Chapter 478: Mysterious Director Chen

"I was almost seen..."

Chen Ling, hidden in the clouds, walked swiftly out of the mountains, his steps light as if treading on clouds.

Audience expectation value: 2Current expectation value: 22

Chen Ling hadn't expected that a mere glance would trigger a small increase in audience expectation. Was it because his whereabouts had been exposed? Or would there be some butterfly effect later? He pondered for a moment before dismissing the thought. Being seen briefly just as he was re-entering the "stage" shouldn't have a significant impact...

However, that quick glimpse allowed him to see the rescue team evacuating the Nine Sovereigns. He knew that the trajectory of history was still moving in its original direction, and his and Ying Fu's presence seemed to remain undetected by the world.

"Finally rid of that guy..." Chen Ling glanced back at the peak from which Ying Fu had escaped, letting out a long breath.

With that obstacle, which had prevented him from entering the Era Archive, now removed, he had the freedom to act in the modern era. It was time to carefully consider his next steps. Chen Ling pondered for a moment, then pulled a small notepad from his pocket and began to meticulously organize his thoughts.

Initially, Chen Ling had entered the Era Archive to understand what happened during the Nine Sovereigns' exploration. But after experiencing it firsthand, he realized that things were far more complex than he had imagined. Not only was the Di Shen Dao involved, but the Nine Sovereigns themselves were shrouded in mystery.

Chen Ling sequentially wrote down several lines on his notepad:

Yang Xiao (Aurora Sovereign), Doctor of Magnetic Field Dynamics;Su Zhiwei, Doctor of String Theory Research, with a unique understanding of parallel worlds, suspected of being able to manipulate the "string music" of creation;Lu Xun, Doctor of Astrophysics, initiator of the Red Star Fragment Exploration Project;Wu Tongyuan, Doctor of Mathematics, weak-willed, a reluctant "mascot" dragged along by Lu Xun;Dr. Lou, Doctor of Materials Science, who actively questioned Su Zhiwei about the concept of "parallel worlds," unilaterally left the team during the exploration, behaved abnormally, and even attempted to kill Dr. Wu Tongyuan. Suspected to be another time-traveler who returned to this era through unknown means;Dr. Ji, Doctor of "God Particle" Research, suspected of possessing the power to create wormholes and travel through time. After Dr. Lou left the team, Dr. Ji immediately pursued, leading to a major battle in the forest. He intervened to protect Wu Tongyuan when Dr. Lou tried to kill him, confirming his animosity towards Dr. Lou, and also suspected of being a time-traveler.

Chen Ling listed the six doctors he had interacted with during the event, recording all their actions, and fell into deep thought as he looked at their names. Yang Xiao was irrelevant for now, Su Zhiwei seemed normal, Lu Xun apparently sensed his uniqueness, and Wu Tongyuan... there was even less to say about him. In the end, Chen Ling circled Dr. Lou's and Dr. Ji's names heavily with his pen. These two individuals definitely harbored extraordinary secrets.

After much thought, Chen Ling added another line below:

Ying Fu, Di Shen Dao, suspected to be the Eleventh Sovereign, possessing an Era Archive USB drive identical to his own but lacking a regular serial number, suggesting he entered the archive through some special path...

After writing this line, Chen Ling drew a line connecting "Ying Fu" and "Dr. Lou" with his pen, placing a "?" next to their relationship. Chen Ling clearly remembered that when Dr. Lou attempted to kill Wu Tongyuan, he had shouted, "What are you waiting for?" into the forest, and then Ying Fu appeared. This indicated a definite collaborative relationship between the two.

"This is really tricky..." Chen Ling sighed, looking at the notepad. "Regardless, I should find Yang Xiao first."

Among these nine, the only one Chen Ling could currently trust was the Aurora Sovereign, Yang Xiao. Whatever Dr. Lou and Dr. Ji were planning, he first needed to find a reliable ally before attempting to win over the other Nine Sovereigns.

With a clear objective, Chen Ling's gaze settled on the rescue team as they gradually withdrew from the mountains. His red attire blended into the mist, and he disappeared from view.

Several hours later.

Wang Xinye felt a weight lift from his chest when he saw Rescue Team Three emerge from the forest, carrying stretchers.

"Medical team, quickly!"

At Wang Xinye's command, the accompanying professional medical team rushed forward to take over. The base also had white tents specially prepared for medical purposes. The nine individuals on the stretchers were moved inside, and the team began busily checking their conditions, activating all their instruments.

As the sounds of busy examinations emanated from the white tents, the atmosphere in the base became somewhat somber. Other staff members, like Wang Xinye, had personally seen off the exploration team, even witnessing their pre-departure group photo. They had never imagined that a simple meteor fragment exploration would end up like this... The entire team was practically wiped out, with only these nine surviving.

"Have the others... all been accounted for?" Wang Xinye's voice was hoarse.

"We've cross-referenced the bodies of the armed escort personnel one by one; they match the departure roster... Only one person is unaccounted for, with no body found and no trace of survival."

"Who?"

"The guide, Chen Li."

"The guide..." Wang Xinye frowned in thought. "He's local and familiar with the Shennongjia area. Could he have used the chaos to escape?"

"But we haven't found any footprints indicating his escape. Even if he did flee, he should have returned here; there's no reason for him to simply vanish."

Wang Xinye rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Just then, a figure ran over hastily, their face extremely pale!

"Commander! Commander!!"

Both men looked over simultaneously to see one of the base staff members approaching. Wang Xinye asked in a low voice, "What's the rush?"

"We... we found the guide, Chen Li, in the forest behind us!"

"Oh?" Wang Xinye raised an eyebrow and smiled. "So it seems the guide also survived... That's good news."

"No, Commander! He was tied up with ropes and hanging from a tree branch in the forest, with cloth stuffed in his mouth... If he hadn't struggled and broken the branch, falling straight down, we would never have found someone else in that part of the woods..." The staff member swallowed, and the next sentence instantly froze the smile on Wang Xinye's face: "He said he was knocked unconscious and tied up before they even departed! He never even entered Shennongjia!!"