Chapter 150 Departure

Inside the Phoenix Singing Valley, Fan Bei was in a grove of white poplars, urging Dabai to practice its technique.

The technique it was practicing was, naturally, how to enter and exit the Spiritual Realm.

Driven by Lin Zhongqing, an atmosphere of tension had unconsciously taken hold, and he likewise needed to prepare for a retreat.

Though deeply helpless about it, there was no other choice. In fact, back when Lin Zhongqing had beaten away that exile, Fan Bei had already foreseen that this day would come. The enemy was an unknown quantity, yet undoubtedly powerful.

Though he did not yet know when they would appear, taking precautions beforehand was never a mistake.

"Master, I can't learn it. It's too hard, I just can't get it," Dabai lay on the ground, stroking its white belly and acting completely rogue.

"If you can't learn it, when the bad guys attack, Master won't be able to take you with him," Fan Bei said helplessly.

"Ah, if we leave, what about Sister Xiaolv?" Dabai suddenly grew anxious. It didn't seem worried at all about whether it could escape; clearly, it was actually quite confident it could learn the technique.

"If you practice properly and master it, you can use the spatial storage your Big Brother System gave you to take her with you," Fan Bei coaxed patiently.

Other system hosts didn't have to put in this much effort.

"But my space is only one meter high; it can't fit a person standing up. If Sister Xiaolv squeezes herself in, she might just make it, since she's relatively thin," Dabai calculated on its paws.

"I'll give you some support and expand it a bit—two by two by two, eight cubic meters. That'll cost me an extra seven million," Fan Bei said, his heart aching.

"Alright then, Master, I'll practice properly right now!" Dabai gritted its teeth and persisted, slowly dematerializing its body. For it, this experience that went against its nature was thoroughly uncomfortable.

After all, it was not a human, and it felt extremely ill-at-ease with the sensation of becoming ethereal. Humans, by contrast, could use their imagination to greatly reduce this sense of discomfort.

***

That evening, at the Stubborn Stone Chamber of Commerce.

Upon hearing what Dabai had said, Lin Xiaolv held the dog in her arms and remained silent for a long time.

After a while, she finally made up her mind and went up to the second floor to look for Lin Zhongshi.

As she approached Lin Zhongshi's room, she heard the two of them talking inside.

"Miss Hou, there's no need to be so courteous. To specially bring me a midnight snack, I truly feel unworthy of your kindness."

"It's nothing, Brother Shi. Everything I do for you is entirely voluntary."

Such a little vixen, utterly shameless! I could never bring myself to say words like that!

Lin Xiaolv thought with a bitter resentment.

Could this be the reason why Brother Stone liked her?

How the world has degenerated!

She took a few quick steps forward, pushed the door open abruptly, and a cold sneer hung on her face.

"Oh, Xiaolv, coming to see me so late—is something the matter?" Lin Zhongshi looked up and asked in surprise.

"Hmph, I'm here to see you on business, unlike certain women who fawn over you whether there's a reason or not..." she said, curling her lip.

Hou Juejue merely lifted her chin and ignored her. A defeated dog wasn't worth arguing with; doing so would only damage her own image.

"What is it?" Lin Zhongshi asked gently, well aware of this childhood playmate of his.

Lin Xiaolv didn't speak immediately; she merely cast a side-long glance at Hou Juejue.

"Well then, you two chat. Don't work too late, or you'll get dark circles under your eyes," Hou Juejue said magnanimously before pushing the door open and walking out.

"Hmph," Lin Xiaolv glared at the other woman's retreating back and then said, "We're in trouble. I heard from Dabai that it and its master are preparing to flee this planet."

"Flee?" Lin Zhongshi suddenly sighed, as if he hadn't been surprised at all. "Fleeing again. We've always been running away, but when will there ever be an end to this escaping?"

"Oh, Brother Stone, Dabai said this time is extremely dangerous, and it can only escape because of its master. We need to prepare quickly too. It said it can even take a few people along, though it'll be a bit crowded," Lin Xiaolv said, clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Take a few people? How many can it take?" Lin Zhongshi turned his head to look at the twinkling specks of fluorescence outside the window.

"If we squeeze, it can take three or five people. If we push it a bit more, maybe seven or eight," Lin Xiaolv said eagerly. "If we count Sister Lin Xiaohong, we can take five more people with us."

"Forget it, Sister probably has her own arrangements over on her side," Lin Zhongshi felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. These past two months had been the most fulfilling of his life.

Arranging production, comforting the people, making friends... he had managed every single task methodically, winning unanimous praise from everyone.

Otherwise, Hou Juejue would never have concluded that he was the right person to support Hou Xiaopang.

Just as he had said, they were always running. They had fled from the north to the south, but the south wasn't peaceful either. Now they were going to flee Earth. Once they escaped Earth, where else could they run?

Was there truly not a single tranquil sanctuary left in this world?

"Your sister—doesn't she despise you quite a bit? In her eyes, there is only that immortal being; where would she ever care about the life or death of us mortals?" Lin Xiaolv said resentfully.

Of course she had seen Dongfang Yitong. That person was indeed breathtakingly stunning; no wonder a woman like Lin Zhongqing was so infatuated.

Yet she knew very well that such a person was beyond the reach not just of ordinary women, but even of those from higher noble families. Probably only an exceptional woman like Lin Zhongqing, the finest in the world, was a match to possess him.

"She isn't that kind of person. I know her very well. She would never resign herself to fleeing alone; she will definitely take a huge crowd with her. She revels in the gaze of the masses. Making her live in seclusion would practically be taking her life," Lin Zhongshi said earnestly.

Lin Xiaolv understood instantly. He was right; Lin Zhongqing was precisely that kind of woman.

Her heart immediately settled, and she said happily, "So Brother Stone had already figured it out. To think I was worrying so much for nothing."

"Mm, thank you. Brother Fan is also a thoughtful man; too embarrassed to say it directly, he took a roundabout way to help me," Lin Zhongshi smiled and shook his head. "Tomorrow, help me send him some gifts to express our gratitude."

Of course, he had no idea that Fan Be had never given him a single thought; it was purely because Dabai the dog cared about Lin Xiaolv that his name was dragged along.

"Mm, Mr. Fan is indeed a good man. To be willing to let his dog practice such a precious technique," Lin Xiaolv agreed, nodding.

Someone without a compassionate heart could never do such a thing.

"Dabai is no ordinary dog. Fortunately, with Sister's protection for now, no one dares to harbor evil intentions toward it," Lin Zhongshi made a silent decision.

Did they really have to run?

He was unwilling. Though he knew full well that doing so was the most rational choice—because many scientific deductions suggested that upon encountering extraterrestrial life, the best path out was flight.

It was simple: the enemy could come to your territory, but you could not reach theirs. Clearly, you were the weaker party, and the enemy held the initiative on whether and how to fight. Even if they lost temporarily, they could retreat to rest and return later, while you could only passively take a beating.

There was an entire era that clearly illustrated the evolutionary history of such circumstances: the Age of Discovery. The fate of the indigenous peoples was to run—running endlessly until they reached territory the colonizers disdained.

"Hateful!" He suddenly slammed his fist onto the desk, spilling ink everywhere and ruining a stack of documents.

"What's wrong, Brother Stone?" Lin Xiaolv asked worriedly, stepping forward to help him clean it up.

"It's nothing. You should go back first. Oh, and don't refuse Brother Fan's good intentions; having one more backup path is always a good thing," Lin Zhongshi instructed.

Lin Xiaolv nodded and left.

Was there truly no other way?

Lin Zhongshi simply stared out the window, making no move to tidy the desk.

He absolutely refused to tolerate endless fleeing. Every time they ran, it was agonizing; they had to abandon the hard-earned enterprises and the painstakingly built networks of connections, only to start all over again.

Though so many brothers and sisters had never abandoned him through it all, it was precisely because of this loyalty that he suffered all the more.

If no one followed you, running away alone was actually quite easy, for deceiving oneself was the simplest thing to do.

At that moment, a new voice suddenly rang in his ears—a voice unlike any he had ever heard before.

"Do you wish to protect your family? Do you desire true... power?"

"Trying to trick me again? Get lost!"

"The invitee has implicitly accepted. Transmission commencing."

The next instant, Lin Zhongshi watched in terror as his own body gradually turned ethereal and finally vanished from the study.

In the study, the desk with its wet ink remained behind, sitting there in utter solitude.