Chapter 164
Chapter 164
Anyone with eyes could see Xu Minghu’s groveling manner, then Qin Lan’s innocent, detached expression, and realize something was wrong.
What kind of leverage did this kid have over Elder Xu? Why would the old man shoulder such an enormous blame for him?
Dean Li’s gaze moved repeatedly between them.
Many students at Clear Spring Academy came from the Central Region, and most of their families possessed at least a modest degree of influence…
One or two would have been manageable. More than a hundred suffering an incident at once was something else entirely.
Although everyone had emerged unharmed, it still qualified as a major accident.
If even a few of those students’ parents came demanding an explanation, the trouble would only grow.
Even with Xu Minghu’s seniority, this burden might be too heavy for him to bear.
“Qin Lan… Three-star Anomaly Hunter. Earned merit last month?”
“Major merit, at that?”
Li Antu studied the file in his hands, then looked at Qin Lan with surprise.
The young man was barely past twenty, yet his record was astonishing. Even the widely experienced Li Antu could not help marveling at it.
“If Elder Xu insists this was a research accident… then I won’t pursue the matter for now.”
“If any further problems arise, I’ll hold both of you accountable.”
Li Antu sighed. He understood that Xu Minghu was determined to protect Qin Lan, so he simply tossed the entire mess back to the two of them.
After a brief pause, his expression became even more serious.
“Student Qin, we’ll put all that nonsense aside for now… There’s something I must ask you.”
“Have you offended someone?”
The abrupt question left Qin Lan stunned. His mind nearly failed to turn the corner.
Under Dean Li’s grave stare, Qin Lan scratched his head awkwardly, looking rather embarrassed.
“Dean Li, I’ve offended quite a lot of people… Which one do you mean?”
Before coming to the Central Region, Qin Lan had already offended people at United Government headquarters. It had only been a small faction, but they might still cause trouble for him someday.
After arriving in the Central Region, he had proceeded to screw over all eight of the other Lower Nine Academies…
If someone hired an assassin to take Qin Lan’s worthless head, he would not have been surprised in the slightest.
Li Antu was speechless.
What did this kid do for a living? Wasn’t an Anomaly Hunter supposed to spend each day either enjoying life or fighting anomalies? Where had he found so many people to offend?
“A few minutes ago, the United Government’s Criminal Investigation Department contacted me and demanded your whereabouts.”
“They know you came to my academy. They refused to disclose any details and merely told me to cooperate.”
Li Antu stared into Qin Lan’s eyes.
“Those people usually deal with vicious criminals–Anomaly Hunters guilty of serious crimes, for example…”
“Why are they looking for you?”
Qin Lan could no longer remain calm.
The United Government again?
A week ago, Qin Lan might not have cared. He might even have happily cooperated with the investigation.
But now, he felt uneasy.
Of all the possible times, they had chosen to look for him immediately after he awakened Yin Manqing?
There was no way Qin Lan would believe the two events were unrelated.
[If I were you, I would leave for the Fallen Zone right now–this very instant–before the United Government takes you away.]
[There is more than a ninety-percent chance they’ve already discovered that you bought the uniform.]
Yin Manqing, who had remained silent while sulking, suddenly transmitted her voice to Qin Lan.
Since a storage bracelet blocked mental fluctuations, Qin Lan had folded the combat uniform and placed it inside an inner pocket of his coat. That allowed her to communicate with him in time.
Yin Manqing’s warning shook him.
“Already?!”
“Surely not…”
[You don’t believe me?]
[If you were merely an ordinary three-star Anomaly Hunter, they wouldn’t spend much effort on you even if you broke the law.]
[But this matter involves me–a half-step Ascension expert who might have survived by sheer luck. That changes everything.]
Yin Manqing’s cold voice brimmed with hatred.
[When they face a threat that might grow strong enough to challenge them, they will erase it at any cost.]
[Right now, they’re only asking about your whereabouts… But I guarantee they already have people watching the gates of Clear Spring Academy.]
[The moment they confirm a connection between you and me, the instant you step outside those gates will be the moment you die.]
Yin Manqing’s warning made Qin Lan’s back prickle.
“Holy shit! Why are you only telling me something this important now?!”
“Is it too late to sell you?”
Qin Lan’s expression changed dramatically. “They’re already at the gates. How am I supposed to run?”
“I might as well hand you over to the government.”
“You’ve already died once. Dying one more time shouldn’t be that big a problem for you, right?”
[Is that really all the backbone you have, you little bastard…?]
Even Yin Manqing was shocked by how quickly Qin Lan changed sides.
[I was describing the worst-case scenario! The worst case!]
[They’ve probably only found a few clues and developed some suspicions about you.]
[Otherwise, hiding inside Clear Spring Academy would be useless. They could drag you out in minutes.]
At this point, Yin Manqing added irritably,
[Besides, handing me over won’t keep you alive.]
[Do you really think they’d let you go?]
[Knowing those people, they’ll simply assume you’ve already conspired with me and slap you dead while they’re at it.]
All the color drained from Qin Lan’s face.
“Conspired with you?”
“Don’t make things up. I barely know you. We’re complete strangers.”
[You little bastard…]
Li Antu frowned from the side.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“You look terrible… Do you need to visit the campus clinic?”
Qin Lan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and laughed awkwardly.
“Ha ha… I do feel like I need some rest…”
“Professor Xu’s research project must have been too astonishing…”
Li Antu studied Qin Lan’s pale face for a long moment, as though he had seen through something.
His gaze turned deep and unreadable. He waved for Qin Lan to leave.
“Elder Xu, please take Student Qin to the campus clinic.”
Qin Lan swallowed. He had no time to explain anything now. He stood and hurried for the door.
His pace had the urgency of a man on the highway who desperately needed to piss, missed three rest stops in a row, and finally reached a toilet just before his tank exploded.
“Old grudges with the United Government…?”
Inside the dean’s office, Li Antu watched Qin Lan disappear into the distance. His eyes flickered darkly, his thoughts impossible to read.
Then he took out his phone and made a call.
“This is Li Antu.”
Dean Li’s voice was low.
“That Qin Lan you’re asking about? He left ages ago. He isn’t here at all.”
His tone became extremely impatient.
“When did he leave? How the hell should I know? I spend every day putting out fires. You think I have time to track some wet-behind-the-ears brat?”
“You want me to take responsibility? I’ll take responsibility for jack shit…”
“Find him yourselves if you want to arrest him. Why are you pestering me? I’m an educator, not your damn janitor!”
Dean Li even raised his middle finger at the furious government official on the other end–not that the man could see it.
He cared nothing for the official’s anger.
After hanging up, Li Antu felt so refreshed that he began humming.
“Heh. They want my cooperation…”
“When I asked them for research funding, they strutted around like my ancestors and cursed me to my face…”
“About time they took a turn playing the obedient grandsons.”