The Second Mission Begins!

But as it turned out, the real world was still fairly peaceful.

Sun Ang's impersonation of the Plate Spirit and subsequent killing spree had been a rare occurrence.

After his first adventure, Tang Luo reached the right conclusion: if he really wanted to make a living in this line of work, he'd probably starve to death.

Tang Luo's first paranormal adventure had been a pleasant, laid-back affair, practically like a campfire party.

There had even been a confession.

For a while, Tang Luo suspected that these people had come out just to confess and meet up in person, with planning their next confession as a side activity.

Weren't they always saying that if you didn't tempt fate, you wouldn't meet with disaster?

"That place looks too dark and dangerous. Let's not go any farther in that direction."

"Okay."

What kind of conversation was that?!

They gathered around the campfire and told scary stories, while a few girls screamed half-heartedly.

And that counted as a "paranormal activity"?

What a disappointment!

You've let down every paranormal enthusiast out there!

Of course, from an outsider's perspective, Tang Luo had come away with a very rich haul.

Including, but not limited to, the contact information of various girls.

"This isn't what I wanted."

Tang Luo let out the cry of a "rich second-generation heir."

His looks and free publicity had helped him attract customers, but now they were facing an unprecedented crisis.

I rely on skill, not my face.

I just haven't had a chance to show off my skills for real!

Before he could get a chance to showcase his skills in the real world, Tang Luo was already waiting for his second God and Demon Game.

Thirty days had passed since the first one.

Zhou Zhenguo had said that the timing of God and Demon missions wasn't fixed.

The intervals could be long or short.

At three in the afternoon, Tang Luo was lying around at home, doing nothing, when the relevant information naturally appeared in his mind.

It told him that at the same time the next day, he would enter the mission world.

Just as Zhou Zhenguo had said, he'd receive advance notice starting with the second mission.

But it only told him when the mission would begin.

That gave Tang Luo time to prepare.

There was no other information.

The God and Demon Walkers would only be told what their mission was after entering the mission world—or, more precisely, while they were entering it.

As the time drew near, Tang Luo changed into the clothes he'd prepared and put on his shoes.

He also took Omen, which had been sitting on a shelf as a decoration, and stowed it inside his "hand."

Normally, God and Demon Walkers didn't put away their equipment when entering a mission world.

Equipment could indeed be stored inside the body very quickly, keeping it out of sight.

But taking it back out took much longer.

Tang Luo had tested it. It took a full fifteen seconds to draw Omen.

Since he was going to a mission world to complete a task, it was best to keep his equipment on him and within easy reach.

He sat in the living room on the sofa.

Just like the first time, a faint rustling whisper appeared beside his ears and in his mind.

Raindrops fell from above, drip, drip, drip.

Tang Luo focused his gaze on a drop and watched it fall.

The place where it landed was no longer the coffee table.

It was solid ground.

The raindrop struck the ground.

It merged into the "puddle" there.

These puddles, together with the whispers, formed the mission he had to complete this time: go to the Terminal Station and spend the night there, until six in the morning.

Unlike the search mission the first time, this mission seemed a little simpler—or at least it required less thinking.

The soft feel of the sofa beneath his buttocks and thighs disappeared.

In its place was something cold and hard.

The patter of heavy rain replaced the faint rustling whispers.

Someone suddenly grabbed Tang Luo's left arm, making it tense.

A force pulled him backward.

His left arm shifted forward slightly, and the force pulling him back turned into a force pulling him forward.

He helped the person beside him regain her balance.

He also caught a whiff of fragrance—perfume, apparently.

"All newcomers..."

A man's voice came from the other side.

Tang Luo turned his head.

A young man sat on his right. He wore a common pair of black, square-framed glasses, a plaid shirt, dark casual pants, and slightly dirty white sneakers.

His expression was bewildered.

He looked like either an engineering student or a programmer.

Judging by how thick his hair was, he was probably a college student.

Standing in front of the engineering student was a middle-aged woman.

She looked to be in her forties or fifties. She wore an apron and slippers, and, most importantly, she was holding a broom!

The apron was one thing.

The broom had successfully caught Tang Luo's attention.

After all, what one could bring into the God and Demon Game was strictly regulated.

Zhou Zhenguo hadn't even been able to bring in a nail clipper.

Compared to a nail clipper, a broom clearly counted as a weapon.

He shouldn't have been able to bring it in.

Unless the broom was equipment!

Yet the woman's shocked expression and her slippers made it obvious that this was her first time entering the God and Demon Game.

Had "God and Demon" considered the broom an item a middle-aged woman was allowed to carry?

Was the broom the real deal?

A weapon she'd brought along herself?

That seemed pretty powerful.

The man who had spoken was a God and Demon Walker who'd been through a mission before.

He was dressed for the outdoors, neat and efficient, a typical young man.

He could have been in his twenties or in his early thirties.

There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

He was confused not only by the woman's broom but also by Tang Luo.

With that calm expression and practiced manner, Tang Luo definitely wasn't a newcomer.

But what was with his outfit?

He wore a small string of prayer beads on his wrist.

He looked like a monk, yet his white hair was neither long nor short. It was a strange, incongruous look.

He was handsome and certainly drew the eye.

But he didn't look dressed for a mission.

Was he a cosplayer?

Yet there was something about his bearing that made him seem like an enlightened monk.

"Wait, you—you're not a newcomer, are you?"

The young man withdrew his earlier question and looked at Tang Luo.

"Amitabha Buddha."

Tang Luo raised his right hand before his chest, palm upright. "This humble monk's Dharma name is Xuanzang. I am no newcomer."

Someone was still gripping his left hand.

After hearing his definite answer, the young man turned his gaze to Tang Luo's left.

If Tang Luo's "Buddha relies on gold adornments" look weren't so eye-catching, the person to his left would have been the first one noticed.

She wore a black spaghetti-strap top, and if you looked a little lower—or if your gaze was a little higher—you could see a deep, bottomless cleavage.

She wore denim shorts that showed off her long legs, along with black high heels.

Her hair fell over her shoulders, and she had the typical makeup of an internet celebrity.

But there was no denying that before taking off her makeup, she was pretty, sexy, and alluring.

As for how she'd look without it—

Who knew?

Makeup was a form of sorcery.

Without Fire-Eye Golden Pupils, it was hard to see through.

Tang Luo didn't have Fire-Eye Golden Pupils, and neither did the young man standing before him.

It took considerable effort for him to pull his eyeballs back out after they'd fallen in.

Fortunately, the middle-aged woman's booming voice sped up the process.

"What's going on, young man?!"

The young man's expression turned serious. "Simply put, we've entered a special mission world. We have to complete the mission we just heard. It's dangerous. We could die, and only those who survive can become stronger."

"Are you pulling my leg?"

The smile on the woman's face was a little strained.

The engineering student pushed up his glasses.

The internet celebrity beside Tang Luo didn't say anything, but she unconsciously tightened her grip on his arm.

"No. You heard the mission just now too," the young man said.

He explained some of the basics.

He wasn't as detailed as Zhou Zhenguo, but at least he made sure the others understood what was happening.

And that they shouldn't keep thinking, "This can't be real."

"Got it."

The engineering student pushed up his glasses again. "Then let's introduce ourselves. My name's Lin Zi'ang. I'm a third-year student at a top university..."

"My name's Li Shufen. I'm just a housewife," the middle-aged woman said. "Young man, what's your name? Should we follow you to complete the mission?"

Unlike Zhou Zhenguo's name, which had a distinctly old-fashioned feel, hers was like the names of little girls these days: Zixuan, Zixuan, Zixuan, or Zixuan.

"Just call me K."

The young man had no intention of giving his real name. He casually gave them a code name. "Don't overthink it. I'm not here to guide newcomers. I just happened to get assigned to the same mission as you three."

K wasn't a kind-hearted middle-aged man like Zhou Zhenguo.

In fact, even Zhou Zhenguo wouldn't hesitate to kill Li Liang if he had to.

Cold and impersonal—that was the usual way for most God and Demon Walkers.

"What about you?"

After speaking, K looked at the internet celebrity beside Tang Luo, who had already let go of his hand.

"I... I'm Mi Ke. I'm a streamer. I dance a lot, so I'm in great shape. I won't hold everyone back."

The dancing streamer seemed rather shy.

"This humble monk's Dharma name is Xuanzang. I am no newcomer." Tang Luo smiled like a Buddha holding a flower and introduced himself once more. "If you need help, this humble monk will do his best to keep you safe."

The engineering student's face immediately fell.

So in the end, he and the middle-aged woman were the only fools who'd given out their real names?

It wasn't that there was necessarily a problem with revealing your real name.

But when everyone was used to going by code names, giving out your real name made you seem like a rookie.

"Monk, don't go playing the good Samaritan," K said with a frown, staring at Tang Luo.

"This humble monk has a Consecration skill. I can consecrate you all and ward off one calamity," Tang Luo said with a smile.

"Is that for real?"

K understood what Tang Luo meant, even if the others didn't.

"Monks do not tell lies," Tang Luo said. "Whenever you need consecration, you can come to this humble monk."

Come find me!

My Karma Provider!

K didn't say anything, nor did he rashly ask Tang Luo to consecrate him.

Who knew what kind of skills this monk had mastered?

He said he could do it, and K was supposed to believe him?

K wasn't that stupid.

Skipping the subject, K looked around.

They were at a roadside bus stop.

There was a battered sign, a fixed metal bench, and a rundown shelter overhead.

It barely kept out the rain pouring down from the sky.

At the end of the road, a few houses stood indistinctly along the roadside.

Beyond that, there was nothing but desolation.

Who knew why there was a bus stop in the middle of nowhere, with no village in sight in either direction?

Tang Luo and the others' mission was to reach the Terminal Station and stay there for one night.

So they just had to wait here for a bus, then?

Surely this wouldn't be like last time, when they had to take the bus back here after spending the night before they could return to the real world.