My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 323 - 195: A Small Blunder

Qing Cang’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, as though it had been smeared with soot.

Seeing him wave them away, his suppressed anger palpable, no one dared to linger and watch his sorry state. The crowd quickly dispersed.

Wan Chen and his companions glanced back a few times before returning to the spaceship.

Su Chen, however, went for a stroll through the nearby temporary settlement. It wasn’t small and had a considerable population.

These settlements hadn’t just been built. Since the discovery of the ruins, the four cities had been constructing them nearby and stationing personnel there long-term.

This was not only to prevent other cities from exploring in secret but also to stop the area from being reoccupied by Mutant Species, which would create problems for future expeditions.

After many years of continuous expansion, the settlement as a whole was already quite well-established.

Each city stationed no fewer than a thousand Professionals here. Supplies were delivered every six months, and the personnel were rotated every three years.

And to provide for the daily life and medical needs of these thousand people required several hundred logistics personnel. Combined with the newcomers here to explore the ruins, the total population was approaching seven thousand.

Walking through the settlement, Su Chen even saw a few young children. After asking Old Xia, who was beside him, he learned that for some of the male and female Professionals, lonely year-round, it was inevitable that sparks would fly.

And because these garrisoned personnel came from four mutually hostile cities, this even led to considerable disputes.

It was only after the four cities declared a truce that these kinds of disputes became less frequent.

“Really…” After hearing Old Xia’s explanation, Su Chen was at a loss for words.

Old Xia’s face was grim, and he seemed to be in a foul mood. The few toddlers who were waddling nearby saw him, immediately burst into tears, and were quickly whisked away.

That made Old Xia’s mood even worse.

“Those people trapped inside…” Su Chen knew the reason for his mood and asked hesitantly.

“It’s none of your concern.” Xia Hanshi shook his head, his deep-set eyes flickering. From what Qing Cang had said, this matter was now beyond Su Chen’s ability to resolve.

’It could only be said that we knew too little before, that our understanding was too simple.’

Xia Hanshi sighed, his distress deepening as he thought of the students he had sent inside.

Su Chen fell silent. ’I don’t know if that Ancient King can solve this,’ he thought. Unsure of the final outcome, he didn’t rashly bring up the matter of the Ancient King. ’Besides, we only have Lan Hao’s word that an Ancient King was following us in the first place.’

’Despair after a glimmer of hope is worse than having no hope at all.’

The atmosphere was heavy, so Su Chen changed the subject, asking when the Deceitful God’s Power would be delivered.

Xia Hanshi pondered for a moment. “The delivery from Celestial Joy, the closest city, should arrive in about ten days. The one from Lieyang, the farthest, will take more than twenty.”

The four cities were in different locations, so arrival times varied.

Xia Hanshi said thoughtfully, “This Sinful Fire Punishment Thunder probably won’t be resolved anytime soon. It would be best if the matter of the Deceitful God’s Power doesn’t go through Qing Cang.”

“When it arrives, I’ll have our people hold it at the perimeter.”

Su Chen agreed. He chatted a bit more with Old Xia before returning to the spaceship.

’The settlement’s infrastructure is decent, but it’s only just habitable,’ Su Chen thought. ’I still need to work on my Profession’s progress, so it’s best to stay on Qing Cang’s spaceship.’

Ming Lin, however, chose to move out of the spaceship. With a pained expression, he said, “I just can’t get used to it. I feel so constrained living here.”

Of course, he wasn’t talking about the living conditions but the psychological barrier. These people had unfathomably powerful backgrounds, and whenever he spoke to any of them, even the guards, he felt a subconscious sense of awe.

He could only stay cooped up in his room all day. Unlike Su Chen, who stayed in his room to develop his Profession, Ming Lin was just hiding. The feeling was unbearable.

At this, he gave Su Chen a complicated look.

’I still remember when Su Chen first joined the Judicial Court,’ Ming Lin recalled. ’When I paid my first visit and took him to the Profession storage grounds, the expression on his face was no different from how it is now.’

’Back then, Su Chen had just come from a Subordinate City under Ying Feng’s rule, yet he showed no particular reverence for Ying Feng or the Judicial Court.’

’And now, facing the Royal Court and the Bronze Sect, he’s just the same. I truly envy that mental fortitude, but alas, everyone is different.’

Su Chen understood. He saw Ming Lin off the ship, then returned to his room to continue developing his Profession.

’None of the current problems are things I can solve,’ he thought. ’All I can do is focus on improving myself.’

Over the next few days, Qing Cang kept trying to enter the Red Thunder Cauldron. The time he spent inside grew progressively longer, proving he was getting deeper and deeper.

But three or four days later, Su Chen was startled awake by a series of urgent knocks. When he opened the door, he found Xia Jie, the leader of the Bronze Guard Army that Qing Cang had brought.

This was the Bronze Sect’s official military force, an elite army that governed thirty-seven Life Stars.

His expression was grim, his gaunt face cold and hard. A palpable, aggressive killing intent radiated from him. Tucking a metal helmet under his left arm, he asked the moment the door opened, “Have you seen Lan Hao today, or had any contact with him?”

“Lan Hao?” Su Chen was slightly startled. He shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Lan Hao is missing.” Xia Jie glanced at him. He had already checked the ship’s surveillance footage before coming to ask; Su Chen had been in his room for the past few days, so he wasn’t lying.

“Missing?” Su Chen looked stunned. This was completely unexpected.

Xia Jie didn’t say any more and left in a hurry. On impulse, Su Chen followed him off the spaceship. Outside, the sky was already growing dim.

The surrounding Nether Fog had become a boundless, black abyss from which faint roars could be heard.

Qing Cang’s expression was ugly. Chong Jingtian and the others were standing nearby.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you all,” Qing Cang said, suppressing his rage. A hint of suspicion flickered in his eyes as he looked at Chong Jingtian and the others.