When Lin Yue discovered the true situation in the sewer, he began to blame Gong Changfa for his idea of a secret passage. It turned out to be nothing more than crawling through the sewers, and they had encountered countless rats and cockroaches along the way. The two, equipped with night vision goggles, could barely see the path ahead, the stench in their noses being overwhelming.
As the capital, Yanjing's sewer system was relatively spacious, allowing a person to pass through by bending over. However, they frequently encountered grates within the pipes, which required Song Huai Ren's intervention. Song Huai Ren's ability was the control of high temperatures.
While it sounded impressive, perhaps comparable to Kong Jia Lie's abilities back then, the actual manifestation of this power was not that remarkable. It could only melt iron bars and was nowhere near Kong Jia Lie's ability to melt an entire road surface in one go.
Song Huai Ren placed his finger on an iron bar and activated his ability. The iron bar immediately began to melt. Once the steel rebar was severed, Song Huai Ren casually tossed it into the nearby mud. The hot iron bar let out a "sizzle" as the rebar was subsequently cooled by the sewage.
As they proceeded, Lin Yue, with nothing else to do, asked, "Mr. Song, why did you return to the country with Ke Yiming and the others?"
Upon hearing the question, Song Huai Ren was reminded of his tragic experiences and could only reply with a sigh, "This matter, if I start talking about it, it will never end. When the doomsday arrived, we were all working overseas. Do you know Parikil? Never mind, you wouldn't understand. Just know that we overseas Chinese suffered."
"Continue, I'm listening," Lin Yue pressed.
Since they could only keep moving forward at this point and had nothing else to occupy their time, it was better to hear the story of what happened to Song Huai Ren.
"Later, we overseas Chinese were subjected to constant bullying. Fortunately, one day, Mr. Ke Yiming and Mr. Yun Laizhe appeared. When they heard we were overseas Chinese, they immediately decided to take us back home and even turn us into ability users. It was truly a miracle. We became ability users, killed the scoundrels who oppressed us, sailed back home with the south wind, and that's the story." Song Huai Ren said emotionally.
Only those who had truly lived abroad understood the pain of leaving their homeland and country. Not only were they alone without relatives, but they were also bullied. To receive help from fellow countrymen in such a situation was truly unforgettable.
It was precisely because Song Huai Ren and the others were saved by Ke Yiming that they followed the two of them back with complete devotion.
Hearing Song Huai Ren's account, Lin Yue couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious. He thought to himself, "Is Ke Yiming really that generous? Not only does he save people, but he also gives away ability potions? If he has ability potions, why doesn't he keep them? I can't figure it out!"
As Lin Yue was pondering, Song Huai Ren, who was leading the way, said, "Mr. Lin Yue, we've arrived. By passing through the side sewer, we can reach the area beneath the prison."
Upon hearing this news, Lin Yue immediately took action, crawling into the narrow sewer and finding an exit emitting a faint light. Here, he could finally breathe fresh air. The smell of decay in the sewer was truly nauseating. It seemed that cleaning sewers was not a job for ordinary people.
Lin Yue looked up towards the sewer above and saw many surveillance cameras in the underground prison. There were no guards, but an abundance of surveillance equipment.
In the distance, a room flickered with light, a glaring light that made it obvious where Yue Hengyi was being held.
Lin Yue dared not rush out of the sewer directly, as he spotted numerous infrared cameras, with machine guns positioned beside them. Once the identity of an intruder was confirmed, these machine guns would automatically open fire. Moreover, the prison was constructed of steel, making it resemble an important base rather than a research institute, which was not even this heavily guarded.
The research institute's defense was more specialized, with direct military protection to ensure the safety of scientists.
After much thought, Lin Yue decided to test the waters and began to use his ability. He gathered sound waves and sent them towards the distant building, saying, "Mr. Yue Hengyi, I am Lin Yue. Are you there? How are you doing?"
Sound propagates in waves, so when a sound appears, everyone around can hear it. However, Lin Yue's ability was to control sound waves. He condensed the sound waves to prevent them from spreading elsewhere, directing them straight into the room.
At this moment, Yue Hengyi was filled with despair. Upon hearing Lin Yue's voice, he calmly said, "Don't bother saving me. Let me perish on my own. If you are alright, quickly return to Yuzhou. You've worked hard this time."
Yue Hengyi knew his words could be heard. He knew Lin Yue's ability was to control sound waves. Currently, he was tightly bound to a testing table. Any movement would result in electric shocks, and any attempt to use his abilities would lead to sedatives being injected into his body.
However, no matter how difficult the situation, Yue Hengyi had ways to leave. But now, Yue Hengyi had seen his true self, realizing he was merely a weak youth who could protect nothing, and thus, he no longer intended to struggle.
Lin Yue heard Yue Hengyi's reply and quickly said, "Mr. Yue, please don't give up. We were set up; it was the enemy's mistake. We did nothing wrong."
However, Yue Hengyi directly replied, "Forget it. Such words can only fool elementary school students. I killed people, and according to the law, I deserve to pay with my life. Whether I was set up or not is no longer important. Shifting blame now would make me a coward. Perhaps, my life is meant to end here. Goodbye."
Lin Yue wanted to persuade him further but was at a loss for words. From his tone, it seemed Yue Hengyi was determined to die. For someone who had lost all hope, nothing else mattered.
Suddenly, at this moment, Yue Hengyi remembered something and quickly said, "Right, Lin Yue, please take my parents to Yuzhou to live. In return, I will tell you where the ability potions and extraterrestrial elements are stored. Tell them that their son is unfilial, has made a grave mistake, and cannot care for them in their old age. It is my fault. Adopt a child in Yuzhou in the future, teach him, and never let him be a gentleman; it's useless!"
Lin Yue asked helplessly, "Mr. Yue, have you truly thought this through?"
"I have thought it through. One must take responsibility for their mistakes; there's no escaping it. Goodbye. I entrust my parents to your protection," Yue Hengyi said calmly.
Lin Yue was helpless. If Yue Hengyi had wanted to leave, he could have rescued him. But now, with Yue Hengyi determined to die, Lin Yue had no other recourse but to let him have his way. Yue Hengyi's words were clearly a final request, and as a friend, he could only fulfill his last wish.
"Do you need me to plead your case?" Lin Yue asked finally.
"No need. Why defend a demon?" Yue Hengyi replied faintly.
Afterward, Yue Hengyi revealed the location where he had hidden the extraterrestrial elements and then fell silent. Lin Yue returned the way he came, bringing Song Huai Ren with him, and went back to the Chosen Bureau.
Lin Yue informed Li Keyi about the location where Yue Hengyi had stored the ability potions and extraterrestrial elements. Li Keyi immediately turned invisible to retrieve them. As she left, she said, "Hurry and wash up. You stink!"
Lin Yue then remembered that he was covered in mud from his journey through the sewer. If he wasn't careful, he would end up covered in filth.
Meanwhile, Gong Changfa was still leading the people from the Chosen Bureau to cause trouble outside the Heavenly Dragon Bureau. Calling it causing trouble would be an understatement; it was more like unreasonable harassment. One side insisted on entering, while the other refused to let them in. Gong Changfa, instead, led his men to sit at the entrance and play cards, betting on who would lose and have to treat the others to drinks that night.
Long Qian watched as a group of people smoked and played cards at the entrance of his base, behaving like hooligans. He was furious, but beyond his anger, there was nothing he could do. He could only control insects, and the killing power of insects against ability users was minimal. A single burst of flame from Xun Yan would be enough to kill countless insects.
Facing such a situation, Long Qian dared not act rashly, as he would be the one at a disadvantage. He also dared not let his guard down, fearing that Gong Changfa would lead his men to charge in. If significant losses were incurred, it would not be worth it.
Seeing Gong Changfa swaggering at his doorstep with his men, Long Qian was utterly helpless, as he was no match for them.
Long Qian was well aware of the implications of this situation. Although he had currently prevented the newly established Chosen Bureau from entering his base, in the eyes of others, his Heavenly Dragon Bureau was inferior to the Chosen Bureau. In this confrontation, his side needed to remain vigilant and dared not relax, while the opposing side was well-organized, playing cards and relaxing. Despite sitting on the street, they were chatting and laughing freely.
"Damn it, once I cultivate some powerful ability users, I'll see if you dare to oppose me then. Your arrogance won't last long," Long Qian thought to himself.
In reality, this was the legendary "spiritual victory method," a technique that A Q excelled at. Being beaten or humiliated was not important; one would simply think to themselves, "This brat won't have many good days left."
And so, in this manner, they achieved victory on a spiritual level.
However, at this very moment, Gong Changfa's phone rang. As he pulled it out to check it, a fly immediately buzzed over.
Gong Changfa coughed twice, and Xun Yan promptly shot out two small fireballs, no larger than teacups, incinerating the approaching fly.
"Long Qian, you want to know who I'm contacting? Is this method too despicable?" Gong Changfa looked at Long Qian with a half-smile.
It was clear that Long Qian had used his ability to try and control the fly to see the contents of the phone. Whatever the message was, it was worth investigating.
But with Xun Yan and the others present, no insect could get close to Gong Changfa. While Long Qian's ability might seem intimidating, controlling countless insects across the city, in a real fight, these insects would only serve as surveillance equipment. There was no possibility of combat unless all the flying creatures were mutated insects.
Long Qian said faintly, "I wasn't peeking. My abilities are not very good; I can't control some insects!"
Seizing the moment, Gong Changfa checked his phone and found a message from Lin Yue: "Got the goods, mission complete, return quickly!"
Upon seeing this message, Gong Changfa breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Chosen Bureau was powerful, they couldn't truly act with impunity in Yanjing. Being able to conclude this matter with dignity was good, and they would also obtain the extraterrestrial elements.
"Brothers, let's go!" Gong Changfa wasted no time and prepared to lead his men away.
As he was leaving, Gong Changfa looked at Long Qian and said with a half-smile, "Long Qian, you don't seem to have many courageous people under your command. You'd better keep a low profile in the future."
With that, the group walked away.
Long Qian looked back and saw only three people standing behind him: Wang Like, Yang Yunhe, and Zhan Jinsu. The moment someone attempted to force their way in, Long Qian had already detected the enemy. When he rushed out, only these three remained with him.
Seeing this scene, Long Qian gritted his teeth in anger, thinking, "A bunch of scoundrels! They talk big when it comes to words, but when it's time to act, they all become cowards. How can I become strong by associating with these insects?"