Chapter 52: This Humble Subject Cannot Do It

Chapter 52: I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That

Damn! No wonder he’s considered the academy’s male idol-level genius in immortal cultivation!

Taking on nine opponents alone and walking away unscathed—not to mention looking a bit disheveled but without a single injury.

Qin Zhe marveled, then recounted the situation he had encountered, without hiding Shangguan Yan’s discovery about the Abyss.

At this point, Shangguan Yan no longer cared about secrecy. Sitting quietly aside, she said nothing.

Right now, her life and fortune were almost entirely entrusted to these two young men in their twenties before her; there was no room for concealment.

The most urgent matter was to rush back to the camp and report to their superiors.

Regarding the Abyss, Li Zongheng, as the student council president, knew a little.

After hearing Qin Zhe’s account, Li Zongheng’s expression turned grave as he pondered.

“From the looks of it, the Eagle Nation never intended to investigate the secret realm themselves; from the very start, they aimed to target the Research Institute.”

Chen Yu’s betrayal dealt Shangguan Yan a heavy blow.

Though she barely recovered with Qin Zhe’s company, she never dared to delve too deeply into the matter.

Now, hearing Li Zongheng’s analysis, a chill ran down her spine.

For this Abyss mission, the Research Institute had sent many academicians.

Besides those analyzing data at the camp, most field academicians were paired with personnel from the Supercalamity Bureau, two to a team, surveying the scorched land.

What if… the traitor wasn’t just Chen Yu?

Though the others might not have made such groundbreaking progress as she did, the information in the hands of these academicians was precisely what the Eagle Nation needed. It was hard to imagine what fate might await them if captured.

Without further hesitation, Shangguan Yan spoke up.

“President Li, there’s no time to lose. Could you please take me back to the camp immediately? Many of my colleagues from the Research Institute are scattered across the scorched land, and I fear they may be in danger!”

“Alright.”

Li Zongheng stood abruptly, fully aware that the situation had escalated beyond expectations.

“Qin Zhe, I need to conserve my strength in case of emergencies, so I can only bring Academician Shangguan with me. What do you say?”

Qin Zhe, having been to the camp before, knew the camp’s stance toward the Eagle Nation and hadn’t given it much thought earlier.

Now, Li Zongheng’s words startled him awake from a dream, and he immediately agreed.

“Just take Academician Shangguan and head out. I have my two treasures with me; our speed won’t be much different.”

“Fine. See you at the camp.”

Li Zongheng nodded, enveloped Shangguan Yan in a pure spiritual aura, and with a swift motion, vanished from the cave.

The speed was undeniable.

Though both transported others by flying, Li Zongheng’s cultivation was far deeper than Liu Qingzhi’s.

Seeing Li Zongheng leave so swiftly, Qin Zhe wasted no time and called out to the Cold Moon Divine Dog waiting nearby to leave the cave.

...

They traveled in silence. The Cold Moon Divine Dog munched on a dozen or so medium-grade spirit stones and recovered quite well. Although it couldn’t catch up with Li Zongheng, its speed was still impressive.

After nearly three hours of full-speed travel, the man and dog finally arrived at the camp.

Looking up, the camp’s lethal formation operated silently, with Supercalamity Bureau personnel frequently flying away in small three-person teams.

It seemed that Li Zongheng had already brought Shangguan Yan back and reported the situation.

Since the death formation was active, Qin Zhe dared not approach recklessly.

Just as he hesitated, a voice suddenly transmitted to his ear—Jian Xinli’s voice.

“Come in, don’t worry, the death formation won’t attack you.”

Relieved upon hearing this, Qin Zhe patted the dog’s head and entered the camp.

Not long after, Jian Xinli flew over and slapped Qin Zhe heavily on the shoulder, nodding.

“You did well! I’ve already learned the situation from Academician Shangguan. You don’t need to interfere further; just head to the Research Institute and assist them in predicting the giants’ route.”

After speaking, Jian Xinli’s face darkened as he added.

“Don’t worry, those scoundrels from the Eagle Nation will be dealt with by our Supercalamity Bureau. They have no shame—bribing our people and even messing with the Research Institute. They probably don’t even know what death means!”

Qin Zhe had returned to the camp to cooperate with Shangguan Yan. Hearing this, he said no more, leaving the Cold Moon Divine Dog behind as he departed.

When he entered the Research Institute’s tent, Shangguan Yan was seated before a large computer, busy at work. More than ten academicians gathered around her, conducting various analyses with her at the center.

Drawing closer to observe, Qin Zhe found himself unable to comprehend not only the data flashing across the computer screen but also the discussions filled with formulas and jargon around him.

With his knowledge, the multitude of formulas and technical terms sounded like an alien language.

Giving up on eavesdropping, Qin Zhe saw that everyone, including Shangguan Yan, was deeply engrossed in their work, not sparing him a glance. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

“Academician Shangguan, I’m here.”

Before his words fully fell, the tent fell into complete silence; over a dozen pairs of eyes fixed hungrily on him.

Most of these academicians had low cultivation levels; some were even ordinary people without training. Yet being stared at so intensely made Qin Zhe’s scalp tingle.

They say scientists are crazy—could they be about to dissect him?

While Qin Zhe was imagining this, Shangguan Yan rapidly typed on the keyboard, pulling up a giant flat map on the display.

“This is the scorched land map we drew after our field surveys in the Cold Moon secret realm. The scale is 1:1000, with an accuracy of over ninety percent.”

She spoke as she took out a laser pointer, zoomed in on the map, and indicated a spot.

“This is where the cave was, near the place where you killed the giant. Using this as a baseline, can you tell me where you first encountered the giant?”

“...”

Qin Zhe opened his mouth, eager to say, “I’m afraid I can’t.”

He was helpless—he was not a specialist, and when he first encountered the giant, he was flying under the guidance of Liu Qingzhi, not paying attention to the route.

The spot where Qin Zhe slew the giant was at least a thousand or eight hundred kilometers from their initial encounter. How could he possibly give an answer based on the cave’s location?

But faced with over a dozen hungry gazes, he could only grit his teeth and study the map.

If he could, he’d really like to ask where Li Zongheng had gone...

Staring at the map for a while, Qin Zhe’s eyes were nearly crossed, but he still couldn’t identify the location.

Seeing Qin Zhe’s troubled expression and lack of an answer, Shangguan Yan frowned slightly.

“The initial position is very important. We need it as a baseline to infer the giants’ path by their direction of movement. If you can’t answer, this will be problematic.”

“Well…”

Qin Zhe scratched his head, trapped in a deadlock right from the start. It was frustrating.

If only Liu Qingzhi were here—she would have remembered the location.

Just as Qin Zhe was thinking this, a gentle fragrance swept into the tent.

“We first encountered the giant here, about fifteen kilometers from the edge of the scorched land.”

(End of chapter)