chsdbacks Chapter 420 Divine Tree Branch
Chapter 420 Divine Tree Branch
Watching the two bicker back and forth, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't interrupt them. Only after they quieted down and finished with their fruit did he pick up his teacup, take a sip, and turn his gaze to Nie Lingfeng.
"Tell me about the situation on Nathan Island."
Nie Lingfeng sat down opposite Chairman Zhao, his back straight but not stiff. He warmed his palms with his cup for a moment before speaking, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, without any unnecessary embellishment, but every word was crisp and clear. He began by recounting the arrival on the island, the process of meeting Li Muxuan, the details of Lu Linglong awakening her mad blood during the night raid on the register, the process of becoming an apprentice, the route to finding Ruan Feng and Baron after entering the paradise, the troop composition and formation of Behemoth's landing, the temperature and range of the pillar of light when Alfonso cleared the area with "Light of the End," the expressions on everyone's faces the moment Elijah emerged from the shadows, the muffled thud of the gun barrel when he pulled the trigger, the amount of blood gushing from the hole in Alfonso's chest, the nearly three-foot-wide crack in the ground when the divine tree was snapped at its roots by explosives, and the golden sap gushing from the crack, corroding the stone slabs with a sizzling sound...
He spoke at a steady pace, neither speeding up nor pausing. But the office gradually quieted down. Zhang Chulan slowed his bite on the apple, finally putting down the core after the last chew, clutching it in his palm and forgetting to throw it away. Wang Zhenqiu's half-peeled orange rested on his lap, the peel unconsciously twisted into a pretzel shape. Lu Linglong clutched the hem of her clothes, her knuckles slightly white. Lu Lin lowered her eyes. Baron stood by the door, arms crossed, a tense line drawn between his chin and his chest. Feng Baobao sat in the corner chair, a katana resting against her legs. Her head was lowered, her bangs obscuring most of her face, making her expression unreadable, but her fingers gripping the katana tightened.
When Nie Lingfeng finished speaking, the office was silent for four or five breaths. The low hum of the central air conditioning swirled overhead.
Chairman Zhao placed the teacup back on the table, the porcelain bottom making a clear sound as it tapped against the solid wood. His brow twitched slightly when he heard about the collapse of the sacred tree—a very slight movement, like a leaf touching the surface of a lake before quickly closing again—before returning to normal. His expression remained calm and composed until Nie Lingfeng finished speaking.
"I understand the situation on Nathan Island." His voice was as calm and unhurried as ever. "This matter is far-reaching, and the changing landscape of the international supernatural community is beyond our ability to predict. The company will closely monitor developments, but will not intervene proactively in the short term. The people on Nathan Island will have to navigate their own path."
Zhang Chulan tossed the apple core into the trash can, then leaned forward, unable to resist asking, "What about Senior Ruan Feng and Elder Li Muxuan? One's one of the Thirty-Six Thieves, the other holds clues about Wu Gengsheng—are we just going to ignore them?"
"Ruan Feng and Li Muxuan are both veteran experts; they have their own ideas and habits." Chairman Zhao closed the file in front of him, tapping his fingertips twice on the cover. "As long as they don't cause trouble domestically or affect the stability of the supernatural community, the company won't actively seek them out. As for the clues about Wu Gensheng—"
His gaze fell on Zhang Chulan's face. His eyes were no longer as sharp as they had been in his youth, but there was something deeper than sharpness in the gentleness that had settled down.
"If you're interested, you can look it up yourself. But remember this—knowing things too early isn't always a good thing. You're still young; you can take your time."
Zhang Chulan swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat and nodded vigorously: "Understood. I will act within my capabilities."
The air in the office relaxed by half a degree. Wang Zhenqiu finally stuffed the orange he had been holding for so long into his mouth and chewed it. His cheeks puffed out as he mumbled, "Then this trip wasn't a complete waste of time"—but before he could finish speaking, Nie Lingfeng interrupted him with his next action.
Nie Lingfeng took something out of his pocket. It was a strip wrapped in layers of dark gray soft cotton cloth. He got up from his seat and walked to Chairman Zhao's desk, spreading the cloth out on the table and peeling it off layer by layer. The inside of the cloth was lined with a thin sponge, indicating that it had been carefully wrapped before his departure. As the last layer of cloth was lifted, the contents were finally revealed.
A dark golden branch, about the length of a forearm, its thickness just right to be easily grasped by an adult male's hand. Its surface is covered with extremely fine textures, which, under the office overhead light, shimmer with a silky sheen. The depth and direction of each groove resemble the regular strokes of some long-lost script. At one end of the branch are several leaves, also dark golden, with clearly defined veins and smooth, rounded edges. Under the light, they don't gleam with the luster of a plant, but with a warmer glow—like amber or beeswax polished by centuries. If you bring the back of your hand close, you can even feel a faint warmth.
All sounds in the office vanished at the same instant.
Zhang Chulan forgot to swallow the apple bits in his mouth. Wang Zhenqiu's orange segment dangled between his lips and knee. Lu Linglong sat up straight, her eyes wide. Lu Lin's fingers paused on the tapping motion of the car window frame. Zhang Lingyu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened her eyelids, and when her gaze fell on the dark golden branch, a faint look of surprise flashed deep in her pupils. Baron's arms loosened for a moment, then tightened again, his fingertips tapping at his cuff.
Ruan Feng didn't go inside. He leaned against the corridor wall by the door frame, watching the commotion. But at this moment, he turned his head slightly, glanced at the tree branch through his fingers from several people away, let out a barely audible hum, and then looked away, gazing at the end of the corridor.
Mr. Zhao's pen slipped from his fingers. It rolled half a circle on the table, then hit the metal clip of the folder and stopped with a soft click, but no one looked at it.
Chairman Zhao raised his eyes, looked at the branch, paused for a moment with his finger about an inch above it, but ultimately did not touch it and withdrew it.
"This is……"
"A branch from the core of the Divine Tree." Nie Lingfeng's voice was as calm as if he were stating the specifications of an object. "When Elijah detonated the explosives, the pith of the Divine Tree's main trunk broke, and this branch broke off from the middle of the crown. There was a lot of smoke and dust at the time, and I retrieved it under cover."
"Holy crap—!" Zhang Chulan finally swallowed what was in his mouth and sprang up from the sofa. "Brother Nie, when did you take that?! I was charging alongside you for so long—I was right behind you the whole time, I didn't even see you turn the corner!"
"You were being chased around the square by three SP receptors at that time," Nie Lingfeng glanced at him. "That bald Sean chased you for a whole lap, how could you possibly be paying attention to me?"
"But—that's a sacred tree! And you—you just broke off a piece?!"
"Otherwise what?" Nie Lingfeng retorted, "Should we leave it for Behemoth? Or should we leave it for Elijah to take back and boast about?"
Zhang Chulan's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a fish pulled from the water, finally squeezing out, "That's true... but you're going way too fast..."
"Benefactor Nie's actions can be described as far-sighted." Zhang Lingyu finally opened his eyes fully, his voice as clear and steady as ever, but with an added layer of solemnity. "Although the main body of the divine tree has collapsed, the power contained in its core branches is immeasurable. If it falls into the hands of those with ulterior motives, the consequences would be unimaginable. Having the company properly safeguard it is the safest option."
"It's safe, it's safe..." Wang Zhenqiu finally popped the orange segment into his mouth, chewed it, and wiped the juice from the corner of his mouth with his thumb after swallowing. "But Brother Nie, the more I hear you say that, the more familiar it sounds! 'Just casually broke off a piece'—you've picked pears in someone else's orchard before, haven't you? Didn't you say that too?"
Nie Lingfeng, without changing his expression, sat back down and picked up his teacup: "What I said doesn't matter, as long as you got it."
Everyone: "..."
There was simply no way to refute it.
Finally, Chairman Zhao reached out and gently touched the bark of the branch with the back of his finger. The texture was unlike that of ordinary plants; it was a cool and smooth sensation somewhere between jade and beeswax. The moment his fingertip touched it, he could even feel a very faint and slow pulse, as if some living thing was still throbbing deep inside.
His pupils contracted for a moment, then returned to normal.
"Xiao Nie, do you know what this means?" Chairman Zhao's voice was low, and everyone else in the office involuntarily held their breath.
"I know." Nie Lingfeng nodded. "We can study the origins of the superhumans' power, try to replicate the way the Divine Tree bestows superhuman abilities, and even use it to... create new superhumans."
"Then why did you bring it back?" Chairman Zhao's gaze, through his glasses, fell on his face. "Aren't you afraid the company will use it for...something bad?"
"I'm afraid." Nie Lingfeng answered decisively, without hesitation. "That's why I brought it back and gave it to you personally."
He paused, put down his teacup, and the bottom of the cup landed silently on the table. He leaned forward slightly, looking directly into Chairman Zhao's eyes, his voice low, but every word was sharp and forceful.
"Chairman Zhao, this thing can be seen, recorded, and analyzed. But it cannot be planted. It cannot be used in sacrifices. It cannot be used to touch a living person."
The office was so quiet you could hear the second hand of the wall clock ticking away, one tick at a time, click, click, click.
"If one day," Nie Lingfeng's tone remained calm, but everyone could hear the tension beneath, "I discover that the company has used it for things it shouldn't have—I will destroy it myself. No matter who tries to stop me, no matter where. I mean what I say."
He finished speaking, his voice fading into the air.
Everyone was watching him. There was no threatening expression on his face, no gnashing of teeth, no reddened eyes. He simply sat there and said something he had decided to do and would definitely do.