Waking Up

It was finally over. This sudden alien invasion had come to a complete end two hours after it began, with only two or three hundred casualties throughout the entire ordeal.

This was already an excellent outcome.

When Xu Ziming woke up, he was still at the Pengcheng Martial Arts Training Base. There was no other reason for this; to ensure no stragglers remained, the local residents were still being kept in this location.

Chief Sun, meanwhile, was leading the police in a continuous search outside, and by the time dawn broke, everyone would likely be able to return home.

"Has it been resolved?"

Xu Ziming struggled to stand up, and the first thing he saw was that pretty waitress.

Strangely, why was she looking at him with such shock?

"Could it be..."

Xu Ziming seemed to realize something. He looked down and saw that, aside from his underwear, he was completely naked.

The only piece of clothing that had been draped over him had fallen off the moment he stood up.

"Listen, let me explain!"

"It's fine... we all know about your heroic deeds. Officer Sun just said that you killed an alien all by yourself. Your family just stepped out, and I've been here looking after you."

Unlike the look one might give a pervert, the waitress was still smiling at him, even while looking at the half-naked Xu Ziming.

"A-Ming, you're awake?"

Mother Xu walked over from a distance, holding the clothes she had just retrieved from the martial arts training base. Seeing Xu Ziming awake, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

No mother could help but worry about her child, especially since Xu Ziming had faced an alien with strength far exceeding his own just to protect her.

"Brother, your reputation has spread like wildfire this time. Almost everyone in the city knows that a high schooler killed a humanoid alien all by himself."

"It was just luck; it was already injured," Xu Ziming said, scratching his head. He absolutely could not expose the Qilin Blood. Even though Ma Mingyu had seen it, he wouldn't speak of it to others.

He had to keep a low profile now to avoid drawing suspicion.

"Regardless of that, you're definitely getting a spot in the next Pengcheng High School Martial Arts Tournament."

Xu Zhiyao looked at her brother with anticipation, seemingly eager to see him crush others on television.

"My classmates were so envious when they heard that the high schooler who defeated the alien was my brother." As she spoke, Xu Zhiyao's face was filled with admiration.

Xu Ziming looked at Xu Zhiyao before him, his heart swelling with pride.

Every older brother knows that being admired by one's younger sister is a truly happy thing.

This only strengthened Xu Ziming's desire for the pinnacle of martial arts. He had to train—train until no one would ever have to worry about him again.

Train until everyone could feel at ease because of his existence, just like the strongest human, Sun Yuan, did today.

"All aliens have been cleared. Residents may now depart."

Just then, an announcement broadcasted through the rooms of the martial arts base, declaring that the cleanup of the aliens was complete.

I wonder how Teacher is doing. At this moment, Xu Ziming suddenly remembered that before he lost consciousness, it seemed like Ma Mingyu had been the only one facing such a large number of aliens, and he couldn't help but feel worried.

"Is Xu Ziming here?"

A very familiar voice came from the entrance of the martial arts base.

It was Chief Sun.

Hearing his name called, Xu Ziming hastily put on the clothes his mother had just brought and stood up immediately.

"I didn't expect us to meet again in just a week."

Chief Sun's attitude this time was even gentler than before. After all, last time, Xu Ziming had only shown the strength to barely defeat an injured, ordinary martial artist.

But the Xu Ziming of today had demonstrated something else: he had truly defeated an alien at its full strength.

And he was only eighteen years old this year. In twenty years, by the time he reached his own age, he might even surpass him.

A genius of this caliber naturally needed to be recruited. Perhaps in the future, when another disaster struck Pengcheng, the one who could step up to resolve it would be this very youth who was still so green.

"Hahaha, you must be Xu Ziming. I am Fang Xingyun, the master of the Nebula Martial Hall. I sent you a contract from our hall a couple of days ago; I wonder if you've forgotten?"

Before Xu Ziming and Chief Sun could continue their conversation, Fang Xingyun had already appeared behind Chief Sun, greeting him with a kind expression.

"Many thanks to both seniors for your concern. May I ask how Teacher Ma is doing?" Xu Ziming bowed to the two of them, but he didn't forget to ask about Ma Mingyu's condition.

"Old Ma? Don't worry, it was just an old injury flaring up because he couldn't suppress it. There are no new injuries, and he will soon return to his former self. It's just a pity..."

Fang Xingyun stopped there, but his tone was genuinely filled with regret.

"A pity for what?" Xu Ziming was clearly anxious upon hearing this.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. It's just that the internal injuries your teacher sustained are too severe. Even in all of Pengcheng, there is no way to treat them. I fear that is precisely why such a genius is stuck in Pengcheng working as a teacher," Chief Sun sighed, clearly having some understanding and pity for Ma Mingyu's past.

"Sirs, thank you both for saving my A-Ming. If you have time later, please come to our home for a meal," Mother Xu said kindly, stepping out from behind Xu Ziming with a smile.

"That won't be necessary. We both have things to attend to. Would it be alright if Xu Ziming came with us for a moment?"

"Of course, I trust Chief Sun."

He followed Fang Xingyun and Sun Wenbin as they departed.

It was Xu Ziming's first time riding a legendary Flying Boat, and he had to admit, the experience was completely different from traveling by car.

Outside the window, light, wispy clouds drifted by, and looking down, he could take in the entirety of Pengcheng at a single glance.

The interior of the Flying Boat was like a beautifully decorated small house; it required no pilot, simply needing a destination input to operate on its own.

Furthermore, there was absolutely no turbulence, making the ride incredibly comfortable.

The speed of the Flying Boat was also remarkable, capable of crossing half of Pengcheng in just thirty minutes.

It was precisely because of this technology that Fang Xingyun and his companion were able to arrive at the scene a mere half-hour after the alien life fluctuations were detected.

The reason the two had invited Xu Ziming along was, in truth, to take the boy to see Ma Mingyu.

Although they had told him there were no issues, hearing about it was certainly less reassuring than seeing it with his own eyes.

Of course, there were other matters as well.

"Xu Ziming, your defeat of the alien this time bought time for us to rescue the masses. We haven't finalized the subsequent rewards yet, but we will notify you in a few days."

"Thank you, Officer Sun. As a martial artist, protecting the public is my duty."

He laughed heartily, not declining the reward. He had nearly died, after all; to repeatedly refuse would only make him look like a fool.

Not long after, the Flying Boat came to a halt; they had arrived at the hospital where Ma Mingyu was recuperating.

Entering the hospital, it was clear that Ma Mingyu's ward was of the highest configuration, isolated from all other rooms to maintain a state of absolute quiet.

"A-Ming, you're here."