Silently upgraded, indestructible for 100 million layers!

Jiang Lan opened the door and returned home.

In the living room, Shen Qingqiu, who was watching TV, was somewhat surprised to see him return at this time and said:

"Why are you up so early today?"

"Something came up, so I came back first."

Jiang Lan changed her shoes and sat down on the sofa.

Shen Qingqiu turned her head and glanced at him.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing serious," Jiang Lan said after a moment's thought. "It's just... the vice dean called me today."

"What is it?"

"The central base city gave me a recommendation for further studies."

Shen Qingqiu's eyes flickered slightly for a moment before he spoke:

"Central Base City?"

"Yes, it's one of the rewards of the exchange competition," Jiang Lan said. "It allows you to study at a top university over there, where the resources are much better than here."

Shen Qingqiu didn't speak immediately, but turned around and remained silent for a few seconds.

"When are you going?"

"No rush, the vice dean said he'll give us a reply within half a month, and the spot can be reserved."

"How long will it take?"

"The vice dean didn't say," Jiang Lan paused before continuing, "but since it's over there, it'll probably take at least a year or two."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqiu's expression didn't change much, but having spent a long time with her, Jiang Lan could tell that she wasn't as calm as she appeared.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke:

"Central Base City is indeed no ordinary place. Going there would definitely be good for you."

When it came to talking, her tone was completely calm.

But as soon as she finished speaking, Shen Qingqiu started fiddling with the remote control on the sofa.

Jiang Lan suddenly smiled as she stared at Shen Qingqiu's profile.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing..."

Jiang Lan was actually laughing because his aunt was also reluctant to part with him.

He wasn't stupid; he could naturally see his aunt's reluctance.

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Jiang Lan and then stood up.

"I'm going to cook. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"I love anything my aunt makes."

Shen Qingqiu rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen.

Before long, a series of crackling and popping sounds came from the pot in the kitchen, followed by a series of loud noises that hit the air.

……

In the following days, life returned to its normal rhythm.

At home, I attend classes, and after class, I go to the Ninggang training room for extra practice—a routine of two points.

Neither of them brought up the matter of central-level prefecture-level cities again.

We'll talk about it later.

Five days later.

Early in the morning, Jiang Lan and Shen Qingqiu went out to meet at the city guard compound and then left the city with the scavenging team.

Upon arriving at the ruins in the northern suburbs, the two separated from the main group and acted alone.

He no longer needs the protection of a team, but Shen Qingqiu has been following him every time he goes out lately.

But clearly, Jiang Lan doesn't need Shen Qingqiu's protection.

Now, he's more likely to protect Shen Qingqiu.

The two continued forward, and after about ten minutes, they gradually ventured deeper into the area.

This place is mostly inhabited by first-tier ferocious beasts; second-tier beasts are extremely rare and can only be found very deep inside.

However, there are still quite a few first-tier ferocious beasts.

Not far away, Jiang Lan saw an Ironback Wolf coming towards her.

Before Jiang Lan could make a move, Shen Qingqiu drew his long sword and charged forward at high speed.

"Pfft!"

The longsword drew a sharp arc in mid-air, and the Ironback Wolf's head was instantly separated from its body.

Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Well done, Auntie, your knife skills are getting better and better."

Shen Qingqiu sheathed his sword and glanced back at him.

Stop flattering me.

Jiang Lan chuckled, not minding at all, and continued forward with Shen Qingqiu.

Over the next half hour, Shen Qingqiu killed three more Ironback Wolves without Jiang Lan having to lift a finger.

When Shen Qingqiu chopped off the last Ironback Wolf's head, Jiang Lan looked ahead and stretched out her hand, saying:

"There's a level two one ahead, Auntie, don't move."

Shen Qingqiu, on the other hand, was not nervous at all.

After all, Jiang Lan is there; it's just a second-tier ferocious beast, so she doesn't need to worry about it at all.

"roar--!"

Before Jiang Lan could make a move, a crimson figure suddenly darted out from in front of her.

The monster was enormous, standing two meters tall at the shoulder, covered in scales, with two incredibly sharp saber teeth, and the markings on its forehead forming the character "王" (king).

It was a Bloodtooth Tiger!

"Oh?" Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

I haven't seen a Bloodtooth Tiger for a while.

If he remembers correctly, the last time he saw this thing was when he first came here and went out of the city with a scavenging team.

Across from him, the Bloodtooth Tiger bared its teeth at Jiang Lan, braced itself on its forelimbs, and pounced on him.

Jiang Lan merely glanced at it indifferently before stepping forward and throwing a punch.

"Thump!"

"Snap!"

His fist seemed to have eyes, smashing directly into the Bloodtooth Tiger's protruding right tooth.

The sharp teeth shattered instantly, and a large amount of blood gushed from the Bloodtooth Tiger's mouth.

"roar!"

Bloodtooth Tiger felt a sharp pain, its head tilted to the side, and it collapsed to the ground.

After twitching twice, the ferocious beast became completely still.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan stepped forward and quickly took out the materials before turning back to look at Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu blinked her beautiful eyes, and her expression towards Jiang Lan held a hint of something inexplicable.

Bloodtooth Tiger.

This thing, a few months ago, chased her and Zhao Gang all over the world for almost an hour before the two of them finally shook it off.

But now, he was killed by Jiang Lan with a single punch.

Although I knew Jiang Lan was very strong, but...

Shen Qingqiu's eyes grew even more profound.

Jiang Lan... will he leave?

She had to admit that she really couldn't bear to part with Jiang Lan.

Even Shen Qingqiu herself didn't know when it happened, but she inexplicably felt that Jiang Lan was already family with her.

"Auntie?"

Hearing Jiang Lan's commotion, Shen Qingqiu was momentarily distracted and inadvertently stepped on the pebbles beside him, slipping and falling.

Jiang Lan reacted quickly, instantly appearing in front of Shen Qingqiu and grabbing her arm.

"careful."

In a daze, Shen Qingqiu regained his balance and realized that he was pressed tightly against Jiang Lan without even realizing it.

In an instant, her pretty face flushed red, and in her haste, she pushed Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan hadn't expected her aunt to react so strongly. She paused for a moment, then released her grip: "Auntie?"

Shen Qingqiu took two steps back, turned her face away, and her ears turned a faint pink.

Her voice was much lower than usual.

"It's alright, let's go."

Jiang Lan naturally had no idea what Shen Qingqiu was thinking, but he didn't think too much about it and followed in Shen Qingqiu's footsteps.

However, he did notice that Shen Qingqiu had become much quieter than before, and his speed had also increased, as if he was avoiding something.

Auntie...

Could it be...

Jiang Lan had some guesses in her mind, but she wasn't sure.

The two remained silent all the way back to the rendezvous point and joined the main group.

Shen Qingqiu regained his usual composure, counted the number of people, and only after confirming that everyone had arrived did he speak:

"Let's go back."