Chapter 1150: Chu Changqing's Situation

**Chapter 1150: Chu Changqing's Situation**

A light drizzle danced in the air.

“Chen Ling…”“Chen Ling?”

Calls echoed in Chen Ling’s ears. As his consciousness returned to his body, he saw Shen Nan frowning at him.

“I’m asking you a question,” Shen Nan said again. “What was your purpose in falsely claiming to live in Shangjing and fabricating an internship experience at the Shangjing Grand Theatre?”

Only then did Chen Ling snap back to reality, recalling what happened before his last disconnection. After he attempted the God-Sacrificing Dance last time, he inadvertently attracted the gaze of Calamity’s Bane. He had no choice but to expose his mockery of calamity aura in front of Yang Xiao, Shen Nan, and others. Then, Shen Nan received a call and discovered that the residential area and internship location Chen Ling mentioned were all false, leading him to question Chen Ling. At that time, Chen Ling didn’t understand what was happening, and his heart was filled with fear and unease. But the Chen Ling of today was different.

“…I had no purpose,” Chen Ling replied calmly, lowering his gaze. “If it were possible, I would wish that past was real more than anyone.”

Shen Nan didn’t understand what Chen Ling was saying, his brow furrowing deeper. He stared at Chen Ling for a long time, as if trying to see through him, but what he met were eyes as tranquil and profound as a lake.

Shen Nan suddenly realized that in that brief moment, he could no longer discern Chen Ling. Whether it was his soul or his Theatrical Shaman aura, both seemed to be completely withdrawn, leaving no trace.

Chen Ling was like an enigma. No one knew where he came from, nor what secrets he held. The only public knowledge about him seemed to be the recently circulated label of “Ghost Mocking Extinction.”

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Nan seemed to grow weary. He shook his head. “You should go…”

The drizzling rain pattered softly on the brim of the umbrella.

“I’ve already taught you the God-Sacrificing Dance. When you can become a Nuo, that depends solely on your comprehension and destiny. I have nothing else to teach you.” As Shen Nan spoke, a phone rang in his pocket. He glanced down at the caller ID and continued, “If you encounter anyone from Bureau 749, don’t mention you came here with me…” With that, he opened his umbrella and walked away into the distance.

Chen Ling watched Shen Nan leave, offering no further explanation. Shen Nan, after all, was still a member of Bureau 749. His risky act of saving Chen Ling was already out of respect for Grandma Xiao, not to mention teaching him the God-Sacrificing Dance. With the prophecy of “Ghost Mocking Extinction” now resting on Chen Ling, the deeper Shen Nan became involved with him, the more dangerous it would be for Shen Nan.

The Nine Sovereigns might be destined to become the Nine Sovereigns in the next era, but Shen Nan’s life wasn’t so resilient.

Once Shen Nan had gone far, Chen Ling stepped towards the old house.

At the entrance of the old house, Yang Xiao, Lu Xun, and Su Zhiwei were taking shelter from the rain under the eaves. Seeing Chen Ling approach, they all turned their gaze towards him.

“Is it just my imagination?” Su Zhiwei asked, perplexed. “Why do I feel like Director Chen’s demeanor is different from before?”

“Indeed, it’s different,” Lu Xun mused. “When the God-Sacrificing Dance failed earlier, he was still troubled, as if something was weighing on his mind. But now, how should I put it… he feels like 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 his demeanor. He simply stood there silently, not saying a word.

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

“Everyone, I’ll be brief.”

“First, I am not human. In a sense, I am the ‘Ghost Mocking Extinction’ from the prophecy. However, I hope you will believe me when I say I bear no ill will towards humanity.”

“Second, what you just witnessed was another ‘Candlelight’ world brought forth by the distortion of the Red Star. In the coming centuries, it will be humanity’s most terrifying adversary, and it will soon converge with Earth. I also come from there.”

“Third, I do not exist in this era. My consciousness originates from hundreds of years in the future, and I am not the only one who has returned from that time. In fact, one of your former colleagues is among them, but I want you to understand that he is no longer the person you knew. For now, I am the only one truly on your side.”

Chen Ling held up three fingers. After speaking, he calmly scanned Lu Xun and the other two. “Do you have any questions about me, or the context of all this?”

Confusion filled the eyes of Lu Xun and the other two. They couldn’t understand. Chen Ling, who had just moments ago spoken about “everyone having their own secrets,” seemed like a different person after stepping out. He had dropped three bombshells in three sentences, leaving their minds momentarily blank.

“I have no questions,” Yang Xiao replied first. For Yang Xiao, he already knew everything except for the opening statement, “I am not human.” As a scientist, Yang Xiao had a remarkably high acceptance of Chen Ling being an extraterrestrial. He believed Chen Ling was indeed on their side; otherwise, none of them—he, Su Zhiwei, or Lu Xun—would have made it this far.

“I do have one question,” Lu Xun couldn’t help but ask. “Director Chen, you just mentioned another colleague who returned from hundreds of years in the future. Who is it?”

“Lou Yu,” Chen Ling paused briefly, then added, “Currently, among those openly returned, Lou Yu is one…”

“Lou Yu…” Lu Xun and the others remembered Lou Yu’s strange final actions in Shennongjia, and their brows furrowed.

“I have no more questions,” Lu Xun and Su Zhiwei replied simultaneously.

“Good, now that we’ve 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 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 relatively dangerous situation right now?”

Lu Xun fell into thought: “Excluding Lou Yu, Wu Tongyuan has already been sent abroad, and then there’s Chu, who was with me…” Lu Xun’s expression shifted as if he’d remembered something. “Chu Changqing, he’s still in the lab!”

Nanhai Sovereign, Chu Changqing? Chen Ling recalled the knowledge about the Nine Sovereigns that Teacher Ye had shared during his time with the Fusion Faction, and he immediately matched the name with one of the Nine Sovereigns.

Dr. Chu was a cell biology researcher. When Chen Ling first met Lu Xun, he heard Lu Xun mention that when he was confined in the laboratory, Dr. Chu was responsible for analyzing his body samples. Later, it was also with Dr. Chu’s help that he successfully escaped the lab. Now that Lu Xun had successfully escaped, Dr. Chu was the only one left in the laboratory.

“Didn’t you say he was one of the researchers?” Yang Xiao asked, puzzled. “If that’s the case, his situation shouldn’t be too bad.”

“…It’s hard to say,” Lu Xun replied, his impression of Bureau 749 currently poor, and he hesitated to elaborate.

“It’s simple,” Chen Ling said directly. “We’ll know if we call him.”