The military district.
Inside a massive conference room, several hundred people stood packed together. They were dressed in all sorts of strange outfits. Some wore Daoist robes, some were wrapped in straw rain capes, while others looked no different from ordinary pedestrians crossing the street—dressed plainly, without a single distinctive feature. Their faces were so forgettable that one could hardly remember them.
A true cross-section of humanity…
Every major sect in the Dragon Kingdom with any influence had sent someone. Even the smaller sects were represented. Everyone who had received the call had come rushing over at once.
How could anyone dare ignore a red phone call?
Clearly, some people still couldn’t tell who held the power!
Normally, I don’t care if you pretend to be mystical and collect a little incense money. But when we need you, if you still dare to play dead, don’t blame me for taking away the tools of your trade!
Even the powerful forces of idealism feared the righteous iron fist of materialism. That was an indisputable fact.
A burst of 7.62 rounds, and everyone would confess at once.
“Sir, I remember now! I’m not the heir to some ancient tradition—I’m a soldier of the Dragon Kingdom! I’m an upstanding citizen!”
“I just happened to learn a few unorthodox skills. Please, you have to let me join the glorious ranks of the people’s soldiers and make a contribution to the country and its people!”
“Please, don’t turn me down!”
Everyone present held considerable status, whether within their sects or in their local communities. Yet now, every single one of them was standing there in a great mass. They didn’t even have a chair to sit on or a cup of tea to drink.
Still, no one dared complain. They were merely wondering what kind of unbelievable incident had occurred this time to warrant summoning so many people.
There had been several similar situations before: the marshes of Ailao Mountain, a certain freshwater lake within the Dragon Kingdom, the Dragon Kingdom’s side of Mount Everest…
On several occasions, a large group of people had been sent over, and the matter had ultimately been suppressed.
Naturally, that was referring to situations these people could handle. If they couldn’t handle them…
Then a little military exercise could be arranged.
If persuasion failed, they were also somewhat skilled with their fists.
This world was vast. Some things existed beyond the reach of ordinary people. But it was also a very small world. There was no sword-flying or ascension to immortality like in novels, nor could anyone cleave open the heavens with a single strike.
At most, they were a little healthier, lived a little longer, had sharper eyes, could see things others normally overlooked, possessed a bit more strength, and knew a few more things…
That was all.
As Madam put it…
“Oh, come on. You’re overthinking it. I want to fly too. Go wash up and get some sleep. Everything exists in dreams.”
That was how things had happened. A little here, a little there, and then a little more, all piling up until they formed the enormous crowd before them.
More than a hundred people, each possessing genuine abilities.
After all… anyone without real skills wouldn’t have dared show up here. If the military district decided they were being insincere, they would suffer terribly when the reckoning came.
Clack, clack, clack…
The sound of footsteps approached. Su Weiguo walked out from backstage toward the front, dressed in camouflage fatigues. His stride was firm and powerful. He soon stopped and saluted the group of extraordinary individuals before him.
“I’m sorry to have summoned everyone here so late at night. We truly had no choice. I hope you’ll forgive us…”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Su Weiguo got straight to the point and began discussing the real matter.
“I’ll keep this brief. Please watch a recording first. If there’s anywhere you need us to pause or enlarge, just say so.”
After speaking, Su Weiguo stepped down from the platform in front of him. A screen was lowered, and a projector began displaying high-definition footage from the surveillance cameras inside the military district.
The footage first focused on the guard soldiers. Although it was nighttime, the advanced night-vision equipment made it look no different from daytime.
The timestamp at the top of the screen showed that it was the early hours of the morning…
The seconds ticked by.
Then, without warning, an alarm appeared in the footage. Behind the soldier on duty, an inconspicuous black speck appeared in the background. It rose from the ground and leaped into the air, effortlessly clearing a several-meter-high wire fence and wall!
“Pause it here.”
Someone was the first to speak. It was a middle-aged man dressed in Daoist robes. Judging by the characters on his back, he appeared to be from Maoshan.
Naturally, this was orthodox Maoshan, not one of those wild Maoshan frauds outside who used the Maoshan name to scam people. They had a proper lineage, and had received recognition from both the local authorities and the government.
“How should I address you, Daoist Priest? Oh, right, my name is Su Weiguo. Everyone can call me Brother Su, Old Su, or Xiao Su.”
Taking the opportunity, Su Weiguo introduced himself. He deliberately kept a low profile.
After all, when one needed something from others, that was only proper.
“Political Commissar, you’re too polite. My surname is Wang. Just call me Daoist Priest Wang.” The middle-aged Daoist did not choose any of the forms of address Su Weiguo had offered.
Instead, he addressed him by his official position. Clearly, he knew exactly who Su Weiguo was and had no intention of overstepping any boundaries.
“Very well, Daoist Priest Wang. Did you notice something?” Su Weiguo asked, though he already knew the answer.
He had expected someone to spot it, but not so quickly. The moment it appeared, it had been identified.
These people… really were impressive!
Previously, Su Weiguo and the others had spent several hours studying the surveillance footage. In the end, they had only found the “shadow” hidden in the background with the help of infrared thermal imaging.
“Yes. And it wasn’t only Wang who noticed it. Quite a few of our fellow practitioners here should have seen it as well. There’s a black shadow that appeared in the back.”
Daoist Priest Wang pointed toward the place where the shadow had appeared.
Many of the hundred or so people below nodded subtly. Even more, however, remained expressionless as they continued watching, while inwardly marveling…
The other sects had apparently preserved quite a few of their signature skills after all these years.
They were still quite impressive.
The torrent of time rolled relentlessly forward, carrying countless things along with it. The wheels of history would not stop—or even slow down—for any one person.
Technology continued to advance, while these sects hidden among ordinary society were slowly being worn away, bit by bit.
They were no longer as glorious as they had once been. If the people in charge had not been sensible and granted them a chance to survive, they would have been broken up long ago. They might not even have retained their names or their schools.
Apart from a few major sects that could rely on the reputation and foundations passed down from the past to continue getting by in this new era, most had already lost their successors. In another few decades—or perhaps even a hundred years—they would disappear completely.
Under such circumstances, with such a gathering…
How difficult was it?
It was almost a blessing that something had happened in the military district this time. Otherwise, when would they ever have had the chance to see so many people of the same background together?
It was hard.
Far too hard…
“Daoist Priest Wang, you have sharp eyes!” Su Weiguo couldn’t help praising him. He then had the staff enlarge the image on the screen, finally freezing the frame on the shadow.
A mass of something tall and vaguely humanoid—
a towering black shadow.
The moment Daoist Priest Wang saw the tall black silhouette, his brows furrowed. It seemed he was searching through his memories for anything related to it…
“I wonder if any of you can identify it. What exactly is this black shadow?”
Su Weiguo did not keep them guessing. Nor did he dare to. At a time like this, stalling would only delay the rescue of Ye Cheng. If that happened, how could he ever face his little sister again?
Su Weiguo quickly displayed the other videos and images as well, all of them carefully compiled beforehand.
The black shadow had been moving openly through the military district. Even the most advanced cameras available had been unable to capture its figure clearly. More terrifying still, they had never managed to capture its face!
There was only ever a blurry afterimage!
Everyone: “???”
The people who had been somewhat lax a moment ago instantly perked up. They sat up straight, frowning as they carefully studied the tall black shadow in front of them…
It only took a few minutes to finish watching the clips. At times, someone would ask them to pause and show another angle, and Su Weiguo complied with every request without complaint.
In the end, everyone reached a consensus…
The black shadow appearing in the surveillance footage absolutely could not be human!
It had to be some kind of supernatural creature!
Now everyone finally understood why they had been summoned. For something like that to swagger into the military district was indeed unacceptable.
It had to be punished severely!
What they could not understand was what exactly a supernatural creature had done to make the military district so furious that they had summoned everyone in the middle of the night.
Could it be some military secret?
That did not make sense either. Why would a supernatural creature steal military secrets for no reason?
Or perhaps the military possessed some treasure that the creature had taken a liking to?
Was this treasure so important that even the military would be heartbroken to lose it, forcing them to recover it at all costs?
In an instant, more than a hundred people at the scene came up with countless theories…
But one thing was certain: whatever it was, it had to be extremely important!
After watching for so long, they had yet to see any footage of the tall black shadow hurting anyone, so they decisively ruled out the possibility that the military was seeking revenge. Besides, the tall black shadow’s intentions were clearly focused on finding someone!
It was not wandering around aimlessly. It was searching methodically, as if looking for something in particular!
“Everyone, there’s one more set of footage. I hope you’ll keep your eyes open and see exactly what this black monstrosity is!”
As Su Weiguo said this, his chest heaved violently. He could no longer suppress the fury in his heart.
This was footage from inside the nursing home—the high-definition recording of the moment Ye Cheng had been taken away!
“Bang!”
A single punch smashed through the tempered glass. Then, with its bare hands, it tore apart the steel bars and climbed in from outside!
Everyone: “???”
Holy crap!!!
A great demon capable of taking human form!
Nothing was more direct than video evidence, especially when the surveillance clearly captured the sounds of the steel bars twisting, overheating, and deforming…
That was absolute strength!
A supernatural creature—and one with an extraordinarily deep cultivation!
There were plenty of details in the footage. For example, Madam climbing in through the window, Da Huang looking around everywhere, and, finally…
At the end of the corridor, Ye Cheng was standing around doing nothing, scrolling through brain-rotting short videos.
Of course, he had his head lowered at the time, pretending to be working hard while reading the nursing aide training manual in his hands…
It was just that his face was reflecting light a little.
Well, that was perfectly normal, wasn’t it? People always said that books contained golden houses. What was wrong with the gold being a little shiny?
Everyone else was shocked and terrified by the supernatural creature’s monstrous strength. Only Shen Qinghan grew more and more silent as she watched. No… it would be more accurate to say that she had been completely stunned the moment she saw the black shadow move.
No wonder… she had thought that tall black shadow on the road looked so familiar.
So it was that naturally evil old woman…
“Why is Big Brother here?”
Shen Qinghan’s thoughts were interrupted by the utterly astonished voice of Lin Baizhi beside her. Lin Baizhi had a bump on top of her head as she repeatedly checked and compared the footage.
It was Big Brother!!!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
