God-Tier Awakening: The Dead Can Still Level Up

Chapter 40: Return

When they reached the edge of the forest and the city walls came into view, Wuxia stored the Panther back inside the soul mark.

Xingluo continued on foot, running across the remaining distance until she reached the southern gate.

Several mercenaries and Awakened were already waiting in line while the guards checked their identities, equipment, and records before allowing them inside.

When Xingluo’s turn came, the guard looked at her for a moment with slight confusion.

Her clothes were clean, her injuries had mostly recovered after the repeated level-ups, and there was little about her appearance suggesting that she had spent more than a week inside the wilderness.

"Name and identification."

"Luo Xingluo."

The guard checked her information, asked several basic questions about where she had been, then recorded her return before allowing her to enter.

The moment Xingluo passed through the gate, she released a long breath and stretched her arms above her head. "Finally. I can laze around again."

Wuxia raised an eyebrow. "Keep lazing around, and you will miss every future reward and opportunity that comes near you."

Xingluo pouted slightly as she continued walking. "Yeah, yeah. Let me rest for a while, at least, I am exhausted from being outside."

She raised one hand, and her phone appeared inside her palm through a faint red flash.

The storage space built into the gauntlets of The Fall of Rahk was much larger than normal spatial equipment, and because the armor remained integrated with her body even while hidden, stored items could be summoned without bringing out the full set.

The sight still looked slightly strange, as though she had simply pulled the phone out of empty air.

Xingluo turned it on and waited for the network to reconnect while walking deeper into the city.

There had been no signal outside the walls, and the moment the connection returned, notifications began flooding across the screen.

Hundreds of missed messages, calls, and alerts appeared one after another, Xingluo’s expression changed slightly.

Before leaving, she had already asked Professor Liang to help watch over her mother if anything happened, so she had not expected so many people to contact her.

Most of the messages came from her friends, but one name appeared far more often than the others, Qin Haoran.

Her expression darkened as she opened the conversation.

The first few messages sounded polite, asking whether she needed anything and saying that she could always contact him for help.

After that came an apology for what had happened several days earlier, followed by questions about why she had not appeared for the raid.

The later messages became increasingly impatient.

Do you not care about your own condition?

What about your mother? Have you thought about what could happen to her?

Xingluo frowned as she scrolled through the seemingly endless messages, then blocked the account without replying.

Wuxia had been reading over her shoulder, and his expression became colder.

"It seems Qin Haoran really may have been the one who bought every mana-poisoning antidote in the city that day."

Xingluo put the phone down and sighed. "I do not know, I thought he would leave me alone after everything that happened."

"Qin Haoran is a beast wearing human skin," Wuxia replied. "You know nothing about what he is truly like."

His gaze remained on the blocked conversation. "The person he shows in public and the person he becomes when nobody is watching are completely different."

Xingluo stored the phone back inside the armor and continued walking. "Then I will ignore him for now. He cannot do much inside the city as long as I stay away from him."

She raised one arm and flexed lightly before a confident smile appeared on her face. "Besides, I think I can beat him now."

Wuxia laughed once. "Do you truly believe the city’s number one genius will be that easy to defeat?"

Xingluo lowered her arm and looked ahead. "We will find out when the time comes."

She turned toward the road leading home. "For now, I just want to sleep."

Wuxia watched her walk several steps ahead while the busy streets moved around them.

Has this girl become too fearless after one dungeon?

Wuxia remained silent and followed her through the crowded streets, while Xingluo continued toward home without the slightest sign of worry.

When Xingluo finally reached home, she stopped in front of the door and knocked, still officially on leave from the university.

Footsteps sounded from inside almost immediatel, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal her mother standing there.

Her mother froze for a moment when she saw Xingluo, then quickly pulled the door wider. "You are finally back, your professor said you had gone somewhere for training."

Xingluo nodded and stepped inside. "The training lasted longer than I expected."

Her mother closed the door behind her and led her toward the living room, but the moment Xingluo entered, she stopped in surprise.

Her father was sitting on the sofa, seeing him at home was already rare, but his face looked exhausted, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes as though he had barely slept.

When he saw Xingluo, a tired smile appeared on his face. "How have you been, Xingluo? I am sorry I have not been available for the past month."

Xingluo pouted slightly before walking over and hugging him. "Do not worry about it, Father, but you should take care of yourself too, you are always working."

Her father placed one hand on her back and gave a quiet laugh, but the sound carried little energy.

Wuxia watched the family reunion from beside her, yet instead of relaxing, a strange sense of foreboding began rising inside him.

Nothing in the room looked unusual, but the atmosphere felt heavier than it should have and Xingluo’s parents were both avoiding her eyes.

Xingluo slowly released her father and looked between them, the smile on her face faded slightly as she finally sensed the same tension.

"Did something happen while I was gone?"

Xingluo’s father remained silent for several seconds before releasing a tired sigh. "It seems I will be staying at home from now on."

Xingluo looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The company I worked for, the one owned by your Uncle Zhang, has been shut down," he replied.

"The police detained several senior employees for questioning, and everyone connected to the company has been placed under investigation."

He rubbed his forehead before continuing, "All our professional licenses and employment records have also been temporarily sealed. Until the investigation ends, none of us can take another job in the same field."

Xingluo’s expression slowly became serious. "Why was the company closed?"

"At first, we thought it was some legal mistake or an issue with the company’s documents," her father said. "But everything happened too quickly, and every request for clarification was rejected."

His hands tightened slightly as he looked down.

"Later, Uncle Zhang learned that someone was using their influence to suppress the company and everyone associated with it."

"We do not know who is behind it, what they want, or how long this situation will continue."

The room fell silent after his words, Xingluo looked toward her mother, who avoided her gaze, while Wuxia’s expression became cold beside her.

The timing was too precise to be a coincidence.

Before Xingluo could question them further, her mother placed both hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her toward the stairs.

"Do not worry about these things. Your father and I will handle everything, so go upstairs and rest."

Xingluo tried to remain in the living room, but her mother continued pushing until she finally gave in and climbed the stairs.

She entered her room and closed the door, yet the voices downstairs remained faintly audible through the quiet house.

"We still need to pay the loan sharks this month."

"I know, but after the company accounts were frozen—"

"Then perhaps we should delay buying the antidote next month. Missing it once should not cause anything serious."

Xingluo’s footsteps stopped, her fingers tightened beside her body as anger rose across her face, while Wuxia floated silently behind her.

"I do not know who the fuck is doing this to Uncle Zhang’s company and Father, but when I find them—"

"You already know," Wuxia interrupted.

Xingluo turned toward him and froze for a moment before her expression changed.

"Qin Haoran? But why would he target my father’s company, and how could he even know where Father works?"

Wuxia gave a cold laugh. "Why would he not know? Do you truly believe the laws and regulations of this city can restrain someone like him?"

He moved closer to the window and looked toward the distant centre of the city.

"Qin Haoran is practically its prince. His family has influence over businesses, officials, guilds, and people who can make an investigation appear completely legitimate."

Xingluo’s gaze darkened as she remembered the messages he had sent.

"He is still being subtle," Wuxia continued. "He has not attacked your family directly because he wants pressure, not an obvious crime connected to him."

His expression became colder. "But judging from this, it seems we have already pushed him close to the limit of his patience."

Xingluo remained silent for several breaths before taking out her phone. "Then I will continue ignoring him. As long as I remain inside the city and stay away from him, he cannot openly do anything."

She looked toward the floor beneath which her parents were still speaking. "Once we deal with the trial and I become stronger, I will settle everything myself."

Before Wuxia could respond, the phone suddenly began ringing inside her hand, the name displayed on the screen was Yun Xia.

Xingluo answered immediately, but before she could speak, Yun Xia’s panicked voice came through the call.

"Xingluo, please help me! Please, you have to help me!"

Xingluo straightened at once. "Yun Xia, calm down. What is happening?"

"Someone is following me, I think they are trying to kidnap me."

Rapid footsteps and uneven breathing sounded through the phone as Yun Xia continued speaking.

"I called Ruan Mei and Su Lan, but neither of them is answering, I cannot reach my parents either and those people are getting closer."

Xingluo’s expression changed as she moved toward the door. "Where are you right now?"

Yun Xia hurriedly gave her a location near one of the older districts, her voice breaking as another sound came from behind her.

"I am near the abandoned commercial road, Xingluo, hurry, I do not know how much longer I can keep running."

"I am coming, keep moving toward a crowded area and do not end the call."

Xingluo rushed out of the room before Wuxia could stop her.

"Wait," he said as he followed. "This could be a trap."

"I know, but I cannot leave her there."

She ran downstairs and passed through the living room while her parents looked at her in surprise. "I need to go out for something, I will be back soon."

Without waiting for their questions, Xingluo opened the front door and rushed into the street, while Wuxia followed with a growing sense that the timing of the call was far too convenient.