The previously joyful atmosphere suddenly turned heavy, all because Shen Feng was about to set sail. Shen Feng had mentioned this when he called home before, but it hadn't been finalized, only that he would likely go. Now, Shen Feng had finally confirmed the arrangements for his voyage, immediately causing confusion for Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan.
Chu Chaoyan directly said, "Ah Feng, I'm not looking down on your strength, nor am I cursing you into danger. It's just that the sea monsters are too ferocious. It's said that even warships sailing at sea have been sunk by underwater monsters. Are you stronger than a warship? What will you do if you encounter a monster?"
Clearly, Chu Chaoyan and Chang Jianyi were both very worried about the immense dangers at sea. Even as a fifth-tier ability user, Shen Feng might not be able to handle all the situations at sea.
Shen Feng quickly replied, "The warships that sailed before didn't have ability users with them, so they encountered mutated beasts hiding underwater and didn't have high-damage weapons. Now, the headquarters is fully prepared. Even if we encounter danger at sea, we'll have a certain degree of self-preservation ability."
Chang Jianyi, however, shook her head and said earnestly, "Who can predict what happens at sea? If you were on land for a mission, at worst you could just leave. Who in the world could stop you? But this is a mission at sea, surrounded by endless ocean. If danger arises, where can you run?"
Chang Jianyi's concern was very necessary. The previous warships hadn't returned, and even with more preparation now, it was hard to avoid danger. If danger struck, Shen Feng would be at sea, unable to utilize his speed. Such a perilous mission was completely unnecessary to risk.
Chu Chaoyan also pointed to Chang Jianyi's belly and said seriously to Shen Feng, "Look, your son will be born in a month. If you leave now, you might not even see your child's birth. Can you still be considered a qualified father if you do this?"
To stop Shen Feng's actions, Chu Chaoyan even resorted to emotional blackmail. He was leaving Yuzhou to go to sea, wasn't he? Did he not care at all about the child about to be born? Was he really so heartless?
Shen Feng gave a wry smile and said helplessly, "I know leaving at this time seems irresponsible, but I have no choice. I cannot live in temporary comfort and compromise. You cannot imagine, once the meteorite is salvaged, all power dynamics will change. By then, the headquarters will have a powerful army of ability users, while our Yuzhou will have at most thirty ability users. We won't even have a place to stay then. I don't think the headquarters will hesitate to act against us!"
Now, Shen Feng laid out the predicament before them. Although the situation in Yuzhou seemed stable, it was one of the safest places in the country. Granaries were full, and the steel plant had been producing firearms. However, this stability was only superficial. Once the meteorite fell into the hands of the headquarters, they would cultivate an army of ability users. By then, the headquarters would possess tens of thousands of ability users, completely crushing others in terms of power!
Yuzhou was the best among civilian organizations, representing countless civilian groups. In this position, Yuzhou was already in a precarious situation. It was impossible for the headquarters to remain indifferent if Shen Feng did nothing. Innocent people are often punished for possessing valuable things.
Shen Feng's worry was not about the present, but about the more distant future. If his family ended up homeless, it would be too tragic.
At this moment, Chang Jianyi suddenly recalled that the laboratory had previously had its information stolen by assassins. Although the identity of the spy wasn't discovered at the time, it was likely connected to the headquarters. This meant that Yuzhou had already been targeted by the headquarters.
Upon realizing this, Chang Jianyi also felt a sense of crisis. Yuzhou was not as peaceful as it appeared, but faced a greater danger. This danger was not from zombies or mutated beasts, but from humans themselves.
Now, Chang Jianyi had no reason to stop Shen Feng from departing, because she knew that Shen Feng's mission was also for the future of Yuzhou.
Chu Chaoyan was still uneasy and said earnestly, "But the headquarters said they would only give you fragments of the meteorite. What if they go back on their word then? Even if it's just fragments, they might not give them to you, as this thing is so valuable. Giving it to you would only make Yuzhou harder to deal with in the future, wouldn't it?"
Shen Feng was quite confident about this matter. He said directly, "It won't be a problem. I wouldn't choose this if I wasn't confident. I plan to bring Guo Pinming with me on the mission. Once we get close to the meteorite, I'll have Guo Pinming use his abilities to strike it, and surely a fragment will break off. Then I'll snatch this fragment and fly away directly using a paraglider. The headquarters won't be able to do anything to me."
Shen Feng was no longer the naive young man he once was. Of course, he was wary of the headquarters reneging on their agreement. Therefore, during the process of salvaging the meteorite, it would be his opportunity to act. As long as he could snatch a fragment, the headquarters wouldn't be able to openly go back on their word. In this way, his objective could be successfully achieved.
Chang Jianyi thought about it carefully and realized it was indeed the case. If they didn't seize the meteorite fragments, Yuzhou's development would certainly lag behind the headquarters. Only by taking action and seizing the meteorite fragments could Yuzhou have a glimmer of hope.
However, to be safe, Chang Jianyi still said to Shen Feng, "Even if you bring a paraglider and can fly in the sky, it's still not enough. Our laboratory has produced a lot of evolution base. Why don't you evolve to the sixth tier? With stronger abilities, perhaps you can fly on your own!"
Shen Feng nodded and said, "As expected, senior sister thinks of everything. After dinner, I'll prepare to evolve immediately. Calculating it, evolving to the sixth tier requires quite a bit of evolution base."
After discussing his upcoming actions with his wife, Shen Feng immediately left the main hall and headed towards the castle. Living in Chinese-style pavilions and towers was indeed tranquil and enjoyable. Opening his eyes to birdsong and fragrant flowers was pleasant, but their defensive capabilities were not very good. Castles, on the other hand, were built of brick and stone, offering far superior defense compared to timber structures, and they also had basements.
During the process of evolution, Shen Feng would be in an unconscious state, and during this time, protective measures had to be in place. This matter couldn't be publicized, so Shen Feng went to the basement and found a private room. Besides Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan, no one else could enter the basement, not even Chang Haojie. This fundamentally eliminated the possibility of Shen Feng being attacked.
Previously, when Shen Feng evolved to the fifth tier, he consumed about twenty liters of evolution base. For each subsequent tier, the required evolution serum or base was ten times that of the previous one. This meant that for Shen Feng to become a sixth-tier ability user, he would need to consume two hundred liters of evolution base, equivalent to ten large bottles of mineral water. If it were that much water, it could even fill a bathtub.
Chu Chaoyan personally pushed the cart with the evolution base to the room in the basement. Shen Feng looked at the mountain of jelly-like substances and couldn't help but twitch his mouth, his expression turning a little grim. He said, "You want me to drink the water from a bathtub? This is too exaggerated! My stomach can't handle it either."
"Stop the nonsense. If you don't evolve to the sixth tier, how will you gain stronger power? How can we rest assured?" Chu Chaoyan couldn't help but say.
Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and began to peel the evolution base, muttering, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, exhausts their muscles and bones..."
Hearing Shen Feng say this, Chu Chaoyan turned to leave, saying, "You don't usually show such good literary talent. Now you're talkative. My sister and I will guard the exit upstairs. No one will enter the basement, so don't worry!"
Shen Feng quickly peeled off the plastic outer layer of the evolution base and put it into his mouth. To become a sixth-tier ability user, he could only eat with all his might. As for sixth-tier ability users, Shen Feng hadn't heard of any yet. He figured it was because the required evolution base was simply too much. No matter what organization it was, they would be reluctant to provide such a large amount of evolution base to a single person. After all, the evolution base needed to cultivate one sixth-tier ability user could be enough to cultivate ten fifth-tier ability users.
On the first floor of the castle, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were guarding the entrance to the basement. The only way to enter the basement was through this single passage. There were infrared surveillance systems around, making it impossible for anyone to enter the basement stealthily without them noticing.
It wasn't that Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were being overly cautious, but that ability users were at their most vulnerable during evolution. During the evolution process, even a small child could easily take the life of an ability user, so they had to be on guard.
Chang Haojie and Zhang Xixi were further away from the entrance. They stayed in the castle's corridors, keeping the castle's servants far away. Whether it was cleaning or tidying bedding, they were not allowed to approach this area.
The entrance to the basement was in the study. Apart from the castle's builders, no one knew about the basement's entrance. During normal times, no one was allowed to enter the study. At this moment, even the corridor outside the study was off-limits. It could be said that Chang Jianyi had taken extreme precautions for Shen Feng's safety.
Just as Shen Feng was preparing to evolve, Yue Hengyi in the hospital was extremely displeased. Ever since he had spoken his true feelings, he hadn't seen Qin Kewei again. His strong recovery ability as an ability user had kicked in, and within a week, his injuries had mostly healed. However, his burns were severe, and a large part of his face was numb and clearly disfigured.
Yue Hengyi was in a dilemma. He didn't understand why Qin Kewei was avoiding him, why she wouldn't give him a clear answer. Was it because she looked down on him after his disfigurement, or was she contemplating whether to accept his confession?
The young nurse taking care of Yue Hengyi was constantly sending him flirtatious glances. Even a fool could see the nurse's intentions, but Yue Hengyi cruelly rejected her, stating clearly, "I will not like you. Please respect yourself!"
Afterward, Yue Hengyi forcibly discharged himself from the hospital. The doctors couldn't stop him. Yue Hengyi, having recovered his physical strength, was impossible for anyone other than an ability user to stop.
Yue Hengyi heard the news that Qin Kewei had returned to Yuzhou, so he immediately began searching for her. He wanted to find Qin Kewei and clarify her thoughts, unable to continue in such ambiguity.
Yue Hengyi searched for a long time in Yuzhou. Qin Kewei's phone was turned off. When he went to the hotel, he couldn't find Qin Kewei. Instead, he saw a group of people playing cards. Ke Yiming and Fang Qinghao had called Hou Xiaohua and Jiang Kui. There had to be stakes for the card game, and the stakes were simple: whoever lost had to drink. Li Keyi was too lazy to play cards with these scoundrels and was reading a book in a corner of the living room. On the table were excellent tangerines and apples. Li Keyi was eating fruit and reading.
The people from the Ability Administration were noble ability users, and the City Lord's Mansion naturally dared not neglect them. Thus, they found the best hotel to accommodate them. The thirty-story hotel, including the top floor and the rooftop, was occupied by them. They could ask for anything they wanted, and the hotel chefs were on standby. Whether they wanted Sichuan cuisine or Shandong cuisine, desserts or cold dishes, everything could be delivered at the fastest speed.
Ke Yiming and the others finally enjoyed a life of high status. They had been on missions all along, and it was rare to enjoy themselves. Being able to rest peacefully now was the best.
"Where is Sister Qin? Why isn't she here?" Yue Hengyi quickly asked.
Ke Yiming waved his hand and said, "A pair of twos, do you want them? I don't know where Sister is. Go ask someone else."
Seeing that the four were engrossed in their card game, Yue Hengyi knew they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. At this moment, Yue Hengyi could only turn to Li Keyi, who was reading, and ask, "Miss Li, have you seen Sister Qin?"
Li Keyi picked up a sweet and crisp apple, took a bite, and looked up, saying, "Haven't seen her. She left suddenly after dinner. Is there something you need her for?"
"Uh, nothing. I'll wait for her to come back here." Yue Hengyi couldn't reveal the real situation and could only sit helplessly in the living room, looking at the night sky outside the window, his worry growing more intense.