In the days that followed, Le Ping'an's disappearance became the hottest topic at Star City Academy.
Law enforcement officers arrived at the academy, initiating an investigation into Le Ping'an's disappearance.
During this period, Feng Qi was also questioned by the officers.
They asked him questions like:
"What was Le Ping'an's usual demeanor?"
"Did Le Ping'an have any conflicts with others in the academy?"
"Did Le Ping'an display any unusual behavior or signs of mental distress?"
Feng Qi answered these questions truthfully.
After his statement was taken, the officers did not find him suspicious—he had no motive for murder.
Later, the officers reviewed surveillance footage and traced Le Ping'an's last movements. They found his shattered phone atop the academy's mountain peak.
After examining the phone, they discovered only Le Ping'an's fingerprints.
Fresh footprints leading up the mountain confirmed that Le Ping'an had ascended alone and mysteriously disappeared after reaching the summit.
Speculation ran wild on the academy's forums, with students crafting imaginative theories about Le Ping'an's disappearance:
Fantasy Version: Le Ping'an was taken away by a celestial dragon chariot on the mountain peak.
Xianxia Version: Le Ping'an accidentally stumbled upon a hidden cave containing a divine cultivation technique. Since time flows differently in the cave, he might return after a thousand years.
Sci-Fi Version: Le Ping'an triggered a time-space node and was transported to either the future or the past.
Magical Version: Le Ping'an entered a magical world with his cultivation techniques and began dominating the native magic users, rising to the pinnacle of their society.
Anime Version: Le Ping'an was summoned as a hero to an alternate world to save its suffering people, likely facing off against a world-ending demon lord or an evil dragon.
Paranormal Version: Le Ping'an's ghost now haunts the mountain peak…
None of these speculations were remotely plausible, nor was there any evidence to support the actual cause of Le Ping'an's disappearance.
The investigation soon hit a dead end.
To avoid disrupting the students' studies, most of the officers eventually left, leaving behind only one investigator. The case of Le Ping'an's disappearance was effectively classified as a cold case, with no leads to pursue further.
At the academy cafeteria, Feng Qi sat eating lunch, though his thoughts were elsewhere.
He felt a pang of guilt over Le Ping'an's death—not for the Le Ping'an who served the Institute of Technological Research, but for the student he once knew. The one who would eagerly discuss cultivation theory with him, who taught him how to brew calming elixirs.
Le Ping'an had chosen to stand against humanity, making him Feng Qi's mortal enemy. There could be no compromise.
Killing a traitor to humanity, Feng Qi thought, was a duty he bore without shame.
"Qi-ge, thinking about Le Ping'an's disappearance?" Lin Ran asked, turning toward him.
"No, I'm thinking about humanity's future."
"What's there to think about? None of us will live to see it anyway. All we can do is work hard to push humanity's progress forward and create hope for the future," Lin Ran said with a grin.
"You're right," Feng Qi replied with a faint smile, then resumed eating.
Both Lin Ran and Mu Qing had taken note of Le Ping'an's disappearance but didn't dwell on it. They'd had little interaction with him and no emotional connection, seeing him only as a fellow student in passing.
However, they were concerned about Feng Qi's mood and did their best to console him.
After finishing his meal, Lin Ran turned to Feng Qi with a grin.
"Qi-ge, have you thought about the team battle for the freshman class tournament?"
Feng Qi looked up and replied, "I've been working on team configurations. I'll finalize the details soon."
"With Lü Yue on the team, I think we could make the top three in the Eastern Region. That guy's strength is easily on par with the core combatants of an A-tier domain combat squad," Lin Ran said with a mischievous smile.
"Top three isn't enough. I want the championship."
"If Mu Qing-jie and I could join, winning would be a cinch. But unfortunately, we're not freshmen anymore," Lin Ran lamented, shaking his head.
"If Mu Qing-jie could compete, would you even matter? What would you do—carry the equipment or serve tea?" Feng Qi asked with a smirk.
Hearing herself mentioned, Mu Qing quietly perked up her ears.
"Right, Mu Qing-jie?" Feng Qi said, turning to her with a smile.
"Right," she agreed, nodding earnestly before resuming her meal with great enthusiasm.
"Mu Qing-jie's strength is so well-hidden. And Lü Yue... I used to think I was strong, but it turns out I'm surrounded by tigers and dragons. Qi-ge, are you hiding your strength too? Are you even stronger than Mu Qing-jie?" Lin Ran asked, eyeing Feng Qi with suspicion.
"Didn't think you'd figure it out despite how well I've hidden it," Feng Qi replied with mock seriousness.
"Really? What's your level, then?" Lin Ran's curiosity flared, and he pressed for details.
"I could take on ten Mu Qing-jies. Believe it or not," Feng Qi said with a laugh.
"Yeah, right," Lin Ran scoffed, shaking his head.
"I believe it," Mu Qing interjected, her expression serious as she gave Feng Qi her full support.
With their banter concluded, they finished lunch and went their separate ways. Feng Qi returned to his dormitory.
Opening his notebook, he began reviewing the plans he'd recorded over the past few days.
He had outlined two potential paths forward:
Option One:
Form an alliance to oppose the Institute of Technological Research, potentially collaborating with the Crimson Research Institute to probe the institute's true strength.
Risks: The institute's full capabilities remain unknown, and the conflict could end in failure. However, if successful, the future would change drastically.
Notes: Currently, I have the advantage of working from the shadows while the institute operates openly. The initiative is mine.
Option Two:
Join the Dawn Rebel Army to uncover Mu Yan's secrets and learn the truth behind Mu Qing-jie's destruction of the city.
Risks: When the Dawn Rebel Army is formed, I may die prematurely due to unforeseen circumstances. This timeline might amount to nothing.
Faced with the two potential future paths, Feng Qi sank deep into thought.
Sitting at his desk, he deliberated for a long time before finally making a decision—he chose the first path.
This path offered him an opportunity to uncover more details about the Institute of Technological Research's secrets. If successful, it might even bring about a shift in the future.
At that moment, there was a knock at his door.
Hearing the sound, he got up and opened it to find two middle-aged men in Star City Academy's security uniforms standing there, drenched in sweat. They gestured to the cart carrying three pieces of equipment.
"Student Feng, these must be the items you ordered online, right?"
"Sorry for the trouble, and thank you," Feng Qi said, realizing that the alchemical devices he had ordered had arrived.
With their help, he moved the equipment into his room. Before they left, he tried to offer the guards a couple of bottles of beverages as thanks, but they politely declined.
After closing the door, he began unboxing the equipment.
Each device came preassembled, so there was no need for him to figure out how to set them up. Nonetheless, he followed the instructions in the manual to carefully clean all three devices, both inside and out.
He still had half a bottle of the calming elixir left from his last batch. The remaining energy was sufficient to enter the future dream, but he wanted to try brewing it himself.
He had learned all the critical details from Le Ping'an, though he had yet to attempt the process on his own.
After plugging in the three devices, he retrieved the spiritual materials delivered the previous day from the fridge.
He laid out the eight materials on the desk in order, focusing his mind as he recalled Le Ping'an's precise movements during the brewing process.
The three devices were designed for measurement, extraction, and fusion.
First, he measured the medicinal properties of each material, then weighed them to cut away any excess that exceeded the standard amounts.
Following the prescribed sequence, he placed the materials into the extraction device, producing liquids of various colors.
The room quickly filled with a rich medicinal aroma.
The next step was fusing the liquids. This was the most critical stage, determining whether the process would succeed or fail.
During this step, he had to carefully monitor the liquids' temperature changes, switching between high and low heat as needed, and occasionally adding stabilizing agents to ensure the fusion proceeded smoothly.
Following Le Ping'an's guidance, he began by mixing the Blueheart Grass liquid with the Ice Crystal Fruit extract in the fusion device. After heating, he watched as the pale blue and dark blue liquids began to merge.
To his relief, there was no sign of rejection between the two liquids.
After about fifteen minutes, he added the third extract.
This time, the liquid showed some noticeable changes. Dense bubbles began forming on the surface, and an intense reaction seemed to be happening within.
He continued adding the fourth and fifth extracts in sequence…
The initial steps all went smoothly without any errors. However, when he poured the final extract into the fusion device, the now-purple liquid suddenly began to oscillate violently, causing the fusion device itself to tremble.
Realizing that a strong rejection reaction was occurring, Feng Qi immediately added a white stabilizing agent.
In his haste, he accidentally added too much of the agent. The liquid, which had been near-boiling during the fusion process, suddenly stilled.
The final calming elixir was supposed to be light blue, but the liquid remained an unchanging purple.
Feng Qi: ...
Understanding that his first attempt had failed, Feng Qi felt a pang of regret. He had followed every step meticulously, thinking success was guaranteed—only to stumble at the very last step.
He cursed his trembling hands for over-pouring the stabilizing agent.
At that moment, the narrator's voice appeared, dripping with sarcasm:
[A delighted farmer digs you up from the soil, cradles you in his hands, and exclaims, 'What a harvest! What a splendid crop!']
The taunt was all the more cutting as Feng Qi calculated his loss—over 1 million credits gone in a single mistake. His chest tightened as waves of regret washed over him.
Initially, he had 5.6 million credits. Buying materials for the elixir cost him 1.25 million, and the alchemical devices set him back another 450,000. Now, he was left with just over 3.9 million.
Thinking about the upcoming expenses when Fang Zhiyou arrived, his heart sank further.
Each successful batch of calming elixir could save him around 350,000 credits. This failure meant three and a half wasted attempts.
Fortunately, Feng Qi believed he had mastered the process. As long as he stayed steady during the final step, future attempts should be successful.
This loss could eventually be recouped.
Despite his frustration, his gaze fell on the half-bottle of calming elixir sitting under his desk.
The energy bar currently sat at 63%. The remaining elixir would be enough for another journey into the future dream.
He picked up the bottle, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp.
A wave of warmth coursed through his body as the energy bar ticked upward.
After a short wait, the energy bar stopped at 149.9%.
Feeling the growing intoxication, Feng Qi lay on his bed, preparing to enter the future dream.
This timeline was sure to involve open and covert struggles against the Institute of Technological Research. It would undoubtedly be filled with moments that could alter the future.
Although he couldn't personally experience these events, he could learn about them through the historical record.
"Don't be so confident. It might just be a tragic story of premature death," the narrator jeered.
Ignoring the voice, Feng Qi wrapped himself in his blanket and closed his eyes.
Time slowly passed. As his thoughts emptied, his expression grew calm and serene.
When Feng Qi opened his eyes again, he was stunned by what he saw.
This time, the future dream world wasn't entirely shrouded by the blood moon.
In the west, the blood moon still dominated the sky, but in the east, a blazing sun shone brightly.
It was as if the world had been split into two halves—clear and distinct. And he stood at the very center of this divide.
Could it be that the future had truly changed?