Chapter 1101: Chapter 145: Return
“…On the twenty-third, we arrived at Daitown, a beautiful rural town, but it is no longer as peaceful and picturesque as it used to be. Now it looks like a glamorous dancer dressed up, standing on stage, waiting for one customer after another to arrive.”
In the lodge they were staying at, Ren Ziling rested her fingers on the keyboard, looking at the folder named ‘Ren Ziling’s Strange Incident Book’ on the screen, frowned slightly, and soon deleted these two lines of text.
She took a cup of hot tea over to the window, gazing at the dense fog outside the town.
Rumor has it that this fog is still spreading, probably covering this small town in a few days. At this moment, there are people in the town who are worried, and many have already left with their families to avoid the situation.
However, some businessmen are adamantly staying in the town at this time—for obvious reasons, because business opportunities are almost limitless now, travel expenses are several times higher than usual, and even a bottle of water is sold as expensively as it would be in a large tourist area—naturally targeting the media that came running.
Of course, other than the media, it’s unknown whether there are other people—however, the local town government has issued a notice, demanding that everyone must evacuate within the next three days at the latest.
As a journalist with dreams, who doesn’t want to be a couch potato, this time Subeditor Ren fought fruitlessly with the newspaper owner’s hand, decisively used her accumulated paid annual leave, dragged along Lizi and Akiko, and came to this place prepared. If nothing is discovered, it would really be a loss.
Ren Ziling rubbed her brow, leaning against the window, closely watching the white cloud-like dense fog. Pure white, pure white, pure white.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Lizi pushed open the door and came in, holding a pot of hot water, plaining, “Sister Ren, the lodge owner is so greedy, even the tap water is expensive!”
“This can’t be helped.” Ren Ziling shook her head, “We came late, having a place to stay is already good enough… How is Akiko?”
Lizi sat on the edge of the old single bed, “She said to go out and look around to see if she can gather any information.”
Just then, the old bed made a creaking sound from the friction of wood, and Lizi’s stomach also grumbled—she had already finished her rations on the road, and didn’t have time to replenish them along the way.
What’s worse, the unscrupulous Subeditor Ren has been crazily and unreasonably exploiting Lizi’s savings under the guise of reimbursement along the way.
Ren Ziling sat back down, pretending she didn’t hear those grumbling sounds, casually said, “She’s really quite proactive.”
In fact, she hadn’t initially planned to take Akiko with her, but Akiko inadvertently overheard their conversation and showed a great deal of interest, actively asking to e along.
Subeditor Ren, although living quite frugally, was surprisingly someone who liked to mentor newers, and after proposing the condition of self-covered expenses, she cheerfully brought this newspaper newbie along.
“Perhaps she found her calling as a reporter?” Lizi laid on the bed, spreading out in a large shape, staring blankly at the ceiling… so hungry…
Suddenly, Lizi seemed to smell something, and sat up, eyes gleaming, “Sister Ren, you’re eating something, smells so good!”
Ren Ziling opened up a wax pill she was holding, then swallowed its contents, sipping water to wash it down.
“Wuji Baifeng Pills.” Ren Ziling casually tossed the crushed wax pill into the trash can, “Received it in a package sent by Luo Qiu, that brat, as a New Year gift. Saying he won’t e home for the New Year… Gosh! Sending this stuff over for the New Year makes me feel like I’ve instantly aged twenty years! Were it not for the fact it makes me feel a lot better after consuming it, I wouldn’t even eat it!”
“Speaking of which, has your skin improved a lot lately, Sister Ren?” Lizi started examining Ren Ziling from top to bottom, “You look younger, right? Do you have any more Bai Feng pills I can have often?”
“Go away!” Ren Ziling waved her palm at Lizi, “I ate the last one, do you want the wax pill?”
“Stingy…” Lizi pitifully flopped back onto the bed, resembling a caterpillar.
Ren Ziling, who always felt Lizi didn’t seem like a human being, shook her head and started putting on her boots… with even a newer outside working hard to dig up news, she couldn’t lag behind!
“Lizi, let’s go out and gather news too… Lizi! What are you eating?”
“Smells so good, strawberry flavor…”
Lizi was seen biting into a pink rubber band membrane ring, chewing away.
Ren Ziling suddenly shivered, pounced in front of Lizi, “Lizi, wake up! This is not supposed to be eaten with your mouth!”
Saying this, Ren Ziling grabbed this pink rubber band membrane ring, trying to snatch it from Lizi’s mouth—only, its elasticity was too good, and both of them pulled on it, stretching it out to more than ten centimeters.
“Be good, Lizi, give it to me!!” Ren Ziling exclaimed!
“I don’t care… just let me chew it for a few more bites!”
“Give it to me!!”
The tugging continued.
Just then, the door was pushed open energetically, and in came a voice, using insular country’s accent and not-so-fluent Chinese, “Sister Ren, I’ve found someone we can interview…えっ?”
Akiko blinked her eyes, Ren Ziling, seeing Akiko blink, subconsciously blinked along, accidentally loosening her grip, and the pink rubber band membrane immediately snapped back, hitting Lizi’s nose directly.
She cried out in pain, “I don’t eat with my nose…”
“Wait, Akiko…” Ren Ziling stammered.
“I… I’ll wait for you outside!”
Akiko quickly closed the door, followed by the sound of her footsteps rushing downstairs.
Ren Ziling froze for a moment, then sat down, sadly took out a packet of ladies’ cigarettes, lit one, took a puff, exhaled the smoke, watching it blend with the dense fog outside the glass window.
Subeditor Ren whispered, “Damn…”
…
…
Deep in the foggy area, Yan Xiaoxi had almost lost munication with the outside world—support personnel could reach by walking, but the efficiency was simply too slow.
Because all electronic devices are unusable, even the research work on the Jade Dragon Pillar has to be temporarily stopped… relying solely on manpower, information had to be transmitted back and forth, greatly restricting the actions of the Management Bureau group.
And amidst such constraints, the Jade Dragon Pillar has silently appeared as the third one, fourth one, and fifth one.
Fortunately, the appearance of five Jade Dragon Pillars already allowed Mr. Blind to successfully calculate the potential location of the sixth one.
At this moment, Wolong Mountain Villa had already released lightning with Taoist magic art, temporarily converting it to electricity to maintain basic infrastructure.
Since the battle on the hillside last time, the enthusiasm of the remaining personnel from both sides, the Dao Monsters, had not been so high—at this moment, the people arriving at the conference room were less than half of what they were earlier.
The skeptical personnel from both sides had not left Wolong Mountain Villa but were showing a tendency to work without effort.
Su Mubai and Zi Xing still attended every meeting.
“After our calculations, the possible locations for the sixth Jade Dragon Pillar are these three.”
At this time, Yan Xiaoxi marked the locations calculated by Mr. Blind on the map. Looking at these places, Zi Xing couldn’t help but frown, “Chief Yan Xiaoxi, may I ask how these locations were calculated?”
“The Management Bureau also has talents proficient in formations and calculations. We conducted massive calculations outside the thick fog with the help of numerous puters and came up with these three locations,” Yan Xiaoxi said calmly at this time.
“Director Yan.” Zi Xing paused for a moment and then said, “Leaving aside the intentions of the Tianxin Seventy-First Generation… shouldn’t we be a bit more candid?”
Yan Xiaoxi frowned, “What does Purple Star Young Master mean?”
Zi Xing said solemnly at this time, “I heard some time ago that Wolong Mountain Villa was ambushed… but the attackers were wearing black clothes and bronze masks, three people in total, and among them, two were killed. Is this true?”
“True.” Yan Xiaoxi said expressionless.
Zi Xing then said, “In fact, the two so-called killed attackers actually mitted suicide, is this true?”
“True.”
At this time, Zi Xing’s gaze sharpened, “And these two who mitted suicide as Death Warriors are from the batch of Dao Monsters who opposed you and left that day, is this true?”
“True.”
“Why has Director Yan been hiding this matter?” Zi Xing said with a slightly cold voice, “If not for the resources my people still have, I suppose Director Yan intended to keep it concealed?”
“To prevent unnecessary panic, I issued the order to keep this matter confidential,” Yan Xiaoxi looked straight at Zi Xing, then at Daoist Master Su Mubai, “Both of you, the current situation is very unfavorable for us. I don’t know what consequences the spread of this news might bring, so the best method currently is to conceal it.”
“Yan Xiaoxi.” Zi Xing said solemnly, “I am staying here purely because of that ‘agreement’, but I am not someone for you to deceive with flowery words… Perhaps your Management Bureau deems that with all those advanced weapons, you can handle everything without needing any support.”
“Both of you, what matters now is not quarreling but quickly preventing this matter,” Su Mubai said hurriedly at this time, “The thick fog keeps expanding, and no one knows how much more it will cover. I believe the outside has bee chaotic, and perhaps no matter how much power the state exerts, it can hardly cover this matter, so Director Yan, I think Purple Star Young Master is not wrong… We aren’t refusing to cooperate, just hoping to get basic respect.”
Yan Xiaoxi took a deep breath, only speaking after a while, “I suspect that among the Dao Monsters, quite a few have already followed the Tianxin Seventy-First Generation.”
Zi Xing and Su Mubai exchanged glances.
Zi Xing frowned and said, “But what about when we were captured at the fake dwelling?”
Yan Xiaoxi said, “Perhaps, including both of you, there were quite a few Dao Monsters among those captured who were ‘willing’ from the start, which explains how the Tianxin Seventy-First Generation could silently capture so many. But of course, this is only a conclusion speculated based on the current intelligence, and it is not necessarily accurate. However, if it is accurate…”
“If it is accurate, we might not even know how many more in Wolong Mountain Villa are… our own,” Su Mubai continued, then gave a bitter smile, “In this kind of situation, even those beside us may actually be… This is truly a terrible situation.”
Su Mubai’s gaze fell upon Zi Xing, the implication was quite apparent… that you, Purple Star Young Master, might also be on the Tianxin Seventy-First Generation’s side.
The conference room fell silent.
After a long time, Zi Xing sighed and said in a low voice, “Can we win this battle?”
Yan Xiaoxi was about to speak, but at that moment, an agent from the Management Bureau hurriedly came in, and the person looked full of energy, but with eyes filled with surprise, “Director, we received a transmission from Captain Ling Feng!”
Yan Xiaoxi, Su Mubai, and Zi Xing suddenly stood up!
…
…
The location was near Daitown.
It was Captain Ling Feng leading a number of agents from the Management Bureau, along with Cang Jinshui and Qu Xinghe—due to munication delays, when this message reached Yan Xiaoxi, it was already more than half a day later.
Then, it took nearly half a day for Yan Xiaoxi and the others to depart from Wolong Mountain Villa and rush to Daitown to meet Captain Ling Feng and the others emerging from the Penglai Treasury.
They had been missing for nearly half a month, during which time external turmoil occurred. Their return at this time indeed invigorated many—especially since, among the returnees were also Cang Jinshui and Qu Xinghe from the Four Spirits of Heaven among the demons.
“That’s how it is.”
That night, everyone met, and Captain Ling Feng pointed at a spot in an open area behind the granary, “We came out from this place. But after we all left, the passage disappeared. However, Centennial Tribulation Leader seems to still be trying, and more of us might e out from here… Of course, this is just my speculation.”
Dr. Zhao, who came with the team, quickly directed people to set up various instruments around the place Captain Ling Feng indicated.
At the same time, Captain Ling Feng and Cang Jinshui and others were telling everyone about the terrifying events they experienced in the Penglai Treasury—events involving Gaia.
The harrowing accounts of untold horrors made Yan Xiaoxi and others shiver upon hearing them—learning about a place in this world capable of obliterating almost all elite Dao Monsters within an instant… The level of despair seemed even more terrifying than the current opponents, the Tianxin Seventy-First Generation.
“What is this?”
Unlike Yan Xiaoxi and others, who were overwhelmed by the shocking news, Dr. Zhao was curious about what an agent was holding.
“This was taken from inside, and there are some other things over there.”
With that, the agent waved the metal rod he was holding.
A beam of light shot out from the metal rod instantly—the agent casually swung the beam, which sliced a large stone beside it in half.
Dr. Zhao adjusted his glasses and said, “This thing… let me have a look.”
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