Li Rui walked down the neon-lit street with his hands in his pockets, kicking a walnut-sized stone ahead of him. It seed to have co from a broken curb.
He found himself surprisingly calm. In fact, he used to secretly fantasize that his parents were not dead and might suddenly show up one day, claiming they had faked their deaths.
But now that he actually saw them, he didn’t feel anything special; it was like eting friends he hadn’t seen in many years.
Thud.
The stone he kicked landed in a nearby trash can.
"Am I late?" he asked.
Cheng Mingyue stood on the curb, rocking on her heels, with her hands behind her back, wearing a dress she normally wouldn’t wear: "I ca early."
The two naturally linked arms, as if they were long accustod to it, indistinguishable from any other couple on the street.
However, if anyone overheard their conversation, they would surely be startled.
"The border is already starting to close; now trying to enter the country has beco very difficult."
"Do we have enough people? Why haven’t we received any notification?"
"Maybe soon, but there might be other arrangents."
"What arrangents? Attacking the Holy Judgnt High Court?"
"I don’t know, my uncle said that the top still needs to negotiate with the Western Kingdom. I never thought that after coming out from the Secret Realm battlefield, we would join forces with them."
As Cheng Mingyue spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up, pointing at the entrance of a restaurant beside them, she exclaid: "I want hot pot! I’m starving."
Just as Li Rui was about to agree, he suddenly felt a weight in his hands, and Cheng Mingyue collapsed against him without a word.
On closer inspection, eight stars were engraved on the mark.
"... Why didn’t you ntion the Secret Realm before."
Li Rui looked speechless as he hurriedly carried her to a taxi, heading to the capital branch.
The two greeters at the hot pot restaurant’s entrance turned pale.
"That girl just now..."
"Fainted from hunger?"
The downside of the Secret Realm countdown being canceled is that all Secret Realm agents would enter a sudden coma mode, catching people off guard.
Li Rui called the logistics team to inject Cheng Mingyue with glucose to prevent hypoglycemia. After all, now that the flow of ti inside and outside the Secret Realm was the sa, it was unclear how many days the coma would last.
He stayed outside the awakening room, playing on his phone, when he saw Nan Jiui shouting in their small group chat.
"Brothers, I’m going to be stationed at the border. Have any of you received assignnts?"
After the Secret Realm battlefield ended, their four-person group was split up, because with the significant increase in strength, they needed to be developed into independent roles.
But no one responded.
"... None of you have tasks?"
"I do."
Jiang Yu said, "I have to be on duty within the borders. The public is feeling uneasy about the situation in the chaotic places, and we need to prevent illegal agents from infiltrating."
"What about Brother Chuan?"
It was only then that Dong Sanchuan spoke up.
"Confidential."
Upon seeing this ssage, everyone approximately figured it out.
The current confidential task was likely escorting diplomatic personnel out of the country.
After all, the Holy Judgnt High Court and the Polar Cathedral had already united. There were even rumors that they were planning to form a union called the Ten Thousand Gods Country, foreseeing that the world order would undergo trendous changes. Other countries needed to reach consensus, and discussions were essential.
"What about Li Rui?"
Nan Jiui asked again.
"I just ca back and haven’t received the next task yet."
As an official advisor, Li Rui’s reconnaissance missions in chaotic places were naturally not public.
Seeing his ssage, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.
At this critical mont, his return was self-explanatory and was surely related to that explosive news.
No one else said anything, only Nan Jiui replied playfully: "Alright, alright, Advisor Li, thank you for your hard work / sends flower."
Li Rui couldn’t be bothered to respond and put away his phone.
Cheng Mingyue’s Secret Realm lasted three days, and since Li Rui had nothing to do, he studied Secret Realm materials nearby.
Now that he had the ability to break through the Secret Realm barriers, he needed to carefully plan matters regarding the Dragon Thunder and Earth Thunder. Additionally, the search for Celestial Thunder clues had to be prioritized.
It was obvious that Zuo Qiutian and the others, whether they truly intended to enter the Upper Realm or had other aims, were definitely beyond ordinary comprehension.
If he could grasp the power of the Five Thunders Skill quickly, it would provide an advantage.
"Let’s aim to resolve six Thunder Generals in the next Secret Realm; then I can synthesize the twelve Dragon Thunder fragnts. Next is Ghost Cry Ridge; I have to find a way to enter that vicinity again."
"... The whereabouts of the Celestial Thunder, even the division has no information. Who should I ask?"
He thought of his parents, whom he had lost for more than a decade, and wondered if they might have so answers.
Li Rui mulled it over and realized that he might have to go to the Secret Realm World again, where he could inquire if he encountered their people.
"Jingyang Academy?"
He suddenly recalled, the academy was just east of Ghost Cry Ridge. When searching for Earth Thunder, he could find a way to break through the barrier and ask a local world NPC for insight.
It was said that the academy was full of erudite scholars familiar with both ancient and modern knowledge, potentially offering clues.
"It’d be best to try contacting Daoist Chongxu; with his introduction, entry would be easier. Plus, I could discuss these matters with him—who knows, he might be willing to help?"
Li Rui, however, wasn’t quite sure; though Chongxu had said that the fate of all beings was tied to Shenxiao Palace, this was nonetheless not his world.
Not to ntion Shenxiao Palace, even the countries in this world were not all willing to oppose the Holy Judgnt High Court. After all, all they had done so far was plant a tree and engage in so inhumane acts on their occupied territory without initiating any warfare, at most having border skirmishes with the Western Kingdom.
Because of this, most countries only expressed condemnation but had yet to take any substantive action.
Three days later, Cheng Mingyue woke up.
"I’ve reached level 56, and I feel the Secret Realm has changed a bit too," she said. "But I can’t explain it; it’s just a feeling."
Li Rui replied, "That’s normal. Many things have changed lately. I have to go to the division; there’s a new mission, and I just got the notification."
As he was speaking, he received a new ssage, coincidentally Zhuo Feilong inquiring about Cheng Mingyue’s level. After responding, Li Rui read the updated ssage and was montarily taken aback: "You have to go as well."
Once at the Superpower Division, Li Rui t an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a while in the minister’s office.
"Elder Song, what brings you here?" he asked, a bit surprised, without knowing exactly why he felt this way.
"These are turbulent tis, and I can’t just retire locally. Our esteed minister brought to headquarters, primarily working as your superior," Song Yao replied.
Li Rui chuckled bitterly, "What do you an by acting as my superior, as if I can’t do anything without supervision."
Knock knock knock.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Please co in," Zhuo Feilong said, after which Guan Gui walked in from outside.
This minister of the Superpower Division said: "Good. Now that the key personnel are all here, I’ll start by explaining that this mission’s location is within the Secret Realm."
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