Wan'an Project

Chen Jin leaned against the cold chair back, the shadow beneath his cap brim veiling his gaze, yet his thoughts wove clearly through the quagmire of the past two-plus years.

Fifteen Yanfu Events, seventeen arrests of suspects abusing Yanfu powers.

Every single time, he had crawled out from mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and treacherous, perilous lands.

According to the iron-clad discipline of the Field Operations Team, all personal gains acquired by operatives during Yanfu Events had to be unconditionally surrendered to the organization for unified assessment and distribution. The justification: to maximize overall strength and prioritize the survival of logistics and support personnel.

Chen Jin had always been the most steadfast executor of this rule.

How much loot had he turned in? So much that he could barely remember it all himself.

An "MR First Aid Potion" that could briefly stabilize injuries and buy time for treatment? Surrendered.

It was given to a frail young girl in the rear responsible for intelligence analysis.

A "Spirit-Masking Talisman" capable of slightly interfering with spiritual perception? Surrendered.

It was handed to a scout whose self-preservation skills were questionable.

A "Green Moss Stone" containing faint life essence that could accelerate wound healing? Surrendered.

It went to a doctor in the medical team.

There was even one time when he had nearly lost half his life to retrieve a small vial of "War Soul Ash"—rumored to permanently and slightly increase bone toughness—from an ancient battlefield phantom... He had surrendered it without a moment's hesitation. In the end, it was used on a shield guard with insufficient base constitution.

Chen Jin had never complained about this. He felt that his own "Flesh of Vision" body was, in itself, the strongest safeguard.

His regenerative abilities allowed him to hold firm in desperate situations, leaving the hope of life to comrades who needed protection more. Seeing the hope and gratitude ignited in his teammates' eyes made it all feel worth it.

He believed that the power of the team was greater than the individual, and that protecting the weak was the only glimmer of light left in this cruel world.

Year after year, he turned over the vast majority of his gains. The enhancements that were actually used on him—those that strengthened his "Flesh of Vision" inheritance—were few and far between.

His strength had remained almost stagnant. He relied on a fearless combat style and that near-shameless regenerative ability to scrape by, rather than any real, earth-shattering leap in power that could crush his peers.

He didn't care. He thought this was dedication, a sense of duty.

Until now.

...Being kicked out of the team like trash.

Having his funding docked, forced to pay out of pocket to risk his life. And even... having the next Yanfu Event maliciously arranged by people who had carefully plotted to make it an "escape-kill" type meant for resource recovery!

A chill completely swallowed the last shred of naive warmth.

The fingers Chen Jin used to grip his wine glass turned white from the excessive force, and it felt as if magma were surging beneath his newly regenerated skin.

"Heh..." A cold laugh, so low it was almost inaudible, rolled from his throat, carrying bone-chilling shards of ice.

So, in the eyes of those people, his sacrifices, his forbearance, his repeated acts of giving up life-saving resources... only proved that he was a "soft persimmon" who could be manipulated at will, squeezed of his final value, and then easily discarded!

A fire of unprecedented intensity, a mixture of betrayal-fueled rage and extreme self-loathing, surged from the depths of his heart, instantly burning through his limbs and bones! It was hotter and more violent than the strong liquor in his glass!

"Fuck!"

He cursed under his breath, not at anyone in particular, but at his own foolish past self.

Screw them all!

He pulled out an old-fashioned, nearly obsolete keypad phone. His fingers tapped a long, irregular string of numbers onto the tiny keypad with lightning speed.

The call connected; there was no ringtone, only a deathly silence.

Chen Jin lowered his voice into the receiver:

"Wan'an Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd."

After a brief silence, a synthesized voice, electronically altered to mask gender and age, spoke without a hint of emotion: "Please describe your requirements, honored guest."

"Wan'an Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd."—a private intermediary organization operating in the gray zone, providing services specifically for "Yanfu Walkers" whose needs could not be met by the official "Unmanned Auction House."

They possessed immense influence and secretive methods; naturally, their fees were also exorbitant.

"I need a [Key] that can take me to Human-Bingzi-Twelve immediately."

There were many ways to rapidly increase one's strength, such as the renowned Four Realities: Winter of Ghosts, True Martial of Scales, Seven Kingdoms of Jie, and Eight Sufferings Realm. Their specialty treasures could allow a Yanfu Walker's strength to advance by leaps and bounds in a single day.

However, they were not open to the public.

As for Human-Bingzi-Twelve, according to the information Chen Jin had gathered, there was a high probability of finding a Yanfu secret treasure there that could strengthen his [Flesh of Vision] inheritance, and the entry fee was something he could still afford.

"Request received. The activation fee and security deposit for the fruit Human-Bingzi-Twelve: 5,000 Yanfu Points. Do you confirm?"

5,000 points! This was almost all of Chen Jin's life savings! But he didn't hesitate for a second:

"Confirmed!"

"Transaction established. Please proceed to the following coordinates to receive the 'Key': Rust City, East District, the intersection of Seventh Street and Old Harbor Road, beneath the third abandoned lamppost. The 'Key' is valid for two hours. Please note, 'Wan'an Engineering' does not guarantee the event content, survival rate, or subsequent consequences. Good luck."

The call was disconnected, leaving only a busy signal.

Chen Jin downed the remaining liquor in his glass, the spicy burn rushing straight to his head. He dropped a few crumpled bills, stood up, and without hesitation, merged into the damp, cold night of Rust City outside the bar.

The coordinate point was a deserted street corner, reeking of garbage and the rot of rust. Beneath the third rusted, long-extinguished lamppost, there was nothing.

Chen Jin waited patiently. About ten minutes later, a figure wearing an oversized delivery uniform and a full-face helmet rode a dilapidated electric bicycle, wobbling to a stop beside the lamppost.

He didn't even glance at Chen Jin; he simply bent down as if picking something up from the ground, then tossed it away with a casual flick of his wrist.

An object cut through the night, landing precisely toward Chen Jin.

Chen Jin reached out and caught it. It felt ice-cold and heavy in his palm.

By the faint glimmer of the distant neon lights, he saw it clearly—it was a very ordinary-looking metal lighter, its silver casing slightly worn, with no markings of any kind.

This was the "Key."

The Rider didn't linger; he twisted the throttle and vanished silently into the end of the dim street.

Chen Jin rubbed the cold casing of the lighter, pressed his thumb down hard, and struck the flint wheel with a sharp flick!

Click!

A cluster of ghostly blue flames, seemingly devoid of heat, suddenly flared to life!

With the flame as the center, the surrounding light instantly twisted and folded. The air emitted an unbearable hum, and a thin spatial rift, its edges shimmering with ghostly blue electricity, appeared out of thin air before Chen Jin as if torn open by an invisible hand.

Chen Jin didn't hesitate for a second; he took a step forward and strode into the rift without a backward glance.

The ghostly blue flame extinguished the moment his figure vanished, and the spatial rift sealed shut as if it had never existed at all.

Walker, you are about to initiate an additional Yanfu Event.