The Collapse of His Worldview

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Yuan came running up from behind.

And he wasn't the only one. Someone up ahead shouted as well:

"We're on the same side! We're all on the same side!"

After shouting, they ran toward them from the front.

Jiang Ran couldn't help but stare in surprise. Xia Xuan was among the troops up ahead, and someone else was following behind him.

The man looked to be in his early forties and wore a dark combat uniform.

His shoulder insignia was slightly different from Zhou Yuan's.

Zhou Yuan immediately went to meet them and asked about the situation in a low voice.

The man behind Xia Xuan was clearly the one in charge.

He stepped forward, glanced at the two charred Hairy Person corpses on the ground, then looked at Jiang Ran standing on the front of the vehicle. Only then did he speak in a grave voice:

"Things are urgent, so I'll keep this brief."

"These two Hairy People appeared on the outskirts of the Safe Zone a few hours ago. As soon as they showed up, they began attacking passing survivors and patrol officers indiscriminately."

"After receiving the report, we immediately deployed the Armored Forces and armed helicopters to hunt them down."

He paused, a trace of helplessness in his tone.

"But their extraordinary combat strength is terrifying, and they're extremely fast. It's difficult for us to capture or kill them without causing extensive damage."

"Then we ran into you."

Listening from not far away, Jiang Ran couldn't help finding the situation strange.

So...

These two idiots had charged in and started causing trouble without even figuring out what was going on?

They hadn't even seen modern weapons before.

And they'd dared to kill people out in the open on the outskirts of the Safe Zone?

Did they really think modern technology was useless?

By then, the officer had already started walking toward Jiang Ran.

The sternness on his face softened a little. With a sincere smile, he held out his hand to Jiang Ran:

"Hello, I'm Lu Zheng, captain of the Third Action Team of the Abyss Hunting Committee."

"Thank you very much for the information you provided earlier. We received the report about the Hairy Person right away, which allowed us to respond so quickly this time and prevent even greater casualties."

He glanced at the corpses on the ground, then looked back at Jiang Ran.

"I'd also like to thank you for stepping in and helping us deal with these troublesome... criminals."

He paused, evidently choosing his words carefully to describe these humanoid beings.

Jiang Ran calmly held out his hand and shook the other man's. His voice came through his mask:

"It was nothing."

With that, Jiang Ran turned and walked over to the two charred corpses.

He drew a tactical knife from his waist, crouched down, and began dissecting Young Master Green-Hair's head.

Lu Zheng, Zhou Yuan, Xia Xuan, and the others looked puzzled, but none of them tried to stop him. They simply watched in silence.

Jiang Ran was doing this in front of them on purpose.

He needed them to see certain things with their own eyes.

The blade slipped into a seam in the skull, his movements practiced.

He was in luck. A White Light Orb hovered quietly inside the green-haired man's head.

With everyone watching, Jiang Ran took it out and held it in his palm.

Then he murmured:

"Open."

The White Light Orb suddenly flared, dissolving into countless points of light.

The next moment, a suit of armor with an ancient design and a dark bronze sheen appeared out of thin air in Jiang Ran's hands.

Strange beast patterns were carved across its surface, and two curved bone spikes jutted from the pauldrons.

The people around him stared, stunned.

They knew perfectly well what this meant...

When an Exotic Beast was killed, it could drop an orb.

Opening one could yield Spirit Crystals, equipment, or even cultivation techniques.

That was a universally accepted rule in the Abyssal Void.

But now, this being who looked no different from a human apart from his body hair had dropped an orb after being killed?

What did that mean?

It meant that, according to the Abyssal Void's rules, beings like the Hairy People were the same kind of thing as Exotic Beasts.

Having achieved his goal, Jiang Ran said nothing more.

He put the armor into his Heavenly Net Pouch, then checked the black-haired Hairy Person's head. Finding nothing inside, he stood up, dusted his hands, and said quietly:

"I'll be going now."

With that, Jiang Ran turned and walked toward a nearby alley.

Only after he had disappeared from sight did the others slowly turn their attention back to the two charred corpses on the ground.

The silence weighed heavily on them.

After a long while, Lu Zheng took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice:

"This matter... is going to have a huge impact."

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression grave:

"I'll compile a detailed report right away and send it to our superiors as soon as possible."

Lu Zheng didn't object. He nodded, then seemed to remember something and looked at Zhou Yuan.

"Did your team bring any people from the Ancient Tomb this time?"

Zhou Yuan stared at him in surprise, then gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"No. We encountered the Blood Sacrifice Tomb this time."

Lu Zheng looked astonished.

"The Blood Sacrifice Tomb? And you still managed to get out alive?"

Lu Zheng tugged at the corner of his mouth. He pointed to the shops along the street, left in ruins by the aftershock of Lotus Brilliance, then gestured toward the two charred corpses.

"Didn't we have that guy on our side?"

Remembering how Jiang Ran had thrown that casual punch just moments ago, Lu Zheng couldn't help twitching at the corner of his eye.

"Then you really were lucky."

Elsewhere.

Jiang Ran had already arrived at the warehouse where he was supposed to meet Wang Zhenguo.

He pulled open the rolling shutter and took out all the monster corpses he had accumulated recently.

The mound of corpses took up nearly half the warehouse.

It was a shame he hadn't managed to collect all the deer-like beasts' corpses in the Ancient Tomb before his Heavenly Net Pouch was full.

Still, the amount he'd saved for Wang Zhenguo this time would keep him busy for a while.

After arranging the corpses neatly, Jiang Ran found a relatively clean spot nearby and sat down.

He took out his phone, opened the forum, and began searching for information about the Seed of Return to Void.

After browsing for a few minutes, Jiang Ran furrowed his brow.

Unfortunately, every source said the same thing.

The Seed of Return to Void couldn't be taken out of the Abyssal Void. It could only be absorbed and used inside.

That meant he couldn't bring the seed out for Xiaoyu.

Looks like he'd have to find a way to get her entry access first.

As he was thinking, someone gave a light knock on the rolling shutter.

Jiang Ran got up and opened the door.

Wang Zhenguo walked in.

When he saw the mound of corpses in the warehouse, he was already able to keep a straight face.

But he paused when he saw the pure black mask on Jiang Ran's face. He quickly recovered and greeted him respectfully:

"President."

Then he took a small cloth pouch from inside his jacket and handed it to Jiang Ran with both hands.

"This is the deposit for this assignment: five Blue Spirit Crystals."

Jiang Ran took it, gave it a casual heft, and put it into his Heavenly Net Pouch.

Then he took more than a hundred white Spirit Crystals out of the pouch and handed them to Wang Zhenguo.

Wang Zhenguo stared at them, puzzled.

"What are these...?"

Jiang Ran didn't explain. Instead, he brought out the Seed of Return to Void and the copy of the Blood-Sensing Chapter he had written down, and held them out to Wang Zhenguo.

"Find somewhere safe later and awaken your divine ability."

"Take these Spirit Crystals as your cultivation resources for now."

Wang Zhenguo froze as he looked at the faintly glowing seed in front of him.

His throat bobbed, and his voice came out hoarse.

"You're... just giving it to me?"

He knew exactly what it was.

In the Abyssal Void, countless people spent their entire fortunes and risked their lives just to obtain a seed like this.

It was a ticket to the extraordinary.

And a chance to change one's fate.

Yet Jiang Ran had handed it to him so casually.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Ran knew what was on his mind. He said quietly:

"I told you before, I'll hardly ever operate in the open. I'll need you to handle a lot of things."

Wang Zhenguo fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded firmly.

"I understand."

He wasn't a fool.

He knew that from the very beginning, his pledge of loyalty had meant becoming this man's agent.

He just hadn't expected Jiang Ran to give him this so readily.

Seeing how quickly Wang Zhenguo had composed himself, Jiang Ran looked satisfied.

He glanced at the corpses and continued:

"Although I won't interfere in the organization's affairs, you should still pick up the pace."

Wang Zhenguo nodded solemnly.

"I understand."

Seeing this, Jiang Ran said no more.

He patted Wang Zhenguo on the shoulder, then turned and left the warehouse.

Midnight.

Jiang Ran returned to reality from the Abyssal Void.

He stretched in the living room.

During the last few hours in the Abyssal Void, he hadn't gone looking for more dangers. Instead, he'd found a safe place and quietly cultivated.

One's cultivation realm was the foundation of one's strength.

Jiang Ran understood that perfectly well.

The small circulation of qi and blood in the Blood-Flow Realm had stabilized. From here, he just needed to keep at it and gradually advance toward the Blood-Nourishing Realm.

Afterward, Jiang Ran habitually sat down at his computer, opened his browser, and prepared to compile the day's information about the Abyssal Void.

But the moment he opened the forum he usually visited, he froze.

The forum's homepage had exploded.

The pinned post, published an hour ago, had a bright red headline that stood out at once:

[Official Federal Announcement: Public Statement on the Abyssal Void Phenomenon and Transcendent Affairs, with Preliminary Guidelines for Response]

First, the Federation officially acknowledged the existence of the Abyssal Void.

It also acknowledged that there was a chance to obtain special abilities inside it.

The announcement went on to state clearly that the Federation hoped the public would actively participate in exploring the Abyssal Void.

"Explore this historic opportunity in an orderly and rational manner, while ensuring your safety."

As for members of the public who could already enter the Abyssal Void,

whether they had gained access by chance or through other means,

the Federation encouraged them to register.

After registration, the Federation would provide basic safety guarantees, information sharing, and introductory training. It would also offer resources in proportion to their contributions.

At the same time, the General Administration of Transcendent Affairs was being established, effective immediately.

The departments Zhou Yuan had mentioned to him would operate under its administration and handle related matters.

The announcement ended with a series of safety reminders.

Everyone should avoid unnecessary trips outside at night for the time being.

If you discover any unusual phenomena or unidentified creatures, report them to the Order Purification Center immediately.

The use of supernatural abilities to endanger public safety in the real world is strictly prohibited...

Below the post.

The number of replies was refreshing wildly, at a rate of dozens per second.

"An official announcement at last!!! I told you those videos weren't special effects!"

"So those videos of Transcendents online are all real? Holy shit!"

"What's the benefit of registering? Could they drag us off for experiments?"

"You're overthinking it. The Federation would kill to have more Transcendents right now. Why would they experiment on us?"

"Who the hell can sleep tonight! Can someone tell me how to get into the Abyssal Void?"

The Federation's announcement.

Became the last straw that shattered most people's worldview.