Chapter 42#

The Heavenly Master Unacquainted with the World#

The entrance to the air defense facility was indeed located in the same mountain forest where Lu Heng had been teleported to. Hidden away at an inconspicuous spot at the foot of the mountain, it was thoroughly concealed by overgrown weeds and trees. Without knowing the exact location, it would be impossible to say how long it would take to find it through a painstaking inch-by-inch manual search.

Perhaps it was because a powerful anomalous beast had previously occupied the area and claimed the forest as its territory. After Lu Heng had eliminated the beast, the forest became completely quiet, with no other creatures remaining. This actually saved the mercenary squad quite a bit of trouble. Leaving a small group to stand guard outside, Qin Yi led the rest into the air defense facility.

Passing through the long civilian section at the front, the squad finally stopped before a heavy alloy door. This strategic supply storage area had been built to withstand bunker-busting munitions; all six sides were constructed of special alloy over a meter thick. Even if struck head-on by a bunker-buster, it would only leave a shallow dent.

To enter, one could only go through the coded door at the front. A warning sign hung above it: Military Installation. Below the large, blood-red characters were several rows of smaller text, roughly meaning: entering the wrong password twice would trigger an alarm, and once the alarm ended, the explosives pre-embedded in the mountain would detonate, collapsing the entire air defense facility.

“Is the password in the materials?” Qin Yi asked.

Jiang Sile nodded confidently and walked up to the door to begin entering the password.

“Wait!” Someone in the squad suddenly spoke up to stop him.

Jiang Sile turned to look and saw it was Pan Rongxi. His eyes nearly rolled back to the top of his skull: “What nonsense do you have? Can we do the real business first?”

Pan Rongxi wasn’t annoyed either, and smiled good-naturedly: “I majored in civil engineering in college, and I looked through some materials about military installations when writing my graduation thesis. Although those books only mentioned it briefly, this kind of password lock probably isn’t that simple. Wouldn’t it be better to be a bit more cautious?”

Seeing what appeared to be agreement on Qin Yi’s face, an unnamed fire ignited in Jiang Sile: “How can those materials you read compare to the ones my dad left behind? He participated in the construction of this air defense facility!”

“Sile.” Qin Yi’s expression darkened. On ordinary days, he couldn’t be bothered to intervene in whatever private conflicts Jiang Sile and the others had. But they were on a mission now—this was not the time to let personal feelings dictate things. When it came to intellectual tasks, Qin Yi wasn’t very adept, but he had basic judgment. The concerns Pan Rongxi raised were not without merit.

Most of the team were Qin Yi’s former comrades-in-arms—rough men who had been through wind and rain, licking blood from the knife’s edge. They knew next to nothing about things like architecture or passwords. The two with the highest education levels were Mu Fei and Pan Rongxi, who had studied under the same mentor. Before the apocalypse, Mu Fei had already been pursuing his doctorate, and through his father’s connections, he had participated in some peripheral design work for military installations that didn’t involve particularly sensitive secrets.

Jiang Sile wanted to say something more, but seeing Qin Yi’s expression, he swallowed his words. Although Jiang Sile was spoiled and willful, whenever Qin Yi’s face darkened, he wouldn’t dare act up again.

“A Mu, you speak.” Qin Yi turned his gaze to Mu Fei.

Mu Fei glanced at Jiang Sile’s face and saw how terrible he looked, which made him hesitate again. Mu Fei originally shared the same view as Pan Rongxi, but he also knew that if Jiang Sile saw him agreeing with Pan Rongxi, he’d be absolutely furious. His relationship with Jiang Sile had already been quite strained recently, and Mu Fei didn’t want to push it any further.

“This…”

“Mu Fei, this is not the time to agonize over personal matters!” Seeing Mu Fei’s indecisive manner, Qin Yi’s tone grew even harsher.

“I think Rongxi has a point. I haven’t delved into password locks specifically, but given the scale and defense level of this air defense facility, a place storing strategic supplies wouldn’t use a simple password lock.” Seeing the situation, Mu Fei laid out his thoughts honestly.

Jiang Sile was by nature an impulsive person who didn’t always consider the consequences of his actions. Hearing Mu Fei say this, rage surged through him, and he reached out and activated the password input screen.

Qin Yi reacted with extraordinary speed, grabbing his hand: “Jiang Sile!”

But there, blazing on the screen, was a stark red countdown: thirty seconds. If the password wasn’t entered within thirty seconds, it would count as a failed attempt. Unwilling to waste this precious opportunity, Qin Yi had no choice but to let Jiang Sile try once.

Password incorrect.

Impossible. Jiang Sile’s face drained of color. He turned around, about to explain something, when he caught sight of a mocking smile on Pan Rongxi’s face amidst the crowd. Seeing that smile, Jiang Sile’s brain was once again seized by rage. He couldn’t be wrong—he must have accidentally brushed against an adjacent key because he was too nervous. His hand hadn’t yet left the screen when his finger slid sideways, and he ended up pressing retry.

“That’s absolutely the right password—I just made a mistake because I was too nervous,” Jiang Sile hastily explained to Qin Yi beside him, then carefully entered the password he had memorized countless times in his head.

Password incorrect. Maximum number of errors reached. Facility will be destroyed.

On the screen, a stark red five-minute countdown appeared.

When Jiang Sile activated the password input screen the second time, Qin Yi had wanted to strangle him on the spot. Stubborn, arbitrary, acting without restraint—what had gotten into Jiang Sile? He hadn’t been like this before. But the situation was critical, and there was no time to argue with him. Any further dawdling and they might all end up buried beneath this mountain.

“I clearly saw that was the password before…”

Amid the chaos, Lu Heng heard Jiang Sile mutter this softly. Others hadn’t noticed, but Lu Heng understood—the so-called “materials” were nothing but an excuse Jiang Sile had made up. He had definitely been here in his previous life and had seen someone enter the correct password and take the supplies inside.

Something must have gone wrong somewhere. Perhaps, as Pan Rongxi had said, this lock wasn’t something that could be opened by simply entering a password.

“Captain Qin, should we retreat?” someone asked.

“The explosion is bound to draw zombies from a hundred miles around. We’ll probably end up completely surrounded.” Despite his terrible temper, Qin Yi remained composed and steady in this emergency, showing no panic whatsoever. “Mu Fei, is there any way to stop the alarm on this password lock?”

Mu Fei thought for a moment: “If you use a high-voltage current of ten thousand volts, you could destroy the circuit instantly. That should stop the alarm.”

Unfortunately, Qin Yi’s team had no lightning-type ability users. They could only take things one step at a time and figure it out as they went—first they needed to get out of this dangerous situation. Just then, Lu Heng tugged at Qin Yi, and he heard him ask: “What is a high-voltage current of ten thousand volts?”

If anyone else on the team had asked, Qin Yi would have kicked them away and cursed them for causing trouble. But with this person—a human-shaped cream puff cat—he always had a bit more patience. Remembering that Lu Heng had no exposure to modern society, Qin Yi even offered an analogy: “It’s like lightning from the sky. Even a ten-thousandth of that power would do.”

Lu Heng’s face lit up with understanding. He rummaged through the small pouch he carried on his person, pulled out a yellow talisman paper, and slapped it right onto the screen. A few people nearby who noticed his actions were dumbstruck. Was this person a charlatan? Even a charlatan shouldn’t be sticking talisman paper onto a machine—this wasn’t a haunting.

Qin Yi was also caught between laughter and exasperation by this stunt. The anger Jiang Sile had provoked in him dissipated instantly.

Qin Yi was about to say something teasing when he saw the talisman paper burst into flame without any wind. The moment the talisman turned to ash, a small dark cloud materialized out of thin air above their heads. Rumbling thunder could be heard from within the cloud, and a bolt of lightning shot out from it, striking the password lock dead-on.

The password lock emitted a burst of black smoke, and then the screen went dark—it appeared to be completely destroyed.

“What was that?” Qin Yi stared blankly for a full minute before finally managing to ask.

“A primary Thunder Talisman,” Lu Heng said.

Although spiritual energy had been severed in this world—making high-level talismans like the Five Thunder Talisman and the Wild Thunder Talisman mere drawings without enough spiritual energy to fuel their tremendous power—lower-level talismans like the basic Thunder Talisman had been crafted by his sect using what spiritual energy remained from the spiritual source. But now, each one used meant one fewer to spare.

Lu Heng reached his hand into the storage pouch that merely looked like a small carry bag, and sighed with some worry.

“How can such a thing exist?” Qin Yi felt his worldview shatter all over again. The last time it had shattered was when the zombie virus broke out.

“I am a Heavenly Master,” Lu Heng answered simply.

Qin Yi knew he wouldn’t get anything more out of him right now, and shrugged without much concern: “It’s a pity the things inside can’t be retrieved now. Apparently there’s a large stockpile of weaponry and field rations in there.”

Rations. The moment he heard that word, Lu Heng perked right up. Those field rations included things like canned luncheon meat—no matter what, that had to taste better than instant noodles.

“Why can’t we get them out?”

Seeing the stars practically light up in the person before him, Qin Yi only had to think briefly to figure out which words had caught his attention. He couldn’t help but chuckle, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice: “Right now, that storage room is essentially a sealed iron box. To melt this special alloy, you’d need temperatures of at least ten thousand degrees. Unfortunately, my ability level isn’t high enough. I’ll come back for it some day when I’ve leveled up enough.”

“Temperatures of ten thousand degrees?”

“Mm. If the flame color is gold-white, that should mean it’s around ten thousand degrees,” Qin Yi explained.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qin Yi saw the little curls on Lu Heng’s head seem to droop in disappointment, his entire demeanor deflated. He finally couldn’t hold back and reached over to ruffle Lu Heng’s hair vigorously. The texture was just as he’d imagined—fluffy and soft.

Having pet his human-shaped cream puff cat, a satisfied Qin Yi was about to organize the team and leave, when he felt another tug on his arm.

“Could you come with me for a moment?” Lu Heng said in a low voice.

Since there was nothing urgent to attend to anyway, Qin Yi made a gesture for the team to rest in place and relax. Then he followed Lu Heng down another branching corridor.

Only when the sound of the crowd had completely faded did Lu Heng stop. He took a deep breath, having made up his mind: “Would you be willing to join my Heavenly Master sect?”

Back then, when his master had sent Yun Lan off on the teleportation array and instructed him to absolutely retrieve the spiritual source and repair the seal, he had also said a few more words to him.

“If you meet a suitable person, pass on the sect’s legacy to them.”

“What makes someone suitable?”

“You are unacquainted with the world and easily unable to discern people’s true nature. But your heart is clear and pure. So do not trust your eyes and ears—ask your own heart.”

These were the last words his master had left him. The Qin Yi before him was the person Lu Heng had confirmed after asking his own heart.

“You want to take me as a disciple?” Qin Yi’s face was full of shock. How could that be? How could he possibly take this cream puff cat as his master?

“No. I’m not yet qualified to take disciples. I’m taking you in on behalf of my master,” Lu Heng said earnestly, without a trace of humor.

Seeing how serious he looked, Qin Yi was about to agree when a thought struck him: “Then wouldn’t that make you my senior brother? No way—that puts me at way too much of a disadvantage.”

Lu Heng saw his firm refusal and thought for a moment: “Although I joined the sect first, the rule within the sect is that seniority is ranked by strength. If you can defeat me, then you will be the senior brother.”

“Deal!” Qin Yi agreed immediately. “Do I need to perform some kind of apprenticeship ceremony?”

“We can make that up when the opportunity arises later. For now, let me first teach you the basic method of circulating qi.” Only now did Lu Heng reveal his true purpose. The qi within Qin Yi’s body was actually far more powerful than what he had been able to show; he simply didn’t know the method of circulating it and couldn’t unleash his full potential.

If he could master the basic qi-circulation technique, his fire-based ability would immediately rise several levels, and melting that special alloy would be a piece of cake.

“Close your eyes and feel the pathway of the qi’s circulation.” Lu Heng placed his hand on Qin Yi’s dantian.

When he first felt that warm palm press against him, Qin Yi felt a bit awkward. But not long after, he entered a wondrous world. Although his eyes were closed, he felt as if he could see inside his own body—crimson qi circulating continuously, eventually converging near his lower abdomen and forming a vortex.

Qin Yi’s comprehension was exceptionally high. He quickly managed to see inwardly into his sea of qi and began to gain preliminary control over the circulation. Lu Heng then had him unleash his fire-based ability.

A gold-white flame flickered to life in Qin Yi’s palm.

Good enough. Lu Heng’s face lit up with delight, and he grabbed Qin Yi to go open the alloy door. Following behind him, Qin Yi felt a bit complicated—he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been taken into the sect because of those field rations.

Watching the alloy door before them slowly deform under the thin layer of gold-white flame that covered it, Lu Heng couldn’t contain himself and strode forward. Before Qin Yi could stop him, he saw Lu Heng draw the wooden sword from his back and carve a large gash in the deforming alloy door. The flame capable of melting special alloy had not left a single scorch mark on that wooden sword.

Seeing Lu Heng so impatient, Qin Yi helplessly called over a water-type ability user to help cool the cut edge. The moment the steam cleared somewhat, Lu Heng looked at Qin Yi, his eyes brimming with eagerness.

“Go on in.” The words had barely left his lips when Lu Heng shot inside like an arrow. Qin Yi shook his head and followed behind him.

Sure enough, it matched the intelligence—the storage room was stacked neatly with weaponry and ammunition. Qin Yi did a rough count and made a mental note. He then turned to look and saw Lu Heng standing before the field rations, practically drooling.

Qin Yi finally couldn’t hold back his laughter and said, “I’ll record this as your top contribution. When we get back, you’ll have first pick of one item from the spoils.”

Lu Heng nodded, thoroughly satisfied. The others who came in afterward were also jubilant—this was virtually the greatest haul since the mercenary squad’s founding.

After sorting and inventorying the supplies in the storage room, several spatial ability users stepped forward to start collecting them. Qin Yi never concentrated supplies on a single person—even though Jiang Sile’s storage space was large enough and he was a childhood friend he’d grown up with. This wasn’t because he didn’t trust Jiang Sile; it was out of responsibility to the entire team. After all, one shouldn’t put all the eggs in one basket.

Lu Heng paid particular attention to Jiang Sile. When Jiang Sile was storing items, strong fluctuations did indeed emanate from the unknown object on his chest.

A Mustard Seed Space. Jiang Sile’s storage space was entirely different from the other spatial ability users—this was a small world carved out by some powerful entity. However, this small world seemed to have been cut off from spiritual energy and showed signs of collapse, and now it could only be used as an ordinary storage space.

And the spiritual source happened to be one of the materials needed to replenish the spiritual energy and repair a collapsing small world. Jiang Sile was indeed highly suspicious. But how had an ordinary person like him managed to infiltrate the Heavenly Master sect’s mountain protection formation?

Lu Heng very much wanted to simply and crudely snatch away Jiang Sile’s mysterious artifact and check whether the spiritual source was hidden inside. After all, Jiang Sile wasn’t the Chosen One, so there was no fear of destabilizing the plane by acting against him. The only problem was that the Mustard Seed Space had already acknowledged its master. If Jiang Sile, in a desperate last stand, destroyed the Mustard Seed Space, the spiritual source could never be recovered.

This matter would need to be approached gradually and with patience.