Chapter 1233: The Situation

For the next few days, the Fusion Faction seemed to be shrouded in gloom.

Starting from the second day, classes proceeded as usual. Teacher Ye stood on the podium in his shirt as always, lecturing on fusion principles, human history, geography, and astronomy, assigning the same homework, and conducting the same in-class quizzes.

It is worth mentioning that after half a year of diligent study, Chen Ling’s grades in class had risen from the bottom to the top twenty. Although not outstanding, and still far behind the study committee member Xiao Tao, he had at least mastered most of what he needed to learn.

Of course, certain underachievers who slept in class continued their steady performance, ranking dead last.

Except for the two graves covered in paper flowers on the barren land behind the Mother Tree, everything seemed to have returned to its usual track... But Chen Ling could keenly sense that the atmosphere of the entire Fusion Faction had undergone a subtle change.

To this day, Teacher Ye had not announced the cause of death for the two Fusionists. Zhao Yi, who usually loved to show off, hadn't said a word since returning, and even the interactions between Mi Bo and He Chengxuan had decreased; when they occasionally passed each other, they were as silent as strangers.

Although the children were young, they were always very sensitive to the emotional changes of adults. They saw everything, and the laughter within the Mother Tree had diminished, as if they were afraid of disturbing something...

"Want some candied haws?"

"Say something nice and I’ll give you some~"

Sun Bumian stood at the stairwell and smiled as he saw four or five children carrying their homework, preparing to go upstairs.

The eyes of the children lit up!

"Brother Sun!"

"Brother Sun is the coolest!"

"Brother Sun, your lion is so pretty!"

“……”

"Not bad! Take them and eat!"

Sun Bumian, satisfied, conjured four or five candied haws in one go, handed them all to the children, and then clapped his hands and walked away... Just then, as if remembering something, he turned back and asked:

"By the way, have you seen Chen Ling?"

"Brother Chen Ling seems to be outside."

"Got it."

Sun Bumian walked out of the Mother Tree and saw from a distance a figure in a bright red opera robe sitting on the steps behind the Mother Tree, holding a branch and writing or drawing something.

As he approached, he discovered that a complex map had been drawn on the ground in front of Chen Ling.

"What are you doing?" Sun Bumian leaned in curiously.

"Deducing the situation."

Chen Ling answered without looking up.

"Oh? Aren't you uninterested in the survival of human domains? Why are you suddenly so concerned about them?"

"The survival of these domains has nothing to do with me," Chen Ling paused for a moment. "I just want to see, if things really reach that point, where else can shelter the Fusion Faction..."

Sun Bumian fell silent.

He looked at Chen Ling, who was full of seriousness, and sat down beside him. "What do you mean?"

Chen Ling used the branch in his hand to point at the circles on the map:

"Among the nine human domains, the Ruoshui Domain and the Aurora Domain have already been completely wiped out. After the Red Dust Domain and the Wuji Domain suffered heavy damage, the Red Dust Monarch and the Wuji Monarch have both left, and the few remaining survivors have been transferred to the Tianchu and Nanhai domains. So, there are four completely abandoned domains."

"The remaining five domains are Tianchu, Nanhai, Xuanyu, Cangyun, and Lingxu."

Chen Ling emphasized the positions of the five circles.

"Among them, the Lingxu Domain is located in the far northwest corner of the nine domains, while we are in the far south. It’s almost impossible to cross thousands of miles to get there... If we head west to Xuanyu or Cangyun, we can't avoid the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest. So, the closest and safest routes for the Fusion Faction are only Tianchu and Nanhai..."

"But the Tianchu Domain is currently surrounded by the Sighing Wilderness," Sun Bumian added.

"Yes, so theoretically, there is only one suitable target now... the Nanhai Domain," Chen Ling continued. "And the Nanhai Domain is the most special among the remaining five."

"How is it special?"

"It is the only domain guarded by two demigods: one is the Nanhai Monarch, Chu Changqing, and the other is a demigod of the Divine Path of Books. If a war between the two worlds really breaks out, this domain has the highest probability of survival."

Sun Bumian rubbed his chin. "What you say makes sense... But this brings us back to that question: would the Nanhai Domain accept the Fusion Faction?"

Chen Ling hesitated.

"Is it possible to think about it differently?" Sun Bumian suddenly spoke. "What if we don't go to a human domain?"

Chen Ling looked at him deeply. "I know what you’re thinking. Besides human domains, the only places that can shelter so many people are the Ancient Treasures of the Divine Path... And to satisfy the food and sleep needs of so many children, there is only one final choice..."

"The Ancient Treasure of the Opera Path."

"...The probability is low," Chen Ling shook his head directly. "The Ancient Treasure of the Opera Path is the base camp of the Twilight Society. Let the Red King accept such a group of displaced Fusionists to live in his base camp? Don't forget, he’s someone who could even scheme against his own disciples. What does the life or death of the Fusion Faction have to do with him? What does it have to do with reversing the era?"

"He even stole my gold!" Sun Bumian gritted his teeth. "Fine, so my grand plan for revenge against the Red King is hopeless too..."

"Time is running out for the Fusion Faction."

Chen Ling stood up slowly. "The portions of food in the cafeteria have been decreasing recently, and the children aren't getting enough to eat... Even if you can conjure candied haws for them to improve their diet, your mental energy isn't infinite; you can't supply over a hundred people at once..."

"To be honest, eating this stuff too much really makes you want to throw up... I can already feel that they aren't very willing to eat my candied haws anymore," Sun Bumian sighed.

"Wait a little longer. Give Teacher Ye some more time."

"Tell me, why is Teacher Ye so unwilling to return to the human domains? He must have made quite a few contributions to humanity back in the day."

Chen Ling looked toward Teacher Ye’s office and spoke slowly:

"...Who knows."

……

Office.

Teacher Ye sat alone in the dim room, looking at the statistical list of food consumption before him, motionless as a statue...

After an unknown amount of time, he let out a soft sigh.

He took a key from his pocket and slowly opened the small drawer beside him. Inside, besides a mysterious syringe, there was a stack of yellowed papers. They looked like they had a history of many years, but they seemed to have been carefully preserved and were not damaged.

Teacher Ye gently laid the scattered papers on the desk and brushed the thin dust off them. A few printed characters caught his eye:

— "The Evolutionary Revolution of Horizontal Gene Transfer."

— Author: Chu Changqing

— Advisor: Professor Ye Mu