Chapter 47: A New Alliance

The great battle that erupted in Cangyang City once again captivated global attention, predictably becoming the front-page headline for major media outlets, newspapers, and trending topics.

According to their understanding, the mysterious silver-haired youth who had appeared previously was absent from this incident. However, another powerful human, similar in nature to the silver-haired youth, was discovered, also aiding humanity against the giant beasts. While this new individual didn’t possess the same effortless prowess as the silver-haired youth, it was still considered good news.

Many people began to speculate and discuss whether there were more such powerful individuals hidden among the populace.

Yet, the casualties and urban destruction from this event were undeniable. Huaguo lowered its flags nationwide to mourn the innocent citizens who perished. Privately, the nation launched a series of investigations into the Wang family, the primary culprits, while also probing the attack on the investigation team.

Not only had they lost precious research materials, but the team was almost entirely wiped out. What exactly had they encountered? This question became a top priority for the national investigation.

As for Wu Hang, ever since he awoke, he had retreated home, locking himself securely in his room. His escape from implication was largely thanks to Lin Ling.

Through Little White’s investigation and the intelligence gathered from the Zhang family, Lin Ling had roughly pieced together what happened. He then instructed Little White to hack into the system, fabricating surveillance records, making the government believe Wu Hang had not participated in the operation.

This was partly to conceal Xi Yue’s involvement and partly to protect his friend, preventing him from being branded an accomplice. However, seeing Wu Hang’s distraught state now, Lin Ling felt a deep pang of sadness.

‘It seems I still need to do something,’ he thought.

****

Tuesday.

In Tianjing, the capital of Huaguo, within the Zhang family compound.

The Zhang family members, led by Zhang Wu and Zhang Xiuxin, along with several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of National Defense, sat anxiously in the main hall, awaiting the arrival of the silver-haired youth.

This would likely be Huaguo’s first formal contact with this mysterious powerhouse, albeit through the Zhang family as an intermediary. To prepare, everyone had painstakingly decorated the entire Zhang compound—the gardens, the living room, and other areas—with lavish grandeur, making it exceptionally solemn.

Everyone was dressed formally, waiting patiently. However, there was one problem: Zhang Wu and the silver-haired youth had agreed on a Tuesday visit, but they hadn’t set a specific time.

This meant everyone had been sitting there since early morning. Now, it was already noon, and Lin Ling was still nowhere to be seen, causing many present to grow restless and slightly displeased.

Yet, they dared not voice their frustration, fearing the youth might overhear and hold a grudge against them.

After a long while, Zhang Wu’s aunt, unable to bear it any longer, cautiously approached him and asked, “Are you sure Miss Luo will come? We’ve been waiting for ages.”

Zhang Wu, hearing this, remained unfazed. “Aunt, she’s an extraordinary individual; she wouldn’t break her promise. We just need to wait a little longer.”

“Ah, alright. I’ll go touch up my makeup then.”

Although more and more people came to Zhang Wu with similar questions, he firmly believed Lin Ling would arrive, even sensing that he might already be within the Zhang compound, merely testing their patience.

In truth, Lin Ling had simply been busy moving into his new home that morning and had no time. Yet, Zhang Wu’s guess wasn’t entirely wrong; Lin Ling had indeed arrived. However, he disliked following conventional procedures, choosing instead to directly sense Old General Zhang’s precise location.

He then walked straight into Zhang Zhongjun’s recovery room.

Lin Ling did this for two reasons. Firstly, repairing a soul was a delicate matter, and he didn’t want anyone interfering. Secondly, the grand spectacle outside was simply too exaggerated. Lin Ling detested such formal pleasantries and preferred to avoid them if possible.

He figured he could use the Old General as a shield after healing him, and once the task was done, he could slip away at any moment.

After gently knocking out the attending nurse, Lin Ling approached Zhang Zhongjun’s bedside. Silver-white spiritual energy enveloped the Old General’s body. After a thorough scan, everything was precisely as Lin Ling had anticipated: a fractured soul.

Fortunately, it wasn’t completely shattered; each fragmented piece maintained a subtle connection to the others, like lotus roots clinging by threads. If not treated promptly, and allowed to linger, these delicate connections would sever, and Old General Zhang’s soul would completely disperse.

‘Well, at least with me here, he still has a chance,’ Lin Ling thought smugly. He then channeled his spiritual energy into Zhang Zhongjun’s body, while another portion enveloped the entire room.

This was a precise procedure, and it was his first time performing it. He had only learned the theoretical aspects from Little White that very morning. Thus, Lin Ling wanted no disturbances, proceeding with the caution of a novice driver on a busy road.

His immediate task was to use his spiritual energy as a medium to mend the fractured areas of the Old General’s soul.

****

Zhang Zhongjun opened his eyes, staring quizzically at the ceiling. His last memory was of the explosion on Ruohua Mountain. He couldn’t comprehend how he had suddenly returned home.

Amidst his confusion, a melodious female voice entered his ears.

“Awake, are we? How do you feel, Old Mr. Zhang?”

Zhang Zhongjun looked towards the source of the voice and was immediately struck by the young woman’s beauty. However, as a man who had weathered many storms, he quickly regained his composure. The silver-haired youth sitting by his bed was, without a doubt, the same person he had seen on the mountain peak. The consistent figure and hair color left no room for error.

But why was he here?

Just then, a deluge of fragmented memories and related knowledge surged into Zhang Zhongjun’s mind, causing his brain to become utterly disoriented. A continuous stream of images and conversations played out before his eyes.

This was Lin Ling’s doing, left behind during the surgery to help the old man understand current events and some information about Lin Ling himself.

When mending his soul earlier, Lin Ling had taken the opportunity to read his memories. He discovered that the Old General possessed exceptional character, morality, ability, and influence. Moreover, he was far more reliable than Zhang Wu.

If Zhang Zhongjun was willing to assist him, future endeavors would become much smoother. Lin Ling naturally wished to maintain friendly relations with Huaguo, and for that, he needed a trustworthy intermediary. Zhang Zhongjun was indeed an excellent choice.

It was for this reason that Lin Ling had infused some of his own information and details about the Origin Star Universe into the Old General’s memories. However, he couldn’t infuse too much, as it would disrupt the soul’s harmony.

Gradually regaining his clarity, Zhang Zhongjun looked at Lin Ling with an expression of disbelief.

Lin Ling returned a sincere smile, then spoke, “Do you know who I am now?”

“Hahahaha!” Zhang Zhongjun’s laughter instantly filled the room. “I never imagined I’d experience something like this today! It’s good to live a long life! And thank you for saving me and my foolish grandson, Miss Luo.”

It seemed the memory integration had gone well, and Lin Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, these memories hadn’t scrambled the old man’s brain, which would have been awkward.

“Then, are you willing to assist me?” Lin Ling inquired further.

“Haha, please don’t call me ‘you’ in such a formal way. This old man can’t bear it. Just call me Old Zhong or Old General Zhang.”

“In that case, I shall respectfully obey, Old General Zhang.”

“Haha, but I apologize, Miss Luo, I need to personally investigate a few things before I can give you an answer.”

“Naturally. I have patience.” This also aligned with Lin Ling’s expectations. After all, forcing someone to immediately believe the memories he provided would be too demanding. He would simply wait; things would work out eventually.

Just then, Old General Zhang seemed to recall something and asked, “Since that’s the case, Miss Luo, would you mind if I called in my younger relatives? This old man has some questions for them.”

“Of course, I imagine they must be quite anxious waiting.”

Then, under Old General Zhang’s astonished gaze, Lin Ling snapped his fingers at the door.