Chapter 211: So He Was a Pitiful One Too

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: So He Was a Pitiful One Too

「Capital Star, Star Alliance Headquarters.」

Most of the lights in the building had been extinguished, leaving only the top-floor office glowing with a dim, yellow light.

Bai Ye sat behind his desk. Several documents were spread out before him, but he hadn’t read a single word.

His gaze fell on the terminal by his hand, the light from its screen flickering across his face.

It was an inconspicuous, old-model terminal—the one he used when he was disguised as White Tiger.

He had sent over a dozen messages, but there wasn’t a single reply.

Bai Ye’s brow was slightly furrowed, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, unmoving for a long moment.

Luo Cheng stood to the side, holding several documents that needed signing. He had been waiting for a while.

He looked at his general’s distracted state and sighed inwardly.

The day the general returned from Zone 10, he had been in terrible shape. His face was frighteningly pale, and the spiritual power around him was in such disarray it was like a string about to snap at any moment.

He had injected an overdose of inhibitors, and the side effects were more severe than they had anticipated. At the time, Luo Cheng even thought the general might not make it.

But the general hadn’t gone to the medical department; he had gone straight back to the Bai Family.

The next day, the two elders of the Bai Family went to the Lin Family to break off the engagement.

Luo Cheng didn’t know what the general had said to the two Bai elders, nor what had happened when they went to the Lin Family. All he knew was that the elders looked absolutely terrible when they returned.

After they returned from the Lin Family, the general suddenly fell into a coma, his spiritual power surging out of him like an uncontrollable tide.

The Bai Family worked through the night, inviting several S-class Guides to channel his power, but their spiritual power couldn’t even enter the general’s spiritual landscape.

He rejected all guides, as if he had locked up his own spiritual landscape, refusing to let anyone in.

Everyone in the Bai Family was running around in a panic, and even the higher-ups at the Tower and the Star Alliance were nearly alerted.

’In all my years following the general, that was the most severe injury he’s ever sustained!’

Fortunately, for some unknown reason, the general woke up on his own later.

The cracks in his spiritual landscape were still severe, but his spiritual power had stabilized.

Luo Cheng had stood at the door of the sickroom then, watching the general lean against the headboard, the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward, as if savoring a pleasant memory.

He had been by the general’s side for so many years, but he had never seen him wear such an expression.

Although he couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened, he was certain that all the general’s recent troubles were definitely related to that Yun Sheng.

’I have no idea what kind of spell she cast on the general for him to become like this...’

At this thought, Luo Cheng sighed again, took a step forward, and gently placed the documents on the corner of the desk.

"General, these documents require your signature."

Bai Ye grunted in acknowledgment without looking up. He gently set the terminal on the desk, picked up a pen, and began signing the documents.

The nib of the pen scratched across the paper, making a faint, rustling sound.

After signing the last one, he put the pen down, leaned back in his chair, and let his gaze fall on the old terminal, remaining silent for a moment.

"Luo Cheng."

"Sir."

"Dispatch some people to Zone 10 immediately. Bring Lin Yueyao and Qi Yao back."

Bai Ye’s voice was even, but it held an unquestionable certainty.

Luo Cheng was taken aback. "General," he asked instinctively, "who will take over the position of chief instructor?"

Bai Ye tapped his fingers lightly on the desk twice, as if he were contemplating something, or perhaps making a decision.

"Have one of the subordinates fill in for now. The training is almost over anyway; nothing major should happen in the last few days." He paused, his gaze drifting to the pitch-black night outside the window as his voice lowered. "Also, send a new team to stay by Yun Sheng’s side. The previous ones..."

Bai Ye didn’t finish his sentence, but Luo Cheng understood.

’The general thinks the previous team was useless. They didn’t solve the problem, and they didn’t protect Yun Sheng properly.’

He lowered his head and replied, "Yes, sir."

He then turned, walked out of the office, and gently closed the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, Bai Ye’s gaze returned to the old terminal.

The screen was still lit. The last message was one he had sent. She hadn’t replied.

He reached out and picked up the terminal, his thumb gently caressing the screen as if touching something distant and unattainable.

...

「Zone 10, temporary encampment.」

Just as the sky began to lighten, Yun Sheng was awakened by a commotion outside her tent.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the roof of the tent for a long while. Her mind was a complete mess, like a tangled ball of yarn a cat had played with.

Cheng Nian was still asleep. Li Wen turned over, mumbled something in her sleep, and fell silent again.

Yun Sheng sat up quietly and pulled her terminal out from under her pillow.

The moment the screen lit up, she froze.

There were over a dozen unread messages, all from Bai Ye.

She gave them a quick scan, and her eyes flickered slightly.

’Bai Ye said he’s sending people to pick up Qi Yao and Lin Yueyao directly. If that’s true, it’s wonderful news.’

’Without them, I can use the last few days of training to properly focus on improving my own strength!’

A rustling sound came from behind her. Cheng Nian sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"Yun Sheng, why are you up so early?" Yun Sheng turned and smiled. "I couldn’t sleep. Just going for a walk."

Cheng Nian said, "Oh," and lay back down.

Outside the tent, the sky was tinged with the pale white of dawn. People were moving about the camp, and in the distance, the light in the command tent was still on, having burned all night.

Yun Sheng took a deep breath. The morning breeze, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, entered her nostrils, clearing her muddled head a little.

Footsteps approached from behind, unhurried. She didn’t turn around, but caught a glimpse of a tall, slender figure coming to stand beside her in her peripheral vision.

It was Xing Che.

Yun Sheng suddenly asked in a low voice, "Xing Che, were you SSS-level the moment you awakened?"

Xing Che didn’t answer right away.

He turned his head to glance at her, his amber-gold eyes churning with emotions Yun Sheng couldn’t decipher, before letting out a soft scoff.

"Back then... I was probably only a hair better than you. D-level. So useless I was kicked out of the house the moment I awakened."

Yun Sheng whipped her head around to stare at him, her eyes wide with astonishment.

’Xing Che is a character who didn’t appear in the original novel,’ she realized. ’I know absolutely nothing about him.’

’I thought he was SSS-level. With a Level that high, he must have been at least A-level, or even S-Class, when he awakened, right?’

’But what did he just say?’

’D-level?’

"You awakened as a D-level?" Her voice unconsciously rose a few notches. "Then how are you... so powerful now?"

’Going from D-level to SSS-level... that’s a leap across several entire tiers!’

Her curiosity was instantly piqued, her eyes sparkling as if she had discovered some incredible secret.

Xing Che looked at her expression, and the corners of his lips curved slightly. The smile was faint, but it carried an indefinable meaning.

"Want to know?" he asked.

Yun Sheng nodded.

Xing Che was silent for a few seconds, then his gaze shifted from her face to the ever-brightening horizon.

"Back then, I was thrown into the Eighth Star Zone and almost died. Someone found me, but the person who took me in was a desperado.

Following him, if you wanted to live, you had to get stronger. If you didn’t, you’d be torn to shreds by the contaminated, or he’d kill you himself."