Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
There are always some people in the world who, although alive, have no real goals in life and do not know what else they must do besides eating and sleeping.
In today's China, it is rare to find even one person among a hundred who feels a heavy sense of responsibility and wakes up each day full of motivation. Most people simply think, "I should be doing what a living person is supposed to do."
If a television station were to interview ordinary Chinese citizens with the question:
"If you suddenly came into a large sum of money, what would you most want to do?"
The responses would likely be simple and confused. Aside from addressing past needs that arose from financial constraints—like buying a computer for their son or getting something for their elderly parents—the remaining answer would often be just "I haven't thought it through."
It is no surprise that in every issue of the newspaper, whether it’s about sports lotteries or welfare lotteries, regardless of whether it’s a pick-seven or pick-fifteen game, every winner tends to respond this way. For future historians, this generation of Chinese people may very well be seen as one without dreams or aspirations, muddling through life without direction.
Fang Lin Kong is a typical representative of this aimless generation.
Once upon a time, Fang Lin Kong's goal was probably the same as that of every high school student who receives expectations from their parents: "Study hard, get into college, find a good job, live comfortably, and then it will be easier to find a girlfriend!"
This simplistic aspiration is what most high school students are expected to achieve by their elders. Don’t expect Chinese children to have their own life goals. Even if they do, at most it might be something like playing online games freely or watching anime and comics without restrictions. Even those few who are particularly unique often find themselves crushed into lifeless shells by the dull realities of life.
Once…
He studied for the rise of China,
that person! Now carries his famous saying.
They left this material world together.
That great spirit no longer existed.
Fang Lin Kong asked himself more than ten thousand times, "What should I do now?"
"Should I go back to school and continue pretending to be a good student? Or should I start my own company and become a business genius, an entertainment tycoon? Or perhaps I should just join Boss Ding Chifeng in the underworld and strive to unify the underground monster organizations in China within ten years? Cultivating to the point of reaching outer space, dating an alien girl? It doesn’t seem like a life worth aspiring to!"
Fang Lin Kong's thoughts were limited to what he should do, rather than what he could do. Therefore, the idea of "world domination" over certain neighboring countries hadn’t even entered his life goals.
The trouble for Ghost Ancestor Xu Huan and Green Brow didn’t arise immediately; it seemed that the so-called Chinese Army Demon Subduing Team had completely forgotten about his past crimes, or perhaps they were simply too busy to pay him any mind. Fang Lin Kong also had no intention of turning himself in.
After staying in Beijing for a while, Fang Lin Kong returned to his city with Wen Yi and Ma Jingjie. At Fang Lin Kong's request, Ice King naturally dared not keep Ding Qingya around to become some super star. With a contract stating that Ding Qingya could only join the company after completing her studies, she had to be let go.
The Chifeng Army welcomed the three victorious returnees with great fanfare. Chen Mingbin, who had returned earlier, seemed to have completely shaken off the troubles that Fang Lin Kong had experienced. He was still going to school, studying, playing basketball, and gaming, showing no signs of any changes in his life or psychological state due to their recent experiences. After spending a few days eating and drinking with several leaders of the Chifeng Army, Fang Lin Kong obediently returned to school.
As seniors in high school, Fang Lin Kong and his friends faced a heavy academic load. In a short period of time, subjects like Magnitude, Mathematics, Physics, and English forced Fang Lin Kong to adjust his mindset and join the ranks of diligent students.
Time flew by like a mischievous white rabbit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
With his head spinning from studying, Fang Lin Kong didn’t engage in any outrageous behavior for three months. Wen Yi, Chen Mingbin, and Ma Jingjie were also under their parents' supervision, working hard every day like hounds chasing after rabbits. Aside from occasionally pondering how to cheat on exams, they rarely had time to hang out with Fang Lin Kong.
Holding a thick stack of reference materials, Fang Lin Kong was walking home from school. Half of these materials were his own, while the other half belonged to Ding Qingya; they were the test papers distributed today from Haidian District in Beijing. Ding Qingya was walking briskly beside him, laughing as she recounted amusing events from school that day. Recently, the International Demon Alliance seemed completely silent; there was no news from Zhou Qingzhe or Zhang Rongying, and naturally no one came looking for trouble with Fang Lin Kong.
"Perhaps this kind of life is the most perfect life! It's quite boring, but also very reassuring!"
Fang Lin Kong let out a sigh. Although it was already spring, a sudden spring rain made the streets feel quite chilly. Ding Qingya seemed to notice Fang Lin Kong's distraction and suddenly slipped her small hands into his collar.
"Ah!"
Fang Lin Kong was caught off guard by the unexpected attack, feeling quite flustered. However, the icy touch of Ding Qingya's hands made him involuntarily express concern, "Why are your hands so cold? You should keep them in my clothes a bit longer. I'll buy you a pair of gloves tomorrow!"
Ding Qingya giggled, "I just left my gloves at home the day before yesterday. The weather is getting warmer every day; who needs gloves? But your collar is really warm!"
The two young people playfully walked down the street in this peculiar manner. Fang Lin Kong's frown seemed to only heighten Ding Qingya's excitement. When she moved her hands to Fang Lin Kong's chest, she suddenly asked curiously, "Fang Lin Kong, you haven't been exercising lately, but why are your muscles so hard? They're so bouncy!"
Fang Lin Kong was both amused and exasperated as he replied, "Miss Ding, it seems you've crossed the line here? If you keep touching like that, I can't guarantee I'll stay silent! I might just shout 'harassment'!"
Ding Qingya's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Fang Lin Kong, hurry up and shout! I've never heard what a man sounds like when he cries harassment!"
No matter how thick-skinned Fang Lin Kong was, he couldn't resort to such shameless tactics. He pleaded with Ding Qingya, "This topic is too taboo; let's change to something more interesting! I heard your class got a new English teacher—apparently she's a beauty?"
Ding Qingya pretended to be angry and said, "You only remember beauties! Not even the teacher is spared; you're such a big pervert! I'm not talking to you!"
"Fine, don't talk to me! But could you please stop pulling so hard? It really hurts!"
Fang Lin Kong removed his left hand from the reference material and casually gestured behind him with a strange spell before quickly retracting it.
As he walked away with Ding Qingya, a head suddenly popped up from the ground.
"Damn it! Who's messing around with the Earth Manipulation technique? It's made my skull feel soft!"
A young man in his late twenties emerged from the ground, cursing as he did so. His black suit was wrinkled and clearly cheap.
"Earth Manipulation is really not a convenient travel spell! The pollution everywhere is terrible; even the underground rivers smell awful and are filthy! Damn it! I have to level up to become a Bat Monster and try flying in the air!"
Fang Lin Kong sensed something unusual underground and feared he might disturb Ding Qingya. Although he was unsure if she had noticed anything about him, he knew that some subtle flaws were definitely not something he could hide due to his usual carelessness.
However, this time, he was indeed overthinking it.
The young man was named Zhang Twenty-Eight. He was a rat spirit, skilled in burrowing techniques, and could move through the earth with incredible speed. He had lived in this city for many years but had never joined large monster organizations like the Chifeng Army. Instead, he preferred to live alone, relying on his unpredictable thieving skills to get by.
Today, Zhang Twenty-Eight had just failed at a theft and was in a foul mood. He had targeted a mistress of a government official, but little did he know that just days after he had made his move, she and her kept man had secretly run off with the official's years of embezzled bribes and savings. By the time Zhang Twenty-Eight attempted his theft, all he found was a bright, empty house—not even a roll of toilet paper left behind.
Recently, Zhang Twenty-Eight was short on cash and wanted to buy a tube of Gene Serum to enhance his transformation abilities. If he were to transform into a rat, bat genes would be his top choice. However, a tube of Magic Bat Gene Serum cost as much as eight hundred thousand yuan. Zhang Twenty-Eight barely made enough to get by; he had no savings and was too timid to attempt anything risky like robbing a bank.
Frustrated, Zhang Twenty-Eight kicked a brick by the roadside and abandoned the idea of burrowing underground. Just then, a taxi passed by, and he waved it down.
"Taipei Avenue! At the intersection with Jiutai Road!"
Zhang Twenty-Eight checked his pockets; he still had about three or two hundred yuan left. He thought about going to his usual spot for a drink.
The monsters also have their own gathering places, and the underground bar that Zhang Twenty-Eight frequents is one of them. Almost all the lower-tier monsters in the city enjoy coming here to seek a sense of belonging among their kind. It is rare to find a powerful force like the Chifeng Legion, which can form a massive economic scale and is unafraid of external powerful monster invasions. Most monsters value freedom and do not like to join organizations, as it feels restrictive. Ding Chifeng is a very open-minded monster; as long as they do not violate his rules, he never interferes with those weaker monsters who do not depend on him or oppose him. In fact, when external forces invade, these monsters can request protection from the Chifeng Army without worrying that Ding Chifeng will use this as an excuse to incorporate them into his power.
The monster bar is chaotic. Zhang Twenty-Eight ordered a pitcher of beer and sat in a corner, drinking quietly. Recently, he had noticed a human boy who often came here. Monsters are not welcoming to cultivators, but they do not reject humans who voluntarily transform into monsters. The boy named Lu Gan was seen mingling with a monster named Zhu Xiaotian, who also seemed new to the city. Their relationship resembled that of half-master and half-friend.
However, these two were doing much better than Zhang Twenty-Eight. Their spending here was significantly higher than his.
Lacking any skills and struggling to adapt to the changes in this world, Zhang Twenty-Eight had never attended a human school. Therefore, aside from stealing, he could not find any legitimate work. One of the main reasons he came here to drink was that there were often people looking for temporary help. He was eager to find a job that could earn him a lot of money.
Various alcoholic liquids flowed freely, and the stage was filled with wild dances, mixed with the scents of tobacco and sweat.
Nighttime does not necessarily mean it is quieter than daytime. In some places, the deeper into the night it gets, the livelier it becomes.
As Zhang Twenty-Eight was drinking alone, a mysterious and sneaky man approached him.
“Zhang Twenty-Eight! Deliver this note to that person. Here’s your reward!”
As five red paper slips were handed to him, Zhang Twenty-Eight's courage suddenly surged.
Someone had asked him to keep an eye on Zhu Xiaotian regularly, and Zhang Twenty-Eight took his task seriously. Certain major cases requiring strong assistance often began with local figures like Zhang Twenty-Eight making contact.
Zhu Xiaotian was skilled; Zhang Twenty-Eight had known this for a while. At the very least, he understood that with his 177 points of monster energy, he would definitely be defeated in one move by Zhu Xiaotian. After all… Lu Gan, whom Zhu Xiaotian taught, had already surpassed the 100 mark in Spiritual Energy Index. Just three months ago, Lu Gan had been an utterly clueless rookie.
Zhang Twenty-Eight approached Zhu Xiaotian, but Zhu Xiaotian ignored this down-and-out-looking monster. The Six-Eyed Celestial Wolf was inherently much stronger than a rat species; moreover, given Zhang Twenty-Eight's extremely shallow cultivation level, if it came to blows, even Lu Gan would likely have a chance to defeat this weak monster.
“Hey there! This is something someone asked me to deliver.”
Zhu Xiaotian had no intention of taking it, but Lu Gan was somewhat curious. Ever since he started hanging out with Zhu Xiaotian, he had gradually integrated into this bizarre Dark World. As a result, he had slowly drifted away from his original friends. Zhang Twenty-Eight's appearance was as clear as if it had written "I am a scoundrel" on his forehead. Lu Gan could tell that the mastermind behind the message delivery had nothing to do with this down-and-out fellow.
He reached out and took the note. After just one glance, his brows furrowed. It was a check for one hundred thousand yuan, accompanied by a simple message. That was all Zhang Twenty-Eight had handed over. The person who had given Zhang Twenty-Eight the note had long since vanished from sight, leaving no one knowing if that individual had ever existed.
Lu Gan passed the note to Zhu Xiaotian. The amount of one hundred thousand yuan was equivalent to a decade's worth of savings for an ordinary worker who neither ate nor drank. It was likely a sum that a farmer could never hope to earn in a lifetime. However, this did not necessarily indicate the enormity of the figure. Even in this northern city, where housing prices were considered quite low, one hundred thousand yuan was merely one-third of the total price for a relatively decent apartment.
"Serial number forty-seven, Gene Serum, one vial."
Zhu Xiaotian read aloud the words on the note and was slightly taken aback. According to the International Demon Alliance's Gene Serum catalog, the forty-seventh serum was a composite gene of a biological dragonfly. This unique serum combined a subspecies of dragon found in the demon realm with one of Earth's most annoying species: flies. It could be said to be a failed creation of the Azure Sky Ancestor.
Years ago, the Azure Sky Ancestor aimed to create a powerful insect for refining the Seeking Demon Bug. This insect needed to be small yet possess great fighting strength, designed to surpass the Wutu Zhenluo cultivated by Liexiezi.
However, cultivating such small creatures was exceedingly difficult. The dragonflies produced by the Azure Sky Ancestor indeed possessed remarkable power; they could spit fire and flew at incredible speeds while being diminutive in size. Yet, their lifespan was tragically short—only six months.
The request from the other party was clear: they hoped Zhu Xiaotian could help them obtain the dragonfly's Gene Serum. As for how to achieve this, it depended on Zhu Xiaotian's own capabilities.
In this city, the only entity capable of importing such Gene Serums was the Chifeng Army. Any ordinary demon daring to provoke the Chifeng Army would be courting death. Of course, purchasing through normal channels was also an option! The dragonfly's Gene Serum was valued at three hundred fifty thousand yuan; evidently, the other party sought Zhu Xiaotian's assistance because they couldn't gather that substantial amount and hoped to save some funds through unconventional means.
(To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count