Chapter 1229: Earthquake

When Chen Ling calmly uttered the three words "double-skin milk pudding," Sun Bumian's mouth gaped open. He stared at the pudding and Chen Ling in shock, standing still like a statue.

Chen Ling didn't find this strange. As Sun Bumian himself had said in the archive, Chen Ling owed him this.

If Sun Bumian hadn't used his power of reincarnation to save Chen Ling from the Turbid Disaster, all the people of Wushan, including Lu Xun and others, would have certainly perished. Everyone owed Sun Bumian an immense debt of gratitude.

So, after Chen Ling finished the era archive, he went straight to the cafeteria and asked the chefs to make a double-skin milk pudding. This item wasn't originally on the Integration Faction's menu, but Chen Ling held enough influence there. When he personally requested it, the head chefs consulted various books and diligently researched for quite some time before managing to prepare it.

In the era archive, Sun Bumian had died without ever tasting the double-skin milk pudding he so longed for. Chen Ling was determined to rectify this regret in the current era, no matter what.

"Where did you get this double-skin milk pudding??" Sun Bumian finally came to his senses after a long moment.

"I had the kitchen make it."

Sun Bumian was no longer listening to Chen Ling's explanation. He continuously swallowed, picked up the pudding, and began to eat it little by little.

He dared not take large bites because he cherished it. This item was incredibly rare in this era; the last time he'd eaten it was almost a year ago. He could only take small sips, smacking his lips to savor its flavor, his face expressing pure delight.

After eating half, Sun Bumian quietly put it down.

"Why aren't you finishing it?" Chen Ling asked.

"I'll save some for tomorrow," Sun Bumian replied, restraining his craving and forcing himself to look away. "If I eat it all today, there won't be any left tomorrow..."

Chen Ling was speechless.

Without comparison, there is no harm. Seeing Sun Bumian's carefulness, Chen Ling felt that his life in this era was truly miserable.

There were no convenient high-speed trains or airplanes, no dazzling array of gourmet foods, no respected "elder" status, and few traditional festivals. Not to mention the lively, bustling atmosphere he loved most, which probably wouldn't occur more than a few times a year. Even the gold he had accumulated over countless lifetimes had been stolen.

For Sun Bumian, this era might genuinely be called "the worst of times."

Chen Ling looked at him with pity. "Don't worry," he said. "I've told the kitchen to make a separate portion of double-skin milk pudding for you every day from now on."

Sun Bumian shot up from his seat, grabbing Chen Ling's shoulders tightly with both hands, his eyes red with emotion. "Red Heart, forgive me for not realizing before... You're such a good person after all. Rest assured, I, Sun Bumian, will always support you!!! We're brothers for life... no, forever brothers!"

"...Alright, alright, I get it. Hurry up and eat."

Sun Bumian sat back down, immediately grabbed the remaining half of the double-skin milk pudding, and devoured it. After licking the bowl clean, he let out a satisfied burp.

Chen Ling looked around.

"How long has it been? Aren't Spades and Clubs back yet?"

"It's been over half a year, hasn't it...?" Sun Bumian counted on his fingers. "When he said he was going to train deep in the Grey Realm, I thought he wouldn't last ten days... I can't believe half a year has passed already. It seems he got serious after losing to you that time."

"With Clubs there, they shouldn't be in too much danger as long as they don't directly confront the world-ending threat. But what about food?" Chen Ling said, then realized something. "I almost forgot... Clubs doesn't need to eat, and Spades won't starve to death..."

Jiang Xiaohua's ability could perfectly mask Jian Changsheng's aura in the Grey Realm, essentially acting as a mobile safe house. With him around, Jian Changsheng could freely challenge any disaster. As long as he didn't face a world-ending threat head-on, his life would generally not be in danger. Therefore, even though the two hadn't returned for half a year, Chen Ling and Sun Bumian weren't overly worried.

However, their trip had lasted much longer than Chen Ling had anticipated.

Chen Ling's mind once again recalled the unwillingness and ferocity in Jian Changsheng's eyes after losing to him at the Crimson Sky Sect's branch. Just as Jian Changsheng had said, his sole purpose in coming to the Integration Faction this time was to control the ancient killing intent within him and become stronger than Chen Ling.

Chen Ling was also curious: after half a year of honing himself in the Grey Realm, what would Jian Changsheng be like the next time they met?

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

Just as Chen Ling finished his meal and was about to leave, a faint tremor echoed through the cafeteria.

The tables and chairs began to creak, and all members of the Integration Faction stopped what they were doing, looking around blankly. Chen Ling frowned and looked outside the tree hollow, only then realizing that it wasn't just the cafeteria shaking, but the entire ground.

This tremor didn't feel like an earthquake; rather, it was as if large groups of animals were migrating nearby, their pounding hooves causing the ground to rumble. Fortunately, it wasn't violent, and the tree structure only swayed slightly, suffering no damage.

"...An earthquake?" Sun Bumian asked, puzzled. "Does the Grey Realm have earthquakes too?"

"It's not an earthquake; it's likely caused by large-scale activity within a certain disaster territory."

"But there shouldn't be any disaster territories around the Integration Faction..."

The tremor lasted for about a minute, then finally ceased. The children of the Integration Faction relaxed and resumed their conversations and meals, though occasionally they would still glance outside the tree hollow, a hint of worry in their eyes.

Chen Ling looked at the grey world outside, his gaze gradually turning serious.

"Just because there weren't any before doesn't mean there aren't any now," Chen Ling said in a low voice. "Haven't you noticed? Recently, the activities of these disasters have become increasingly frequent..."

"After all, there's less than five months left until the Red Star descends... These disasters must be panicking too, right?"

Chen Ling glanced at the ground nearby, then after a moment of hesitation, slowly stood up.

"I'll go out and see."

Beneath the Mother Tree.

Intricate tree roots coiled around the underground laboratory. Various petri dishes and instruments were neatly arranged throughout, clean and tidy.

At this moment, Teacher Ye had taken off his shirt and was wearing a white lab coat and goggles. He was intently dripping a single drop of blood into a beaker, where it was then mixed with various unknown liquids. On the experimental table in front of him, over a dozen arm-sized shadow centipedes were separately confined in different devices, seemingly in a deep slumber.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

As a low rumble echoed, the underground laboratory was also affected by the tremor. All the equipment on the tables vibrated slightly, and the previously dormant shadow centipedes seemed to awaken, restlessly crawling back and forth within their containers.

Teacher Ye frowned, stopped what he was doing, and looked upwards.