Lantern Sister is still very capable.

Hana Shigeri looked out the window and sighed.

Hu Lan stared intently at the latest news on her personal terminal.

Beneath the densely packed physical data of various water-based and ice-based ability users lies a list of those seriously injured and dead.

And on the final list of missing persons, it was clearly written: "Pei Hanxing, Level 3 Ice Element, from the Hai City Ability User Base, is confirmed missing..."

Within half a month of Kong Lin and Shi Juexin's bodies being barely cold, their adopted son, Pei Hanxing, disappeared in Antarctica.

When Hu Lan received the list, her first reaction upon seeing the news of Pei Hanxing's disappearance was disbelief, followed by panic. It took her a long time to calm down before she called Hua Zhongli to give her instructions on how to help comfort the families of the deceased superhumans.

"After Pei Hanxing's adoptive parents died, he was completely cut off from all family ties. What are the arrangements for his funeral?" Hua Zhongli asked.

Hu Lan closed her eyes and calmly replied, "They say they're missing, but the list they sent back basically confirms it. Unless a miracle happens, they probably won't come back. There's no need to make any funeral arrangements, but there's one more person we need to notify."

"She's on a mission right now. She's only allowed to enter the Southeast Sea Front, not leave. What if something goes wrong?" Hua Zhongli was an insider who had personally witnessed the relationship between Pei Hanxing and Chu Deng, so she naturally knew that Hu Lan was referring to Chu Deng. However, Chu Deng was now a level three fire elementalist and had passed the political review, unlike the previous Fire Butterfly Feng Xuedie and Zheng Weiduo. The higher-ups still valued her quite a bit.

Hu Lan rubbed her temples. "I believe she understands what I mean. She's a sensible person."

As the sun set, its afterglow shone on Hu Lan's back, obscuring her expression.

"Pass it on."

Hua Zhongli pursed her lips. She was still wary of Chu Deng and somewhat disagreed with Hu Lan's attitude of valuing Chu Deng. However, it would be pointless to argue with her boss. Moreover, the fact that Chu Deng could get together with Pei Hanxing showed that she was not an antisocial person, so there was no need to make a big deal out of it.

Thinking this, Hua Zhongli replied and went to encrypt and spread the message.

Hu Lan sat alone in the room, silent for a while, her fingertips gently rubbing the jade bracelet on her wrist. After a long while, she murmured softly, "Don't disappoint me... Chu Deng..."

Before one has fully matured, one must conceal one's brilliance.

"Chu Deng, Mr. Zero wants you to go to his office." Li Shengtian left after informing Chu Deng; he'd recently taken to going to the medical room to freeload tea.

Chu Deng's heart skipped a beat, and she clenched her fists, a rare moment of hesitation settling in her heart.

A sixth sense told her that this was not good news, but she did not stop.

Chu Deng wasn't the kind of person to bury her head in the sand, but after hearing that Pei Hanxing had disappeared, she still felt the urge to shut out her hearing.

Pei Hanxing...

The bitter taste that lingered on her lips surprised Chu Deng. She looked into Zero's eyes to confirm the authenticity of the news.

That's true, after all, there's no need for people to tease her...

"What? Your boyfriend?" Zero asked.

He observed Chu Deng's expression, trying to discern something from it. Zero Degree disliked fighting unprepared battles. Before taking over a group of problematic fire-type ability users at the base, he had thoroughly investigated the remaining issues of fire-type abilities. Love and affection are the most hurtful things; the last one to leave a deep impression was Fire Butterfly.

However, Chu Deng's situation is different from others. Huo Hudie was betrayed by her boyfriend, while Chu Deng's situation is a dead relationship, so there shouldn't be any need for her to explode.

But if a level 3 fire-type character didn't die on the battlefield but instead chose to commit suicide for love, Zero Degree would be in serious trouble.

Originally, the base was located in the Southeast Sea. Letting him, a person from the three northeastern provinces, take over the area had already angered the local high-ranking officials. If the child, who had only come of age a few months ago, had a change of heart, Zero estimated that he would at least be exiled to Ningguta and sent back to his hometown to grow potatoes.

With that in mind, Zero, a single man in his late twenties, mustered his spirits and began to offer his own inspirational quotes.

"Just missing, not confirmed dead, and you already have no faith in your partner? Seriously? I remember he was a top-tier prospect who just awakened to level three! Maybe he's somewhere leveling up to level four and hasn't recovered yet; he'll have to look for him as soon as he comes to his senses—"

How did he disappear?

"—The way home... Huh?" Zero was caught off guard by Chu Deng's sudden interruption.

Chu Deng patiently asked again, "How did he disappear? Where did he disappear to? Did anyone see him one last time?"

That wasn't mentioned at all. Zero scratched his head and said, "Wait a minute." He then turned to send an encrypted message.

Not long after, Zero returned, gave Chu Deng a sympathetic look, coughed twice, and began to preemptively warn, "You're still so young, you have a long life ahead of you, you'll meet better people in the future..." Zero, who had stumbled upon a series of mishaps, met Chu Deng's eyes, and unusually fell silent. He swallowed hard, his throat tightening as he said, "He fell into a crevice in the ground, disappearing underground in front of everyone at the Antarctic base. The crevice closed after he fell in. The people at the base searched desperately for many days before reluctantly sending back news of his disappearance, but they said they would continue searching, but..."

Chu Deng knew what he wanted to say.

How can humans possibly resist nature? Even those with superpowers only have the strength of level four or five.

Pei Hanxing is only at level three; she's basically beyond saving.

Chu Deng closed her eyes, and Pei Hanxing's desperate gaze lingered in her mind. He wasn't dead; he was begging her for help in her dream.

"I want to go to Antarctica," Chu Deng said, looking at Zero Degrees as she opened her eyes.

Zero paused for a moment. Chu Deng's voice was clear and bright, and her eyes were clear and resolute. It was obvious that she wasn't talking nonsense. Zero froze. "You know what you're saying, don't you?"

"I'm not joking." Chu Deng turned her head away, lowered her eyes, and said in a deep voice.

The office fell into a deathly silence. Zero and Chu Deng were locked in a stalemate, neither of them speaking first.

A terrifying pressure enveloped the entire room. Chu Deng's eyes flickered, but he stood still without reacting.

A hint of killing intent flashed in Zero Degree's eyes. Ice silently formed into a sharp blade in the air, which he gently grasped with his hand behind his back.

The tiny ice fragments stuck together, making a barely audible "squeak," but it didn't escape Chu Deng's ears. Chu Deng clenched his knuckles, his mind racing as he thought of a solution.

If Zero is killed now, she will be unable to handle the aftermath and will definitely be wanted nationwide. She is not an orphan like Fire Butterfly who has nothing to lose; she has her own weaknesses, her family, and her friends.

The best way is to show weakness first, and then take advantage of the chaos when the sea monsters attack the land to kill Zero. Zero has developed a murderous intent towards her, and the mark of no future trouble hidden deep in Chu Deng's soul has been triggered. She will not let Zero live for long.

But what happens after you kill them?

Eighteen years after her rebirth, Chu Deng once again confronted her own heart. Did she really want to shed the blood of innocent people to meet her kind-hearted relatives and friends?

The smiles of Luo Xia, Chu Junhai, Chu Lin, and Jin Xiaoyue flashed before her eyes, forming a stark contrast to Pei Hanxing's painful struggle.

Time passed slowly, and Chu Deng silently released her pale hand and stomped her foot hard on the ground.

"pat-"