Master of the Stars

Chapter 136: Time Bomb (Part 1/2)

Translator: Strivon

There was something wrong with this atmosphere!

Luo Nan began to regret making this call... No, no no. Indeed, it was correct of him to call. He had a cat-like curiosity in his heart, but ultimately, He Yueyin and Bai Xinyan did not say much. Bai Xinyan responded with a very normal tone.

"Well, if it’s that Xue Lei, you can give it a shot. His background should be that of a traditional martial arts school; he can be considered to have trained to a professional degree. However, you must be aware that only gentle exercises, such as breath tuning, tao yin, yoga, and tai chi are suitable for your body. Such exercise plans will need to be recorded for research if the gym doesn’t mind. I can permit you if these conditions are satisfied."

Luo Nan had no reason to disagree. The timing of his call could be considered perfect, as his aunt just so happened to make it to the door. Luo Nan immediately hung up at practically the same time as his aunt began knocking.

The two women with exceptional bearings locked gazes once more. Bai Xinyan looked around the room at nothing and made a faint humph. This made Luo Nan scream, F*ck, in his mind. His timing was too precise, and it brought suspicion upon him.

However, Luo Nan had grown some thick skin after he thought about his potential future lifestyle. He had to see this to the end. In any case, the two women should not be able to capture anything solid that could be used against him, as he was using his mental senses. This should be the case, right?

Mrs. Luo Shuqing entered the room and saw that Investigation Officer He Yueyin was present as well. She was a bit surprised for a time, and her heart grew more vigilant.

By now, she was absolutely unwilling to have her nephew enter the eyes of the police. Even though she knew that the problem was small, she was not willing to take any risks.

He Yueyin understood the situation quite clearly. She did not spend time with words. Instead, she just gave Luo Shuqing some greetings. Then, she brushed past Luo Shuqing and walked out the door.

Next, it was time for Bai Xinyan to put on a show.

Perhaps, Bai Xinyan’s nature of a supervisor displayed itself, for Bai Xinyan handled matters very briskly. She relied on the mastery of her professional knowledge and used her silver tongue to temporary dispel Mrs. Luo Shuqing’s misgivings in a short few minutes. Moreover, she gave a proactive suggestion.

Fair and moderate exercise is good for your nephew’s recovery.

As for how it should be done... the snooping Luo Nan naturally understood this quite well. He let out a long breath of relief. He remembered that Xue Lei was still waiting outside the restroom, so he stopped snooping and retracted his mental senses.

Bai Xinyan sent Luo Nan’s aunt away. Today’s work was pretty much over. She really did not want to stay in this depressive building with endless illnesses, so she simply tidied up, put on her customary jacket, and left. She was off work now.

Bai Xinyan took the elevator down to the parking lot and was mulling over whether or not she should hit Zhang Yingying up. They could hit up the clubs tonight. However, she suddenly felt something that made her stop in her tracks. She turned around and looked.

She was met head-on with a gaze that gleamed with a cool and penetrating light. The gaze was a thick as the north wind, and it brushed her face. They were inside a building, and the temperature was normal for the season. But it was as if the temperature dropped down to freezing levels.

He Yueyin... Bai Xinyan knew it was not that easy to shake her off!

Bai Xinyan raised her hand in surrender. "Stop glaring at me, dear. I have no intentions of prying into your private matters."

"Your source of intelligence."

"Hey, this is an open secret, okay?"

"Open? It involves the entirety of Luo Nan, the Luo Family, and the Formatting Theory."

Bai Xinyan was dumbstruck for a time. It was obvious that this old friend had deliberately gone down the wrong line of thought. He Yueyin seemed to be unconcerned about being personal. She directly went to the sensitive topics, not glossing it over a bit.

He Yueyin spoke aggressively, "Your academic advisor’s laboratory works for Quantum Corporation to a certain degree. Remodeling the nervous system, the theory of evolution, and the Archetype Format are all of the same origins. The Formatting Theory of the Luo Family should be what you all desire the most and are doing the utmost to obtain. However, why is it that you all haven’t made a single action toward it in all these years... Or perhaps you used to long for it, but you discovered certain unpredictable pitfalls and flaws with it? Like what can be seen from Mr. Luo today?"

"Are you showing off your reasoning skills?"

Bai Xinyan straightened her jacket and zipped it up to her neck. She wanted to block the cold air that assaulted her face, but she could not avoid sighing. "Or are you saying that everything should be flipped down to the bottom with us here, while that peeping little fellow is on standby? You think that this would be better for him? Better for the current situation of Xia City?"

He Yueyin locked onto Bai Xinyan with her glare. A moment passed, and she walked expressionless toward the sports car that Bai Xinyan had recently purchased. She simply opened the door, went in, and sat down.

Bai Xinyan shrugged. She got in the car and started it. Then, she made a beautiful drift within the narrow space and rushed out of the exit. Soon, she merged into the rushing traffic of the city.

Several kilometers away from Renai Hospital, He Yueyin opened her mouth once again. "Give me all pertinent information. All of it."

"Don’t have it."

Bai Xinyan’s response was brisk and to the point. "Research concerning Formatting Theory was soon terminated. We obtained the conclusion that there was no value in continuing the research... I can tell you the reason. Through over a thousand repeated experiments, we determined that there was no one who could endure the rapid growth of soul strength."

"Rapid growth?"

"It looks like you only have a smattering of knowledge in regards to Formatting Theory. I can give you an overview... Do you need it?"

He Yueyin’s eyes were slightly closed. She was completely silent.

"Then, don’t resent me if I talk too much."

Bai Xinyan’s sports car was installed with a self-driving mode. She put her hands on the back of her head and adopted a lazy posture. "According to the research line of Quantum Corporation, the Formatting Theory you speak of is confirmed to be a completely out-of-control way to increase soul strength. Its origin is Luo Yuandao from back in the day. It is also a sort of ’revelation’ your boss’s grandfather obtained in the wilderness. This ’revelation’ is in the same vein as the ’gods’ of the various secret orders. It may be marvelous, but it wasn’t unrivaled within that era."

"Of course, there are differences between the revelation and those bizarre gods. In the next few dozen years, that old man was constantly trying to redefine this sort of power in his own way, and he was even able to obtain a series of results. The results primarily involve two different paths. One is to get closer to the ’revelation’ itself, stressing differences in individuals. It is the Formatting Theory that is unique to the individual without equal. The other path is the result of a compromise with how narrow the fundamentalist path becomes the further one walks it. By mixing in modern scientific and technological capabilities, individual characteristics are lessened, the highest common factor is sought out, and a completely new theory is sorted anew from within. This is the Archetype Format..."

He Yueyin listened quietly. She was silent and did not speak a word.

"You’re quite clear on the result. Formatting Theory and Archetype Format... I won’t talk about which one is stronger, but in practical applications, the Formatting Theory is a complete failure. The vast majority of practitioners and experimental subjects who have received this theory have died. They all died due to being completely unable to control the growth of their soul strength. His grandfather, Luo Yuandao, was able to live a bit longer than the others, but right now, he’s a lunatic. His father, Luo Zhongheng. Oh, he’s dead now too."

"This man had once worked with Yan Hong for a period of time. According to what Yan Hong said, that person was simply a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment... This wasn’t figurative. This was in the literal sense. And so, not even his bones existed after."

Bai Xinyan’s hands were still propping the back of her head, while she looked at He Yueyin. She was waiting to see her reaction.

He Yueyin looked at her as well. "What’s the conclusion?"

"Isn’t it none other than this?" Bai Xinyan’s bright and beautiful eyes blinked in an expression of extreme innocence.

The corners of He Yueyin’s lips hooked into a subtle smile. This was the first smile she revealed during their confrontation. However, it was filled completely with cold intent. "Even if Formatting Theory doesn’t possess the value of a universal application. Even if the death rate approaches 100%. Is it within Quantum Corporation’s persistent style to actually have zero interest in this method? This method to increase one’s soul strength to the maximum?"