Good Citizen

Good Citizen

Ningdong Branch Underground Headquarters, interrogation room.

Luo Jun looked at the stern-faced middle-aged man seated across from him and could not help reaching up to touch his watch.

"Don't be nervous." Captain Cheng forced a kindly smile. "My name is Cheng Yuanzheng. I'm Hao Yong and the others' superior. You're not a criminal; we're just following procedure and asking about your experience."

"I already explained everything that happened during the mission, and you've taken a statement." Luo Jun said, "I don't have to hand over the rewards I got, right?"

Luo Jun had omitted the specific rewards from his statement, only vaguely saying that he had obtained some items.

Captain Cheng shook his head. "You misunderstand. As a Cultivator who has participated in a Chaos Mission, your Hundred Treasure Box is bound to you. As long as you are unwilling, no one can take your rewards away. However, if you agree, the organization can purchase your Treasure Tools. We'll offer a reasonable price based on their grade and function."

Luo Jun nodded, feeling slightly relieved. Just Twenty-four Hours ago, he had still been a down-and-out, penniless student. As a complete newcomer, he knew very little about the world of Vital Energy. Although Old Yuan had vouched for him, dealing with such a massive organization still made him somewhat uneasy.

"What concerns us more is that your experience during the mission was extremely dangerous. Many of the things you did could not have been accomplished by an Ordinary Person." Captain Cheng looked over the statement, then glanced at Luo Jun. "When did you start cultivating Vital Energy?"

He had long prepared an answer for this question. "Oh, two months ago, I met a crazy old man. He thought I had decent potential and insisted on teaching me some peerless martial art... At first, I refused, but he seemed so pitiful that I reluctantly went along with it, learning a few moves just to make him happy. I Didn't Expect that I'd actually cultivate something from it... It was only this time that I learned this stuff was called Vital Energy."

Captain Cheng nodded. The explanation was vague, but he had observed Luo Jun. His movements and mannerisms did not look like those of someone who had received systematic training. Although his exact Vital Energy reserves could not be measured without equipment, judging from his aura, he was at most at the first level of the Body Refinement Realm... Unless this guy was a master of disguise, Cheng Yuanzheng was confident he had not misjudged him.

There was basically no problem. Old Yuan had also put in a word for him. He was an ordinary student with upright character and decent qualities. He had even risked himself to save others after getting dragged into such an incident, so there was no need to make things difficult for him.

"Since you already have some foundation in Vital Energy, and you have entered a Chaos Mission, I won't erase your memories." Cheng Yuanzheng smiled at Luo Jun. "But you must promise not to reveal anything about Vital Energy, Different Worlds, or Chaos Missions to ordinary people. After all, this world is not yet ready to welcome such things."

Luo Jun nodded. "I understand. A secret organization, right? That's how it always goes in novels."

After saying that, Luo Jun hesitated before asking, "I heard Old Yuan say that Vital Energy Cultivators are regularly summoned to the Chaos World for missions. How often does that happen? Will I be summoned again in the future?"

Captain Cheng smiled and shook his head. "Chaos Missions occur every month, though the dates are uncertain. If it is inconvenient, you may choose to abstain, but you can abstain no more than twice in a row. In other words, you must complete a mission at least once every three months. But you do not need to worry for now. Chaos Missions only summon Cultivators who have reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. You were only dragged into that mission by accident. Before reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, you probably... will not be summoned again. At least, I have never heard of such a precedent."

"I see..." Luo Jun breathed a sigh of relief. He had no desire to visit a place like the Midnight Hotel a second time.

After a few more simple questions, Luo Jun was released. Worth mentioning, to commend his Act of Bravery and compensate him for being inexplicably dragged into the capture operation, the branch gave him a cash reward of fifty thousand yuan.

To Luo Jun, that was an enormous sum. He carefully packed away the five bundles of banknotes and happily left the branch's Great Door.

Victory Chocolate Factory.

Looking back at the old factory sign covered in rust and the walls overgrown with ivy, Luo Jun had never expected the Ningdong Branch headquarters of the Yuan Cultivation Society to be hidden beneath this shabby old factory district.

His Grandfather had often bought it for him when he was young. It was cheaper and more affordable than the major brands, but its flavor had not improved much in over a decade. Kids these days probably did not like it anymore... Luo Jun had previously wondered how such a half-dead little brand had managed to avoid going out of business. Now, it seemed he had been too naive.

Cheng Yuanzheng entered the conference room, where the four-person team, including Ling Xin, was waiting.

"That kid hid some things." Captain Cheng poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. "But his emotions were genuine. He has no ill intent."

"Should we investigate him thoroughly?" Hao Yong asked. He was dressed flamboyantly, but his posture was perfectly proper.

"No need." Captain Cheng waved a hand. "Old Yuan put in a word for him. What is there to worry about when he has personally vetted someone?"

"Besides, it's normal for the kid to be jumpy after suddenly getting dragged into something like this. Let him rest properly."

"He really has a charmed life!" Xiao Meng pursed his lips. "That was a Tier B Mission! It even involved True-False Rules. If you threw me in there, I might not have come back alive either."

"Not might—you definitely wouldn't have made it back!" Sha Sha never let Xiao Meng's words hit the ground. "By the way, Captain Cheng, things are pretty much wrapped up now, so can I..."

Captain Cheng was stunned. Only when he saw Sha Sha's expectant expression did he realize what she meant. "Oh, right. Go ahead, post it... But it involves personal privacy and sensitive information, so don't reveal too many details."

"Got it! Don't worry, Captain Cheng, I've got years of experience!" Sha Sha excitedly pulled out her phone and pasted the message she had prepared long ago into a forum post.

"Shocking! An innocent citizen encounters a Polluter and is dragged into a Tier B Mission, fate unknown!"

Ling Xin looked puzzled. Xiao Meng, beside her, explained, "Sha Sha is a major influencer on the Yuan Cultivation Society's Official Forum. She has over ten thousand followers! A lot of news in Ningdong's supernatural circle gets released through her. Even many official notices have to be reposted by her!"

As he spoke, Xiao Meng took the opportunity to pull out his phone and asked somewhat bashfully, "By the way, Ling Xin, what's your forum account? Let's follow each other?"

"No need. I don't browse it often." Ling Xin calmly refused, then turned to Captain Cheng. "That Luo Jun... Old Yuan said he already had a foundation in Vital Energy before this..."

"I confirmed that." Seeing that Old Yuan was not around, Captain Cheng secretly lit a cigarette. "His aura is indeed above the first level of the Body Refinement Realm, but below the second. He has probably cultivated for more than two months. He definitely had a foundation beforehand."

"That also explains his performance in the surveillance footage, from surviving the fall from high altitude to later evading the Polluter's attacks. Luck played the main role, but his reactions, which were stronger than those of an ordinary person, also helped greatly."

Ling Xin frowned slightly. "But before this, I truly never sensed any Vital Energy from him..."

"Vital Energy at the Body Refinement Realm doesn't leak outward. It isn't that easy to detect." Xiao Meng chimed in. "Besides, there are so many students in class, and that kid doesn't exactly stand out. It's perfectly normal that you never noticed him, Ling Xin."

"No... I'm sure he really..." Ling Xin stopped halfway through, froze slightly, and swallowed the rest of her words. "All right, you have a point..."

Yet judging by her expression, she still seemed troubled by it.

Chaos World, entrance to the Midnight Hotel Underground Garage.

With a harsh scraping sound, the Roller Shutter Door, which had not opened since Luo Jun left, slowly rose.

Several segmented tendrils swayed out of the darkness, but the moment they were exposed to the setting sun, they recoiled as if burned.

A moment later, a pale, slender human leg stepped out through the door.

This time, there was no burning pain!

Seemingly delighted, it lightly tapped the ground with its toes. Then, the leg pulled the rest of its body out of the darkness.

She was a tall woman whose long hair nearly reached the ground. She wore nothing at all, relying only on several loosely hanging locks of hair to conceal her body, though they could not hide her graceful curves.

The woman's facial features looked as though they had been crafted through meticulous computer modeling. Whether viewed separately or as a whole, they carried a dreamlike perfection. Anyone who saw her would curse Nuwa for having such a perfect template, yet still molding them into such an ugly mess...

The woman's lively eyes watched the traffic-filled world, yet the pedestrians passing around her turned a blind eye to her.

"I'm finally out!" There was a trace of excitement in her voice.

It was exactly the same voice Luo Jun had heard in the underground darkness...