Chapter 144: Speculation

After Qin Yu and her group returned to the villa, Zhao Jiong pulled Qin Yu into her room, under the pretense of having some private girl talk. But only Zhao Jiong knew her true intentions for wanting to speak with Qin Yu.

Inside the room, Zhao Jiong held Qin Yu’s hand with one hand while bracing herself against the bed with the other. She gazed at Qin Yu, who was keeping her head down, lost in thought, and her grip tightened slightly.

"Xiao Yu, Qing Li... is something wrong with him?" Zhao Jiong asked solemnly.

Qin Yu nodded, then shook her head. After a long silence, she replied, "I don't know."

"What on earth is going on? Does the disappearance of those mutant animals have something to do with Qing Li?" Zhao Jiong pressed.

Qin Yu shook her head. "I don't know. After that pack of mutant animals retreated last night, Brother Li said he wanted to scout out the leader of the pack. No matter how much I tried to stop him, I couldn't. He left after saying goodbye to me last night, and he hasn't returned yet."

"Do you think the disappearance of the mutants is related to Qing Li?" Zhao Jiong asked again.

Qin Yu pondered for a moment, then hesitantly shook her head. "Even if Brother Li is incredibly powerful, he couldn't possibly make those mutants vanish without a trace overnight!"

Zhao Jiong found this logic sound. But if it wasn't Qing Li, who could it be? Who could make those mutant animals disappear as if they had never existed?

Qin Yu watched Zhao Jiong, who was deep in thought. She lowered her eyelids, staring at their joined hands, and fell into a trance herself.

Gradually, Qin Yu’s eyes began to close. Suddenly, the scene felt incredibly familiar. She snapped back to reality and said to Zhao Jiong, "Xiao Jiong, I just remembered something!"

"What is it?" Zhao Jiong asked.

"Last night, I don't know why, but I fell into an exceptionally deep sleep. But just as I was drifting off, I saw two shadows!" Qin Yu replied.

Zhao Jiong touched her chin, contemplating. "Shadows? Did you see them clearly?"

Qin Yu thought carefully before stating firmly, "I only saw two shadows—one large and one small. As for anything else, I have no idea."

"Well, it was dark, and you were half-asleep, so it’s natural you couldn't see clearly. Sigh," Zhao Jiong said with a hint of regret.

"Xiao Jiong, those two people must have done something last night. I can feel that my drowsiness wasn't just a natural urge; it felt like I had been hypnotized. My entire body felt unusually exhausted," Qin Yu said to Zhao Jiong.

"You mean someone hypnotized you?" Zhao Jiong asked, surprised.

Qin Yu nodded. "I'm afraid so. And I suspect it wasn't just me; most of the people in the base were hypnotized!"

Zhao Jiong shook her head firmly. "Impossible! Who would have the ability to hypnotize everyone in the entire base? That's too fantastical!"

"Xiao Jiong, think back—did anyone else seem strange last night?" Qin Yu asked.

Zhao Jiong began to recall the events carefully. Suddenly, a flash of horror crossed her eyes. With a trembling voice, she said, "I remember now! Everyone seemed so sleepy last night. They barely ate the food I prepared, and some even went to bed without eating at all, claiming they were exhausted. I always thought it was because everyone was worn out from the day, but thinking about it now, perhaps it was..."

Qin Yu bit her lip. If what Zhao Jiong said was true—that most of the base had been hypnotized—what kind of power did those two individuals possess? What was their goal? And was the disappearance of the mutants related to them?

Questions swirled in Qin Yu’s mind, and the more she thought, the more terrified she became. If such powerful people truly existed, could Brother Li have run into trouble?

Qin Yu took a deep breath, telling herself to trust him. He had promised to return, and he would!

Zhao Jiong watched the contemplative Qin Yu, sighed, and patted her on the shoulder. "Xiao Yu, I know you're worried about Qing Li. But you have to know that he wouldn't just abandon you. Even if he were to die, he would take you with him."

Qin Yu was startled by these words, then she managed a faint smile and said slowly, "You're right! He wouldn't leave himself all alone like that. Heh... I should just wait patiently for his return."

Zhao Jiong nodded, smiling as she saw that Qin Yu was no longer as dejected. "Xiao Yu, I’ll go ask Nangong Yao and the others if they know anything about those two. Their mental powers are stronger; they might have noticed if anyone else was acting strangely last night."

Qin Yu nodded and said, "Let's go together."

Zhao Jiong agreed, "Let's go, then!"

Qin Yu rose, and together with Zhao Jiong, they left the room to find Nangong Yao, Murong Yi, and Ouyang Jue.

Nangong Yao looked at Zhao Jiong, who wore a look that clearly said "I have a question," and chuckled. "Well, Zhao Jiong, your expression is hilarious. If you have a question, just ask! Don't hold it in—this master will definitely clear things up for you!"

Zhao Jiong rolled her eyes at Nangong Yao and turned to Murong Yi. "Murong, did you notice anything unusual last night?"

Murong Yi was taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind the question. After a moment of thought, she said seriously, "No."

"Did you feel unusually sleepy?" Zhao Jiong probed.

Murong Yi looked at her with an expression that said, *Do I look like I get sleepy?* After a brief hesitation, she replied, "I am a Hanba; I don't sleep."

Zhao Jiong’s mouth twitched. She had forgotten that Murong Yi was a drought demon—she didn't have the capacity for sleep at all!

Qin Yu was also stunned by the answer. She looked at Nangong Yao and Ouyang Jue and asked, "Do you cultivators not sleep either?"

Nangong Yao was the first to shake his head. "Not necessarily. Theoretically, we don't need to. But some of us like to sleep—this master, for instance! Haha!"

Ouyang Jue glanced at Nangong Yao with undisguised contempt. He looked at the curious Qin Yu and said, "We don't need to sleep, but we do meditate. When we enter a meditative state, it takes even longer than sleeping."

"I see... then did you notice anything unusual last night?" Qin Yu continued.

Ouyang Jue shook his head. "No. I had some realizations during the battle yesterday, so I spent the whole night meditating."

Nangong Yao added, "I was sleeping. I was exhausted from the day! There were just too many of those monsters!"

Qin Yu felt a sense of disappointment upon hearing their answers. There was no lead at all. Could her deduction have been a mere illusion?

"Qin Yu, I just remembered something strange from last night," Murong Yi suddenly said.

"What is it?" Zhao Jiong and Qin Yu asked in unison.