He was his direct subordinate. He was the only one accompanying Bai Cha this time, and he would be in big trouble if anything happened to Bai Cha.
Outside the emergency medical room of the research institute, Gong Yuechen sat on a chair, restless.
The stronger the dragon that resonated with the host, the greater the host's reaction. Something that could directly make the host faint was obviously a powerful dragon. The doctor had already said there was no problem, and as long as Bai Cha woke up naturally, everything would be fine. Gong Yuechen could only wait outside.
While he was worrying, a group of researchers in white coats suddenly rushed in, hurrying towards the medical room.
Gong Yuechen found it a bit strange. If he remembered correctly, the medical room could only accommodate one person. Bai Cha should be the only one inside at the moment. What were these people rushing in for?
As he was thinking, Gong Yuechen suddenly caught sight of the name tag on the chest of the person leading the group. He immediately stood up, his expression changed, and he blocked the group directly.
"Stop, there's a patient resting inside." Gong Yuechen's expression was a little displeased, but he still maintained a serious demeanor, his gaze sharp, standing like a pine tree, blocking the entire group.
He was a soldier, a major general at that. He had endured hardships and faced dangers. With a cold expression and a furrowed brow, his aura, honed in battle, instantly suppressed the group in front of him.
"Major General Gong, this is a routine inspection. Please cooperate." The leader frowned. Although his position in the research institute was not low, he was still somewhat intimidated by Gong Yuechen's imposing presence.
"Routine inspection? You're talking about official business in front of me?" Gong Yuechen stood firmly at the door, not yielding an inch. "No one can enter now. Please go back. My eyes are not blind."
The leader fell silent. The name tag on his chest clearly displayed two characters: Liu Xi.
The Liu family was one of the affiliated families of the Mo family, the leading family of the Light faction, and had an aggressively hostile relationship with the Shadow faction.
Bai Cha was the only one in the medical room, and she resonated with the Demon Dragon. If this man led a group of people rushing into the medical room, and Gong Yuechen still didn't know what they were up to, he wouldn't need to be a major general anymore.
"Major General, please don't waste our time. We still need to confirm the safety coefficient of Miss Bai and the Demon Dragon." Liu Xi glanced at the researchers around him who dared not make a sound, cursed them inwardly for being useless, and could only brace himself to say, "If the Major General and Miss Bai have nothing to hide, we will naturally leave after the inspection..."
"Save the pleasantries." Gong Yuechen showed no mercy to Liu Xi, snorting coldly. "Confirmation is acceptable. Apply to your superiors, get national approval, and then present proof. Don't talk about hidden agendas with me. Inspections should be conducted by our neutral faction. Why are you here?"
Liu Xi's face turned pale and then flushed. He truly hadn't expected Gong Yuechen to be so defiant, directly bringing up factional animosity. With so many people watching, he couldn't forcefully push his way in and could only continue to persuade him earnestly.
"Major General Gong, I know you are a Major General, but you can't be so dictatorial. You know the destructive and uncontrollable nature of the Demon Dragon. If something goes wrong..." Liu Xi glanced at the medical room, slightly anxious. "If it were resonance with a Holy Dragon, we wouldn't say anything. But anyone who can resonate with a Demon Dragon, who knows what their intentions are..."
"Bah, say that to Bai Cha's face if you have the guts. What are you babbling about here?" a strong voice rang out from behind Liu Xi and his group. Liu Xi and his group's expressions changed again, and even Gong Yuechen's expression became a little strange.
The person who arrived was none other than Lang Mo, with his arms crossed, looking as if he dared them to attack. He looked up and down at Liu Xi dismissively. "If Bai Cha were here now, would you dare to utter a single word? If it really went out of control, our Shadow faction would be responsible, not you. What are you chirping about here?"
Liu Xi was flustered, but after glancing at the newcomer, he dared not say anything more. He truly didn't want to provoke the Wolf family of the Shadow faction. The people of this family weren't very bright, but they were truly fierce in battle. Anyone who saw their reckless spirit would retreat.
"But, that's a Demon Dragon after all. You guys..." Liu Xi still wanted to say something when someone suddenly poked him with an elbow.
He immediately had a bad premonition. He turned around abruptly, only to find that the door of the medical room had opened. A peerlessly beautiful young girl was standing there, her peach blossom eyes slightly raised, her eyes filled with contempt and disdain, watching him coldly.
The girl said nothing, but Liu Xi was silenced. He didn't dare to utter a single word and scurried away with his group, returning the way they came.
Seeing this, Gong Yuechen quickly rushed forward. He looked Bai Cha up and down and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
"Mm," Bai Cha replied, nodding slightly at Lang Mo.
"Uh, did you come to help?" Gong Yuechen was a bit confused. He looked at Lang Mo, then at Bai Cha, bewildered.
They had been at odds in the hall just now, so why was he here to help now?
"Help? I just got sand in my eyes, can't I come and see?" Lang Mo snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Gong Yuechen scratched his head, even more confused. "This research institute is so clean, is there any sand?"
Besides, if he got sand in his eyes, he could just rub them. Why come to the infirmary?
Lang Mo stumbled slightly, then quickly recovered and quickened his pace to leave. Bai Cha glanced at Gong Yuechen, then at Lang Mo, feeling a bit helpless.
These two were both clueless.
Bai Cha sat down directly beside Gong Yuechen. The light in the corridor had made it difficult to tell before, but now that Bai Cha was sitting beside him, Gong Yuechen finally noticed that her face was somewhat unnaturally pale.
"Bai Cha? Are you really alright?" Gong Yuechen asked, worried. "Does resonance have such a big side effect? What does it feel like? What happened?"
"It's nothing," Bai Cha cut off Gong Yuechen's words, closed her eyes wearily, pinched her nose, and said lazily, "Just re-experiencing past memories."
With those simple words, Gong Yuechen fell silent. To relive a past that held little joy, it was no wonder Bai Cha looked so unwell.
They returned to the hall in silence. There, countless hopeful people stood before cultivation dishes, anticipating a response from the embryos within. The semi-transparent embryos of various colors pulsed rhythmically up and down in the pale green culture fluid, occasionally releasing bubbles.
Were they also sensing everything in the outside world? Bai Cha sometimes wondered if these people truly knew the consequences of resonating with dragons.
They would transition from being protected to becoming protectors. Ordinary people, when bored, could enjoy the breeze on their balcony, order takeout when craving something, surf the internet when bored, wander their thoughts, act a little silly, or harbor a secret crush on someone in school – how happy that was.
Once they became protectors, all of this might become a mirage. Perhaps even the right to daydream would be taken away. They would compete in illusions of survival of the fittest, experience life and death. How many people truly had this awareness?
Bai Cha did not know.
This seemed like a trivial question, as those who were driven by passion never truly understood awareness. Bai Cha had seen many people trembling with fear on the verge of battle.
This year, in addition to Bai Cha, there were five more resonance individuals. With tens of thousands entering and only a few succeeding, this was indeed a chance of less than one in ten thousand. However, fortunately, there was more than one place for resonance. The total number of resonance points across all of Country Z could yield dozens each year.
Seeing their joyous expressions, Bai Cha only felt a sense of weariness.
She remembered when she was ten years old, the first dragon died under her gun. Its sad yet unyielding eyes seemed to want to say something, but it lost all life just as it was about to speak.
What did it want to say? Actually, if that dragon could have cursed her a couple of times, she might have felt a bit more at ease.
Time passed so quickly. Six years had flown by in a blink of an eye. Everything seemed like a dream, leaving no trace behind.
The atmosphere in the conference room that night was very serious.
Generally, people from all factions were not allowed to attend such meetings. This was a meeting of the true highest echelons of Country Z. Apart from the annual summary meetings where all family patriarchs reported their work, only the leaders of the two factions would participate in some confidential policy meetings.
However, this time, the patriarchs of all major families from both factions, almost all the leaders, were present.
The "Evil Prophecy" of the Heavenly Official was not terrifying. What was terrifying was that the "Sacred Prophecy" of the Heavenly Messenger had also become tense. The Heavenly Messenger could do anything normally, but once the Heavenly Messenger, who could only foresee good omens, became serious, then everyone would truly lose sleep.
"According to current knowledge, not only our country but also the prophets of all countries in the world have received a common crisis warning." The highest-ranking leader stood at the podium, his brow furrowed, reading his speech word by word with a solemn expression. "Although the solutions vary from country to country, they all point to the same crisis..."
Bai Cha listened to the speaker at the podium while browsing the documents in her hand. These documents were distributed to everyone, compiled by the Heavenly Messenger and Heavenly Official.
[Since the descent of the异种 (Yi Zhong - Strange Species), species have undergone tremendous changes. Now is the time to face the crisis of survival together. Within our nation, all beasts pay homage to the Qilin as Emperor, all birds crown the Phoenix as King, cloud cranes dance in the nine heavens, and flood dragons soar through the seven seas. Furthermore, the Peacock King Bodhisattva devours filth and purifies demons, all following their master to preside over the overall situation.]
This looked very much like a fantasy novel. Although the world had become quite fantastical since dragons fell from the sky, followed by various dragons, merfolk, snake-people, and so on, this document looked like those deceptive plots from fantasy novels.
Moreover, what were Qilin and Phoenix? Did they have to search all over Country Z for them? Tourist attractions and the beautiful mountains and rivers across the country had been developed so thoroughly. If they existed, they should have been found long ago.
"What is all this?" Gong Yuechen muttered softly beside her, clearly at a loss. "If it were finding people, it would be easier, but where can we find these divine beasts? I've never even heard of them. We can't just pull one out of those Xianxia dramas, can we?"
People?
Bai Cha was startled. She suddenly thought of something and looked up towards the distance, at the monk lounging there.
"What's wrong?" Gong Yuechen followed Bai Cha's gaze. It was a handsome monk with an exceptionally delicate face, even more so than a woman's. His skin was smooth and fine, and the vermilion pattern on his forehead was somewhat striking.
Meng Qinghuan, the patriarch of the Meng family, patriarch of the Meng family, affiliated with the Bai family of the Shadow faction, had a good relationship with Bai Cha. They had even completed many missions together.
However, this person was very strange. He always kept his eyes closed and never opened them. It was unclear if he was blind, but he seemed to be able to see. He could always accurately "see" everything around him, including receiving everyone's gaze with his eyelids.
Gong Yuechen had even thought for a time that Meng Qinghuan's eyes might be on his eyelids, otherwise, how could he look at people with his eyelids closed?
"Gong Yuechen, do you remember what the Meng family's totem is?" Bai Cha reminded him.