114 Farewell, Han Xue

I didn’t completely believe what Zhou Tongtong said, but it definitely wasn’t baseless. Since she mentioned it, there had to be some truth to it. I needed to stay vigilant around Lin Xiayue.

After all, she wasn’t exactly an ally, so suddenly standing on the same side as us felt somewhat strange.

The night passed quickly. The next day, a few of us decided to go out for a walk. In this situation, we couldn’t stay at Lin Xiayue’s house forever. Gathering intelligence and recruiting teammates were the most important tasks right now.

We still had five days of free time, so we had to make the most of it.

We split up. Naturally, Sun Xiaoxiao teamed up with Xue Ning since they had participated in the same trial, giving them a certain level of tacit understanding. Although Xue Ning’s abilities weren’t fully developed yet, I felt assured with Sun Xiaoxiao protecting her.

Chen Hao chose Lin Xiayue because when sealing the Ghost Village, the two had cooperated effortlessly in battle. Chen Hao excelled in close combat, while Lin Xiayue could create a gravitational field around her body to disrupt opponents.

I took the responsibility of leading Feng Qian. After dividing into groups, we set off in three different directions.

Feng Qian and I aimed to find other contractors—contractors weren’t all ordinary students. Many people we met in the academic training camp building were adults.

For example, the blonde-haired man Wei Yan, as well as Hu Qingqing, the Queen of Hearts, and Gao Ge, the Spade card.

Among them were some well-known figures from Beicheng. The closed campus at D University had prevented me from understanding Beicheng’s situation, but now that we had left D University, we could receive information from the outside world.

In this modern, internet-connected society, it was easy to search for useful clues online.

For instance, the identities of contractors— not all of them hid themselves; some liked to make their presence known to the world.

Wei Yan was currently the number one most wanted killer in Beicheng. No wonder he was so skilled in killing, prepared to slaughter from the very start of the trial. I searched online for information about Wei Yan, but there wasn’t much. He suddenly underwent a drastic personality change one day and became a murderer, after which he disappeared.

That must have been when Wei Yan began his deadly trial.

If Wei Yan represented evil, then Hu Qingqing, the woman in leather pants, was the embodiment of justice.

When I found information about this capable woman, I finally understood why she and Wei Yan fought immediately upon meeting.

Hu Qingqing was a well-known tough policewoman in Beicheng, a detective specializing in major cases.

A clash between police and criminals naturally meant immediate conflict.

Besides those two, Gao Ge, the Spade card, was also a public figure—a famous singer in Beicheng.

Our mission this time was to find these three.

Lin Xiayue had a rift with Hu Qingqing, so she didn’t look for her but volunteered to seek out Gao Ge.

Xue Ning was quite afraid of Wei Yan, so she and Sun Xiaoxiao targeted Hu Qingqing.

This left Feng Qian and me with the task of finding Wei Yan, the killer.

But where was Wei Yan? That was the big question.

Hu Qingqing could be found at the police station, and Gao Ge, as a public figure, naturally had a fixed residence.

But Wei Yan?

Feng Qian and I could only search aimlessly. Before leaving, Lin Xiayue had each of us equipped with a highly concealed communication earpiece.

As long as the switch was on, we could talk anywhere with a signal.

Feng Qian found a reasonably nice café. The two of us sat down, prepared to wait patiently; perhaps Wei Yan’s figure would appear among the passersby.

The café was fairly crowded. Two girls at the table opposite kept sneaking glances at me.

Feng Qian stirred his coffee continuously, occasionally looking up to say something to me. He seemed unusually quiet, probably not wanting to disturb our mission.

Several cups of coffee were replaced, many people came and went, yet we still hadn’t seen a single contractor.

Finally, Feng Qian, unable to bear the silence, spoke up.

“Jian, do you think something will happen in the next trial?”

He spoke cautiously, afraid of being overheard, since ordinary people were unaware of this trial. If the information leaked, we would be punished.

“Maybe,” I replied, swallowing a mouthful of coffee, my gaze fixed outside the window.

“But I can’t use my ability anymore.”

Feng Qian looked disappointed. Since leaving the Ghost Village, where his powers had been enhanced, he could no longer fully utilize them.

His blood manipulation now only allowed a thin protective layer of blood to seep out—he could barely detach blood from his body.

“It’s fine,” I said casually. “Maybe at the next location, your ability will return.”

At that moment, someone in the crowd caught my attention.

She was standing beneath the signal light, holding a bag, seemingly waiting for someone.

I activated the auxiliary ability of the ancient mirror—enhanced vision. With this, I could gradually make out the woman’s features.

Though she had changed her hairstyle and clothing style, there was no doubt—it was Han Xue!

I hadn’t seen Han Xue since parting at D University.

Our eyes met briefly, and she suddenly widened hers.

Her whole body began trembling uncontrollably. I knew she had many things to say.

I didn’t have time to explain to Feng Qian and rushed out of the café.

At that moment, the signal light changed color. Han Xue seemed to be controlled by some invisible force, crossing to the opposite side of the street.

Surrounded by the crowd, Han Xue was about to vanish into the sea of people. I ignored the traffic and risked my life crossing the road.

Countless vehicles honked loudly as I dodged between them, ignoring the angry shouts of onlookers.

Han Xue was just ten meters away.

But her feet began to accelerate uncontrollably, only occasionally glancing back at me.

I ran toward her anxiously, closing the distance.

“Han Xue!” I shouted loudly. People around looked at me as if I were crazy, but I didn’t care.

I pushed through the crowd, continuing to run.

Five meters!

Three meters!

I could already smell her fragrance.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my clothes, stopping me in my tracks.

I wanted to turn and scold the obstacle, but the person was someone I couldn’t defy.

Dressed casually yet exuding elegance and formidable power, it was the contract holder known as White Impermanence.

White Impermanence smiled at me. “You stay.”

I tried to resist, but without my contractor powers, I was no match for her.

I could only watch Han Xue’s figure grow more distant, eventually disappearing into the crowd.

“This is the rule!” White Impermanence said sternly as she released me.

“You’re not an awakened one. You have no right to contact her.”

“Why? Why must it be like this? Why must there be such a trial?” I shouted, a wave of helplessness washing over me, making me feel utterly useless—even unable to reach the one I cared for.

White Impermanence sighed. “Originally, the ritual wasn’t this complicated. It only required a bit of blood and soul from each contractor.”

“But this time it’s different. The seal has loosened. We need to prepare thoroughly.”

“You all possess immense potential and are indispensable forces.”

I smiled bitterly. “You, as an awakened contractor, actually place your hopes on us mortals?”

“How can you be so sure we will grow to the level you want?”

“Young man, don’t be too self-deprecating. I, White Impermanence, have existed as a contractor for centuries. My abilities can no longer improve, but you are different.”

“You have infinite potential and can constantly surpass yourselves!”

“You haven’t awakened yet, nor have you received the inheritance. It’s too early to worry now.”

“However, if you’re eliminated before awakening, then I must admit I misjudged you.”

White Impermanence seemed unused to talking to others. This time, she spoke with me for a full ten minutes before leaving.

I patiently processed the information she gave me, then returned to the café to tell Feng Qian what had happened.

After I finished, Feng Qian said, “Your friend appeared earlier too.”

“The one who can control plants? The glasses guy? I think his name is Su Mu.”