This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 285: Wang Ailin Never Panics

Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Wang Ailin Never Panics

United Federation Capital, Norton City, 9 PM.

"...This unusual strong cold air wave landed from the southwest of the federation a week ago and the thunderstorm weather has not stopped since and might continue for a while..."

On the wall-mounted TV, the news was broadcasting about the recent abnormal weather. On the kitchen stove, coffee was brewing, its rich aroma spreading through the air, drifting into the study room along with the warm yellow light.

Outside the window, large raindrops pounded on the glass. Lights outside blurred into an ink wash painting, rain flowing downward, creating vertical streaks as if the city was crying.

This was Wang Ailin’s home.

Wang Ailin’s study room had three large bookshelves filled with various heavy tomes. It was hard to say she had read them all, as many books were gifts from her male colleagues at the research institute.

For the past few days, Aileen had been unable to contact Diana. Her phone seemed to be in an unresponsive state perpetually. Since seeing her at the hospital in Opportunity City, she had seemingly disappeared altogether.

"The subscriber you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone..."

Wang Ailin sighed, walked out of the study, and went to the stove in the kitchen, where she took out a white porcelain cup from the cupboard.

"Diana, if you have time, please give me a call back. It’s been a long time since we caught up. Also... I hope you can transfer to Norton City soon. Although the rent here is a bit expensive, you know... my bed can fit two girls..." After leaving the message, Wang Ailin poured the coffee into the cup and then picked up a sealed creamer sachet, scooped half a spoonful, and stirred it into the coffee.

She tapped the spoon on the rim of the cup three times, licked the spoon clean, and then threw it into the wash basin nearby, where two plates and a bowl from lunch remained unwashed.

Wang Ailin carried her coffee to the living room. Today was a rare day off, but spending her holiday alone was not particularly exciting or pleasing, especially since Norton City had been experiencing torrential rains for a week, making it almost impossible to go anywhere.

She carried her cup to the window and stared at the rainy scene outside, letting her thoughts wander. In the dark sky, an occasional streak of white lightning emerged from the clouds, striking the city skyline. High-rise buildings rose in succession opposite the Manhattan Bridge, with the lonely blinking of lightning rods.

While gazing out the window daydreaming, a familiar song suddenly played in Wang Ailin’s ears. She was startled and fumbled in the pocket of her jeans before remembering she had left her phone in the kitchen.

She hurried to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and saw an unfamiliar number. She had thought it was Diana calling, which briefly lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile that quickly fell again.

"Hello? I’m not interested in any sales," Wang Ailin answered the phone.

"Hello... is this Wang Ailin?" a familiar male voice came from the other end.

"Is this... Chen Ke?" Wang Ailin said, not knowing why she would say that. But ever since that afternoon when the hallucination occurred, this man named Chen Ke had become like some kind of meme—an acquaintance she had never actually met.

"Do you... know it’s me? Did Diana tell you about me?" the man asked, seemingly worried.

"No... no, I mean... you know Diana?" Wang Ailin also didn’t know how to continue the conversation.

"You’ve confused me now. Diana asked me to call you. It looks like she must have mentioned you," the man said.

"Wait a second..." Wang Ailin suddenly felt her heart racing, and momentarily felt dizzy and weak in the knees, almost falling over.

She quickly supported herself on the nearby refrigerator, steadying herself.

It was a curious sensation, like speeding down a steep descent on a roller coaster. Wang Ailin’s ears buzzed, and everything around her appeared hazy.

"Miss Wang... are you all right over there?" the man asked, obviously hearing the noise of Wang Ailin gripping the refrigerator.

Wang Ailin didn’t respond. She felt as though she were caught in a hallucination, with everything in the room turning dim and hazy, the scenery at the corner of her eyes beginning to change.

Curiously looking around, a white halo began to eliminate everything she could see, revealing another scene within the white light.

It was a table, with a woman sitting on a chair with her back to her, two cups of chocolate ice cream on the table.

She could even feel the heat of the sun on her arms and back, and the sound of cars passing on the street echoed in her ears.

That woman...

Wang Ailin looked at the woman in front of her, sweat trickling down her forehead. Wasn’t that herself...?

This scene seemed familiar... Where had she seen it before? She racked her brains trying to remember, letting the filaments of memory probe the sponge-like substance in her mind until she finally remembered it.

It was noon at a cold beverage shop on Raffi Road in Opportunity City... She had arranged to meet Diana because she wanted to know about Parker.

Yes, that noon...

Wang Ailin couldn’t believe her eyes, unsure why she could see things from several weeks ago.

As the memory became clearer, the scenes before her eyes also became more vivid and concrete, the blurry white light had vanished, and Wang Ailin felt as though she was standing right behind her past self.

At that moment, she grew bolder and reached out to touch her past self’s left elbow.

She touched it.

She touched her past self and felt her own left elbow being touched as well; then, suddenly, she transitioned into the first person, inhabiting her past self, feeling something in her left hand.

It was a lipstick.

She was startled, her hand loosened, and the lipstick fell to the ground.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, she was pulled by some force out of her past body and found herself back in the kitchen.

Before the hallucinatory scene faded away, she saw her past self looking back in confusion, then picking up the lipstick from the ground.

Following that, there was a ringing in her ears.

Wang Ailin found herself kneeling on the kitchen floor, her back drenched in cold sweat, her body chilly, and her mind seemed to be crammed with a vast array of information in an instant.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember this information; it was like a dream forgotten upon waking.

"Hello! Miss Wang Ailin? Are you there? Are you okay? What happened?" The man on the other end of the phone sounded anxious.

"I’m fine... I’m fine, I just slipped." Wang Ailin hurriedly explained.

"Are you sure?" The man on the other end sounded unconvinced.

"I really am fine, Chen Ke, you should be worrying about yourself..." Wang Ailin said.

"Okay... okay... You sound very familiar with me," the man on the other end replied cautiously.

"You’re in Opportunity City now, right? Do you have time to come to Norton City soon? That ash... I’ve been studying the things Diana brought out," Wang Ailin said.

"I haven’t told you... um..." The man on the other end was confused.

"I don’t know why, but I just know it. Wait... I clearly remember you told me! You said you came from Opportunity City... right at the door of my office," Wang Ailin, leaning on the fridge, felt a bit disoriented.

"Miss Wang, we haven’t met yet...?" The man on the other end reminded her.

Wang Ailin was also stunned, suddenly hearing Chen Ke’s voice ringing in her ears.

"Grab the hilt! Close your eyes, don’t look... Leave the rest to me..."

"What... Grab what...?" Wang Ailin, holding her forehead and leaning against the fridge, felt dizzy.

"I didn’t tell you to grab anything... Miss Wang, seeing your condition right now... do you need help?" the man asked.

"I...I...ugh..." Wang Ailin felt a wave of nausea, and suddenly, the contents of her stomach surged up her throat and out of her mouth.

She fell to the floor, propping herself up with one hand, vomiting until her stomach was empty, tears rolling in her eyes, her entire being feeling drained.

She felt a warm flow in her nose, touched it, and it was blood.

"How... I...I..." Wang Ailin fiercely swallowed, disregarding the man on the phone, and hung up.

Now, she felt she needed to make an immediate trip to the laboratory.