Chapter 116
Chapter 116
Qin Lan had originally planned to rescue Xue Chuan first.
Meeting Su Xiaoyue could wait. Xue Chuan’s life was at stake.
Before he even reached the Central Region, however, a message arrived from Luan Zimo.
More precisely, from her assistant.
“The entrance to the unsolvable instance disappeared?”
Qin Lan’s brow furrowed.
According to the assistant, after sending Qin Lan the coordinates, Luan Zimo decided to lead a team into the instance herself–perhaps she feared he would arrive and steal another opportunity from her.
The original entrance collapsed immediately after she entered.
The rules of unsolvable instances could not be judged by common sense. Their flow of time and governing rules had already exceeded the bounds of ordinary instances.
In some, a few days inside could mean months outside.
“I’m sorry. We’re doing everything possible to locate a new entrance, but it lies in a dangerous area deep within the Fallen Zone, so the search is extremely difficult.”
“Unsolvable instances have always been mysterious as well. We can’t give you an exact timeframe.”
As the assistant sent the message, he silently praised Qin Lan as a ruthless man.
Anyone else who angered Luan Zimo this badly would pray never to meet her again and avoid a brutal beating. Qin Lan, on the other hand, seemed dissatisfied to hear that both Luan Zimo and the entrance had vanished.
Was he a masochist?
The assistant could reach no other conclusion.
“Tell me immediately if you learn anything.”
Qin Lan sighed. He could only hope Xue Chuan survived a little longer.
The man’s combat ability swung unpredictably, but he was genuinely skilled at preserving his life.
If he pulled out a few more items like the Death-Substitution Doll, he might actually survive for some time.
Qin Lan’s class ability could reveal traces of death.
But the depths of the Fallen Zone were full of high-risk instances. Any entrance he encountered might not belong to the one holding Xue Chuan. He still had to wait for the Anomaly Hunter Bureau to locate exact coordinates.
Seeing the cloud over Qin Lan’s brow, Yu Qianqian assumed he disliked the request to “steal someone else’s girlfriend” and hurriedly spoke.
“Brother Xue, you don’t need to feel pressured. You only have to meet her once. It won’t be troublesome!”
“If you’re willing, I can even be your wingwoman!”
Huo Xinran was almost in tears.
Stop talking!
My heart hurts!
He knew his chances with Su Xiaoyue were already low, but hearing her best friend volunteer as another man’s wingwoman still shattered his heart.
“Senior Huo, you look terrible. Did you eat something bad?” Luo Ping asked with concern.
“No. I just remembered something sad…”
Each carrying their own thoughts, they rode the same train toward the distant Central Safe Zone.
[Next stop: Central Safe Zone, G092 Stop.]
[This train has reached its final destination.]
The doors opened, and Qin Lan strode from the carriage.
He narrowed his eyes slightly against the sunlight overhead.
“Even the sky looks cleaner in the Central Region…”
Yu Qianqian popped out behind him, visibly excited.
“We’re finally here… Brother Xue, are you coming straight to the school with us?”
“I’ll need to apply to my mentor before they approve your entry, though.”
Qin Lan shook his head. “There’s no hurry.”
“I have some business to handle. I’ll find you at Clear Spring Academy when I’m done.”
That business was actually a request from Fatty Wu–Wu Rendi.
When our beloved Principal Wu heard Qin Lan was visiting the Central Safe Zone, he became as excited as though someone had injected him with chicken blood.
Then, utterly shameless, he entrusted Qin Lan with a sacred mission.
“Little Qin, just look at the profound bond between teacher and student that we share…”
Wu Rendi’s voice sounded treacherous over the communicator. “I’ve guarded the school all these years and rarely had cause to visit the Central Region… If you aren’t busy, could you buy something from a shop for me?”
“Don’t worry, it isn’t expensive. The storefront may be a little difficult to find… I’ve sent the location. Drop by whenever you have time.”
Qin Lan immediately grew wary.
“Wait! You aren’t asking me to break the law, are you?”
“Let me make this clear. If it’s contraband, I absolutely won’t–”
Wu Rendi hurriedly interrupted. “No, no! I’m such an upright person. Don’t you trust me?”
“Safe! Absolutely safe!”
“When you get there, tell the owner you want these item numbers…”
Wu Rendi rattled off a long string of English letters and numbers, leaving Qin Lan baffled.
“What about my errand fee?”
“Our teacher-student bond–”
“The moment the transfers stop, so does our bond.”
“…Fine. If you encounter trouble in the Central Region that you can’t solve, find someone called Big Horned Ox. He can solve it for you.”
“That’s it? You’re bullshitting me.”
Qin Lan was deeply contemptuous. He had not imagined Wu Rendi’s skin could be this thick.
First, did a person with a heaven-defying name like “Big Horned Ox” even exist?
Second, Qin Lan did not believe the man could solve a problem beyond his own abilities.
Qin Lan’s current strength rivaled a 4-Star Anomaly Hunter, and his gold-bordered badge carried substantial weight even in the Central Region.
If he encountered something too difficult for him to handle, who could possibly resolve it?
Given Fatty Wu’s unreliability, Qin Lan could scarcely imagine how bizarre his connections might be.
Another old pervert who liked watching porn?
The thought sent a chill through him.
Still, Qin Lan decided to find the shop first.
If the goods were not dangerous, bringing them back for Fatty Wu was no great trouble. He could treat it as sightseeing in the Central Region.
“The Central Region really is luxurious…” Qin Lan gazed around and sighed. “No wonder everyone wants to come here.”
Compared to Safe Zone 088, the buildings and entertainment facilities were like a Harley-Davidson beside a child’s bicycle.
Yu Qianqian burst out laughing.
“Brother Xue, we haven’t reached the Central Safe Zone yet.”
“This is only a rural town at the very edge of the Central Region.”
This was a fucking rural town?
Qin Lan stared blankly at the forest of skyscrapers and streams of traffic, questioning his life.
He knew the Central Region was vast. He had not expected it to be this vast.
Embarrassment washed over him. “Damn… How am I any different from a country bumpkin visiting the city?”
“How humiliating.”
But as the saying went, there was always a great scholar ready to argue your case. Luo Ping immediately offered a perfectly reasonable explanation.
“Anyone can tell you’ve spent years in the Fallen Zone fighting anomalies, sir. You never had time for material pleasures, so naturally you don’t know the Central Region well.”
“Only Anomaly Hunters addicted to material desire stay in the Central Region and refuse to leave.”
“Your spirit of remaining unmoved by worldly temptation is truly admirable.”
Was that so?
So that was it.
Qin Lan suddenly understood. He was simply too noble.