I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 460 Just Missed a Bit
For several days, Wang Lan protected his aunt closely, not leaving her side. He even ensured that all food and drink delivered to his home were thoroughly inspected by the Tianjian Bureau to guarantee their safety.
Finally, the day arrived to send his aunt to the protection zone in the Western Military Region. This escort mission was jointly conducted by the Tianjian Bureau and the military, using a chartered flight to take them directly to their destination.
Outside Wang Lan’s Xinyu Building, seventeen military-grade, bulletproof off-road vehicles were parked. Each vehicle contained two individuals who resembled Jiajia in build. For this escort, both the Tianjian Bureau and the military had exerted their utmost efforts.
Sitting in the vehicle, the usually active Jiajia also seemed exceptionally nervous. It wasn’t that she feared an imminent assassination attempt, but the sheer gravity of the situation made her tense. Even if nothing went wrong, the intense level of protection suggested something could happen at any moment.
The convoy reached the airport without incident. Along the way, many pedestrians stopped to gaze curiously. Who could command such high-level protection? We haven’t heard of any top official coming for an inspection in Suzhou City, have we?
Upon arrival at the airport, the entire facility was temporarily shut down for an hour, and all passengers, except for staff, were evacuated. A platoon of armed warriors stood in formation on either side of a small airplane.
As the convoy pulled up, all the soldiers snapped to attention in unison.
The door of the middle car opened, and Wang Lan stepped out first. He then opened the other door to let his aunt and Jiajia disembark. He immediately opened the trunk, which was filled with luggage.
"Ms. Wang Qi, for this trip to Military Base 74 in the west, you will be escorted by the Black Tiger Star Martial Special Combat Squadron and the White Tiger Independent Squad from the Northwest War Zone," a soldier with a colonel’s insignia on his shoulder reported to Wang Qi, saluting.
His aunt had never experienced such a scene and was somewhat at a loss.
"Thank you for your efforts," Wang Lan said, carrying the luggage and smiling softly. "Don’t be so serious; relax a bit."
The officer glanced at Wang Lan’s insignia, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. A Senior Colonel this young, and a Star Sea Realm powerhouse at that—such a figure is unheard of, let alone seen!
Once the luggage was loaded, Wang Lan followed Wang Qi, holding Song Jia’s hand as they boarded the plane. The escort mission was initially a joint operation between the Tianjian Bureau and the Star Martial Army of the Northwest Military Region, but the Tianjian Bureau had sent only Wang Lan.
It wasn’t that the Tianjian Bureau didn’t value the mission; rather, if Wang Lan alone couldn’t guarantee their safety, then additional members from the Bureau would be of little use. Boarding the plane, Song Jia looked out the window curiously. Seeing the soldiers seated around them, their bodies ramrod straight, she shyly withdrew her gaze.
"Don’t be nervous; relax," his aunt said, patting Song Jia’s hand reassuringly.
"I’m not nervous, just a bit scared... Is this the kind of environment I’ll be living in from now on? It’s too oppressive, isn’t it? Brother, you’re a soldier too, so why don’t you act like one?"
"What you’re saying... I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or a criticism."
"Um... Dr. Wang Qi..." Suddenly, a soft voice called out from nearby. A spirited young man with a tanned face approached, his smile somewhat forced.
"Hello, is there something I can help you with?"
"Dr. Wang Qi... are you the scientist who invented the gene-editing formula and created the Life Potion?" The admiration in his eyes was so intense that Wang Qi found it almost blinding.
"The gene-editing formula was invented by my husband, though I did create the Life Potion. I’m just a researcher; the title of ’scientist’ is a bit much for me to accept," she modestly replied.
"No, no, you’re incredible! Even though you’re an ordinary person, you’re more formidable than our entire Star Martial Army. We kill Exotic Beasts and members of the Demon Clan, saving only a few people at a time, but with your knowledge, you’ve saved millions, tens of millions, in one stroke!"
"Dr. Wang Qi, it’s an honor to escort you. May I have your autograph?"
"Me too, Dr. Wang Qi! Could you write something encouraging for my daughter? To motivate her to study hard and make something of herself in the future?"
"Discipline!" the colonel in command suddenly shouted sternly. "The plane is about to take off..."
The atmosphere, which had just begun to thaw, suddenly stiffened once again.
"After takeoff... Dr. Wang Qi, I’d like an autograph too," the leading colonel said, breaking character in an instant. This left Wang Lan and Song Jia momentarily puzzled, but when Song Jia understood, she burst out laughing.
The plane trembled slightly, and a peculiar sensation swept over them. It felt as if they were about to be flipped over, coupled with a pronounced feeling of soaring into the sky. Through the window beside him, Wang Lan clearly saw Suzhou City receding below.
The weather that day was splendidly clear, and the azure sky was exceptionally pure. At the airport, Wang Qianfeng looked up at the plane, now high in the sky, the heavy worry that had gripped his heart finally easing.
The plane has taken off; the escort mission is flawlessly completed. In Jade Country’s airspace, it’s unthinkable that an incident like the one supporting the Kingdom of Ice and Snow could happen again. The plane should be able to land safely, right?
Gradually, as the plane entered steady flight, his aunt was busy autographing the photos and notebooks passed to her. Jiajia, on her first plane ride, was particularly excited. She grabbed Wang Lan’s hand, pointing below. "Look, there’s Clarion Lake! It’s so small! I always thought it was much bigger."
Just as everyone was feeling relaxed, Wang Lan’s heart suddenly clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand, his nerves instantly pulled taut. Without a moment’s hesitation, he wrapped his left arm around Song Jia and grabbed his aunt’s arm with his right.
"What is that—"
A cry of alarm came from the cockpit, but before the sound could fade, the two pilots inside were instantly annihilated. Then, as if the plane had slammed into an invisible wall, its front section crumpled and collapsed.
BOOM—
A fiery explosion bloomed in the sky. Wang Qianfeng, who had just turned to get into his car, snapped his head back around as if pricked by a needle. The sight before him made his eyes burn with anguish.
Where the plane had been flying moments before, now only a ball of fire remained.
A plane, checked and scanned down to every single part, actually exploded in mid-air? If the airplane exploded in mid-air, even a Star Sea Realm Star Martial Warrior would be critically injured! After a daze lasting only a fraction of a second, Wang Qianfeng roared, "Quick, rescue them! Rescue them—"
A ripple spread through Wang Lan’s room, and in an instant, Wang Lan, Song Jia, and Wang Qi appeared inside. Wang Qi was still holding a pen, in the middle of writing in a notebook. In that one instant, their surroundings had completely changed—the view, everything.
"What’s going on?" His aunt looked around, bewildered. "Isn’t this Wang Lan’s room?"
"Could the memory of boarding the airplane have been an illusion?"
"Brother, what’s happening? How did we... get back here?"
At that moment, Wang Lan was drenched in sweat, propping himself up. The Space Phoenix Form did not allow for limitless Space Movement; as the Power of Space was consumed, the physical strain of instantaneous teleportation increased. It was like a battery: when fully charged, it provided ample power, but with only half the charge remaining, tasks like climbing a slope became difficult. Over the past year or so, Wang Lan had used instantaneous teleportation multiple times to resolve crises, but with each use, his Power of Space had been drastically consumed.
"Brother? What’s wrong?"
"I’m fine." Wang Lan felt much better after recuperating for a moment. He stood up and walked to the windowsill, replaying the terrifying scene in his mind.
That was definitely a Star Martial Skill, and a Star Soul-level one at that. If I had reacted just a fraction of a second slower, my aunt and I would be dead. This wasn’t a bomb on the plane, nor was it a missile attack. If the plane had simply disintegrated, I was confident I could have protected my aunt and Jiajia. But against that Star Martial Skill, I could only escape death by using my clone rebirth ability. Such a powerful expert... A member of the Demon Clan? Or from the Yu Family? It must be the Demon Clan; Yu Ruoyun made it very clear that it serves the Yu Family’s interests for Aunt to be alive. Could this person be the same one who massacred the Zhenjiang King Mansion?
Wang Qianfeng was nearly going insane. He was driving himself, pushing the SUV’s engine to its limit, maneuvering the off-road vehicle like a race car as it charged erratically down the road.
RING RING RING—
His phone rang. Wang Qianfeng frowned in irritation. "Who the hell is calling at a time like this? How could they know something happened so quickly? Answer it for me!" he barked at Xu Shiyun, who was sitting next to him.
Xu Shiyun, also scared out of his wits, fumbled to retrieve the phone from Wang Qianfeng’s inner pocket. Upon seeing the caller ID, he practically jumped out of his seat.
"Holy shit!"
"Damn it, who is it?"
"It’s Wang Lan—"
SCREECH—
Wang Qianfeng stomped on the brakes hard. The dozen or so vehicles following him immediately slammed on their brakes as well. Those who couldn’t stop in time swerved to change lanes, narrowly avoiding a horrific pile-up.
But Wang Qianfeng didn’t care about any of that. He snatched up the phone and answered hurriedly, "Wang Lan, you’re still alive? How’s Wang Qi?"
"Wang, my aunt, Jiajia, and I are all fine."
"Where are you? I’ll come get you right away."
"We’re at home, in the Xinyu Building."
Wang Qianfeng fell silent for three seconds before responding, "Are you sure?"
"Positive! Wang, the plane wasn’t hit by a conventional bomb; it was attacked by a Star Martial Warrior... Apart from the three of us, it’s likely no one else survived."
"Don’t say any more for now. I’ll be there right away. We’ll talk when I get there," Wang Qianfeng said, his voice urgent.
Executing a U-turn on the spot, unconcerned about driving against traffic, the fourteen vehicles aggressively charged onto the nearest exit ramp, speeding towards downtown Suzhou City.
Although they had narrowly survived, Wang Lan couldn’t afford the slightest complacency. The expert who attacked the plane is someone I have no chance against, even at full strength. Furthermore, I can’t be sure if the assailant knows I’ve already escaped. If they do, they will inevitably come after us.
Time ticked by. Half an hour later, the surroundings remained calm. However, within seconds of the plane’s explosion, news of the incident had already swept through the phones of high-level officials like a hurricane or a tsunami. During the few seconds Wang Qianfeng had been on the phone with Wang Lan, his device had registered at least twenty missed calls.
"Wang Qianfeng, what exactly is going on? Didn’t you say you’d done a thorough check?" The first person to get through to Wang Qianfeng was Director Lu. As soon as the call connected, a barrage of accusations hit him.
"Director, first, Ms. Wang Qi is safe. Wang Lan saved both Ms. Wang Qi and Song Jia. I need to see Wang Lan to find out exactly what happened. I’m on my way to his location now."
"Are you certain? Are you sure you’re not just deluding yourself?"
"Wang Lan just called me; I’d stake my life on it. Director Lu, please inform the relevant departments that they are safe. I won’t have time to deal with inquiries for a bit, so I’m counting on you."
