Sundering Nature

TL: ZhaoEditing: Krisaia

“Completely recovered?” Li Yiming frowned. 

“Yes. Completely recovered. In fact, their physical conditions have even improved.” Lin said. 

“And then…?”

“No one could believe the results, so they sent the two survivors to A309 for further examination.” 

“A309 is a research facility?” 

“You could say so.” 

“What did they find out?” 

“They hadn’t even started…” Lin Lu’s countenance sank. “They hadn’t even started when one of the survivors suddenly self-ignited and burned until nothing remained.” 

“What? Where did that happen?” Li Yiming caught onto the detail. 

“At the airport.”  

“At what time?” 

“At noon today.” 

“Under the sun?” 

“Do you know anything?” Lin Lu noticed Li Yiming’s sudden interest.  

“What about the other survivor?”

“Our research teams conjectured that it was due to the sun, so they took the appropriate measures. He’s already in A309 now. You know something, don’t you? Can you save him?” Lin Lu said as she clenched her pants with shaking hands. 

“That survivor, he’s your…” Li Yiming knew that Lin Lu had a special attachment to the last survivor. 

“He’s my… fiance.” 

* * *

“Li Yiming and that secretary Lin from National Security from boarded a plane. We don’t know where they’re headed” Ying Mei reported as she held a pile of papers. 

“Why did he join National Security? Is he trying to use the resources from the military?” Yun Yiyuan said with a frown. 

“He let Wu Yun take care of business in the end, so it’s unlikely that he’s willing to fully cooperate with the military,” Ying Mei gave her analysis. Unlike businesspeople, the people in the military could not be easily swayed with promises of profit, and although the guardians were strong in their own rights, they still were no match in terms of strategy against experienced people. 

“Why is Wu Yun working with Li Yiming all of a sudden? I thought he wanted to kill him?” Yun Yiyuan rubbed his temples, knowing he could not let his guard down against Wu Yun. 

“I don’t believe they’re working together. Even Mr. Kong failed to rally him to his cause. There’s most likely more to it…” Ying Mei said as she gazed at the sky. After being told what happened a year ago by Yun Yiyuan, she now fully appreciated Li Yiming’s strength. 

“Heaven’s Blade… Heaven’s Laws…” Yun Yiyuan mumbled as he stared at the night sky. Even he was unsure of what exactly happened on that fateful day. 

“What about Lotus Village? Any movements there?” Yun Yiyuan asked as he turned his attention toward Ying Mei. 

“Nothing. That man called Qian Man is still looking to recruit people, but it’s not working that well so far,” Ying Mei said. 

“Wait.” Ying Mei suddenly noticed something on the last page. 

“Li Huaibei left the village…” Ying Mei said. 

“Oh? When did that happen?” 

“This morning. He left along with Tian Yan.” 

“Li Huaibei…” Yun Yiyuan took a deep breath.  

“Tell our people to come back. He woke up from his drunken dream. There’s no point in incurring losses now.” Yun Yiyuan said after a long moment of silence. 

“Yes.” Ying Mei picked up the phone and dialed a number. 

“The number you have dialed cannot be reached…” A mechanical voice came from the phone. 

“It’s too late.” Ying Mei said rather with a subtly satisfied tone, pleased to see Yun Yiyuan’s efforts frustrated.

“That’s too bad. As long as Stargaze isn’t involved in this, there’s nothing much Li Huaibei can accomplish on his own. Tell the people going there to be on their guard.” Yun Yiyuan’s desires were suddenly aroused at seeing Ying Mei laugh at his failures. He began to think that perhaps the reason why he was able to stay interested in her for so long was that she refused to submit entirely. 

Ying Mei turned around upon noticed the lustful desires written on Yun Yiyuan’s face, but an arm wrapped around her waist before she could escape. 

* * *

“Boss, that kid confessed. He’s a new guardian who abused his ability to make some money, but caught some unwanted attention.” A muscular man holding a red hot searing iron said to Pan Junwei as the latter continued smoking. 

“So the attack against the special ops team was just for revenge?” Pan Juwei threw the cigarette butt on the ground and spat. 

Just yesterday, Pan Junwei had received news that a team from the squadron he once served in was attacked. Having spent some years in the military, Pan Junwei had a special attachment to the people who used to be his brothers-in-arms. He had resisted the urge to intervene when the outpost was attacked a few months ago, but the recent attack last straw for him. He decided to lead his team to capture the suspect. Even if the culprit was a sage, Pan Junwei was confident in his abilities to give the attacker a run for their money.  

“There’s no mistake. The drug’s doing its job.” The muscular man said, slightly disappointed that they had only caught a small fry after a night of work. 

“Shit, if I was still in the military, I would be showing those punks…” Pan Junwei looked at the cell in which they held the culprit prisoner. 

“What are we going to do about him?” 

“Make him suffer, and then kill him. After that, let everyone know that they can’t touch the military.” Pan Junwei said in a glacial tone. 

“Looks like I’ve come to the right place.” A laughing voice was suddenly heard. 

“Who is it?” The muscular man ran toward the source of the voice, brandishing his searing iron. 

“Is this how you welcome guests in the military?” A silhouette emerged from the darkness, holding a body in one hand and the searing iron in another. 

“Wu Yun?” Pan Junwei’s eyes widened and he intervened to stop his subordinates from starting a fight. 

“Here!” Wu Yun suddenly threw the man he held toward Pan Junwei. 

“It’s the one who attacked the output.” Wu Yun said as he examined the searing iron. 

“What are you up to?” Pan Junwei was no fool — Wu Yun must have come here to settle a deal with him. 

“Great. That’s what I love about dealing with military people. Always straight to the point…” 

“I want to borrow something from you…” 

* * *

Li Yiming’s saw Lin Lu’s fiance from across the glass pane of a containment cell. His name was Zhou Jiazheng, a man in his thirties who was of medium size. However, Li Yiming could see that his skin was abnormally pale, and his eyes only lit up after seeing Lin Lu. 

“You shouldn’t have come,” Zhou Jiazheng said to Lin Lu. 

Lin Lu’s eyes reddened as she reached out for her fiance, only to be blocked by the glass pane. 

“Can I go in?” Li Yiming was almost sure that it was indeed the vampiric virus, but he needed confirmation. Although the virus could be transmitted to an ordinary person, it was abnormal for Zhou Jiazheng to be able to bear its power. In addition, even though Zhou Jiazhang looked a little pale, he seemed quite healthy, which reminded Li Yiming of Eyeglasses. 

“You’ll need the protective equipment.” The medical personnel said. It was still hard for him to believe that Li Yiming possessed extraordinary powers despite Lin Lu’s telling him. 

“It’s okay. He’s not contagious.” Li Yiming dismissed the suggestion and signaled for the medical staff to open the door. 

“His orders are mine,” Lin Lu said. 

Li Yiming stopped Lin Lu from going in with him and entered the containment cell alone. 

“Can I be cured?” Zhou Jiazheng asked, knowing Li Yiming’s true identity. He had been informed by the medical staff that the virus was continuously dividing itself and had invaded almost every cell in his body. 

“Not to my awareness.”