Chapter 480: We Need to Talk

With the staff's help, Yang Xiao packed his belongings and changed into clean clothes. His headache was gone, and he felt much better.

"The car they arranged for me will be here soon." Yang Xiao checked the time, then turned to Lu Xun. "Aren't you leaving yet?"

"I have to wait for this guy to wake up," Lu Xun said, pointing helplessly at Wu Tongyuan. "I got him involved in this, so I have to take responsibility."

Yang Xiao nodded slightly. He knew about Lu Xun and Wu Tongyuan's friendship. He figured Lu Xun must feel guilty for getting Wu Tongyuan caught up in such a dangerous situation, where he almost lost his life.

"Then I'll head off now... This exploration took too long, and I have a lot of things to deal with back at the lab."

"Wait..."

Lu Xun stopped Yang Xiao. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are you very familiar with Director Chen?"

"Director Chen?" Yang Xiao was surprised, then shook his head. "No, not at all. It was our first time meeting... What about him?"

"I just found out that the real guide, Chen Li, never entered Shennongjia. He was replaced."

"What? Then who was the person who traveled with us the whole time?"

"I don't know... but he's definitely not an ordinary person." Lu Xun recalled Chen Ling saving them from numerous calamities and added, "The good news is, he didn't seem to have any ill intent towards us... If it weren't for him, I'm afraid all nine of us would have suffered casualties. I saw him talking to you a lot on the way, and he deliberately protected you, so I thought you already knew each other."

Yang Xiao thought carefully and realized it was true, just as Lu Xun said. The confusion in his eyes deepened. "But I really did meet him for the first time."

"Never mind that, this exploration was too bizarre, and I have a feeling it won't end so simply." Lu Xun looked seriously into Yang Xiao's eyes. "After you go back, you must remain vigilant."

"I understand."

Yang Xiao bid farewell to Lu Xun and walked straight out of the base. During this time, Wang Xinye approached with a non-disclosure agreement and asked about Chen Ling. After all the paperwork was completed, Wang Xinye personally escorted him to the mountain road.

By then, a black van had been waiting by the roadside for a long time.

"Hello, are you Dr. Yang Xiao?" The driver, wearing white gloves, got out as Yang Xiao approached the car, helped him put his luggage in the trunk, and asked.

"Yes."

"The destination is the airport, right?"

"That's right."

"Alright, please get in."

Yang Xiao sat in the back seat, his gaze drifting through the window towards the distant, continuous Shennongjia mountain range. A hazy mist still hung over it, shrouding the area in a veil of mystery... He was about to leave, and everything he had experienced here felt like a dream.

As the vehicle slowly started, the mountains outside the window steadily receded. The distant sunset gradually sank into the earth, and the dim mountain road was rough and bumpy.

Yang Xiao meticulously recalled everything that had happened during the exploration: every detail, every person he saw, the strange monsters, and the colossal fragments standing in the deep pit...

When he finally came back to his senses, the sky outside was completely dark. The vehicle had left the mountain road and was driving west along a straight path.

Yang Xiao looked at the increasingly desolate villages outside and was slightly taken aback. "Is this the way to the airport?"

Two beams of headlights pierced the dark night, illuminating a section of the quiet path ahead.

The driver, focused intently on the road, glanced at the bewildered Yang Xiao through the rearview mirror. The dim light from the dashboard barely illuminated a corner of his face, making him appear profound and mysterious in the darkness.

He raised his hand, lightly tearing at his chin. A face mask floated in the air, revealing a different, younger face underneath.

Chen Ling spoke calmly, "Dr. Yang Xiao, we need to talk."

Under the night sky, a figure with hands in his pockets slowly ascended the mountain peak.

At the summit of the mountain, another figure stood imposingly, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, gazing like a torch at a certain direction in the night sky.

"Your Majesty failed to kill Red Heart Six?" Dr. Lou raised an eyebrow.

"..." Ying Fu spoke in a deep voice, "I underestimated him... I didn't expect him to possess such power so early on."

"After all, he was chosen by the Red King. If the Red King dared to entrust him with a spiritual treasure, he must have had something to rely on."

Dr. Lou's robes fluttered in the night, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "A Red Heart Six with a spiritual treasure, and an uninvited Ji Xuan... These two are the biggest obstacles to Your Majesty's plan. However, Red Heart Six's current strength is insufficient; he's not a major threat yet. The biggest trouble remains Ji Xuan."

"What about the Red King, who possesses the Primal Origin?"

"Ah, him..." Dr. Lou paused. "The Red King is indeed a fatal threat, but if he truly could act, he would have intervened when we were fighting over the Red Star fragment just now..."

"You mean he can't intervene?"

"The Red King is mysterious and powerful; no one has ever been able to guess what he's thinking. But even if he were to act, I wouldn't fear him." Dr. Lou smoothed his sleeve and said calmly, "Besides, don't we still have Your Majesty?"

"In this era, I am still unfledged and cannot contend with the Red King and Ji Xuan."

"It's alright, we still have time." Dr. Lou narrowed his eyes. "I will keep Ji Xuan in check. Your Majesty should consolidate your power as quickly as possible. As for the rest... you can entrust it to your loyal subjects."

Ying Fu glanced at him, his deep, majestic eyes seemingly piercing through his thoughts. He slowly said, "Who do you want to kill?"

Seeing his intentions exposed, Dr. Lou showed no embarrassment. Instead, he smiled, took a list from his pocket, and handed it to Ying Fu, saying, "If Your Majesty wishes to rule the world, there are a few individuals who must be eliminated... Otherwise, they will undoubtedly become major threats in the future."

Ying Fu took the list and glanced at it. The first name that caught his eye was "Wu Tongyuan."

Ranked second was "Su Zhiwei."

Ying Fu said nothing. He simply tossed the list casually behind him. In the dim shadows, a figure carrying a hunting rifle silently stepped forward and caught the list steadily.

They were rough hands, and his sturdy leather boots were covered in mud, as if he had just arrived from a very distant place. As he held the list, a pair of sharp, wolf-like eyes slowly opened in the darkness.

Fifth Tier, God of War Path, Heavenly Wolf.