"Sigh, out of our group, Ren Suo, you're the one who's doing the best."

"Not really... not when Chairman Xie has become the head of the Tactical Support Department," Ren Suo put down his cola and said with a smile. "The first among us to become an official."

"Head? Just in charge of taking the blame," Xie Qiansi said. "It's not the Tactical Headquarters. With my strength, I can only assist the police and help the headquarters run errands."

"Positions are superficial. Cultivation needs to be raised to gain respect, and this is especially prominent in the tactical system."

After three rounds of cola, Ren Suo casually asked, "Do you guys know where Yuan Dang is now?"

"Don't know... He even changed his phone number, and you can't find him on WeChat or QQ."

"I heard he might have gone to Sky Capital for further studies?"

"Wasn't Yuan Dang among those with the highest talent here? He must have been taken as a disciple by some big shot."

It seemed no one knew of Yuan Dang's whereabouts, which Ren Suo had anticipated. He stood up and said, "Well, it's getting late, I'm going to—"

"Hey, let me pick up the tab!" Xie Qiansi immediately stood up. "This is the little gathering I organized, how could I let you pay?"

"Alright then." Ren Suo sat down again, clapping his hands. "Thanks, Chairman Xie!"

"Thanks, Chairman Xie!" the others also clapped right away. "You look so cool picking up the tab!"

Xie Qiansi: "..."

This gathering was a barbecue Xie Qiansi had planned a few days ago. Ren Suo only found out about it when he opened WeChat. As it happened, he wanted to ask about Yuan Dang, and having eaten too many home-cooked meals lately, he was also craving some high-calorie barbecue.

He had expected to learn nothing, but suddenly Li Qingxuan playfully asked Ren Suo, "Hey, Ren Suo, aren't you getting quite close with Xiao Yi lately??"

Ren Suo looked puzzled. "Qiao Muyi? Quite close... I guess?"

"I specifically asked Xiao Yi if she was coming before I came here, but she asked, 'Is Ren Suo coming?'" Li Qingxuan covered her mouth and laughed. "TSK TSK TSK, I didn't expect you two have been quietly..."

"Speaking of which...," Zhao Huo seemed to want to say something but stopped himself after looking at Ren Suo.

Ren Suo, with a deadpan expression, said, "I misspoke. Actually, I'm not that close with her. Zhao Huo, are you going back with me later?"

"Of course."

Zhao Huo and Ren Suo lived in the same building. On the way, Ren Suo kept thinking about the game. He had already completed the second level in the past few days, but unlike the Monastery, no outsiders had entered this level from beginning to end.

It seemed the entrance to this level's Secret Realm on Earth was in a rather hidden place, so no one had noticed it yet.

This level also featured an NPC similar to Red Hood, except this NPC was Balanced Hand Lunpena, a lady who resembled a gentleman with her top hat and walking stick, and who excelled at sonic attacks and taunting Strange Creatures.

However, Ren Suo discovered that even if a Magician's Level was high and supported by two companions, fighting the lesser Strange Creatures and the boss was still no easy task.

According to Red Hood, each time a hall was purified, the power of its Holy Grail would disperse to other halls. Thus, the 'mindlessly steamrolling halls' scenario Ren Suo had imagined naturally wouldn't appear in a proper 3-star+ game.

In both levels, Ren Suo had forced the Magician to use a Forbidden Technique, but he spent 15 Merit Points on the Holy Grail for Healing—'Gentle Stream's' triggering effect was surprisingly powerful. With a 60% risk reduction, even spreading out Healing was more cost-effective than perfect Healing.

The taxi stopped outside the academy, and Ren Suo and Zhao Huo walked back. It was already past nine in the evening, and the school path was deserted. At this point, Ren Suo felt that Zhao Huo seemed to be staring at him constantly.

"...I told you, stop eating spicy food."

"PAH!" Zhao Huo said. "My butt is just fine! No issues at all. Don't believe me? Feel it!"

"Go ask your fiancée to feel it!"

At this point, Zhao Huo draped his arm around Ren Suo's shoulder and chuckled. "It's just the two of us now. Tell me honestly, you..."

"Sorry, never loved you."

"Don't change the subject." Zhao Huo glanced around; they were almost back to the dormitory. He asked, "So, did you and Qiao Muyi become a thing? But what about Dong Chengling? I heard you've been going to her house for meals every day."

"Nope," Ren Suo chuckled. "Didn't I used to take Dong Chengling out for meals every day? Now that she's been promoted and gotten a raise, she's just returning the favor by treating me. It's like me letting you copy my math homework, and you letting me copy my physics homework, more or less..."

"Is that really the same..." Zhao Huo sighed. "But now Heavenly Lotus Academy is expanding its college department, and I'm still in charge of middle and high school. I want a promotion and a raise too..."

"Then you should Awaken first," Ren Suo said. "These days, quite a few people have Awakened."

"No, no, you're changing the subject again." Zhao Huo suddenly shook his head and chuckled, HEH HEH HEH. "You say there's nothing between you and Qiao Muyi? But a few days ago, why did I see Qiao Muyi leaving your dorm building early in the morning—"

"Huh?"

Ren Suo and Zhao Huo turned their heads to see Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling walking out of the dorm building together.

No one present was an ordinary person. They had all cultivated the Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records. Their five senses were all heightened beyond the average human level—including their hearing.

Though Dong Chengling's face was calm, Qiao Muyi's playful smile revealed that she had definitely heard what Zhao Huo said.

"AH, I urgently need to take a dump! Gotta go!" Zhao Huo suddenly said with a serious face, almost running towards his first dormitory building.

This left Ren Suo, Dong Chengling, and Qiao Muyi staring at each other.

Given the circumstances, Ren Suo felt compelled to ask, "What a coincidence."

"Today, I'm here on behalf of the Tactical Bureau to invite Dong Chengling to become a special member of our bureau," Qiao Muyi smiled. "Sister Dong's Space Spells are very powerful; it's truly a waste for her to only be responsible for teaching at the school."

"My current Ability is low; I'm not sure if I can be of much help," Dong Chengling said modestly.

"That's more than enough. With Sister Dong here, I'm almost free from deadly dangers in Lianjiang City... OH, right, and we have you, Ren Suo!"

Qiao Muyi, as if a thought struck her, walked over and intimately took Ren Suo's hand. "You and Sister Dong could form a long-distance First Aid unit!"

"What long-distance First Aid unit?" Ren Suo was puzzled.

"Sister Dong will be responsible for transporting Tactical Bureau members within the city who are on the brink of death, allowing them to escape dire situations by teleporting to her side."

"Now that we have you, Ren Suo, you can provide First Aid to severely injured Tactical Bureau members, and then quickly send them to the school hospital for treatment. What do you think? If it sounds good, I'll mention it to Deputy Director Yu."

This was a good opportunity and an easy task for Ren Suo. Besides, with many Awakeners among the Tactical Bureau members, Ren Suo naturally agreed, "Okay."

"Then it's settled. Goodbye, Sister Dong."

Qiao Muyi said goodbye to Dong Chengling first, then walked up to Ren Suo, took off his hat, and patted his head. "Ren Suo, I'll come to your place again next time!" After saying that, she slipped away.

Ren Suo blinked, not understanding her move at all. He was just about to put his hat back on when Dong Chengling also came over and held his hand—the strength of a Second Stage Cultivator was quite formidable—and patted his head.

"Remember to come for lunch tomorrow." Dong Chengling smiled slightly, her expression seemingly unchanged, and turned back into the third dormitory building.

As Ren Suo approached the second dormitory building, he saw the Black Cat outside, enjoying the breeze. This time it wasn't asleep, nor was it speaking; it just stared at Ren Suo with those Insight into the Mortal World pupils of its, seemingly mocking him.

"What are you looking at? You're getting petted too." Ren Suo then fiercely rubbed its head.

Ren Suo took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Qiao Muyi, asking, "What did you mean just now?"

A moment later, Qiao Muyi replied, "A bit of crisis is the spice of life."

Ren Suo didn't understand that sentence, but he understood the next one: "Besides, it's quite fun, isn't it?"

Just then, Ren Suo's phone suddenly vibrated.

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