This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 336 I Want to See You

Chapter 336: Chapter 336 I Want to See You

When the Spiritual Ability Research Institute’s deep gray buildings appeared on the far end of the countryside, even though Chen Ke had prepared mentally, he was still amazed by their vastness.

If it were someone else who didn’t know about the Institute being there, they might mistake the sight on the horizon for another city.

"The Institute spans 120,000 acres, and that’s just the surface area, who knows how deep they’ve dug underground; this place might have the highest average IQ on the planet," Heath laughed.

Chen Ke ignored Heath’s chatter beside him, stretched his muscles, stood up from his seat, and walked to the front door.

Through the windshield, he could see the guard station in front of the Institute, still two kilometers away from the main gate.

Four security personnel, equipped with automatic rifles, stood by the sides of the road, illustrating the strict vigilance of the area.

The bus slowed down near the guard station, and Chen Ke saw a security guard with a backpacked rifle take out a device he had never seen before to scan the vehicle.

He became instantly alert; could that be a biological scanner? If he got scanned here, his day would be ruined.

"Blue, enter through gate number 12."

The worrying scenario didn’t occur, and the security guard’s scanner seemed to serve another purpose. After scanning the bus, he gestured to the driver and then let them pass.

The bus started again, driving on a pure white road flanked by dark green lawns, with the Institute straight ahead, the road inexplicably filled with a sense of ceremony.

Up front, Chen Ke saw many buses in other colors neatly queued up entering through various numbered gates. It seemed there was a rationale behind the colors.

Their bus quickly caught up with the line and stopped at the very end of the queue. There were not many blue buses, only four ahead, and they did not look full.

"Those red, yellow... buses, what’s the difference between them and us? Are they staff?" Chen Ke couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked the driver.

"No, not staff. Red is for the Administration Bureau, yellow is for the Energy Sector, and we are blue, heading to the Research Sector," the driver replied.

Chen Ke then understood that the color distinction wasn’t about guest identity but purely about the areas they were heading to.

"So you mean, no matter what color bus, everyone is a visitor?" Chen Ke asked.

"Yes, according to the level and work area of the person you are visiting, you must take a bus of a specific color to enter the Institute, and you can only move around in the visitor areas. Someone will guide you inside," the driver responded.

Chen Ke nodded and settled back into his seat.

Soon, he would talk with Wang Ailin about the research findings of ’06 Ashes; since she was part of the Institute, he could also ask about other matters...

After nearly half an hour on the bus, the blue bus finally slowly entered the visitor area of the Institute, which was a circular plaza with a gray building standing at the forefront.

"Please line up here."

A staff member wearing a blue shirt stood at the building entrance, calling everyone disembarking from the blue bus to gather in front using a megaphone.

Following the crowd, Chen Ke walked toward the twenty-nine steps in front, where the crowd formed six queues; only then did he realize there were quite a number of people visiting.

The staff led the lines into the building, through the glass doors, into a lobby on the first floor filled with rows of seats and a giant LCD TV hanging in front, showing a promotional video of the Institute.

"Please take a seat and wait for a moment," the staff arranged.

The crowd obediently took their seats, and Chen Ke also sat down in the closest seat available.

Visiting someone in the Institute was indeed troublesome; it was his first time entering a national-level institution. Though the process was complex, and he was extorted for 1,000 union coins, he still felt it was intriguing, finding everything novel.

Chen Ke took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Ailin.

"I’m at the Institute, in the visitor center, how long until we can meet?"

He waited a while but received no response; perhaps she was busy.

Chen Ke considered calling but felt it wasn’t a good idea, so he put his phone back in his pocket and quietly waited.

This wait lasted an hour.

"Damn, what the hell..." Chen Ke felt anxious, but seeing everyone else waiting patiently, he hesitated to ask the staff and simply sighed, continuing to wait.

While waiting, he couldn’t help but activate his Spiritual Vision to scan the building briefly.

Logically, there should be many Spiritual Ability Users or Holy Relics inside the Institute, right? Given it specialized in studying them. Wondered if Wang Ailin was a Spiritual Ability User?

Several minutes had passed when a mature woman in a black business suit approached the lobby.

She introduced herself as the main person in charge of the visitor center, then began to apologize, explaining that due to certain reasons, today’s visitor reception had been canceled.

Dissatisfied murmurs rose from the crowd, as everyone had been waiting for a long time. However, since the research institute was a national institution, the cancellation must have been due to something very important, and they could only return disappointed.

"No way, how unlucky?" Chen Ke frowned, talking to himself.

First, he was swindled out of some money, and now the visit was suddenly canceled. It made the Spiritual Ability Research Institute seem like a scam company...

"What happened?"

Chen Ke heard some people discussing nearby, so he moved closer, curious about the outcome.

"I’m sorry, sir, the research area is temporarily closed today, and they can’t spare anyone," the woman manager explained apologetically.

"Can we enter, then?" someone asked.

"The research area is a level 9 security zone; no one other than research personnel can enter, not even us," the manager replied.

Chen Ke stood to the side and learned two significant things.

First, visitors to the institute could only stay in this building, and interviewees were transported by a specific vehicle from the research area to meet with visitors in the building.

Second, the visit was limited to half an hour, after which the interviewees had to be sent back. Furthermore, one had to undergo a series of security checks. With Chen Ke carrying guns, ammunition, and Holy Relics, it’s doubtful he would have passed this check.

That meant if the institute hadn’t canceled the visit temporarily, Chen Ke would have been faced with various armed personnel pointing guns at his head and would have been taken to prison by the Administration Bureau.

"So why did Wang Ailin want me to come here..." Chen Ke was somewhat dejected.

"Regrettably, this impacts everyone’s visit plans, but today..." the manager was halfway through her sentence when she was interrupted by the man in the blue shirt from earlier.

After whispering briefly to him, the manager smiled apologetically at the crowd and then ran to the back office.

"Well, everyone, today’s visit is canceled. Please, everyone, return and reschedule your visit one month from now," the blue-shirted staff member said.

"Ah, let’s disperse!"

Someone in the crowd spoke, his voice mixed with disappointment and dissatisfaction, as everyone slowly made their way outside.

Having no other choice, Chen Ke followed the crowd outside, meanwhile thinking about finding a place to hide and possibly sneaking in.

"Sir, sir," the manager called from behind.

Some people turned around.

"Sir, are you Chen Ke?" the manager asked, coming over.

Chen Ke looked surprised and nodded.

"Please wait a moment," the manager said, with a very professional smile, devoid of any human warmth.

Chen Ke and the manager stood in the lobby, waiting for the crowd to disperse completely, then she extended her hand.

"What?" Chen Ke asked.

"Your magnetic card," said the manager.

Chen Ke took out the blue magnetic card from his pocket and handed it to the manager.

"Please wait; a vehicle will come to pick you up shortly and take you to the research area," the manager said with a smile, taking Chen Ke’s magnetic card and leaving.

"What..." Chen Ke was puzzled but didn’t say much, realizing that Wang Ailin must hold an unusual position here.

He sat back down, feeling quite relaxed, planning what to ask Wang Ailin later about certain matters and resolve any previous misunderstandings...

Suddenly, a blurry voice appeared in his mind... It was a series of vague phrases as though two people were speaking together; one clearly articulating, the other seemingly humming...

Chen Ke couldn’t understand this eerie language, nor could he reproduce the sounds in his own voice. He was unable to describe what this language was, but he could comprehend the meaning.

"I/You=Meet/Combine=Now"