Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“You’re saying Peng Haiyang, a 2-Star Anomaly Hunter, encountered danger and called you for help?”
At the Anomaly Hunter Bureau’s reception desk, Luo Yue repeated the story suspiciously while taking notes.
Qin Lan did not change expression.
“Correct.”
Luo Yue looked from her notebook to Qin Lan.
“Then, the moment you met, an instance dragged both of you inside. It happened to block your communicator signals, so no footage of the event was recorded?”
By this point, Luo Yue wanted to complain.
Qin Lan still nodded.
“Correct.”
Luo Yue took a deep breath.
“Then Peng Haiyang used every method available but still couldn’t defeat the anomaly in the instance, so he sacrificed himself heroically to save you?”
“You barely escaped and had time to recover only Peng Haiyang’s three cursed artifacts?”
Qin Lan wiped away tears that did not exist.
“Exactly!”
“Senior Peng was noble and courageous. His conduct deserves our admiration…”
“I recommend publishing a commendation and spreading the story of his heroism throughout the Safe Zone…”
Luo Yue could no longer bear to write. She looked toward Lu Xingshan, who stood nearby with narrowed eyes.
“Director, this…”
Lu Xingshan’s mouth twitched. He grabbed Qin Lan like a chick and carried him all the way to his office.
After slamming the door, Lu Xingshan stared directly into Qin Lan’s eyes.
“Now tell me what happened again.”
“You know which version I want to hear.”
Faced with a 4-Star Anomaly Hunter, Qin Lan answered helplessly,
“The Qian Group hired Peng Haiyang to attack me in the Fallen Zone.”
“First he activated a signal jammer. Then he used [Confinement Field] to trap me and released three 1-Star anomalies to attack simultaneously.”
Lu Xingshan’s expression did not change.
“And then?”
Qin Lan remained perfectly calm.
“Then he died.”
“I killed the three anomalies. When he could no longer maintain the barrier, I killed him too.”
“That counts as self-defense, right?”
Lu Xingshan drew a deep breath, seemingly unsure what to say.
“You…”
“No. That’s a lot to absorb. Give me a moment.”
When Lu Xingshan learned of Peng Haiyang’s death, he had immediately suspected Qin Lan. Yet he still could not accept the truth.
Peng Haiyang ranked at the bottom among 2-Star Anomaly Hunters.
His combat power was only slightly above an ordinary 1-Star Anomaly Hunter’s, but he had genuinely killed a 2-Star anomaly.
Even if other factors had assisted him inside the instance, he remained a true 2-Star Anomaly Hunter.
How could a newly licensed 1-Star have killed him instead?
According to Qin Lan, he could now face several 1-Star anomalies simultaneously. That was even more absurd.
“This is impossible… Only a few days ago, he was barely stronger than an ordinary person…”
Lu Xingshan stared at Qin Lan as though looking at a monster.
In seven years at the Anomaly Hunter Bureau, he had never seen an Anomaly Hunter grow at such an astonishing pace.
“What exactly is your Talent?”
“Don’t try to blame it on a Curse Codex. No matter how powerful the codex, it cannot produce progress this fast.”
Lu Xingshan’s voice was grave, and his burning gaze seemed intent on seeing through Qin Lan.
“A 2-Star Anomaly Hunter is dead. He was part of the Safe Zone’s backbone.”
“Unless you explain yourself, I cannot let you leave easily.”
As Lu Xingshan spoke, a sigil appeared and enveloped the entire office.
Qin Lan remained silent for a moment.
“Director Lu, I cannot tell you.”
Seeing him remain tight-lipped even now, Lu Xingshan’s eyes shifted, and a terrifying aura erupted.
Boom!
Qin Lan felt a mountain descend upon his shoulders and nearly fell to his knees.
Only his greatly increased Strength and Constitution allowed him to endure the pressure.
“Oh? Not bad. You can withstand my pressure at close range now.”
“You certainly carry plenty of surprises.”
Lu Xingshan’s voice turned cold.
Breathing rapidly, Qin Lan fought the pressure and forced out his words.
“Director Lu, I truly cannot reveal my Talent… If I do, it will bring disaster upon me.”
“But I harbor no malice toward the Safe Zone. I only want to survive and become stronger one step at a time.”
Lu Xingshan’s expression remained unchanged, and the pressure increased.
Qin Lan clenched his teeth and held firm.
“A 2-Star Anomaly Hunter is not my limit… Give me a little time, and I’m confident I can become stronger. I may even… reach your level.”
“If you are willing to trust me…”
“Which is more valuable to the Safe Zone: a future 4-Star Anomaly Hunter, or a bottom-ranked 2-Star? I shouldn’t need to explain.”
The pressure vanished instantly.
Qin Lan staggered but steadied himself in time.
“You’re clever enough to know what serves your interests,” Lu Xingshan snorted. “Indeed, your potential is astonishing. Even I have never seen anyone grow this quickly.”
“You acted in self-defense.”
“If this can nurture the next 4-Star or even 5-Star Anomaly Hunter, I can pretend today’s events never happened.”
“However…”
Intense killing intent entered Lu Xingshan’s voice, catching Qin Lan’s breath.
“My duty is to protect the Safe Zone and its ordinary people, so they may live and work in peace.”
“If I ever discover that you intend to harm the Safe Zone or betray humanity…”
“I will kill you myself.”
The words pressed against Qin Lan’s throat like a blade. Even swallowing became difficult.
Then Lu Xingshan withdrew every trace of his aura and became as gentle as before.
He patted Qin Lan’s shoulder like an amiable elder.
“Do you want my help dealing with the Qian Group?”
“Inciting conflict between Anomaly Hunters is enough of a crime for me to uproot them from the Safe Zone.”
“Hanging their heads outside as wind chimes might be inappropriate, though. The impact would be rather unpleasant.”
Qin Lan wiped away cold sweat.
“No, no…”
“That won’t be necessary, Director. I would rather settle my grudge with them myself.”
“I have the confidence.”
Lu Xingshan nodded slightly, approval faint in his eyes.
By every measure, this young man deserved cultivation.
He was calm, decisive, and never hesitated once he chose to act.
Though occasionally slippery, he possessed the ruthlessness of someone who had clawed his way up from the bottom.
“Very well. Our conversation will remain private. The official record will use your earlier version.”
“Peng Haiyang died to an anomaly in the Fallen Zone, and you recovered his cursed artifacts.”
“If you have no other business, go rest.”
Qin Lan released a long breath.
It was finally settled.
When he decided to kill Peng Haiyang, he had known he would face this interrogation.
But from what he understood of Director Lu, the man was unlikely to make matters excessively difficult. That was why Qin Lan had remained calm.
After leaving Lu Xingshan’s office, his communicator sounded again.
Beep, beep.
[You have a new message from Luo Yue.]
Qin Lan paused and opened it.
[Mr. Qin, someone is waiting for you at reception. (She’s very young and cute! And she doesn’t look happy!)]
Qin Lan did not know why Luo Yue had deliberately added the parenthetical sentence.
But he immediately knew who was waiting.
Sudden apprehension filled him.
Facing Lu Xingshan had brought pressure.
This made him anxious.