In the Dark (Please Recommend)

"Second Brother? Fourth Brother?"

The Burly Man's eyes instantly reddened. The longsword in his hand let out a dragon's roar, several inches of Sword Qi flashing through the darkness as he slashed sideways!

Pfft!

The longsword cut across the Wild Boar Demon Beast, leaving a long, bloody gash.

A wound that would have been fatal to a human was utterly insignificant to this boar demon. Instead, it only further provoked its ferocity.

Snort! Snort!

It raised its hoof high and stomped down hard!

Boom!

The ground trembled as though an earthquake had struck.

A ring of earthen-yellow light emerged and rapidly spread outward.

Third Brother was directly engulfed by the light. Several Earth Spears emerged from his chest, pinning him dead to the ground.

"Third Brother?!"

The Burly Man knew they were done for. Without another moment's hesitation, he took a bright yellow Talisman from the Beast Skin Pouch on his chest and tore it open with great care.

Clang!

A circle of golden radiance appeared around him, faintly taking the shape of a massive golden bell.

Several Earth Spears struck the golden bell, producing dull thuds.

After activating this hard-won Golden Bell Shield Talisman, the Burly Man did not hesitate again. He turned and fled!

In the darkness, a ball of golden light desperately fled ahead while a huge black shadow with blood-red tusks pursued from behind, making for an exceptionally conspicuous sight.

After the two had left, the sound of spinning propellers suddenly drifted through the air.

A small black Drone descended. Its mechanical claw extended, picked up a few small items from the ground, and swiftly vanished into the night.

Temporary campsite.

"Sword Qi? That man's strength really was at the Jade Level. And he even had Talisman Arts? What was this... immortal cultivation? Dao cultivation?"

Fang Xing stared at the surveillance footage, his face filled with shock, then looked up at the sky.

"It's here."

He guided the Drone down and reached out to take the miscellaneous items it had retrieved.

"As expected of a Drone from the Interstellar Age. Not only was it cheap, its battery life and carrying capacity had both been greatly enhanced..."

After a sigh of admiration, Fang Xing put on rubber gloves and began sorting the items.

The most eye-catching among them were naturally several stalks of Vermillion Dragon Grass!

Those people had died over it, after all. It had to be something good.

"Hmm, there are quite a lot of extraordinary species nearby. There seem to be strange herbs around their nests too..."

Fang Xing examined the Vermillion Dragon Grass and rubbed his chin, suddenly thinking of a way to make money.

He could use Drones to harvest all kinds of rare herbs!

There were many advantages to doing this. First, it was sufficiently stealthy!

To many wild beasts, a Drone was just an inanimate object and difficult to notice.

Coupled with its ability to fly and move swiftly, it could sneak in and act with a high chance of success!

Of course, if a Demon Beast spotted it face-to-face, it would definitely be destroyed.

But that led to another advantage—cheapness!

Even if a Demon Beast discovered it, at most he would lose a single Drone.

In Maple Leaf City, it was practically a child's toy, and very inexpensive.

"Take a gamble, turn a bicycle into a motorcycle."

Fang Xing sighed and looked through the other miscellaneous items.

There was not much loot: a black dagger, whose drawn blade gleamed coldly and was clearly exceptionally sharp.

Other than that, there was a small coin purse.

The purse seemed to be made from tanned beast hide, gray and completely unremarkable.

After opening it, he found three strange ores and four peculiar crystals the size of grains of rice.

"This pouch was tied very tightly. Its original owner was clearly afraid these little bits of gravel might accidentally be lost..."

Fang Xing placed one crystal before him and examined it carefully. It was transparent like jade, with what seemed to be a cloud of mist within.

Moreover, under the external light source, it appeared to be shrouded in an illusory, hazy five-colored sheen.

"One look tells me it's definitely something good."

He casually put the items away and looked at a large map on the electronic screen.

After several days of exploration, Fang Xing had gained a rough understanding of the surrounding area.

"There are many extraordinary species, and plenty of fierce beasts... It's a dangerous place."

"Adding the route those four took today, the human settlement should be to the east?"

Go back, buy a few more toy models, and explore eastward...

With a thought, Fang Xing set the Drone to automatic cruise and released it again.

Then he silently counted to three, and silver-white radiance appeared before his eyes.

The light flared brightly, swallowing his entire body.

When he came back to himself, he was already standing in his bedroom.

"Based on what I know, I can now freely travel to the Other World. It only requires a three-second delay and consumes nothing else..."

"As for the destination, it seems to depend on my current location?"

"Finally, items from this world and even living creatures like the White Mouse can be taken to the Other World, while things from the Other World can be brought back too..."

Fang Xing looked at his palm. The small coin purse lay quietly in it.

"Good stuff is good stuff, but unfortunately, I don't dare have it appraised, much less sell it..."

"Even the supplies I bought before are somewhat suspicious. If I start making large-scale purchases..."

Although the Federation valued privacy, and citizens were free to buy whatever they wanted so long as it was not on the prohibited items list,

Fang Xing was used to keeping something in reserve.

"Maybe I should spend more time outdoors and create the persona of an extreme outdoor survivalist?"

"For now, if I only buy and don't sell, it shouldn't be too much of a problem..."

He confirmed another matter—or rather, a guiding principle for his future actions: items from the Other World absolutely could not be sold under this public identity!

"Looks like... I still can't avoid the Black Market."

Fang Xing sighed.

Oak Park.

Green vegetation stretched as far as the eye could see, with rolling lawns and flowerbeds along the edges filled with tiny flowers in every color.

It was nighttime, and the lights were dim.

There were few pedestrians on the paths paved with multicolored cobblestones. Benches stood at intervals, fashioned in the shapes of various small animals.

Because of its tranquil environment and beautiful scenery, it had always been a favorite place for couples from Maple Leaf City.

Liu Wei stood holding a bouquet of flowers, waiting nervously, when a soft, gentle voice suddenly reached his ears. "A Wei, I'm here..."

"Lian... Lian Yi."

Liu Wei seemed startled. He then appeared to want to hide the flowers behind his back, but felt that would be too obvious. He did not know what to do, and was utterly embarrassed.

"Why did you ask me here?" Bai Lianyi was not wearing her usual Practice Clothes. Instead, she wore a pure white dress that made her seem even more delicate and refined.

"I... I..."

Liu Wei seemed to have steeled himself many times before finally speaking. "I've thought it through. The person I like isn't Ouyang Qianqian, but..."

There was both amusement and loneliness in Bai Lianyi's eyes. She shook a finger, stopping Liu Wei from continuing. "You can't..."

"Why? Is it because of what happened at Glory River Mansion? I know. I know everything. I'm not an idiot... I just... don't mind..."

Liu Wei's face instantly flushed red, and even the acne on his face seemed to tremble.

"What's there to mind? I just dated a rich boyfriend, that's all..." Bai Lianyi answered frankly. "I'm not stupid either. I wouldn't be like those awful girls say."

Liu Wei fell silent at once.

Indeed, that was what he had learned from his investigation.

Bai Lianyi was not as terrible as those female classmates claimed, but there were some other matters.

For example, her wealthy boyfriend was somewhat older...

It seems that among white people, getting a Sugar Daddy isn't considered much of a problem. Especially if it's for education, it even feels a little inspirational...

A thought inexplicably rose in Liu Wei's mind, and he immediately promised, "I swear I'll treat you well. I'll get into college too. I..."

As he spoke, he suddenly ran out of words, because the young man truly had nothing, and was even in debt.

All he could offer was the future and hope!

But neither could compare to the present!

This was the bleak first love of a green young boy!

"Mm..."

Bai Lianyi twisted her fingers together. "I'll cheer for you, and for A Xing too..."

"A Xing?"

Liu Wei suddenly felt something strange. "Why bring him up?"

"Because..." There seemed to be light in the girl's eyes. "A Xing is amazing... He's already cultivated the Great Dragon Stance to the second stage. He has a very good chance of getting into college in the future."

"I..."

Liu Wei suddenly fell silent. He felt like a defeated dog.

Compared to the present, he could not measure up to that person.

Compared to the future, he could not measure up to A Xing either.

He had clearly stopped caring about it, and even admired the girl before him. He wanted to give her security, so why had things turned out like this?

In an instant, his heart turned to ashes. He did not know what he said, only that he stumbled away.

The night wind was cold, and all was silent.

The surveillance camera above the park's streetlamp made a crackling sound, as though it had short-circuited.

A Shadow abruptly appeared behind Bai Lianyi, as though he had been silently watching everything all along.

"Fine. I've successfully stirred up the resentment in his heart... If you approach him now, compare him to Fang Xing, and offer him an investment, he'll definitely accept."

Bai Lianyi's voice was cold and clear, like a snow lotus atop the Heavenly Mountains.

"Mm. This way, we have another companion among us. Once he sees those Great Existences, I'm sure he'll agree."

The Shadow spoke in a low, deep voice. "But compared to him, I think more highly of his classmate."

Bai Lianyi's lovely brows furrowed slightly. "Xia Long pays more attention to Fang Xing, and he's been keeping to himself lately. He's even stopped working. I used Liu Wei to cast out bait several times, but he never took it. It's strange. Could he have been scared witless by the Emissary's descent last time?"

"That's not impossible... The mental impact brought by the Emissary can even gradually and completely change a person."

The Shadow was silent for a while before replying, "If that's the case, then he's useless and has no value... The talents we need must at least pass the College Entrance Exam in the future, so they have a slight chance of becoming part of the Federation's upper ranks!"

"But something like that may require waiting a very, very long time..."

Bai Lianyi sighed.

The average lifespan of Federation citizens was now very long, especially for those of higher status.

Martial arts were merely the cheapest path of evolution, but even after the fourth realm, they could greatly extend one's lifespan.

Self-evolution, Gene Surgery, pharmaceuticals, Superpowers... all kinds of life-extending methods made the Federation's upper ranks remain in power for exceptionally long periods.

"Heh heh... To those Great Existences, time is something utterly meaningless!"

The Shadow's voice gradually lowered before finally fading away...