Chapter 34: Suspicions arose (TEOTW)
Although the base had a dedicated medical room, Ji Chuancheng walked in the opposite direction with agile and brisk steps, heading straight for the small buildings of the research institute. Pushing open the door, he asked in a low, magnetic voice tinged with a hint of anger and concern, "Where's Qin Chu?" The group of people who were disturbed turned their heads in surprise to look at him.
They saw a tall man carrying Jing Xia directly inside, with a little black ball running around his feet in circles. Following behind was an assistant in a white coat with a somewhat embarrassed expression, indicating that he couldn't stop the man from entering.
Qi Yang was the first to react. He tossed the large surgical forceps he was holding into a metal tray with a crisp clang, removed his mask, and furrowed his brow, asking, "What's going on?"
Only then did the professors and assistants in the entire laboratory come back to their senses.
As if infected by the sudden chill spreading from the doorway, even the struggling mutated rose, who was still struggling despite being knocked on the head, paused briefly before continuing to bounce around.
Ji Chuancheng glanced at the professors and assistants in the room, who were bustling about in a frenzy, then furrowed his brows tightly. "Xia Xia is injured. Where's Qin Chu?"
"Follow me," Qi Yang said.
With that, Qi Yang casually took off his white coat, which was stained with green plant juice, and tossed it aside, caught by a young assistant waiting nearby. Without looking back, he walked out of the laboratory door, surprising the assistants behind who called out in astonishment, "Major Qi, Major Qi! The experiment is not yet complete, you..."
"Just leave this simple matter to Professor Qi," he said dismissively, leaving the young assistant with tears streaming down his face and speechless.
Ever since he was assigned to Major Qi a few days ago, his brain cells had decreased by at least half, if not more!
Qi Yang's expression had never been as serious as it was now, which even made Ji Chuancheng curious. He looked at Qi Yang, who was now sweaty with a layer of sweat on his forehead, seemingly caused by the stuffiness in the laboratory for most of the day.
"Who was he fighting with among the mutated beasts to cause such an accident?" Qi Yang's tone was no longer casual as he walked and looked down at the unconscious youth, saying, "I already have a general idea of everyone's abilities here. Based on Xia Xia's level, it shouldn't be this serious. At least the mutated creatures in the S City Base shouldn't be able to knock him unconscious."
"It's Su Weishang."
Qi Yang's steps faltered, lagging behind Ji Chuancheng for half a beat before catching up quickly. "This is the first time I've heard of a human evolver fighting and injuring someone in the competition area. Doesn't that Su Weishang know the rules of the competition area?"
Because evolvers are extremely rare, the most important rule in the competition area is—
No harming others.
Therefore, fighting with mutated creatures was risky, but fighting among evolvers was much safer.
Without directly answering this question, Ji Chuancheng's stern face showed a hint of killing intent. He would never forget how his blood froze when that sharp wind blade shot towards the young man in his arms, causing his whole body to freeze, even his heart stopping.
This feeling couldn't happen a second time.
"I've checked Su Weishang's information. As an evolver with a relatively weak foundation, his abilities are not exceptional, and his physical fitness is not strong. I don't think he has anything outstanding," Qi Yang said as they turned a corner and headed upstairs. "Oh, by the way, except for his extremely good luck, which makes me very interested in studying."
"He's abnormal."
The sudden statement echoed in the peaceful stairwell. Qi Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, about to say something, but then saw the young man in his arms slowly open his eyes, his beautiful peach blossom eyes blinking slowly, as if still not completely awake.
Ji Chuancheng stopped abruptly, quietly calling out, "Xia Xia?"
In just a few seconds, Jing Xia frowned, shook his head vigorously, then opened his eyes again. Aside from a hint of fatigue and weariness in his eyes, he had completely regained his spirit.
Ji Chuancheng immediately put him down.
"What's going on?" a puzzled voice rang out. Jing Xia looked around for a while before realizing that he had left the training base without knowing it. He looked forward, his eyes widening suddenly. "Qi Yang?!"
Qi Yang nodded slightly and asked, "How do you feel now?"
Jiang Xia reflexively replied, "My head is a bit dizzy, and I feel a bit light on my feet, but it's nothing serious." After a pause, he suddenly realized what had happened and exclaimed, "Where's Su Weishang?!!!"
At the mention of this name, Ji Chuancheng couldn't help but tighten his fingers, his eyes slightly displeased. "He's still in the competition area. Since you're not feeling well, let's go find Qin Chu. She's in the research institute."
Jiang Xia nodded in confusion and shook his head, trying to stop the buzzing sound in his head. He just raised his head and happened to meet Qi Yang's gaze. Jiang Xia looked at Qi Yang in surprise, seeing his rarely serious expression, which gradually made Jiang Xia also become serious.
The three of them arrived at the third floor after a few minutes and found Qin Chu. As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw a tall woman in a white coat reaching for something on the medicine rack. Suddenly hearing the door open, she turned around in surprise and said, "Young Master, Little Rascal?!"
Qin Chu has not awakened her abilities yet, but she comes to the research institute every day to study medicine and see if she can find a way to treat some of the injured evolvers in the base.
Ji Chuancheng nodded slightly and said, "Take a look at him." He pointed to Jing Xia.
Although Qin Chu didn't understand what had happened, she was used to following orders. She first took his pulse, then, with a serious expression, used some modern instruments reserved by the S City Base. When all the actions were completed, Qin Chu let out a long sigh and said, "It's nothing serious. Apart from a bit of dizziness and headache, all parts of the body are normal."
Ji Chuancheng got straight to the point, "Anything special?"
Qin Chu's expression turned serious, "If there's anything special... I used a new type of transparent scanner manufactured by the research institute to check his brain. I found that a few blood vessels near the hypothalamus had shifted slightly, but the displacement is very small and not a big deal. It can repair itself; its level is also decreasing but it should be fine after another check tomorrow."
With these words, everyone fell silent except for Jing Xia, who looked confused. Ji Chuancheng's face became even more oppressive, and Qi Yang also furrowed his brow, no longer as relaxed and teasing as before. Even Qin Chu looked at Jing Xia strangely for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, “Little rascal, what did you do? You were lively and energetic when I saw you this morning."
After all this time, the ringing in Jing Xia's mind gradually subsided. He touched his forehead, feeling the dull pain that felt like being chopped by a blunt axe becoming lighter, and gradually recalled what had happened earlier.
Now, even he couldn't stay calm.
Raising his head, Jing Xia said seriously, "A'Chuan, Su Weishang is too strange. At the end, I felt a strange force pulling me towards him, and then my mind went blank, not knowing what happened at all."
"Jijiji!! Jijii!! Jijiji!" The little black ball seemed to want to say something, jumping around incessantly but all that came out was squeaking, completely incomprehensible.
Ji Chuancheng silently looked at the mutated hamster for a moment before saying, "You were thrown backwards at the end."
Jing Xia was stunned for a moment, subconsciously repeating, "Thrown backwards?!"
Ji Chuancheng nodded subtly. Before he could speak, Qi Yang asked from the side, "Do you still remember how it felt back then, Jing Xia? Describe it in detail."
With a tightly furrowed brow, Jing Xia thought for a long time, then said calmly, "It's hard to describe specifically. If I must, it's like being carried away by someone. I felt dizzy, unable to control my body and it was moving towards that direction. Oh, right! When I was about to reach Su Weishang, I vaguely felt a sense of danger—like if I were completely sucked in, I would definitely die."
"Is your memory only about being sucked in?" Ji Chuancheng asked.
Jing Xia nodded.
A shadow fell over Jin Chuancheng's handsome face.
In the afternoon, the gentle yet not radiant sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the room, illuminating the entire space. Jing Xia looked up to see Ji Chuancheng's phoenix-like eyes narrowing, deep and dark, like a black hole that could absorb all light, lost in thought.
What he didn't know was that Ji Chuancheng's mind had already gone through countless thoughts.
From the young man's strange attitude towards Su Weishang when he first entered the S City Base, to the first discordant encounter in the research institute, and finally—those two wind blades full of killing intent aiming straight for vital points.
His fingers tightened slightly, nails embedding into the flesh of his palm.
"This is indeed very strange. Major Ji said you were thrown backwards and caught by him. Since it wasn't voluntary on your part, could it be that Su Weishang threw you out?" Qi Yang's puzzled voice rang out. He paused and added, "Su Weishang's wind-based abilities have been extensively studied in the institute with specific observations made during several battles in the testing area. He has never shown this kind of ability and it's also impossible for him to possess such an illogical wind-based ability."
After some contemplation, Jing Xia suddenly remembered how he had been defeated by Su Weishang in his previous life, besides being injured from battling mutants during the beast tide war. Initially, Su Weishang had mysteriously pulled him in when no one else was around.
And he had always thought it was a wind-based ability.
"Could this not be a wind-based ability? Pulling people in?" Jing Xia asked.
Qi Yang shook his head. "Perhaps such an ability exists, but it's definitely not Su Weishang's. Through the study of his cells and blood, I've found that his wind-based ability is the same as other's, manipulating air density to create wind. If he could suck in a living person, it would at least create enough wind to be felt by everyone in the area."
"No exceptions?" Jing Xia exclaimed.
Qi Yang looked at Jing Xia with a probing and thoughtful gaze, mixed with more complex emotions. After a moment of silence, he finally replied, "Unless... he's a dual-ability holder, something humanity has never discovered before."
Ji Chuancheng glanced at Qi Yang without changing his expression.
Jing Xia exclaimed, "Dual abilities?! Such a thing exists?!"
To his knowledge from his previous life, among the thousands of ability holders, none had two abilities. Having an ability itself was difficult enough, let alone combining two.
Qin Chu also asked in surprise, "I've never heard of the term 'dual abilities' before?"
Qi Yang smiled. "Not knowing doesn't mean it doesn't exist. From the start, I never believed that people could only have one ability. I've been researching the possibility of merging abilities, although I haven't succeeded yet but I don't deny the possibility of it."
After pondering for a while, Jing Xia felt increasingly likely that Su Weishang possessed dual abilities. He was about to say something to Qi Yang when he looked up and met Ji Chuancheng's gaze. Those dark, calm eyes were staring at him earnestly and solemnly with a serious expression.
"I need to talk to you alone," he paused, lips tightly pressed together, "Jing Xia.”
Chapter 34: Suspicions arose (TEOTW)
Although the base had a dedicated medical room, Ji Chuancheng walked in the opposite direction with agile and brisk steps, heading straight for the small buildings of the research institute. Pushing open the door, he asked in a low, magnetic voice tinged with a hint of anger and concern, "Where's Qin Chu?" The group of people who were disturbed turned their heads in surprise to look at him.
They saw a tall man carrying Jing Xia directly inside, with a little black ball running around his feet in circles. Following behind was an assistant in a white coat with a somewhat embarrassed expression, indicating that he couldn't stop the man from entering.
Qi Yang was the first to react. He tossed the large surgical forceps he was holding into a metal tray with a crisp clang, removed his mask, and furrowed his brow, asking, "What's going on?"
Only then did the professors and assistants in the entire laboratory come back to their senses.
As if infected by the sudden chill spreading from the doorway, even the struggling mutated rose, who was still struggling despite being knocked on the head, paused briefly before continuing to bounce around.
Ji Chuancheng glanced at the professors and assistants in the room, who were bustling about in a frenzy, then furrowed his brows tightly. "Xia Xia is injured. Where's Qin Chu?"
"Follow me," Qi Yang said.
With that, Qi Yang casually took off his white coat, which was stained with green plant juice, and tossed it aside, caught by a young assistant waiting nearby. Without looking back, he walked out of the laboratory door, surprising the assistants behind who called out in astonishment, "Major Qi, Major Qi! The experiment is not yet complete, you..."
"Just leave this simple matter to Professor Qi," he said dismissively, leaving the young assistant with tears streaming down his face and speechless.
Ever since he was assigned to Major Qi a few days ago, his brain cells had decreased by at least half, if not more!
Qi Yang's expression had never been as serious as it was now, which even made Ji Chuancheng curious. He looked at Qi Yang, who was now sweaty with a layer of sweat on his forehead, seemingly caused by the stuffiness in the laboratory for most of the day.
"Who was he fighting with among the mutated beasts to cause such an accident?" Qi Yang's tone was no longer casual as he walked and looked down at the unconscious youth, saying, "I already have a general idea of everyone's abilities here. Based on Xia Xia's level, it shouldn't be this serious. At least the mutated creatures in the S City Base shouldn't be able to knock him unconscious."
"It's Su Weishang."
Qi Yang's steps faltered, lagging behind Ji Chuancheng for half a beat before catching up quickly. "This is the first time I've heard of a human evolver fighting and injuring someone in the competition area. Doesn't that Su Weishang know the rules of the competition area?"
Because evolvers are extremely rare, the most important rule in the competition area is—
No harming others.
Therefore, fighting with mutated creatures was risky, but fighting among evolvers was much safer.
Without directly answering this question, Ji Chuancheng's stern face showed a hint of killing intent. He would never forget how his blood froze when that sharp wind blade shot towards the young man in his arms, causing his whole body to freeze, even his heart stopping.
This feeling couldn't happen a second time.
"I've checked Su Weishang's information. As an evolver with a relatively weak foundation, his abilities are not exceptional, and his physical fitness is not strong. I don't think he has anything outstanding," Qi Yang said as they turned a corner and headed upstairs. "Oh, by the way, except for his extremely good luck, which makes me very interested in studying."
"He's abnormal."
The sudden statement echoed in the peaceful stairwell. Qi Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, about to say something, but then saw the young man in his arms slowly open his eyes, his beautiful peach blossom eyes blinking slowly, as if still not completely awake.
Ji Chuancheng stopped abruptly, quietly calling out, "Xia Xia?"
In just a few seconds, Jing Xia frowned, shook his head vigorously, then opened his eyes again. Aside from a hint of fatigue and weariness in his eyes, he had completely regained his spirit.
Ji Chuancheng immediately put him down.
"What's going on?" a puzzled voice rang out. Jing Xia looked around for a while before realizing that he had left the training base without knowing it. He looked forward, his eyes widening suddenly. "Qi Yang?!"
Qi Yang nodded slightly and asked, "How do you feel now?"
Jiang Xia reflexively replied, "My head is a bit dizzy, and I feel a bit light on my feet, but it's nothing serious." After a pause, he suddenly realized what had happened and exclaimed, "Where's Su Weishang?!!!"
At the mention of this name, Ji Chuancheng couldn't help but tighten his fingers, his eyes slightly displeased. "He's still in the competition area. Since you're not feeling well, let's go find Qin Chu. She's in the research institute."
Jiang Xia nodded in confusion and shook his head, trying to stop the buzzing sound in his head. He just raised his head and happened to meet Qi Yang's gaze. Jiang Xia looked at Qi Yang in surprise, seeing his rarely serious expression, which gradually made Jiang Xia also become serious.
The three of them arrived at the third floor after a few minutes and found Qin Chu. As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw a tall woman in a white coat reaching for something on the medicine rack. Suddenly hearing the door open, she turned around in surprise and said, "Young Master, Little Rascal?!"
Qin Chu has not awakened her abilities yet, but she comes to the research institute every day to study medicine and see if she can find a way to treat some of the injured evolvers in the base.
Ji Chuancheng nodded slightly and said, "Take a look at him." He pointed to Jing Xia.
Although Qin Chu didn't understand what had happened, she was used to following orders. She first took his pulse, then, with a serious expression, used some modern instruments reserved by the S City Base. When all the actions were completed, Qin Chu let out a long sigh and said, "It's nothing serious. Apart from a bit of dizziness and headache, all parts of the body are normal."
Ji Chuancheng got straight to the point, "Anything special?"
Qin Chu's expression turned serious, "If there's anything special... I used a new type of transparent scanner manufactured by the research institute to check his brain. I found that a few blood vessels near the hypothalamus had shifted slightly, but the displacement is very small and not a big deal. It can repair itself; its level is also decreasing but it should be fine after another check tomorrow."
With these words, everyone fell silent except for Jing Xia, who looked confused. Ji Chuancheng's face became even more oppressive, and Qi Yang also furrowed his brow, no longer as relaxed and teasing as before. Even Qin Chu looked at Jing Xia strangely for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, “Little rascal, what did you do? You were lively and energetic when I saw you this morning."
After all this time, the ringing in Jing Xia's mind gradually subsided. He touched his forehead, feeling the dull pain that felt like being chopped by a blunt axe becoming lighter, and gradually recalled what had happened earlier.
Now, even he couldn't stay calm.
Raising his head, Jing Xia said seriously, "A'Chuan, Su Weishang is too strange. At the end, I felt a strange force pulling me towards him, and then my mind went blank, not knowing what happened at all."
"Jijiji!! Jijii!! Jijiji!" The little black ball seemed to want to say something, jumping around incessantly but all that came out was squeaking, completely incomprehensible.
Ji Chuancheng silently looked at the mutated hamster for a moment before saying, "You were thrown backwards at the end."
Jing Xia was stunned for a moment, subconsciously repeating, "Thrown backwards?!"
Ji Chuancheng nodded subtly. Before he could speak, Qi Yang asked from the side, "Do you still remember how it felt back then, Jing Xia? Describe it in detail."
With a tightly furrowed brow, Jing Xia thought for a long time, then said calmly, "It's hard to describe specifically. If I must, it's like being carried away by someone. I felt dizzy, unable to control my body and it was moving towards that direction. Oh, right! When I was about to reach Su Weishang, I vaguely felt a sense of danger—like if I were completely sucked in, I would definitely die."
"Is your memory only about being sucked in?" Ji Chuancheng asked.
Jing Xia nodded.
A shadow fell over Jin Chuancheng's handsome face.
In the afternoon, the gentle yet not radiant sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the room, illuminating the entire space. Jing Xia looked up to see Ji Chuancheng's phoenix-like eyes narrowing, deep and dark, like a black hole that could absorb all light, lost in thought.
What he didn't know was that Ji Chuancheng's mind had already gone through countless thoughts.
From the young man's strange attitude towards Su Weishang when he first entered the S City Base, to the first discordant encounter in the research institute, and finally—those two wind blades full of killing intent aiming straight for vital points.
His fingers tightened slightly, nails embedding into the flesh of his palm.
"This is indeed very strange. Major Ji said you were thrown backwards and caught by him. Since it wasn't voluntary on your part, could it be that Su Weishang threw you out?" Qi Yang's puzzled voice rang out. He paused and added, "Su Weishang's wind-based abilities have been extensively studied in the institute with specific observations made during several battles in the testing area. He has never shown this kind of ability and it's also impossible for him to possess such an illogical wind-based ability."
After some contemplation, Jing Xia suddenly remembered how he had been defeated by Su Weishang in his previous life, besides being injured from battling mutants during the beast tide war. Initially, Su Weishang had mysteriously pulled him in when no one else was around.
And he had always thought it was a wind-based ability.
"Could this not be a wind-based ability? Pulling people in?" Jing Xia asked.
Qi Yang shook his head. "Perhaps such an ability exists, but it's definitely not Su Weishang's. Through the study of his cells and blood, I've found that his wind-based ability is the same as other's, manipulating air density to create wind. If he could suck in a living person, it would at least create enough wind to be felt by everyone in the area."
"No exceptions?" Jing Xia exclaimed.
Qi Yang looked at Jing Xia with a probing and thoughtful gaze, mixed with more complex emotions. After a moment of silence, he finally replied, "Unless... he's a dual-ability holder, something humanity has never discovered before."
Ji Chuancheng glanced at Qi Yang without changing his expression.
Jing Xia exclaimed, "Dual abilities?! Such a thing exists?!"
To his knowledge from his previous life, among the thousands of ability holders, none had two abilities. Having an ability itself was difficult enough, let alone combining two.
Qin Chu also asked in surprise, "I've never heard of the term 'dual abilities' before?"
Qi Yang smiled. "Not knowing doesn't mean it doesn't exist. From the start, I never believed that people could only have one ability. I've been researching the possibility of merging abilities, although I haven't succeeded yet but I don't deny the possibility of it."
After pondering for a while, Jing Xia felt increasingly likely that Su Weishang possessed dual abilities. He was about to say something to Qi Yang when he looked up and met Ji Chuancheng's gaze. Those dark, calm eyes were staring at him earnestly and solemnly with a serious expression.
"I need to talk to you alone," he paused, lips tightly pressed together, "Jing Xia.”
