Eternal Night Church?

After leaving the Defense Office, Lin Yizhong took the students straight to the bus and prepared to return to Banyan City. The lingering excitement was still obvious on many of their faces.

Upon returning to Banyan City, Lin Yizhong immediately announced an early dismissal and told the students to go home and get some proper rest. They were all newly awakened students, and after fighting for so long, they were physically and mentally exhausted. He had already noticed that many of them had fallen asleep on the bus.

The students had spent the entire day grinding monsters. Their bodies were sticky, bloodstains clung to their clothes, and each of them looked like they had just walked out of a refugee camp. They had long wanted to take a hot shower and get some sleep. The moment they heard they could leave early, everyone cheered and then left the academy in small groups.

Lin Yu and Zhu Fugui had nothing else to do, so they naturally went home as well.

When they reached the ground floor of his apartment building, Lin Yu suddenly frowned, stopped walking, and looked around.

"Brother Yu, what's wrong?"

Seeing Lin Yu stop, Zhu Fugui asked in confusion.

"Nothing. I just feel like something's off."

"What's off? Everything looks normal, doesn't it?"

Zhu Fugui glanced around and said puzzledly.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. Let's go."

Lin Yu gave the surroundings a deep look but said nothing more, heading upstairs with Zhu Fugui.

At that moment, in a milk tea shop not far from Lin Yu's home, several people dressed as employees were whispering among themselves.

"Boss, do you think that student named Lin Yu noticed us?"

"No way, right? We're all Wardens above the fifth rank, and we're so far away. He's just a newly awakened student. How could he possibly notice us?"

"But I feel like the way he looked over here just now was kind of strange!"

"Cut the crap. If it were you standing where he was, could you spot us here?"

"Definitely not. I'm only fifth rank. If you guys didn't reveal your strength, how could I possibly notice you?"

"If even you can't, then he can? Enough nonsense. Our mission is to protect that student's family. If anything goes wrong, none of us will get away with it!"

"All right. By the way, Boss, what exactly is that student's identity? They actually transferred us here specifically to stand guard and told us not to bother with anything else, just protect those two families!"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. What, you don't want this easy assignment anymore? Want me to ask Director Cao to send you back to guard a secret realm?"

"No, Boss! I was just asking. Hehe, Boss, customers are here. I'll go serve them first!"

"Get lost. Keep running your mouth, and I'll apply to have you replaced!"

"Got it! I promise I won't say another word!"

The man swiped a hand across his mouth, indicating that he had zipped it shut, then hurried off to greet the customers.

"That kid..."

The man addressed as Boss shook his head and muttered to himself.

"Did that student named Lin Yu really notice us? Is he really that monstrous?"

His name was Xu Zhou. This time, he had come leading a team under Cao Yiming's orders to protect Lin Yu's family. Before coming, Cao Yiming had revealed a little information about Lin Yu to him. He knew Lin Yu was an extraordinary super genius, but he did not know much beyond that. The order he had received was to ensure the personal safety of everyone close to Lin Yu, no matter what.

"Forget it. I'm probably overthinking it."

Xu Zhou quickly pushed the thought from his mind. Sitting in the shop, his eyes regularly swept over the surroundings, watching for any suspicious individuals.

What Xu Zhou did not know was that they had already been exposed. Lin Yu had discovered them long ago through the system's detection function.

The moment Lin Yu returned home, he pulled open the curtains and peered through a gap at the newly opened milk tea shop.

"A regular milk tea shop actually has a peak sixth-rank expert, plus two fifth-rank Wardens working as servers. Who are these people? Why are they here?"

Lin Yu frowned and muttered to himself. Suddenly, he remembered the heretical organization Ji Xuejun and the others had mentioned before—the Eternal Night Church.

"Could they be members of the Eternal Night Church? No way, right? Did they investigate me this quickly?"

Lin Yu was not afraid of that possibility himself. Honestly, if he could not beat them, he could just use Flying Raijin to escape.

But his parents were here, as was Zhu Fugui's family. He had to ensure their safety.

With that in mind, Lin Yu immediately took out his phone, found Ji Xuejun's number, and called her.

"Hello? Little Brother Lin Yu, what's wrong?"

Ji Xuejun picked up almost instantly when Lin Yu called.

"Sister Xuejun, there's something I want to ask you."

"What's wrong? Go ahead."

"It's like this. I found something near my home..."

Lin Yu told Ji Xuejun what he had discovered.

"Sister Xuejun, could they be members of the Eternal Night Church you mentioned before?"

Ji Xuejun initially looked grave, but the more she listened, the more something felt off. This did not seem like the Eternal Night Church's style. Instead, it sounded more like someone concealing their identities while protecting something.

Then she remembered that Cao Yiming had said a few days ago that he would send people to protect those close to Lin Yu. She said, "Little Brother Lin Yu, things may not be what you think. This should be a misunderstanding. Let me ask about it first, and I'll call you back shortly!"

"Hm? All right, I'll wait for your call."

After hanging up, Lin Yu's worries eased somewhat. Judging from Ji Xuejun's reaction, there was probably something he did not know about. It might really have been a misunderstanding. However, without definite confirmation, he still did not dare let down his guard. He sat quietly in his chair and waited for Ji Xuejun to call back.

After a while, his phone rang. Lin Yu immediately picked it up.

"Hello, Sister Xuejun!"

"Little Brother Lin Yu, I just confirmed it with Director Cao. That's the team he sent out specifically to protect your family. Don't worry, they won't disturb you. Just pretend they don't exist!"

Lin Yu let out a long breath, and the worry weighing on his heart finally lifted. It was rare for him to have a complete family in this life. Any potential threat to the safety of Lin Aiguo and the others was something Lin Yu did not want to see.

"All right, Sister Xuejun. Thanks!"

Lin Yu thanked her sincerely. In truth, he knew very well that once his talent was exposed, his life would no longer be peaceful.

Magical beasts, heretical cults, and all manner of monsters and demons would come one after another.

But he neither wanted nor was willing to hide away. Since he had been reborn, and he had the system in hand, with such an incredible start, what would be the point of still acting timidly and holding himself back instead of living freely and settling grudges as he pleased?

Besides, while lying low was safe, it meant many things could not be done openly. Just like when he absorbed the Awakening Stone before: he had openly obtained an SSS-rank talent ability and even earned the Freedom Federation's attention afterward. Wasn't that better than developing in secret?

The Freedom Federation was undoubtedly the strongest organization among humanity. As long as Lin Yu intended to live in human society, relying on the Freedom Federation was undoubtedly the wisest choice.

With the Freedom Federation's support, Lin Yu believed that with the system, he would definitely be able to grow at the fastest possible pace.