Chapter 1150: Chu Changqing's Situation

A light, drizzling rain danced in the air.

"Chen Ling..."

"Chen Ling?"

Bursts of calling sounded in Chen Ling's ears. As his consciousness returned to his body, he saw Shen Nan looking at him with a frown.

"I'm asking you a question." Shen Nan spoke again. "You lied about living in Shangjing and forged your internship experience at the Shangjing Theater. What exactly is your purpose?"

Only then did Chen Ling come back to his senses, remembering what had happened before the last disconnection...

After he attempted the God-Sacrifice Dance last time, he had inadvertently attracted the gaze of the Calamity of Taboo, and was forced to expose his aura of the Calamity of Mockery in front of Yang Xiao, Shen Nan, and the others. Then, Shen Nan received a call and discovered that the residential area and internship location he mentioned were fake, leading to this interrogation.

At the time, Chen Ling didn't know what was going on and was filled with fear and anxiety... but the Chen Ling of today was different.

"...I have no purpose."

Chen Ling lowered his eyes and answered calmly.

"If I could, I would wish more than anyone that those past events were real."

Shen Nan couldn't understand what Chen Ling was saying, his brows furrowing tighter. He watched Chen Ling for a long time, as if trying to see through his heart... but what awaited him was a pair of eyes as deep and tranquil as a lake.

Shen Nan suddenly realized that in just a short moment, he could no longer see through Chen Ling. Both his soul and his Shamanic aura seemed to have been completely retracted, leaving no trace.

Chen Ling was like a mystery; no one knew where he came from, no one knew what secrets he held. The only recognition the world seemed to have of him was the label of "Ghost Mockery Annihilating the World" that had just spread recently.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Nan seemed tired. He shook his head.

"You go..."

The drizzling rain hit the edge of the umbrella, making a light sound.

"I have already taught you the God-Sacrifice Dance. When you can become a [Nuon], it depends on your own insight and destiny... I have nothing else I can teach you."

As Shen Nan spoke, a phone ringtone sounded from his pocket. He looked down at the number and continued.

"If you run into people from the 749 Bureau, don't say you've been here with me..."

After saying this, he held up his umbrella and walked into the distance.

Chen Ling watched Shen Nan leave without offering any further explanation. When it came down to it, Shen Nan was still a member of the 749 Bureau. Risking his life to save him was already out of consideration for Grandma Xiao, not to mention he had taught him the God-Sacrifice Dance... Now that he was carrying the prophecy of [Ghost Mockery Annihilating the World], the more involved he became with him, the more dangerous it would be.

The Nine Lords could become the Nine Lords in the next era, but Shen Nan's life wasn't that resilient.

Once Shen Nan was far away, Chen Ling walked toward the old house.

At the entrance of the old house, Yang Xiao, Lu Xun, and Su Zhiwei were sheltering from the rain under the eaves. Seeing Chen Ling walk over, they all looked toward him...

"Is it my imagination?" Su Zhiwei asked in confusion. "Why do I feel like Director Chen's temperament is different from before?"

"It is indeed different." Lu Xun was thoughtful.

"When the God-Sacrifice Dance failed just now, he was still full of worry, as if he had something on his mind... but now, how should I put it... it feels like that guy Ji Xuan, with a lion hidden in his eyes."

Yang Xiao had known Chen Ling the longest and wasn't as surprised by the change in Chen Ling's temperament; he just stood there quietly, saying nothing.

Seeing Chen Ling approach, Lu Xun was about to ask something, but Chen Ling interrupted him.

"Everyone, I'll keep this brief."

"First, I am not human. In a sense, I am the 'Ghost Mockery Annihilating the World' from the prophecy, but I hope you believe me—I have no malice toward humanity."

"Second, what you saw just now is another world of 'Candlelight' brought about by the distortion of the Red Star. In the next few hundred years, it will be humanity's most terrifying opponent, and it will soon intersect with Earth. I also come from there."

"Third, I do not exist in this era. My consciousness comes from several hundred years in the future, and I am not the only one who has returned... In fact, it even includes your former colleague, but I want you to be clear: he is no longer the person you are familiar with. The only one truly on your side now is me."

Chen Ling held up three fingers. After finishing, he swept his gaze calmly over Lu Xun and the others.

"Do you have any questions about me or the background of all this?"

Lu Xun and the others were filled with bewilderment.

They didn't understand... Chen Ling, who had just said "everyone has their own secrets," seemed like a different person after going out. He dropped three bombshells in three sentences, leaving their minds blank for a moment.

"I have no questions." Yang Xiao was the first to answer.

For Yang Xiao, except for the first sentence, "I am not human," he already knew the rest. And since Yang Xiao was a scientist, his acceptance of the fact that Chen Ling was an alien was quite high. He believed that Chen Ling was indeed on their side; otherwise, neither he, Su Zhiwei, nor Lu Xun would have been able to make it this far.

"I have one more question." Lu Xun couldn't help but ask. "Director Chen, you just said there is another colleague who returned from several hundred years in the future. Who is it?"

"Lou Yu." Chen Ling paused for a moment and added,

"As far as I know, among those who have returned openly, Lou Yu counts as one..."

"Lou Yu..."

Lu Xun and the others recalled Lou Yu's strange behavior at Shennongjia, and their brows furrowed.

"I have no more questions." Lu Xun and Su Zhiwei answered simultaneously.

"Very well. Since we have reached a consensus, we can get straight to the point." Chen Ling looked at Lu Xun. "One of the reasons I returned to this era is that I hope to make contact with as many of the nine... nine members of the exploration team as possible. Think carefully: who else might be in a dangerous situation right now?"

Lu Xun fell into deep thought.

"Excluding Lou Yu, Wu Tongyuan has already been sent abroad by me, and then there's Chu who was with me..."

Lu Xun seemed to think of something, his expression changing slightly.

"Chu Changqing! He's still in the laboratory!"

Nanhai Lord, Chu Changqing?

Chen Ling recalled the knowledge about the Nine Lords he had heard from Teacher Ye while at the Fusion Faction, and immediately matched the name to the Nine Lord.

Dr. Chu was a researcher in cell biology. When he met Lu Xun, he had heard Lu Xun mention that when he was locked in the laboratory, it was Dr. Chu who was responsible for analyzing his body samples, and it was also with Dr. Chu's help that he successfully escaped the laboratory later.

Now that Lu Xun had successfully escaped, only Dr. Chu remained in the laboratory.

"Didn't you say he was one of the researchers?" Yang Xiao asked in confusion. "If that's the case, his situation shouldn't be that bad."

"...It's hard to say." Lu Xun didn't have a good impression of the 749 Bureau now, and he hesitated to speak.

"It's simple." Chen Ling said directly.

"Just give him a call and we'll know."