Chapter 52. Everyone Has Gathered, Conflict Looms? An Apology? (2)

Just then, several helicopters landed near the helicopters of the Wuzhou Group, and Wang Tao, the second son of Longevity Genetics' owner, stood at the helm of the group.

"Second Young Master." An old man in a long robe walked up and said, "Second Madam just sent word—the man surnamed Lu has yet to be found, but he is an Awakened, so he might visit the Mausoleum in Mount Li."

"All right," Wang Tao replied, "You all have the photo. Pay attention when the time comes. If you find him here, then tell me as soon as possible. I'm going to do it myself."

He and the Second Madam had been searching for Lu Yuan, but they hadn't been able to find any trace of him. Fortunately, the Mausoleum in Mount Li attracted the attention of numerous Awakened all over the country, which meant his presence here wouldn't be surprising.

"That's..." The old man frowned slightly and said, "Eldest Young Master has said that today's top priority is the tomb. Shouldn't we set this matter aside for now?"

"I know you belong to him, but I also have the surname Wang. Besides, I don't need you all to make a move," Wang Tao said.

"Yes." The old man nodded helplessly. The major forces had handed everything related to the Mausoleum in Mount Li to the members of their younger generation for the sake of honing their skills.

The old man felt that the Second Young Master seemed unable to prioritize what mattered the most, but fortunately, the Eldest Young Master was nearby.

Meanwhile, a group of people appeared somewhere inconspicuous. An old man with a white beard and a bed of white hair stood at the front of the group. Upon seeing the Awakened down below, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Dean, will there be a fight later?" a young woman in blue clothes asked. When her gaze landed on Zhou Yunqiong, the crowd, and the figures belonging to Longevity Genetics, as well as those from other forces, her face revealed worry.

The young woman was none other than Zhu Qingyu. She resisted the beast tide in Qingyang City and was later saved by Lu Yuan.

Qin Lan and the others stood next to her.

"The Mausoleum in Mount Li... No one knows what's inside, but we can be certain that whoever obtains it will profit tremendously from it," said the old man.

The old man's name was Zheng Wenyuan, and he was the Dean of Aurora Academy's Chang'an branch. Naturally, he was an extremely powerful Awakened. Otherwise, he couldn't have maintained his position in the Chang'an branch.

The students and teachers from the Aurora Academy's Chang'an branch were present, standing behind him.

"Should we fight for it?" Zhu Qingyu asked, but then she noticed something amiss with her words. "But doing that is the same as going against our Aurora Academy's raison d'être."

The government backed the Aurora Academy, and their role was to maintain stability across the country. In other words, their goal was to minimize casualties in the upcoming fight for whatever was inside the tomb.

Unfortunately, that was all they could do. The world had changed and was still changing after all. Zhu Qingyu felt somewhat frustrated. Humanity's greatest crisis was the mutated beasts, yet internal strife still existed everywhere.

"Silly girl, one ought to be strong enough to maintain any semblance of stability in the New Era. Previously, modern weapons were enough as deterrents, but now, that is no longer the case. Moreover, mutated beasts are growing restless everywhere, and the West is eyeing us from the sidelines.

"We must become stronger as soon as possible, and if we want to become stronger, we must fight."

"It'd be best if we can become even stronger without any casualties," Dean Zheng added with a faint smile.

"But... those from Longevity Genetics and the Wuzhou Group are here. Do we even have a chance?" Zhu Qingyu asked, knowing those forces had unfathomably deep foundations.

"Don't worry, your senior is coming. At worst, these old bones of mine can surely hold on for a while," Dean Zheng remarked. The Aurora Academy had clearly been preparing for the opening of the Mausoleum in Mount Li.

"My senior? Is it the Northern Emperor among the Five Supremes? If he comes here, the situation will definitely improve for us," Zhu Qingyu said with shining eyes.

Then she was reminded of

that

arrow in Qingyang City. "It's a shame that we still haven't found that mysterious man back then. If he were here with us, our chances of stabilizing the situation would surely skyrocket."

The arrow on that day had left a deep impression on her. In Zhu Qingyu's eyes, that mysterious figure wasn't inferior to the Five Supremes.

"Five Supremes? Just titles randomly given by busybodies. They don't deserve that title," Zheng Wenyuan said, shaking his head. He cast a gentle gaze at the young woman, saying, "Besides, your talent isn't necessarily inferior to theirs.

"Once we're done with all these, the academy will focus on you. As for that mysterious figure, let's leave it up to fate. If he's unwilling to show himself, then we can't really do anything about that."

The Aurora Academy had been looking after that mysterious figure, but they hadn't been able to find him even after a long time of searching. It was like his existence itself was akin to a bubble, ephemeral.

"

Huh?

" Qin Lan suddenly exclaimed, "Dean, Professor, Qingyu, look! What is Zhou Yunqiong doing?"

Zhou Yunqiong had suddenly made a move, walking toward the crowd. Zhou Yunqiong was an important figure of the Zhou Family, and the majority of the Awakened out there were familiar with her.

After all, for three months following the Global Awakening, she frequently appeared online to represent the Wuzhou Group.

"Strange, what made her move?" Zhu Qingyu was also puzzled.

She had never interacted with Zhou Yunqiong, but she knew enough to know that Zhou Yunqiong was aloof and arrogant. With a powerful bloodline on top of those, her emotions were rarely affected by any changes, which made the sight even more jarring.

"Looks like she's approaching someone.

Hm,

they look familiar," Qin Lan said again.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Don't pay too much attention to them. Focus on what's going on. The gateway to the Mausoleum could open at any time," Dean Zheng said, telling the students to focus on the bigger picture instead of getting distracted by the crowd.

"Yes."

Zhu Qingyu and the others answered. Then, they no longer paid any attention to what was happening below.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was still staring at the distant Mausoleum among the crowd when he frowned upon sensing that someone was approaching him. It was someone familiar, to boot.

"Lu Yuan, it really is you?" Zhou Yunqiong walked over. As always, her tall and slender frame emanated both coldness and a noble air, but her face was now painted with intrigue.

The Awakened around them instinctively made way, and then they looked at each other in bewilderment. They were all familiar with Zhou Yunqiong, and thanks to her status as the Wuzhou Group's representative, everyone already considered her part-owner of the group. As such, everyone was puzzled. Why would someone like her walk into the crowd to talk to a stranger?

Hearing the voice, Lu Yuan turned and frowned. "What, am I not allowed to be here?"

His face was solemn. He truly didn't want to have any further contact with Zhou Yunqiong.

The crowd was shocked upon hearing that. Who was he? How dare he treat the Zhou Family's eldest daughter like that?

"No, wait..." Zhou Yunqiong seemed unbothered by his reaction as she smiled faintly and remarked, "You've... become an Awakened?"

Realizing the drastic changes in Lu Yuan's figure and temperament, she was amazed. She hadn't expected such changes to happen to him. After all, the Wuzhou Group had researched his genes and found nothing special in them.

"Don't you already have the answer?" Lu Yuan replied, sounding impatient.

Zhou Yunqiong's emotions changed once again. Lu Yuan's attitude was precisely the reason she hadn't been able to forget him. She desperately wanted to know one thing—on what basis was he treating her like that?

There was a huge gap between them in terms of status and various other aspects. In the New Era, the gap between them was impossible to narrow, yet how come he was still acting like that toward her?

Zhou Yunqiong took a deep breath, calming herself down. After some hesitation, she said, "I know the answer, of course. Since you've become an Awakened, you should be aware of what's going on. If you wish, come to the Wuzhou Group, and I'll make the necessary arrangements for you."

Zhou Yunqiong was proud and aloof. In response to Lu Yuan's coldness, she decided to fight back and suppress the former using the Wuzhou Group's prestige and power. After all, everyone was aware of their status as a titan of the nation.

"Sorry, I'm not interested," Lu Yuan said. Then, he turned around to leave and find a quiet place. The nearby Awakened stared at him in amazement.

Brother, do you actually not know who you're talking to?

"Friend, you're being inappropriate here," said Yi, stepping forward. His eyes were cold as he added, "Yunqiong has

kindly

invited you to join the Wuzhou Group to provide you with support in the New Era.

"However, you were not only ungrateful, but you faced her with such coldness as well. Don't you think you're being inappropriate here?"

Yi uttered the word "inappropriate" twice in a row, clearly showing his displeasure. His powerful aura and golden pupils compelled obedience from those nearby through fear.

"So what?" Lu Yuan didn't retreat but advanced instead, looking at the young man. He could sense the young man's hostility, but so what?

Feeling infuriated by Lu Yuan's behavior, Yi wanted to make a move but realized that Zhou Yunqiong stood next to him.

In the end, he chose to coerce Lu Yuan through words, but knowing that the young man before him was the same "Lu Yuan" he had heard about in Chang'an, he decided to raise his voice, commanding, "You should apologize to her!"

"How absurd. You think too highly of yourself," Lu Yuan remarked. Then, with a smile, he said, "And you have neither the qualifications nor the ability to make me apologize."

"How dare you! Do you not know who you're talking to?!" someone shouted and stepped in. She was Zhou Biqiong. Standing next to Yi, her eyes gleamed sharply as she added, "Do you really think that we're not going to make a move against you just because Sister is here?"