First-Level Alert

Twenty li outside the city. A watchtower. A lighter clicked in the darkness. The lights were out; the door stood wide open. All around was dead silence, save for the faint crackle of burning tobacco. Smoke curled through the air. Only after a long while did someone speak: "Thank you for making the trip out here." With a cigarette dangling between his lips, Song Fushan sat on a chair, gently puffing smoke rings without replying. The voice continued: "When I first joined the Mysterious Affairs Section, I was fortunate to have your constant care. Sadly, I didn't know what was good for me, and in the end, I brought this fate upon myself. "—I really should have looked into the past of the Mysterious Affairs Section instead of blindly resenting you. "I thought you were holding me down, keeping me from earning merits. "I'm sorry. Please don't hold it against me, okay?" Song Fushan's gaze did not waver. He said nothing, merely smoking in silence. The voice gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I thought having seven or eight skilled hands under me and getting promoted to deputy section chief of the Mysterious Affairs Section meant the time was ripe to push back against your suppression and accomplish something great. "I failed your good intentions." A sob rang out. Song Fushan's face was grim. His lips moved, and at last he uttered two words: "It's fine." Opposite him. The entire interior of the watchtower was covered in writhing walls of flesh. A humanoid entity was embedded in the fleshy wall. Its hands and feet had already "melted," turning into seven or eight long tentacles fused to the wall of flesh. Three corpses lay on the floor, already half "submerged" in the twitching flesh and tissue covering the ground. The person on the fleshy wall kept sobbing. After weeping for a while, he suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Whether it's the Cult Affairs Section, the Demon Subjugation Affairs Section, the Vessel Containment Affairs Section, the Special Affairs Section, or any other section, there's always a way to survive. But humans who directly confront mysterious affairs cannot survive! "So when you insisted I must never act rashly, you were right all along. "I really was a fool. An absolute fool!" Song Fushan lowered his eyes, tapped off the cigarette ash, and murmured, "Anything else to say?" "Brother Song, I don't know how else to thank you. I have one last request." "What is it?" "Leave the incendiary bombs for me." "...Alright." Everything had been said. Song Fushan stood up and walked toward the exit. "Wait," the other party suddenly called out. Song Fushan paused and looked back at him, without a trace of impatience in his expression. "My... family... I still have elderly parents and children..." The man mumbled, looking at Song Fushan with cautious trepidation. "I will report you as having fallen in the line of duty. Your family will be looked after. You don't have to worry about that," Song Fushan said. The man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Then he gritted his teeth and said, "Three hundred li east past this watchtower, flesh and blood tissue has begun growing deep underground. It is 'our' great master, calling upon the mighty power of the Ether to—" His voice cut off abruptly. A hand suddenly reached out from the fleshy wall and covered his mouth. Immediately after. Seven or eight hands emerged from the fleshy wall, seizing him all over and dragging him into the depths of the flesh. A massive "blood vessel" bulged out on the fleshy wall, appearing abruptly as if specifically meant to "transport" him away. The humanoid entity gradually sank into the fleshy wall, with only his hand remaining exposed outside. He reached outward with all his might, spreading his palm as if trying to grab hold of something. This was the final moment of his life. Song Fushan shook his head. He placed a remote detonator onto the open palm, then turned and walked out of the watchtower. In an instant, he was hundreds of meters away, alighting atop a tall tree. One second. Two seconds. Boom— Flames surged into the sky. The flesh inside the tower crackled and popped in the inferno. A few breaths later. The entire watchtower emitted agonized hissing sounds, slowly shrinking downward into the earth. But it was too late. Song Fushan pulled out another remote detonator and pressed it gently. Rumble— An even more blistering conflagration soared into the heavens, incinerating the watchtower along with everything within a twenty-meter radius. The dark night became as bright as day. Song Fushan watched in silence. Firelight flickered in his eyes, but his face remained devoid of any expression. He closed his eyes, opened them again, took out his phone, and quickly dialed a number. "Hello?" "Take this down. Song Fushan, Mysterious Affairs Section, reporting a casualty in the line of duty." "Yes, sir!" "There is one more thing." "Please go ahead." "Song Fushan, Mysterious Affairs Section, officially issuing a First-Level Alert. This alert targets the mysterious affairs category. Security classification: Top Secret." "What did you say?!" ... Elsewhere. The Bureau of Investigation. Ye Huan stood on the rooftop, performing his stance training. —Back in reality, he had only just reached the introductory level and had to cultivate this Hunyuan Stance from scratch. Yet with 128 years of cultivation insights within him, circulating qi and guiding his technique right now came as naturally as eating and drinking. Reaching the introductory level had unblocked the Baihui acupoint, making his senses sharp and clear while vastly increasing his physical strength. Furthermore, he had corrected the flaws right from the start. Accordingly. When he held the stance, the aura he had possessed before was gone. Practicing the Cangshan Stance caused various anomalies to appear one after another, and even the physical body underwent diverse transformations. Yet once it had been corrected, elevated, and raised into a completely different stance— Hunyuan. Holding the stance, Ye Huan suddenly perceived his entire internal condition. It turned out that when the acupoint had ignited in an explosive surge, it had caused minor injuries throughout his acupoints. At this moment, his stance was just right to recuperate and harmonize his body, restoring them to balance so they would not develop into lasting injuries. The longer he maintained the stance, the deeper it took hold. Within a few breaths, he felt peace and tranquility both inside and out. There were no strange phenomena whatsoever, nor was there any tide-like surging in the circulation of blood and qi. His breathing grew faint, gradually melting into nothingness. Heaven and earth became one; self and others were forgotten. A vast life force welled up from the base of his torso, communing in harmony with the stillness of heaven and earth. It spurred an obscure spark of true force into flourishing vigor—invigorating his blood and qi, toughening his myriad meridians, strengthening his muscles and bones, and nourishing his entire body like an invisible spring. Ye Huan exhaled with a low sound and opened his eyes. He felt as if every motion around him was etched into his mind, intimately known as though it were part of his own body. Shocked to the core, he forced himself to steady his nerves, kept the stance technique active, and assumed the boxing stance of Iron Hand Force. Within a ten-meter diameter, every slight stir was clear in his mind. Damn it, how is this just a stance technique! —This is practically a "field" generated during the circulation of qi. Any enemy's underhanded tricks or hidden dangers would have nowhere to hide. It possessed such terrifying capability! For a martial artist, this stance was simply invaluable! Ye Huan was speechless for a long time. He had never expected to end up with something so extraordinary. Though it only covered ten meters, that was more than enough for battles within the same rank. Against higher-level opponents, ten meters naturally wouldn't be enough. For instance, Song Fushan's strike that killed the mutated martial artist had been too fast for Ye Huan to even see clearly; having this stance wouldn't help him deal with something like that. But! But! He had only just begun practicing the Hunyuan Stance! If he practiced this art daily and cultivated it to higher depths in the future, its abilities would certainly go far beyond this. Ye Huan took a deep breath and slowly withdrew his stance. Now, there were other matters to consider. For example, regarding Xia Luoning— It wouldn't be wise to bring anything up on his own initiative. That would only arouse suspicion instead. —You're an eighteen-year-old kid from a backwater border town; how could you modify a stance passed down in our family for countless generations? What are you, a human or a monster? Forget it. He would wait until a truly suitable opportunity arose in the future before bringing it up. Ye Huan looked inward again to inspect the skill tree. In the darkness. The skill tree emitted a faint glow, revealing a sight he had never seen before— Behind the Hunyuan Stance icon, a number had appeared: 1. —He had officially reached the entry level of the Hunyuan Stance. Behind Iron Cloth Shirt was the number: 3. Ye Huan understood in an instant. Iron Hand counted as 1 point; upgrading to Iron Cloth Shirt counted as 2; mastering Iron Cloth Shirt counted as 3. These were skill points! In other words, the skill points this art could be converted into! He had reached the entry level of Hunyuan Stance, so it counted as 1 skill point. Behind Turtle Breathing Art was 0.2. —He was still learning and had not yet successfully mastered the art. It would probably take reaching 1 to count as reaching the entry level. Behind Three Skims of the Flying Swallow was 0. Because he feared exposing that he was cultivating a Taiyin Sect technique, he hadn't practiced this art at all. These were all of his martial arts techniques at present. "I have thirty seconds before I disperse. Is there anything else you want to know?" Xia Luoning asked. Ye Huan had been waiting for this exact moment. The new identity challenge above Xia Luoning's head was the "Wilderness Exploration" issued by the sect. In truth, he had felt unsure about it. But now that he had used the copper coin, he could obtain her memories in advance— This was practically an open-book exam. Why would he have to worry about failing the new identity challenge? He would seize every Identity Achievement he could. The rewards were great. They would definitely help him grow stronger faster! Ye Huan spoke: "What exactly happened when she joined the Taiyin Sect and took part in the sect's first wilderness exploration?" "I'll transmit it to you. See for yourself." Xia Luoning touched her index finger to Ye Huan's brow once more. A stream of memories poured into Ye Huan's mind. The next second. The "mimetic" Xia Luoning quietly vanished. —This mimetic projection created by the "flawless copper coin" had completely run its course. Ye Huan silently reviewed the memories, engraving every detail into his mind, and continued holding his stance on the rooftop. It was now midnight. Investigators from various sections filed out of the office building one after another, either starting their cars and driving away, or walking out of the complex in groups of three to five. —The workday was over. Ye Huan waited while holding his stance. Before long. "Xia Li" also walked out of the office building. As if sensing something, she looked back up toward the rooftop. She saw Ye Huan standing on the railing, motionless in his stance. "Heh, this guy. The workday is over, so why is he still up on the rooftop holding a stance?" "Xia Li" chuckled. She waved at Ye Huan. Ye Huan stayed rooted in his stance, merely raising an eyebrow and shooting her a knowing look. —Busy training, Sister Xia. See you tomorrow. "Xia Li" laughed heartily, finding the kid utterly amusing. Shaking her head, she turned and walked toward the exit of the Bureau of Investigation. Right then, a violent roar echoed from outside the city, and flames shot skyward. The departing investigators stopped in their tracks. Xia Li suddenly took out her phone. It was vibrating non-stop, its screen already lit up with a flashing red glow. A line of small characters appeared on the screen: "First-Level Alert triggered."