Chapter 278: Yang Xiao

The bone-chilling wind swept across the front of the base, also chilling Chen Ling’s heart.

Dammit... How could he be here?

Chen Ling had seen the man before him just recently on the fourth floor of the Aurora Base; there was no way he could be mistaken.

But shouldn't the Aurora Lord still be dormant in the base? When did he wake up? How did he suddenly appear behind him like a ghost? Was he here for him? But how could this be... Was it because he touched the glass? That makes no sense!

Countless thoughts surged through Chen Ling's mind, almost making his brain smoke. An "ancient" person who was supposed to be sound asleep in a stasis pod, turning his head only to find someone staring at him from behind—this was straight out of a horror movie!

Chen Ling silently shifted his gaze from the figure opposite him, turned around naturally, and walked away, pretending not to recognize him.

"Wait."

The man's voice slowly echoed.

Chen Ling stopped in his tracks. He turned back, bewildered and surprised, looked around, then pointed to himself, bewildered, "Are you talking to me?"

At the Aurora Base, Chen Ling had touched the stasis pod as "Chen Xin," but now he had reverted to his "Lin Yan" appearance, so he shouldn't have been recognized.

"You think I wouldn't recognize you just because you changed your face?" The Aurora Lord simply looked at Chen Ling's innocent face. "Even if you turned to ash, I'd still smell the 'world-ending' aura on you."

At that statement, Chen Ling's last shred of hope was completely shattered.

He carried the "world-ending" catastrophe, making him an enemy to all humanity, undoubtedly putting him at odds with the Aurora Lord. Now that the Aurora Lord was awake, Chen Ling was the greatest threat to the Aurora Lord in Aurora City!

The shadow of death loomed over Chen Ling's heart. In those eyes, swirling like the aurora, everything about him seemed to be seen through.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, the Aurora Lord's voice rang out again:

"What? Scared now?"

Chen Ling paused, slightly stunned. He looked up at the Aurora Lord with confusion; a faint, almost imperceptible hint of mockery flickered in the other's eyes. Chen Ling wondered if it was his imagination.

Chen Ling took a deep breath and spoke carefully:

"Aurora Lord... Senior. I had no intention of disturbing your slumber, and I bear no ill will towards Aurora City. My presence here is merely an accident. If you mind, I'll leave immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked away.

"Stop." The Aurora Lord called out to him again.

Chen Ling: ...

"Come back."

Helpless, Chen Ling could only obediently walk back to stand before the Aurora Lord.

The Aurora Lord watched him for a long time, then slowly spoke, "Show me around."

"...What?"

"I'm not familiar with this era yet. I need a guide."

Chen Ling's brows furrowed involuntarily. He looked at the Aurora Lord suspiciously; in those eyes, he saw no killing intent, only a profound and mysterious unknown, like the aurora itself.

"Do we... know each other?" Chen Ling asked instinctively.

The Aurora Lord paused for a moment. "No."

"Then..."

"My time is limited, and you are a 'world-ending' catastrophe. I must keep a close eye on you before I die, to prevent you from harming this city."

Chen Ling was stunned. He pondered the statement carefully, feeling there was something off about it, yet it also seemed perfectly reasonable. So, was he under house arrest?

"Of course, you can refuse..."

The Aurora Lord's eyes narrowed slightly. The next moment, deep blue electric arcs crackled around him, the aurora in the sky swirled, and the pressure of a Ninth-Tier entity suddenly descended!

"If that's the case... I'll have to kill you first to eliminate future trouble."

"Wait!" Chen Ling immediately blurted out, "I agree!"

His current audience expectation level was less than 50. If the Aurora Lord killed him, he would truly die. Even if he had enough expectation and two lives, it wouldn't be enough against the Aurora Lord.

The Aurora Lord seemed satisfied with Chen Ling's reaction. He patted the hem of his white lab coat, dispersing the electric arcs around him.

"Lead the way."

"...Where do you want to go?"

"Is there a Starbucks? I'd like an oat milk latte."

"There's no Starbucks around here. The only place nearby is a local wisteria cafe. And it's pretty bad..." Chen Ling replied naturally, then suddenly froze.

Starbucks... He hadn't heard that brand name in a long time in this era.

Chen Ling realized: the Aurora Lord was originally a researcher from before the Great Cataclysm who had voluntarily chosen to go into stasis after the disaster. For the Aurora Lord, he had merely woken up to a completely unfamiliar era—just like... just like his own "transmigration" had been?

In Chen Ling's perception, the Aurora Lord's own aura was so immense that he had overlooked that he and the Aurora Lord were from the same era.

Wait, did his answer just now also reveal the fact of his transmigration?

In contrast, the Aurora Lord seemed to have no reaction to Chen Ling's reply and simply said casually:

"Never mind then. Let's just go to that wisteria cafe, or whatever it's called. I haven't had coffee in so long, I'm craving it."

Chen Ling's mind was still in a whirlwind, making him absent-minded even as he walked. Fortunately, the cafe wasn't too far away, and they reached the entrance in just a few steps.

Chen Ling reached out to push the door, but for a moment, it wouldn't open. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down, noticing that frost had frozen the gaps around the door, making a cracking sound as he pushed.

What was going on? He had only been in the base for about six hours, and the outside temperature had already dropped this much?

Though puzzled, Chen Ling didn't dwell on it. After all, he hadn't been in Aurora City for long and didn't know how its climate changed. He simply thought it might be a sudden drop in temperature. After another forceful push, he shook off the frost from the door and entered the cafe.

"No one's here?" Chen Ling looked around the room, seeing neither staff nor the owner, and asked, surprised.

"The sign outside says it's open," the Aurora Lord raised an eyebrow. "Never mind that, let's order first..."

Then, he began patting his pockets.

"...What are you doing?" Chen Ling asked.

"Scanning to order," The Aurora Lord paused for a moment, then came to his senses. "Oh, right, this era probably doesn't have that... And I don't have my phone with me."

"..." Chen Ling said helplessly, "No one's here, let's find another place."

"No need. Leave some money, I can brew it myself."

With that, the Aurora Lord walked behind the counter, rolled up the sleeves of his white lab coat, and began skillfully selecting coffee beans.

"Aurora Lord Senior, you know how to brew coffee?"

"When I used to do experiments, our lab didn't have a coffee machine, so we always ground it by hand." The Aurora Lord paused for a moment. "Also, you don't need to call me Aurora Lord Senior... You can call me Yang Xiao, or Dr. Yang."