Run the Plot Ch.35

Chapter 35: Full-Scale Confrontation

Very soon, the light surpassed where Yan Chuanbai’s had stopped before.

The entire hall fell silent.

No one dared to breathe as they stared fixedly at that steadily rising beam of light. When it reached the 4S mark, it seemed to pause for a split second. Just as everyone was about to exhale—

—it suddenly broke past 4S.

At that moment, almost everyone’s mind went blank.

Back when they set 5S as the upper limit, it had only been meant to leave some margin for imagination.

Beyond 3S was already the furthest limit they thought possible.

In the control room, where one could hear a pin drop,

Qi He’s spiritual power was still surging. The veins on the back of his hand bulged faintly as he pressed against the testing device. The rising light began to slow down, as though it were about to reach its peak…

His gaze was fixed intently on the topmost 5S line.

Just as his spiritual energy neared its limit, he suddenly sensed something microscopic flowing into his awareness. Qi He narrowed his eyes, testingly channeling his ability to push the light higher.

But after only a second, he stopped the experiment.

He had already confirmed it—if he wished, he could make the instrument “show” a 5S reading. That too was part of his power, though it felt a bit like cheating—

Besides, the machine would likely be disassembled and scrapped by him in the process.

So Qi He deliberately drew his power back down—returning to his usual level.

The onlookers could only stare, dumbfounded: ???

It can go back down too??

Yu Tianxing’s heart rose and fell along with the gauge, nearly bringing him to tears: …His Nirvana Unit! Whether it was father–son telepathy or pure panic, for one fleeting second he truly thought he was about to lose his “second baby” again.

Qi He withdrew his hand and signaled to the central record officer:

“Let’s settle it at this—above 4S.”

“……”

The record officer nearly snapped his pen in half, his expression twisting—What do you mean, “let’s settle it at this”? It’s already above 4S! What more do you want!?

At Base II, Fang Ming finally snapped out of his daze and blurted, “Holy sh*t, you—” His look toward Qi He had completely changed. “You went up and then back down—what’s that supposed to mean!? You hiding your strength this openly now?”

His question perfectly voiced what everyone else was thinking.

The 3S-ranked ability user from Headquarters had a burning flush on his face, as though the blinding “Above 4S” on the instrument had slapped him across it.

His hands clenched tightly. What’s with that act?!

On the screen, after the initial shock, General Gong’s expression turned from surprise to immense satisfaction—then grew complicated. He looked at Qi He with grave seriousness.

“I hope you’ll be willing to show your full strength.”

Qi He replied with open composure, “That was me giving it my all.”

His gaze flicked toward the 3S ability user beside him, and he added mildly, “I’ve only got the confidence of someone above 4S. Nothing more than that.”

Everyone: “……”

That 3S ability user: “……”

Fang Ming turned toward Gong Lianyu and muttered under his breath, “…He’s wicked!”

Gong Lianyu kept his eyes closed and said nothing.

The people from the three bases each had different reactions.

Only Yan Chuanbai seemed to curve his lips slightly, watching Qi He without surprise.

At that moment, General Gong pondered for a few seconds before speaking again:

“Base I has set an example today—it deserves commendation. However, with this, the power balance among the three major bases has become far too uneven.”

Qi He seemed to sense where this was going and met his gaze.

General Gong asked, “Qi He, would you be willing to come to Headquarters?”

This was the second time Headquarters had extended the invitation.

Zhong Panqing turned his head slightly, as if about to speak but stopping himself. Yan Chuanbai lifted his eyelids, his gaze calm as he looked toward General Gong. After two quiet breaths, his eyes shifted to Qi He.

Unlike the last time—a private, casual inquiry—this was a formal occasion, and the invitation came personally from a high-ranking general.

The system grew anxious: [Please, don’t say anything shocking again.]

“I know,” Qi He replied inwardly, already trying to come up with a proper excuse.

But before he could open his mouth, someone beside him spoke up:

“Apologies, General,” came the voice.

Qi He turned his head—only to see Yan Chuanbai, expression relaxed and tone utterly natural, saying to the general above,

“We can’t be separated.”

The entire hall went silent again.

Qi He: “……”

System: [……]

General Gong: “?”

It took the general a few seconds to process the words. His eyes flicked between the two of them before he finally asked Qi He, “Is that true?”

Qi He cast a long, pointed glance at the man beside him—so he’s the one saying outrageous things now…

After a pause, Qi He nodded slightly. “More or less. I’d prefer to stay at Base I.”

There was no forcing the matter, and for the time being, General Gong could only let it go. With a wave of his hand, he signaled for the assessments to continue.

The final test belonged to Guan Shangchun: above S-rank.

With that, the entire ceremony came to an end.

On the screen, the three officers from headquarters stood at the center.

After a round of encouraging remarks, General Gong’s tone sank into solemn gravity:

“…Remember this, all of you—everything we do is for the fight against infection. Whether strong or weak, I hope you will always remain diligent and humble.”

His sharp gaze shifted slightly to the side.

The 3S-ranked officer’s face flushed crimson, and he said nothing.

“All for the people.”

When his words fell, all the military personnel saluted.

The ceremony officially ended. The projection screen shut off, and the three major bases each logged out.

—

Inside the central control room, after the communication link was cut—

Yu Tianxing drew in a sharp breath, finally spinning toward Yan Chuanbai. “What’s with your ranking!?” Then he raised his brows and turned on Qi He. “And what’s with yours!?”

Yan Chuanbai looked utterly nonchalant, his tone maddeningly casual. “Just what it looks like.”

Guan Shangchun looked at Qi He with open admiration. “Qi Qi, I knew you were the strongest.”

Qi He accepted the praise with perfect ease. “I knew it too.”

“……”

Yan Chuanbai let out a quiet snort and glanced over.

Guan Shangchun turned his eyes slightly, meeting Yan Chuanbai’s look—and for some reason, his gaze darkened, taking on a faint, confrontational edge.

Qi He didn’t notice the undercurrent between them. He was busy analyzing. “Why did that 3S guy target me? I haven’t even had time to do anything to Headquarters yet.”

Haven’t had time yet.

Yan Chuanbai gave him a long, meaningful look. Then he took out his communicator. “I’ll ask Gong Lianyu.”

The message was sent, and a reply came quickly.

Yan Chuanbai handed the device to Qi He. Qi He glanced over it and got the gist immediately:

The story about him refusing Zhong Panqing’s invitation had somehow spread all over Headquarters—and only two keywords were being repeated: extremely powerful and defies command.

Gong Lianyu, having been transferred from Headquarters to Base II for support, had naturally heard some internal gossip.

More messages came in rapid succession:

“Some people at HQ are arrogant to begin with. Maybe they think you’re even more arrogant than they are. But now that you’ve tested above 4S, so what if you don’t follow orders?”

“You’re not even part of the military.”

“With that kind of power, who could possibly command you?”

Qi He stared at the brash wording, thinking—isn’t his father a general? You’d never tell from how he talks.

He quickly cut off the conversation before it could go any further: “Read.”

After sending that, he returned the communicator to Yan Chuanbai.

No sooner had Qi He withdrawn his hand than he noticed all three people across from him staring at him. He thought for a moment, then explained, “I don’t have Gong Lianyu’s contact number.”

Yu Tianxing and Yu Jiang nodded vigorously. “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”

“……”

Qi He ignored the two of them, said a brief goodbye, and left first.

Out in the corridor beyond the control room, he walked forward with a thoughtful look. His gaze narrowed slightly. “System, don’t you feel something’s off?”

The system sounded listless: [Everything feels off.]

Qi He skipped over its sarcasm. “My current mental power has already surpassed Yan Chuanbai—the so-called ‘main character.’ And yet that’s still not enough to affect the final storyline?”

The system finally perked up a little: […Maybe because he can still grow?]

It was true—Yan Chuanbai’s full potential hadn’t yet been unleashed.

But Qi He knew that in the future, he wouldn’t be any weaker than him either.

He took a few more steps, then suddenly gave a low laugh—though there was little warmth in his eyes. Just one or two more key pieces, and he could completely confirm his theory.

—

In the control room, silence hung for several seconds.

Yu Tianxing glanced left and right, forcing a smile. “I’ll stay here with Yu Jiang and wait for Yujin.”

Yan Chuanbai gave him a brief glance. “Alright.”

With that, he turned and left the control room.

He had barely taken two steps when the door behind him opened again. Guan Shangchun followed him out. Looking toward the figure ahead, he said softly, “You really are cunning.”

Yan Chuanbai stopped and turned his head slightly.

Guan Shangchun continued, “Saying ‘we can’t be separated’—was that just to show everyone how close the two of you are?”

Yan Chuanbai’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I was just telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself.”

His posture was calm and assured, utterly fearless.

Guan Shangchun stared at him for a few seconds, then said, “So what? I can tell—Qi Qi doesn’t have those kinds of feelings for you.”

Yan Chuanbai’s expression darkened instantly.

A moment later, his lips curved again. “But he won’t reject me. Can you say the same?”

Guan Shangchun froze where he stood.

Yan Chuanbai didn’t want to say more and turned to leave.

But the instant he moved, that scene from the training room resurfaced in his mind—the warmth he’d once held seemed impossible to erase, the tremor of touch still lingering vividly through every nerve.

Qi He had said he wanted all of him—

—and in that instant, the blood in Yan Chuanbai’s veins began to boil.

He stopped mid-step in the hallway.

“Guan Shangchun,” he said, his tone even but edged, “your drive and ambition aren’t bad. But when it comes to Qi He—my advice is to give up early.”

Yan Chuanbai turned back slightly as he spoke.

Sunlight from the corridor’s far window caught his eyes; beneath the shadow that covered half his face, his gaze burned with a fierce, startling possessiveness.

“He’s mine.”

—

New identity cards were issued shortly afterward.

S-ranks now had golden borders for easy identification. Qi He clipped his new card back onto his chest. The updated certification read:

[Qi He, SSSS+]

Wearing the card, he headed for the training field.

Along the way, he drew plenty of astonished looks. Those below S-rank didn’t quite understand what the classification meant, but everyone knew this much—above 4S was the strongest level known to exist.

When he arrived at the training ground, all the trainees were already gathered.

In the group, Ke Yuan glared at that golden-edged card, too angry to speak. After a few seconds, he muttered under his breath, “Tch… guess Meng Yan got lucky, clinging to two S-ranks.”

Ji Yan immediately turned around, raising his voice. “What’s with that mumbling? What’re you saying about Meng Yan now!?”

From the front of the group, Qi He turned at the sound.

Then his gaze narrowed slightly. Oh… looks like Ke Yuan and the others still don’t know about Meng Yan’s latest research project.

But that was fine—they’d find out soon enough.

He withdrew his gaze, lifted a hand casually, and someone dropped to one knee with a thud. “Alright. Class begins—stand up.”

Everyone: “……”

Two hours of training passed in a storm of dust and sand.

When Qi He finally said, “Dismissed,” he walked to the edge of the field and pulled off his gloves. His eyes drifted toward the next training area—no class for Yan Chuanbai today. Rumor had it he’d gone to the research institute to meet Yu Tianxing.

Just as Qi He was removing his gloves, a voice came from beside him.

“Qi Qi, you’ve worked hard.”

He turned his head to see Guan Shangchun handing him a nutrient vial.

Since the training hall had been decommissioned, Guan Shangchun insisted on keeping up his practice and had started attending Qi He’s sessions. Qi He saw that he was now capable of protecting himself, so he didn’t object.

Taking the vial, Qi He nodded. “Thanks.”

“You…” Guan Shangchun started to say something, but his communicator suddenly went off. He glanced at it, his expression falling. “Brother Yu’s calling me to the research institute.”

“Oh. Go ahead.”

Qi He replied, then seemed to remember something and called after him, “Right—your ability, you’re more sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual energy than the rest of us, right?”

Guan Shangchun nodded. “Yes.”

Qi He thought for a moment. If Guan Shangchun was heading to the institute, Yan Chuanbai should be there too. Yan Chuanbai’s spiritual energy was strongly affected by his personality and emotional state, and Qi He wanted to determine an accurate correlation.

Yan Chuanbai shouldn’t only be above 3S.

After a moment’s consideration, Qi He said, “Could I ask you to provoke him a little—to sense how his spiritual energy reacts?”

Guan Shangchun blinked, then lowered his eyes slightly. “Qi Qi, you care about him a lot, don’t you?”

Qi He: “?”

He was confused, but explained matter-of-factly, “It’s for research.”

The other seemed to sense his mood; after a brief pause, the drizzle cleared and the sun came out.

“Since it’s your request, I’ll definitely do it.” Then, with a pitiful look, Guan Shangchun added, “But if I provoke him… will he kill me?”

System: [……]

Qi He thought for a moment. “He shouldn’t. You’re also one of the people.”

Guan Shangchun: “……”

Qi He casually fished two candies from his pocket and handed them over to ease his nerves. “Just go ahead and provoke him. I guarantee your personal safety.”

Guan Shangchun took the candies, his expression instantly brightening.

Beneath his lowered lashes shimmered a slow, quiet smile —

A royal decree to provoke someone, with Qi Qi backing him up… what’s not to love?

…

Institute, third floor — laboratory.

Yu Tianxing was leaning against a table.

He’d called Yan Chuanbai over for military business, and now that they’d finished talking, he was just waiting for Guan Shangchun to arrive for the experiment. The timing lined up, so Yu Tianxing sent him off:

“That’s all for now, you can head back.”

Yan Chuanbai straightened. “Okay.”

Just as he turned around, the door across the room opened.

Guan Shangchun walked in. At first glance, the sharp tension from their last encounter seemed to still hang in the air. Yan Chuanbai didn’t intend to even look at him this time — he was about to pass by and leave — when he suddenly heard a faint click sound from Guan Shangchun’s mouth.

He looked over and saw Guan Shangchun rolling a sugar cube in his mouth, glancing sideways at him before smiling casually.

“Oh, Qi Qi gave it to me. Said he was worried I’d be in a bad mood, so he wanted to comfort me.”

Yan Chuanbai froze mid-step.

Yu Tianxing sharply sucked in a breath.

Yan Chuanbai seemed to force down his emotions, smiling faintly.

“So what?”

“Nothing much. Just… really sweet.” Guan Shangchun savored it for a moment, and whether it was to fulfill the request or simply his true nature showing through, he played the part to perfection. “Oh—forgot you didn’t get one. My bad.”

Even if Yan Chuanbai had managed to keep his cool, Yu Tianxing couldn’t. That tone alone set him off.

He gaped. “Guan Shang, are you insane?”

Yan Chuanbai suddenly remembered.

Qi He had given him a candy once too—but he’d thrown it away not long after, for reasons he couldn’t quite name.

That thought alone sent a long-suppressed, nameless fury surging up from his chest.

He stared straight at Guan Shangchun. “…Are you picking a fight?”

The temperature around them plummeted; waves of chill rippled outward as a thin sheet of ice began to form beneath his feet.

Guan Shangchun narrowed his eyes, even more unrestrained now.

With such a rare opportunity to have Qi He backing him up, he was eager to air every unspoken thought:

“How could I be? I can’t even beat someone from the combat division. If I get hurt, Qi Qi will have to worry about me.”

A vein popped at Yan Chuanbai’s temple; he let out a sharp, incredulous laugh.

“He’d worry about you?”

Guan Shangchun’s face glowed with bliss. “During training today, he looked at me six times.”

BOOM——!!!

In an instant, the entire laboratory was encased in frost.

Yan Chuanbai gritted his teeth—Qi He had never looked at him more than four times during a session!

The air temperature plunged.

A surging wave of battle intent burst forth toward Guan Shangchun, and the latter, utterly fearless, met it head-on with his own psychic force.

Like two awakened beasts, both fighting for the same, single mate—

The lab’s instruments and fixtures began to tremble violently.

“…Stop! Stop fighting!” Yu Tianxing scrambled to scoop up a handful of precision components in his arms and shouted at the two of them:

“If you want to fight, take it to the training room!”

Then it hit him—the training room was gone too.

For a second, even breathing hurt. Hugging the pile of instruments, he stared at the frost-covered lab and the still-provocative Guan Shangchun.

“Alright, that’s enough! Stop fighting—no, wait, you stop talking first!”

———————————————————

Author’s Note:

Guan Shangchun: So good! So good! So good! 😂😂😂

Yan Chuanbai: Fight! Fight! Fight! 😡😡😡

Yu Tianxing: No, no, no!! 😱😱😭😭💦💦

Behind-the-scenes mastermind Qi He: Are my data results in yet? 🎉

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