Chapter 65: Triggering the Alarm
A third color of smoke appeared.
It looked similar, but the texture was vastly different.
The cyan smoke was like silver threads, each strand distinct.
The pink mist was like soft, warm spun sugar, tangled and clinging.
But the purple wisps before her could no longer be described as threads.
They were like ribbons, the size of a silk blindfold, smooth and serpentine.
Jian Yu instinctively thought of the word ’resilient’.
She tried to retract it, but failed. In her panic, it only spread faster.
Suddenly, a long siren blared from the research institute.
WHOOO—
The entire Zone 5 was thrown into alarm.
The sound snapped Jian Yu back to her senses.
She didn’t know when it had happened, but the ground at her feet was crawling with the Red Snake’s clones.
"It’s okay. Don’t be afraid."
Ling Yanzhi wrapped an arm around her waist, squatted, and lifted her with one arm.
His expression was grave.
Jian Yu had rarely seen him look so serious.
She sat on his arm in a daze, her fingers clutching her flowing skirt to steady her swaying body.
’It’s not even noon. Why is the sky so dark?’
Jian Yu lifted her eyes blankly.
Overhead was a writhing mass of black tentacles.
She ducked her head in fright, catching sight of the walls, which were also black.
Yang Zhang’s tentacles had split into numerous branches, clinging to the walls, his massive appendages each occupying a different section.
The cool-toned silver walls were now a sheet of pitch black.
Jian Yu couldn’t see Pei Yin’s Ting Ying, but she could faintly hear them circling above Zone 5.
They seemed to be investigating something.
Pei Yin whipped his head around, giving her a serious look.
His gaze was strange, as if in disbelief.
The moment the door opened, he vanished in a blur.
Jian Yu turned back.
Xi Yu was gone too.
Jian Yu had a gut feeling it had something to do with her. Her heart raced, and she bit her lip worriedly.
She tried to secretly pull back the disobedient purple ribbon of smoke. She tried twice, and failed again.
Jian Yu steadied her breathing, giving herself a mental pep talk to ease her tension.
She moved her fingers behind her back and twisted them slightly. With a hardened expression, she yanked, with the sheer force of someone determined to snap it if it didn’t retract.
’Hey, it actually worked!’
The corners of her mouth lifted, unconsciously forming a slight smile.
"What did you do?" Ling Yanzhi’s voice came from above her.
His tone was neutral, just lacking some of its usual casualness. It was hard to read his emotions.
Jian Yu’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up, stunned.
"What?" Her gaze was blank as she stared at his sharp jawline.
’I feel guilty, but I can’t let it show.’
Jian Yu thought she was putting on a good act. With an innocent look, she said, "I didn’t do anything."
"Mm." Ling Yanzhi’s eyelids lowered and then lifted again. He had that roguish look back, as if he wasn’t the one who had just questioned her.
This attitude of his made him even harder to figure out.
Jian Yu didn’t want to play dumb, and she knew she couldn’t keep it up. "I haven’t figured out how to explain it yet."
She knew he had seen her subtle movements just now.
But she really hadn’t figured out her next step.
’I shouldn’t have gotten lazy and dozed off. I should have thought this through when the smoke first appeared in cultivation class.’
Ling Yanzhi saw her turmoil and stroked her head. "It’s fine. You don’t have to say anything, baby."
His tone was light and lilting, as if he didn’t care at all.
Jian Yu had the illusion that no matter what she did, he would be right behind her, supporting her completely.
Perhaps it wasn’t an illusion.
Looking at Ling Yanzhi’s casual yet indulgent gaze, Jian Yu evasively lowered her eyes.
She was a bit of an awkward person. She spoke slowly, and her every move could easily make others feel uncomfortable.
People who liked her were mostly drawn to her first impression, to her demure beauty.
The fact that no feelings developed afterward was probably because they discovered she was just a ditz with a pretty face.
She was a poor conversationalist, had no strong desire to express herself, and had vastly different interests. Trying to find a soul-deep connection with her was a fool’s dream.
Jian Yu dejectedly hugged Ling Yanzhi’s neck, resting her head against him.
The movement was habitual, showing a hint of dependence.
She didn’t notice the corner of Ling Yanzhi’s mouth curl up, nor the brief moment of warmth as his cheek pressed against hers.
Of course, Ling Yanzhi couldn’t read her thoughts either.
Jian Yu kept a clear head, analyzing the situation while extinguishing the spark of hope in her heart.
’They just like my body. It’s not that they can’t live without me, and it’s certainly not that it has to be me.’
’My only use is to soothe their pain during the Threshold Devouring Period. At most, you could add my high incubation affinity, which might make them re-evaluate my worth.’
’Other than that, what Sheng Yue said was right. Ling Yanzhi’s affection is probably just an illusion caused by the Yulan Fragrance in my pink mist.’
The more Jian Yu thought about it, the more she felt that the rush of emotion she’d just felt was completely unnecessary.
’Those in power don’t have true feelings. I should focus on getting my fill of these hot guys. A simple give-and-take, both sides obsessed with each other’s bodies. That’s the only way it’s fair.’
’Not everyone gets to transmigrate into a novel. Since I’m already here, what’s the point of playing it safe?’
’Fortune favors the bold! Even if I die, I’m going to live out all the plotlines from that forced-love novel I loved so much!’
’How many guys like Ling Yanzhi and the others, who look like they walked straight out of a comic book and even taste sweet when you kiss them, could you possibly find in the real world?’
’In summary: you have to fool yourself before you can fool others. But don’t get so caught up in the act that you start to believe it’s real.’
’I just need to get my spiritual nourishment from them and satisfy my own desires.’
’Absolutely, definitely do not develop real feelings!’
"Mm," Jian Yu said, her eyes serious.
Ling Yanzhi’s gaze shifted down to her. He chuckled. "What was that ’mm’ for, baby?"
"Nothing." Jian Yu tilted her head away. A tingle ran through her ear, and its tip turned red unconsciously.
She was an awkward person to begin with. Xi Yu calling her "baby" at every turn only made things even more so.
Therefore, when he was around, Jian Yu paradoxically felt less awkward herself.
Ling Yanzhi was different. When he called her "baby," it was always with a hint of flirtation.
His nonchalant tone lacked any forced, greasy undertones; it was all bewitching, lazy magnetism.
"Why aren’t they back yet?" Jian Yu perked up, trying to make small talk.
The lab had returned to its uniform silver color; the black tentacles had vanished without a trace.
The Red Snake’s form retreated back into Ling Yanzhi’s body. It wasn’t as lively as before, and it didn’t pop out to make its presence known like it usually did.
"Anyone in Weis Lan can hear an alarm the moment it sounds, no matter where it is."
Ling Yanzhi’s finger traced the dampness at the corner of her eye. "They have to disable the alarm before it alerts the Alliance."
Some people have their Awakening at eighteen, others are Awakened at birth. Regardless of which category they fall into, all of them eventually enter Weis Lan Noble Academy.
The special status of Awakeners makes them targets for possession by Soul Ghost Bodies.
To protect these promising young talents, the Alliance doesn’t dare to be careless, and has deployed tens of thousands of hidden surveillance devices.
Ling Yanzhi’s voice rose at the end. "If the alarm sounds and isn’t dealt with in five minutes, it’s automatically reported to the Alliance Center. You’re really something, baby. The Alliance almost had to step in."
He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips.
Jian Yu pressed her lips together, her reaction a beat too slow.
She regretted breaking the quiet atmosphere from before.
’Just as I thought. Ling Yanzhi has figured everything out.’
’Xi Yu and Pei Yin, too.’
Jian Yu’s fingertips unconsciously hooked into his highlighted wolf cut, the ends just long enough for her to grasp.
Her breathing grew slightly heavy. Ling Yanzhi leaned toward her, following the pull.