Yang Zicang’s eyes lit up.

“There’s a place like that? When can we go?”

“Haha, no need to rush. Let’s go have some afternoon tea first.”

……

Hong Haocheng and Zhang Miao were swimming desperately in the water. The water looked ocean blue, but it wasn’t salty. In fact, there were many freshwater fish swimming beneath the surface.

“Grab the luggage for me.”

Xu Fei’s small suitcase, bobbing on the water’s surface, was handed over to Zhang Miao by Hong Haocheng.

Submerged with even the top of his head underwater, Hong Haocheng silently observed the fish around him.

“Brother Hong, are you hungry too?” Zhang Miao asked, looking at the man now fully underwater.

Hong Haocheng didn’t answer. A large fish was swimming towards them from the deep, swishing its tail. Just as it was about to enter the dangerous distance where it would spot Hong Haocheng, two faint halos suddenly flickered in the bald youth’s eyes.

Behind the large fish, and even the smaller ones nearby, countless energy lines faintly appeared.

Plop! Hong Haocheng kicked off and shot forward, instantly arriving behind the large fish that had tried to turn and flee. He grabbed at it but the fish slipped through his fingers.

Zhang Miao, surfacing just enough to see this while holding the suitcase, watched with regret. What a shame! Such a big, fat fish would have been enough for their dinner.

Still, he admired Hong Haocheng’s swimming skills. Born by the sea, Zhang Miao had been playing in the water since childhood, yet this man, despite not looking like a born swimmer—a ‘water monkey’—matched him move for move. Only thing, his precision could use work.

But the next moment, Zhang Miao felt a sudden chill.

Because he saw it again: that barely visible energy line connected to the escaping fish. That line in Hong Haocheng’s hand! Hong Haocheng gently paddled his feet like a frog in the water, while the fish, having already nearly disappeared into the dark blue lake, slowed its pace. Seconds later, it turned belly-up and started floating upward. That was when Hong Haocheng jettisoned his feet toward it.

[Me, Mysterious Triangle, acquired Sequence time 8.4N]

[I gained Sail-Ink Drawing time: 72.35 km.]

“Glub glub.” Happy with the fish, Hong Haocheng opened his mouth and let out big bubbles.

The two of them burst up through the lake with a splash.

“Cough, spit, cough, ah… This really is ‘the right time and fate Confucius spoke of, as if he knew this broken world, huh,” Hong Haocheng coughed as he spoke.

Zhang Miao shot him a blank look.

After spitting water and catching his breath for a few moments, Hong Haocheng chuckled, “Let’s find a place to grill this fish. Hmm, there should be a floating islet over there.”

Then he caught Zhang Miao’s expression, which looked like he had just seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” Hong Haocheng craned his head to look behind him, but nothing was there.

“Hong-ge, you… for real, are you a Red Model?”

“Huh? Turns out you’re colorblind?”

“No, that’s not it,” Zhang Miao quickly said, “The ones from Red Model lose their companion Demonic Nightmare, and their model ability disappears. How come you can still use yours?”

And he was wielding more than one kind!

Whether it was the so-called ability to record traces of others’ trajectories, or that dreadful capability of beckoning to absorb the soul of an opponent earlier, they were both bizarre and unmatched capabilities, ranking first-class even among the Silver Models.

Could the guy before him be that legendary chosen one of heaven? Someone RNG-gifted?

“How would I know? I should be the one asking you.”

After mumbling that line, Hong Haocheng tossed the fish to Zhang Miao, turned around, and dove back into the water. Moments later, he surfaced with two more fish in his grip.

“Wow, there really is a place to set foot here,” Zhang Miao cheerfully followed Hong Haocheng swimming toward it. “How’d you know about this spot?”

“I’m not telling you.” Hong Haocheng was the first to climb onto the small bare floating islet, which still nestled at some distance from the island. A few stray logs had drifted over.

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to start a fire,” Hong Haocheng sighed.

“Don’t worry,” this time it was Zhang Miao who spoke. “As a team that deals with artillery day in and day out, how could we not have a source of fire?”

Grinning, he pulled a small object from his pocket—a dark, crimson lighter with fine, scale-like patterns, giving it an exotic flair.

“This thing can be lit once every five minutes. But each time it costs me one day’s lifespan principal, and it also consumes amplification hours to keep it going. The upside is that it can ignite anything as long as it’s not too damp.”

“Principal?”

Hong Haocheng listened to the explanation while watching Zhang Miao gather a few pieces of broken wood from the shallow bank, which was less than half the size of a room, and pile them together, slowly toasting them with the lighter.

Zhang Miao squatted there, using the small flame of the lighter to begin roasting the dripping wet dark wood, while calling out to the island shore that was now faintly visible:

“That’s a fragment of City 11. Anyone who sets foot on it will be attacked by the Nianlings on it, but the rewards are also generous—we might obtain special items from City 11. Heh, as long as we’re nearby, we don’t have to worry about being hunted by those fellows in the city because the things on the island are too strong.”

“Oh?”

Only then did Hong Haocheng have the chance to open the small suitcase and examine it closely. This ordinary-looking box was extremely well-sealed, and he suspected it was specially made for Xu Fei. Inside were some of Xu Fei’s personal items, including lipstick, a small mirror, and clothes.

“A troublemaker wife from the stars. Sigh.”

Hong Haocheng picked up the well-preserved marriage certificate from inside.

When he opened the certificate, the left half was ancient and worn, while the right page, bearing Xu Ji’s photo, remained as pristine as new.

“Heh, no wonder she’s my wife—just by attaching a photo, this bizarre world is utterly helpless against it.”

He gently wiped the photo with his finger, then closed the marriage certificate and placed it carefully back into the suitcase.

Suddenly, Hong Haocheng felt a gaze bearing down on him.

[Auditor No.38 is curious about my existence.]

[Auditor No.38 wants to know the identity of the woman in the marriage certificate I hold.]

Hong Haocheng looked up at the night sky, where there was nothing, yet the sensation of being watched was palpable.

{Does the world you came from have beings like this? I’ve never heard of such.}

“What do you mean?”

Hong Haocheng stood up, feeling puzzled—this voice had directly resonated in his mind.

Then, he recalled Xu Fei’s earlier warning about not allowing him to hold the marriage certificate.

Hong Haocheng suddenly felt a bit nervous. Could these so-called auditors be the ones who dropped monsters onto Earth? Would his actions lead them to discover Xu Fei, who was still on Earth?

For a moment, he felt a twinge of regret.

“What did you do to Earth? Did you send those monsters there?”

{If a person lives for ten thousand years, then twenty-odd years wouldn’t even count as childhood.}

The other side replied ambiguously:

{For you who are about to possess a long life, the experience on Earth might soon fade into the vast mists of ancient memories. Don’t take it too much to heart.}

As the mental voice faded, a small red dot appeared before Hong Haocheng. It instantly expanded to the height of a person, forming a light curtain that quickly enveloped the suitcase in his hand.

Then the suitcase flashed, turned into a point of light, and merged into the model.

The suitcase was gone.

{Don’t open it in the future unless you find… Mowei.}

“Mowei? What is that?”

{He is the one — as you just guessed — who truly threw the plan into chaos.}

The gaze vanished.

So this so-called “Auditor No.38” came to prevent other powerful beings from discovering Xu Fei? Then he should be grateful to them.

……

The afternoon tea counter was very popular.

Holding his coffee, Yang Zicang followed the leisurely Wei Zhenguo into an ancient passage, heading towards the so-called mental realm training ground.

Unlike Wei Zhenguo, Yang Zicang didn’t have the same laid-back attitude as those from Lost Illusion Company.

He thought about his limited time—if he achieved nothing in the coming months, he’d have no choice but to reluctantly go through the resignation procedure.

Setting aside vague matters like the “Dark Gold” for now, he would even painfully lose the nearly secured “Upfrequency” device.

And to obtain the precious “Upfrequency” device—as the person who greeted him on his first day at the company had informed him—he would need to earn the “Elite Employee” evaluation in the year-end performance review.

It wasn’t exactly difficult.

But since a rating required results first, the problem was that he had only joined the company at the end of July.

“What are you thinking about? You look a bit tense?” Wei Zhenguo said with a smile.

“I’m wondering how quickly that training ground could help me capture those slippery signal bands.”

The middle-aged man shrugged.

Yang Zicang glanced at the increasingly deserted corridor, quickening his pace to step up beside the man’s shoulder.

“Uncle Wei, why is it so quiet here? Isn’t the training ground usually open?”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong.”

Wei Zhenguo turned his head and said, “The training ground is decent, but compared to what you gain from actual work, its benefits aren’t really worth a special trip.”

“What? Then what are we doing here…”

“It’s mostly a reward. I told you before—your mental tier is already suitable for entering that place.”

Only then did Yang Zicang remember that the man had indeed mentioned this key point earlier.

Just as he was about to inquire further, a folded line shot over. It was his own group leader. This time, she wasn’t using the employee card, so when the connection was established, Yang Zicang immediately saw the girl standing by his workstation through the sensor feed.

{Where did you run off to? Eh, Zicang, are you on your way to the Nian Realm training ground?}

“Yes, and I think you know who’s taking me there.”

Beside him, Wei Zhenguo wore a smile like a doting old father.

“Xiao Zang’s mental power has reached the second ring, eighth level, and could break into the ninth level at any moment. Since he’s already reserved the year-end reward, he can’t exchange for a suitable [Mind Power Operation Pattern] through the ‘Elite Employee’ status. So I plan to take him to the training ground to try his luck.”

{I see.}

Jiaoma on the other end looked puzzled, as if a mix of concern and regret.

{Then Uncle Zhenguo, keep a close eye on him and don’t pick any ‘base patterns’ that aren’t suitable for him.}

“Of course.”

[Jiaoma wants to invest in me actively.]

[Jiaoma has invested 10,000 N of Virtual Zero Sequence in me.]

Seeing a faint golden brilliance follow the model’s thread instantly into the ring on Yang Zicang’s chest, Wei Zhenguo chuckled and said:

“Group Leader Jiao Ma is really worried you might not pass in there, giving you so much investment.”

“How much can you tell?”

“Not bad—it’s almost a mung-bean-sized speck of light, at least 9,000 to 10,000. Seen it enough to make a rough guess.”

“You folks really are seasoned pros.”