Yang Zicang’s eyes lit up.
–There’s a place like that? When can we go?–
–Haha, don’t rush. Let’s have some afternoon tea first.–
……
Hong Haocheng and Zhang Miao swam desperately in the water. The water looked ocean-blue, but it wasn’t salty, and beneath the surface swam many freshwater fish.
–Grab my luggage for me.–
The small suitcase belonging to Xufei, bobbing on the surface, was passed by Hong Haocheng into Zhang Miao’s hands.
With his head completely submerged, Hong Haocheng quietly observed the fish around him.
–Brother Hong, are you hungry too?– Zhang Miao asked, looking at the person who had already sunk into the water.
Hong Haocheng didn’t answer him, because a large fish swam over from the deeper water not far away, swishing its tail. Just as it was about to discover Hong Haocheng at a dangerous distance, two faint rings of light suddenly lit up in the bald boy’s eyes.
Behind this big fish and the small fish around it, countless energy lines faintly emerged.
Pfft! Hong Haocheng kicked off and dashed forward, instantly arriving behind the big fish that was trying to turn and flee. He reached out to snatch it, but the fish slipped through his fingertips.
This scene made Zhang Miao, who was holding a suitcase above water with his head submerged, watch with great regret. What a pity—such a big, fat fish would have been enough for both of them for dinner.
However, he had to admire Hong Haocheng’s swimming skills. Zhang Miao had grown up by the sea and been in the water since he was a kid, yet the man before him, though he didn’t look like a water sprite, moved with no less skill. Too bad his aim was still off.
But the next moment, Zhang Miao felt a chill run through his entire body.
Because he saw it again—the faint energy line in Hong Haocheng’s hand! This line was connected to the big fish that was fleeing into the distance. Hong Haocheng gently kicked his feet like a frog in the water, and the big fish, which was about to vanish into the dark depths of the lake, began to slow down. A few seconds later, it rolled onto its back and slowly floated upward. Only then did Hong Haocheng kick off and dart forward.
[I, the mysterious triangle, have obtained Chronos 8.4N]
[I have obtained Chronos Track-Line, 72.35 km.]
–Glub glub.– Hong Haocheng, holding the fish with glee, opened his mouth and let out several big bubbles.
With a splash, both of them thrust their heads out of the lake.
–Cough, spit, cough… This is what they call ‘time and fate.’ Maybe Confucius knew this messed-up world after all.– Hong Haocheng said between coughs.
Zhang Miao rolled his eyes.
After spitting out water and catching his breath, Hong Haocheng laughed and said, –Let’s find a place to grill this fish. Hmm, there should be a floating island over there.–
Then he saw Zhang Miao’s expression, as if he had just seen a ghost.
–What’s wrong?– Hong Haocheng turned and looked behind him, but saw nothing.
–Brother Hong, are you… really the Red Moxel?-
–Huh? So you’re colorblind?-
–No,- Zhang Miao said quickly. –When a Red Moxel loses their companion Enightmare, their Moxel ability disappears. How can you… still use it?-
And not just one kind!
Whether it’s the so-called ability to record others’ trajectories, or the terrifying power of waving a hand to devour an opponent’s soul just now, both are bizarrely powerful—even among the Silver White Moxel, they would be top-tier.
Could the person before him be the legendary prodigy? A cheater?
–How should I know? I want to ask you.-
After muttering that, Hong Haocheng tossed the fish to Zhang Miao, turned back into the water, and quickly brought up two more.
–Wow, there really is a place to set foot here.- Zhang Miao happily swam alongside Hong Haocheng. –How did you know about this place?-
–I’m not telling you.- Hong Haocheng climbed onto the small floating island, still some distance from the main island. It was bare, but there were a few drifting logs.
–I’m afraid we can’t start a fire.- Hong Haocheng sighed.
–Don’t worry,- Zhang Miao said this time. –As a team that deals with artillery all day, how could we not have a fire source?-
He cheerfully pulled a small object from his pocket—a dull red lighter with fine scale patterns, giving it an exotic look.
–This gadget can strike once every five minutes. But each time it costs me one day’s worth of life principal, and using it continuously also consumes boost allowance. The upside is that as long as something isn’t too damp, it can be ignited.-
–Principal?-
Hong Haocheng listened to the explanation while watching Zhang Miao gather a few pieces of broken wood from the less-than-half-room-sized shoal, stack them together, and slowly toast them with the lighter.
Zhang Miao, squatting and using the lighter’s small flame to start roasting the wet, large black wood, said toward the island shore that was now faintly visible:
–That’s the fragment of City 11. Anyone who steps onto it will be attacked by the spirit beings on it, but the rewards are also substantial. We might obtain special items from City 11. Heh heh, as long as we’re near here, we don’t have to worry about those guys in the city hunting us, because the things on the island are too powerful.-
–Oh?-
At this moment, Hong Haocheng finally had the chance to open the small suitcase and examine it closely. This ordinary-looking case had excellent sealing; he suspected it was a customized suitcase for Xu Fei. Inside were some of Xu Fei’s personal items: lipstick, a small mirror, clothes, and other things.
–My bad wife from the stars. Sigh.-
Hong Haocheng took out the well-preserved marriage certificate from it.
He opened the certificate and saw that the left half was extremely old, while the right page with a photo of Xu Ji was as brand new as ever.
–Heh, worthy of being my wife—just by attaching a photo, she makes this strange world completely helpless.-
He gently wiped the photo with his finger, then closed the marriage certificate and carefully placed it inside the box.
Suddenly, Hong Haocheng felt a gaze fall upon him.
[Auditor No. 38 is curious about my existence.]
[Auditor No. 38 wants to know who the woman is in the marriage certificate I hold.]
Hong Haocheng looked up at the night sky; there was nothing there, yet the sensation of being watched was almost tangible.
{Does the world you were born in have such beings? I have never heard of them.}
–What do you mean?-
Hong Haocheng stood up, feeling somewhat baffled—how could this voice sound directly in his heart?
Then he recalled how Xufei had forbidden him from holding the marriage certificate earlier.
Hong Haocheng suddenly felt a bit nervous: could these so-called auditors be the ones who unleashed the monsters on Earth? And if so, would what he was doing now allow them to discover that Xufei was still on Earth?
For a moment, he felt a pang of regret.
–What have you done to Earth? Were the monsters on Earth sent by you?-
{If a person’s life spans ten thousand years, then a mere twenty-odd years don’t even count as childhood.}
The other party said ambiguously:
{To you, who will come to possess long lives, the experiences on Earth may have already faded into the faint mists of ancient memory. Don’t dwell too much on them.}
As his mental command fell, a tiny red light point appeared before Hong Haocheng, instantly expanding to the height of a person, forming a light screen that swiftly enveloped the suitcase in his hand.
Then the suitcase flashed, transforming into a particle of light that merged into Moxel.
The suitcase had vanished.
{Do not open it again. Unless you find, Mo Wei.}
–Mo Wei? What is that?-
{The one you guessed—the true disruptor of the plan.}
The gaze vanished.
This so-called –Councilor No.38- came to prevent other powerful beings from discovering Xi Fei? Then I suppose I should thank him.
……
The afternoon tea counter was extremely popular.
Coffee in hand, Yang Zicang followed the unhurried Wei Zhenguo into an ancient passage, heading toward the so-called Mind Realm training ground.
Unlike Wei Zhenguo, Yang Zicang did not share the relaxed mindset of those from the Lost Illusion Company.
He thought of his all-too-limited time; if he achieved nothing in these months, he would have to regretfully go through resignation procedures.
That would mean not only losing the elusive –Dark Gold,- but also the –Up-Freq- device that was almost within his grasp—snatched away in bitter loss.
And to obtain that precious –Up-Freq- device—as the person who received him on his first day had informed him—he needed to earn the –Elite Employee- rating in the year-end evaluation.
It wasn’t necessarily difficult.
But to get a rating, one must first have work performance, and he had only joined at the end of July.
–What are you thinking about? You look a bit nervous,- Wei Zhenguo said with a smile.
–I was thinking about how quickly I could capture those slippery frequency bands in that training ground.-
The middle-aged man shrugged.
Yang Zicang glanced at the corridor, which was growing emptier by the moment. He took two quick steps forward, closing in on the middle-aged man’s shoulder.
–Uncle Wei, why is it so quiet here? Isn’t the training ground usually open?-
–No, you’ve got it all wrong.-
Wei Zhenguo turned his head and replied, –The training ground’s effects are decent enough, but compared to the workout we get on the job, the benefit it provides isn’t really worth making a special trip.-
–What? Then what are we…-
–It’s mainly a reward. I told you—your mental rank is already suited for entering there.-
Yang Zicang only then recalled that the man had indeed mentioned this key point before.
He was about to ask for details when a beam of folded light shot toward him. It was his group leader—this time, she hadn’t used her employee card, so when she connected, Yang Zicang immediately saw through the sensory projection the young girl standing by his workstation.
{Where did you run off to? Hey, Zizang, are you on your way to the Mindscape Training Ground?}
–Yes, and I think you know who’s taking me there, Group Leader.-
Wei Zhenguo beside him flashed a warm, fatherly smile.
–Xiao Zang’s psychic power has reached the second ring, eighth stage, and it could break into the ninth stage at any moment. He’s already pre-booked the year-end reward, so there’s no way he can exchange for a suitable [Psychic Power Operation Pattern] through the ‘Elite Employee’ status. That’s why I’m planning to take him to the training ground to try our luck.-
{I see.}
On the other side, Jiao Ma wore a puzzled expression, as if torn between worry and regret.
{Then keep a close eye on him, Uncle Zhenguo. Don’t pick a ‘Base Pattern’ that doesn’t suit him.}
–Of course.-
[Jiao Ma wants to perform Pro-Invest for me.]
[Jiao Ma invested virtual zero Chronos10000N for me.]
Seeing a dim golden light streak along Moxel’s thread and instantly enter the ring on Yang Zicang’s chest, Wei Zhenguo chuckled:
–Team Leader Jiao Ma is really worried you won’t make it through in there—she actually gave you that much investment.-
–How much could you tell?-
–Pretty good—it’s almost the size of a mung bean, at least nine or ten thousand. Seen it enough times and you can roughly guess.-
–You really are rich in experience.-
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