Chapter 97 The Spiral World (35)

Chapter 97: The Spiral World (35)

September 2nd, 6:00 AM.

Three hours remained until the scheduled operation time.

Lin Yanqing's breathing was ragged from nervousness. He worried he might mess up midway and end up becoming a burden to Jiang Songnian.

Jiang Songnian had spent the entire night at the operations center and rushed home at dawn, but He Yunchuan was nowhere to be found.

An enlarged map was spread out on the table—the hand-drawn version by Lin Yanqing, which Jiang Songnian had slightly modified before ordering it to be blown up to A1 size.

Jiang Songnian propped himself up on the table with one hand, casually twirling a pen with the other. "At exactly nine o'clock, you open this door. I'll be waiting for you outside," he said with practiced ease.

He bit the cap of the marker, yanked it off, and drew a few lines on the map.

"Is it really that simple?" Lin Yanqing asked anxiously.

Jiang Songnian capped the pen, smiled at him. "Of course it's simple. There are many ways to open a door. Even if you mess up, it's fine. Your most important task is to rescue Professor Lin. Just adapt to the situation. I believe you can handle it."

Lin Yanqing bit his lip, unconsciously bunching the fabric of his clothes.

Jiang Songnian took hold of his wrist, his palm sliding down until he was holding his hand. Studying Lin Yanqing's uneasy expression, he couldn't help but pull him into a hug.

"Go see Professor Lin, and have a good talk with him..." Jiang Songnian suddenly trailed off.

"About what? I couldn't hear you clearly."

Jiang Songnian released his shoulders and tapped his head with a bent knuckle. "Have a good talk with him about me."

Lin Yanqing's thick eyelashes fluttered slightly before slowly lowering, hiding the shyness in his eyes. "I already told him," he said softly.

"Don't forget to remind him that it just rained acid outside. He hasn't been out in a long time, so he shouldn't foolishly get caught in the rain."

"I know."

"Make sure you remind him," Jiang Songnian said with a smile. "I have to go now. They're still waiting for me over there."

"You stay safe too. See you later." Lin Yanqing hugged him once more.

Pressed for time, Jiang Songnian hurried back to the operations center after making arrangements here.

Xia Li's mouth twitched, his disdain clearly written on his face. When Lin Yanqing turned to look, Xia Li cupped his cheeks and put on an adorable smile. "Brother, Jiang Songnian only said to open the door at nine. He didn't tell you what time to go in. Isn't that a bit careless?"

Lin Yanqing didn't quite understand. After a moment's thought, he said, "Maybe he has other plans and didn't have time to go into details. If nothing goes wrong, it should take about 15 minutes to walk from the lab to the main entrance."

"Let's wait a bit longer. Yun Chuan knows what he's doing," Lin Yanqing said.

*

The car drove all the way to the Aimeile branch office, passing through a desolate stretch of grassland before arriving at the ground-level corridor. A group of armed Psychics stood at the entrance. The driver motioned for Jiang Hui to get out.

He Yunchuan jumped out of the car first, eagerly opening the rear door for Jiang Hui. "Boss, after you."

Jiang Hui chuckled heartily as he used to, pointing at He Yunchuan. "You're still the clever one, kid."

The two walked from the corridor to a side entrance, passing through several security checks before entering the building. Zhou Han stood leaning against a shelf with his arms crossed. Seeing Jiang Hui enter with a stranger, his face instantly darkened. "Didn't I tell you to come alone? Who's this?"

Jiang Hui's expression faltered for a split second before he broke into a wide smile, adopting the demeanor of a big shot. "This is my little brother. He'll be following me from now on."

He Yunchuan had stopped his car on the road, insisting on becoming his subordinate. In truth, Jiang Hui had a bad feeling about today. He Yunchuan's timely arrival made him hesitate, but after a brief moment, he decided to bring him along.

Zhou Han's face hardened. He leveled his gun at Jiang Hui's head. "You think I'm joking?!"

Jiang Hui steadied himself and slapped the gun barrel away. "How dare you point a gun at me! Believe me, I'll have my uncle take your life tomorrow!"

Zhou Han sneered, his eyes filled with disdain.

As the standoff continued, Chen Xing emerged from behind the shelves, his head wrapped in bandages. He held his forehead, peering at He Yunchuan through a gap in the gauze.

He Yunchuan felt a surge of dread. Zhou Han might not know him, but Chen Xing certainly did—they had just shared a meal together the night before last.

"It's you," Chen Xing remembered, saying contemptuously, "He's Jiang Songnian's lackey."

There were at least a few dozen Psychics nearby, likely no less capable than Lu Biao. He Yunchuan gritted his teeth, pinning all his hopes on Jiang Hui.

Used to these situations, Jiang Hui showed no trace of the panic in his heart. He lifted his chin; though his shirt-covered body resembled a potato, he exuded an undeniable presence.

"Don't make me repeat myself. He's my brother, my mole planted with Jiang Songnian." Jiang Hui spread his hands, looking exasperated. "Now that he's been exposed, am I supposed to just abandon him?"

He turned in a circle, pointing at various people. "You, you, you, and you—if something happened to you, wouldn't your boss look out for you?" Finally, he pointed at Zhou Han and scoffed, "Isn't that how it's done? How do you lead your men?"

Zhou Han didn't seem to be listening, his gaze sweeping over He Yunchuan before curling into a smirk. "Jiang Songnian's man, interesting." He raised a hand. "Take them to the waiting room."

He Yunchuan suddenly sensed something was wrong. Learning he was Jiang Songnian's man, Zhou Han not only didn't hold it against him but let him in. Moreover, Chen Xing's presence here suggested two possibilities.

First, Zhou Han genuinely looked down on He Yunchuan and didn't consider him a threat.

Second, Jiang Songnian's plan might have already been exposed.

Aimeile was laying a trap.

He Yunchuan's heart pounded violently. Following behind Jiang Hui, his mind was a jumbled mess. And what about Jiang Hui? Why would Zhou Han go to such lengths to invite him here while forbidding him from bringing bodyguards?

A middle-aged man who couldn't lift a thing, held no real power, and only had the empty title of being Jiang Lingxiao's nephew.

He Yunchuan felt a chill run through him. Perhaps, without realizing it, he had already stepped into the enemy's snare.

*

8:00 AM.

Lin Yanqing lay down on the bed ahead of time. He couldn't wait to see his father. Despite the urgency of the moment, a flicker of joy inexplicably arose in his heart.

He detached his consciousness and arrived at the Aimeile factory.

Through repeated practice, he had made rapid progress and could now freely control his consciousness. Sometimes he felt like a gust of wind, roaming freely through the vast world, overlooking all things under heaven.

The factory was unusually quiet today; the production lines weren't running.

He simulated the escape route from the laboratory, occasionally encountering a few security guards and researchers, but these were no longer obstacles for him. He deeply realized he had grown to an indescribable level. Before, he needed He Yunchuan's help to kill Zhao Baijing and an Energy Stone's assistance to kill Lu Biao. But now, he could flip Xiong Dun to the ground with one hand.

Lin Yanqing often felt that time flowed differently for him compared to others. What took others a month to learn, he could master in a day.

He suspected the Snow Clan genes in his body were at work, granting him learning abilities far beyond the ordinary.

Lost in these thoughts, Lin Yanqing arrived at the laboratory.

It was still the same room. Lin Moshen sat hunched on the hospital bed, his emaciated back appearing increasingly frail.

Lin Yanqing guided his consciousness into the room, circling around to face Lin Moshen.

Lin Moshen hummed a tune listlessly. Layers of gauze were wrapped around the bridge of his nose, and blood trickled from his empty eye sockets, tracing the outline of pupils through the bandages.

He’d had his eyes gouged out!

Lin Yanqing suddenly realized this—utterly shattered. Though he had no physical body, he felt his blood surge wildly, his heart shattering into pieces.

Lin Moshen abruptly stopped humming. He tilted his head slightly, strands of hair slipping from his forehead. “Who’s there?”

Lin Yanqing evaded the cameras and materialized in a corner of the room. He wanted to cry out, “Dad!”—but when he opened his mouth, sobs burst forth instead.

Lin Moshen felt his way forward, fingertips brushing Lin Yanqing’s clothes. A radiant smile broke across his face. “You came after all.”

“Dad, I’m getting you out of here—soon.” Lin Yanqing sniffled. He couldn’t understand: for twenty whole years, Carlos hadn’t taken Lin Moshen’s life—yet in just these past few days, he’d gouged out his eyes.

Lin Moshen fell silent for a long moment. His hand traveled up Lin Yanqing’s arm, reached his shoulder, then gently cradled his face. He traced Lin Yanqing’s features, picturing him in his mind.

Tears of blood streamed from his empty sockets. Lin Moshen wore an indescribable smile. Finally, he gripped Lin Yanqing’s shoulders tightly—pouring every ounce of strength into that grip—and said firmly, “A Qing, my dear child, my best friend—you must leave now.”

Lin Yanqing shook his head. He took several deep breaths and urged, “Not yet, Dad. Jiang Songnian will lead a team to assault this place today—we leave at exactly nine o’clock. He has backup waiting outside. I’ll find the best doctors to treat you. I will. I *will* heal you.”

Lin Yanqing wiped away his tears, revealing a look of steely determination he’d never shown before. “I will *never* forgive Carlos!”

Dried tear-trails wound across his face. Life was unpredictable—and he had finally grown a heart as solid as stone.

But that wasn’t what Lin Moshen wanted to see. He longed desperately for his child to remain carefree as before—pretending to be profound, yet a goofball at heart.

The minutes ticked by.

Lin Yanqing grew increasingly anxious and heartbroken. When the clock struck 8:45, he bent down, turned his back to Lin Moshen, and said, “Dad, let me carry you.”

Lin Moshen stretched out his arm, lifting the long hair that fell over Lin Yanqing’s shoulder. His slender fingers gathered it inch by inch, holding that lock tightly in his palm.

Lin Yanqing reached back and grasped his wrist, helping him climb on. That body—light as a sheet of paper—leaned against him, threatening to unleash fresh tears.

Lin Yanqing straightened his spine and carried him toward the door. It was locked—and he still couldn’t open it.

“Dad, wait a moment.” Lin Yanqing set him down briefly. He knew where the control room was. He rushed there, effortlessly subdued the operator, disabled surveillance, unlocked all doors, and snatched the keys hanging on the wall—though he had no idea what they were for. He took them anyway.

Lin Moshen heard the soft *click* of the door opening. He struggled to rise, bracing himself against the wall as he made his way out.

Lin Yanqing returned swiftly. Seeing Lin Moshen had emerged unaided, he anxiously urged, “Dad, stay put—I’ll carry you.”

“It’s very quiet,” Lin Moshen frowned. “Too quiet.”

“Things have been like this lately. There was sulfuric acid rain yesterday—many people were injured. Aimeile’s probably in chaos too.” Lin Yanqing lifted him again. “The leaves outside have all fallen—it’s bare and ugly. But it’s okay. I’ve learned how to plant trees now. I have plenty of Kidney Bean Tree seeds. And I even have a master—he’s excellent at planting trees, too. We’ll go somewhere lush with plants and trees, where the air smells sweet.”

Lin Moshen smiled bitterly and hugged his shoulders tightly.

“But for some reason, my Kidney Bean Trees only grow tiny tomatoes—and occasionally a few kernels of corn, minuscule, nothing like the ones I’ve seen before.”

“Maybe because you love tomatoes,” Lin Moshen said. “It’s all right. With Kidney Bean Tree seeds, you’ll never starve.”

Lin Yanqing’s assault on the surveillance room quickly drew security guards—but they were no match for him. He advanced smoothly toward the main gate. A massive iron door stood tightly shut. Several switches lined the wall. Lin Yanqing, still carrying Lin Moshen, approached the wall and pressed them one-handed.

The gate remained stubbornly sealed—not a millimeter of movement.

It was almost nine o’clock. On one hand, Lin Yanqing felt time slipping away; on the other, he thought Aimeile’s security was absurdly weak. Had he known, he wouldn’t have needed Jiang Songnian’s help at all—he could have swept through the factory alone.

“A Qing—if it won’t open, forget it.”

“Dad, wait a moment.” Lin Yanqing carefully set him down, helping him sit on a row of cardboard boxes. Then he returned to the gate, intending to break it down by force.

After delivering several sharp, thunderous blows, the iron door swayed precariously—but clung stubbornly to its last latch. Still, it refused to budge.

“It’s him! Don’t let him escape!” Another squad of security guards arrived, drawn by the commotion, closing in on Lin Yanqing from behind.

Lin Yanqing was desperate. He swung his wrists, ready to knock them all down.

Just then—the door opened.

Spring was in full bloom. Flowers clustered in rich profusion; green leaves and red blossoms filled the main courtyard. The welcoming decorations were extravagantly opulent. That spectacle of lavish splendor stung Lin Yanqing’s eyes.

Bathed in a halo of light, an elderly man in a tailored suit spread his arms wide, revealing a sly, teasing smile. He bowed extravagantly—like a gentleman from the Middle Ages.

“Welcome, my young new friend. My name is Odin. I am also your father’s friend.”

The old man smiled brilliantly. In his familiar eye color reflected Lin Yanqing’s ashen face.