"Representing yourself?" In the forest, hearing the other party's undisguised words, Cheng Lin couldn't help asking a question.
Then Shi Shengcun nodded and said:
"I didn't report your speculation, so of course I can't speak for everyone, I can only speak for myself, but I think it won't make much difference."
These words suddenly sounded slightly ambiguous, but Cheng Lin understood them.
It is true that Shi Shengcun cannot represent anyone, but with his status and height in the Special Affairs Department, in this matter, even if it is finally reported and discussed, the rest of the people in the Special Affairs Department must respect Shi Shengcun's opinion.
And this means that they have a basis for negotiation with each other.
"I think I probably understand." Cheng Lin nodded, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked, "Then your attitude is... cooperation?"
"Of course, I think you are not opposed to this, otherwise, you wouldn't be here." Shi Shengcun replied calmly.
After a pause, seeing that Cheng Lin remained silent, he continued:
"After Li Yang came back last time, he told me what he saw in the projection. I was surprised and surprised, and I want to know more. However, I won't ask you to tell everything now. We can take it slow.
Take your time, but before that, I hope to know what you want."
What do you want...
Cheng Lin fell silent. If he really wanted to cooperate, then Xia Guo's needs were very clear.
One is to pursue his own fighting power, and the other is to desire the so-called "Senior Cheng's inheritance." This is something that the other party doesn't need to say much, it is very clear. Then, the rest is his own appeal.
But what do you want... Cheng Lin really couldn't answer it for a while.
What do you want?
At first, his needs were very simple, that is, to have enough ability to protect himself in this strange world, so that when he encounters danger, he would not become the fish on the chopping board.
Later, he made some friends and had people he cared about. His needs expanded slightly, and he wanted to be able to protect the friends around him.
But what next? He didn't think about it seriously.
Prosperity and wealth? A prominent high position and more wealth than you can spend in a few lifetimes? Are these good? Of course they are good.
Cheng Lin asked himself that he had always been a layman and did not shy away from these things. But when all this was already at his fingertips, he realized that what he wanted was not these, or... not entirely these.
So what do you want?
Thinking about this question, Cheng Lin suddenly remembered the hot pot meal he had not long ago in the small villa in the spirit world, the elves running and laughing outside the house, and everyone fell asleep after eating and drinking, watching movies...
He thought of Slender West Lake again, of wandering around the world carefree with Cao Wei, of the classrooms of the college, of Huabei who was always absent from work, and of those classmates who were not very familiar with him but were somewhat friendly...
Then, he suddenly had the answer in his mind.
In the silent night wind, Cheng Lin squinted his eyes, looked at the world illuminated by the misty light and shadow, and said:
"I want...just the same as before."
"Same as before...?" Shi Shengcun was obviously stunned, as if he didn't expect to hear such an answer.
"Yes, that's it." Cheng Lin seemed to have understood something. He raised a smile on his lips and sighed softly, "I have no ambitions. I have always been like this, so I don't have any ambitions. If you
If I don't take the initiative to expose it, then I may choose to continue hiding, then join the first company, do tasks with other people, accumulate merit, and then redeem it for vacation, and start over and over again, living a plain life. Yes, all I want is this,
That’s all.”
Shi Shengcun looked at him deeply, and after a long while, he said with a complicated expression:
"Your answer surprised me, but...I'm sorry, I can't give it at the moment."
"Temporarily?" Cheng Lin caught the word.
Shi Shengcun nodded and said seriously:
"Indeed, if you were just an ordinary low-level monk, perhaps, all this would be simple, but you are not. I am not sure whether other countries and forces have collected enough information through channels to find your true identity.
The clue...even if there is no clue yet, you will always know, and this day may come soon."
Cheng Lin said nothing and acquiesced to his statement.
"And once others know your identity, you will never be able to escape the storm that comes with it. Even if you avoid it, trouble will find you."
"So...you mean you can't give me what I want?" Cheng Lin seemed to sneer.
Shi Shengcun said calmly: "No. It just takes a little time."
"What do you want to do?" Cheng Lin vaguely noticed something.
Shi Shengcun said in a serious tone: "Once and for all!"
Seeing Cheng Lin raise his eyebrows, he said slowly:
"What you want is nothing more than stability, and what I want is the same. And if you want to do this, you must smooth out the chaotic situation. The world's spiritual practice has been in chaos for a long time. When it's time to establish order, I
After being promoted to the eighth level, I originally wanted to do this, but due to some accidents, the process was delayed."
Having said this, he paused, glanced at Cheng Lin, and then continued:
"Then, Lancelot broke eight and started to counterattack, causing the fragile order to collapse again. Now, perhaps it's finally time for a showdown... This is why I entered this projection..."
Seeing Cheng Lin's expression moving slightly, Shi Shengcun put his hands behind his back and said calmly:
"I guess... you should have noticed when you came here that Li Yang was not involved in this operation."
"I heard that he was left outside to take charge," Cheng Lin said.
"It's a lie to be in charge. His true intention is to take advantage of this opportunity to take the initiative and launch a counterattack," Shi Shengcun said astonishingly, "Bernard's death is an excellent opportunity, and it is also an opportunity we cannot miss. I will lead people
Entering the projection, if the Federation is unwilling to give up, they will definitely send Lancelot to lead people here, which will inevitably lead to an emptiness in their rear.
Outsiders thought that Li Yang had not recovered from his injury last time, but even though he was injured, he was still at the seventh level after all!
If nothing else happens, at this moment, he should have led people to raid the key overseas locations of the Federation and then attack the Western Continent!"
Is this... taking the initiative?
Cheng Lin's face was calm, but his heart was already filled with turmoil. He quickly understood Shi Shengcun's thoughts and realized that this was a "conspiracy"!
They mobilized troops to force Lancelot to fight. If the opponent gave up entering the projection, it would be equivalent to voluntarily admitting defeat. On a global scale, the momentum would inevitably plummet, and Xia Guo could take advantage of the situation to reach the top.
And if Lancelot accepts the move, it will give his side a chance. This is the crisis of lack of top combat power!
Presumably Lancelot should be very aware of this, but he had to deal with it in this way. If we think about it from Lancelot's perspective, this time, he will definitely suffer great losses no matter what.
So instead of choosing to hide in the homeland, it is better to face the enemy head-on, so as to have a chance to make a comeback.
As long as Shi Shengcun is defeated on the frontal battlefield, that is, in this projection, even if there are some losses in the rear, it can be recovered. Similarly, if Shi Shengcun wins, it will be a great victory, and it will be enough to set the rules of the global practice world for many years to come.
This is what is called “once and for all!”
After thinking about this, Cheng Lin couldn't help but feel moved:
"So, you mean...this time, you are going to fight Lancelot head-on?"
"To be precise, he has to defeat me, so I have no way out." Shi Shengcun replied with a serious look in his eyes.
Cheng Lin didn't know what to say for a moment. Although he knew about this gathering of monks from around the world before, he didn't think that the two eighth-level monks would fight directly. Not only him, but others also had similar thoughts.
The battle of the Eighth Grade will inevitably lead to great turmoil among the entire cultivator and affect the world structure.
Everyone thought that this must be a cautious thing and could not be so hasty, but the facts were defeated before their eyes. Obviously, Shi Shengcun was unwilling to give up this golden opportunity.
Once the Federation slows down and a new seventh grade is born, there may never be such a good fighter again.
"Are you confident? I mean... your injury." Cheng Lin moved his lips slightly, and finally asked the question he was most concerned about.
Although Shi Shengcun was promoted to the eighth level earlier, he was injured after all, while Lancelot was in peak condition!
Moreover, Shi Shengcun was of the perception system, and was inherently inferior to Lancelot of the element system in terms of combat. If he was suppressed by level, he would not be able to tell the difference. But once the two sides faced off against each other, it was hard for Cheng Lin to imagine how this difference would change.
What kind of results will it lead to.
Hearing his words, Shi Shengcun smiled silently and said slowly:
"If you have been in contact with me for a long time, you will understand that I never fight an unprepared battle."
Cheng Lin thought about the incident in a certain deduction where he deceived his superiors and treated everyone and even himself as "consumables", and suddenly frowned and asked:
"You won't blow yourself up, will you? Die with him?"
"What?" Shi Shengcun was stunned. He didn't expect Cheng Lin to say something like this suddenly. He held it back for a long time and said, "Your idea is very unique."
"..." Cheng Lin smiled slightly awkwardly, realizing that he might have been overthinking it. After all, this was not a desperate situation.
But then I thought about it and couldn't help but complain: It's not my fault. Who told you to have a criminal record?
After a brief silence, Cheng Lin turned to ask:
"I think when you tell me these things, you won't just be confiding in them."
"Indeed, I need your help." Shi Shengcun didn't hesitate.
Cheng Lin laughed: "I haven't agreed to cooperate yet, and you want me to contribute?"
"This is also a good thing for you. As long as we succeed, we will set the rules for the world's spiritual practice world in the next ten years. By then, no one can threaten you. I can fulfill your wishes and will not impose any restrictions on you.
If you don't want to take on a task, you can just get a salary and travel around the world," Shi Shengcun said.
"The kind of paid vacation?" Cheng Lin looked at him sideways.
"It can be understood that way." Shi Shengcun was extremely solemn, "And if we fail, then you will not be able to enjoy peace alone. It was you who killed Bernard, right? The Federation will not treat this matter as if it never happened."
Cheng Lin pursed his lips and waited for a long time before he raised his head and actively stretched out his right hand under the starlight:
"Then... cooperation..."
Shi Shengcun also reached out and held it with great force:
"Happy cooperation..."
…
…
“Boohoo!!”
In the dim forest, Sun Xiao wiped his sweat, put down the huge earth elemental shield solidified in front of him, and then panted, looking at the strange tree spirit that was exploded by the team members behind him with "spells", he was very surprised.
An urge to spit.
At this moment, he heard a whistling sound in his ears. He raised his head and saw a special signal flare rising in the dense forest far ahead, staying in the air and forming a special shape.
"Is Shi Shou walking too fast? There are so many of us and we can hardly catch up." Fu Zhongting couldn't help but admired.
"What do you think? That's the eighth grade! I think they may have slowed down on purpose, for fear that it would be too fast and we wouldn't be able to keep up." Sun Xiao placed the earth element light shield on the ground and supported his body.
said.
Seeing the team responsible for cleaning the battlefield getting busy, Zhu Sha walked over from the crowd and said:
"You can't say that... We have many people, a big goal, and attract a lot of vegetation and monsters. This must be slow and incomparable with them... Hey, what do you think Cheng Lin is doing now?"
"He? I don't know, but hugging the eighth-grade thigh, isn't that flattering? Maybe we can get in touch with each other or something... Hey, do you think Shi Sishou specifically called him, did he fall in love with him..."
"...Don't look at me with that look. What I'm talking about is admiring Cheng Lin's talent. He has broken through to the fifth level in such a short time. He is not far from the sixth level, right? If it were me, I would definitely not let this go.
Talent.”
Sun Xiao gossiped, making him spit out his words.
It wasn't until the headquarters sent a signal to move forward that he took a sip of water, picked up the huge light shield like a door panel, and pushed it up.
The night breeze blew gently, and there was a constant rumble in the forest.
The road marked by Shi Shengcun avoided the spiritual ground of those powerful plants and did not get entangled with them. Instead, it was winding and chose a safer route, which also made the entire team move very quickly.
There was no words for the whole night. When Sun Xiao put down his shield again, panted heavily, and rested with his arms on the shield, he was shocked to find that the sky was already dimly lit.
However, although the sky is clear.
But the forest was filled with thick white mist, which was so wet that it soaked their clothes. On the surrounding grass blades, crystal clear dewdrops slid down along the veins of the leaves.
Sun Xiao suddenly felt something in his heart, rolled up some leaves, and then sucked the morning dew with his mouth.
Immediately, his eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed: "This dew has so much spiritual energy!"
Not only him, but now, other people also discovered the abnormality one after another. The morning dew was actually not inferior to the potion of spiritual energy.
As for the air surrounding him, the concentration of spiritual energy has quietly increased a lot.
"How is this going?"
"There wasn't such a thick mist on that stretch of road just now, was there?"
Discussions immediately broke out among the team of more than 2,000 people.
Everyone looked surprised.
Suddenly, the team of perception monks who were leading the way and were responsible for clearing the way shouted in unison: "Ah! Come and see! This... there is a lake here!"
"Lake?" Sun Xiao, Fu Zhongting, Xie Qingke and others looked at each other in surprise and hurried to the lake.
There are thick aquatic plants growing here, which are about as tall as a person. However, since the perception monks did not send out a signal, it means that these aquatic plants are not aggressive.
"Crash."
Waving his two arms to push the water plants aside, Sun Xiao and others suddenly saw a vast lake with smoky waves!
The lake is hidden deep in the forest, and it's surprisingly wide. It's covered in white mist, and the water waves are cold, like a vast swamp on a spiritual mountain.
Taking a deep breath, the water vapor blowing in front of me was refreshing, and the fatigue of a night of continuous marching suddenly dissipated.
"What kind of lake is this? It feels different."
In the midst of surprise, Sun Xiao suddenly saw a small "boat" floating slowly from the white mist on the lake. To be precise, it was a huge blade like a wooden boat.
A familiar figure was standing on the boat, with a calm expression, slowly floating towards him.
"Cheng Lin? Is that you? Where is Chief Shi?" Song Jun, who was wearing alloy armor and had sharp eyes, asked immediately.
On the boat, Cheng Lin smiled, pointed to the depths of the lake seemingly calmly, and said, "He went deeper."
——
ps: Thank you to the book friend "From the 20th Century" for once again rewarding me with 10,000!!