Glancing at Lin Mo’s reply, 【Need some time, I’ll get back to you tonight】, Chu You slipped her phone back into her pocket.
What she wanted was not the internal database of the Swordbearer Division or the regular resident files kept by the municipal departments, but information that went deeper than those records.
If necessary, she would even remotely extract private data from Xia Ji’s phone using technical means.
Naturally, such an in-depth investigation required time, and Lin Mo’s promise to get results by tonight already showed he had fully mobilized the authority and resources of the Swordbearer Division’s director.
Chu You was in no rush for the moment.
Lu Ran and Chen Xinyu had escaped heavily injured and were still missing.
Lin Mo’s public appearance at the school this time undoubtedly put great psychological pressure on the professor hiding behind the scenes; it was highly likely the other party wouldn’t dare act rashly in the short term, allowing the situation to calm down temporarily.
“Class, turn your textbooks to page 62. Today we will discuss social changes and major conflicts in the Post-Oracle Era.”
On the podium, Old Xu didn’t even glance at the lesson plan.
Holding a thermos cup, he began speaking casually, “The emergence of the Oracle especially highlighted individual heroism, subtly changing the original social rules.”
“Once rules are broken, new changes and conflicts usually follow.”
At this point, Xu Guangming gently set down the thermos, turned, and wrote two large characters on the blackboard—Privilege.
“Clack.”
Old Xu casually tossed the chalk aside and turned back to face the class, smiling slightly.
“Don’t overthink this. I’m not here to criticize or condemn anything.”
“Oracle bearers certainly hold higher social status and enjoy more benefits, but they also face dangers unimaginable to ordinary people.”
“Today’s topic is—”
“What if there were no Oracle bearers in the world, or, what if everyone in the world were Oracle bearers…”
The autumn wind gently stirred the withered yellow leaves atop the trees, producing a soft rustling sound.
Old Xu adjusted his glasses, hands clasped behind his back as he stepped down from the podium and stood in the aisle.
Smiling warmly, he said, “What changes would society’s rules undergo then?”
“Feel free to discuss this question.”
…
At the same time.
On the Jingji G103 railway line.
The desolate, lifeless Ruins outside the train window sped past like a frozen death tableau.
Inside the carriage, a tall and upright man stood silently by the window, his deep gaze fixed on the distant horizon as if scrutinizing the scars on the land.
“Bang!”
The carriage door was abruptly pushed open, and a Silver Eagle-class Swordbearer rushed in, his face betraying uncontrollable panic.
He reported urgently, barely catching his breath, “Contamination detected ahead of the train. Index broke 9.0… suspected high-level aberration blocking the track. What should we do?”
Hearing this, the man slowly turned around, his otherwise ordinary face etched with helplessness.
He sighed softly.
“As expected,” he muttered, his tone devoid of tension, more like complaining about a trivial matter, “I really should have taken a plane. Trains are such a hassle. There are always some rats with too much life, chirping annoyingly.”
No sooner had he spoken than the Silver Eagle Swordbearer by the door’s pupils constricted sharply, his face overtaken by horror.
Because in the blink of an eye, the man who had been standing by the window vanished as if erased by an invisible eraser!
Almost instantly.
On the railway tracks not far ahead of the train, the man reappeared in a sudden, jump-cut manner.
Before him stood a terrifying presence that sent his sanity meter into free fall—a towering near-ten-meter-tall figure covered in writhing pustules.
Its thick neck was crowded with hundreds of male and female heads, each with hollow or hateful eyes wide open.
The man’s sudden appearance immediately drew the aberration’s attention.
“Roar—!”
Countless heads turned toward him simultaneously, releasing overlapping, tangled roars filled with malice.
Those countless mouths opened and closed, emitting multi-echoed, soul-scraping proclamations: “Gu Qiancheng! By royal decree—kill without mercy!”
As the words fell, the countless pustules burst one after another, spewing thick, foul-smelling green acid like a sky-darkening rain toward Gu Qiancheng. Wherever it touched, even the air hissed as if corroded.
Faced with this terrifying attack, capable of wiping out a small army, Gu Qiancheng merely furrowed his brows slightly, his face showing undisguised disdain.
“Tsk,” he clicked his tongue softly.
His left hand, which had been resting in his pants pocket the entire time, slowly pulled out.
“The most annoying things are the ugly ones who insist on trying to scare people.”
His movements seemed casual, as if swatting away a fly.
Yet the moment he finished speaking—the space within a hundred meters centered on the aberration suddenly collapsed inward!
There was no earth-shaking explosion, no blinding energy clash—just as if a mirror had shattered or an invisible force had crushed a cardboard box, compressing everything inside, including the sky-darkening acid rain and the roaring aberration, twisting and compacting it.
The next instant.
The speeding train roared through the area as if passing through a phantom.
Passing through Gu Qiancheng’s slightly blurred body, through the acid rain frozen midair, and through the aberration itself being digested by space.
Inside that collapsed “inner space,” everything was rapidly decomposed and stripped in defiance of physical laws, reduced to the most primitive, chaotic fundamental particles, silently vanishing without a trace.
The next moment, the collapsed space suddenly opened a gap.
Gu Qiancheng stepped out calmly, as if taking a stroll after a meal, and instantly disappeared.
Inside the carriage.
Gu Qiancheng lightly patted his spotless sleeve, as if just brushing off some dust.
Then he looked at the Silver Eagle Swordbearer still frozen by the door, mouth agape, and his lips curled into a faint yet oddly reassuring smile.
“Stop spacing out.”
“Grab me a bottle of Coke, iced, thanks.”
….
The sunset dyed the horizon a warm orange.
At 021 Bincheng Avenue, the Swordbearer Division building was bathed in a soft golden outline.
People came and went in front of the division building.
However, almost all eyes were drawn to a stunning figure standing at the entrance.
A young woman dressed in a black pinstriped OL suit.
Her fitted blazer outlined her slender waist and full bust, while the pencil skirt revealed a pair of long legs tightly wrapped in glossy black stockings.
On her feet were stiletto heels that accentuated her graceful figure.
She tilted her head slightly, thick curled lashes trembling, seemingly uneasy with the many gazes upon her.
Her fair cheeks uncontrollably flushed with a delicate pink, showing a hint of embarrassment and shyness.
Upon closer look, this outrageously beautiful face was none other than—Chu You.
At that moment.
Lin Mo stepped steadily out of the building.
Under the scrutiny of all, he walked directly toward Chu You standing at the entrance.
Chu You seemed to sense his approach and the increasingly focused gazes around her.
Her whole body felt like ants crawling over it, unbearably awkward; even her toes curled reflexively inside her heels.
She forced herself to maintain a calm exterior, but her slightly clenched jawline and flickering eyes betrayed her nervousness.
Lin Mo stopped in front of her, eyes scanning her from head to toe without reservation, looking over his “private property” with an easy confidence.
He curled the corner of his mouth and in a low voice tinged with barely perceptible amusement and teasing, broke the silence between them: “Hmm, not late…”
He paused, his gaze casually sweeping over her whole body.
Then he smiled, “Assistant Chu’s figure… not bad at all~”
Though it sounded like a compliment, the teasing and provocative tone made Chu You’s cheeks flush even deeper—this time not just embarrassment but a little indignation at being publicly teased.
“Lin Mo…” Chu You leaned in calmly, voice low and urgent, “Don’t go too far!”
Unbeknownst to them, a crowd had already gathered outside the building.
Since Lin Mo took charge of the Binhai Division, rumors about him at headquarters had spread to this branch long ago.
Celebrity gossip was boring, but the boss’s scandals were fresh and sweet—who wouldn’t want to flaunt them?
Lin Mo ignored the surrounding gazes and instead of letting go, took hold of Chu You’s slender wrist as she spoke.
He led her straight through the crowd, his warm fingertips gently rubbing her wrist.
“I have even more over-the-top things to do. Want to experience them?”