Chapter 52: Ye Lan Gravely Wounded

Li Ping had just finished his training and was rushing home. On his way back, he sensed someone was following him. When he arrived to find the house empty, he searched every corner without finding Yan Yan. Due to his amnesia, Li Ping was deeply worried.

In truth, Yan Yan had only gone out for a walk because she felt bored. She had already grown familiar with the area, and after wandering through the mall, she retraced her steps home. Yet she was unaware that someone had been tailing her the entire time.

The moment she stepped through the door, Li Ping rushed over anxiously and embraced her. “Yan Yan, I was so worried you’d get lost out there.”

“I won’t—I've already memorized the roads around here. I won’t lose my way,” she replied.

Li Ping recalled the person who had been following him, and cast a vigilant glance out the door. Satisfied that all was safe, he closed it.

“What’s wrong, Ping?” Yan Yan asked, puzzled.

“There’s something I’ll explain later. For now, we have to leave this place,” Li Ping said.

“Alright,” she agreed.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted, “I’ve finally found you.”

Startled, the two looked toward the balcony, where a man was climbing over the railing. Li Ping drew his pistol and aimed at him. “This is the top floor. Are you a cyborg?”

“A cyborg?” Yan Yan recoiled into Li Ping’s arms in terror, her mind flashing with images of a hideous monster attacking people on a cruise ship.

“No, I am a genuine human. Just an esper. You’d better come with me quietly, Li Ping.”

“And where exactly do you expect to take me? Dream on,” Li Ping spat, pulling Yan Yan toward the door.

Just then, several people emerged from the elevator and blocked their escape. When Li Ping saw the man standing behind them, he froze.

“Ping, Yan Yan, it’s been a long time,” said the middle-aged man in a formal suit, greeting them. Li Ping and Yan Yan exchanged glances, complex emotions flickering in Li Ping’s gaze.

They were taken to a research lab, where Li Ping witnessed a young man having his cells extracted and was shocked. He turned on the middle-aged man in fury. “You sacrifice human lives for your research!”

The man was Li Ping’s father, Li Baitao. Yan Yan, unable to bear the sight of the suffering, hid behind Li Ping in fear.

“Yes. For this experiment, you must help us. I hope you won’t tell Ning Ning about any of this,” Li Baitao said.

Li Ping hesitated. “I can keep it from her. But you deceived us. How can you justify treating these people as nothing more than experimental subjects?”

“In our line of work, there’s no room for sentiment. For the sake of our great scientific advances, no price is too high. The test subjects should feel honored to sacrifice for the future,” Li Baitao replied.

“This is nonsense. If you go on like this—”

Li Baitao cut him off, “Only those who are ruthless can accomplish great deeds and survive in this world.”

“You’re a scientist and one of the investors. For this cause, to fund those heartless monsters’ genetic research, you’ve brought innocent people here and now claim it’s all for the future,” Li Ping said, unable to accept the horrors he was witnessing—so many suffering, and he was powerless to help.

“A few sacrifices are nothing. We will never back down, not even if it costs us our lives.”

Li Ping squeezed Yan Yan’s hand, feeling her tremble. He tried to comfort her, knowing he could not change his father’s mind.

After the final sixteen teams were decided, the Hunting Team faced a formidable new opponent: the Dream Team. Early in the morning, Du Bin and his companions set out for the arena. Along the way, Ye Lan seemed to sense something and suddenly found an excuse to leave.

“The match starts in an hour. Will Aunt Lan make it back in time?”

Ye Lan, having left the group, arrived at a jagged coastline pressed by mountain ridges, with a port nearby.

“Why are you looking for me? Show yourself,” she called.

“It’s been a long time, old friend,” said a figure emerging from the woods—Wu Qiwei, his demeanor as arrogant as ever.

“Senior brother,” Ye Lan said, glaring. “Traitor.”

“Traitor? Can you really call it betrayal? You know why I became like this,” Wu Qiwei replied, drawing his sinister blade, Phantom, its evil energy making Ye Lan uneasy. “She’s your sister’s daughter. She’s inherited that bloodline.”

“What are you planning?”

“If that’s true, this game just got interesting. Tell me the curse-breaking technique,” Wu Qiwei demanded, summoning the Eight Sword Formation. Ye Lan knew his talent was prodigious—he could easily learn others’ skills.

“You know my nature well. I won’t tell you.”

The eight swords encircled her, their presence as chilling as the arrival of death. “Is that so? Then I’ll just kill you.”

Wu Qiwei flicked his wrist; the eight swords lunged at Ye Lan. She dodged and summoned defensive barriers to block the swords’ assault, countering with fireballs aimed at Wu Qiwei.

He scoffed, and the eight swords returned to defend him from the flames. With a gesture skyward, he transformed the kilometer around them into a realm of biting cold, freezing even the waves.

Wu Qiwei gathered his power again, and icy spikes began to sprout all around Ye Lan. She could use lightning to electrocute him, but there were many innocent people traveling this route toward the arena. If she used her power, the innocent would suffer. She understood she’d fallen into Wu Qiwei’s trap and could only summon a barrier of flames to ward off the ice, but just then, the eight swords struck.

Crashing through the flames, the swords pierced Ye Lan’s body. She collapsed, struggling to speak. “Wu Qiwei, you truly are a genius. It’s a pity you’ve strayed so far.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you, not until she unlocks that power,” Wu Qiwei said.

Ye Lan tried to respond but had already lost consciousness. Wu Qiwei looked toward the distant arena, a faint smile on his lips.

Du Bin and his companions waited in the lounge at the arena, but as the match was about to begin, Ye Lan was still nowhere to be seen.

“Aunt Lan said she’d be on time, didn’t she?” Du Bin said anxiously.

“She must have been delayed. There’s nothing we can do—it's up to the three of us to get through the top sixteen.”

Taking their places in the center of the arena, they saw that the previously malfunctioning defenses had been repaired, though the broken iron framework remained. Xiao Xue began introducing both teams. The Dream Team’s captain, Ruff, took the stage.

“How about a one-on-one match?” he proposed.

“I have a suggestion,” Ye Tang said, stepping onto the platform. She knew a one-on-one format would be a disadvantage.

“Let’s hear it,” Ruff replied.

“We only have three members. Each side sends out three for a match—winner takes all.”

“Oh, interesting,” Ruff said, delighted. He knew the opposing team only had three members; apart from the girl before him, the other two were no threat. He’d always been wary of facing her one-on-one, which put him at a disadvantage. Ye Tang’s sudden suggestion was exactly what he wanted. “Very well, I accept.”

“It appears both teams have agreed to a three-on-three format,” Xiao Xue announced. “The Dream Team is sending out Captain Ruff, Dean, and Brooke. The Hunting Team’s captain is Ye Tang, with teammates Du Bin and Hu Guozheng. The outcome will be decided in a single round. Who will emerge victorious? Let’s wait and see.”

Du Bin supported Ye Tang’s proposal, knowing that with Aunt Lan absent, this was the only option. “Xiao Tang’s idea is actually to our advantage. In one-on-one matches, Fatty and I would almost certainly lose two rounds. But with three-on-three, even if things turn dangerous, Xiao Tang can come to our aid in time.”