Chapter 106: Return to Dongning

Chapter 106: Return to Dongning

The moment Chen Shouyi landed, he took a light step forward and slashed his longsword like lightning across the monster's scaly neck. The head instantly separated from the body, and foul-smelling blood gushed out.

The atmosphere suddenly fell into complete silence, not a single sound to be heard.

Everyone stood frozen like statues, staring blankly at the headless monster corpse, its tail still twitching.

Just like that, it was over.

The monster had been so terrifying that despair had already taken root in everyone’s hearts. Two Security Consultants had already died, and many special police officers had mentally prepared themselves for sacrifice. Yet, in just over ten seconds, it had fallen.

So cleanly. So decisively.

Even Wei Xiang, who had just fired an arrow, was momentarily stunned. Soon after, he strode over and gave Chen Shouyi a firm pat on the shoulder. "Well done!"

The sheer force of the slap nearly knocked Chen Shouyi off his feet. He steadied himself and shook his head modestly. "It was your arrow that made the difference. If you hadn’t hit it, we’d all be dead."

Wei Xiang paused, then burst into laughter. "Let’s not flatter each other."

In truth, he knew his archery skills weren’t godly—any Martial Artist could have pulled it off. But to hold off the monster for so long without a single scratch? That was something else.

Having been a Martial Artist for nearly a decade, he had met most of Hedong City’s practitioners. Yet, those with strength like Chen Shouyi’s probably numbered fewer than ten.

Noticing the blood soaking Wei Xiang’s abdomen, Chen Shouyi asked, "Is your injury serious?"

"Just a flesh wound. A few days of rest and I’ll be fine."

Director Huang finally snapped out of his daze. After instructing his subordinates to handle the wounded and the corpse, he hurried over to the two men, shaking their hands one by one. His expression was grave but tinged with relief. "If it weren’t for the two of you, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

As Chen Shouyi withdrew his hand, his body swayed unsteadily.

"Are you alright, Consultant Chen?" Director Huang asked with concern.

"I’m fine. Just a bit exhausted." Chen Shouyi forced a bitter smile. During the intense battle, he hadn’t noticed, but now that the adrenaline had faded, his entire body felt weak, his muscles strained.

Director Huang, disregarding propriety, quickly supported him.

From a distance, Bai Xiaoling saw this and rushed over. "Director, let me handle it."

"Good. Xiao Bai, take good care of Consultant Chen. That’s an order," Director Huang said.

"Yes, Director!" Bai Xiaoling replied loudly, immediately wrapping an arm around Chen Shouyi.

Such a strong body!

Every inch of him is pure, rippling muscle. Even his sweat smells amazing…

I wonder if he’s too rough. My delicate frame wouldn’t survive a Martial Artist’s…

Ahhh, no! Stop it, you pervert!

Her face grew increasingly red, as if steam were rising from it.

Fortunately, no one paid her any attention. Even if they noticed, they’d assume the young woman was just shy.

Director Huang turned to Wei Xiang. "Consultant Wei, you should head to the hospital and get that wound treated. This was an Otherworld creature—it might carry pathogens. Don’t take it lightly."

"Alright, Old Huang, Consultant Chen, I'll take my leave first," Wei Xiang said, no longer forcing himself to stay, and nodded.

With that, he walked toward the car. His liaison seemed ready to help him, but he waved them off with a dismissive gesture.

He opened the car door, waved goodbye to the two, then sat in the back seat and soon drove away.

"Director Huang, I’ll take my leave as well," Chen Shouyi also bid farewell.

"Alright, get some rest. Your contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. The mission bonus and merits will be issued at the highest rate. Remember to check your bank account tomorrow."

When dealing with Martial Artists, bureaucratic subtleties and roundabout words were unnecessary—the more straightforward, the better.

Chen Shouyi nodded and prepared to leave.

Just then, a luxury car with flashing police lights sped over, screeching to a halt. Chen Shouyi immediately stopped in his tracks.

A middle-aged man in black with an imposing aura stepped out of the car. He had short, stiff hair and a chiseled face with narrow, deep-set eyes that gave off an air of sternness.

"Chief Consultant Cui, you’ve finally arrived," Director Huang quickly walked over to greet him.

Chief Consultant Cui swept his gaze around, pausing briefly on the monster’s corpse, then said indifferently, "There was some traffic, but it seems you’ve handled it yourselves."

"Consultant Chen and Consultant Wei worked together. Consultant Wei was slightly injured and has already gone to the hospital. Let me introduce you—this is Consultant Chen, Chen Shouyi. And this is Chief Consultant Cui Ziwen from the headquarters," Director Huang introduced.

"Hello, Chief Consultant Cui!" Chen Shouyi immediately stepped forward, refraining from any presumptuous attempt to shake hands.

"Well done," Cui Ziwen said, giving Chen Shouyi a once-over before nodding. "Since everything’s settled, I’ll take my leave."

"Sorry for troubling you to come all this way!"

Director Huang escorted him all the way to his car, even opening the door for him with an ingratiating smile. Only when the vehicle was out of sight did he turn back.

Chen Shouyi felt a pang of envy. This was the influence of a Great Martial Artist—even the district police bureau chief had to tread carefully around him.

......

Two days later, on the high-speed train to Dongning City.

The reward from the last mission was a staggering 1.5 million and 100 merit points, comparable to an exploration mission. His dwindling savings had quickly swelled again.

For Martial Artists, making money was indeed easy as long as they took risks. But in his heart, he’d rather not earn it this way. Situations like the last one were far too dangerous—one misstep, and he could have died on the spot.

As for enjoying the thrill of life-and-death battles and challenging oneself? Sorry, he felt none of that.

The less of that kind of excitement, the better.

......

At the moment, he was flipping through a book titled Deities of the Otherworld, which detailed the hierarchy of divine beings.

The lowest rank was Divine Creatures, also known as False Gods.

Through years of accumulated faith, these beings gradually developed divinity and began absorbing Faith Power.

However, their strength varied greatly depending on their race or innate talents—some could rival True Gods, while others were weaker than ordinary supernatural creatures.

Next are the Demi-Gods. As their divinity gradually strengthens and their accumulation of Faith Power grows, they eventually ignite their divine flame. They can already be considered Deities, and each of these beings is exceptionally powerful.

And finally, there are the True Gods...

The book devoted the vast majority of its content to Divine Creatures, with detailed explanations. As for the sections on Demi-Gods and True Gods, they spanned only a dozen or so pages, filled with vague terms like "probably," "estimated," and "possibly."

After flipping to the last page, Chen Shouyi gently closed the book.

"That mysterious colossal tree on the barbarian island behind the Dongning Spatial Gateway is probably a Divine Creature," he thought to himself.

...

When the train stopped at Dongxing Station, a young man and woman boarded and took the seats across from Chen Shouyi.

The moment they sat down, their bodies seemed glued together as they chattered nonstop.

Chen Shouyi averted his gaze and looked out the window.

Public displays of affection—how utterly annoying.