How Am I Still Alive?-Chapter 1314 - 1300: Reunion

As a law enforcer, Xia Qin could be considered a typical altruist, yet her ability was purely selfish.

This was the norm for most professionals... It wasn’t just about personal compatibility; the "inner body" is the area most susceptible to interference by will and power. After most abnormal abilities awaken, the first thing they influence is oneself.

The abundance of the Transformation System is inevitable; the Beastmen’s prevalence and their strength above the average line are the most obvious manifestations.

The Rule System is the least numerous and weakest initially because "interfering with other things (setting rules)" is much more difficult than "changing oneself."

Meow represents the pinnacle of the Transformation System, capable of converting between the physical body and the spirit body at will. The most challenging step of Rule-level advancement, "sublimation of the physical body," poses no difficulty to her.

In Big Cat’s assessment, she hardly needs to worry about facing any barriers as long as her level is sufficient... If she really did encounter one, descending a God’s Descent one by one, breaking through would just be a matter of how many life-points it consumed.

Xia Qin, on the other hand, represents another extreme; her "Sun Pattern" can transform her will into "patterns" that cover her body, layer by layer changing her flesh.

Actually, both are concerned with the alteration of the physical body by consciousness. For top-tier professionals like Big Cat, these are considered "better" Talent Abilities because for beings above Rule-level, it’s hard to say if they exist as a "body" or "consciousness"... They have already merged together, creating "rules."

This is also why Hua Xueyi wasn’t actually highly regarded by Big Cat. Her combat capabilities were extremely strong, but her "Keratin Cell Metallization" indeed restricted her "body;" an overly pure physical system often encounters barriers.

"Purely selfless abilities are exceedingly rare, and yours, too ’fair’..."

Perhaps the only person in this world who cannot possess "Twins" is Lu Ping’an himself.

But for him, breaking through is hardly an issue, even without the "courtyard." His "All Things Breathing" connected to other Taboo items and Magic Pets can greatly increase his limits.

For normal Decree Professionals, reaching Quasi-rule level, where "will" can rewrite "reality," is not a difficulty for him.

"Could it be that our team has too many Rule-level members..."

Actually, there have already been such voices within the team, but most people subconsciously attribute it to the "courtyard."

The rapid growth brought by rule buildings like the Great Library has obscured their perception. When everyone around them is abnormal, they also consider themselves the norm.

"You don’t need to hurry too much, even for them. It was only after receiving their ’other half’ and ten years later that they succeeded in Advancement. You can’t see the changes in the short term, but after ten years... Heaven knows what you will be like in ten years. As long as you enter the eighth-tier within ten years, no matter how great the challenge is, it won’t be a problem."

Lu Ping’an nodded his head, as always, swiftly casting his anxiety to the back of his mind.

His unexploded bombs were indeed numerous... The reason they hadn’t exploded was his fast enough growth.

As long as I run faster than the fuse of the bomb, then everything is not a problem.

"Ladies, vacation’s over, time to head home..."

Lu Ping’an didn’t stop the women who were still shopping but only informed them of this news when they came back for dinner in the evening.

Instantly, Lu Ping’an was met with a barrage of disdainful glances... As a BOSS, Lu Ping’an pretended not to see and busied himself with packing.

Not to mention, these women had money on ordinary days but rarely had the time and mood to spend it so freely. Once they started, they filled up a small room with bags big and small.

If it weren’t for the courtyard, simply shipping these items would cost a fortune, after all, freight rates were still exorbitantly high these days.

There wasn’t much to say on the road; two consecutive days of shopping were actually a tough job, most of them went back to catch up on sleep or train, while Lu had no choice but to sit on the ship with Eve honestly... Because of certain reasons, Eve had been clinging particularly tight to Lu Ping’an these days.

Although she was pretty easy to placate, a few kind words, some tasty treats, and she would cheer up and head back to the courtyard... but before long, she would find some excuse to come out again.

Lu Ping’an actually didn’t mind... It was certainly more comfortable than a solitary man like him sitting on a ship watching the sea.

"...We’ve really come back, but is this truly the Redemption?"

Before the ferry could even dock, Lu Ping’an glimpsed the familiar yet strange silhouette of the ship.

The familiarity stems from the fact that encountering another "giant wooden ship" of the same make was likely a rare occurrence, since the "main material (Fusang tree)" required for such rudimentary yet bold heavy ships wasn’t something one could easily find.

What felt foreign was the fact that even though their own ferry wasn’t small, next to the giant ship it seemed like a toy car meeting a big truck, not even in the same league.

"This, has it grown ten times bigger? Dozens of times? A hundred times?"

Even though Lu guessed that the Fusang tree would grow, he hadn’t expected it to grow to this extent.

With the giant ship sitting here, several times longer than Lu Ping’an’s "tallest tree in the city," it was practically a moving island.

Considering the Fusang tree was a type of Magic Plant that got larger as its body strengthened...

"Rule-level or above? This is a bit outrageous..."

Lu Ping’an was surprised not by its rate of evolution, but by the clear discrepancy with the recent information he had gathered.

The Redemption mentioned in the information was apparently just a light cruiser, worlds apart from the current carrier... a floating city on the sea.

Was the information wrong? Or a lie? Such a recognizable thing simply wouldn’t have lies or errors.

"...Was there a sudden event?"

Lu Ping’an didn’t wait for the ferry; he merely summoned Zhi Xi’s floating disk and glided swiftly across the water.

"Bang!"

Before long, Lu Ping’an had "walked" onto the hull of the giant ship in just a few steps.

But the ship’s defense systems, those entwining Magical Vines, and other offensive and defensive Magic Plants, remained calm even after being activated.

Once on deck, a bird’s-eye view revealed infinity at a glance.

And on the deck, the bustling crowd was surprising, but what really seemed amiss was the "Meteorite Heart" in the center of the deck, already integrated with the ship.

"This... is this still the Fusang tree?"

"Of course, Little Sang is still her, just as I am still me..."

Though the tone was familiar, the voice had aged significantly, and Lu Ping’an turned around in surprise to see a familiar face.

"...Long time no see, Ping’an."

"Long time no see... brother, you’ve aged quite a bit." It was only a man in his early thirties he was seeing, but the person in front of Lu Ping’an could easily pass for someone in his late forties without question.

Especially now, he seemed particularly haggard and weak, compounded by a period of "middle-aged whitening hair," clearly not in the best shape.

Looking at Brother Guan, who had truly become an uncle, Lu Ping’an spoke with the same straightforwardness as always, his feelings complex.

"... You, on the other hand, seem to be getting younger. Do you need me to contact your middle school for you?"

Seeing Lu Ping’an, who seemed to be aging in reverse, always able to bring up the most inconvenient topics, even the normally easygoing Guan Xinxian, rubbing his graying hair and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, felt a bit irked.

"Slap!"

But as they approached each other, they high-fived, fist-bumped, and patted each other on the shoulder...

"Good to see you again, brother."