Chapter 34: Campus Rumors (Part 1)

That last sentence was far more exciting than everything said before it.

Some of the team members’ faces flushed bright red.

Applause rang out, sincere and heartfelt.

The temporarily assembled team dispersed. Xun Shiming brought Chen Yi a set of combat gear. After changing into the familiar outfit, Chen Yi found it a pity that he had not brought along the sword case for his greatsword. He looked left and right. His body felt so light it was actually a little uncomfortable.

Seeing his expression, Xun Shiming said, “Our squadron is permanently equipped with a standard-issue weapon. I’m the one who uses it for now. Sect Master, you can take it later.”

Chen Yi waved him off. “It’s fine. I can manage without it.”

At the current stage, if the standard-issue weapon rewarded by a sect mission was a pistol, then Chen Yi’s greatsword was an RPG. But compared to those, Chen Yi’s already master-level Delusion-Piercing Eye Technique was a missile-grade weapon, the kind that could kill from ultra-long range.

Since he was already carrying countless “missiles” with him, taking away the only weapon in someone else’s hands would be immoral no matter how he looked at it.

After Chen Yi refused, his gaze fell on the equipment and weapons fitted into the several pouches of the tactical vest.

In the pocket near his chest was a small wooden box. When he opened it, there were yellow talismans inside.

Chen Yi had once received a mission reward of five years’ experience in talisman crafting. Although he had never formally studied it, the moment he held the item in his hand, he could tell what it was.

This was an imitation Sealing Talisman. Its sealing ability was only one-tenth of the system reward’s. Depending on the spiritual energy expenditure of the person sealing it, it could at most seal an aberration at the third level of Qi Refining.

In the early stage of the Spiritual Energy Revival, this imitation Sealing Talisman could seal almost every aberration.

Looking at the other pouches, he found first-aid kits. Since Chen Yi knew nothing at all about the pill path, he could not really understand them.

Xun Shiming explained that these were all items that could effectively ease aberrant contamination. After ordinary Night Watchers entered an aberrant domain, they would no longer become severely infected within two or three minutes. Instead, the time was extended to around ten minutes.

There were also agents that could stabilize the mind. Recently, it had been some time since any teammates had become living ghosts through deep infection.

Chen Yi nodded. Finally, his gaze landed on the issued peachwood dagger and Five Emperor Coins dagger.

The Five Emperor Coins dagger had been confirmed to have a genuinely effective killing power against aberrations.

As for the peachwood dagger, after the state discovered Chen Yi using one, it had used national power to locate a batch of peach trees over a hundred years old and processed and refined them.

Though the effect was far inferior to the sect’s peach tree, peach trees old enough, once processed, had an effect no weaker than the Five Emperor Coins dagger.

As for how the state had processed this kind of peachwood dagger before the Artifact Refining Pavilion had even refreshed?

Never underestimate the power of a nation. There were talented people everywhere. Since they had already seen a real peachwood dagger, even if they could not make an identical copy, imitating one with a slightly inferior effect was still no problem.

And do not forget that the spirit stones being continuously excavated from the North Mountain spiritual energy passage were all being sent to various research institutions.

Finally, Chen Yi’s gaze landed on the watch Xun Shiming handed him.

After listening to Xun Shiming’s explanation, Chen Yi nodded. This research and development truly was the most useful tool at present.

Turning the active into the passive—this was definitely the main reason Xia could now maintain peace and harmony, while its people remained happy and prosperous.

“Other countries have already descended into chaos,” Pang Sen said with a sigh, proud that he himself could help bring about this peace. “Spiritual Energy Revival doesn’t distinguish by region. Thinking back to what we experienced in the early days, you can imagine what the people of other countries outside this land are going through.

“Unfortunately, the distrust between countries can never be eliminated. Every country is whitewashing peace and pretending nothing is happening. Only spies are moving around frequently.

“Our country’s stability is becoming more and more glaring. More spies are being sent over. I heard that National Security gets over a hundred tip-off calls from the public every day.”

Chen Yi listened with great interest.

“Then how do you think the higher-ups are considering this matter?”

Pang Sen smiled broadly, showing his teeth. “If they want our international peacekeeping force to deploy, of course we have to negotiate a good price.”

It was not that they would not help. It was that help would come at a cost.

This also fit Chen Yi’s expectations.

He had handed the sect over to the state, but that did not mean he was enough of a saint to help anyone the moment something happened. The nation’s stable development came above all else. Only then came diplomatic aid.

Besides, he was just a government employee. He had become a principal, something he had never imagined in his previous life, and could even hold an unlimited bank card for public-funded travel. He had even met the nation’s top leaders. He was already very satisfied.

How the country developed next was the country’s business. He only needed to follow the national policy.

Just like that, they chatted for a while longer. Then an alarm blared. Chen Yi stopped speaking and raised his brows in surprise. “We have a mission?”

Pang Sen flipped his wrist to check the time. “Ten thirty. It’s about the time aberrations wake up. New aberrations are born every day. There are too many people in this city.”

Chen Yi nodded. “Have you encountered any aberrations you couldn’t handle?”

“Not for now. These days, it’s instead the remote villages hiding high-level aberrations. I heard you only recently resolved a Ghost Bride aberration incident?”

At the mention of this, Chen Yi’s heart sank, and he could no longer smile.

Because the evidence was conclusive, not a single man who had committed evil back then had escaped. But belated punishment still could not save those young girls who had withered away in the prime of their lives. In the end, their monstrous resentment had formed and transformed into aberrations that harmed others.

After Chen Yi eliminated them, he had never felt comfortable about it. He even felt that the death penalty was too lenient for that pack of beasts in Little Tanshi Village.

As they spoke, Chen Yi and Pang Sen got into a vehicle. The two of them talked all the way there, and soon arrived at the area where this incident had occurred.

The long-range detector could not precisely lock on. The target was blurred within a three-kilometer radius. In such a large area, even sending in a hundred people would not count for much, yet now there were only three squads, fifteen members in total, using the personal detectors in their hands to lock on.

Chen Yi stopped the order for them to split up and search. After getting out of the vehicle, he found a tall building and stood on the rooftop to use Aura Observation. Very soon, he locked onto the specific area where the aberration had appeared.

Pang Sen checked it against the map. “It’s in Wangjiang Park.”

“I’ll go,” Chen Yi said.

“No need.” Through his wireless earpiece, Pang Sen contacted Xun Shiming, who was standing by below the building, and told him to take the team there. Then he explained, “They need enough combat experience. With Xun Shiming watching them, it’s very safe. Let them get more practice.”

Chen Yi nodded.

They waited another three minutes. Under Aura Observation, that foul clump of aberrant energy disappeared.

“It’s resolved.”

Pang Sen was very pleased. He pressed his earpiece and said, “That was fast this time.”

Xun Shiming’s voice rang simultaneously in Chen Yi’s and Pang Sen’s ears. “We only just arrived at the location. It’s already resolved?”

The smile on Pang Sen’s face vanished instantly.

Chen Yi looked at Pang Sen in confusion.

Pang Sen said, “Awakeners. And it seems they’ve formed an organization recently. After figuring out the patterns of aberrations, they’ve begun actively luring aberrations out to hunt them. It’s already happened several times this week.”

Chen Yi did not quite understand. “Is that good or bad?”

Pang Sen said, “As long as nothing happens to them, it’s good.”

As they were talking, another voice sounded through the earpiece. This time it came from headquarters, issuing a reminder. “Southern District, C Province University. Spiritual energy unrest has occurred.”

Pang Sen stopped talking and ordered everyone to get in the vehicles. At the same time, he and Chen Yi hurried down to the first floor by elevator and left the residential compound.

Starting from here, with no traffic jam at night, it would take less than five minutes to reach C Province University.

Pang Sen quickly arranged the mission, then continued speaking to Chen Yi. “This group is extremely wary of us. Originally, we could still use their internet messages to track down Awakeners and make contact, but recently, after we took away one batch of Awakeners, they abandoned online contact and moved their activities underground.

“From what we currently know, the strongest person among them is called Brother Long. He has an aberrant tool. He was originally a designated driver, forty-one years old, has very little trust in the government, and shows some antisocial tendencies.

“But this organization’s decision-maker is an elite talent who works at CCD.

“You should know CCD. It’s one of the world’s top hundred tech giants. Anyone who can join that company is extraordinary. But after this Awakener awakened, he chose to disappear and hide. The day before yesterday, the minister of the department he originally worked in was found dead in his home.

“At the same time, our spiritual energy detector detected spiritual energy unrest. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, we didn’t catch the person.

“In addition, this organization also has students, employees, elderly people, and talented individuals from all walks of life. They’ve named the organization the Salvation Society.”

Chen Yi: “…”

The “Salvation Society”?

Wasn’t that the cult organization in the book that was the first to be wiped out by the protagonist and his people?

It counted as one of the big climaxes in the early part of the book. The organization’s three major leaders each had their own unique skills: dream entering, duplication, and concealment. But they were also seriously insane.

They even worshiped aberrations, raised aberrations, and secretly hunted Awakeners. Anyone who would not submit was fed to aberrations.

It was absolutely the deepest and most vicious corroded, rusted iron nail embedded in C Province.

After Pang Sen finished, he added, “We only have their personal files from before they awakened. We don’t know what abilities they developed afterward. I’ll bring you a copy of the information later so you can take a look. Interested?”

Chen Yi nodded. He wanted to use the information to see whether there were any people who matched the descriptions of the major leaders of the Salvation Society in the book.

These antisocial elements might have their own logic, but since Chen Yi lived within order, he would not allow people who destroyed order to exist.

The world was already chaotic enough. With foreign enemies circling outside, humans themselves should stop having internal strife. Wasn’t unity the only way to cut through metal?

When they arrived at C Province University, Chen Yi had already started using Aura Observation from the moment he could see C Province University from afar. He saw that wisp of aberrant energy drifting inside the campus.

Chen Yi pointed in a direction. Xun Shiming showed the Guard Team credentials, and the vehicle drove straight in unhindered. After entering the university gate and driving another half li, the spiritual energy detector finally let out its belated beep.

Compared with Aura Observation, the spiritual energy detector was truly somewhat useless. It could probably only be used by people below the third level of Qi Refining.

As they approached the location, Chen Yi was just about to tell the vehicle to stop when the words stalled at his lips.

Then he said, “It’s gone.”

Pang Sen said, “Gone?”

He looked at the spiritual energy detector, which was still spinning wildly, and finally chose to believe Chen Yi.

With restrained anger, he said, “It would be fine if they were truly eliminating harm for the people. But the few leaders are clearly dangerous individuals. If they absorb enough spiritual energy and become living ghosts, what then?”

Chen Yi wanted to say that they should not underestimate the wisdom of civilians. Since those people could so quickly figure out the pattern of aberrations appearing, and could advance by actively hunting aberrations, they would find ways to avoid ending up as living ghosts.

It would be fine if this group were only small fry. But once they grasped power and strength, they would be extremely terrifying.

Fifteen years later, when the novel began, a special action team under the Night Watchers specifically responsible for clearing out domestic cult organizations had chased the brains behind the Salvation Society for five years without success. They had even allowed the other side to quietly develop and grow, attracting countless ignorant believers.

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