Accepting the Call

"You enjoy spending time with Ding Dong, so you're willing to travel thousands of miles to Forbidden Zone No. 002 just to eat some of the fruit he prepared for you, and then leave."

"It's dusk, "Yang Yang said softly.

The setting sun shone on the two people's faces until it finally sank alone into the mountains.

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded, "Seeing him reminds me of the original form of kindness. Yang Yang, before the time-travel incident, I was just an ordinary student, not knowing how I would survive tomorrow. Every day, I had to go to that alley in Junmin Lane to play chess with the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper knew I was poor, so even though he kept losing, he kept playing with me. He wasn't learning chess; he was just moved by my struggle to survive and wanted to help me. At that time, I thought he was the kindest person, but my pride kept me from talking about it, as if those chess games were truly fair transactions."

Qing Chen sat under the supermarket awning on that alley, watching people hurrying to catch the No. 103 bus at the end of the alley.

Watching the raindrops fall on the ground outside the awning.

He used to feel very safe there, but that was only within that little path. After leaving there, he still had to face the whole world.

Qing Chen: "It's so hard to stay kind in this world. Life will tell you more than once how worthless your moral standards are. Murderers and arsonists live high positions, while those who build bridges and repair roads die without a trace. Vivid examples of success teach you to use any means necessary, so sometimes I lose my way. But now, when I make choices, I think of that boss, I think of Ding Dong. They are like anchors in my spiritual world. With them, the lonely ship sailing in the black sea will not be capsized by the black storm and sink to the bottom of the sea."

Qing Chen: "When you're with Ding Dong, you don't need to consider the purpose behind its behavior or what its intentions are. It's genuinely kind to all living beings."

"So, that's why you kept your distance from me before, right? Because I had an ulterior motive," Yang Yang said, resting her head on his shoulder with a half-smile.

"Ah, this..." Qing Chen couldn't answer. He hadn't expected Yang Yang to bring this up.

The fragrance from the girl's hair permeated the orange-red air, lingering under Qing Chen's breath.

The two of them suddenly began to enjoy the peace and quiet of the moment.

Qing Chen understood.

In fact, Yang Yang approached him in Luocheng because she discovered that he might be one of Li Shutong's people.

Therefore, she wanted to win over the Knight Organization through Qing Chen and overthrow the Federation together with Spade.

Qing Chen was so wary of Yang Yang at first because this girl entered his world too suddenly and with too much purpose.

I rented a house across from his.

I used the excuse that I have no sense of direction to go home with him.

In front of other classmates, they quickly closed the distance between each other by driving.

In fact, even the most directionally challenged person could remember a 5-minute walk.

Back then, Yang Yang seemed more like a secret agent using her beauty to seduce him...

Qing Chen didn't like this feeling, so he wanted to keep his distance from the other party and hesitated to bring Yang Yang into the daytime group.

However, their relationship later progressed, and they became friends, and even gradually went beyond friendship.

The girl helped him more and more often, and he began to share the same goal with her. Eventually, they both forgot their original purpose.

The Black Spade 2 Yang Yang, now turned into daytime Yang Yang...

Yang Yang even tricked Xu Linsen and Jiang Mubei into going to City 22 to work for Qing Chen.

Of course, Spade probably didn't just want to win over the Knight Organization; they knew their strength was too weak against the Federation, so they needed all forces that could join them.

Therefore, realizing his own limitations, Xu Linsen, the Black Spade A, was even willing to work for Qing Chen in City 22...

Thanks to Yang Yang's efforts, the Spade Club is practically merging with the Parent's Association...

When Luo Wanyai returned last time, he told him that after the City 22 was settled, Xu Linsen did not leave the Parent's Association, but led a team to the more northerly 24th city to continue helping the Parent's Association with urban transformation as a member of the Golden Family.

Of course, Xu Linsen did not admit to being the Black Spade A, and Luo Wanyai did not reveal it either.

Spade now truly believes that the Parent's Association route is very reliable, and it's exactly the route Spade wants...

Sometimes, Qing Chen suspected that Yang Yang was actually a beta tester, chosen by Yan Liuyuan from the wilderness.

Because the other person's behavior still carries a wildness that belongs to the wilderness, direct and straightforward, as if they want to pierce your heart with words on the spot.

Some people say that Yang Yang, like Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen, is a rich second-generation student at Haicheng High School, but she has never mentioned her parents, and Qing Chen can't find out what her parents do.

Furthermore, if Yang Yang replaced Yang Yang from the Inner World as a member of the Spade, then since the Spade members knew she was Time Walker, why would they tolerate their friend and organization member being so ruthlessly replaced?

Just like how Shadow treated Qing Chen, if there really was a Qing Chen from Outer World who replaced Shadow's younger brother, he would probably die on the spot.

No one, including family and friends, could accept this outcome.

Yan Liuyuan seemed to be very evenly distributed when selecting beta testers. He picked one from each faction and watched these beta testers absorb the culture of the Outer World before returning to the Inner World to divide the conglomerate from within.

Judging from Yan Liuyuan's choice of Jingūji Maki as a beta tester for the Age of Gods, this god's younger brother actually wanted to destroy the Age of Gods.

Otherwise, why would they choose someone who is naturally a counter to Onmyoji as a beta tester?

Although the person who was closest to the divine among the living had not said anything, he had actually made his stance clear.

However, the existence of someone like Jingūji Maki means that the time when beta testers arrived in the Outer World was not the same; at least, Jingūji Maki's and Qing Chen's were different.

Qing Chen suspected that not only was the timing different, but some beta testers might not have had their memories sealed, or they might have already been superhumans when they arrived in the Outer World.

Anything is possible.

Of course, not all beta testers will choose to change this world like Qing Chen; some may integrate into this world and be assimilated by it.

Kashima, Kamishiro, Kei, Lee, and Chen.

Spades and the Fire Pit, the Tribunal of Taboos.

These are all major organizations within the Federation.

Therefore, Qing Chen guessed that Yang Yang was most likely one of the beta testers.

He looked at the girl beside him. "When did you go to the Outer World?"

Yang Yang paused for a moment, then laughed, "Guess?"

Qing Chen laughed, "Fine, don't tell me then."

Yang Yang changed the subject. "You're leaving."

"Yes, as you know, the time Shadow bought me is limited. I need to have the power to fight Chen Yu before he can emerge from seclusion again. Of course, this is a difficult task," Qing Chen nodded. "What about you? How about going to City No. 10 for some fun?"

"I'm not going. I'm definitely going to that new settlement," Yang Yang said with a smile, sitting on the edge of the tree trunk. "Although our goals are different now, you have things to do, and I have things to do."

"Clear."

Yang Yang said, "You take Xiao Mengqian with you. Sun Chuci, Tuanzi, Zard, Huan Yu will come with me to the settlement. The wilderness has been quite turbulent lately. It's one thing for the Federation Group Army to be chasing them, but there are also internal conflicts between different families among the Wilderness People. With Zard around, I can relax a bit."

Qing Chen laughed and said, "Zard and Huan Yu are like ticking time bombs. Aren't you afraid they'll explode at any moment?"

Yang Yang leaned against Qing Chen's shoulder, nuzzled her head, and moved her head to a more comfortable position. "Even if Big Yu comes out, it's okay. I'll have Zard stand by the fire. If Big Yu dares to threaten the safety of the wilderness settlement, Zard will commit suicide! Don't worry, he won't do anything reckless."

Yang Yang spoke very casually, but Qing Chen felt that Zard would be very willing to cooperate with this kind of thing.

Qing Chen stiffened and said, "Well, you can wait in Forbidden Zone No. 002... I'll send someone to meet you; perhaps they can be of help. However, before they become help, Ding Dong needs to screen them first."

Yang Yang helped him, so naturally he would help Yang Yang in return.

Both of them knew they had different missions to fulfill, so they both refrained from revealing their relationship. However, they were now the most tacit partners and collaborators, and Qing Chen would naturally help Yang Yang with whatever she needed to do.

Yang Yang asked curiously, "Who are you going to send to meet me?"

"You guess?"

"She's quite vengeful, how boring!" Yang Yang muttered. "I can already guess that you brought them out from A02 Base, but why didn't you take them with you from the beginning, instead of sending them back to the Li and Qing families?"

Qing Chen said with a smile, "We need to let them have a few good days before they make a choice."

At this moment, he stood up and looked at Ding Dong: "I'm leaving."

"Ding Dong!" Ding Dong looked reluctant to leave.

(When will you come next time?)

Qing Chen laughed and said, "I'll come often. Next time I want to bring a lot of knights to collect debts from those old guys."

The wind in Forbidden Zone No. 002 suddenly stopped, and none of the old guys dared to make a move...

Qing Chen looked at Zard: "Where are the seven Purple Orchid Star I asked you to bring back?"

Zard patted his tummy. "Here it is."

"Let's plant it in Forbidden Zone No. 002. That's the confidence the new team has to build up," Qing Chen said.

As he guessed, the idea of leaving the child behind and returning the wife was indeed feasible, and he successfully brought back the original seven Purple Orchid Star.

Although they can no longer grow rapidly in Forbidden Zone No. 002, even if they can't produce a single Chen Yu, they can still produce several A-grade items.

Li Cheng and Qing Ling's group desperately need Purple Orchid Star.

Of course, this is on the premise that Li Cheng and Qing Ling are still willing to follow him.

Return countdown: 78:00:00.

In City No. 18, there is a dormitory building on the edge of the city's Garrison Troops barracks.

However, what's strange is that, despite being a building within a military camp, it is separated by a wall.

After leaving this building, one must pass through layers of checkpoints to enter the military camp.

However, leaving the military camp is not so complicated; you can simply tell the sentry and pass through without any hindrance.

This dormitory building has become a unique sight in the Garrison Troops barracks.

The other soldiers in the Garrison Troops knew that the people in this building were all members of the former Lee Clan intelligence agency, "Red Sparrow," who had fought their way out of A02 Base.

Their situation is quite awkward.

Everyone has been at A02 Base for at least ten years. The 18-year-old boy is now 28, and the officer who was 31 back then has half of his hair turned gray.

More than ten years is enough time for a lot to happen.

In the first year, you suffered from hunger and cold.

The following year you were still suffering from hunger and cold.

If in the third year someone tells you that as long as you defect, you can secretly eat a full meal every week.

Many people make choices that go against their own principles.

Professional soldiers are no exception.

So, did no one really betray their cause in such an extreme environment? That's a story from fairy tales; it won't happen in reality.

The reality is that someone must have been turned by the gods, but the Li family cannot currently identify who it is.

The Red Sparrow organization arranged three rounds of lie detector tests based on heart rate, but no one gave themselves away.

Logically speaking, if they can pass a lie detector test, then they have maintained their loyalty. But is Li willing to take the gamble? Is he willing to put them back in high positions?

Li dared not gamble, nor did he have any reason to gamble.

For the Li family, they have too many talented people at their disposal. There is no need to take unnecessary risks for these four hundred people. They can simply feed and care for them.

Now, Li Cheng and others have been portrayed as heroes. They are to go to various places to give inspiring speeches, and then return to City No. 18 to enjoy life with high salaries.

They could also come and go from the military camp at any time to have fun, living a very comfortable life.

To be fair, they were people brought up by Qing Chen, so from that perspective alone, Li Yunshou couldn't possibly treat them unfairly.

Moreover, if the Li family mistreats them, who would be willing to risk their lives for them?

What does it matter if the salary is higher, as long as you don't touch power?

These people, as a matter of course, became marginalized figures, yet they were wealthy.

Li Cheng understood his family's actions; he truly understood.

If he were working in the Privy Council, he wouldn't allow such a group of people to regain access to power.

But such days were always somewhat unbearable. Li Cheng even wanted to return to the road they had fought their way out of A02 Base, and continue trekking southward with that figure, even if that trek would never end.

At this very moment, an officer is sitting in his office in the dormitory building, smiling broadly as he distributes wages to the soldiers.

The officer said warmly, "This month, everyone not only received their basic salary, but also a special allowance for these two tours. Thank you all for your outstanding contributions to the publicity work."

The soldiers in the corridor outside the office whistled, beaming as they waited to collect their wages, before heading to Fourth District to drown their sorrows that night.

After everyone received their wages, they walked back to the dormitory arm in arm. Someone shouted, "I thought my speech last time was really moving! They should give me a bigger stipend. Why am I getting the same as you guys? Hahaha, don't you think that makes sense?"

"That makes sense. I saw you even shed tears back then. After the speech, a tear slowly rolled down your cheek. Wow, even female celebrities can't act as well as you."

As everyone joked around, the officer who was distributing salaries came out of his office. He glanced at the soldiers' backs, sighed, and quickly left.

At this moment, someone glanced at Li Cheng and said, "Old Li, you're a colonel, you must have the highest salary, why don't you seem happy at all? Don't be so serious, come with us to the Kamiyo Style Street tonight to find some girls!"

Li Cheng glanced at them and said, "Come to the conference room with me, I have something to say."

The corridor fell silent.

This was the first time they had seen Li Cheng so serious since they had been back.

In the conference room inside the dormitory building, Li Cheng stood in front of more than four hundred people and slowly said, "I have received the summons."

Needless to say, everyone understood whose summons Li Cheng was responding to.

After looking around, Li Cheng continued, "Actually, life is already very good now. Everyone only works two days a month, but they can earn three times more than before. With this salary, everyone can quickly buy a house, a car, get married, and then live a stable life. The Li family will not treat us unfairly; from now on, everyone will be wealthy and leisurely for life."

Everyone remained silent; the only sound in the conference room was breathing.

Li Cheng suddenly changed the subject. "So, when the boss asked me if I was willing to leave this time, he made it very clear that those who didn't want to leave could stay, and he would naturally explain to the Privy Council that we would continue to be treated well. The Li family is rich and doesn't need our salaries."

"What if we want to leave?" someone asked.

Li Cheng chuckled, "Of course, that means going to the wilderness to be exposed to the wind, sun, and snow, enduring hardship, hardship, and nothing but hardship. Just don't expect any good days there. There are no girls, no houses, and no cell phone signal. If you go, it's best if each of you brings a few things to keep you entertained in the middle of the night; you'll have to take turns using them."

"Damn, this is so bitter..."

"Haha, why does this feel like we're heading back to A02 Base?"

After a long silence, someone suddenly asked, "Did the boss say what he could give us?"

Li Cheng said, "I give you iron and blood, I give you war and honor."

The meeting room fell silent again.

"Can he trust us?" a soldier asked.

Li Cheng said, "The boss is very frank. He can't believe us either, but he has ways to prove the innocence of the innocent and the lies of the liars."

The soldiers began to breathe rapidly.

Weren't they frustrated during this time? Of course they were.

They even wanted to go out into the streets and tell everyone that they had not been turned by the gods.

They cooperated fully with the lie detector tests each time, hoping their family would believe in their loyalty.

The problem is that they are willing to try to prove their loyalty, but they still cannot prove it.

They understand others' distrust, but they are powerless to change anything unless they risk their lives.

In the dead of night, some soldiers contemplated suicide to clear their names.

During this period, six soldiers attempted suicide.

If Li Cheng hadn't taken precautions, those six people would probably be gone.

They survived the days at A02 Base, but they couldn't survive the peace.

Now, the person who turned the rotten into the miraculous suddenly reappears and says, "Although I don't believe you, as long as you are innocent, I can prove your innocence."

The soldiers could no longer remain calm.

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Everyone is free to make their own choice: continue living a comfortable life here, or go to the wilderness to live a hard life. No one will laugh at those who stay, I guarantee it."

"When are you leaving?"

Li Cheng: "Tonight."

"So urgent?"

"Um."

In the conference room, everyone looked at each other, some with hesitation on their faces.

In fact, this is the meaning of Qing Chen wanting them to have a good life. These people suffered too much in the A02 Base. They suffered so much that whatever Qing Chen asked them to do before was better than them staying in that godforsaken place.

They had no choice.

This would give Qing Chen the feeling that he was taking advantage of someone in distress.

Now Qing Chen has given them the choice: good days or bad days, it's up to them.

However, once you've made your choice, don't regret it.

Li Cheng waited quietly for ten minutes before saying, "Those who are coming with me, go pack your things now. Those who want to stay, just stay in this conference room and come out after we leave. Let's not make things difficult for everyone, and we won't say goodbye again, as we may never see each other again in this life."

After saying that, he turned and strode out of the conference room.

A few seconds later, the first soldier made his choice and followed Li Cheng out the door.

Then came the second place, the third place...

Gradually, everyone left the meeting room; not a single person chose to stay!

Even Li Cheng was surprised this time. He glanced at the suddenly empty conference room and asked curiously, "Is there not a single person left here?"

He thought he would keep half!

A soldier standing in the corridor laughed and cursed, "Old Li, who the hell do you think you are? Huh? You think you're so loyal, so grateful, so determined and willing to suffer?"

Someone else laughed, "Look at that incredulous look on your face, as if we're all cowards in your eyes. Is enduring hardship something to be proud of? Back at A02 Base, I endured way more hardship than you!"

"My life was given to me by that boss. I told him back when we were on the run that I would do anything he asked me to do from now on."

Old Li watched these people, and for some reason his eyes felt a little sore. He quickly blinked so that these bastards wouldn't notice. "Alright, enough of this nonsense. Go pack your things. Don't bring too much. Just leave the military camp normally, and then leave through the No. 2 border checkpoint on the south side. The boss has already made arrangements there."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go suffer!"

The soldiers started joking around again.

At midnight, the sentries at the Garrison Troops camp felt something was amiss.

As is customary, Li Cheng and his men should be drunk and returning to the military camp one after another by this time, but so far, not a single one has been seen.

Actually, some soldiers do stay out all night, but not all of them do that.

He thought about it and then reported the matter.

Red Sparrow took action, starting to use informants to track down their whereabouts.

Later, Red Sparrow discovered that intelligence agents led by Qing Ling were also gathering in City No. 18, seemingly preparing to leave.

It wasn't until this moment that Li realized what was happening.

These people were not in danger; instead, they answered someone's call.

In the wilderness south of City No. 18, Li Cheng sat on a large tree by the roadside, shading his eyes with his hand as he gazed into the distance.

"Don't wait for Old Li, I have a feeling Qing Ling and the others aren't coming," someone said. "I heard that the Qing family treats Qing Ling and his people better than they treat us. Some of them have even regained power, and Qing Ling has resumed his identity as a secret agent. They're living much more comfortably than we are."

"Who can blame them but the boss's cronies? We all share the surname Qing, and the boss is the current leader of the Secret Intelligence Department, so naturally he'll take better care of them," someone said. "Although our boss has a high position in the Li family, there's still something between us... Qing Ling and the others can work for the boss in the city. The boss is so open-minded that even if Qing Ling and the others don't want to go to the wilderness, they can continue to serve him. It's just that we're in a worse situation, having to suffer in the wilderness."

Li Cheng glared at the person who spoke, "What are you thinking? The boss told me that the intelligence agents of the Li and Qing families are treated equally, and he will also summon Qing Ling."

"Why hasn't Qing Ling shown up yet?"

Li Cheng pondered, "Something must have delayed him. Even if others don't go to the wilderness, Qing Ling definitely will."

However, at that moment, more than twenty troop transport vehicles drove up from the west side of the wilderness and lined up in a long line.

Li Cheng and the others suddenly tensed up, and someone whispered, "Could it be the Li family coming to arrest us?"

Li Cheng looked up, signaling everyone to be quiet. "Stay hidden!"

But gradually they realized something was wrong. Qing Ling in the car at the front was looking at them with a sly smile!

The troop carrier slowly came to a stop. Qing Ling sat in the passenger seat, his arm resting on the window, and said jokingly, "You guys aren't planning to hike to Forbidden Zone No. 002, are you? After arriving at Forbidden Zone No. 002, you'll have to hike another 200 kilometers to the Wilderness People's settlement. This kind of hard-working spirit is truly admirable."

Li Cheng was stunned for a moment. "How come you have a car?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Qing Ling said with a laugh. "Who is our boss in the Qing family? I said I wanted to leave, and Qing Ye and Qing Qu immediately gave us a big send-off, providing supplies, a car, and a satellite phone, making sure we didn't eat or sleep well on the road. That's the Qing family for you, much better than your Li family. I heard you snuck out, hahaha, why are you being so careful? You're overthinking it!"

Li Cheng's face turned red with embarrassment. "Bullshit! What if we get stopped? Who knows what the power struggle at the higher levels is like?"

Qing Ling asked curiously, "We all came out, everyone on our side, what about you?"

Li Cheng also said proudly, "Don't act like we're inferior to you. We're all here!"

The two of them got tangled up again.

There was a moment of silence between them. Suddenly, Qing Ling opened the car door and jumped out. He hugged Li Cheng tightly and said, "Long time no see."

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Long time no see."

Since they were awarded medals and taken aboard the airship, the intelligence agents of the Li and Qing families have not seen them again.

However, having gone through thick and thin together at A02 Base for over a decade, this bond will never break.

"Alright, get in the car!" Qing Ling laughed loudly, "From now on, we'll be on a long Jianghu Lu Yuan, never to return!"

More than twenty troop carriers swayed and wobbled southward along the small road.

The military songs inside the vehicle startled the birds, piercing through the clouds in the sky.

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