Chapter 166 - 96: The Four-Year Agreement
"Teacher Liu, is Wang Yiming’s interview over? Did he... pass?"
Luo Qian held his breath, his ears perked to catch every word.
A gratified smile spread across Director Liu’s face.
"He passed! That kid, Wang Yiming, really came through! He’s now a D-rank researcher at the Spirit Research Institute!"
"That’s fantastic! I knew it! I knew Senior Wang would make it!"
Luo Qian was so excited he was practically dancing. It was as if he were the one who had been specially recruited, his face alight with vicarious pride.
Lin Yi, too, was genuinely happy for Wang Yiming.
The three of them moved extremely quickly.
Before long, they arrived before a futuristic-looking building.
Carrying the Corpse General over his shoulder, Director Liu walked straight into an incredibly spacious and bright laboratory.
The laboratory was immense but completely empty.
It had clearly been cleared out in advance.
There were quite a few people in the room.
The most eye-catching among them...
...was naturally the silver-haired Eighth-Grade Grandmaster, Wei He.
"Master Wei, Principal, I’ve brought them."
Director Liu spoke steadily. With a flex of his arm, he gently lowered the Corpse General from his shoulder to the ground.
Wei He looked at Luo Qian, clutched in the Corpse General’s arms like a toy, and spoke in a calm voice.
"You’re Luo Qian, the one who applied for special talent protection?"
"Y-Yes, Senior. I... I am... Luo... Luo Qian."
Pinned by the Eighth-Grade Grandmaster’s gaze, Luo Qian felt his heart leap into his throat. The immense pressure made it hard to speak, and his voice was barely a whisper.
Wei He gave a slight nod, his tone just as placid as before.
"The Science Academy’s Biology Research Institute reviewed your special talent application. They found it... interesting. I was passing through Yang City, so they asked me to come take a look."
With that, Wei He started walking toward the Corpse General and Luo Qian.
"ROAR!!!"
Sensing an immense threat, the Corpse General instantly flew into a rage!
It let out a deafening roar at Wei He, its arm muscles bulging as it tightened its protective grip on Luo Qian.
Its crimson eyes blazed with extreme wariness and madness, ready to tear apart any enemy who dared to draw near!
However, in the face of this monstrously ferocious Fifth-Grade Corpse General, Wei He simply gave a casual flick of his sleeve.
He waved it forward nonchalantly.
BOOM!!!
Before anyone could react or even see what had happened...
...the massive Corpse General had already been sent flying.
It crashed into the reinforced alloy wall over ten meters away with a heavy THUD, sending spiderweb-like cracks across its surface!
And Luo Qian, who had been in its death grip, was now standing beside Wei He, completely unharmed. Not even the hem of his clothes was out of place!
The entire laboratory fell instantly silent!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, sucking in a sharp breath!
’This... Is this the power of an Eighth-Grade Grandmaster?!’
’So casual... He defused the crisis with a mere wave of his sleeve, "plucking" the person to safety without a single scratch!’
’It was a move of divine skill!’
Everyone stared at Wei He, their expressions a mixture of unparalleled awe and shock!
"ROAR!!!"
The Corpse General struggled to its feet, roaring at Wei He with even greater fury and defiance!
Its crimson eyes were locked onto Luo Qian, burning with an almost pathological greed and desire. It was as if Luo Qian were the sole source of light in its existence; it longed to rush over, snatch him back into its arms, and possess him completely.
But it was keenly aware of the terrifying power of the silver-haired man before it.
It could only paw restlessly at the floor, letting out a low whimper, torn between advancing and retreating.
"Interesting."
Wei He’s gaze shifted between Luo Qian and the frenzied Corpse General, his calm voice breaking the silence.
"It seems the object inside your body holds an extraordinary attraction for undead creatures like this one. An attraction so powerful it can override a Fifth-Grade Corpse General’s instinctive fear of death in the face of an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist!"
You must understand, the abundant Qi and Blood of an Eighth-Grade Grandmaster is like a scorching sun to undead creatures!
Normally, a Fifth-Grade Corpse General would have sensed his aura and fled as far as it could, scared out of its wits.
But now?
Not only has this Corpse General not fled, but it’s only keeping its distance out of a healthy fear of absolute power, still unwilling to give up its desire for Luo Qian!
This just goes to show how fatal the allure emanating from Luo Qian is to these creatures—it even surpasses their most primal survival instinct!
Only then did Wei He’s gaze settle fully on the still-dazed Luo Qian, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Luo Qian, you’ve passed your ’Special Talent Protection’ assessment. I now ask you on behalf of the Science Academy’s Biology Research Institute, are you willing to join?"
"Wha—what?!"
A tidal wave of joy washed over Luo Qian, drowning him in an instant.
He felt his head buzzing.
He was so happy he felt he might faint.
"Y-You mean... I... I don’t have to take the college entrance exams? I don’t have to go to college? I can just... join the Science Academy directly?!"
Wei He nodded, his tone certain. "Correct."
Through his daze, Luo Qian’s mind latched onto a key detail. He quickly followed up, his voice full of hope.
"Then... what rank researcher will I be? Am I a D-rank, like Wang Yiming?"
He hadn’t forgotten the news he’d just heard about Wang Yiming being a D-rank researcher.
Wei He seemed unconcerned with such questions of rank and said flatly,
"Specific ranks are an internal matter for the Biology Research Institute. Once you arrive in North City, your mentor will handle it."
Overjoyed, Luo Qian pulled Lin Yi aside and began to enthusiastically pitch him.
"Senior, what about my brother here? He’s the genius of Yang City, and he’s a lock for the top score in the province on this year’s college entrance exams. See if he can be specially recruited into the Science Academy, too."
But Wei He acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, turning instead to Principal Chen Zhenguo.
"Principal Chen, our business here is concluded. I won’t impose any longer. Wang Yiming, Luo Qian, come with me."
He had completely ignored Lin Yi.
It was as if the "genius of Yang City" that Luo Qian spoke of didn’t exist at all.
’Genius?’
’In his long life, Wei He had seen countless so-called geniuses. They were a dime a dozen.’
’Every student who passed the entrance exams for one of Huaxia’s top ten Martial Arts Academies was a one-in-a-million talent.’
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
’And yet, among the tens or even hundreds of thousands of graduates from those top academies, the number who could pass the rigorous screenings to earn a spot in the Huaxia Science Academy was vanishingly small.’
’A high school student?’
’In his eyes, he was just an ordinary student, nothing more.’
’He wasn’t even worth a second glance.’
Principal Chen Zhenguo hurriedly bowed, his attitude one of utmost respect.
"Farewell, Senior Wei..."
The others in the laboratory also bowed in succession.
They escorted Wei He to the school gate in a respectful procession.
Wei He walked ahead with a measured pace.
Wang Yiming and Luo Qian followed closely, flanking him on his left and right.
As for the Corpse General, though it had been sent flying by Wei He’s casual strike, its craving for Luo Qian hadn’t diminished in the slightest. It continued to covet him, trailing three to five meters behind the group. A low gurgle rumbled in its throat, and its crimson eyes never left Luo Qian for a second.
"Hrrggh..."
It let out a low growl from time to time, a sound of defiance and obsession.
When Wei He reached his private car, he glanced at the agitated Corpse General and gave a quiet order to the driver.
"Bag it. We’re taking it with us."
"Yes, Master Wei!"
The driver acknowledged the order and got out of the car.
His movements were swift as lightning. With a flick of his arm, a seemingly ordinary-looking long rod slid out from the car.
With a flick of his wrist, the tip of the rod made a soft CLICK and instantly shot out a net woven from incredibly tough, shimmering blue wire!
The net seemed to have a life of its own, swooping down with perfect accuracy to envelop the Corpse General!
The Corpse General roared, trying to struggle free.
But the wire seemed imbued with some special power; it tightened in an instant, binding the creature’s massive body and rendering it immobile.
The driver effortlessly lifted the thousand-pound bundle and placed it securely on the car’s spacious roof.
"Get in."
Wei He opened the car door and got in first.
Wang Yiming and Luo Qian quickly followed him into the car.
Before closing the door, Luo Qian suddenly leaned out, waving vigorously at Lin Yi, who stood silently in the distance. He yelled:
"Lin! Keep it up! Cultivate hard! The top provincial score on this year’s exams is all yours! You have to get into one of the top ten academies! When you graduate from college, you have to apply to the Huaxia Science Academy! I’ll be waiting for you there! We’ll meet again in North City, brother!"
The engine let out a low rumble.
The black car started smoothly and accelerated quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it merged into the flow of traffic and vanished from sight.