Chapter 695

Ning Chen noticed that Xu Si's mood was not as low as Chu Muyu's; he sighed silently in his heart. He had intended to pull a stool over to sit beside Chu Muyu, but Xu Si asked, "Where do you plan to check in next?"

Ning Chen's hand, which was pulling the stool, paused for a moment, then he said, "I don't know. I'll go back and check my notebook later; it has the locations I've planned for my check-ins over these years."

Xu Si remained noncommittal: "You certainly have deep feelings for your girlfriend."

Hearing this, the curly-haired boy almost choked: "What? Brother Ning has a girlfriend? No way. What kind of girl could possibly be worthy of you?"

Ning Chen glanced at him: "Don't talk nonsense."

The curly-haired boy became interested: "When will you bring her to show us your sister-in-law? Although we haven't known each other for very long, our relationship isn't bad, is it, huh?"

593? New skill acquired.

"Indeed, it's not bad," Ning Chen glanced at him and said slowly, "but we're not particularly close either."

The smile on the curly-haired boy's face instantly collapsed; he asked somewhat unwillingly, "Do you really feel that way?"

Ning Chen replied irritably: "I myself don't even know where your sister-in-law is right now; how could I bring her over?"

Hearing this, the curly-haired boy was stunned: "... So that's how it is."

Xu Si stepped forward at the right moment and patted Ning Chen's shoulder: "This is truly a devoted soul."

Ning Chen merely pressed his lips together, making no denial. He indeed loved Si Shiya deeply and was willing to spend so much time searching for her; how could that not be considered love?

Xiao Ling smiled and said, "No wonder I saw a group photo at Brother Ning's house. I was wondering who that girl was at the time; turns out she's your sister-in-law." Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow. "You certainly have good fortune to have such a beautiful girlfriend."

Yet Ning Chen's expression did not look joyful; he even said somewhat dejectedly, "But in fact, she has been gone from me for over a year. I've exhausted all my efforts trying to find her, but without a suitable opportunity, I can only obtain clues through check-ins, yet it still amounts to nothing."

This was the first time these few had heard Ning Chen talk about these matters; they all felt somewhat melancholy.

A large string of bamboo skewers lay before Xu Si; these were his achievements. Seeming to feel he was already full enough, Xu Si put down the skewers in his hand, propped his chin on his palm, and said, "I have also experienced life-and-death partings; I know this feeling is quite unbearable. That person was my comrade-in-arms." Speaking here, Xu Si looked at Ning Chen again. "You should know that it was you who saved me back then."

Ning Chen was stunned, dug something up from his memory, and nodded.

Sensing the atmosphere at the dining table becoming heavy, Ning Chen timely interrupted what the others were about to say next: "Forget it, let's not bring up those matters. I estimate I'll have to leave next week, departing from here to the next check-in location; I may not be able to stay here guarding by your sides."

Chu Muyu shook his head: "That's no problem. Once this period passes, Jia Yi's vigilance toward us will decrease. At that time, I will also go with the police to Cangbei; Jia Yi poses little threat to us."

"Hmm," Ning Chen said, "that's pretty much what I thought." He sighed again. "I'll leave three days from now; it seems by then you should be safe."

The curly-haired boy was somewhat reluctant: "You're really leaving? My savior."

Hearing the other person address him as "savior," Ning Chen felt a momentary chill. He looked at the curly-haired boy and said, "There's no need to call me that; just call me by my name. This time I'm really leaving; come back in a month."

As soon as Ning Chen finished speaking these words, Xu Si spoke up: "Alright, alright, it's getting late. We've chatted and eaten; everyone go back to their own homes."

Ning Chen was somewhat puzzled; he looked down at the time and said, "It's only nine o'clock now."

Xu Si quietly gave Ning Chen a wink.

Ning Chen could only say, "Alright."

Xu Si walked back to the police station. Ning Chen didn't really want to walk, so he drove home. After washing up, he returned to his room, sat on the bed, and secretly asked the system.

"How is it? What is my task completion rate?"

564. Life and Death on a Razor's Edge (15)

The system paused for about a minute before answering Ning Chen: "Detected that the target person has been brought back; completion rate is one hundred percent. Since the host requested to bring back all hostages, and the actual number brought back was three, twenty percent of the completion rate was deducted. The final completion rate is eighty percent."

Ning Chen's mouth twitched; he was somewhat dissatisfied: "Still deducting my completion rate? I should have known better than to blurt that out."

The system's voice remained the same cold electronic tone: "An eighty percent completion rate is already sufficient. The reward for this completion rate is far richer than the reward for saving just one person."

What Ning Chen wanted was precisely the reward; otherwise, what was the point of him going to such great lengths to make the trip to Cangbei? So Ning Chen nodded and said, "Fine, what's the reward?"

The system said: "After the reward is extracted, the next task will immediately begin. Please prepare."

Ning Chen took a deep breath: "Good."

"Detected task completion rate is eighty percent; task difficulty is level two. Two skill rewards obtained: Spatial Tear, Time Stop. Detected skill rewards are level three and level two respectively. Speed and physical upper limits increased; the time interval between each check-in is extended to five days."

Ning Chen clicked his tongue.

These two rewards sounded quite powerful, far easier to understand than the two skills obtained previously; after all, just hearing the names already revealed the general meaning of the skills.

But compared to the previous two skills, it was obvious that the usage frequency of the newly acquired "Spatial Tear" and "Time Stop" skills would be higher than the previous ones. Moreover, a skill like "Spatial Tear" sounded like it could enable instantaneous movement, equivalent to "teleportation."

Ning Chen stroked his chin, feeling these two skills were quite interesting. As long as he mastered and used the "Spatial Tear" skill proficiently, then in the future when completing check-in tasks, he wouldn't need to spend too much time on the journey.

While Ning Chen was still pondering how to use the skills, the system spoke again: "Next check-in location—Fantasy Rainforest."

Hearing this name, Ning Chen narrowed his eyes.

The system continued: "The Fantasy Rainforest is located in a tropical region, perpetually humid and stifling. Legend has it that the Fantasy Rainforest rains year-round, and the trees grow exceptionally well. Entering this forest is like entering the backyard garden of a giant's kingdom."

Listening to the introduction the system had somehow found, Ning Chen sighed lightly: "I've heard her mention this too." Ning Chen's eyes held some nostalgia. "Once, we even made a promise together to check in at famous attractions all over the world."

The system remained silent. After issuing the task, it said nothing more. As for Ning Chen, his mood became somewhat depressed to some degree.

Walking out of the room, the joy of having just acquired two new skills had already vanished, replaced by a sense of loss and lethargy. Ning Chen sat on the sofa, raised his head, and stared at the wall clock in front of him, watching the hands tick away minute by minute.

Perhaps an hour passed, perhaps half a day. Ning Chen maintained one posture until his neck became somewhat sore, then, as if suddenly coming to his senses, he stood up from the sofa and stretched his limbs.

He thought he must explain the situation to the three of them in advance. The time limit the system gave for the check-in was one week, meaning he needed to set sail immediately.

Furthermore, within this short time, Ning Chen must test out the specific usage of the two new skills; otherwise, upon arriving in a foreign land, he might not be able to complete the check-in.

Moreover, those who had their eyes on him were never few. Most of those people were eyeing him hungrily, wanting to kill him. Ning Chen had made enemies with quite a few people; at any time, he had to be on guard, fearing someone might harm him at any moment.

594 Confirm travel date.

When dinner time arrived, as expected, the three of them came out of their rooms one after another. Upon seeing Ning Chen sitting on the sofa, they all couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.

Chu Muyu spoke first: "What are you sitting here doing?"

Ning Chen looked up at him, sighed slowly. In these past few days, his sighs had become increasingly frequent: "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Chu Muyu's expression changed for an instant: "Tomorrow?"

Ning Chen nodded, looking somewhat apologetically at the curly-haired boy and Xiao Ling standing behind Chu Muyu: "I suddenly received a mission from above; I must depart immediately. But today is obviously unsuitable, so I plan to leave tomorrow. Sorry, I couldn't stay here for the agreed three days."

Chu Muyu showed no change in expression; he merely lifted his chin, gesturing for Ning Chen to look at the other two.

The expression on the curly-haired boy's face was somewhat panicked; he looked as if he couldn't accept it: "Then what should we do if Jia Yi comes looking for us during this period?"

Ning Chen pressed his lips together. He hadn't failed to consider this problem; it was just that the time given by the system was quite short, and he had to immediately proceed to complete the check-in. The schedule was too tight; there was truly no way to stay here for long.

So the only option was to send the three of them back to the police station first—at the very least, the station could guarantee their safety.

Did Ning Chen said, somewhat apologetically: "It was sudden, but I really don't have much time to stay here. The original plan was to protect you for three days, but I thought about it again—those three days, whether they exist or not, honestly don't matter."

Xiao Ling asked: "Don't matter? Why?"

"Even if Gayibu Society won't let you off easily, they won't choose to come provoke us at this moment. I guess Gayibu Society won't make a move in the next few days, because he probably knows I'm staying right by your side, never leaving. His subordinates can't act, so naturally they'll look for another opportunity," Did Ning Chen said.

Xiao Ling rubbed his chin: "Actually, you're not wrong. Maybe Gayibu Society thinks the same way. But I'm actually someone who values my life quite a bit. Three days—being able to live three days is actually pretty good."

Xiao Ling had always taken life and death lightly. By the end, he felt that living one day at a time was enough. Xiao Ling wasn't very keen on living either. Before going to Cangbei, he was a girl with great ambitions, but after arriving in Cangbei, he was probably tormented until he had no dreams left. His life ambition changed direction—from achieving a great career to just not worrying about food, drink, and sleep.

Hearing Xiao Ling say this, Did Ning Chen felt a bit heartache. He said: "I really am sorry to you all. In the end, I broke my promise. How about this—I'll find a few people I trust to look after you. With them around, you don't need to worry too much."

Curly-hair rubbed his hands together: "But I don't think they're stronger than you."

Did Ning Chen chuckled lightly: "Well, I can't stay either. Don't worry—they're all my right-hand men, people I trust."

Since Did Ning Chen said so, Curly-hair couldn't say much more. After all, Did Ning Chen was his life-saver—being able to bring him back from Cangbei, Curly-hair was already endlessly grateful to him.

Curly-hair said quietly: "Alright, that works too. Then thank you."

Did Ning Chen nodded, glanced at the sky, felt it was already late, then turned his head to ask Chu Muyu: "When are you planning to leave on your end? Let me see if there's time to see you off."

Hearing Chu Muyu tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Forget it. It'll take at least four or five days for things to be ready over there. Aren't you leaving tomorrow? Don't drag it out too long."

"Drag it out?" Did Ning Chen said. "I wouldn't call it that. I feel like this parting—it's truly a parting of life and death… Don't look at me like that. I think Cangbei is a place that devours people. If you really go there, you'll probably need to lay low more. Surviving is what matters most."

Did Ning Chen lectured like this for a while, and Hearing Chu Muyu just smiled: "Alright, you saved my life once—my life is yours. You don't want me to die, of course I won't be stupid enough to seek death. Going to Cangbei this time is actually to find someone."

Did Ning Chen's brows furrowed: "You're going to Cangbei to find someone?"

Hearing Chu Muyu said: "Yeah. During this past year in Cangbei, I haven't been able to get in touch with my brother. We clearly both saved each other's phone numbers, our relationship is solid, but recently I just suddenly can't reach him."

That was indeed a bit unusual. Did Ning Chen nodded and asked: "Did you go look for him?"

Hearing Chu Muyu said: "No. The truth is we can't leave the company at all. Everything we do every day is under surveillance—no phones, can't leave the company, let alone look for someone."

Did Ning Chen imagined what that kind of life, that kind of feeling felt like, and immediately stopped imagining.

Hearing Chu Muyu continued: "Until now, it's been nearly four months since I last saw him in person." He sighed. "If we were in the mainland, we could've coordinated with the police long ago. Too bad we're not—we're all in Cangbei."

When he said this, Hearing Chu Muyu's expression was somewhat bleak—like the look of someone lonely and helpless over a missing friend. Seeing that expression on Hearing Chu Muyu's face, Did Ning Chen felt it was a bit off.

But Did Ning Chen didn't want to get involved in this matter. He thought for a moment, then said: "Still, report it to the police. It probably wasn't an accident. Set your mind at ease."

Hearing Chu Muyu hesitated, then slowly nodded.

Did Ning Chen said a few more words, then turned and went back to his room. What he needed now was plenty of rest—after all, he had to set off early tomorrow morning.

But before heading to the rainforest, Did Ning Chen had to test out the specific uses of the two new skills he'd obtained.

After Did Ning Chen returned to his room, he closed the door, but the room wasn't big—too cramped and confining. If he wanted to practice, he'd have to go to an empty lot tomorrow morning to test.

But Did Ning Chen couldn't wait even a moment. He suddenly realized his current mood was like a child who just got candy—eager to eat it as soon as possible. So after the three of them had all gone back to their rooms, Did Ning Chen walked out of his room and opened the front door.

Although he didn't have a place specifically for testing, the city was so big—there was no shortage of an empty lot with no one around. Moreover, it was the dead of night now, quiet and undisturbed, naturally suitable for skill experimentation.