Chapter 546: On the Eve of Departure

"Everything's here, I'm leaving first."

Xing Ke, unable to wait, put the list he was holding onto Ying Duo's hand and turned to go.

Ying Duo gave him a glance, and Luo Jinyou instantly understood his meaning, directly blocking Xing Ke's path.

Xing Ke looked at the two people sandwiching him from front and back and subconsciously flinched.

He truly is a very pure researcher!

"Is Lu Mu still alive?"

Ying Duo asked casually, and the moment he spoke, it awakened some unpleasant memories for Xing Ke.

In fact, he had gone over last night just to sneak the list onto Ying Duo's doorstep to avoid meeting her today, but ended up walking straight into the line of fire.

When he previously worked under Fang Zhiyan, he had dealt with Bai Mu Yun, Lu Mu, and the others many times and could be called an acquaintance, but facing them—who could at any moment undergo a Mutation Out of Control and go berserk—he still subconsciously felt fear.

Then the frail researcher was pressed by a mad diseased crow, which spilled all the information about Bai Mu Yun cleanly.

Even now, Bai Mu Yun's cause of death hasn't been determined, and perhaps it will never be.

This is the cruelty of the world: anyone could die in the next moment, even the strong like them, possibly slain by an unexpected ordinary person.

But how could that be? Bai Mu Yun couldn't have died at the hands of an ordinary person.

It wasn't an ordinary person who killed him, but the Dome.

The Dome pulled him back from the fringe of non‑humanity, granted him glory and status, yet completely took his life.

In reality they have long known this is the fate each of them will face.

In the end, this world is still ruled by humans and cannot accommodate them.

Lu Mu perhaps couldn't endure the blow and fell into a coma again; Xing Ke could only contact medical staff and, out of past friendship, sent him back to the infirmary.

The conversation drifted, but in short, under Ying Duo's overbearing authority, Xing Ke gave a thorough account of last night's situation.

Back to the infirmary to lie dead again, huh.

Ying Duo waved a hand, and only then did Luo Jinyou turn aside to let Xing Ke leave, moving to Ying Duo's side.

"Isn't Ying Duo going to kill Lu Mu?" Luo Jinyou deliberately lowered his voice and asked quietly.

"No, made a deal with someone."

Ying Duo shrugged; this was his agreement with Bai Mu Yun.

Although Bai Mu Yun was forced by the rules to protect his mother, Yang Yixie wanted not only protection but also companionship.

If something really happened to him......

Yang Yixie decided not to think about it; no one repeats how they'll act if they fail before a war starts.

Consequently, Ying Duo gave Luo Jinyou a faint glance, his tone tinged with reproach.

"Don't speak recklessly; we're colleagues."

Hearing that, Luo Jinyou choked, falling into an odd silence.

Colleagues......?

But your colleagues, two of them have already become cold Aberrant Species cores.

Luo Jinyou chose to stay silent.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Yue Chengzhang clearly observed the scene where Luo Jinyou and Yang Yixie teamed up to block the researcher from leaving.

Is this the frail, pitiable foster son that Professor Luo De'an spoke of, who knows nothing of the world and human affairs?

When he learned he was coming to Dome Headquarters, Professor Luo De'an specifically asked him to look into Luo Jinyou's situation, fearing he might be bullied here.

But now this situation......

He only saw Luo Jinyou, under Ying Duo's command, blocking others, looking just like a black evil force.

Who should one really worry about?

Yet Luo Jinyou's appearance shows no Aberrant Species traits; has he used some method to conceal them? Moreover, he shows no sign of losing his sanity—could this be the research the Dome has been conducting all along?

Ying Duo suddenly turned his head, precisely following the line of sight to spot Yue Chengzhang and Min Tianyou over there.

Min Tianyou had already changed back into his own clothes, yet one could still see layers of bandages wrapped around his collar and cuffs.

Yue Chengzhang instantly saw the two nearby, and without hesitation, warmly waved at them.

"Come sit! The stuff over there hasn't been moved yet!"

Unexpected people appeared before him, and Luo Jinyou was a bit stunned; those seated were people he had intersected with in Tianmian City, and if he ignored the surrounding black‑clad passersby, he would even doubt whether he was the Dome or Tianmian City.

Luo Jinyou subconsciously felt a hint of retreat; previously his dealings with Min Tianyou were purely reciprocal, but now, facing people he once knew as a person, he just wants to run.

However, Ying Duo moved faster, as if reading his mind, and directly pulled him over to sit beside Yue Chengzhang and the others.

Yue Chengzhang hadn't expected Ying Duo to be so straightforward; instead, Luo Jinyou beside him wore a face full of retreat.

Sure enough, still a simple‑minded child.

He couldn't help shaking his head; in comparison, Ying Duo, who always wore a blank expression and whose exact emotions were unreadable, was a big trouble.

"So... is that thing true?"

Before Yue Chengzhang could speak, Ying Duo had already seized the initiative of the conversation.

"What matter?"

Yue Chengzhang reflexively asked back.

"You answered a question in class, ended up saying too many irrelevant things, and Teacher Gu Siyuan kicked you out."

Ying Duo casually picked a theatrical anecdote to share, about Yue Chengzhang's embarrassing incident.

"How did you know?!"

Yue Chengzhang's pupils dilated sharply; he never imagined Ying Duo knew about his student‑days embarrassment.

Could it have been an informant from Mitra Academy who told him? But how long ago was that?

Did the Dome plant an informant in Mitra Academy this early?

Yue Chengzhang's thoughts began to be led astray, and a hint of embarrassment at being called out appeared on his face.

"There's nothing we can do; those theories are truly incomprehensible, and it's you who are doing well now—those theoretical teachings have all become elective material."

In the past, the way Mitra Academy was run was extremely strict; the heavy coursework almost suffocated him.

The facts prove that strict governance is indeed necessary, at least it can prevent some reckless people from causing chaos.

But the leniency also has its reasons, after all there are geniuses who skip many unnecessary steps and ascend in one leap.

Unfortunately, Yue Chengzhang received a death order; he must take Min Tianyou back to Tianmian City and cannot join this exploration of the Eternal Silent Abyss.

The higher‑ups say he is the backup, the last line of defense protecting Tianmian City's residents, but how could he watch these still‑young juniors go to their deaths?

Luo Jinyou may never figure it out in his whole life; despite having completely turned hostile, how did Ying Duo manage, the moment he sat down, to start chatting with Yue Chengzhang about Academy matters, and even seem to enjoy the conversation?

Min Tianyou stood nearby, watching without speaking; this is probably Ying Duo's cleverness—he offers information that no one could possibly know, hints at certain matters, and muddies his own identity.

Moreover, since they bear no malice, the two's back‑and‑forth, seemingly casual chat, can still extract a lot of information.

But… how much of the information Ying Duo provides is true?