Chapter 370 - 340: Calling to Account
’After an explosion that terrifying, that guy Sun Shouhe should have been turned to ash.’
As he thought this, a sense of regret inevitably welled up. Using a Suicide Bombing Robot with such terrifying power on Sun Shouhe was a complete waste.
"Might as well go take a look," Li Qian muttered to himself. He patted the sand off his clothes and slowly walked over.
"Huh?" Just as he walked over, Li Qian spotted a mangled, blood-soaked body at the bottom of a huge crater.
’He actually left a body behind!’ Li Qian was quite surprised. Logically, an explosion that terrifying should have left nothing behind.
Puzzled, Li Qian leaped into the crater to investigate.
Upon inspection, a look of surprise immediately crossed his face. He could keenly sense that Sun Shouhe was, incredibly, not dead.
He wasn’t dead, but his condition was so dire he was barely breathing. There was little difference from being dead.
Li Qian observed him for a moment before finally figuring it out. "Tsk, tsk. I never would have thought... he used his Three-eyed Ghost Wolf Beast as a shield."
That was it. Li Qian had figured it out. The reason Sun Shouhe hadn’t died instantly was that, at the critical moment, he had summoned the Three-eyed Ghost Wolf Beast in front of him.
The Three-eyed Ghost Wolf Beast had blocked and absorbed the vast majority of the blast’s impact, allowing him to survive.
Of course, the fact that he had dodged in time and wasn’t at the very epicenter of the explosion was another important factor.
Unfortunately, the Three-eyed Ghost Wolf Beast wasn’t so lucky. Taking the full force of the Suicide Bombing Robot’s attack head-on, it was instantly vaporized.
Li Qian stayed put. He didn’t leave, nor did he take any other action. As for whether Sun Shouhe would survive, that was up to fate.
About ten minutes later, two Roller Coasters came speeding from the horizon.
"They’re here," Li Qian muttered, watching the Roller Coasters speed toward him.
The Roller Coasters quickly came to a halt beside him. Director Lou stepped out of one of the vehicles. "Li Qian, what’s going on?"
Li Qian pointed to the large crater beside him, then to the blood-soaked figure of Sun Shouhe. "That man is Sun Shouhe. He’s a classmate of mine. He set an ambush here to attack me."
"Your classmate ambushed you here?" A massive, invisible question mark seemed to form over Director Lou’s head as he gave Li Qian an inquisitive look.
Li Qian nodded and continued, "Yes. He’s not just my classmate; he’s also a Cultist from the Black Divine Teachings."
Director Lou’s brow furrowed. "The Black Divine Teachings... so that explains it."
He paused for a moment before he couldn’t help but ask, "But why would a Cultist from the Black Divine Teachings be targeting you?"
"It probably has to do with the fact that I’ve foiled a few of their operations in the past," Li Qian replied matter-of-factly. "Of course, I suspect my cultivation talent also makes them wary."
"That is indeed a serious issue." Li Qian’s words were a revelation for Director Lou. Then, a sudden thought made his heart clench.
He had heard about Li Qian’s past dealings. After all, it was all part of the Dongxia Federation’s security network; he was privy to some information from Jiangnan Province.
If a cultivation genius of this caliber had an "accident" within Shazhou City’s jurisdiction, he, the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, would face immense pressure.
More importantly, it would be a tremendous loss for the entire Dongxia Federation. This matter had to be taken with the utmost seriousness.
Feeling the pressure, Director Lou fixed his gaze on Sun Shouhe’s mangled form.
After a brief look, he ordered his subordinates, "He doesn’t look dead yet. Keep him alive. We’ll see if we can get any information out of him."
Once his two subordinates had carried Sun Shouhe into the vehicle, he turned back to Li Qian with a smile. "Li Qian, thank you for helping us root out this rat."
Li Qian waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t mention it. For me, dealing with the Black Divine Teachings is as much about self-preservation as it is about helping the Public Security Bureau."
This wasn’t mere pleasantry; it was the truth. The Black Divine Teachings had repeatedly tried to come after him, so now that he’d run into one of them, he certainly wasn’t going to just stand by and do nothing.
Even if his attacker today hadn’t been Sun Shouhe, but some other Cultist from the Black Divine Teachings, the outcome would have been the same.
He smiled and added self-deprecatingly, "After all, the Black Divine Teachings would love nothing more than to get rid of me."
After chatting with Director Lou for a while, Li Qian prepared to return to Shazhou City. So much time had passed that the sky was already starting to brighten.
Director Lou insisted on escorting him back. Li Qian had intended to refuse, but the director was adamant, so he had no choice but to accept the escort.
Li Qian bid farewell to Director Lou at the gates of Shazhou Beast Taming University, then entered the campus and headed back to Xianya Garden.
After a quick wash and some breakfast, Li Qian went to the Cultivation College’s main building.
The morning’s class wasn’t difficult; Li Qian had already devoured the textbook long ago. So, during the lecture, he focused on contemplating his Rock Monster’s evolution.
’The task progress is at ninety-two percent. With only eight percent left, it shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll see if I can finish it quickly.’
Numerous thoughts flooded his mind, sparking flashes of inspiration.
’Is a Mutated Red Star Stone an absolutely essential condition? Not necessarily!’
’But the Mutated Red Star Stone is likely a shortcut for its evolution!’
"..."
While Li Qian was brainstorming in class, over in the Cultivation College’s dean’s office, Elder Tie stormed in. "Old Fei, you have to give me an explanation for this!"
"An explanation for what?" Dean Fei asked casually, looking at the fuming Elder Tie.
"Li Qian was attacked within the borders of Shazhou City! You tell me what kind of explanation I need!" Elder Tie’s eyes blazed with fury as he stared at the dean.
Hearing Elder Tie’s accusation, Dean Fei shook his head helplessly. "I didn’t want him to be attacked any more than you did. But it’s already happened, and besides, he’s fine!"
"You call that fine? He had to use his life-saving trump card! He was one step away from disaster." Elder Tie was still livid, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "We went through all that trouble to recruit this genius. Don’t let him fall victim to your negligence."
At this, Dean Fei laughed aloud, finally understanding the true reason for Elder Tie’s "inquisition." "You old rascal, so that’s what you were waiting for."
"But even if you hadn’t come here, I would’ve arranged it. I’ll make sure to compensate him for the life-saving trump card he used."
Elder Tie’s eyes lit up. "You said it yourself!"
Li Qian had helped him a great deal with the matter concerning him and Teacher Han Ke. Even his own breakthrough to the Emperor Level was inextricably linked to the boy. For that, he was deeply grateful to Li Qian.
When he heard about the attack on Li Qian earlier today, his heart had leaped into his throat. Fortunately, Li Qian had good luck on his side, and nothing disastrous had occurred.
But "nothing disastrous" was one thing; a spent trump card still needed to be replaced. That was why he had set his sights on Dean Fei.