fugitive

Zhang Dingtian was also stunned for a moment and said, "He is Zhou Shan's friend and a celestial-level powerhouse."

Dean Lian exclaimed, "Celestial level? An Earthling?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Dean Lian was even more surprised, "I didn't expect that besides you seven and the monk from India, there would be others who could reach the celestial level at this time. Incredible. Young man, how did you do it?"

Lu Yin replied with two words, "Talent."

Dean Lian accepted it, as there seemed to be no other explanation.

"Dean, what exactly happened?" Bai Xue asked.

Dean Lian sighed, "The Institute of Technology was breached, and all information was taken by that alien boy."

"What information did he get? It seems the Institute of Technology didn't have anything he would care about," Zhang Dingtian wondered.

Dean Lian shook his head, frowned, and said, "I don't know either. He connected his device to the Institute's optical brain and was ecstatic shortly after."

"Personal terminal," Bai Xue said solemnly, "This is alien technology, far beyond Earth's. Perhaps he identified information that the Institute couldn't. No wonder he wanted to destroy the Institute; he didn't want us to know."

"No, I destroyed the Institute," Dean Lian said.

Everyone was surprised.

Dean Lian smiled wryly, "As soon as he arrived, he killed all the researchers and explored the optical brain. I had to destroy the Institute; otherwise, it would expose the underground. Besides, it was the only way to notify you."

Lu Yin admired the old man's courage, unafraid of burying himself.

Zhang Dingtian frowned, "With the Institute destroyed, all the information is gone. We won't be able to find them to take revenge."

Dean Lian shook his head, "Who said the information is gone? If the Institute's destruction meant the information was lost, what's the point of me being the Dean?" Saying this

, he opened the underground passage, "All information from the Institute is backed up underground. You should have alien technology, right? Try it, maybe you can analyze something."

Zhang Dingtian, Bai Xue, and Lu Yin immediately went down.

Not long after, they looked at the holographic screen projected from the personal terminal, their faces shocked.

The screen showed the explosion from more than six months ago. On the Institute's monitor, there was nothing unusual about the explosion—everything was destroyed. But under the personal terminal's analysis, a black shadow shot westward at the moment of the explosion, disappearing in an instant. This was something Earth's technology couldn't decipher because the shadow was too fast.

Zhang Dingtian and the others looked grave.

Dean Lian was shocked, "What is this shadow? A person?"

Lu Yin said calmly, "More than six months ago, the Seven Sages hadn't reached the celestial level, right? This speed is equivalent to the celestial level. If I'm not mistaken, it should be that corpse. Only that corpse had the potential at the scene."

Dean Lian was astonished, "You mean, that wasn't a corpse, and the person wasn't dead?"

Lu Yin nodded, "Using energy to cover himself, making all bodily functions stop, indistinguishable from death. Earth's technology couldn't tell. Looks like it's correct; that corpse is the fugitive in the students' trial mission."

The group fell silent, staring at the screen.

Lu Yin looked at Dean Lian, "By the way, why did you transfer the corpse back then? Zhou Shan told me it was due to uncontrollable substances."

Dean Lian glanced at Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue, and said, "We discovered some peculiar substances on that corpse. If they erupted, the consequences would be unimaginable. We couldn't control it and had to transfer it."

"At that time, Chief No. 1 was worried that the substances might explode during the transfer, so he dispersed us seven to prevent any accidents. Unexpectedly, it came true, and the apocalypse descended. Luckily, we seven managed to protect the survivors in our regions," Bai Xue said solemnly.

Lu Yin sighed, "Chief No. 1 was indeed a great man. If he had you seven to protect him back then, he might not have died."

Dean Lian sighed, "There was no choice. No one could have anticipated this. Now it seems that the corpse was the culprit, triggering the explosion and causing the apocalypse."

Lu Yin frowned, feeling something was wrong. Why would the corpse cause an apocalypse? For Earth, it meant evolution. Wasn't he afraid of attracting the Daoyu Empire's attention?

"When we studied the corpse, we embedded a nano tracker in its skin tissue. Let me see if I can find the location information," Dean Lian said as he manipulated the optical brain. After a while, he opened a world map, surprised, "Got it! The tracking signal last disappeared here."

Everyone looked, "Europe, the Mediterranean."

"That alien student was heading west to the Mediterranean," Zhang Dingtian said solemnly.

"Should we go?" Bai Xue asked.

Zhang Dingtian stared at the screen, "No."

Lu Yin said calmly, "That corpse was once a cosmic-level expert. Even if gravely injured, he surely has ways to save himself. It's too dangerous for us to go."

Dean Lian said, "Don't worry, if those alien students can't catch him, he'll definitely come back."

Lu Yin looked puzzled at Dean Lian.

Dean Lian said, "His belongings are in the Institute. He won't give up on them."

"What belongings?" Lu Yin asked. When the corpse was brought back to Earth, no one knew what else was brought along, only a war knife.

Dean Lian was about to speak, but Bai Xue stopped him, "This is a state secret, cannot be disclosed."

Lu Yin chuckled, "The apocalypse is here, and the highest authority is you Seven Sages. What secret can there be?"

Bai Xue stared at Lu Yin, "We don't know your background. Who knows if you're an alien student?"

"Zhou Shan can vouch for me. I was in the penal camp before the trial students arrived," Lu Yin frowned.

Bai Xue's lips curved into a beautiful smile, "I remember those students saying that Earth has been under the Daoyu Empire's surveillance for a long time. Entering early isn't impossible."

"Twisting words, you can say whatever you want," Lu Yin was annoyed. This woman seemed to oppose him at every turn. He had heard she was involved with Liu Shaoge, which made her seem irritating.

Bai Xue said calmly, "I'm just stating the facts."

"I must tell you, those students were just the first batch of trial takers. The second batch is coming soon, and they will surely include enemies you can't handle. I can help you; don't be ungrateful," Lu Yin said.

Bai Xue snorted, "If you are an Earthling, you should help us. Otherwise, you are a traitor. If you are not from Earth, we can't persuade you either."

Lu Yin had a toothache. This woman's reasoning was quite sound.

Zhang Dingtian looked at Lu Yin and said seriously, "Your identity is unclear. Zhou Shan can only represent himself. If you want to learn state secrets, it must be decided by the Seven Sages."

Lu Yin waved his hand, "Forget it, communication is cut off now anyway, where to decide? Besides, this woman probably has good influence; I'd be at a disadvantage in any decision," he said, then walked away.

Zhang Dingtian watched Lu Yin's back thoughtfully.

Bai Xue said, "This man is very powerful. I can't understand how anyone other than the seven of us and those few foreigners who accepted the national compromise could break through to the celestial level at this time."

"It's not impossible. The Indian monk was the first to break through to the celestial level without receiving the inheritance; he is only the second," Zhang Dingtian said.

Bai Xue nodded. She wasn't targeting Lu Yin, but indeed found him suspicious. He was strangely strong and seemed greedy. She was uncomfortable remembering how he took the space rings from those two alien students right in front of her.

After leaving the underground, Lu Yin's face was serious. Earth was now in an apocalypse, alien students were running amok, and an uncertain fugitive was hiding somewhere. Plus, a second batch of trial takers was about to arrive. Earth was becoming more chaotic, and his strength was still a bit lacking.

The Daoyu Empire was just one empire within the Canglan region. The outer universe had many regions and countless talents. He couldn't even handle ordinary academy students from the Daoyu Empire, let alone the top-tier youth experts from the Imperial Court's Thirteen Teams. He had to speed up his progress.

"Granny, come here," Lu Yin shouted.

In the distance, Granny walked over, "What's up?"

"Spread the word, the fugitive is in the Mediterranean, in Europe," Lu Yin said calmly.

Granny was shocked, "Really?"

Lu Yin nodded, "Go ahead."

Granny frowned, "If you know, why don't you go yourself?"

"Just do it, don't ask so many questions," Lu Yin said impatiently.

Granny felt stifled, opened her personal terminal, and sent a message to the cosmic network.