Volume Two: Shadows of the Past, Chapter Sixty-Three: Meeting Her Again

Early the next morning, Chen Jing stepped off the plane, carrying a still-drowsy Molly on his back.

Outside the airport, Sun Ruoqing and Xie Yuanshan were there, as expected, to pick up the three of them. However, unlike their last meeting, there was no laughter or joy this time.

"Brother." Seeing Chen Jing, Xie Yuanshan called out, her voice filled with grievance, her eyes rimmed with red as she looked at him.

Chen Jing ruffled her hair and smiled, but before he could speak, Xie Yuanshan bowed her head, unable to hold back her tears.

Chen Jing wanted to comfort her, but Sun Ruoqing had already slipped into the driver’s seat and said, "Get in the car. We’ll talk when we get back."

Chen Jing patted Yuanshan’s shoulder, shifted Molly into his arms, and climbed into the backseat. Zhang Jingzhi followed suit, silently sliding in from the other side.

Xie Yuanshan was not one to be overly sentimental; she had only been overcome by emotion at the sight of the brother she was closest to. She quickly wiped her face and climbed into the passenger seat.

The car pulled away from the airport, heading toward the Dynasty headquarters.

Inside the vehicle, Chen Jing held the still-sleeping Molly and asked with a frown, "How is Zijie's condition?"

Sun Ruoqing kept her eyes on the road and replied calmly, "The situation is grim. His physical wounds are fine, but he suffered severe trauma to his seventh brain domain. He remains unconscious."

"How did he..." Chen Jing intended to ask how Li Zijie was injured, but realizing this likely involved the classified details of their mission, he stopped himself. With Zhang Jingzhi and Molly present, it wasn't the right time or place.

After another hour of driving, the group arrived at the Dynasty headquarters.

Chen Jing had Yuanshan take Molly and Zhang Jingzhi to rest; after a night of travel, they were exhausted, especially Molly, who hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

Once they were settled, Chen Jing accompanied Sun Ruoqing to the internal hospital of the Dynasty.

Inside an intensive care unit, a man lay surrounded by tubes. The room was deathly quiet, save for the rhythmic, steady beep of the heart monitor.

Chen Jing stood outside the room, looking through the glass at the unconscious Li Zijie in silence.

"During the final retreat, Old Five insisted on staying behind to cover us. If the Teacher hadn't rushed in to save him, he would have died there," the third-in-command, Liu Zexuan, whispered to Chen Jing. "None of us expected Pandora to have four top-tier controllers at that stronghold. It was a massive discrepancy from the intelligence report, which only mentioned one. It caught us completely off guard."

Old Seven, Wu Wen, added, his eyes red, "If Fifth Brother hadn't made the decisive choice to hold the line, none of us would have made it out."

Chen Jing patted Wu Wen on the shoulder, offering no platitudes. Instead, he looked at Li Zijie and asked, "What is the prognosis?"

Sun Ruoqing shook her head and sighed. "It's difficult. The gunshot wounds are minor, but his brain was struck by a psychic-type controller, causing severe damage to his seventh brain domain. The doctors say that unless a miracle happens, the best outcome is that he will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life..."

Hearing this, Chen Jing fell into a heavy silence. He rubbed his forehead and massaged his temples before saying, "We’ll have to see if Molly’s ability has any effect on Zijie. He is only a Level 6 esper; theoretically, Molly’s power should be able to reach him."

Sun Ruoqing nodded. "Yes. Once Molly is rested, I’ll have her power levels tested again, and then we’ll see if we can do anything for his brain injury."

There was no better option left. Molly’s ability was the only one they knew of that could potentially repair the seventh brain domain, which was exactly why Chen Jing had rushed back with her overnight.

"Boss, you should get some rest," Liu Zexuan said, looking at Chen Jing with concern as he continued to knead his temples.

Among the group, aside from Sun Ruoqing, only Liu Zexuan understood the true nature of Chen Jing’s condition. He knew that Chen Jing’s issues went far beyond just his current inability to use his powers.

Chen Jing waved his hand, signaling he was fine. "I’m going to the training range to blow off some steam. Keep an eye on Zijie. Ruoqing, call me once Molly is rested."

Sun Ruoqing watched him turn and leave, her lips parting as if to say something, but she ultimately remained silent.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Chen Jing held two pistols, his expression blank as he fired. His aim remained perfect; every shot hit the humanoid target fifty meters away square in the head.

*Click-clack.*

Once the magazines were empty, Chen Jing paused to reload.

After reloading, he didn't fire again. After thirty minutes of continuous training, he had vented enough.

He set the guns down and sighed, preparing to head back, but as he turned, he froze. A figure stood behind him, watching. It was the woman who had haunted his dreams for so long.

Seeing the person who had been avoiding him for so long suddenly appear, Chen Jing didn't react with his usual composure; he stood rooted to the spot, feeling completely at a loss.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Even though Chen Jing’s heart was racing, he didn't know what to say. Finally, a thousand words boiled down to a soft, "Teacher..."

Time had passed, and she was as elegant as ever, but they could no longer go back to the way things were.

Wang Nianjun looked at the face she had watched for over a decade and never grown tired of. She couldn't help but smile, her eyes narrowing.

A month had passed, and little Jing looked even more handsome.

Clearing her mind, Wang Nianjun said, "Little Mirror..." She started to say something more, but Chen Jing stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Ah—Little Jing, you..." Wang Nianjun let out a soft cry, but her words were cut short by Chen Jing’s voice.

"Teacher, do you know? I missed you so much. I really, truly missed you." Chen Jing held her tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his very being.

Beyond the longing of their long separation, he was terrified that she might disappear again in the blink of an eye.

Wang Nianjun’s hands hovered in mid-air, hesitant for a moment, before she finally gave in to her heart and rested them gently on Chen Jing’s waist.

By noon, Sun Ruoqing had taken Molly to have her ability re-tested.

The results shocked everyone. Molly’s ability was on the verge of breaking through to Level 5. Her brain domain development had reached 23%; a mere 1% more would make her a Level 5 esper.

Everyone knew that just a month ago, her development had been at 21%. A 2% increase in such a short time was unheard of.

One shouldn't underestimate this 2% gain. Molly was only five years old; for a five-year-old to be a Level 4 esper was already astonishing, and this rate of growth was simply terrifying.

Though they didn't understand why her growth was so rapid, it was undoubtedly good news. The higher her level, the better the chances of healing Li Zijie.

Chen Jing, however, was not as optimistic. Recalling his conversation with his teacher earlier that day, he sighed inwardly.

"This is great! If Molly reaches Level 5, there will only be a one-level gap between her and Zijie. It will definitely have a significant effect on his brain and mental recovery," Xie Yuanshan said excitedly upon hearing the results.

Liu Zexuan and the others also beamed. They had been worried sick about Li Zijie for days, and finally, there was a glimmer of hope.

Sun Ruoqing remained the most rational. She didn't let her guard down, reminding everyone, "Don't get too excited yet. We need to let Molly try her abilities on Zijie before we jump to conclusions."

Ji Hao chimed in, "Big Sister is right. We have to test it to be sure. Why don't we go now?"

"Right, let's go. Contact the medical staff; we'll try it immediately."

Just as they were about to head out with Molly, someone interrupted their momentum.

"Teacher, why are you here?" Sun Ruoqing asked in surprise as she saw Wang Nianjun appear. She then glanced at Chen Jing, as did everyone else in the room. They were curious to see how Chen Jing would react after finally seeing his teacher again.

Ever since the teacher had taken the boss on a global search for an esper who could help him, a rift had formed between them, leading to her avoiding him until now. They expected him to be emotional.

But to everyone's disappointment, Chen Jing did not react with the excitement or joy they had anticipated. He looked at Wang Nianjun calmly, as if he had expected her to appear all along.

Just as the others were feeling puzzled by his reaction, Wang Nianjun’s next words made them forget about Chen Jing entirely.

Wang Nianjun walked over, cast a casual glance at Chen Jing, and said to the group, "There is no need to take Molly to test on Li Zijie. From now on, Molly will be classified under the highest level of security. Her ability data is not to be leaked or discussed moving forward."