5:50 AM.
Jiangnan lay on the large bed in the presidential suite on the second floor of the RV.
Beside him lay Chen Tong, Yekaterina, and Piano, all fast asleep.
Due to the prolonged activation and maintenance of [Dragon God Emperor Armor], the bloodline within him inevitably underwent a certain degree of stimulation and backlash.
The raging Dragon Nature that had been forcibly Suppression for so long finally reached the breaking point after returning to the safe haven.
After washing away the smoke of battle, Jiangnan had a long reminiscing session with the women.
It must be said that although he is missing a right arm, Jiangnan's skill in one-handed micro-management is still Divine Grade.
"Phew~"
Jiangnan exhaled a breath of stale air, completely calming the restless Dragon Nature within him.
He quietly lifted the covers, put on his black shirt, and turned to go downstairs.
The first floor of the RV.
Sunlight streamed in through the car windows, and everyone was busy working.
The cleaning team leader, Yu Shishi, and the deputy team leader, Ye Yilin, are diligently cleaning.
When they saw Jiangnan come downstairs, they immediately stopped what they were doing to greet her.
Good morning, boss!
Yu Shishi smiled foolishly.
"Good morning, my lord..."
Ye Yilin, on the other hand, appeared somewhat distant and awkward.
This is completely understandable, after all, to be honest, this was the first formal meeting between the two of them since she was out of danger.
Jiangnan nodded slightly, casually took out Memo Pad from his pocket, scribbled four words with one hand, and handed it over.
Work hard.
The two took the note, nodded repeatedly in response, and went back to their work.
Jiangnan put away the note and looked towards the center of the living room.
On the sofa, Han Fei was overflowing with maternal love, holding and coaxing the [Fool] who was touching and grabbing everything in sight.
At the dining table, Hoshino Hikaru, having just used his Supernatural Ability to perform a large-scale group treatment on the wounded survivors of the Soul Return Town.
Right now, he's so hungry he's slumped over the table, slurping down instant noodles.
In front of the Holographic Projection next to her, Liu Yuqing, the chief steward of internal affairs, was manipulating the leader's tablet, adjusting various data of the shelter.
Upon seeing Jiangnan approach, Liu Yuqing immediately stood up straight and began her report in an orderly manner.
"Boss, I've completed all the tasks you assigned when you returned an hour ago."
"[Rebecca II Space Compression Chip] and [Poseidon III Underwater Navigation Module]."
"All installations and tests are now complete, and it is ready for use at any time."
"Also, this is your bionic prosthetic limb; I have completed the initial activation according to the instructions."
Liu Yuqing held the silver box in both hands and handed it to Jiangnan.
Jiangnan nodded.
Having such a capable head of internal affairs makes things much easier.
He opened the box, and inside lay a mechanical right arm.
Jiangnan took it out and placed it on the broken part of his right shoulder.
"Click!"
In an instant, the sound of jaws snapping together rang out.
The bionic prosthetic limb extended automatically, connecting perfectly with Jiangnan's nerves and muscles.
Immediately afterwards, the silver metallic shell began to undergo a biomimetic transformation, mimicking Jiangnan's physique and skin color.
In just a few seconds, the robotic arm became almost indistinguishable from a real arm.
It even perfectly Simulation the temperature and feel of the skin.
Jiangnan stretched his brand-new right hand and tried throwing a jab, which produced a sonic boom.
"Top-tier stats, indeed impressive."
Jiangnan silently gave a thumbs-up to the technology of the Federation Star System in his heart.
Seeing that he had adapted, Liu Yuqing opened her tablet and continued her report.
"Boss, there's one more thing."
"It's about that newly added folding space in the shelter."
"That space must undergo a complete renovation in order to receive official certification from Sky Curtain regarding its area, thereby upgrading the shelter's level."
Upon hearing this, Jiangnan wrote on a sticky note.
Why not just let Wang Meng do it?
[Didn't he bring back a huge pile of usable materials from the West Asia Mercy Hospital last time?]
Upon seeing the note, Liu Yuqing wore a troubled expression.
She sighed and pulled Jiangnan towards a corner on the first floor.
A silver alloy door had appeared on the originally smooth wall at some unknown time.
"My lord, you should take a look at this yourself. I really can't do it!"
Liu Yuqing said with a bitter face.
Jiangnan frowned slightly.
"It's just 500 square meters, what's so difficult about that?"
As he muttered to himself, he reached out and pressed the doorknob of the alloy door.
The door opened.
The next second, Jiangnan Nan's doubts vanished.
Instead, there was an even greater shock and a doubt ten thousand times greater than before.
Because what was presented to them was not a spacious 500-square-meter room at all!
Instead, it's an endless expanse of super-large, unfinished, single-level apartments, some reaching three meters in height!
Jiangnan's pupils contracted slightly, as if he had realized something.
He immediately took out a small mirror, put two fingers together, and used the second activation method of [Divine Edict] in front of the mirror.
"By the words of God, my command is etched into your soul!"
His eyes blazed with a Human Heart light, shining directly at his reflection in the mirror.
Because accessing one's deepest memories and information about objects in this way is much faster than direct recall.
Then, he saw the data on the [Rebecca II Space Compression Chip].
He finally understood where the problem lay!
The increased folding area of this chip is definitely not 500 square meters!
Its original design was 500 meters long, 500 meters wide, and 3 meters high.
In other words, this is a place with a total area of 250,000 square meters!
A terrifying folding space with a height of 3 meters!
250,000 square meters!
What does this mean?
That's equivalent to a whopping 35 football fields!
It has more space than Human Emperor Lamp!
In the past, when gangsters got into fights, they would joke, "A whole truckload of bread-bread men will be coming down soon."
Jiangnan looked at the underground parking garage-sized space in front of him, large enough to accommodate a small city, and his lips twitched.
He could literally pull down hundreds of thousands of troops in one go!
Jiangnan rubbed his chin, unsure of what to do.
However, upon closer examination, it's actually quite reasonable for this thing to have this size, given that it's a [top-tier] technological creation.
After all, Phoenix Emperor's [Mortal Fireworks Painting] is Demigod- level Weird Artifact, and the space inside could even hold a town, much larger than this.
Ultimately, it was because he had underestimated the significance of the term "[Special Grade]" beforehand.
But now, that's not the core of the problem.
Instead...
How are you supposed to decorate these 250,000 square meters of unfinished housing?!
If Wang Meng were to lay the floor by himself, he would work himself to death here and still not finish even a tenth of it in his next life!
Jiangnan frowned, lost in thought.
Looking at Jiangnan's constipated expression, Liu Yuqing clearly had anticipated this outcome.
After all, she initially mistook it for 500 square meters.
After all, 250,000 square meters is simply outrageous!
So he spoke cautiously.
"Boss, I actually have a preliminary plan in mind for the renovation of this space, but I don't know if you'll approve..."
Jiangnan didn't even bother with sticky notes this time, and looked directly at her, signaling with his eyes. "What plan?"
Liu Yuqing gestured for Jiangnan to lower his head slightly, leaned close to his ear, and whispered something in a voice only the two of them could hear.
As Liu Yuqing continued her story, the seriousness on Jiangnan's face gradually faded.
He then became incredibly relaxed, even displaying a hint of appreciation.
Finally, Jiangnan nodded and, for the first time ever, said, "We'll do it your way."
Liu Yuqing's eyes lit up, and she immediately asked, "So, boss, the core of this plan lies in cooperation with the China government."
"Should I go and negotiate with them?"
"Guo Shuai is currently in the Third Ring Town area handing over various matters related to the development of Soul Return Town. I can go directly there and act as a bridge."
Jiangnan waved his hand and took out a notepad.
[Need not.]
[A friend has come from afar; this is a big deal, I should handle it myself.]
After finishing writing, Jiangnan stuck the note on Liu Yuqing's forehead, turned around, and left the RV with a flourish.
As the sun rose, they strode towards the temporary base of China.
At the same time.
Soul Return Town, located in the Third Ring Town.
The once bustling and prosperous Third Ring Town has been reduced to ruins after several earth-shattering battles.
Amidst these ruins, only a small building stands out miraculously intact, appearing completely out of place.
[Tu's Rabbit Meat Shop]
"Thank you so much, Captain Zhao! If it weren't for your help today, the load-bearing wall of my little shop would probably have collapsed!"
Because the [Mortal Fireworks Painting] had failed, Tu Xiaogang, who had reverted to his zombie form, was smiling and thanking the China personnel.
He looks rather creepy now, with a blue face and fangs, and his body is covered in various black Suturing Threads.
Those were stitches that Ms. Gang stitched up for him overnight after his body was torn apart during the battle.
"Hey boss, you're being too polite!"
Zhao Yan wiped the dust off his face and waved his hand.
"There's no need to thank me. You treated us to a hot meal just a couple of days ago."
"Besides, the China government plans to develop this Soul Return Town in the future!"
"I'll be dealing with you a lot more often, boss."
As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative!
As Zhao Yan spoke, he turned to look at another table in the shop and raised his voice. "You agree, right?"
The table was now piled high with documents and drawings.
Around the table sat four people with dark circles under their eyes, looking listless.
At their feet, [Circle] was lying sprawled out on the ground.
Oh no, to be precise, the little guy is fast asleep.
"Captain... it's so easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering..."
Xin An looked up from the pile of documents, her eyes bloodshot, and weakly muttered a complaint.
They stayed up all night to meet the deadline.
Liu Ruyan, who was sitting next to him, was the same.
This Sword Emperor, who was usually arrogant and haughty, slumped onto the table and slammed his fist on it twice in frustration.
"Ugh! I quit! Let whoever wants this lousy paperwork do it!"
"This Sword Emperor wields a sword, not a pen!"
"I heard that scumbag has gone back to town! I'm going to find him and settle the score!"
Liu Ruyan said through gritted teeth.
Upon hearing this, [Shadow], who was sitting opposite, quickly spoke up to comfort him.
"Liu Ruyan, calm down."
"That's the Dragon God, a supreme being who can even annihilate Evil God."
"You want to settle accounts with him? He's not one of those old ladies in the market who can argue with you for ages."
"If you don't want to die, you'd better tone down your spoiled princess temper."
"Pshaw! I'm not afraid of him at all!"
Liu Ruyan arrogantly raised her chin and snorted coldly, "That scumbag owes me a huge favor, he definitely wouldn't dare to touch me!"
Upon hearing this, Shadow's eyes immediately ignited with a gossip-loving glint.
Women have a natural intuition about these things.
"Oh? You don't dare to touch me?"
The Shadow deliberately dragged out the last syllable, "Could it be... that you and Dragon God share some unspeakable secret?"
At this point, Shadow seemed to remember something and continued to deliver the finishing blow.
"After all, didn't you two have a lot of fun during the groom selection?"
"If I remember correctly..."
"You were his... mount for a while back then, weren't you?"
"Besides, after the battle that night, I don't think I saw you anywhere for most of the night."
"You two wouldn't be..."
The Shadow deliberately only told half the story, leaving endless room for imagination.
Xin An, who was opposite him, was wide awake and immediately burst into laughter.
"Hey, Xiao Liu, once you've officially climbed onto the Dragon God's coattails, don't forget to give us old comrades a hand!"
"What... what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Liu Ruyan immediately jumped up.
She pointed at the two of them angrily, her neck turning bright red.
"Who... who gave him a ride?!"
"That... that's a strategic necessity! It's coordination! Do you even understand what tactical coordination is?!"
"And..."
"And that night I was practicing my [buttocks] strength in my room!"
"Who... who went to be with that scumbag?! Don't make baseless accusations!!!"
Liu Ruyan stammered for a long time, only to find that she couldn't explain herself at all, and the more she tried to explain, the worse it got.
Finally, she slammed her hand on the table and roared in a fit of rage.
"I'm ignoring you all! A bunch of bastards with filthy minds!"
After saying that, she grabbed a document from the table, angrily turned and left.
Hey! Where are you going?
The Shadow laughed and shouted from behind.
"I'm going to Central Forest Garden to deliver some documents to Shangguan Shuyi!"
"Just getting some fresh air, lest I catch your sleazy ways!"
Liu Ruyan ran away without looking back; her retreating figure looked like she was fleeing in panic.
After all, Shangguan Shuyi was one of the people in charge of Soul Return Town, so it was reasonable for her to deliver the documents. Therefore, Shadow did not ask any further questions.
Even after Liu Ruyan had gone far away, the Shadow's gossipy spirit remained undiminished.
She turned her head and looked at Guo Shuai, who was sitting at the other end of the table, engrossed in his work.
"Hey, Xiao Guo."
The Shadow curiously moved closer and nudged him with its elbow.
"You've been by the Dragon God's side the longest. What do you think of the relationship between Liu Ruyan and your boss? Is there any hope?"
Xin An also quickly perked up her ears, afraid of missing any detail.
Guo Shuai rubbed his sore eyes, looked up at them somewhat dazedly.
What do you think?
Guo Shuai forced a smile to suppress his surging sleepiness and yawned.
"How else can we look at it?"
"As long as they're pretty and have some use..."
"Just call her sister-in-law, that's the right way~"
He put down his pen, his tone helpless. "Actually, the boss is a good person in every way."
"Be decisive and never procrastinate."
"Although she seems aloof, she's not a bad person at heart; she's actually very gentle and protective of her own people."
"But..."
Guo Shuai sighed, "He only has one flaw."
"That is, liking... um..."
Shuai hesitated, then gave the two of them a knowing look.
"However..."
Guo Shuai added, "This is actually understandable."
"After all, the boss has Dragon Clan blood. As the saying goes, Dragon Nature are inherently... well, right?"
Shadow and Xin An exchanged a glance and nodded in deep agreement.
Indeed, from ancient times to the present, whether it is Eastern mythology or Western fantasy.
In legends about dragons, many colorful words are inextricably linked to dragons.
This is already considered basic.
After finishing their gossip, Xin An suddenly remembered the important matter, turned to look at Shadow, and her tone became serious.
"Oh, right, Shadow."
"Weren't you looking for a way to break the curse on you?"
"When you meet the Dragon God later, you can find an opportunity to have a good talk with him."
"With his extraordinary abilities, he might actually be able to break your curse."
Xin An patted his chest and said with great confidence, "Go ahead and negotiate!"
"As long as your problem can be solved, whatever price the Dragon God demands, the China government can absolutely afford it!"
"Don't be afraid of wasting resources; the country is your strong support!"
Upon hearing this, the Shadow fell silent for a moment.
Distracted by their gossip, she almost forgot why she had traveled all this way to this near-death trial!
Isn't it all just to break the curse on my body?
Memories were instantly brought back.
She remembered the solution that the Dragon God from her previous life had whispered to her during the trials.
A blush crept onto Shadow's cheeks.
Fortunately, with the mask covering her face, Xin An didn't notice anything unusual about her.
Shadow never expected that the boomerang he had just thrown at Liu Ruyan in front of everyone would turn back into a nightmare.
It spun around and then hit me on the head!
She coughed lightly, feeling guilty, and quickly covered it up, saying, "This... this is none of the government's concern."
"The curse on me is rather unique, and I've already found a way to break it."
"Furthermore... during the trials, I already made some private... agreements with Dragon God."
He will help me.
Xin An laughed upon hearing this, "Hahaha! Since you know what you're doing, then I'm relieved!"
"You are all my precious children, you mustn't get ahead of us!"
"Don't worry, Deputy Captain Xin."
Shadow clenched his fist with a determined look in his eyes. "I definitely won't die, that's for sure."
Just as the group was chatting...
Zhao Yan, who had been chatting with Tu Xiaogang outside the store, suddenly walked in looking hurried.
He held a communication talisman that had just burned out in his hand and shouted to the crowd.
"Comrades! We've just received a message from above!"
"The professional engineering team dispatched by the China military will arrive within five minutes of the Novice Ranking being released from the Sky Curtain!"
"Arrive at Soul Return Town on time via the teleportation scroll!"
"And I've heard..."
"This time, not only the engineering team, but even Chief Wan himself led the team here!"
"The teleportation point is probably located near the mass grave outside the town."
"Everyone, hurry up and get ready, we're going to pick them up!"
The atmosphere at the table froze upon hearing this.
Xin An and Shadow raised their heads and stared at Zhao Yan with resentful eyes.
It was as if it were a silent accusation.
Do we look like we have the time to put on a grand welcoming ceremony?!
Feeling a little guilty under his gaze, Zhao Yan scratched his head and coughed awkwardly twice.
"Ahem... Well, the Chief's personal inspection is a matter of utmost importance and absolutely cannot be delayed."
He rubbed his hands together, looking conflicted. "But this situation is indeed quite tricky; it's not appropriate for me to go alone."
"Everyone's work can't stop, so who should I ask to take over..."
At this moment, Tu Xiaogang, who had been standing to the side listening to their conversation with a smile, suddenly came over and kindly reminded them.
"Captain Zhao, have you... forgotten about my son-in-law?"
"Son in law?"
Zhao Yan was taken aback.
"That's the young man named Tang Sirui."
Tu Xiaogang pointed outside the door, "He took my daughter, Xiao Wu, to fly kites outside town early this morning."
"The person should be over at the mass grave right now."
Zhao Yan slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, "Oh right! Look at my memory!"
"I almost forgot about that bastard!"
"I'll go find him right now! Thanks for the reminder, boss, I'm off!"
With that, Zhao Yan rushed out of the rabbit meat shop.