Bai Lan's Shock, the Gu Family's Plot

The first ray of morning sunlight finally pierced the thin mist over Linhai City's eastern suburbs.

Outside the Sunshine Waterfront residential complex.

Bai Lan stood in a black trench coat, arms folded and brows tightly furrowed as she stared toward the complex's gates.

A full four hours had passed since Su Bai went inside.

During those four hours, the pollution index alarm inside the complex had sounded several times. An hour ago in particular, the index had soared to a terrifying peak.

Even Bai Lan had prepared to force her way in and collect the bodies of Su Bai and the three operatives.

But just half an hour ago, the second-tier Anomaly's aura that had hung over the complex, powerful enough to distort space, had miraculously vanished into thin air!

The surrounding dark matter pollution had also dissipated completely.

"Captain, the pollution detector shows that all readings inside the complex have returned to normal."

An officer in charge of monitoring ran over to report, his voice full of disbelief.

"A fully formed second-tier spatial Anomaly just disappeared like that? Could it have moved somewhere else?"

Bai Lan said nothing.

Anomalies had no rational minds. Once they took root somewhere and formed a Domain, they would never leave of their own accord unless a stronger force wiped them out.

"Prepare an assault team. Come in with me to search-"

Before Bai Lan could finish,

the sound of several people talking suddenly came from the complex's battered gate.

"Brother Su, what was that move you used just now called? I saw you raise your hand, and that huge stretch of stairs was gone!"

"Oh, that was my own original physical salvation method. It's specially designed for disobedient building materials."

"Awesome! That's fucking awesome! Brother Su, from now on, you're my big brother!"

Under the dumbstruck gazes of dozens of City Appearance Bureau officers,

Su Bai strolled out of the complex with his hands in his pockets and a foxtail grass stem he had pulled from who knew where dangling from his mouth.

Following behind him was none other than the third squad, which had been out of contact for three days and nights!

Though Zhang Lei and the other two were dressed in rags and covered in dust, they were in surprisingly good spirits. Xiao Li was even discussing something excitedly with Su Bai.

Bai Lan's pupils contracted sharply.

He really brought them out?

And this kid didn't have a single sign of battle on him. His clothes were spotless, and he hadn't even broken a sweat!

"Captain Bai! Zhang Lei, captain of the third squad, reporting with two squad members!"

At the sight of Bai Lan, Zhang Lei immediately stepped forward, stood ramrod straight, and gave a textbook military salute.

Bai Lan looked them up and down. After confirming that their minds had not been contaminated by the Anomaly, she let out a long breath of relief.

"I'm glad you're alive. Rejoin the team and go to the medical vehicle for a full examination."

"Yes, ma'am!"

As Zhang Lei and the others passed Su Bai, they gave him another look of immense gratitude and awe before heading to the medical vehicle.

Bai Lan turned to Su Bai, a complicated look in her eyes.

"You really did it. Not only did you rescue them, you also dealt with that peak second-tier Anomaly."

Though Bai Lan's voice was calm, her heart was churning like a storm-tossed sea.

A high school student who had awakened only seven days ago, whose divine kingdom was only a dozen or so square kilometers in area, had soloed a second-tier spatial Anomaly that would give even a demigod a headache, without suffering a scratch!

If this were reported to the headquarters, it would definitely be dismissed as a fairy tale!

"Captain Bai, come on now. I'm a man of my word. When I say I'll take care of everything, I mean everything."

Su Bai spat out the foxtail grass and held out his right hand with a smile.

"I brought your people out safe and sound, and I physically sent that 'Spatial Labyrinth' on to the next life too."

"Now, shouldn't we talk about my payment? A hundred thousand in cash, plus a position as an external consultant for the City Appearance Bureau. You're not thinking of going back on your word, are you?"

At the sight of Su Bai's money-grubbing, mercenary face, the little admiration Bai Lan had just felt vanished like smoke.

She snorted, pulled a special pass she had prepared earlier from her pocket, and slapped it into Su Bai's hand.

"Finance will transfer the money to your card shortly."

"This is your external consultant ID. With it, you can call on some of the City Appearance Bureau's intelligence resources within Linhai City, as long as no classified information is involved. If the Gu Family wants to make a move against you in the open, they'll have to ask whether our bureau agrees first."

Su Bai looked at the black ID bearing a silver national emblem, his eyes curving into crescents with his smile.

This was his greatest gain of the night!

With the City Appearance Bureau's tiger skin to shelter him, no matter how much the Gu Family hated him, they wouldn't dare send experts to assassinate him in broad daylight.

What he lacked most right now was time to develop!

"Thank you, Captain Bai! If you have more side jobs like this, remember to get in touch. I'll give you a twenty percent discount!"

Su Bai happily put the ID away, waved, and turned straight toward a taxi by the roadside.

Watching Su Bai leave, an aide beside Bai Lan couldn't help speaking up.

"Captain Bai, that kid's hiding some huge secrets. That second-tier Anomaly didn't leave so much as a scrap behind, and there was no trace of a battle using divine power at the scene."

"That contaminated divine kingdom inside him definitely isn't an ordinary abandoned small world. Should we ask the higher-ups for permission to forcibly dissect him for investigation?"

Bai Lan narrowed her eyes and remained silent for a long time before finally shaking her head.

"The higher-ups are busy dealing with the 'Abyssal Rift' uprising at the border. They don't have time for a student in a small city."

"Besides, although his power is strange, at least so far he hasn't done anything against humanity. He even saved our people."

Bai Lan turned and looked at the rising sun.

"Principal Chen Tianxing personally stepped forward to protect him. He must have his reasons."

"Raise Su Bai's danger rating to S-rank and keep a close eye on his every move. I have a feeling that at the Provincial Divine Battle Tournament three months from now, this kid might turn the Great Xia Nation's circle of gods, which has been peaceful for ten years, upside down."

Meanwhile.

The Gu Family estate in downtown Linhai City.

The estate covered hundreds of mu and was lavish in the extreme, but at this moment, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over it.

Gu Canghai, head of the Gu Family and a renowned True God Level expert in Linhai City, was in seclusion. Currently, Gu Chengfeng's granduncle, Gu Qingshan, the Gu Family's great elder, was in charge.

Inside the luxurious council hall.

Butler Gu Dehai was kneeling on the floor, trembling all over.

"Great elder, the young master has lost more than sixty percent of his divine kingdom's origin. Although his life has been saved, his realm has fallen to C-rank... Even if we use the family's best resources to nourish him, I'm afraid he'll never become a true god in this lifetime."

Gu Dehai reported in a trembling voice, not daring to raise his head.

Gu Qingshan, seated in the place of honor, was a white-haired old man with a sinister face.

At the news, the purple clay teacup in his hand was crushed to powder with a crack.

"Linhai No. 3 Middle School, what a Chen Tianxing! What a Su Bai!"

Gu Qingshan's voice was like an icy wind blowing out of the Nine Nether Hells, making the temperature in the hall plunge.

"The qilin child our Gu Family spent tens of millions in resources to nurture was ruined by a wastrel with no backing, using some shameful black magic!"

"Chen Tianxing relied on being a true god to forcibly suppress this matter. Does he really think our Gu Family is made of clay?!"

Gu Dehai hastily kowtowed. "Please calm your anger, great elder! Although Chen Tianxing is protecting that kid, he can't stay by his side for twelve hours straight. Should we send some deathsworn to-"

"Idiot!"

Gu Qingshan cut Gu Dehai off with a cold shout.

"Since Chen Tianxing has given his warning, making a move against the boy openly in Linhai City would be a slap in a true god's face! The Gu Family may not fear him, but right now the family's focus is on seizing the newly discovered C-rank resource mine. We can't go to all-out war with Chen Tianxing over a little brat."

"Then... are we not going to avenge the young master?" Gu Dehai asked, unwilling to accept it.

A venomous chill flashed through Gu Qingshan's eyes.

"Not avenge him? Since when has a lowly nobody been allowed to trample on a member of the Gu Family?"

"Since we can't kill him openly, we'll let him 'die in an accident.'"

Gu Qingshan rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the luxurious garden.

"Contact the Shadow Guild on the underground black market. Put out a three-million bounty for Su Bai's head."

"Also, look into that kid's background. There's definitely more to his so-called highly contaminated wasteland divine kingdom. A power of rules that can make berserkers commit suicide en masse... If our Gu Family could get its hands on it..."

A greedy, cold smile curled the corners of Gu Qingshan's mouth.

"I'll show him that in the face of absolute capital and power, his pathetic little tricks aren't worth a fart!"

"As you command, great elder. I'll see to it right away!"

Excitement at the prospect of revenge rekindled in Gu Dehai's eyes. He rose and withdrew.

A bloody dark-web manhunt targeting Su Bai was quietly unfolding in the darkness.

At that moment, Su Bai was sitting in a taxi on his way home, looking at the hundred thousand that had just landed in his account and grinning like a two-hundred-pound fool.

He didn't know the Gu Family was plotting to kill him.

Even if he had known, he probably would only have rubbed his hands together in excitement.

"Assassins? Great! My Thirteenth Step just happens to need a few high-quality corpses to pave the way. Welcome, Boss Gu. Please, send me plenty of free kills!"