The Source of Lin Yinyin's Strength

The next day.

In the courtyard.

Gu Yan didn’t go anywhere, staying obediently within the Leng Family estate.

The black cat, Yeye, lazily sprawled across Gu Yan’s lap, eyes closed as it basked in his sweet scent.

Meanwhile, Gu Yan stroked Yeye’s fur while watching an online meeting on his laptop.

"Since everyone’s here, let’s begin the meeting."

Bai Jun, true to his reputation as a grandmaster, had regained much of his vitality after a day of rest.

The headquarters had reached out to him.

So, Bai Jun hastily convened this meeting to brief everyone once they had recovered.

Gu Yan glanced at the dozen or so faces on the screen.

Huh, all familiar.

Murong Ci, Shangguan Miaoyin, Bai Lian, Mei Xue, You Xingxue...

The members of the Night Organization had recovered well—or rather, they hadn’t suffered much damage in the forbidden zone to begin with.

Ning Qian, however, wore a sullen expression, her face twisted with frustration.

It seemed the expedition to the forbidden zone had dealt her another blow.

The rest were survivors of the operation.

The only thing that puzzled Gu Yan was...

Hmm?

Where was that trash-tier martial artist Li Chuan, the one who had mocked him in the car?

As if hearing his thoughts, Bai Jun’s grave voice rang out:

"Everyone, I deeply apologize. This operation ended in failure due to my misjudgment."

"All sect martial artists perished."

"Only the dozen or so department martial warriors present here remain."

"This is my failure, and I will take full responsibility for it."

At these words, Gu Yan understood—so they all died.

But... wasn’t Li Chuan part of the logistics team?

And wasn’t Lin Yinyin also in the car? How did Li Chuan end up dead?

Just then, a bandaged man spoke up grimly:

"Enough, Bai Jun. The dead cannot return. Assigning blame is meaningless now. All I want to know is..."

He clenched his fists, teeth gritted.

"What the hell were those Nether Clan creatures in the forbidden zone?!"

Indeed, the Nether Clan was the real mystery.

Though the loss of comrades was tragic, they were heroes—fallen in the pursuit of forbidden zone exploration.

Their sacrifice held value, for the Nether Clan was the intelligence they had bought with their lives!

Bai Jun closed his eyes, steadying himself before responding solemnly:

"After returning from the forbidden zone, I consulted the headquarters’ archives regarding the Nether Clan."

"And... we reached a startling conclusion."

"The Nether Clan... may very well be the precursors to Demon Creatures!"

"In other words, the Nether Clan we encountered in Forbidden Zone No. 5 might be ancient Demon Creatures!"

!!

Silence fell.

Ancient Demon Creatures? The Nether Clan?

Shangguan Miaoyin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Oh? Interesting.

If the Nether Clan were ancient Demon Creatures...

Didn’t that mean their souls would be exceptionally delicious?

Ancient delicacies—her master would surely be thrilled.

Hehe~ If she reported this first, she’d earn lavish praise.

Bai Lian harbored similar thoughts.

She glanced at Shangguan Miaoyin on the screen, sensing—perhaps imagining—the other woman’s gaze meeting hers through the pixels.

Qin Rong rubbed her temples, disbelief coloring her voice:

"Ancient Demon Creatures? Those humanoid things count as Demon Creatures?"

This defied common knowledge. Demon Creatures were unmistakable—anyone could identify them at a glance.

But the ones in Forbidden Zone No. 5 were different. Two had human forms.

They could blend into crowds unnoticed.

If they infiltrated human society... how dangerous would the world become?

The implications dawned on everyone, their expressions darkening.

Gu Yan spoke up:

"Have similar entities appeared in previous forbidden zones?"

Bai Jun shook his head. "No. Compared to Forbidden Zone No. 5, the others barely qualify as forbidden zones."

"Is there any technology to detect these humanoid Demon Creatures?"

"For martial artists, the difference in aura between Demon Creatures and humans is obvious."

At this, realization struck.

One man’s eyes widened as he hesitated before asking:

"Wait, Bai Jun... are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"You’re not about to propose a full-scale martial artist liberalization policy, are you?"

"Because if so, I’ve got things to say."

The man belonged to the radical faction, long advocating for global martial arts academies—training everyone as martial artists to combat Demon Creatures.

A worldwide search might uncover countless prodigies.

The others turned to Bai Jun, their gazes heavy with unspoken questions.

If the radicals’ proposal went through...

Universal martial arts training would indeed help counter the ancient Demon Creature threat.

But the downsides were undeniable.

What of criminals who gained martial prowess?

Crime rates would skyrocket. Ordinary people, lacking talent, would become society’s most vulnerable.

Bai Jun sighed, knowing how hard this was to accept.

"This is the higher-ups’ conclusion."

"Rather than wait for ancient Demon Creatures to infiltrate humanity..."

"We take the initiative—arming everyone with the means to detect and defend against them."

"Though... this is just the current proposal. Implementation remains undecided."

Gu Yan inwardly cackled.

Perfect. Though this deviated from the original plot (where martial arts never went public), it wasn’t entirely bad.

At the very least, he could plant his people among the ranks, ensuring they dominated the department’s elite.

Eventually... the department = his faction?

Before anyone could digest this, Bai Jun dropped another bombshell.

"Additionally... the pacifist faction’s Minister Lin, Lin Yinyin, has been removed from her position."

"I’ve also been demoted."

He met their eyes earnestly.

"I must report to headquarters for investigation. Minister Lin will remain at Jianghai Branch..."

Lowering his head, he added quietly:

"You’re all my friends, so I’ll speak frankly."

"Please... look after Lin Yinyin in my absence."

"Her emotional maturity is lacking. Most importantly... don’t let her lose control."

A beat of silence followed.

Qin Rong studied Bai Jun, her expression conflicted.

Bai Jun was taking the fall—accepting full blame so Lin Yinyin wouldn’t face headquarters’ scrutiny.

Whether he’d return was anyone’s guess.

The next moment—

"This isn't fun, Bai Jun."

Gu Yan raised his voice, and Bai Jun looked up at the screen upon hearing him.

Gu Yan smiled slightly. "Talking like this is way too distant."

"At the very least, I can promise you this—as long as I'm here, Lin Yinyin won’t face any harm in the department."

Bai Jun’s eyes shimmered with emotion, but before he could respond, a muffled sob came from the side.

"Sniff... Little Gu, you’re making me so emotional..."

"Director?! When did you get in here??"

"Wahhhhhhh—!!"

Click.

The meeting abruptly ended.

As the screen turned pitch black, an unreadable glint flickered in Gu Yan’s eyes.

He closed his laptop.

The immense Qi energy within Lin Yinyin’s body originated entirely from a single [Silver Core] implanted inside her.

She was the perfect modified human—her entire body embedded with tens of thousands of Qi circuits by the department to control the Silver Core.

If...

He could absorb the core’s power completely...

Then... His fingers unconsciously brushed against the claw-shaped ring on his hand.

Hiss—

The claws slowly emerged from the ring, three slender tendrils coiling gently around Gu Yan’s fingers.

A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

Then... would the claws evolve once more?