Join Jiuzhou

Snap, snap, snap.

He Jinqiu clapped with a smile, "I underestimated Kunlun. It's quite surprising that you were able to find them despite their carefulness."

Zheng Yuandong waved to Lu Yuan Lu Yuan release the people. The young men and women silently walked to He Jinqiu's side. "Sorry, boss, we don't know when we were exposed."

"No need to apologize," He Jinqiu said with a smile. "It's not your fault. Many people, including myself, underestimated Boss Zheng."

"Now tell me why you came all this way to see me," Zheng Yuandong asked calmly.

At this moment, He Jinqiu took out several photos from his pocket, placed them on the table, and pushed them in front of Zheng Yuandong: "Seven days ago, the CIA carried out a secret decapitation mission in the Middle East. One of the team members was supposed to be a Time Walker. After completing the mission, they executed the withdrawal plan, but the Time Walker was unexpectedly killed by a sniper."

"That's not surprising," Zheng Yuandong said. "Even demigods can't withstand full firepower, and ordinary superhumans would be killed without a single sniper shot."

"That's right," He Jinqiu said with a smile, "But that's not the point I'm trying to make. What I'm trying to say is... after that superhuman died, the plants in the area where his body was found suddenly grew rapidly in late autumn, and even bloomed."

Zheng Yuandong frowned; he knew what He Jinqiu was going to say.

The problem is that there are precedents of people in Kunlun who have reached the awakening threshold but are unable to awaken in the Outer World.

At first, everyone thought that everything in the Inner World wouldn't interfere with the Outer World, but now it seems that's not the case.

Perhaps, there is a real possibility that Forbidden Zone could form in the Outer World.

The key is that He Jinqiu and Zheng Yuandong both bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the country, and neither of them dares to gamble on this probability.

He Jinqiu continued, "According to my Jiuzhou, that superhuman was only around F-Class, so he wouldn't form Forbidden Zone. But I suspect that if one day a B-Class superhuman really dies in the Outer World, Forbidden Zone might actually appear."

"The Inner World is now mired in the troubles of the Forbidden Zone. Large swathes of land have been eroded by the Forbidden Zone. I have checked the data. In the very early days of the Federation, Forbidden Zone 001 even swallowed up a city. Even the people of the Inner World could not stop their spread, let alone us," He Jinqiu said.

He Jinqiu said, the Forbidden Zone has always been a major concern for the Inner World, which is why the conglomerate has always allowed the existence of the Tribunal of Taboos.

There's even a strange story circulating in the Federation: Years ago, the Lee family launched a small-scale war against Kashima. During the war, the Tribunal of Taboos could freely enter and leave the battlefield to collect the corpses of superhumans. Both sides in the war, the Lee family and Kashima, seemed to be unable to see the members of the Tribunal of Taboos, allowing them to move around freely.

This also shows the dangers of Forbidden Zone.

He Jinqiu said, "Old squad leader, let's put aside other differences for now. There's one thing we must agree on: we must never allow Forbidden Zone to appear in the country."

"But I have information that even if you take the body of a superhuman to be cremated, it will cause the funeral home to become Forbidden Zone," Zheng Yuandong said. "This is an almost irreversible thing, and only the Tribunal of Taboos knows how to deal with it."

He Jinqiu calmly said, "Currently, the best way is to quietly transport the body out of the country for burial once a superhuman is found dead. Moreover, this matter must be kept secret, since superhumans can release Forbidden Item, and we must ensure that these Forbidden Item do not fall into the hands of outsiders."

Jiuzhou has always been in charge of foreign affairs, and the situations they face are usually more cruel and severe than imagined. Therefore, their methods of handling matters are usually more ruthless.

For He Jinqiu, since the impact of the death of a superhuman cannot be completely eliminated, then this impact should be transferred to others.

Zheng Yuandong fell silent.

He Jinqiu smiled and said, "I know that Boss Zheng is an upright person and unwilling to do such a thing that harms others for personal gain, but my duty is to protect my compatriots in the country. The lives and deaths of others are none of my concern. In addition, Jiuzhou's foundation outside is definitely stronger than Kunlun's. If Kunlun discovers the death of a superhuman, they can just inform Jiuzhou directly, and I will take care of the burial place and transportation. If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility."

"It has nothing to do with whether one is upright or not," Zheng Yuandong said calmly. "If I had to make a choice, I would rather that my compatriots in the country not suffer from the invasion of Forbidden Zone. Kunlun and Jiuzhou will do this together. If anything goes wrong, we will share the responsibility."

Zheng Yuandong was not pedantic; he knew how to make the right choice.

Seeing that an agreement had been reached, He Jinqiu stood up and said, "I will be bothering you in Los Angeles for a while before the second round of the Shadow Struggle ends. Please don't mind, old squad leader."

"Stay for dinner," Zheng Yuandong said.

"No need, I still have things to do," He Jinqiu smiled. "Luo City is a place of outstanding people and resources. I'll go find those Time Walker and see if any of them are willing to join my Jiuzhou."

Watching He Jinqiu's departing figure, Zheng Yuandong suddenly said to Lu Yuan, "Go find Qing Chen today. I think He Jinqiu's main target this time is him."

"Didn't you say to wait a little longer?" Lu Yuan asked curiously. "You said yourself that the time wasn't right yet."

Zheng Yuandong glanced at him. "If He Jinqiu hadn't personally intervened, we could have waited a bit longer."

Jiuzhou is known for its generosity, and when He Jinqiu recruits members, he usually offers them irresistible prices that are enough to tempt anyone.

In the evening, Qing Chen led Nan Gengchen out of the school, and the two discussed going out for a nice meal.

"Brother Chen, did you observe those two transfer girls in your class today? Are they Time Walker?" Nan Gengchen asked.

"Unlike the Time Walker, who might have transferred to Los Angeles to try his luck at getting a public beta qualification," Qing Chen said. "And he's also very low-key."

"Brother Chen, if you say it's not them, then they definitely aren't," Nan Gengchen said. "However, there are more and more people in Luocheng. It's said that the housing prices in the nineteen cities in our country that will have public beta qualification have all risen a lot."

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded, "After all, there are too many benefits to be gained in the Inner World, and many people will eventually be tempted, especially after the commercial interests are developed."

"Brother Chen, have you heard? There's a rumor going around the senior year that a popular celebrity is transferring to their school. Last week, paparazzi photographed his parents coming to handle the transfer details," Nan Gengchen said. "I heard it's from the neighboring Sanmen City."

"Ignore people like that, and don't get too close to them," Qing Chen said. "If you get photographed by paparazzi, the whole country will know you, which will needlessly increase your risks in the Inner World."

However, at this moment, Qing Chen suddenly stopped and quietly looked at the opposite side.

On the other side of the street, He Jinqiu stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling as he looked at the two of them. He didn't say anything, but simply looked at Qing Chen across Xingshu Road.

Nan Gengchen whispered from the side, "Brother Chen, do you know him?"

Qing Chen remained silent.

He had never seen him in the Outer World, but he had seen him at the Begonia Boxing Gym in the Inner World. Before he returned, the other party had been observing him from the stands many times.

Moreover, Qing Chen's knowledge of this person goes far beyond this, because he had also seen the person in the information Lin Xiaoxiao gave him.

He Jinqiu.

One of the executive directors of the Hu Clan's intelligence organization in the Inner World, an extraordinary being, level unknown.

The next moment, He Jinqiu crossed the road and came to the two of them. He greeted Nan Gengchen first, "Qing Xiao Tu, Little Duck, nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

Nan Gengchen's expression changed. The other party not only knew his ID, but also Qing Chen's name in the boxing ring!

However, Qing Chen's expression remained unchanged. He quickly analyzed in his mind: the person who knows the ID "Little Duck" is He Xiaoxiao, and He Xiaoxiao is most likely affiliated with Jiuzhou, so the other party is from Jiuzhou.

Qing Chen even speculated that the other party might be He Xiaoxiao herself, but the other party's voice was not the same as He Xiaoxiao's, and the emphasis in the tone of voice was also different when narrating things.

While a voice can be changed with a voice changer, the emphasis and intonation when speaking are habits that are difficult to change.

Qing Chen trusted his own judgment.

Therefore, He Jinqiu should not be He Xiaoxiao.

Seeing that Qing Chen remained silent, He Jinqiu smiled calmly and said, "Don't be nervous. I just happened to see your boxing match. You fought very well, and you even made the Tigerweight boxer cry."

"Yes," Qing Chen said, "Did you need something from us?"

"That's right," He Jinqiu said with a smile, "I think you two are both outstanding Time Walker, and I would like to invite you to join us."

That night, Lu Yuan returned to Lijing Gate in high spirits. As soon as he entered Kunlun Courtyard, he smiled at Zheng Yuandong and said, "Boss, guess what? I went to Qing Chen's house to find him. I thought he would refuse, but I didn't expect that after I appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him, the kid also recognized our Kunlun's philosophy."

Lu Yuan continued, "You have no idea, when I was introducing the deeds and spirit of Kunlun, I almost moved myself to tears. Qing Chen is now sharing an apartment with Nan Gengchen, and Nan Gengchen was listening to me and was so moved he cried. Boss, how come I never realized I was such a good speaker before?"

"Nan Gengchen? That's the one who's next to Li Yinuo... Has Qing Chen agreed to join Kunlun?" Zheng Yuandong asked calmly.

"He's willing, he's more than willing!" Lu Yuan sat in the armchair and took a sip of tea. "Not only Qing Chen joined, but Nan Gengchen also took the initiative to join us. However, I told Nan Gengchen that Kunlun isn't a place where just anyone can join. This time, we'll hire Qing Chen first, and he'll need to observe him further."

"Yes," Zheng Yuandong nodded calmly.

"Hey, boss, why aren't you happy at all? Qing Chen is a really good kid. He was so impressive back at Laojun Mountain. It's a good thing for someone like him to join Kunlun! If you assign him to my team, it will be like adding wings to a tiger!" Lu Yuan said.

Zheng Yuandong looked at Lu Yuan expressionlessly. "Before you persuaded him to join Kunlun, he also readily joined Jiuzhou. I suspect that if the Shamate family invited him to join now, he would readily agree."

Lu Yuan: "???"

Thank you to Nizoukai_ and Leijue for becoming new patrons of this book! Wishing all the book owners happiness and good health!

Thank you to "The Shenyin of the Mentally Challenged Group" for becoming a Gold Partner of this book! You're so generous, boss! May you find your other half soon, and escape the traps of online dating!

There's another update tonight, I'll grab a bite to eat first.