Lin Fan's solemn expression didn't catch Old Zhang's attention. Both of them were generally cheerful individuals, rarely troubled by anything.
"Lin Fan, Old Zhang."
While they were chatting, One-Eyed Man stood at the doorway, calling their names. For him, Lin Fan was the only reliable support he had left. After all, Lin Fan was the strongest expert in the Dragon Kingdom. Faced with these mysterious visitors, their own strength was clearly insufficient, so they needed Lin Fan to handle the situation.
Inside the office, Jin He Li was also present, dressed as provocatively as ever. Any normal man would be captivated by such a beauty, to put it crudely, wanting nothing more than to… well, let's just say be very intimate.
"This is the recently collected information." Jin He Li placed the documents in front of One-Eyed Man.
One-Eyed Man nodded, picking up the documents and carefully reviewing them.
"Mysterious individuals have appeared on all the major mountains?"
Jin He Li adjusted her glasses. "Yes, according to our monitoring, many mysterious individuals have appeared in the various mountains. We don't know what they're planning, but we have observed conflicts between them and the evil creatures."
One-Eyed Man knew what they were after. Wu Sheng had told him. His greatest hope was to persuade Wu Sheng to side with humanity. However, that was wishful thinking. Wu Sheng clearly had no such intention. Thinking about it, it was understandable. He came from a mysterious place, and revealing this much was already a sign of goodwill.
As for One-Eyed Man's attempts, it was a gamble. If he didn't ask, and Wu Sheng didn't offer, who knew if it would work? If it did, it would be a guaranteed win.
Just thinking about it was a little exciting.
"What do you need from me?" Lin Fan asked.
One-Eyed Man replied, "Do you know? A crisis has arrived for humanity. Many powerful beings have come from the universe, and we're now at a critical juncture of life and death."
"And you are our hope."
Just as he said, in his eyes, Lin Fan was their hope. Based on numerous battles, if even Lin Fan couldn't face them, they were truly doomed.
Lin Fan said, "I've sensed the aura of powerful beings. I look forward to battling them."
The evil rooster, held by Old Zhang, rolled its chicken eyes. It had overheard another secret. It was no longer an ordinary evil rooster, but one privy to many human secrets. If it returned to its evil brethren now, with its level of contribution, it would undoubtedly be deified.
Lost in thought, the evil rooster drifted into a pleasant daydream. How wonderful.
"Can you defeat them?" One-Eyed Man asked.
Lin Fan replied, "Without having fought them, I always respect my opponents. So, I'd say it's a 50/50 chance."
Hearing this, One-Eyed Man was slightly disappointed. Were the odds of victory so low? He longed to hear Lin Fan say it wouldn't be a problem; that would have reassured him. But unexpectedly, it was only 50/50. Although he had spent some time with Lin Fan, he hadn't realized that Lin Fan was actually quite humble.
"I hope everything will be alright," One-Eyed Man said.
Old Zhang echoed, "Everything will be alright."
Lin Fan added, "Everything will be alright."
One-Eyed Man stared at them, bewildered. Such a serious situation, made so casual by their responses. It was hard for him to accept. He desperately wanted to understand the current situation, but it remained unclear. The movements of those mysterious beings were difficult to track. Who knew what they were doing? They could only wait for confirmation before planning their next move.
Jin He Li wanted to cover her face. Her beautiful features were strained by Lin Fan and Old Zhang's conversation. She knew One-Eyed Man couldn't handle those mysterious beings. All hope rested on Lin Fan. However… judging by Lin Fan's demeanor, his stability wasn't high, and his thinking seemed a bit off. He was indeed a man from Qing Shan, different from the rest.
After leaving the office, Old Zhang said, "I think he's very timid."
"Yeah, I can sense that too," Lin Fan replied.
Old Zhang asked, "Want to give him some needles?"
Lin Fan said, "Not for now."
They continued their patrol, their daily routine. They didn't have much to do, just wander the streets, helping those in need.
Yao Ji appeared before Lin Fan and Old Zhang. She couldn't believe that with her beauty and talent, she hadn't attracted a single young man. She considered it a humiliation.
Lin Fan wasn't particularly interested in Yao Ji. He always felt she was strange, acting familiar when they weren't close. A strange person.
If other men knew his thoughts, they would fight him to the death. How could he say such things? Such a beautiful girl actively seeking him out, practically offering herself, and he had no interest? It was outrageous! If they had such a girl pursuing them, they wouldn't hesitate. Room booked, "medicine" prepared, they would definitely battle for two days and two nights, then take the "medicine," guaranteeing a worthwhile experience.
"Grandpa, let us help you."
An elderly man's bicycle had broken down, and the items loaded on it had fallen to the ground. He was too frail to lift them.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang, being kind-hearted, stepped forward to help. The sacks seemed to contain vegetables, coated with dirt.
Lin Fan hoisted a sack onto each shoulder, while Old Zhang managed one with some effort. Yao Ji, who had been following them, found it a bit dirty and didn't want to soil her new clothes.
Old Zhang whispered, "She's not diligent at all, unwilling to help others."
Lin Fan asked, "Really?"
"Yes, I guarantee it."
"That's a shame. I like to be friends with diligent people."
"Me too."
Old Zhang was now acting like a tattletale.
Yao Ji, seeing their furtive exchange, wanted to join in. But she noticed their gazes fixed on her. Her heart fluttered. Had they finally noticed her beauty?
Little did she know… Old Zhang was snitching on her.
The old man, on his way to sell his vegetables, was deeply moved. There were still good people in the world.
In a residential building…
"Sister, your matter depends on you alone," the Demon Sister said with a serious expression.
Having lived in the human world for a while, and having binged on more than a dozen TV dramas, she was content with this peaceful life. However, with the arrival of beings from the starry sky, this tranquility was shattered.
The Demon Sister asked, "Sister, where are you going?"
The Demon Sister replied, "To seek opportunities."
"Then I…" The Demon Sister was anxious. Leaving her alone to figure things out wasn't wise. She still hadn't obtained blood from the other person's body. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and she didn't know what to do.
It was difficult. Truly agonizing. She even felt like dying.
She couldn't understand. She was willing to let him take advantage, yet he insisted on being reserved. What was wrong with a kiss? He acted as if he was disgusted.
Men… scoff.
The Demon Sister said, "Don't worry. You're too weak now. You might not be able to protect yourself in the struggle for opportunities. That human I've encountered is a special case. I don't know how he cultivates, but he's incredibly powerful. Staying by his side will benefit you. There will be a chance to retrieve your blood in the future."
"You can stay in this place. Remember to pay the rent."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Demon Sister vanished.
The Demon Sister's face showed reluctance, then she seemed to remember something and hurriedly shouted, "Sister, I don't have any money…"
The empty room offered no reply. She was gone.
The Demon Sister collapsed onto the sofa, rubbing her head, thinking about the future. She was so angry she wanted to kick herself. Why was she so stupid back then? How could she have come up with such a ridiculous idea, resulting in her blood being sucked away?
So infuriating. This was what they called reaping what you sow.
Several days later, a piece of news exploded online.
Sun Xiao, the daring and relentless reporter who risked his life for the latest scoop, venturing into dangerous territories to uncover secrets unknown to ordinary people.
The video was simple. Judging by the angle, Sun Xiao had audaciously ventured alone into the deep mountains and forests, carefully filming his surroundings.
"Hello everyone! I'm your beloved Sun Xiao, and my motto is to capture the most wondrous scenes in the world and unveil unknown secrets.
I'm currently in our country's famous Changbai Mountain. In ancient mythology, Changbai Mountain is rich with mythical stories. The reason I'm here is that when I was searching on online maps, using satellite view, I discovered a long, black shadow in Tianchi (Heaven Lake).
I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but gradually, I felt there must be something to it. So, I came. I'm risking my life to unveil this mystery for everyone…"
Sun Xiao was truly a daredevil. But he had indeed captured a miraculous scene, and it seemed to be related to mythology.
In the video, the night at Changbai Mountain was terrifying. For his safety, Sun Xiao climbed a tree to sleep, fearing being devoured by wild beasts during the night.
And then, during the night, amidst the darkness of Changbai Mountain, a fire suddenly erupted, radiating an endless glow, illuminating the entire area.
Sun Xiao was like a man possessed, desperate to know what had caused it. But soon, he gave up. The scorching heat felt like it could roast a person alive. He couldn't move and could only watch the distant firelight.
It resembled the fire demon from ancient mythology.
He began to wonder if he had encountered the mythical fire demon. In the myths, the fire demon eventually perished, extinguished by the waters of Tianchi, disappearing forever.
Of course, these were just myths. Who knew what it really was.
The next day, the footage Sun Xiao captured sent everyone into a frenzy. Filmed at Tianchi, he had actually managed to capture a creature within the lake.
A dragon… no, it didn't seem to be a dragon, but it looked like one. Pure white, with a single horn.
Netizens immediately thought of a Jiaolong (a type of dragon in Chinese mythology). Even through the screen, they could sense the ferocious aura emanating from the Jiaolong. They also witnessed the rare sight of the Jiaolong feeding, swallowing a wild ox the size of a small car in one gulp.
Terrifying.
Countries around the world were paying attention to the situation in the Dragon Kingdom. When they saw the creature in the video, they were shocked. Creatures from mythology had actually appeared.
Apollo, the Sun God of the United States, planned to visit the mountains and ancient sites of the Dragon Kingdom. He had also received the news. The Dragon Kingdom would be the birthplace of opportunities. Missing out would mean being left behind by the times.
He wasn't the only one with this idea. The strongest individuals from various countries had set their sights on the Dragon Kingdom.
Someone had leaked the information, telling them that the mysterious powerful beings from the starry sky were all aiming to obtain opportunities in the Dragon Kingdom. If they didn't come, they would be completely left behind.
The Holy Crusader! The Expeditionary Force! Ancient Yoga practitioners! Ascetics! And so on…
These town-level and king-level powerhouses, capable of rivaling One-Eyed Man, traveled from afar. Whether their own countries would be attacked by evil creatures during their absence was no longer their concern.
They only desired greater power.
In Yanhai City, at the Special Department…
One-Eyed Man was on a call with Old Master Xu.
"Yes, it's true. According to the current situation, the incident at Changbai Mountain is real. The person who filmed the video is a locally famous live streamer, and the footage is highly authentic, not photoshopped."
"My opinion is that we can't give up. We must go to Changbai Mountain to compete. Otherwise, we'll be led by the nose."
"Exactly. We still don't know what's there. I've already organized scholars to specifically research ancient myths, hoping to obtain useful information."
Could the leader of the Yanhai City Special Department be simple-minded? Anyone who dared to say he was simple-minded was the truly foolish one.
One-Eyed Man had already begun preparations, gathering scholars of classical mythology. They had only one task: to study these ancient texts.
Since those mysterious beings from the starry sky valued these things so much, they couldn't be ignored.
Just now, Old Master Xu had called him, deciding to organize a team to investigate Changbai Mountain. Although they might encounter those mysterious individuals, who knew what would happen before they made contact?
Wu Sheng had left earlier. Before leaving, he had warned One-Eyed Man: "You can go, but be prepared to make sacrifices. Those people won't be as friendly as I am. You might die. But if you obtain the opportunities, it might be the beginning of your rise to power. I wish you all the best."
Then he left. Wu Sheng also needed to go to those places to seek opportunities. Coming here to meet Lin Fan and the master, and receiving acupuncture treatment, had greatly increased his strength. For him, even if he didn't obtain any opportunities on this trip, it was still a profitable venture.
But if he did obtain an opportunity… wouldn't that be taking off completely?