Chapter 137: Li Zhinan Under Control

Zhou Liren had no intention to expose his savior’s ability.
But now, with the leader of the major client’s convoy pressing him and the intangible pressure radiating from Yang Zicang, Zhou Liren dared not conceal the truth.
“He said his name is Wu Ying, but he goes by several names. He also mentioned being called Shi Qian. Pretty strange guy, but a good person. He became invisible, carried me out of the cave, and then fled quickly.”
“Shi Qian? Invisible?”
“Yeah—uh, Boss Jia, do you know him?”
A spontaneous rescue? Or did he come here after taking a bounty from the Lord of Desert Locomotive?
Yang Zicang, who had intended to head out for the hub town, sat back down slightly, speaking with a hint of gravity:
“Come on, tell me in detail everything you encountered, especially about this Shi Qian.”
……
Almost a week had passed.
On a Sunday morning, Yang Zicang had just returned from Hub Town and had only slept for three hours when he suddenly felt his eyelids being gently pushed.
{Get up!}
Opening his eyes, Yang Zicang saw a cute little head appearing right in front of him, occupying his entire field of vision.
“Give me a break, I’m still very sleepy,” he said, suddenly seeing this thing so close to his eye that he didn’t even have room to lean back.
A little elf, wearing a white light dress and holding a pen-like object, flew up from above his eyes.
After Yang Zicang got up, she kept hovering near his nose and ears, sitting on his shoulder from time to time.
{I’m journalist Wati Wati, from now on I’ll be writing your Lost Frequency Zone influence report!}
Her sharp yet sweet, tiny mental voice echoed in Yang Zicang’s mind.
{Get up quickly, sleepyhead. Today is a new beginning. You need to earn at least ten fame points this week, or else I’ll leave!}
“But haven’t I become a celebrity for this week yet?”
As the beasts in the hills had been cleared, it became harder for ordinary people to enter the mountains, and the size of the market had stabilized. This week had just started, and Yang Zicang was still a few fame points short of the signaled target of ten.
{The editor-in-chief has already noticed you and assigned me to track you. Get up quickly. You might get hired by our editor-in-chief someday!}
“Why should I listen to you? You’re just a reporter, not some maid in charge of my daily life.”
Yang Zicang said lazily.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The little fairy somehow pulled out a crumpled piece of glossy paper from nowhere, picked up a pen as long as her fingernail, and wrote: “On a human Sunday, Yang Zicang slept until the weather warmed before waking up, showing no regard for Moli’s reminders. He is not a qualified fame-seeker.”
The paper was tiny, but the information was instantly perceptible to Yang Zicang upon a glancing sweep, as even needle-point-sized characters were directly comprehensible.
“Go write somewhere else. Don’t bother trying to annoy me with that.”
Yang Zicang brushed her aside with the back of his hand, gently pushing her away.
{Hmph!}
The little fairy glared at him angrily, then vanished with a whoosh into a cluster of light.
With the scent of aromatic pills wafting over, Yang Zicang shook his head, his drowsiness slightly eased.
“Moli isn’t awake yet. What exactly did he run into?”
Last night, after implanting the station into Boppoli, Yang Zicang had returned to Hubtown again for three hours.
According to Inquest’s investigation, Moli had at that time gone to visit a lady who could place calls to the future.
However, since it was mid-month, that lady had already returned to her city to help settle in newcomers. The specifics of what happened back then were still unclear, though about the potential consequences of that phone call, some information had been learned.
“If you want to change the future, there’s a high probability a dangerous situation leading to death will follow afterward.”
Yang Zicang rubbed his head. Something had gone wrong with Moli after he made that phone call—was it because he had learned information about the future?
He stepped out of the tent.
“Skewers, fresh grilled skewers! From a powerful monster in an A-grade Scene Area—one bite and your meridians open up! Come and try them!”
“French fries, cola, chocolate—a taste of home!”
“Wear a beast-fur coat and enjoy a refined life!”
In the days since selling the incense pills, the ferocious beasts on the outskirts had been almost completely wiped out. Many people were now gathering materials and crafting land-type Amnesia Models. Meanwhile, rows of trees were being felled, all in preparation for the low temperatures of autumn and winter.
It was said that every spring, people who ventured out could pick up numerous Amnesia Engines, because winter would freeze many to death.
Amid the greetings of the crowd, Yang Zicang arrived at Luo Bin’s room. The guy had visibly lost quite a bit of weight recently.
“Why are you up so early? With that mental state, can you manage little Ma Chao?”
Yang Zicang glanced at the small luminous sphere in the sky. “It’s nothing. Could you take another look at Moli’s condition? I learned more about him last night.”
“Give me the details.”
“He went to visit a woman who can connect you to a future phone call. According to Boppoli, he was looking for his fiancée. He didn’t know if she had also entered this world.”
“Worried about his fiancée, so he went to visit that lady… Okay, go on.”
Yang Zicang sat down on the chair beside Luo Bin’s bed and said:
“According to the deputy town chief, phone calls can last at most three minutes, within which time three thousand years are consumed. If it goes beyond, a vast quantity of sequence will be expended. Then comes the most critical part: if you hear something in the future that’s hard to accept, trying to change it could mean death. That’s the price for altering the [anchored future].”
Luo Bin’s expression grew increasingly grave as he listened.
Yang Zicang let out a breath and said, “At the same time, that Ms. Maiya also admitted that callers often inexplicably learn news detrimental to themselves.”
“Truly incredible.”
Luo Bin cracked his knuckles, hesitated, and looked at the young man across from him before saying:
“Clearly, that friend of yours wouldn’t just call someone a year or two into the future. It must be that the results three years from now are unacceptable to him, which might lead to an anomaly. But there wasn’t much time from when he made the call to when he came out—what could he have done to change the future? Have you investigated his schedule after he came out?”
“Zhu Yin has already investigated. He didn’t do anything along the way; he just went home and slept until now. It’s speculated that the problem might lie with his ‘soul.’ This was suggested by an official from the hub town’s construction department, who has relevant abilities.”
“Soul? Huh, so that thing really exists…” Luo Bin pondered, then unfolded the model.
[I’m now conducting my second round of intelligence gathering on Mori’s recent affairs. This will cost me 10N in principal.]
Yang Zicang watched Luo Bin nervously.
Suddenly, the model on Luo Bin’s chest shook violently, and he sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the ground, almost collapsing.
“What’s wrong?!”
Yang Zicang rushed forward to support Luo Bin.
“N-no, it’s nothing, cough…”
Luo Bin’s eyes widened as he looked at Yang Zicang. It took him a moment to catch his breath before he said, “Don’t worry. He’s indeed suffering from soul damage, but he’s currently repairing it in his sleep. He should be fine in a few days.”
“How… how did you get injured just by gathering intel?”
“I think I glimpsed something horrifying. That thing… how should I put it… it wasn’t even hiding its presence. Just knowing of its existence nearly killed me.”
“It seems to be in Moritz’s sea of spirit.”
Yang Zicang’s hands, which were supporting him, grew stiff.
“In Moritz’s sea of spirit,” he murmured.
……
A file landed on Li Mi’s desk.
“These are the new recruits we found this time. None of them have models. Also, the three you’ve been keeping an eye on—their spirits are indeed looking better and better. No wonder Yang Zicang taught them his secret skills.”
“I never imagined these techniques could work for ordinary people,” said the ruddy-faced man in front of him with satisfaction. “How far along are you in sorting out the spiritual skills on our end?”
“Only two, and neither is remarkably useful. The ones Yang Zicang gave them are the best. After all, they’re secret techniques passed down through Hub Town, contributed by experts who have mastered A‑grade intersecting spaces.”
Li Mi carefully studied the list, which included each person’s age, and a brief note on their mental state.
“Got it. Let them start training first. In two months, pick a few with good practice to get models. In half a year, we should know if these skills help acquire high‑line models.”
“Yes, Chief Li.”
……
Li Zhinan looked back at the cold, grim-faced man watching him, then turned and walked forward.
{I’ve already had someone test it. Even with that kind of incense pellet, this mountain is still impassable. The phantom figure seen at the start should be inside the mountain.}
“What if he attacks me?”
{Based on my deductions, you should have enough time to escape. At any rate, go in and take a look first. If you find anything valuable, remember to bring it out. For each extra item you bring out, you get one more day to live.}
{If you can bring out something related to telekinesis abilities, I’ll let you go.}
Li Zhinan could only pray that this man hadn’t lied to him. He didn’t even dare to curse this demon in his heart—though it might not be transmitted through telepathy, he still feared the possibility of being sensed.
Because a knife had been sewn into his body by this man.
That kind of nightmarish monster—this man had a complete set of them in his hands!
…
As he gradually approached this towering mountain , a faint, indistinct murmur seemed to echo in his ears. Every time this happened, he would smell a fragrance that seemed to emanate from the depths of his soul.
{So it really does work.}
The man in bandages sat casually on the ground in the distance, twirling an ornate crimson knife in his hand.
“The fragrance… it’s Wang Chaoguang…”
Li Zhinan felt like vomiting but couldn’t manage it.
After half a day of trekking through the dense forest inside the mountain, he discovered a tunnel entrance—a gate built from massive stone bricks, resembling the portal to a military fortress.
{This is the place. Go in and take a look. Good luck.}
Li Zhinan hesitated at the entrance, when suddenly he felt a twisting, piercing pain inside as if a knife were churning through his gut. Drenched in cold sweat, he had no choice but to force himself forward.
Before he had even advanced a hundred meters, countless vines abruptly surged from within the tunnel, sweeping toward him like a relentless wave.
“Ah!” Li Zhinan, terrified, spun around to flee, but in the next second, a rough, strange telepathic voice echoed through his mind.
{You are a sober one who can resist illusions… save me…}