Strange Occurrences

"Dad, Mom, I'm home."

"Oh! Coming, coming!"

Mother Zhang Xiujuan's voice rang out immediately, filled with joy.

The door was pulled open.

Mother Zhang Xiujuan was wearing an apron, a faint, lingering flush still on her face, her eyes bright. Seeing Li He, she immediately broke into a radiant smile: "Xiao He, you're back! Come in quickly, your dad is home!"

"That's right, hahahaha." Father Li Jianguo strode over, looking Li He up and down, his eyes lighting up. "Good lad, you've already reached the peak of a Tier 1 Martial Artist? You're at the same level as your old man now. Not bad, not bad at all, hahahaha."

Li He smiled and didn't reply.

After a round of welcoming him home.

His father began to recount what he had seen and heard in the safe zone.

"Xiao He, this time at Star Iron Gorge, it really opened my eyes!" Li Jianguo sighed. "Let me tell you, even before the incident happened, I could feel it. The concentration of Abyssal demonic energy was ridiculously high, and every now and then, small groups of monsters would harass us."

"But the Federation's defense system is truly formidable. We maintenance workers mainly ensure that the energy lines in the underground utility tunnels remain clear so that those defensive turrets and energy shields can function properly. Not a single monster could get in."

He paused, a flicker of memory crossing his eyes.

"However, I encountered something strange this time, and even now, just thinking about it makes me feel uneasy."

"Something strange?" Li He looked up at his father.

"Yeah, it was just two days before the riot. That day, I was responsible for inspecting some old streetlights near the outer buffer zone. That place is usually empty, the lighting is dim, and it's eerie. I was just checking the lines when suddenly I heard... I heard the crying of a little girl!"

"A little girl?" Zhang Xiujuan interrupted in surprise. "How could there be a little girl in a place like that? Did you run into an Evil Spirit?"

Evil Spirits were a common type of exotic beast, humanoid in shape, which could be wiped out with blood energy. Although they were scary, they were simple to deal with.

"An Evil Spirit?" Li Jianguo shook his head immediately. "Doesn't seem like it. I've been doing this for so many years and have seen plenty of Evil Spirits; those things sound like fingernails scratching a chalkboard when they cry. That crying, it was just a little girl's voice—very thin, very weak, intermittent. It sounded especially pitiful."

"But in a place like that, you can't take any anomaly lightly. I immediately sounded the alarm and notified the nearest patrol team."

"Once everyone arrived, I followed behind the squad as we approached the corner to confirm the situation."

He described the scene at the time: "Rounding the corner, I saw a little girl wearing a grey dress, curled up in a corner crying. That dress was extremely old and baggy. The child was thin and small, her hair a mess; no matter how you looked at it, she was just an ordinary child."

"The patrol team went up to check and found that she was indeed just an ordinary little girl."

"We tried to ask her what her name was, where her home was, why she appeared here... She didn't say a single word, just cried."

"We had no choice but to bring her back to the temporary camp and give her some water and food."

"And you know what? When that child saw the food, her eyes went straight. She pounced on it and started wolfing it down. The way she ate, it was like she hadn't eaten in days."

"Later, the staff gave her a preliminary checkup. Her body was fine, and her spirits were decent, but she was severely malnourished. It was as if she couldn't speak, or simply wouldn't. Whatever you asked her, she would only shake or nod her head, or look at you with terrified eyes."

At this point.

Li Jianguo sighed.

"Everyone felt quite sorry for her, thinking she might be the child of some scavenger or refugee who had gotten lost or been abandoned. We planned to help her find her family or send her to a welfare institution after the riot subsided."

"But..." Li Jianguo's voice lowered, filled with deep confusion and a trace of unease. "The day before the riot happened, the child went missing."

"Missing?" Zhang Xiujuan exclaimed.

"That's right!" Li Jianguo nodded forcefully. "She was in the containment area, the doors and windows were locked tight, and the surveillance cameras didn't catch anyone entering or leaving."

"She just vanished into thin air, as if she had evaporated. The people in the safe zone searched every corner, even checking the ventilation ducts, but there wasn't a single trace. Isn't that strange?"

"The security officer investigated for a long time but couldn't find any reason for it. They could only attribute it to some unknown phenomenon caused by the Abyssal demonic energy, or perhaps an exotic beast with special abilities had snuck in."

"But I could feel it—she was just an ordinary child. It's a feeling I can't quite describe... Sigh, I hope that child is okay."

"Dad, that is indeed strange," Li He said. "But the Abyssal frontline is inherently mysterious and unpredictable; nothing is surprising there. You did what you had to do, so don't blame yourself. I hope that child is truly safe."

He comforted his father.

"That's right, Jianguo, don't think about it so much. It's good that you came back safe," Mother Zhang Xiujuan also said quickly.

The atmosphere became lively again. Li Jianguo told more interesting stories about other workers in the safe zone, and Zhang Xiujuan talked about trivial neighborhood matters.

Li He ate his meal quietly, savoring the feeling of home.

Seeing that the time was right, Li He took the two contracts out of his backpack.

"By the way, Dad, Mom, there's more good news. The martial arts gym... helped out a bit. They found you both new jobs in the city center, and I've already picked out the address for our new home."

He handed the contracts to his parents respectively.

"Dad, this one is for a position as an equipment maintenance supervisor at a logistics center under the Zhenhai Group. Mom, this one is for a clerk position at a community service center under the same group."

"Our new house is not far from there. It's employee welfare housing provided by the Zhenhai Group. The commute is very convenient, and the security measures are quite good."

Li Jianguo and Zhang Xiujuan took the contracts and looked at them carefully under the light, their eyes widening instantly.

"This salary is more than double what I used to make, and there are all kinds of subsidies, insurance... and a housing allowance?" Li Jianguo couldn't believe it.

"My goodness, and they're giving us a house to live in? Xiao He, the martial arts gym is taking such good care of you. What kind of great contribution did you make?" Mother Zhang Xiujuan had a similar reaction.

Li He smiled.

"Well, the martial arts gym held a small assessment recently, and I performed quite well. An employer took a liking to me, and this is a token of his appreciation. Mom, Dad, you two can work within the city from now on, and it'll be a bit safer."

"Good, good, that's great!" Li Jianguo slapped the table hard. "My son has made something of himself; you've really brought honor to your old man. It's just a pity about my old buddies; they won't be seeing me anymore, hahahahaha!"

"Mom will listen to you too!" Zhang Xiujuan's eyes were slightly red, but her face was beaming with joy. "This is wonderful, now we can both work right here in town! Little He, you must work hard and don't let that employer's cultivation of you go to waste."

"Mm, I know."

Li He nodded with a smile, not saying anything more.

The night grew deep.

Li He returned to his room, opened the three secret manuals, and began to study them carefully.

He had purchased training materials online, which were expected to be delivered to the residential complex's parcel station by seven o'clock tomorrow evening.

"Practice fist techniques during the day, temper the body at night." Li He planned out his upcoming schedule. "Once the resources arrive, I can't afford to waste a single moment."