Chapter 35: Full Confrontation

Chapter 35: All-Out Confrontation

It swiftly surpassed the level Yan Chuanbai had previously reached.

The entire room fell into stunned silence.

Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the rising glow. When it approached the 4S mark, it hesitated momentarily. Just as people began to exhale, it shot past 4S—

At that instant, nearly everyone’s mind went blank:

The 5S level had originally been set merely as a theoretical possibility.

Surpassing 3S was already beyond their wildest expectations.

In the deathly quiet control room,

Qi He continued channeling his psychic energy, veins faintly bulging on the hand pressed against the device. The light's ascent slowed, as if nearing its peak...

His eyes remained locked on the 5S threshold at the top of the scale.

Just as his energy neared exhaustion, subtle sensations flooded his awareness. Qi He narrowed his eyes slightly and cautiously directed his psychic ability to push the indicator higher.

But after only a second, he abruptly cut off the flow.

He had confirmed it: if he chose, he could force his psychic power to register at 5S—though that itself was part of his ability, it felt borderline deceptive—

And doing so would destroy the testing instrument.

So Qi He deliberately pulled back, returning the reading to just above 4S.

Onlookers stared in utter bewilderment: ???

Since when could readings drop after peaking?

You Tianxing’s heart surged and sank with the needle, nearly moved to tears: ...His "Nirvana"! Whether from some father-son intuition, for a moment he felt like he was losing his second most precious possession all over again.

Qi He withdrew his hand and signaled to the HQ recorder:

"That’s it. Beyond 4S."

"......"

The record-keeper nearly snapped his pen, face twisted: What do you mean, “that’s it”?! It’s already beyond 4S—what more could you possibly want?!

Fang Ming from Base II, recovering from shock, blurted out: "Holy crap, you—" He stared at Qi He like he was insane. "What kind of show is this, rising and then dropping like that?! Are you really flaunting your hidden strength so openly?"

His words echoed everyone’s thoughts.

The 3S-level officer from headquarters felt his face burn, as if struck by the blazing "Beyond 4S" result displayed on the screen.

Clenching his fists, he thought: Stop pretending!

On the monitor, General Gong, after an initial shock, broke into a wide grin, followed by a flicker of complex emotion, as he fixed Qi He with a serious look:

"I hope you can display your full strength."

Qi He replied frankly: "This is the result of my absolute best."

He glanced sideways at the nearby 3S officer and shook his head. "I’m only confident up to Beyond 4S. Nothing beyond that."

Everyone: "......"

The 3S-level officer: "......"

Fang Ming turned to Gong Lianyu and muttered directly to him: "...He’s ruthless!"

Gong Lianyu remained silent, eyes closed.

The representatives from the three bases wore varied expressions.

Only Yan Chuanbai allowed a faint smirk, regarding Qi He without surprise.

Just then, General Gong paused briefly before speaking again: "Base I has set an exemplary standard today and deserves recognition. However, this creates a significant imbalance among the three bases."

Qi He seemed to catch his meaning and met his gaze steadily.

General Gong asked: "Would you be willing to transfer to headquarters, Qi He?"

This was the second formal invitation from headquarters.

Zhong Panqing turned his head, as if wanting to speak. Yan Chuanbai lifted his eyes, silently studying General Gong for a moment before shifting his gaze to Qi He.

Unlike the earlier private inquiry, this was a public offer made personally by the general during a major event.

The system nervously warned: "Don’t say anything shocking again."

"I know," Qi He mentally prepared an excuse.

But suddenly, a voice spoke beside him: "Sorry, General."

He turned to see Yan Chuanbai, calm and composed, addressing the general naturally: "We’re inseparable."

The entire venue fell silent once more.

Qi He: "..."

The system: "..."

General Gong: "?"

He appeared to process the statement for several seconds, glancing between the two men, before turning to Qi He: "Is that correct?"

Qi He shot a sharp glance at the man beside him: So *he* was the one dropping bombs...

After a brief pause, he nodded. "More or less. I’d like to remain at Base I."

Seeing it couldn’t be forced, General Gong dropped the matter for now. He waved his hand, signaling for the tests to continue.

The final participant, Kamiue Jun, was tested: Beyond S-level.

With that, the ceremony concluded.

On the screen, the three officers from headquarters stood at the center.

After a brief motivational speech, General Gong’s tone turned solemn: "...Remember, everything we do is to combat the infection. No matter how strong or weak you are, I hope each of you continues to strive forward and remains humble—"

His sharp gaze shifted slightly to the side.

The 3S-level officer’s face flushed red, and he fell silent.

"Everything for the people."

As the words ended, all military personnel saluted.

The entire ceremony concluded, the overhead imagery shut off, and the three major bases disconnected one after another.

-

In the control room, now that communications had ended.

You Tianxing took a sharp breath and finally turned to Yan Chuanbai: "What's the deal with your level?!" He then furrowed his brows and turned to Qi He, "And what's the deal with your level?!"

Yan Chuanbai acted completely unfazed, "That's just how it is."

Kamiue Jun looked at Qi He, his eyes filled with admiration: "Qi Qi, I knew you were the most powerful."

Qi He accepted it cheerfully, "I knew that too."

"..."

Yan Chuanbai let out a light scoff and glanced at Kamiue Jun.

Kamiue Jun also turned his gaze toward him, and as if thinking of something, his eyes darkened, showing a hint of confrontational hostility.

Qi He didn't notice the tension between them. He reflected, "Why was that 3S targeting me? I haven't had time to do anything to the headquarters yet, right?"

Not yet. There hasn't been time.

Yan Chuanbai gave him a meaningful look. Then, he took out his communicator and said, "I’ll ask Gong Lianyu."

The message was sent, and a reply came quickly.

Yan Chuanbai directly handed the communicator to Qi He. Qi He took it and, after reading, got the gist: the matter of him rejecting Zhong Panqing last time had somehow spread throughout the headquarters, with only two key points—extremely strong, refused to follow orders.

Gong Lianyu was transferred from headquarters to support Base II after that, so he had heard some internal rumors.

Gong Lianyu’s messages kept pouring in:

『Some people at headquarters were already arrogant; they probably think you’re even more arrogant than them. But now that you’ve tested as super 4S, so who cares if you don’t follow orders?』

『You’re not even part of the military.』

『With that kind of power, who can command you?』

Qi He thought his wording was surprisingly bold, it was as if his father wasn't a general.

He promptly cut the conversation short to save the other from embarrassment: 『Noted.』

After sending it, he returned the communicator to Yan Chuanbai.

As soon as Qi He withdrew his hand, he noticed the three others in the room were all staring. After a moment’s thought, he explained, "I don’t have Gong Lianyu’s contact info."

You Tianxing and Yu Jiang: "Uh-huh, sure."

"..."

Qi He ignored these two, said goodbye, and left first. Exiting the main control room, he walked down the corridor, his gaze was thoughtful: "System, don’t you think something’s off?"

The system listlessly replied: "Everything is off."

Qi He ignored its sarcasm: "My current psychic power has already surpassed Yan Chuanbai, the protagonist. Isn’t that enough to affect the final storyline?"

The system finally perked up a bit: "...Because he still has room to grow?"

Yan Chuanbai’s potential indeed hadn't fully manifested.

But in the future, he wouldn’t be weaker than Yan Chuanbai either.

Qi He took a few steps, then suddenly smiled, though there was little warmth in his eyes: He was only one or two "key fragments" away from fully confirming his thoughts.

...

In the main control room, silence lingered for a few seconds.

You Tianxing glanced around and maintained a smile: "I’ll wait here with Yu Jiang for Yu Jin."

Yan Chuanbai glanced at him, "Alright."

After saying that, he turned and left the control room.

He had only taken a few steps when the door behind him opened again. Kamiue Jun also stepped out. He looked at the person ahead and spoke softly: "You're really cunning."

Yan Chuanbai halted and turned his head.

Kamiue Jun said, "Claiming you can’t be separated—was that to show everyone that you two are closer?"

Yan Chuanbai laughed, "It’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask him."

His attitude was fearless. Kamiue Jun stared at him for a moment, then said, "So what? I can sense that Qi Qi doesn’t have those kinds of feelings toward you."

Yan Chuanbai’s expression darkened instantly.

After a moment, he curled his lip in a smirk, "But he won’t reject me. Can you say the same?"

Kamiue Jun froze on the spot.

Yan Chuanbai didn’t want to say more and prepared to leave.

As he turned, the scene from the training room resurfaced in his mind: the warmth he had once possessed seemed indelible, and the thrill from that touch once again swept through his entire body.

Qi He said he wanted all of him—

His blood boiled in an instant.

His footsteps halted in the corridor.

"Kamiue Jun, your ambition is commendable. But when it comes to Qi He, I advise you to give up now."

Yan Chuanbai spoke as he turned back.

Sunlight from the corridor window lit his eyes. Behind the half-shadow, his gaze held a startling, intense possessiveness:

"He is mine."

-

The new identity cards were issued shortly after.

The S-level cards were edged in gold for easy identification. Qi He clipped his identity card back on his chest; it now read: "Qi He, SSSS+"

He wore his card and headed to the training ground.

Along the way, he drew many astonished looks. Those with abilities below S-level didn't fully understand the concept of levels, but they all knew: super 4S was currently the strongest level known.

Upon arriving at the training field, all the cadets were already there.

In formation, Ke Yuan stared at the golden ID card, fuming but didn't dare say anything. After holding it in for a moment, he muttered under his breath, "Tsk… Meng Yan got lucky, riding coattails of two S-classes."

Ji Yan turned his head abruptly and said loudly, "What are you gossiping about Meng Yan again?"

At the front of the lineup, Qi He looked over at the noise.

Then he squinted slightly: Oh… Ke Yuan and the others probably don’t know about Meng Yan’s latest research project yet.

But it’s fine, they’ll find out soon enough.

He withdrew his gaze and casually made someone drop to their knees with a "thud": "Alright. Class is starting, stand up."

Everyone: "……"

Two hours of training ended amidst a cloud of yellow dust.

Qi He said, "Class dismissed," and walked to the edge of the field to take off his gloves. He glanced at the neighboring field: Yan Chuanbai wasn’t teaching today; he’d heard he went to the research institute to find You Tianxing.

Just as he took off his gloves, a voice came from beside him: "Qi Qi, you’ve worked hard."

Turning his head, Kamiue Jun handed him a nutrition pack.

After the training room was closed for use, Kamiue had said he couldn’t interrupt his training, so he’d come along to the training class. Seeing that he now had the ability to protect himself, Qi He didn’t object.

He took it. "Thanks."

"In a moment, you…" Kamiue was about to say something when his communicator suddenly rang. He opened it and glanced at it, his expression drooping. "You-ge wants me to go to the research institute."

"Oh, go ahead."

After saying this, Qi He thought of something and called out to him, "By the way, your ability—your perception of psychic energy fluctuations is sharper than ours, right?"

Kamiue nodded. "Yes."

Qi He pondered: Since Kamiue is going to the research institute now, Yan Chuanbai should be there too. Yan Chuanbai’s psychic energy is limited by his personality and emotions; he wanted to measure exactly how much it affects him.

Yan Chuanbai shouldn’t be limited to just above 3S-level.

After a moment’s thought, he said, "Could I ask you to provoke Yan Chuanbai and sense his psychic energy?"

Kamiue was surprised, then lowered his eyes. "Qi Qi, do you care about him that much?"

Qi He: ?

He was puzzled but explained, "There’s something I want to research."

The other seemed to sense his emotions, then his expression cleared up. "Since you’re asking, I’ll definitely do it." After saying this, Kamiue added pitifully, "But if I provoke him, will he kill me?"

System: "……"

Qi He thought for a moment. "Probably not, you’re a citizen too."

Kamiue: "……"

Qi He casually pulled two pieces of candy from his pocket to calm his nerves. "Just go ahead and provoke him. I guarantee your personal safety."

Kamiue took the candy and instantly brightened.

Beneath his lowered eyelashes hid a pool of growing amusement: Provoking under orders, with Qi Qi backing him up—why not?

…

Third floor of the research institute, laboratory.

You Tianxing leaned against the desk.

He had sought out Yan Chuanbai for a military matter, and having just finished discussing it, he was waiting for Kamiue to come talk about an experiment. Estimating that the time was about right, You Tianxing dismissed him:

"Nothing else, you can go back now."

Yan Chuanbai also straightened up. "Mm."

Just as he turned around, the door opposite opened.

Kamiue walked in. At first sight, the bad blood from their last encounter seemed to linger in the air. Yan Chuanbai didn’t plan to acknowledge him this time and was about to step around him to leave when he suddenly heard a light "click" from Kamiue’s mouth.

His gaze fell upon him, and he saw Kamiue stirring a piece of hard candy in his mouth, glancing at him sideways, then smiling casually: "Oh, Qi Qi gave this to me. He was worried I might be in a bad mood, so he specifically comforted me."

Yan Chuanbai’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

You Tianxing gasped.

Yan Chuanbai seemed to suppress his emotions and also smiled. "So?"

"Nothing, it’s just really sweet." Kamiue savored the taste, unsure whether he was fulfilling the request or something else, but he leaned into his natural attitude completely. "Oh, I forgot you didn’t get any. My apologies," he added, with an insincere tone.

Not to mention Yan Chuanbai, even You Tianxing was annoyed by his tone.

He stared in astonishment: "Kamiue, have you lost your mind?"

Yan Chuanbai also recalled.

Qi He had given him one once, but it was quickly thrown out—for some unknown reason.

At this thought, a long-suppressed, pent-up anger instantly flared up.

He stared straight at Kamiue: "...Are you starting something?"

Uncontrollable cold aura emanated from him in waves, and a faint layer of ice began to form underfoot.

Kamiue narrowed his eyes, getting even bolder.

Having finally gotten a chance with Qi Qi backing him, he was dying to say what he really thought: "How could I? I can’t take on Combat majors. If I get hurt, Qi Qi will have to worry about me."

Yan Chuanbai’s eye twitched, and he laughed angrily. "He would worry about you?"

Kamiue smugly: "During training today, he looked at me six times."

Boom—!!!

The entire laboratory instantly iced over.

Yan Chuanbai bit his lip: ...During previous training classes, Qi He had looked at him at most four times!

The surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

A surge of combative energy charged straight at Kamiue, who, fearless, taunted confidently: "Go on, hit me. Guess who Qi Qi will protect?"

The mental power of the perception-type also surged forward!

It was like awakened male beasts engaging in their first full-scale battle for the one and only mate they desired—

All the equipment and instruments in the lab began to tremble.

"...Stop fighting, stop fighting!" You Tianxing hurriedly gathered a pile of precision components into his arms and shouted at the two:

"If you want to fight, go to the training room!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he remembered the training room was already destroyed.

He could barely breathe from the pain as he held the instruments, staring at the frost-covered room and the still taunting Kamiue Jun: "Alright, stop fighting! Stop it... No, you shut up already..."

Author's Note:

Kamiue Jun: This feels great! [Laughing hysterically][Laughing hysterically][Laughing hysterically]

Yan Chuanbai: Fight, fight, fight! [Angry][Angry][Angry]

You Tianxing: No, no, no!!!! [Terrified][Terrified][Sobbing uncontrollably][Sobbing uncontrollably][Having a meltdown][Having a meltdown]

-

Instigator He: Is my data ready? [Throwing flowers]