Chapter 38: Ye Xi’s Thoughts

Underneath the Nanjiang Pharmaceutical Factory.

“Doctor Bai, what should we do with this experimental data?”

“What else can we do? Burn whatever we can’t take with us, you fool!”

“Yes, sir!”

Doctor Bai moved through the bustling crowd, his expression shifting between gloom and uncertainty.

The Blood Race conversion experiments had been proceeding smoothly, but he had recently been informed that the Blood Plasma supply was cut off.

Now, they were even being forced to evacuate the facility.

This meant all the assets they had managed for so long would ultimately vanish into nothing.

He was unwilling to accept it, yet he had no other choice.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion erupted from one of the factory areas on the surface.

The shockwaves from the blast caused the ground where Doctor Bai stood to tremble.

He quickly grabbed a nearby railing to steady himself before dialing a number.

The screen clearly displayed the word “Chairman.”

However, as time ticked by, only a busy signal came from the other end.

“Damn it, forget it.”

Doctor Bai grabbed a man passing by and questioned him sharply, “How is the transfer of experimental materials and data going?”

“We are still forty percent short!”

“Notify everyone to evacuate immediately. Destroy whatever can’t be taken. Don’t leave a single thing for them!”

“But…”

“If you don’t want to get caught and rot in prison, do as I say!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Wait!”

“Do you have other instructions?”

“Is Subject 001 still in deep sleep?”

The man looked troubled, his voice raspy as he replied, “As you know, since the experiment started, the subject has shown no signs of life other than a heartbeat.”

Doctor Bai sighed and waved the man away with a dismissive gesture. He then turned and walked toward a dark passage.

—

Up on the surface, Yun Hai was bored, playing with several lighters. He casually threw one toward another factory building and pinched the air. A Vacuum field manifested instantly, causing the lighter to explode.

“A bunch of cowards. I thought the Midnight Society had some actual strength, but it turns out they only dare to hide underground.”

Yun Hai curled his lip in disdain.

He continued to trigger explosions while searching for the entrance leading down.

“Someone from Beijiang?”

A cold voice drifted from behind him.

Yun Hai naturally rested his hands behind his head and said nonchalantly, “And here I thought the Blood Race members in Nanjiang were all softies.”

The man in the black hood suppressed his anger, his tone laced with a threat.

“I will give you one last chance. Leave this place! The families behind the Midnight Society are not people you can afford to provoke!”

“Oh? Then I’d like to see exactly who I can’t afford to provoke.”

The hooded man slowly lowered his hood, revealing a pair of crimson eyes and pointed ears.

“It seems you won’t leave until I give you a taste of pain!”

Upon seeing the man’s appearance, Yun Hai’s pupils constricted as he murmured, “A Pure-blood?”

As soon as he spoke, the shadow behind Yun Hai began to wriggle eerily.

Eventually, as if it had a life of its own, several spikes extended from it.

Seeing that the opponent had struck first, Yun Hai did not hesitate.

After completing his Blood Tribe Form transformation, he kicked off the ground with force, instantly creating distance between them.

The Shadow Spikes that had been lunging directly at Yun Hai suddenly went limp and eventually faded away.

Yun Hai let out a soft chuckle and said dismissively, “Is this your Talent? If it only has this much range, it’s not enough.”

A trace of ruthlessness appeared in Shadow’s blood-red eyes.

Fortunately, Ye Hai had arranged for him to support the Midnight Society’s evacuation in advance; otherwise, the opponent might have actually succeeded in finding the underground entrance.

If that happened, their plan would truly fall apart at the final hurdle.

What he had to do now was exert his full effort to stall the opponent, buying time for the transfer of critical experimental data.

In other words, the true battle wasn’t happening here, but in the race against time.

That was why he hadn’t moved in for a lethal strike immediately.

“Kid, you’re running wild on our Nanjiang turf. Are you really not afraid of being left here forever?”

Yun Hai stared at him from a distance.

He knew coming here was like a sheep entering a wolf den, but fulfilling a request was part of his life’s creed, ingrained in him from the start.

Even though he knew the opponent would have reinforcements coming, he could not retreat even half a step.

“Whoever gets left behind remains to be seen.”

With that, Yun Hai took a deep breath and held it.

An invisible Vacuum area began to spread out from around him.

Shadow’s expression turned grave.

He was about to retreat when he saw Yun Hai stomp the ground and charge toward him.

A sensation of suffocation followed immediately.

Shadow instinctively stepped back, clenching one hand.

The shadow behind Yun Hai began to wriggle once more.

Yun Hai stopped his advance and gradually dissipated the Vacuum field.

He let out a long breath, knowing that to truly harm his opponent, he would have to pay the price of getting injured himself.

But doing so would mean he couldn’t stall long enough for Shen Ji and the others to arrive as backup; it might even force his opponent to act desperately.

Thinking of this, Yun Hai accurately threw three lighters toward Shadow.

A flash of red crossed his eyes as a Vacuum field instantly enveloped the area, and the flames from the explosion swallowed the man.

Shadow held his hands in front of him as layers of black shadows swirled upward around his body to block the incoming fire.

‘So this is the origin of the title Beijiang Blasting Madman? His true Talent is actually Vacuum, and the explosions are just one way to use it.’

Shadow marveled at the realization.

Once he could no longer feel the scorching heat from outside, he dispersed the layered shadow shell.

It was only then that Shadow realized his opponent had already disappeared.

Shadow gave a mocking laugh.

While searching for Yun Hai’s figure, he muttered to himself, “Playing hide and seek?”

However, he was enjoying the process.

The longer he dragged this out, the more it favored him.

He wasn’t the only one who had come; A Ran was also on her way.

She was only running late because of a temporary assignment.

—

“Miss, are you saying that Mu Qingxin was killed by him?”

Ye Xi nodded with a calm expression.

A Ran said excitedly, “Then what about the Blood Plasma? Was the Blood Plasma also taken by you two?”

Ye Xi simply repeated her previous answer mechanically.

A Ran frustratedly slapped her forehead.

Things had already far exceeded her expectations.

One could even say that Shen Ji had seen through Ye Hai’s plan from the very beginning.

It wasn’t at all like the version she had woven, where he was completely unaware.

“Is there anything else?”

Ye Xi’s cold voice issued a sharp interrogation.

A Ran gave a bitter smile and shook her head.

“Miss, I might not be able to go back.”

Ye Xi raised a delicate eyebrow and asked in surprise, “Why? Does Ye Hai have new subordinates?”

“No, it’s just that I have something to say, though I don’t know if it’s appropriate.”

“Then don’t say it.”

Ye Xi cut her off immediately.

Shen Ji was still waiting for her to come over; she didn’t have time to waste here.

A Ran opened her mouth, her expression looking worse than if she were crying.

Her young mistress was as sharp-tongued as ever.

Watching Ye Xi walk away, A Ran was filled with a mix of emotions.

She knew she had made an irreparable mistake.

Even if Ye Hai didn’t punish her severely out of old sentiment, he would never trust her with important tasks again.

He might even treat her as a pawn, discarding her completely once her value was drained.

Once Ye Xi had walked a certain distance, she suddenly turned back and said, “What are you still standing there for? Just because Ye Hai doesn’t want you doesn’t mean I don’t want you.”

After confirming she hadn’t misheard, A Ran hurried after Ye Xi and asked, “Miss, you…”

“You want to ask why I’m taking you with me?”

A Ran nodded.

“Because I’m about to be alone.”

“Miss, what do you mean by that?”

“A Ran, do you think there is a future for a Human and a member of the Blood Race to be together?”

A Ran paused for a moment before replying, “There should be, right? Otherwise, where would you half-breeds come from?”

“But what if that Human rejects the Blood Race from the bottom of his heart?”

A Ran finally realized something was wrong.

Surprised, she asked, “Are you saying Shen Ji might be a Human? But that’s not right. He is clearly a King Seed. Even the Master confirmed that.”

Ye Xi’s eyes gradually turned red.

She choked up as she said, “I don’t know, but I just feel like he really rejects us. I even think he seems happier when he’s with human girls.”

“Then you should talk to him. You’ve sacrificed so much for him; there’s no way he can’t see that.”

Ye Xi shook her head and said, “I don’t want to use my kindness toward him to coerce him into being good to me. I just want an answer… I want to know if I have a place in Shen Ji’s heart.”