dognovel Chapter 13 Consciousness
Chapter 13 Consciousness
The Book of Light transmitted a message again, this time a complex sequence of runes and a method for channeling energy. Li Shancheng tried hard to memorize it, but the amount of information was too much for him to handle. He felt a splitting headache, and his consciousness began to blur.
"Mountain City! Come back!" Xu Qingqing's voice came from afar.
Li Shancheng suddenly opened his eyes and found himself covered in sweat, breathing rapidly. Two of the four jade talismans in the magic array had shattered, and the remaining two were also covered in cracks.
"You entered a deep connection state, which lasted for forty minutes." Xu Qingqing supported his swaying body. "What did you see?"
Li Shancheng took a sip of water and slowly recounted what he had seen. When he mentioned that the array's core had taught him how to repair it, Xu Qingqing's eyes lit up.
"If we could really strengthen the key nodes of the array, perhaps we could slow down the energy loss and buy us more time," she said. "But how many of those methods...do you remember?"
"Partially," Li Shancheng said, rubbing his temples. "Mainly repairing the nodes at the Li and Dui positions, which are the least damaged. But it requires special materials and... a ritual."
"What materials?"
Li Shancheng recalled the information in his mind: "The Li position requires 'Fire Spirit Crystal' and 'Centennial Peach Wood Heart'; the Dui position requires 'Water Essence Jade' and 'Moonlight Moss'. It also requires the corresponding rune drawing and energy guidance."
Xu Qingqing's expression turned strange: "These materials... are all very rare. Fire Spirit Crystals can only be found in volcanically active areas, and the Hundred-Year Peach Heartwood needs to be obtained from peach trees that are at least a hundred years old, without harming the tree itself. Water Essence Jade is a mineral found deep underground, and Moonlight Moss only grows under pure moonlight dew..."
"In other words, we can't gather enough in a short time." Li Shancheng understood.
"Moreover, obtaining these materials requires special permits or... unconventional means," Xu Qingqing said. "But perhaps Editor-in-Chief Qin has a way. He has been running the magazine for so many years, he should have some connections."
Just then, Editor-in-Chief Qin returned, carrying a file folder. His expression was even more serious than when he left.
"The situation is more complicated than we imagined." Editor-in-Chief Qin placed the file folder on the stone table. "I contacted three old friends; two refused to get involved, and one was only willing to provide limited information support. Hanshan Technology's influence is greater than we thought; they may have anticipated the resistance and done their work in advance."
"What about internal personnel?" Xu Qingqing asked.
Editor-in-Chief Qin opened the file folder and pulled out several resumes: "This is a list of the core team of Hanshan Technology, obtained through special channels. There are twenty-three people in total, eighteen of whom have cultivation backgrounds and five have pure scientific research backgrounds. I have narrowed it down to three potential candidates."
He pointed to the first resume: "Zhang Mingyuan, materials scientist, 45 years old, in charge of material research and development for petri dishes. His daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease a year ago, and Hanshan Technology provided expensive treatment, which may become a handle or motive for him."
The second document reads: "Chen Ya, energy systems engineer, 32 years old. She suddenly resigned three months ago, but company records show she is still employed. I suspect she may have discovered something and is being held captive or monitored."
The third document: "Lin Han himself."
"Lin Han?" Li Shancheng exclaimed in surprise, "He's the company founder, how could he..."
"Precisely because he is the founder, he understands the whole project best," said Editor-in-Chief Qin. "Moreover, according to the information I've gathered, Lin Han was an ideal cultivator in his youth and participated in numerous metaphysical charity events. There must be a reason why he turned to business and this kind of extreme research."
"Then who should we contact?" Xu Qingqing asked.
"Chen Ya is probably the easiest to break through, if she's still alive," said Editor-in-Chief Qin. "Zhang Mingyuan has family ties and isn't easily swayed. Lin Han... is too dangerous, we're not considering him for now."
"How did you find Chen Ya?" Li Shancheng asked.
"Her last known location was in the company dormitory area, but security there is tight," said Editor-in-Chief Qin. "We need a reason to enter."
Cheng Xu suddenly held up a piece of paper that read: "Hanshan Technology is holding an open day tomorrow, inviting media and partners to visit the new R&D center. I have an invitation code."
The three of them looked at him at the same time.
"How do you have an invitation code?" Xu Qingqing asked.
Cheng Xu continued writing: "I applied for this identity under the guise of a tech media outlet, intending to use it for investigation. Now it comes in handy."
Editor-in-Chief Qin pondered for a moment: "The open day is an opportunity, but the risks are also very high. They will definitely increase security, and you've already been exposed, so you might be recognized."
"I can disguise myself," Xu Qingqing said. "I've learned some basic facial disguise techniques, and with the help of simple runes, I can change my appearance for several hours."
"Then Xu Qingqing and I will go," Li Shancheng said. "Cheng Xu, you stay here to continue recovering and analyzing the data."
Editor-in-Chief Qin looked at them and finally nodded: "Okay, but we need to develop a detailed plan. The open day will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Your goal is to find clues about Chen Ya's whereabouts. If there's an opportunity, you can also observe their research and development facilities. But remember, don't take risks; safety first."
The next day, they began preparing for their operation. Xu Qingqing took out a makeup case from her room. Inside were not ordinary cosmetics, but various specially made creams, powders, and micro-rune patches.
"Sit down," she said to Li Shancheng.
Xu Qingqing's fingers deftly applied the ointment to his face, the cool texture carrying a herbal scent. She occasionally placed almost invisible transparent patches with miniature runes on them. The entire process took about forty minutes.
When Li Shancheng looked in the mirror, he could hardly recognize himself—his face had become wider, his eyes had changed shape, his skin tone had darkened, and even his hairstyle looked different. Even more amazingly, when he made expressions, his face would naturally change, showing absolutely no trace of disguise.
"The rune patches will cause optical distortion and energy interference, making people subconsciously ignore your true features," Xu Qingqing explained. "But it can only last for six hours, and it might be seen through by advanced cultivators."
She only made simple disguises, mainly changing her hairstyle and makeup, and wearing a pair of non-prescription glasses.
"Aren't you afraid of being recognized?" Li Shancheng asked.
"I went to Hanshan Technology before as a photographer, but today I'm dressed as a reporter's assistant, so my image is different," Xu Qingqing said. "And they'll pay more attention to you—yesterday, the person who hacked into the system was clearly male, so they might focus on checking male visitors."
Bishop Qin gave them new identification and press passes, and also provided hidden cameras and recording equipment. Cheng Xu provided a detailed layout map of the R&D center, marking potentially key areas.