Worldview Collapses

As the words fell, Zhou Yuan had already run up from behind.

And it wasn't just him; people ahead were also shouting:

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

They shouted this as they ran over from the front.

Jiang Ran couldn't help but be stunned at the sight; Xia Xuan was actually among the troops ahead, and there was someone following behind him.

That man was in his early forties, wearing a dark combat uniform.

The style of his shoulder insignia was slightly different from Zhou Yuan's.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan immediately went up to meet them, lowering his voice to ask about the situation.

The man behind Xia Xuan was clearly the superior officer.

He walked forward, his gaze sweeping over the two charred corpses of the Hairy People on the ground before shifting to Jiang Ran, who was standing on the hood of the vehicle, and then spoke in a deep voice:

"The situation is urgent, so I'll keep it brief."

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

"After receiving the report, we immediately dispatched Armored Forces and an Armed Helicopter to surround and suppress them."

He paused, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness.

"But the extraordinary combat power of these two was too terrifying, and their speed was extremely fast; it was difficult for us to capture or kill them without causing large-scale destruction."

"And then we ran into you."

Jiang Ran, listening from not far away, couldn't help but have a strange look in his eyes.

So...

They were just two idiots who dared to act recklessly without even understanding the situation?

They hadn't even seen modern weaponry.

Yet they dared to kill people openly on the outskirts of the Safe Zone?

Did they really think modern technology was useless?

At this moment, that officer had already walked toward Jiang Ran.

The seriousness on his face softened slightly, and with a sincere smile, he extended his hand toward Jiang Ran:

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

"Thank you very much for the intelligence you provided earlier; we received the news regarding the existence of the Hairy People immediately, which is why we were able to react so quickly this time and prevent greater casualties."

He glanced at the corpses on the ground and then looked at Jiang Ran:

"I also thank you for stepping in to help us deal with these two troublesome... criminals."

The other party paused for a moment, clearly deliberating on what to call these humanoid beings.

He calmly extended his hand and shook the other's, his voice transmitting through his mask:

"Just a small effort."

After speaking, Jiang Ran turned and walked toward the two charred corpses.

He drew his tactical knife from his waist, crouched down, and began to dissect the skull of Young Master Green-Hair.

Lu Zheng, Zhou Yuan, Xia Xuan, and the others, though their expressions were filled with confusion, did not speak up to stop him, merely watching quietly.

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

He needed these people to see certain facts with their own eyes.

The blade cut along the cranial sutures with practiced movements.

He was in luck; inside the head of this green-haired one, a White Light Orb was floating quietly.

Jiang Ran took it out in front of everyone and held it in his palm.

Then, he whispered silently:

"Activate."

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

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

The surface of the armor was engraved with strange beast patterns, and there were two curved bone spurs on the shoulder guards.

The few people around, seeing this scene, were instantly stunned.

They naturally understood what this behavior represented...

After an Exotic Beast is killed, it drops a light orb.

Opening it can yield Spirit Crystals, equipment, or even cultivation techniques.

This is the recognized rule of the Abyssal Void.

But now, a being that looked no different from a human, save for being covered in hair, had actually dropped a light orb after being killed?

What did this mean?

It meant that existences like the Hairy Person were, in the judgment of the Return to Void, the same nature as Exotic Beasts.

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Jiang Ran said no more.

He stowed the armor into his Heavenly Net Pouch, checked the head of the black Hairy Person once more to ensure nothing remained inside, then stood up, brushed the dust from his hands, and spoke softly to the group:

"I'm leaving first."

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

Only after Jiang Ran's figure had completely vanished did the people present slowly retract their gazes, looking back down at the two charred corpses on the ground.

The atmosphere was oppressively silent.

After a long while, Lu Zheng took a deep breath, his voice low:

"This matter... the impact is too great."

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression grave:

"I will compile a detailed report immediately and submit it to my superiors as soon as possible."

Lu Zheng did not refuse, nodding in agreement, then as if remembering something, he looked at Zhou Yuan:

"Did you not bring any ancients out of the Ancient Tomb this time?"

Zhou Yuan was stunned upon hearing this, then shook his head with a bitter smile:

"No. What we encountered this time was a Blood Sacrifice Tomb."

Upon hearing this, surprise appeared on Lu Zheng's face:

"A Blood Sacrifice Tomb? And you were still able to come out alive?"

Lu Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth, gesturing toward the shops by the street that had been left in shambles by the aftermath of the Lotus Brilliance, then pointed at the two charred corpses on the ground:

"Isn't that why we dragged that one into it?"

Recalling that casual punch Jiang Ran had thrown earlier.

The corner of Lu Zheng's eye couldn't help but twitch:

"Then you lot are truly lucky."

On the other side.

Jiang Ran had already arrived at the warehouse agreed upon with Wang Zhenguo.

He pulled up the rolling shutter door and dumped out all the monster corpses he had accumulated recently.

The mountain of remains occupied nearly half the warehouse.

It was a bit of a pity; there were still many corpses of the Jing in the Ancient Tomb that he hadn't had time to collect before his Heavenly Net Pouch was completely full.

Fortunately, the amount left for Wang Zhenguo this time would be enough for him to digest for a while.

After arranging the corpses neatly.

Jiang Ran walked to the side and sat down in a relatively clean spot.

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

After browsing for a few minutes, Jiang Ran's brows furrowed slightly.

Regrettably, information from all channels indicated the same thing.

The Seed of Return to Void could not be taken out of the Return to Void; it could only be digested and used while inside.

This meant he had no way to bring this seed out for Xiaoyu.

It seemed he would have to find a qualification to enter first.

Just as he was pondering, a light knocking sound came from outside the rolling shutter door.

Jiang Ran stood up to open it.

Wang Zhenguo walked in.

Upon seeing the mountain of remains in the warehouse, he was already able to maintain a normal expression.

He only paused for a moment when he saw the pure black mask on Jiang Ran's face, but he quickly reacted and called out respectfully:

"Chairman."

Immediately, he took a small cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Jiang Ran with both hands:

"This is the deposit for this mission, five Blue Spirit Crystals."

Jiang Ran took them, weighed them in his hand, and stowed them into his Heavenly Net Pouch.

Then, he took over a hundred White Spirit Crystals from his Heavenly Net Pouch and handed them to Wang Zhenguo.

Wang Zhenguo was stunned at the sight, confusion appearing in his eyes:

"This is...?"

Jiang Ran didn't explain. Instead, he took out the Seed of Return to Void and the copied Blood-Sensing Chapter again, placing them before him:

"Find a safe place later and activate your divine abilities."

"Consider these Spirit Crystals as your early cultivation resources."

Wang Zhenguo stared at the faintly glowing seed before him, frozen in place.

He swallowed, his voice dry.

"You... you're just giving this to me?"

He wasn't ignorant of what this was.

In the Void, countless people had squandered their fortunes and risked their lives for a single seed like this.

It was a ticket to entering the transcendent realm.

And an opportunity to change one's destiny.

Yet now, Jiang Ran had handed it to him so casually.

Jiang Ran saw his reaction and knew what he was thinking. He said softly:

"As I said before, I rarely operate openly. Many things will require you to handle."

Wang Zhenguo fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded vigorously:

"I understand."

He wasn't a fool.

He knew clearly that from the very beginning, his pledge of allegiance was to become the proxy of the person before him.

He just hadn't expected the other party to give him this so easily.

Seeing him adjust his mindset so quickly, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Jiang Ran's eyes.

He looked at the corpses and continued:

"Although I won't interfere with organizational matters, you should speed things up."

Wang Zhenguo nodded with a serious expression:

"I understand."

Seeing this, Jiang Ran said no more.

He patted Wang Zhenguo on the shoulder and turned to leave the warehouse.

Midnight.

Jiang Ran returned to reality from the Void.

He stretched in the living room.

He hadn't ventured into danger for the remaining hours in the Void. Instead, he found a safe place and cultivated quietly.

Realm was the foundation of strength.

Jiang Ran understood this clearly.

The minor circulation of qi and blood in the Blood-Flow Realm was stable. The next step was diligent effort, moving towards the Blood-Nourishing Realm.

Then, as usual, Jiang Ran sat down at his computer and opened his browser, preparing to compile the information from the Void that day.

However, the moment he clicked on his usual forum, he froze.

The forum's homepage had completely exploded.

The pinned post had been published an hour ago, its red title extremely eye-catching:

[Official Federal Announcement: Public Explanation and Preliminary Response Guidelines Regarding the Void Phenomenon and Transcendent Affairs]

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

And admitted the possibility of obtaining special abilities within the Void.

The announcement also clearly stated.

The Federation hoped the public would actively participate in the exploration of the Void.

"Under the premise of ensuring safety, explore this historic opportunity in an orderly and rational manner."

For citizens who could already enter the Void.

Whether they obtained entry qualifications by accident or otherwise.

The Federation encouraged them to register.

Upon registration, the Federation would provide basic safety guarantees, information sharing, basic training guidance, and other services. Corresponding resource support would also be given based on contributions.

Furthermore, the General Administration of Transcendent Affairs was established effective immediately.

It would have departments under it, as mentioned by Zhou Yuan, responsible for related matters.

The final part of the announcement included a series of safety reminders.

Try to minimize unnecessary outings at night for the time being.

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

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

Below the post.

The reply count was refreshing frantically at a rate of dozens per second.

"It's finally official!!! I told you those videos weren't special effects!"

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

"What are the benefits of registering? Will we be taken away for experiments?"

"You're overthinking it, the Federation is desperate for more Transcendents right now, how could they possibly experiment on us?"

"Who the hell can sleep tonight! Can someone tell me, how exactly do you enter the Abyssal Void?"

The Federation's announcement.

It became the final straw that crushed the worldview of the masses.