Lianjiang City Cultural Park was suddenly closed for maintenance today. The seniors who usually came for walks and square dancing had to go to the teahouse for tea and dim sum earlier than usual.
Yu Kuangtu, the Deputy Director of the Tactical Bureau, personally led the way, pointing to a clearing down a secluded path. Behind him, aside from a group of Tactical Bureau members, were a cloaked figure and several men in suits.
One of the men in suits looked at the cigarette butts and trash along the secluded path and asked, "Hasn't the site been secured?"
Yu Kuangtu shook his head. "There were no orders from above, and besides... there wasn't much to protect; it's just an empty lot. However, we haven't completely neglected it."
Yu Kuangtu glanced at Li Dan, who pointed at several trees along the secluded path. "We installed a few hidden cameras there. We've been monitoring who comes here, but so far, aside from tourists drawn by its reputation and foreign scholars residing in the Mysterious Country, no individuals of particular interest have visited."
The man in the suit nodded and whispered to the cloaked figure, "Mr. Chuan, is there anything you'd like to do?"
The cloaked figure nodded slightly and walked into the secluded path. He lay down where the Fairy Palace Food God used to set up his stall, placing his hands on the ground as if feeling the pulse of the earth.
Yu Kuangtu watched his peculiar behavior without much surprise. Experts often acted in unconventional ways; perhaps the cloaked figure possessed some means that he couldn't comprehend?
After all, he was a Cultivator above the Fourth Transformation.
Initially, Yu Kuangtu had been somewhat annoyed about having to personally receive the special commissioner sent from Sky Capital. It wasn't a major issue, so why did *I* have to go? I am Yu Kuangtu, a Third-Turn Cultivator, Lianjiang's foremost Supernatural Combat Power!
But when Yu Kuangtu saw the cloaked figure at the airport, all his irritation vanished.
It was less about receiving the cloaked figure and more about guarding against him.
Upon their first meeting, Yu Kuangtu had felt the cloaked figure's overwhelming Qi Cyclone Pressure, which sent a chill down his spine. The cloaked figure had already concealed his Qi Cyclone Pressure, but Yu Kuangtu hadn't intended to hide his own, wanting to 'greet' the commissioner from Sky Capital with his pressure.
He had no idea he was dealing with a master in disguise.
Afterward, Yu Kuangtu naturally took full responsibility for the cloaked figure's journey, not because Yu Kuangtu sought anything from him, but because of orders from above. Although Yu Kuangtu didn't know the cloaked figure's exact identity, he sensed that Sky Capital seemed to want to trust this man, yet also felt the need to be wary of him; their attitude was clearly conflicted.
Therefore, wherever the cloaked figure went, he had to be accompanied by the strongest local Cultivator. As for why they sent a Cultivator instead of an army, it was naturally because an army's presence would be too overtly hostile...
Yu Kuangtu checked the cloaked figure's itinerary and found that he had visited nearly every location in the Mysterious Country related to Ren Naiser's videos: the Ren Family ancestral home, Wuyi Mountain, even attempting to find Mi Fei at the Luo River and tracing the Truth Seeker's footsteps in the Tadamia Mountain Range...
He was like an avid fan of Ren Naiser, undertaking a Pilgrimage to the Sacred Lands connected to Ren Naiser. It was quite normal, then, for Lianjiang City Cultural Park to be his destination—after all, this was the last place the Fairy Palace Food God had performed his Ghost Walking.
A few minutes later, the cloaked figure stood up, returned to the man in the suit, and nodded slightly, saying nothing. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel★fire.net
The man in the suit nodded knowingly and said to Yu Kuangtu, "Thank you for your trouble today. We'll be driving to Ben Gang City next..."
The sound was a low voice, like an echo from a valley. Both Yu Kuangtu and the man in the suit turned to look at the cloaked figure.
"Mr. Chuan, is there anything else you need to do?" the man in the suit asked, puzzled.
The cloaked figure ignored him, turning his head to stare intently south.
"Mr. Chuan, have you discovered something?" The man in the suit's eyes lit up.
"Not... necessarily..."
Mr. Chuan sounded hesitant. "An... illusion?"
The man in the suit opened his mouth, as if wanting to press for details, but he glanced around and held his tongue. "Mr. Chuan, let's discuss this when we get back."
Mr. Chuan nodded, then suddenly added, "Today... stay."
The man in the suit immediately said to Yu Kuangtu, "We'll be staying in Lianjiang for another day. Please have the Tactical Bureau arrange a quiet place for us with convenient access for travel."
"Little Jiu, where did you get these props?"
Two girls looked at the little girl in surprise, unable to resist reaching out to stroke the fluffy white ears on her head and the large, fluffy bundle formed by the nine tails at her back.
"They're warm too! So comfy!"
"These tails come out from under her skirt... There are so many, and they're so big they completely cover where her underwear would be. And they're warm too! Hey, how are the tails attached...?"
"AH!" The little girl covered her tails and jumped back a couple of steps, looking at the two young women disapprovingly. The young women sheepishly withdrew their hands. Just then, a few typical camera geeks spotted the little girl. Their eyes practically shot flames as they dropped prone on the ground, aiming their long lenses at her.
"Little Miss, give us a smile!"
"Little Miss, can you bend over?"
The two young women promptly picked up the little girl and ran. The taller one cautioned, "Little Jiu, ignore these strange men. There are a lot of people here, and many bad people too. Stay close to us so you don't get lost."
The little girl in her arms nodded, still a bit dazed, and asked, "Are there lots of bad people here?"
"Yes, lots of them! They'll snatch you away and eat you up!" the Gothic Girl said, making a scary face at her.
"SOB, SOB! Little Jiu doesn't want to be eaten!" Terrified, the little girl clung to the taller young woman and refused to let go, burying her head in her chest.
The taller young woman shot a pleading look at the Gothic Girl, who shook her head. "My chest isn't as... accommodating as yours. I can't hold her."
The taller young woman was cosplaying a very clingy (in a good way) Fox Lady, a character that naturally required the cosplayer to have an ample bosom. The taller young woman sighed. Still, holding the little girl wasn't bad. She was light, and her tails were very soft to touch.
Even so, they were soon surrounded by a horde of photographers. Wow, a mother-daughter Fox Lady duo! And they're both natural beauties who don't even need Photoshop! If we don't get shots of this, we might as well sell these lenses—worth thousands, tens of thousands—to a scrap dealer!
"Look at that crowd over there," Ren Suo remarked, watching a large group of photographers forming a circle, camera flashes erupting from all sides.
"Probably some cute girl cosplaying a super popular character," Zhao Huo guessed.
"Why not a handsome boy?"
"Oh, a cute guy, maybe... Anyway, never mind that! Let's get to the main stage!"
Zhao Huo, dressed as the Silver Armored General, pulled Ren Suo quickly along. As Ren Suo walked through the convention aisles, thanks to his Bond Ability 'Insight into the Mortal World' from Li Dan, he could clearly overhear people's comments about him:
"Wow, is that a Beijing Opera clown? That's not very anime-esque!"
"What do you mean, not anime-esque? He's got twin ponytails, see?"
"Whoa, you're right! He looks so fierce, yet he's got twin ponytails done up in buns... Did some game release a Zhong Kui character recently?"
"The Zhong Kui in Honor of Kings isn't *this* ugly..."
Ren Suo's eyebrows twitched furiously as he listened. Then again, if I were a bystander, I probably wouldn't have a high opinion of this getup either, he thought.
He was wearing a black cloth outfit that looked like something a pig butcher in a historical drama would wear. His face was daubed with white and black greasepaint, creating a fierce Beijing Opera facial paint design; Ren Suo couldn't even recognize himself in the mirror. Even more bizarrely, he was wearing a black wig—a short, black, twin-ponytail wig...
When asked why this look, Zhao Huo had replied, "That's how the character looks in the game! Maybe the designer figured every trio needs a twin-tail member, so...
Oh, I know! It's definitely because a Zhang Fei with twin ponytails is so memorable. You might see many Zhang Feis in the future, but you'll never forget *this* twin-ponytail Zhang Fei!"
So, Ren Suo had resigned himself to it. He was already here, after all; he couldn't very well argue with Zhao Huo over a costume or hairstyle. Besides, with the face paint on, no one would recognize him anyway, so Ren Suo didn't feel much psychological pressure.
No longer paying mind to the surrounding chatter, Ren Suo focused his attention on the shops lining the path. The more he looked, the heavier his heart grew.
This shop, [Gentleman's House], specialized in selling anime character body pillow covers, with the female characters in particularly revealing and suggestive poses. Ren Suo remembered it was also called [Gentleman's House] in the game, but there, it sold lifelike Undead Dolls.
That [World Furnace] shop, selling various anime-themed knives and weapons, was depicted in the game as a volcano-shaped store. Every weapon sold was pulled directly from the crater, each extraction unleashing a torrent of molten lava.
Ahead, [Dream Factory], which sold anime figurines, was a vast marketplace in the game, filled with countless cages—a slave market, an exchange for trafficking people.
The [Box of Fate] shop they had already passed, specializing in Lucky Bags, was a Demon Palace in the game, presided over by a Devil. Nearly every customer who mistakenly entered this shop was drained into a desiccated corpse and then discarded...
As more and more elements from his memories overlapped with reality, the psychological dissonance Ren Suo felt grew increasingly vast.
When Ren Suo reached the main stage, he was speechless, only able to grit his teeth and force out:
"Oh, boundless Heaven, why are you so cruel to me...?"
Zhao Huo glanced at him. "A wise character like Marquis Zhuge isn't a role that suits you."
"And Zhang Fei does?" Ren Suo shot back, his glare clearly conveying, 'You'd better think carefully before you answer.'
The stage play hadn't started yet. Can't afford to offend this guy right now, Zhao Huo thought, so he conceded, "Doesn't suit you."
Then he muttered under his breath, "Diao Chan would suit you just fine, though..."
"The Carp Anime Club is up," Zhao Huo said, turning his gaze seriously toward the stage.
Ren Suo sighed inwardly.
He felt the Mysterious Energy within him stir once more. However, this energy quickly transformed into a warm current that nourished his body, sweeping away his dejection, igniting his fighting spirit, and crushing any thoughts of escape.
As he had walked this far, his Determination Value had steadily risen. After all, life is like an ocean; only those with a strong will can reach the other shore... Simply put, he had accepted his fate.
Although this Multidimensional Plane Exchange Meeting was, in reality, just an anime convention...
Although the so-called "experts" were, in reality, just cosplayers...
Although the Divine Artifacts being sold were, in reality, just mere otaku merchandise...
Although the Secret Realm Dungeon was, in reality, just about going on stage to perform in a play...
Ren Suo took a deep breath and uttered an ancient, famous saying—one deeply rooted in traditional, almost feudal, thinking:
"Well, since I'm here already..."