Shen Yan’s memories couldn’t help but return to his past life.
In that life, on the surface, he was one of the top combat powers of humanity, basking in infinite glory.
But only he knew how truly lonely he had been.
His closest friends had long since passed away, and his parents had later died in an assassination during a final, desperate counterattack by an enemy organization.
Even after becoming a top-tier combat power and standing at the peak of authority, when he looked back, there wasn’t a single relative behind him!
During his spare time, he could only sit under the moonlit night, drinking alone.
Later on, the obsession that sustained his will to live became his daily duels with the Frost Calamity Witch to avenge his good brother.
It went on like this every day, month after month. Gradually, Shen Yan began to question himself — was he really avenging his good brother, Su Aoxue?
Therefore, in the end, when humanity faced its final moment of survival, the carefree Shen Yan stepped forward.
He single-handedly held back the supreme existences of both the Gray Mist and the Abyss races, buying the last bit of time for the human side.
Until he died in battle.
At the moment of his death, he felt a sudden sense of relief because he finally didn’t have to be so tired.
He no longer had to carry so much responsibility and could finally rest.
As for the subsequent survival of humanity and whether they succeeded or not, it no longer had anything to do with him.
After all, among those people, there was no longer anyone he cared about.
But he didn’t know if the heavens had taken pity on him, giving him a chance to live another life.
Since he had reincarnated, he only wanted to do his best to protect the people around him in the face of the upcoming City-Destroying Level Disaster!
……
“My family isn’t some powerful elite; it’s just that I happen to know a few things.”
Shen Yan smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair with his hands crossed behind his head.
He watched as a large group of people, filled with passionate blood, lined up to sign their names at the podium, yet he remained indifferent.
It seemed he had long since passed the age of being hot-blooded.
“Hiss… I suddenly feel like I don’t know you anymore.”
Su Aoxue stared at Shen Yan’s profile. He always felt that the other person had become like a completely different person recently, occasionally exuding a sense of weary experience.
He looked exactly like a retired veteran official, seemingly lacking the martial arts fanatic-like passion he once had.
‘Could Old Shen have been possessed by some middle-aged man, or perhaps a dejected, middle-aged version of Shen Yan has been reincarnated back to his youth?’
Su Aoxue couldn’t help but start imagining things in his heart.
However, after realizing his thoughts were getting more and more ridiculous, Su Aoxue quickly shook his head.
“I feel like you’ve changed a lot, even though it’s only been a few days…” Su Aoxue murmured while looking at Shen Yan’s side profile.
Hearing this, Shen Yan said in a relaxed tone, “Just consider it a sudden moment of enlightenment.”
“Tsk, quit kidding around. Whose sudden enlightenment allows them to directly master a Pharmacist’s work?”
Su Aoxue couldn’t help but complain. Although Shen Yan had been giving him a strange and off-putting feeling recently, his intuition told him that Shen Yan was still the same Shen Yan.
Since Shen Yan had hidden worries he couldn’t talk about, and he happened to have some as well, Su Aoxue didn’t bother to press for answers.
“But is it really okay for the two of us to choose not to go?”
“That is a City-Destroying Level Disaster. Even if the two of us go, we won’t be able to change the situation. We’ll only be forced to evacuate…”
Listening to Shen Yan’s words, Su Aoxue thought for a moment but still couldn’t hold back the doubt in his heart, asking, “You also said it’s a City-Destroying Level Disaster, so why would the higher-ups choose to let those of us who just experienced Awakening go to the Grey Mist World?”
“Shouldn’t they have arranged for us to run away earlier?”
Su Aoxue’s question made Shen Yan pause. Then, he smiled helplessly.
“Because some of the higher-ups don’t believe that the Gray Mist Tide attacking the Base City this time will reach the City-Destroying Level.”
Shen Yan’s bitter smile contained a lot. Coupled with his certain tone, Su Aoxue didn’t speak again for a while, falling into a silence as if lost in thought.
……
Perhaps because the class was an elite class, basically everyone chose to sign up for the mission initiated by the Martial Arts Association.
However, as the queue gradually finished, everyone’s eyes couldn’t help but turn toward the two sitting in the back row.
Those eyes seemed to say: Aren’t you two big shots coming over to sign?
The Class Teacher also adjusted his thick glasses at this time. “Su Aoxue, Shen Yan, do you two little fellows not plan to participate in this mission?”
Shen Yan spoke up directly at this moment. “Yes, of course. The two of us plan to decline this mission.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
Everyone in the class looked at Su Aoxue and Shen Yan with surprised expressions.
They couldn’t understand why the two of them would refuse this special mission temporarily dispatched by the Martial Arts Association.
The Class Teacher looked at Su Aoxue and Shen Yan and remained silent for a long time, yet he still didn’t ask why.
If it had been Su Aoxue who spoke, he might have asked for a reason, but the one who spoke just happened to be the one known as the Martial Arts Fanatic, Shen Yan!
“Think through this decision carefully. As long as it isn’t a heat-of-the-moment choice, I won’t ask much else. Alright, that’s all for today.”
“Those who signed, arrive at school on time at 8:00 AM tomorrow. You will be assigned to a Hunt Team then.”
“When the time comes, follow the Hunt Team’s orders. They will lead you to familiarize yourselves with the Grey Mist World.”
After the class was dismissed, Ye Yao walked up to the two of them in confusion.
“Why aren’t you two participating in this special mission? You’re both clearly stronger than me…”
Ye Yao recalled the last Theory and Practical Combat Course assessment. She might have originally only been ranked in third place.
But because Su Aoxue and Shen Yan fought so fiercely that they were both heavily injured and unable to continue, she was able to take the first place position in the practical theory assessment.
Shen Yan spoke up at this time. “Your father might give you the answer.”
At the same time, his gaze turned to the two men in black uniforms standing outside the window, staring straight at Ye Yao. Clearly, they were here to pick her up.
As he experienced the events of his past life once more, the memories deep within Shen Yan were stirred.
It was at this moment that he suddenly remembered that in his past life, around this time, the people sent by Ye Yao’s family had taken her back directly.
Shen Yan never saw her again after that.
It wasn’t until Shen Yan went to the 3rd Base City to catch up with Su Aoxue that he saw Ye Yao again.
……
The scene shifted to the Grey Mist World outside the Base City, inside the canyon where the Silver Gray Grass had been discovered.
A familiar figure stepped out of a vehicle.
He patted the dust off his body and looked at the life detection instrument on the car with a vigilant eye before walking toward the production site of the Silver Gray Grass again.
This person was Zhao Jun.
A few days ago, he hadn’t managed to get any Silver Gray Grass at all, and he hadn’t even caught many Grey Fog Creatures.
He hadn’t made much money.
Seeing as his debts were about to expire, Zhao Jun, having no other choice, came here alone to try his luck.
Whether his luck was good or bad was hard to say; regardless, he hadn’t encountered a single Grey Fog Creature along the way.
“Damn it, did those bandits clean this place out so thoroughly? They didn’t even leave a single blade of grass for me?!” Zhao Jun cursed.
At that moment, he suddenly slapped his head. “Right, there’s still that cave!”
“I remember there seemed to be some strange ores in that cave. If I’m lucky, they might be worth some money.”
Thinking this, Zhao Jun quickly ran back to the car.
Every extra second spent in this place meant an extra bit of danger.
Although the previous battle had temporarily cleared the Grey Fog Creatures in the canyon, Zhao Jun knew from years of experience that a bunch of Grey Fog Creatures would still mysteriously appear in this canyon.
Therefore, he just wanted to grab the things and get out as quickly as possible.
However, before he could reach the car, he heard the alarm from the life detection instrument on the vehicle.
It was the highest-level alarm!
“There’s a Mist Wraith!”
Zhao Jun’s expression was frantic as he scrambled into the car and started the engine.
During this time, he looked at the life detection instrument and discovered with horror that a large, dense cluster of red dots had appeared ahead!
“Damn it, a Gray Mist Tide? It’s another freaking Gray Mist Tide?”
“What is so special about this canyon!”
“Shit, in the past, after clearing a wave of Grey Fog Creatures, it would take at least six months for them to start gathering again. Why are there suddenly so many now!”
Zhao Jun cursed loudly as he hurriedly turned the car around and slammed on the gas toward the Base City.
The idea of digging for special ores had long since vanished; he only wanted to rush back to the Base City to save his life!
This wasn’t like several years ago. He hadn’t brought much food on this trip, so it was impossible for him to hole up in that cave again.