Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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After introducing himself, Ye Qingyun keenly noticed a change in the leader’s demeanor. The cold expression he had been wearing shifted suddenly.

It was hard to describe whether it was good or bad. It was like a relaxed string had suddenly tightened, and the tension was so intense it seemed it might snap.

Ye Qingyun paused, taking a step forward instinctively, wanting to comfort the leader, but realizing what he was about to do, he quickly stopped and stepped back.

This was bad. He almost let himself be swayed by looks and made such a dangerous move. That was terrifying!

On his way here, the guards had told him many things, saying that the leader was very cold and didn’t care about people. As long as no one touched his sore spot, they would be ignored like air and wouldn’t be in danger.

But he hadn’t done anything yet. He had only introduced himself. Why was the leader reacting so strongly?

Could it be that there was something about his name that was forbidden, something he shouldn’t even mention?

Ye Qingyun felt that something was wrong and lowered his head, waiting for the leader’s response. Meanwhile, he quickly thought about how he might leave the situation safely.

—

Gu Shenyuan almost lost control of his emotions, his entire body feeling like it was about to burst with boiling blood.

It was Ye Qingyun…Ye Qingyun had come back.

But how could this be? Ye Qingyun was already dead, he had died in his arms, and he had watched as his body turned to ashes.

Gu Shenyuan rationally told himself that this must be a malicious imitator, someone who had stolen Ye Qingyun’s data from somewhere and came to him, trying to gain some benefit.

What he needed to do now was kill this person and teach him a harsh lesson, sending him to hell with the greatest pain.

But…

In the past, he could always spot the flaws in any imitator at a glance, without exception.

However, when facing this person, his sixth sense seemed to fail him. Not only could he not find any flaws, but it even urged him to go and embrace this person, to kiss him forcefully, so that this person would never leave.

The two conflicting thoughts collided in his mind. Gu Shenyuan closed his eyes, his ability uncontrollably swirling in the space, spinning wildly.

Ye Qingyun was startled, seeing the other people in the room quickly and expertly walking out. One even tried to pull him along.

However, before the person could touch him, a layer of black mist separated him from that person.

The other person dared not continue pulling Ye Qingyun along, and soon, the entire conversation room was left with only Ye Qingyun and the leader.

The thick, otherworldly black mist swirled around Ye Qingyun. Having watched this leader’s combat videos, he knew that the power of this black mist could instantly turn him into nothing, evaporating him from the world.

But strangely, Ye Qingyun didn’t feel afraid. He even had the impulse to reach out and touch the fluffy-looking mist.

Wait, what was he thinking right now? How could he still be thinking about this?

Why had this leader kept him here alone? What was he planning to do?

The black mist obstructed Ye Qingyun’s vision, and he couldn’t see the leader. He could only hear the sound of someone standing up from a chair, the rustling of clothes, and the muffled footsteps approaching him.

….Clack, clack, clack.

The footsteps were getting closer, and instinctively, Ye Qingyun tried to step back, only to find that the shapeless black mist had already formed a solid wall behind him, forcing him to stay in place.

The black mist in front of him dissipated, and Ye Qingyun saw the leader standing just one step away, his bottomless black eyes staring at him without blinking.

So beautiful! Up close, this face gave the feeling of first love!

Ye Qingyun stared at the leader for a moment before realizing that it seemed improper to keep staring at the leader, so he lowered his head again.

“Lift your head,” Ye Qingyun heard the leader say, “Look at me.”

Ye Qingyun hesitantly raised his head again, awkwardly locking eyes with the leader.

Trying to ease the tension, Ye Qingyun pulled out his elementary school-level self-introduction: “Um… Hello? It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ye Qingyun. I was sent here after passing the knowledge quiz.”

“… Ye Qingyun?” The leader’s voice was soft. “How long have you been called that?”

That question seemed completely out of the blue. Ye Qingyun answered, bewildered: “Over twenty years, I’ve been called this name since I was born.”

The leader squinted at him slightly, as if appraising him, or perhaps trying to control himself.

After a moment, Ye Qingyun heard the leader sneer coldly: “What’s your purpose? If you have something to explain, you’d better say it now. Otherwise, once you show a flaw…”

This vague, threatening remark left Ye Qingyun confused.

Purpose? Wasn’t he just trying to make some money to secure his life? What was wrong with that?

Ye Qingyun was a bit angry: “Clearly, after I passed, you all came to me, told me I’d get a reward if I came here, and now you’re threatening me? If you don’t want to give it to me, just say so! Do I have to stay here?”

Ye Qingyun turned to leave, only to find that the black mist had sealed off all the exits, and he couldn’t take a single step.

What was this? Were they going to renege on their promise and destroy the evidence here?

The leader silently watched him for a while, his expression growing more restrained and tense. Ye Qingyun couldn’t understand why, but for a moment, he even felt like the leader was going to hug him and comfort him, asking him not to be angry.

However, nothing happened. The leader wasn’t going to do such an absurd thing. He turned around and started walking forward, coldly saying, “Come with me.”

Surrounded by black mist, Ye Qingyun had no choice but to follow him. They walked out of the conversation room, through a long hallway, and entered a study.

The study was grand and spacious, filled with books, with several documents left unorganized on the desk.

Looking at the study’s layout, Ye Qingyun realized that this was likely the leader’s study. How could such an important, secretive place be so easily opened up to him?

The leader sat at the desk, took out a pen and paper, and began writing something.

Soon, the leader finished writing, raised his head, and said, “Come here.”

Ye Qingyun walked over, and the leader pushed the paper in front of him. Ye Qingyun saw the question written on it.

The question was much more complex than anything he had encountered before. It required multiple steps of calculation, and he couldn’t just randomly guess an answer.

Ye Qingyun had never studied the knowledge of this world, and logically, he shouldn’t even be able to understand the question. However, as he looked at it, a sense of confidence and inspiration surged within him, and he instinctively wanted to pick up the pen and start writing.

“I’ll give you two minutes to solve it.” The leader, with the face of Ye Qingyun’s first love, stared at him intensely, as though trying to memorize every expression on his face. “If you can’t solve it… then the place you’re going to stay in, won’t it be here?”