Threat

After another long flight followed by a chartered helicopter ride, Chen Xuan arrived at Everest Base Camp once again, nearly twenty hours later.

This time, however, the atmosphere was clearly unusual.

The colorful tents in the clearing had all been swept away, replaced by regulation dark green military tents. The tourists who had once been everywhere were gone too, and armed soldiers occupied every corner. As soon as the helicopter landed, a squad of soldiers surrounded it, frightening the pilot into silence. Even the way he looked at Chen Xuan became timid.

"Relax, I'm not a bad guy." Chen Xuan gave his shoulder a reassuring pat and stepped out first.

This time, he had not brought Lin Qing all the way with him, instead leaving her in Nepal.

That way, if anything unexpected happened, he could immediately teleport himself and Elorie away.

Having Lin Qing accompany him for the first leg had been a precaution against triggering the Ability Store's special teleportation mechanism—if the store decided he was slacking off and forcibly sent him back midway, things would get rather awkward.

The blond man leading the squad extended his hand. "Hello, my name is Morgan. I'm a High-Ranking Angel of the Angel Alliance."

He spoke Chinese.

That saved Chen Xuan the trouble of using his translator.

Chen Xuan shook his hand. "Chen Xuan."

"I've heard a great deal about you." Morgan gestured toward the largest tent in the middle of the clearing. "Your friends are already waiting inside."

"Your Chinese is pretty good," Chen Xuan remarked lightly on the way.

"Hasn't Miss Elorie told you? Every newly appointed Angel must complete a comprehensive education before taking up their duties, so even the lowest-ranking Angels are fluent in at least four languages. It's necessary for our work around the world."

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