his beloved, and his forward collapsed body finally faded into nothingness.
Listening to Ling Xiao’s boastful jests and laughing heartily to her heart’s content from time to time in the aircraft, Yao Tai suddenly tightly clutched her chest in pain, her deathly pale complexion alarming the other two people.
Ling Xiao hurriedly controlled the aircraft to make a temporary landing, then ran to the back seat to check on Yao Tai’s condition.
“Dr. Yao! Dr. Yao! What’s wrong?”
Yao Tai struggled to lift her head—tears were already streaming down her face.
“Zhi Shang…”
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