There Were Two

Another day of luxury and indulgence.

Money flowed away like water.

Pleasure dazzled the eyes.

Not until that night, after winning the drinking contest at the Colorful Bubble Bar and placing the Crown of the Wine God, made from the caps of hundreds of expensive liquor bottles, on his head amid cheers—

Did the bleary-eyed Tang Chuan finally wake up with a belch.

He thought of how the money he had spent today could have supported hundreds of children in impoverished mountain regions back home on Azure Star, buying them new clothes, tasty meals, and dormitories that sheltered them from the wind and rain.

Back on Azure Star, so many of his fellow countrymen still went hungry in remote mountain areas, living in houses that could not keep out the wind.

Tang Chuan felt deeply ashamed.

So, using the excuse, "No, I get dizzy around chests," he righteously refused the overnight invitation of a curvaceous Heka Star woman.

He decided to return to his hotel room and reflect on himself for the night, considering whether he had become too full of himself and lost his sense of social responsibility.

The tall Heka Star woman lowered her head and glanced at her Mount Jumuma Wolf Peak before choosing to leave alone in dejection.

Alien alcohol really packed a punch. Tang Chuan had downed more than ten bottles of hard liquor and defeated every contestant in the drinking competition, yet he was still feeling woozy.

In truth, Tang Chuan had never been much of a drinker before. Three or four liang had been his limit.

But with the Gene Cheat, any ordinary alcohol below forty percent was broken down within minutes after entering his stomach.

So, for the alcohol to leave him dizzy enough to win the Crown of the Wine God in the drinking contest, the drinkers at the Colorful Bubble Bar really had some skill.

As Tang Chuan walked along the sparsely populated streets of Heka Star late at night, the cold wind gradually blew away his drunkenness.

No need to go back and reflect.

I'm sober. I've already thought it through.

I haven't become full of myself.

As a Supreme Main God, what's wrong with spending some money on drinks? It's no big deal.

Though... did I miss something just now?

Shaking his head, Tang Chuan stopped thinking about anything else. He yawned and headed toward the hotel, ready to get a good night's sleep.

Hotel lobby.

The moment Tang Chuan entered, the uniformed Heka Star girl at the front desk approached him. "Mr. Tang Chuan?"

Tang Chuan asked in surprise, "That's me. What is it?"

The front desk girl explained, "Someone with an official identity has been looking for you. She contacted us more than a dozen times. Her name is Teregal, and she wanted you to call her back immediately once you learned about it."

Tang Chuan nodded suspiciously. "All right, I understand. Thanks."

The front desk girl said, "Mm, it's nothing."

He took the lift pod directly back to his room.

Before Tang Chuan could even sit down, the Communicator in his room started ringing.

"Connect!"

As soon as he spoke, Teregal appeared as a holographic projection before him, wearing pajamas and looking faintly anxious.

"Mr. Tang Chuan, didn't I give you my private number? Why haven't you called me at all?"

Tang Chuan yawned. "I haven't had time to get a Communicator for your planet, and there wasn't really any need to, was there? You found me anyway... But does your planet not care about personal privacy?"

Seeing Tang Chuan's suspicious gaze, Teregal explained, "Of course our planet cares about personal privacy. I apologize for this. I did use certain means to obtain your hotel records.

"But the situation is urgent, and I hope you can understand. As my VIP client, I have to be responsible for your personal safety!"

The moment he heard the words "personal safety," Tang Chuan immediately became alert. "What's going on? It's gotten to the point of threatening my personal safety? Is public security on Heka Star really that bad?"

Teregal shook her head. "It's not like that. It's not just you. I received internal information that tomorrow, perhaps all of Heka Star will enter wartime lockdown!"

Tang Chuan stared blankly. "How long have I even been here? There's going to be a war already? An Interstellar War?"

Teregal sighed. "It's not an Interstellar War. The specific details are still classified, so I can't make sense of them either. But something big may really happen in the next few days!

"I'll notify you immediately if I receive any news. From now on, don't go outside. Believe me, this emergency isn't so simple.

"All of Heka Star's military forces have been mobilized!"

Tang Chuan was utterly confused, but he still said, "All right, I won't go out for the next couple of days. You have to take responsibility for my personal safety."

Teregal nodded. "Of course. I'll apply to my superiors and try to send more security personnel in your direction... Please keep your communications open at all times!"

Tang Chuan said, "Mm. If anything comes up, just call the hotel room phone."

"Okay!"

After ending the call, Tang Chuan was still rather bewildered.

He summoned Quintessa. "Help me investigate what exactly happened."

Quintessa said helplessly, "You needn't remind me. Since it concerns your personal safety, I already infiltrated their classified network and looked into it just now, but the results are still unclear.

"Heka Star's superior civilization informed its leaders that an interstellar crisis was about to occur on Heka Star 18.

"They did not describe the specifics clearly. It seems that a definite result will only be relayed tomorrow or the day after."

Tang Chuan clicked his tongue. "That's a little unlucky. My first interstellar trip hasn't even lasted a few days, and I've run into this. I'll have to rely on you to keep watch."

"Of course."

After thinking for a moment, Quintessa said, "I still can't determine what level of crisis this is. The Main Universe is simply too vast; anything can happen at any time. How about... you begin the second course of treatment now?"

Tang Chuan asked in surprise, "I can start the second course already?"

Quintessa nodded. "It's fine to speed things up a little. Your body has adapted very quickly. The original genes have shown no rejection whatsoever, so it will not affect the subsequent treatment."

Tang Chuan said, "Then... start the second course?"

Quintessa said, "Sure. We still have enough divine power for now, but if you want to begin the third course, the three God Chosen on Canghuang Continent will need to work a little harder. Judging from the current trend, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

Tang Chuan said seriously, "Correction: there are two God Chosen, not three."

That traitor Kubana.

Did he count?

Count my ass!

He still hadn't provided him with a second believer.

(PS: Everyone can send hearts to Tang Chuan and Chiliu's profile cards. Please vote.)