A Fright

The nightlife in Yacheng was always boisterous and bustling, with an endless stream of food stalls, late-night barbecues, and KTVs offering a dizzying array of choices. Yet, compared to the colorful, vibrant nights enjoyed by others, some people's evenings remained cold and manic.

It wasn't until dawn approached that the roaring sounds within the Security Bureau's underground Training Ground finally came to an abrupt halt.

Then, Team Leader Yu Hanguang walked out with an expressionless face. He didn't even bother with his usual performative greeting to the staff who had rushed over to clean up, simply walking away.

Long after Yu Hanguang had departed, the chill in the air seemed to slowly dissipate.

"Whoa, did he eat gunpowder or something?"

The administrator, clutching a mop and broom, stared blankly in the direction Yu Hanguang had left, completely bewildered. However, upon pushing open the doors to the Training Ground, he froze in his tracks.

The place was a total wreck.

Inside the massive Training Ground, the alloy steel covering the floor, walls, and ceiling was riddled with scorch marks, the red heat still lingering. As for the targets, they had long since melted into pools of molten iron, leaving no trace behind!

It was as if a Natural Disaster had passed through!

The entire Training Ground was not only unusable; it had been reduced to a complete ruin.

"Clean everything up. If there's any trash that shouldn't be here, get rid of it quickly. It's a troubled time; don't go causing any more problems!"

It wasn't until he returned to his office that Yu Hanguang's expression finally revealed a hint of gloom. After hanging up the phone, he slumped back into his chair.

His initial rage finally returned under his control, and what emerged in his eyes was nothing but pure, icy coldness.

He had been severely outplayed by Wen Wen and forced to swallow this bitter pill.

He had been compelled to cut off his subordinates from all industries associated with that Old Dog, Jiang Jin, and the losses were immeasurable.

Everything he had earned over the past few years had been wiped out overnight, and then some.

If she dared to use this as a pretext to push further, he didn't know how much more trouble he would be tangled in.

Yet, what made him even more vigilant wasn't Wen Wen.

So what if there was Minerva? That Celestial of Central Capital had merely failed to kill her, not died herself. As long as that person was still around—no, as long as her power existed within the tangled web of the Federation's upper echelons—Wen Wen would be stuck spinning her wheels in this tiny corner of Yacheng for the rest of her life, unable to cause any major chaos.

No matter how strong one was, this world wasn't built for just one person. Even the strongest had to follow the rules, or they would be excluded from the game by everyone else.

He had never feared Wen Wen. Even though she had humiliated him, the key was... the relationship between Wen Wen and Ji Jue.

A Chosen Summoner's future was indeed bright and promising, but so what? If he really wanted to kill him now, it wouldn't be any more troublesome than crushing an ant.

But if the two of them joined forces...

Even a fool could figure out that everything from last night couldn't have been planned by Wen Wen, a person whose brain was filled with nothing but killing and extermination. Who else but Ji Jue could be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes to trap him?

It was unimaginable that she would trust someone to that extent.

The way she acted, she was practically his strategist.

Not to mention whether a matured Ji Jue would become a powerful reinforcement for Wen Wen; even now, a Wen Wen with an external brain was already many times harder to deal with than before. One wrong move, and he feared she would tear another chunk of flesh off him.

The moment he realized all this, he understood: Ji Jue was the true threat!

A cold, undisguised sharpness emerged in Yu Hanguang's eyes.

—He must be eradicated as soon as possible!

As for Wen Wen's protection, it was indeed a bit of a nuisance.

But why should he do it himself?

He didn't need to do anything; he didn't need to do a single thing.

To target a rootless drifter like Ji Jue, he only needed to perform his duties, write a report based on the clues provided by his "informants," and submit it—that would be enough!

In a place like the Security Bureau, which leaked like a sieve, this would naturally trigger endless waves of trouble, any one of which would be enough to completely drown Ji Jue.

Even if there was no concrete evidence, it didn't matter.

Sometimes, to crush a person, suspicion alone was enough.

Besides, who didn't have weaknesses?

Classmates, friends, family...

There were too many places to strike, and too many ways to ruin a person. He didn't even need to see blood; a little bit of guidance was enough to lead someone to their own destruction.

When that time came, even a Chosen Summoner wouldn't be able to run wild for long.

Yu Hanguang sneered and picked up his phone. Just as he was about to dial, his palm suddenly vibrated.

An unknown number had bypassed his filters and blocks, calling his personal phone. Boundless Communication had even provided a golden display frame for the caller, highlighting their extraordinary status and internal clearance.

He paused for a moment and answered the call.

"Who is this?"

"Ye Xian."

A calm voice sounded, devoid of ripples, asking straightforwardly: "Team Leader Yu, as far as I know, you seem to have some ideas regarding my apprentice?"

"..."

In a moment of astonishment, Yu Hanguang's mind raced, and his brow furrowed.

Ye Xian? Who?

He racked his brains for a long time, finally recalling a mention in the previous files about an alchemy master who had arrived in Yacheng a few years ago...

An artisan?

He was almost laughing with rage; it was truly getting to the point where anyone dared to ride roughshod over him!

"The Security Bureau is conducting business; I don't think there's any need to explain myself to others," he said coldly. "If there is no other business, I'm hanging up."

"Is that so?"

From the other end of the line came a helpless sigh. "Team Leader Yu, I wonder if you know that in alchemy, there is a saying... poor emotions interfere with the spirit, and a poor spirit affects the body."

She said, "People with poor health should rest more."

Absurd!

He had no idea what she was even talking about!

Yu Hanguang sneered, intending to ignore her further, but as he went to hang up, he realized... his fingers could not move.

A cold, blade-like numbness spread from his fingertips, diffusing instantly to shroud his entire body, stripping him of control over his own flesh, before surging violently.

It was like a rushing tsunami of a cold front, swallowing everything.

In a moment of spasms and convulsions, Yu Hanguang found himself unable to stop a violent coughing fit, but amidst the choking, what he spat out was scarlet blood.

Mixed within it were distinct grains of iron sand and iron filings!

The iron sand and filings landed on the desk, still sizzling and scattering dazzling electric sparks!

Yu Hanguang widened his eyes, staring fixedly in disbelief.

That was his own... Matrix?!

But in that instant, his Matrix had actually lost control!

It was as if he had encountered Fiendification Pollution; it fluctuated violently, distorted, and spiraled out of control. His riotous abilities and blessings collided within his body, triggering trauma akin to an internal explosion!

It wasn't serious; if he just rested for a few days, he could fully recover.

But... what if it could be serious?

What if it could be even more serious?!

He had always taken pride in his absolute control over his own abilities, but now, his abilities had betrayed him!

In an instant, a bone-chilling cold engulfed him completely, making him tremble uncontrollably; he had never felt such terror before!

"You are tired; it might be an illness caused by overwork. You had better start resting for a few months from today."

From the other end of the phone, that calm voice offered a final farewell: "I don't have a very good temper, and I don't like it when people are impolite to me, so I hope the Security Bureau will also take note..."

She said, "Don't be ungrateful."

Just like that, the call ended.

In the deathly silent office, only the repeated busy signal echoed, along with Yu Hanguang's heavy, ragged breathing.

For a long, long time, he was unable to stand up from his chair, drenched in sweat.

He didn't even have the strength to make a sound.

He was like a hyena that had its tail crushed under the foot of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"You certainly caused quite a scene last night."

In the morning, Ji Jue finally saw Ye Xian in the workshop after she had been busy for several days. Professor Ye was still holding her teacup, sipping the bitter, concentrated tea unhurriedly, and said calmly:

"Since this morning, the Security Bureau's accountability inquiries have been pouring in toward me, making it hard for a helpless artisan like me to hold them off."

"My fault, Professor. I'm sorry."

Ji Jue was stunned, and after a long moment of blankness, he couldn't hide his shame.

On one hand, the situation yesterday was urgent and there was no time to think it through, but on the other hand, his awareness of his current status was still insufficient.

He truly hadn't expected that his actions would pull the Professor into this... involving the Security Bureau, even if the Professor was a master of the Taiyi Ring, there was no telling how much trouble it would be to get dragged into this mess.

Damn it, that dog Yu Hanguang...

After mentally marking a debt against him, Ji Jue said solemnly, "I guarantee it will never happen a second time."

If there is a next time, I'll just wear a mask, clear my identity, and then go kill that son of a bitch...

"Enough. I was prepared the day I recruited you. There's no need for these useless words and guarantees. Those with ability do whatever they want and lead the way; those without qualifications just jump around and will only be treated as clowns. If you can become a Grandmaster in the future, who could say I was wrong to choose you today?"

Professor Ye glanced at him and said faintly, "Don't let me down."

"Understood." Ji Jue nodded frantically, wishing he could write a formal pledge.

What was even more incredible to him was that there was no expected reprimand or scolding; his actions from yesterday were brushed off so lightly.

She didn't even ask for the details.

Ji Jue sighed in relief inwardly, then added another mark against that dog Yu Hanguang: Just wait until your daddy levels up, you piece of shit, just wait for death!

Upon inspecting Ji Jue's results and assignments from the past two days, Professor Ye waved her hand with zero interest: "Mediocre goods, fitting enough to be used on scrap material."

"By comparison, the technical content is not even as good as the Supreme Goodness Emblem you drew on that gun using a repair tool like a Portable Probe."

"You didn't bring it?"

"Uh, that was something I borrowed from someone else. I returned it on my way here." Ji Jue's toes curled frantically inside his shoes in embarrassment; he hadn't expected that his impulsive mischief would actually catch Professor Ye's eye.

"What about the others?"

Professor Ye made no effort to hide her curiosity. "What about that Animated Motorcycle capable of suppressing a Shadow Beast with a Chosen One's ability head-on? I saw you ride it over today, didn't I?"

She adjusted her glasses, a burning gaze born of an Artisan's instinct surfacing in her eyes. "To be honest, in all these years, I haven't had my eyes opened like this..."

Her student who had just entered the field—no, someone who hadn't even officially started yet—could actually create something so outrageous?

It was truly a pleasant surprise!

No, it should probably be considered... a shock.