Chapter 1386: Nine Lords Meeting

The three of them passed through the misty rain and finally arrived near the research camp tent.

The outline of a huge meteorite crater loomed in the distance. The area around the crater was covered with floodlights, but they weren't turned on at the moment. Only a circle of yellow warning tape sealed the edge of the crater, and numerous soil-sampling devices were neatly stored together, as if someone had been obtaining soil samples for experiments not long ago.

And on the other side of the meteorite crater, bright lights illuminated the uneven ground in front of the tent, where two figures had been waiting for a long time.

"Yang Xiao, Dr. Su." Lu Xun saw the two from a distance and waved at them.

"You actually made it back..." Yang Xiao saw Lu Xun bringing Wu Tongyuan over, his eyes full of surprise. "I thought you would have to be drifting at sea for this whole time."

Lu Xun glanced at Wu Tongyuan and smiled:

"Just good luck."

"Dr. Wu, long time no see." Su Zhiwei took the initiative to reach out to Wu Tongyuan. "Haven't seen you for a while, you've lost another circle of weight?"

"I'm not used to the bread and beef of the Americans; our domestic xiaolongbao is still more fragrant." Wu Tongyuan smiled embarrassedly.

After Yang Xiao and Lu Xun finished talking, his gaze shifted to Lou Yu, who was wearing glasses nearby...

Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment before reaching out his hand:

"Dr. Lou, long time no see."

Lou Yu looked at him suspiciously, and after hesitating for a moment, he didn't reach out. "Who are you two..."

Lou Yu hadn't participated in the Red Star exploration, so naturally, he didn't know Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei. Just as he said, if it weren't for Lu Xun giving him this opportunity, he might have quietly burned out his life in that small research institute.

In the end, Lu Xun introduced him:

"This is Dr. Yang Xiao, who studies magnetic fields, and this is Dr. Su Zhiwei, who studies string theory..."

"It's raining outside, let's go in and talk." After Lu Xun finished the introductions, Yang Xiao pulled back the tent curtain, and bright light shone from within.

As they entered, the three people who were playing cards paused and stood up.

"Dr. Lu, long time no see."

"Dr. Qi, playing cards? Did you win?"

"Haha, I haven't won against Dr. Wen; he's too strong in this regard."

"Lu Xun, why did you arrive only now?"

“……”

Whether it was Ji Xuan, Dr. Qi, or Dr. Wen, their relationship with Lu Xun seemed quite good. They started chatting naturally as soon as they met. Unlike the exhausted Wu Tongyuan and the tense Lou Yu, these three were full of relaxation.

After the pleasantries were over, Yang Xiao looked at the time on the wall:

"Well, everyone is here, we can almost start..."

"Everyone? Isn't Dr. Chu not here yet?" Dr. Qi asked in confusion.

"Dr. Chu's situation... is a bit complicated..."

Several people sat around a small picnic table. Ji Xuan put away the cards on the table, and Lu Xun briefly recounted what happened at Wushan. Everyone's expressions turned ugly.

"You mean... Dr. Chu was taken by those monsters..."

"Calamities," Yang Xiao corrected.

"Dr. Chu was taken by those Calamities?" Dr. Qi frowned tightly. "Then we must find a way to save him!"

"The Gray Realm hasn't officially intersected with Earth yet, so even if we want to save him, we can't get there."

"What is the Gray Realm?"

Ji Xuan couldn't help but ask.

Except for Yang Xiao, Lu Xun, and Su Zhiwei, the other Nine Lords hadn't even seen a Calamity yet, let alone the Gray Realm. They only knew that the world was experiencing a nuclear war and that some anomalies had appeared on them... That was all.

Introducing them to the changes happening in this world was the purpose of Yang Xiao gathering them together.

"I will explain it to you in detail in a moment." Yang Xiao paused for a moment. "But before that, I need to introduce someone to you."

"...Who?"

Yang Xiao didn't answer, just looked toward the entrance of the tent.

The others were taken aback and prepared to turn their heads to look, but the next moment, all the lights and candles in the tent went out at the same time, and ink-like darkness enveloped everyone in an instant!

The cold mountain wind mixed with light rain rolled into the tent from the fluttering curtain. Before everyone could recover from the sudden darkness, the extinguished lights were lit again!

*Whoosh—*

The faint light dispelled the darkness, and among the people sitting together, a black shadow in a bright red opera robe had appeared out of nowhere!

"AH!!!"

Ji Xuan happened to be sitting directly opposite him. Seeing that dark face that appeared abruptly, he screamed in fright, stumbled backward, flipped his small stool, and fell to the ground!

Dr. Qi, Dr. Wen, Wu Tongyuan, and Lou Yu were also shocked. Especially the first two, who instinctively reached their hands into the void, as if they were almost ready to fight...

Although it was Lu Xun's first time seeing Chen Ling's face, he had long known that Chen Ling would appear, so his reaction wasn't as intense. After seeing the familiar bright red opera robe, he recognized the person.

However, he was still a bit puzzled. Why did Director Chen change into such a face for no reason? Was it specifically to scare them?

"Dr. Yang, who is this??" Dr. Qi asked in horror.

"Don't be nervous... This person is also an old friend of yours." Yang Xiao smiled. "When we conducted the Red Star exploration last time, he was also by our side the whole time."

Everyone was taken aback, but Dr. Wen quickly realized something.

"He is... Director Chen?"

"It is me." Chen Ling nodded slightly. "My body has had some problems recently, so it might look a bit scary. Please forgive me."

Chen Ling had met Dr. Qi and Dr. Wen when he first came to Shennongjia, but they hadn't left a deep impression on him. Or rather, Chen Ling's attention was on Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei at the time, and he couldn't pay attention to everyone.

"So, Director Chen is the same as us?" Wu Tongyuan asked blankly.

"...You could understand it that way."

As soon as these words were spoken, the shadow of being scared by Chen Ling just now lessened significantly. After all, in their eyes, Chen Ling had also become one of them, it was just... his changes looked a bit scary.

After Chen Ling finished speaking, his gaze subconsciously shifted to Dr. Wen in the corner... Perhaps because of his appearance, Dr. Wen had been staring at him since just now.

"Dr. Wen, is there a problem?" Chen Ling asked proactively.

Dr. Wen hesitated for a moment before shaking his head:

"No... nothing."

"The reason I asked you all to come this time is that I hope everyone can share their recent encounters, as well as what abilities have appeared on each of you... There will be many changes in this world in the future. Only by working together can we possibly overcome the difficulties."

Yang Xiao's gaze swept over everyone. "Then... shall I start first?"