Chapter 180: Where the Lotus Blooms

Chapter 180: Where the Lotus Blooms

The City Hall of Guixu City.

Governor Zhu Zhuan and Deputy Governor Du Zonghan, along with military officials Jiang Rongqian and Dong Kexin, and Gong Yanqing from Beiming, were in the large office of the city hall, discussing strategies and methodically organizing interrogation and screening operations.

Since the helicopter was destroyed in front of everyone, someone in the arena waved their hands fervently and shouted, "Ancient God! My Lord! You have come to take us! Please dispel the fears of your people and soothe their pain..."

These people, with faces full of zeal, extended their hands in prayer to the void, as if they saw something: "The Ancient God has manifested! The Lord has returned! You are our eternal shelter and guide..."

The crowd quickly moved away from these overly conspicuous individuals.

Teams rushed over and pinned them to the ground. They struggled, and several shadow snakes fell out of their coats and frantically climbed up the trees.

Previously confined within their coats, the snakes had been eager upon catching a scent. Now free, they eagerly slithered up the trees towards the cages where prisoners were still tightly ensnared, being strangled to become nutrients for the tree.

Weapons were not allowed in the arena, and indeed, these people carried none, appearing as ordinary civilians in the most common canvas protective suits of the post-apocalyptic world. Unexpectedly, they turned out to be spies who had not been previously exposed.

If these shadow snakes had been released among the crowd, they would have certainly caused chaos and disorderly stampedes.

Shen Lan and others guided the arena personnel in evacuating.

In the thick fog, dandelions floated everywhere, drifting to every corner of Guixu City.

Residents, unaware of what was happening, only noticed the fog becoming denser, and at this time, communications and the internet were abruptly cut off, leaving no one able to send a single word to the outside world.

The spies of the Eternal Night Tide, busy trying to contact their superiors for instructions, were at a loss. Unable to receive instructions from above or communicate with anyone or the outside world, their first instinct was to flee the city immediately.

However, the cactus walls had silently grown into an endless labyrinth.

Once trapped in the maze, if one remained still, they were simply stuck, but any attack on the walls would trigger a terrifying assault from the plant kingdom.

The administrators of Guixu City, experienced governors, guided by Gong Yanqing, a seasoned elder who had once pacified a city in the apocalypse, quickly stabilized the entire city.

The massive city-wide loudspeaker broadcasted notifications, replacing the usual internet, mobile, and telephone alerts, instructing all residents to stay where they were and await inspection.

They divided into several groups, methodically organizing the screening of all permanent residents, tourists, psychics, and psychic competitors in Guixu City. Psychics with suspicious points were uniformly housed in designated areas for further screening.

The screening was swift: enter a designated room, place a hand on a specified lie detector, answer a few questions, and then leave immediately.

This human lie detector was, naturally, Zhao Yi. Shen Lan, fearing he might be too tired, suggested he rest after every ten interrogations, but Zhao Yi remained full of energy: "No, I can keep going. Everyone is out there catching the bad guys, and the city lord is still protecting us from the Skyward Tree."

With Zhao Yi's help, they quickly uncovered deeply hidden spies in residential areas, construction sites, reservoirs, power stations, factories, and other locations. Some had even received missions to release shadow snakes and plant bombs to create chaos in Guixu City if Lord Dongjun left.

Of course, some, once discovered, shamelessly confessed: "I just wanted to freeload, and take the opportunity of a business trip to live in Guixu. I never intended to believe in their so-called evil god. What a joke, after so many years of education, I don't believe in gods and ghosts. I had no choice, for my family's sake."

There were quite a few ordinary people who joined the Eternal Night Tide just to get by, which made their daily activities in Guixu City appear extremely normal.

Compared to these deeply hidden ordinary people who were merely collecting intelligence or lying low, the more challenging ones were the psychics.

Shen Lan and Qin Sheng led teams of psychics around the city, arresting those with ulterior motives who wanted to create chaos to escape the city or take hostages. The previous Shanxiao team also volunteered to assist in the arrests, and many psychic competitors offered to help voluntarily.

Guixu Central Elementary School.

The Fire Phoenix, radiant and resplendent, let out a high-pitched cry as it soared, its wings beating with waves of heat. Yet, even this could not disperse the thick fog, but it did reveal several fleeing psychics, accurately chasing them. The Phoenix dived towards them, accompanied by bursts of flames, leaving dazzling trails.

Nettle seeds fell, and the thorny nettle branches twisted and elongated, their leaves quickly weaving into a complex, thorny net that wrapped around the legs of the thieves. Those ensnared couldn't help but wail, their faces contorted, trying to struggle on the ground, but were soon pierced deeper by the barbed nettle thorns, burning and wailing even louder.

Bi Fang couldn't help but touch his arm, glancing at the sweetly smiling Ren Duoduo beside him, wondering what the chances were of burning these during a battle. Ren Duoduo, however, mistook his gaze for disdain and glared coldly at him: "What are you looking at? In the finals, with the light shield, these little skills won't even come into play, breaking the shield is hard, you're lucky."

Bi Fang: "..." He cautiously said, "Should we head back? There shouldn't be anything left here, right?"

Ren Duoduo, with a righteous demeanor, replied, "There are still so many children here! Let's stay a bit longer!"

Bi Fang glanced at the little kids on the school building, who were curiously watching them through the glass windows under the care of their teachers, and felt somewhat disheartened. "Alright," he conceded. The children were important.

"By the power of the law!" Taoist Master Yunyin summoned a thunderbolt that struck the dam of the reservoir. An earth psychic quickly attempted to burrow into the ground, but as soon as he disappeared, he jumped back up, looking utterly disheveled. The ground was now covered with sharp bamboo shoots, as sharp as blades, with a faint blue glow. These shoots rapidly conducted the thunder from Taoist Master Yunyin's spell, creating a thunderous field. Boom!

The psychic was instantly struck by the lightning, and only then did a few bamboo whips sweep past.

Monk Xinhai clasped his hands together and chanted, "Amitabha." He then smiled at Du Zonghan beside him and said, "Deputy Governor Du is indeed more skilled, acting much faster than this old monk. The metal bamboo shoots and the Taoist's lightning chain are perfectly coordinated."

Du Zonghan looked quite pleased with himself. "This combination skill has been perfected through several collaborations with the Taoist. If I weren't the Deputy Governor and didn't have to avoid conflicts of interest, I'd love to step onto the stage and practice."

Taoist Master Yunyin said, "Let's keep searching, don't miss anyone. It's truly heinous that they wanted to blow up the reservoir. Our Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries are nearby; if the feng shui is disrupted, it would be disastrous for the next century."

At the factory, reservoir, hydroelectric plant, and data center, the psychics intercepted the terrorists attempting to cause chaos.

====

Although Guixu City was bustling and tense internally, from above, it still appeared serene and peaceful.

A thick mist enveloped the city, with the deep green and sturdy outline of the cactus maze faintly visible. In one corner of the misty expanse, the towering Skygazing Tree stood tall and firm.

Qin Mu looked down through the porthole and asked, "Should I send down a shadow cat to investigate?"

Guan Yuanfeng gazed at the tree for a while and said, "Proceed towards the Skygazing Tree."

The helicopter complied and flew over the area. Qin Mu asked, "Should we land immediately?" But Guan Yuanfeng had already pushed open the helicopter door and leapt out, a tornado swirling around him.

Qin Mu was startled at first but then realized, "This must be a new skill. With a tornado, you can traverse anywhere, whether in the sky or the sea."

Before he could finish, Guan Yuanfeng had already landed above the Skygazing Tree. The tree suddenly spread its canopy, its lush leaves surging up, along with countless thorny tendrils that gently and carefully caught Guan Yuanfeng.

Qin Mu couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

Guan Yuanfeng descended the branches, the fragrance intensifying as he went. He soon saw Zhou Yun, seated cross-legged at the tree's center, eyes closed, as if in deep meditation. Green branches and leaves formed a platform around him, surrounded by blooming lotuses.

Guan Yuanfeng had seen Zhou Yun's precious thousand-year-old lotus before and had even enthusiastically detailed the various uses of lotuses to him. However, Zhou Yun seldom summoned this lotus in daily life. This was the first time Guan Yuanfeng had seen so many lotuses, each blooming delicately, their petals tinged with a faint greenish hue, smooth as jade, exuding a fresh and distant fragrance. The entire lotus cluster, including Zhou Yun, radiated a soft milky white glow.

He knew Zhou Yun could use the skills of these special mutated plants, but what was the skill of the lotus? Why had he summoned these lotuses?

Guan Yuanfeng softly called out, "Zhou Yun?"

But Zhou Yun remained as serene as a lotus, motionless, as if entirely absorbed in his own world.

Guan Yuanfeng reached out and gently touched one of the petals. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he felt a brief spell of dizziness, losing consciousness.

As he gradually regained consciousness, he felt as though he was in a tall vessel filled with liquid, unable to speak or move, as if his soul was trapped inside, and he couldn't feel his body.

Someone opened the door in front of the glassware and said, "This is our experimental subject number 001."

Experimental subject? Caught off guard, he saw Zhou Yun.

It was familiar, yet somehow strange. He had just seen Zhou Yun, serene and peaceful among the lotus flowers. Just a week ago, they had embraced tightly, and he had caressed every sensitive and warm inch of Zhou Yun's skin. He had never imagined he would suddenly see such a haggard Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun didn't look old, but his expression was filled with exhaustion and indifference, as if he had lost all his spirit, like cold volcanic ash. He was wearing a shadow hemp restraint suit, shackles on his feet, and a collar around his pale neck, not at all cooperative with the man who was speaking enthusiastically.

But the moment Zhou Yun looked up at the glassware, his eyes seemed to suddenly ignite, burning like embers.

Guan Yuanfeng knew Zhou Yun too well; he clearly understood that Zhou Yun was angry. Zhou Yun stared at him intently, his gaze unwavering, as if they were reuniting after a long separation. He looked at Guan Yuanfeng from head to toe, as if examining every inch of his body. This gaze was all too familiar, just like the way Zhou Yun would gaze at him long after making love, filled with affection. Whenever this happened, Guan Yuanfeng truly felt loved.

The man in the white medical coat continued to ramble: "We have successfully conducted the experiment of psychic core removal. This was test subject number 001 with fire psychic abilities."

Guan Yuanfeng was stunned. Fire psychic abilities? And what was this man talking nonsense about? Were they planning to extract Zhou Yun's dual affinity for wood and water psychic powers?

What did they mean by restoring his reputation?

They had ruined Zhou Yun's reputation and career, and now they wanted to seize his dual core?

He saw Zhou Yun completely indifferent to everything, only staring intently at him, his eyelashes slowly getting wet. The man seemed completely unaware that they knew each other and didn't notice that Zhou Yun was on the verge of collapse.

He shouted, "Stop!" He wished he could break through the glass, but he had no control over his body. He saw the clear reflection in Zhou Yun's eyes—a corpse, soaked in preservative fluid.

The gaze filled with love and anger from Zhou Yun was directed at his own corpse, referred to by the man as test subject number 001.

A chill ran through his body, but he suddenly realized—this was a dream!

This was Zhou Yun's dream!

Why would Zhou Yun have such a dream?

===

Zhou Yun clearly remembered the day of separation. It was a late spring in Sanchu, though the calendar had already marked the beginning of summer.

On the hillside where he lived, mugwort was sprouting new leaves, tender green with a faint medicinal scent. In the post-apocalyptic world, food was scarce. He made some dark green, fragrant, rich, and soft mugwort cakes, packed them in a basket, and went to the ferry to give them to Guan Yuanfeng and his comrades as a farewell gift.

But in the end, he didn't get the chance to give them away. When he arrived at the port to bid them farewell, he learned they had already departed the night before. Luo Shouchang apologized, explaining they had urgent tasks and needed to rush to the Zhongzhou base.

He stayed at the Sanchu base and was later summoned to the Zhongzhou base's Dark Valley.

When he saw him again, he was inside the glass, while he himself was imprisoned, tightly bound in shadow hemp prison clothes.

That layer of glass was the dividing line between life and death. Thousands of thorny tendrils violently broke open the glassware. He maximized his psychic core abilities and went on a killing spree.

The deep green, thick, warm thorny tendrils wrapped around his lover like ribbons, delivering him to his front. The ribbons slightly undulated, as if his lover was still breathing. He reached out to touch the cold, closed eyelids, hoping to feel his lover one last time before he disappeared.

But his lover suddenly opened his eyes, looked at him, and their gazes met, as if he knew everything, responding to the love he had always buried deep inside, never daring to reveal.

He froze.

Something felt off.

Why did it feel off?

Guan Yuanfeng wouldn't look at him like that... He was just a neighbor, a righteous military personnel who had saved a neighbor. He would never know about the unrealistic and unspoken desires he had for him.

And he could never look at him with such love.

Guan Yuanfeng adjusted his psychic frequency, striving to match Zhou Yun's.

First, he had to believe that this was real, that this had truly happened. Gradually, he finally gained control over the body. He moved his arms, and the thorny tendrils that had just killed countless people retracted their sharp spikes, becoming docile and soft.

He reached out to embrace Zhou Yun, lowered his head to kiss the tear-streaked face, and kissed the pale lips: "Zhou Yun, wake up."

A gentle breeze blew through Guixu City, refreshing the air. The thick fog dissipated, revealing a strikingly clear mint-blue sky. In the distance, green mountains stretched endlessly, their verdant peaks touching the sky, while rice and wheat bowed with heavy ears.

It was a cool autumn day, perfect for a wedding.