The Back Door

Inside the villa, the atmosphere was oppressive. More than a full day and night had passed since Carnival's capture. Not a single soul had come to offer condolences or help; the villa remained deathly still. It was as if everyone had forgotten about Carnival entirely. *** Inside an army camp. A general in full uniform wore a complicated expression. He had just finished a phone call with his superiors. An aide inquired, "Should we notify Carnival's family?" The general shook his head. "Carnival's family has already lost their minds. Anything we say now is useless. They only care about their own interests and won't put national interests first. You can't talk sense into them about matters of this scale." Right out of the gate, it was textbook moral blackmail. The state was an instrument of the ruling class—especially in Qinyuan Kingdom, where the imperial family and the Seven Martial Stars co-ruled the realm. Hearing this, the aide nodded. He understood the general's meaning perfectly. "The higher-ups want this kept as contained as possible—give it the cold shoulder," the general added. "If Carnival's family approaches me again, find an excuse to brush them off." "Understood." The aide received his orders. "This time, Carnival brought it upon himself anyway. If he had just stuck to selling arms, fine, but he insisted on going to the front lines." The general nodded in agreement. If Carnival had followed their plan in the arms trade, nothing would have gone wrong. In the general's eyes, on top of arms trafficking, Carnival had grown insatiably greedy and pursued other side businesses, which was why he wound up trapped in enemy territory. The fact that they hadn't charged Carnival with a crime was already generous. Carnival's capture had put them on the back foot, which the general considered a colossal blunder. "He shouldn't end up dead, but some physical suffering is inevitable," the general said indifferently. Wugui Kingdom and Qinyuan Kingdom were hostile adversaries. With Carnival in Wugui Kingdom's hands, physical torment was guaranteed. Whether all his limbs and internal organs would still be intact if he ever returned was another question entirely. *** Inside the villa. Kuangxi looked at the frail-looking young man before her, a flicker of disappointment crossing her eyes. Over the past few days, she had looked into Qi Yuan's background. The only information she turned up was that he was an apprentice at Mingwu Resonant Dojo and had crossed paths with her brother purely by coincidence. As for anything else, she couldn't find a trace. Naturally, she had no idea that the robot Zero-One, upgraded by Qi Yuan, had long since masked and disguised his digital identity. What ordinary people could find was only the most generic cover story. "So... Carnival is currently in Wugui Kingdom's Saqing Military Camp?" Qi Yuan asked softly. According to Kuangxi, Carnival had been captured while trying to collect Roaming Dragon Root. Roaming Dragon Root was a crucial material Qi Yuan needed. However, the plant grew in Wugui Kingdom. Carnival had taken the risk to venture there, only for word to leak, leading to his capture by Wugui Kingdom. "Yes. We begged the generals above, but they all made excuses," Kuangxi said earnestly. "Mr. Qi, do you know any influential figures who might be able to communicate with Wugui Kingdom and get my elder brother released? Our Kuang family is willing to pay... any price!" Carnival was the hope of the family and held the noble title of viscount. Her brother had no children yet; if he died out there, the hereditary title would likely pass to another branch of the clan. "I don't know any powerful figures," Qi Yuan answered honestly. He had only been in this world for three months. Today was his very first time leaving Tianyue City. How could he know any influential big shots? Sure enough, upon hearing Qi Yuan's reply, disappointment showed on both Kuangxi's face and that of the young woman beside her. "I'm already very grateful that Mr. Qi was willing to come," Carnival's wife couldn't help saying. Thinking of how everyone else had reacted, resentment flared within her. At that moment, however, Qi Yuan spoke up. "Actually... I'm pretty capable myself. Arrange a private car to take me to the front lines, and I'll go rescue Carnival." Qi Yuan said it casually. Carnival had fallen into enemy hands on his account. Carnival was also his subordinate and ran errands for him. Naturally, Qi Yuan was going to rescue him. He was a good person—Lawful Good. He didn't need to cultivate some selfish persona; he simply acted on his own whims. After cultivating for so long, he had yet to clash with a modern military. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally wanted to do some slaughtering. After all, once his strength advanced and he returned to his peak combat power, he would be able to shatter stars in the sky with a single punch. Bullying ordinary mortals then wouldn't be any fun. "Mr. Qi... you're going to rescue him yourself?" Kuangxi was stunned. This answer was completely beyond her expectations. Not only her, but Carnival's wife was equally dumbfounded. "Yeah, I'll go personally and bring him back from the military camp," Qi Yuan said lightly, as though the matter was hardly worth mentioning. His words left Kuangxi thoroughly at a loss. Normally, the only solutions people considered were finding some powerful figure to negotiate through diplomatic channels or arrange an exchange of interests to get her brother back. Rescuing someone directly from a Wugui Kingdom military camp... no one had even dreamed of such an idea. With Qinyuan Kingdom's military might, they could indeed crush Wugui Kingdom. But Guwu Kingdom was no pushover either. There was no way Qinyuan Kingdom would spark a war just for Carnival. "Mr. Qi... you're not joking, are you? That's an active Wugui military camp. There's an entire regiment stationed there!" Under Wugui Kingdom's military organization, a regiment consisted of roughly three thousand soldiers. Three thousand troops equipped with all sorts of advanced weaponry—tanks, armored vehicles, drones, and even fighter jets. Breaking into such an installation to rescue a prisoner was pure fantasy. So when Qi Yuan said he was going to break him out, how could they not be astonished and find it utterly absurd? "Yes, I know. I'll handle the rescue; you just need to arrange a car," Qi Yuan said with utter confidence. The young woman was dazed. Kuangxi froze as well, unsure of how to respond. Seeing their reactions, Qi Yuan said helplessly, "Madam, you wouldn't want Carnival to suffer in that camp, would you? Let's not waste time. Prepare the personnel and send me to the front lines. As for how I'll rescue him, feel free to imagine whatever you like." Qi Yuan had always valued efficiency and never minced words. Carnival's wife and Kuangxi exchanged a glance. Both women were bewildered; the turn of events today was far too bizarre. They almost felt as if dealing with a psychiatric patient would be more normal than this. Even so, Carnival's wife could only nod vigorously. "I'll immediately have arrangements made to send Mr. Qi to the front lines. Mr. Qi... if things prove impossible, please prioritize your own safety!" Carnival's wife phrased it very tactfully. If he couldn't save him, so be it—just don't throw his own life away. Kuangxi also spoke up. "Since my brother trusts you, we leave this matter in your hands, sir!" Carnival had once told his wife that if an emergency arose, Qi Yuan's judgment was equivalent to his own. That was the only reason Kuangxi and Carnival's wife were willing to send Qi Yuan to the front lines. "Arrange it quickly. I'm in a hurry," Qi Yuan said. Traveling to the front lines would likely take several days. The Martial Arts Tournament was set to begin in just two days. He definitely wouldn't make it back in time. "Understood, I'll see to it at once. Please wait a moment, sir." With that, Kuangxi turned and left. Now, only Carnival's wife and Qi Yuan remained in the room. Qi Yuan glanced at the young woman and said, "I have some business to attend to. I need to make a call." Qi Yuan pulled out his phone and dialed a number. From the other end came Yang Shan's voice. "Kid, why are you calling me?" "I'm calling to use the back door," Qi Yuan replied honestly. Admittedly, he wasn't a privileged elite and didn't enjoy special privileges. But with a mental illness certificate in hand, exercising a little privilege... shouldn't be a big deal, right? "What back door?" Yang Shan was baffled. "A business partner of mine ran into some trouble. I need to travel abroad to fish him out," Qi Yuan explained, laying out the origin of the situation. "Are you serious, kid? Your martial skills are decent, but if you run into a gene warrior, you probably won't stand a chance." Yang Shan had no idea what was actually going on. He worried that upon approaching the martial arts limit, Qi Yuan had let his ego inflate to the point of challenging entities he had no business provoking. Qi Yuan ignored the warning and went on, "I won't be able to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament in two days. Can you help pull some strings so I can skip straight to the national level?" Qi Yuan had no time to compete in the Tianyue City tournament. His plan was to jump directly into the nationals. As a martial artist at the martial arts limit, Yang Shan was a prominent figure in the martial arts community. That was why Qi Yuan had sought him out. Yang Shan pondered for a moment. "With your strength, you really can bypass the municipal competitions and enter the national stage. How about this: when you get back, I'll take you through a special channel to enter the national tournament. But... they'll need to test your strength first. When the time comes, you'll have to fight someone." "No problem." Hearing this, Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. If that hadn't worked, he probably would have had to pay a personal visit to the tournament organizing committee. That would have been far too troublesome. Getting it resolved cleanly was for the best. About half an hour later, Kuangxi returned. Looking at Qi Yuan, her voice carried a touch of respect. "Mr. Qi, the itinerary has been arranged. First, we take a car to the airport, then board a flight. Once we arrive in Dian City, we'll switch to a sedan with dedicated personnel to escort you! The journey will take approximately two and a half days." "Sounds good." Qi Yuan nodded. He would just treat it as a vacation trip. *** Two days slipped by. Qi Yuan sat in the sedan, his gaze calm. Driving the vehicle was a burly man with a handgun tucked at his waist. This burly man was one of Carnival's trusted confidants, a member of the mercenaries. As the car sped along the open road, the burly man kept his focus on driving, but he glanced back at Qi Yuan from time to time. He did not know Qi Yuan's true identity, only learning from higher up that Qi Yuan was going to rescue his boss. Doubt filled his mind; he had no idea how this young man intended to pull off a rescue. Right then, Qi Yuan spoke abruptly. "Stop the car." The car braked immediately. A puzzled look appeared in the burly man's eyes. "What is it?" "Something interesting. I didn't expect to run into it here." Qi Yuan got out of the sedan. In the distance stretched a desert-like landscape, with yellow sand interspersed among wild weeds. The air was dry; whenever the wind blew, dust kicked up into the air. Not far away on the ground, one could occasionally spot discarded plastic water bottles, and even condoms hanging from thorny shrubs. Qi Yuan stopped before a peculiar plant, his expression turning serious. "This is Emerald Cage Grass—good stuff for bloodline purification." Bloodline purification had some niche utility even in the cultivation world. Certain cultivators who inherited bloodlines from ancient ferocious beasts would use materials like Emerald Cage Grass to purify their heritage. However, it was useless to ordinary cultivators; their cultivation had nothing to do with bloodlines. Qi Yuan didn't need Emerald Cage Grass for his own cultivation either. But when it came to the martial path, it might just come in handy. Since he had happened upon it, Qi Yuan naturally wasn't going to be polite. He bent down and dug up the stalk of Emerald Cage Grass. Beside him, the burly man looked entirely bewildered, his sense of Qi Yuan's eccentricity growing by another notch. "Alright, let's get back in and keep moving." Qi Yuan spoke and climbed back into the car. Currently, he wore a trench coat, and his hair had grown considerably longer compared to three months ago. If it grew a bit more, he could put on ancient robes and pass as someone from antiquity. The burly man resumed driving and said as he steered, "The path we're on right now is a smuggling route. In a little while, we'll join a smuggler convoy from Yuelang Kingdom and pretend to be part of their crew. That's the only way to slip into Wugui Kingdom." "Oh... aren't the two countries at war? Why is there still smuggling?" Qi Yuan asked. "Because the smuggled goods are high-end luxury items demanded by the aristocrats of both nations. Take Timi wine, for instance. It's a specialty of Yuelang Kingdom, brewed using spring water unique to Tila Mountain. This wine is wildly popular among the upper crust and nobility of Wugui Kingdom. So even in the middle of a war, while the elites prohibit smuggling other goods, Timi wine is an exception. The smuggling caravans operating right now are essentially servicing the high-ranking nobles of both countries. The people down below slaughter each other, but the elites... their lavish lifestyles must go on, right?" A complicated bitterness tinged the burly man's words. After all, in this world, he belonged to those down below—the bottom rung. "No wonder everyone wants to be in power," Qi Yuan couldn't help musing. "Even the upper crust in Wugui Kingdom lives in such luxury. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of lives the families of the Seven Martial Stars live." Envy shone in the burly man's eyes. His boss, Viscount Carnival, was already a big shot in his eyes. Yet compared to the likes of the Seven Martial Stars, he amounted to nothing. Qi Yuan smiled faintly, having no interest in such matters. About two hours later, the car pulled up in a small town. The burly man said to Qi Yuan, "Mr. Qi, follow my lead once we're there." Along the way, the burly man had already briefed Qi Yuan on what was about to happen. Everything had been arranged by him. "Understood," Qi Yuan nodded. At that point, the burly man added, "Mr. Qi, it's still not too late to turn back. Once we hitch a ride with the convoy, we won't be able to turn straight around." These words had also been coached by Carnival's wife for him to pass on to Qi Yuan. Once committed, there was no immediate turning back. With the two nations at war, wandering around the front lines meant a very real chance of being blown apart by a drone. "We'll head back after Carnival is rescued," Qi Yuan smiled. "Let's hurry up and get this over with quickly. The air here is too dry; I don't want to linger for too long." Hearing this answer, the burly man didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. He had to accompany Qi Yuan the entire way. If Mr. Qi was marching to his death, he was doomed as well. On some level, he actually wished Mr. Qi would call it off. Even so, if Mr. Qi went, he would follow. His life belonged to his boss. Giving it back was only right. To him, the world was just that simple.