This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 404: There’s Something Down Here

Chapter 404: Chapter 404: There’s Something Down Here

Langdon University College, the G5 elite university in England, London as known by Chen Ke.

The university was established at the beginning of 1836, originally comprising only two schools. Over the next two centuries, it evolved into a comprehensive university with 19 schools.

The school produced 12 monarchs and royal family members, 52 heads of state, and 84 Nobel laureates. In the distant future, it was one of the most significant universities in the world.

But in Langdon in 1859, the university was just an ordinary institution. It had only one campus, known locally as "King College."

Chen Ke and Xu Jing walked towards the college, along streets increasingly crowded with people and carriages, as factory whistles nearby signaled the start of shifts.

People coughed loudly on the sidewalks, and suddenly a shout came from above as someone threw a bucket of washing water onto the street with a splash.

Cautiously, drivers managed horses and carts, transporting barrels of liquor to taverns, wagon wheels rolling through puddles, horses’ hooves clinking crisply against the concrete streets.

In the distance, factory chimneys loomed like a forest made of concrete, belching black smoke into the sky, painting the clear day with a grim tint.

This was a microcosm of the Industrial Revolution era, and this was the center of the world in the 19th century. Whoever controlled Langdon controlled the future.

Xu Jing, accustomed to this world, didn’t let the scenes of the street slow her down and kept silently leading the way.

However, it was Chen Ke’s first real time travel to the past. Unlike Fan Hede, here the world teemed with live people—working, living, and dying.

Everything he saw was profoundly meaningful.

If, Chen Ke mused, if he had not traveled to Opportunity City in 2009 that night, but had arrived here instead, what would his experiences have been?

Were all these mysterious events controlled by some hidden master?

Even amidst the bustling, industrious street scenes, Chen Ke sensed something abnormal.

The air mixed the scent of coal and earth, but there was also a faint trace of blood.

Blood has a distinct scent, akin to rust.

Perhaps being an assassin made him overly sensitive to such a smell, Chen Ke didn’t mention it to Xu Jing, though he guessed she probably smelled it too but didn’t speak up.

But the next moment, Chen Ke felt the black stone in his chest stir restlessly, bringing with it feelings of excitement and pleasure. Unknowingly, his lips slightly curled upwards.

"Hmm..." Chen Ke clutched his chest, suppressing a smile, the black stone evidently affecting his emotions.

"Former rivals, job lost/death," the stone conveyed this thought to Chen Ke.

"What?" Chen Ke blurted out unintentionally.

"What’s wrong?" Xu Jing suddenly turned back and glanced at Chen Ke.

"Nothing," Chen Ke coughed twice and responded.

"You’ll get used to it. There’s a factory every hundred steps here, air quality can’t be good," Xu Jing said.

"I’ll try," Chen Ke replied.

He pressed his chest, thinking, did the stone imply that a deity had died here? Do deities leave behind bodies?

The bloody scent was gradually intensifying as if only Chen Ke could smell it. More bizarrely, he could even vaguely see red mist spreading in the air.

"Do you see anything strange?" Chen Ke tapped Xu Jing and asked with a frown.

"Nothing. What did you see?" Xu Jing stopped and took Chen Ke’s words seriously.

"I don’t know what those things are, but they are floating in the air... thinly dispersed, wafting from that direction," Chen Ke looked up and indicated the direction down the street with his chin.

"That’s the direction of the college..." Xu Jing frowned, her pupils turning blue as she looked around.

Chen Ke knew that was the Spiritual Vision Skill, Xu Jing had it too.

"I didn’t see anything." Xu Jing observed for a while but came up empty-handed.

"I don’t know why you can’t see it, I can even swat away these red mists with my hand..." Chen Ke said as he waved a finger in the air.

A thin layer of red fog slipped through his fingers. He involuntarily took a deep breath only to feel a chill seep into his body, his throat itching and causing him to cough out violently.

"You... what are you doing...? Trying to make me laugh?" Xu Jing covered her mouth, amused by Chen Ke.

"I wasn’t trying to tease you. Did you really not see anything?" Chen Ke asked.

"Maybe it’s HCP0001 that’s allowing you to see... Maybe Chen Ke is at the college right now, and all this is his doing!" Xu Jing said gravely.

"Senseless logic/guess, I didn’t inform/share," Chen Ke blurted out such a thought.

"Why don’t we take a carriage to the college?" Chen Ke suddenly asked.

"Because it’s not far on foot, hurry up and follow!" After speaking, Xu Jing turned her head and walked forward, leaving Chen Ke to follow behind.

The two walked in silence for another ten minutes. The closer they got to London University, the denser the red mist became, and the stronger the smell of blood.

When Chen Ke and Xu Jing stood at the entrance of Langdon University College, Chen Ke noticed the entire school building enveloped in red fog, the pungent smell of blood causing him to frown, almost wanting to cover his nose.

From the outside, London University looked almost like a church, a very large cruciform Gothic structure with a huge lawn within.

Peering through the gate, one could see a white statue in the center of the lawn. At this hour, there were not many students or teachers moving around.

Just as they were about to enter, the doorkeeper, a short, rotund man dressed in a brown uniform and wearing a blue cap, stopped them.

"Sir, do you have a student ID?" the doorkeeper asked with a furrowed brow, his tone interrogative.

"Um... no," Chen Ke shook his head.

"And you, ma’am?" the doorkeeper then turned to Xu Jing.

At this moment, two white men brushed past them and walked into the campus.

"I noticed that you didn’t check their IDs," Xu Jing commented with a smile.

"I usually only check those who look suspicious. As everyone knows, most of you barbarians from the East are only good for railroad work and unlikely to have a chance to attend King College," the doorkeeper said sarcastically.

"We can fix more than just railroads; we can fix you too," Chen Ke replied.

The doorkeeper was shorter than Chen Ke, yet he held his head high with arrogance. He wanted to retort but, upon seeing Chen Ke’s gaze, decided against it.

"If you don’t have IDs, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in," the doorkeeper said coldly, his expression making it clear there was no room for negotiation.

"Have any Asians entered recently?" Xu Jing asked.

"No comment," the doorkeeper shook his head.

Xu Jing sighed. She glanced at Chen Ke, who was intently staring at the ground; Xu Jing knew Chen Ke was using his Spiritual Vision.

Chen Ke looked up and signaled with his eyes, Xu Jing understood immediately.

"Sadly, you’ve missed some fun. We’ll come back," Xu Jing said with a smile, pulling on Chen Ke’s arm as they left the college.

"What did you see just now?" Xu Jing asked.

"There’s something beneath this college," Chen Ke answered.