“You said someone was restless. Who is it?” The slightly plump man suddenly demanded, a flash of anger in his eyes.Licensed under Creative Commons. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA. www.example.com
“I can’t say yet, lest we beat the grass to startle the snake (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to take premature action and alert the enemy).”
Thanks to the young girl, Liu Xin had a rough idea of who those people were after a brief analysis.
However, he couldn’t reveal their identities without concrete evidence.
“Are you saying you still don’t trust me?” He Tianpeng’s face truly darkened with fury this time.
Having fought for years in the Void Realm, his loyalty to humanity and the present world was beyond question.
Even though his pulse wheel had been destroyed, reducing him from the Turbid World rank to the Quicksilver rank, rendering him a cripple, a single word from above would still see him leading a team back into the Void Realm.
His agreement to return to his hometown, retire, and open a security company was also driven by the desire to provide cover for his comrades in the Authority Bureau.
Liu Xin remained silent for a moment, well aware of the immense achievements of the unassuming man before him.
After some deliberation, he mouthed the name, silently conveying it.
“It’s *them*!”
Upon discerning the familiar name from Liu Xin’s lips, a profound sense of loss immediately washed over He Tianpeng.
He had never imagined that among the comrades he had once fought alongside, some would betray the present world.
Becoming the very traitors and betrayers of the present world they despised most.
“Don’t act impulsively!” Liu Xin warned.
His reluctance to inform He Tianpeng stemmed precisely from the fear that He Tianpeng, unable to control his fiery temper, would storm over and confront them directly.
That would only alert the opposing party.
All their elaborate plans would then dissolve into mere empty words.
However, years spent navigating the mundane realities of life and the tumultuous currents of the business world seemed to have smoothed the man’s rough edges.
He lifted his head and sighed, appearing to have aged several years in an instant.
“I understand.”
“Good that you understand,” Liu Xin said, raising his tablet. “Didn’t you ask where Professor Yuan was earlier?”
“I just received a message from the intel-brain; he has successfully shattered the First Void Realm and is now en route to the Third Void Realm.”
“Is that so?” He Tianpeng also let out a breath of relief. “It’s good that Professor Yuan is coming; thankfully, he’s here!”
The renowned name Yuan Fei, like a stabilizing needle of the sea (TL Note: A mythical artifact that calms turbulent waters, implying a source of stability), brought a sense of calm just by being spoken.
Indeed, he had truly lived up to the image of a stabilizing needle—shattering a complete Void Realm in less than an hour.
Such efficiency was astounding; no, it was utterly inconceivable.
If he hadn’t been in Ying City when these three Void Realms descended, He Tianpeng couldn’t even bear to imagine the scale of casualties that would have occurred.
“But speaking of which, why would a figure of his stature personally come to Ying City, such a remote little place?” He Tianpeng asked, his face etched with confusion.
Could it be for the entrance examination?
No, he had never once come to Ying City for the numerous entrance examinations in previous years.
It was always his students who came.
He Tianpeng cast a questioning glance at Liu Xin, but received only a calm, unchanging expression in return.
“So, there are things even you, Counselor Liu, don’t know,” the slightly plump man said, instantly feeling a sense of relief.
That fellow had always been cunning, secretly hoarding countless secrets and knowing innumerable compromising details about others, yet choosing not to reveal them.
It was rare for something to happen in Ying City that he wasn’t privy to.
Professor Yuan’s imminent arrival had significantly brightened his mood, even putting him in the mind to joke.
‘No, I actually have a good idea,’ Liu Xin silently retorted in his mind.
Subtly, he turned his head to look at the nearby tent, recalling his recent conversation with Yun Ning.
If his suspicions were correct, then…
…this young girl, whose records were untraceable and who claimed to be Huang Xiu, was most likely the reason Professor Yuan had come here.
“How much longer until Professor Yuan arrives?” He Tianpeng waited for a while, growing a little impatient.
He craned his neck, eyes longing, gazing towards the camp entrance, looking exactly like a ‘waiting-for-husband stone’.
The road, which cut through the camp and connected the school to the city, was utterly empty; not a single person, let alone a car, was in sight.
The intel-brain system had long since dispersed most drivers in the vicinity through various means.
This included, but was not limited to, blocking roads on navigation apps and controlling traffic flow via social media.
Liu Xin glanced at the location on his tablet and calmly stated, “Don’t worry, he’ll be here any moment.”
His words had barely faded into the air.
At the far end of the road, a Mercedes-Benz suddenly sped towards them at an alarming 120 miles per hour.
*Vroom!*
The roar of the engine was audible even from a great distance.
Only when it approached the cordon line did the Mercedes begin to slow.
The police, already informed of the occupant’s identity, immediately pulled aside the cordon line, allowing the vehicle to pass.
As the Mercedes drove into the camp, before it had even fully stopped, its rear door was pushed open, and an old man in a suit stepped out.
He landed steadily on the ground, still clad in the expensive suit he had worn when first meeting Huang Xiu.
Yet, the suit was casually unbuttoned, his white undershirt and tie nowhere to be seen, revealing a sturdy chest.
The old man walked with astonishing speed; for some unknown reason, each of his steps covered the distance of ten normal strides, as if he possessed the ability to shrink the ground beneath him.
One second, he was beside the Mercedes.
The next, in the blink of an eye, He Tianpeng was startled to find the old man already standing before them.
“Professor Yuan!” both men exclaimed respectfully in unison.
“Hm,” Professor Yuan acknowledged with a nod, then turned to Liu Xin. “What’s the situation?”
He had already learned the latest developments regarding the Third Void Realm via his intel-brain on the way here.
However, the concise intelligence briefing he’d seen on the system was naturally less accurate than a firsthand account from the person in charge.
“Your two students did remarkably well, rescuing the girls from the school,” Liu Xin remarked, a subtle intention behind his words. “However, the boys couldn’t be rescued due to the monsters and are still trapped in their dorms.”
“Two students, you say?” Professor Yuan burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this. “They’re all good kids! It’s excellent that they did well, truly excellent!”
“Where are they now?”
“Yun Ning’s injuries were too severe; he had too many broken ribs and was sent to the Authority Bureau headquarters for treatment. As for Huang Xiu…”
He glanced towards the tent beside him, where the previously lowered curtain had now been pulled aside.
A young girl, her face flushed with anger, stood there.
“You rotten old man, you’re finally here!” Huang Xiu gritted her teeth and hurled the slipper in her hand.
It was this guy who had falsely reported military intelligence, nearly getting her killed!
“Hahahaha.”
Professor Yuan neither dodged nor evaded, allowing the slipper to strike his head under the astonished gaze of the three onlookers.
Liu Xin: “…?”
Huang Xiu: “…?”
He Tianpeng: “…???”
In that instant, Huang Xiu was dumbfounded, Liu Xin was dumbfounded, and He Tianpeng was dumbfounded too.
Under everyone’s horrified stares, the plastic slipper slid from Yuan Fei’s face and landed on the ground with a *thwack*.
“Professor, this… the child is still young and doesn’t know any better. Please be magnanimous and let it go!”
He Tianpeng, in a moment of haste, pleaded for the young girl’s forgiveness, but the instant the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.
Damn it, what did this have to do with him?
His intervention now was practically fanning the flames, and he might even suffer collateral damage.
Just thinking of an enraged Yuan Fei, He Tianpeng’s legs already began to feel weak.
As a member of the Fourth Vanguard Army of the Void Realm Expeditionary Bureau, he had heard countless tales of Yuan Fei’s explosive temper.
It could be said that half of Yuan Fei’s formidable reputation was earned through his furious beatings.
When provoked, he would disregard any differences in your supposed position, age, or gender.
He would beat one if one came, two if two came.
If not for his ability to maintain a certain measure and avoid committing irreversible mistakes,
he might have been sent to prison long ago.
Now, such a powerful figure had been hit on the head with a slipper right in front of everyone, losing face. How furious would he become…?
If it had been him, he might already be writing his will.