The sound of the ship cleaving through the waves drew closer.
On a medium-sized approaching vessel, Zhao Anlong stood at the bow, his expression as calm as still water. At the edge of the crowd behind him, Min Feng, dressed in a black velvet coat, sat by the gunwale holding an oar.
As she slackened the vessel’s acceleration, the boat arced and pulled up alongside on the nearby water. The boat was in an uproar, with several people on board.
“Yang, are you done with your business here? ” Zhao Anlong called out.
Yang Zicang took off his headphones and nodded.
He turned to Bai Zilong, whose expression was unreadable, and said:
“Now, you are my forecast agent for tonight. Stay here and wait for the line; some calls will come back. “
“Me? This is… ” The young man was completely caught off guard. He had clearly been exposed, yet he was being treated like this instead.
Was it because of the mention of the prophecy at noon?
What did he plan to do? Bai Zilong thought: shouldn’t Yang Zicang be sabotaging my forecast?
If he were in Yang Zicang’s shoes, even if he kept Bai Zilong around as a spy for Hong Haocheng, he would never foster a tiger to invite disaster by letting the era continue to believe in his words.
Yet now, he is doing the exact opposite—letting me continue with the forecasts, even borrowing his own identity.
Little Bird flapped its wings, its eyes pure and innocent as it looked at Bai Zilong, its throat slightly moving, looking incredibly cute.
The drenched young man glanced at it.
“Let’s go, ” Yang Zicang said to Cuckoo. “Now we have a full party. “
-｛Distributor April·Odyssey, with their rich experience, has marked a new node for the brilliant prelude I am now gestating.｝
Yang Zicang silently sensed it. Some distributors were quite satisfied with his handling, like this Odyssey who hadn’t signed a long-term contract. But figures like May’s Ms. Fujian or Tata Mingqui showed little reaction.
……
The group sailed away on the boat, leaving the young man alone on the lifeboat, along with a few ability spheres to use in a crisis to escape or stabilize the vessel.
Soon after, the first call came back.
— “Excuse me, is this Chairman Yang? “
Bai Zilong hesitated for a moment, then his eyes suddenly widened—a choice stood before him.
Yes, or no.
……
On the boat, once Yang Zicang finally arrived, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement.
“All the fragments of the barrier have been found. “
They joyfully shared their emotions.
These pale crystalline barrier fragments, retrieved by the group, had been scattered to the depths of the sea during the chase, with some even hidden inside giant fish.
Now, on the bustling, forward-moving ship, they were unfolded one by one in the palms of several people.
“Look, all five pieces are together. “
“This is the barrier that can even protect the King’s Court. “
Everyone around held their breath, their eyes fixed on this legendary item within reach.
These were white, frosted, leaf-shaped objects, about the size of a palm, which could be assembled into a concentric ring device.
“Honestly, even coming here tonight, we never expected to have such a harvest. “
A woman in a red headscarf in the crowd couldn’t resist and reached out to touch a shard of the King’s Court Barrier Fragment held by someone.
“A blessing in disguise, ” said a youth beside her in a black work jumpsuit, stomping his bare feet excitedly.
“We tested it. It requires five people with bloodlines to activate it. With Stellar Yuan, it can protect the shieldcaster more easily and also open the barrier over a larger area. “
Yang Zicang could feel everyone’s excitement.
“Speaking of which, with so many of us here, how should we utilize this force field going forward? ” said a man, his legs stretched out on the deck and his arms crossed.
A few people on the boat exchanged glances.
The atmosphere turned a bit subtle at the mention of this question.
In the center of the crowd, the remarkably masculine speaker straightened the collar of his shirt, which he had already dried with Stellar Yuan after it got damp:
“With this thing around, we have enough to form a stable, long-term mutual aid organization. Anlong, and President Buchen, what do you think of this proposal? “
-｛Distributor February. Di’an watched my current experience and gave me a ‘Neutral Review’.｝
More thoughts from distributors came through.
Yang Zicang’s gaze shifted slightly as he stood quietly, not speaking.
“I agree, ” someone immediately replied.
“After fighting alongside each other for so long this time, we’ve built some deep bonds already. “
“With this in place, if we all form an organization based on mutual trust, it will be very convenient—whether for utilizing the Royal Court Gate Array in the future, or for President Buchen to lead us in making Ether Name Cards later on. “
“I think you made an excellent point, ” said the remarkably masculine speaker in the crowd, holding the array shard in his hand as he continued:
“With Chairman Anlong, Sword Thirteen, and the hotel under Chairman Yang’s control, we’ll certainly be able to stand united and accomplish things. “
Everyone’s gaze fell upon Zhao Anlong and Yang Zicang, who had just boarded the ship not long ago.
- ｛Distributor May·Valkyrie marked a new node for my current prelude of glory.｝ “Then who will take care of it?” A young man in the crowd spoke up. “Let me explain for those who still don’t understand its value. This kind of King’s Court Barrier is one of the rare magic-related items that people in this world use to suppress demons and deal with people like us.“
Another young man, who had taken off his robe and tossed it aside, pushed up his glasses.
“Chairman Yang, its preciousness is no less than the method of making Ether Business Cards. If an organization is to be established, we hope to use this Barrier’s future benefits for the organization, so as to exchange for the cards in your hands sooner.“
Murmurs of discussion spread through the crowd.
“Everyone, thank you for coming to help tonight.” Yang Zicang cut through the heated atmosphere, interrupting the low, enticing voices of those eager to form an organization to take possession of the Barrier.
“It’s just that… There are some things now.” His gaze swept toward Zhao Anlong beside him.
Zhao Anlong thought for a moment and then gave a slight nod.
Yang Zicang continued. “Right now, I need to return to the hotel once. Those of you who wish can come with me. Of course, you don’t have to bring the Barrier along. Trust me, this is a very special opportunity.“
“An opportunity?” Some in the crowd caught the word, one rarely used by Chairman Yang Buchen, and which seemed to carry such an alluring promise.
Even in Kruen, when everyone was carrying out those actions, Chairman Yang Buchen mostly didn’t showcase himself too prominently. Most of the time, he leveraged the name of the World Ark to push forward various matters, much like the head of an unusually efficient, unconventional organization that truly possesses social attributes.
Only the few who frequently dealt with Chairman Yang could appreciate his exceptional ability to thread the needle with exquisite finesse.
It was like putting a thin rod into a mass of churning, murky water; it could always adeptly steer different forces and events. With effortless and barely noticeable maneuvers to the left and right, like pressing felt seams together or knitting felt pieces, he would incorporate them as part of his own faction.
“Everyone, ” said Ying Renyu from the side, “we indeed should form an organization, but I believe our next plan, Unveiling the Future, is what matters most. “
“Brother Ying, it seems you’re ready to throw yourself wholeheartedly into that plan. You know, that’s something that could take ten or twenty years without stopping. “
“Don’t forget, what the enemy lost tonight isn’t just a complete set of King’s Court barriers. There’s also a Full Moon Angel. As natives, the effort required for them to successfully birth a Sixth Ring is beyond the reach of ordinary people. “
“This… ” Among the crowd, some of those who had been elated by the gain of the King’s Court barriers began to show signs of hesitation.
Given such a loss, the enemy would certainly not let things rest.
One person lightly raised a hand and said, “I waive my ownership rights, but as they say, ‘even brothers must settle accounts clearly.’ According to convention, we should calculate our contributions tonight based on the value of the barriers and convert them into commensurate worth. “
“Then you’ll just have to wait, brother. We’ll calculate it properly. ” Some people in the crowd cast sidelong glances at the slightly surprised man. By past experience, saying this at a time like this ought to smoothly and peacefully push the distribution matters forward.
But at this moment, his proposal only received sparse responses.
As expected of Zhao Anlong’s people—these formidable fellows he associated with.
Yang Zicang looked at the object delivered into everyone’s hands—one of the world’s most precious treasures.
“Everyone, we’re just heading back to the inn, ” Yang Zicang said with a smile. “I fully support the establishment of this organization of ours. But there are more important matters to attend to now. As for these small issues, we can find another time to discuss them over a drink. “
“The ownership and attribution of the Wang Realm Barrier is a major matter. We need to discuss it thoroughly. “
“Then that might just play right into our hands. ” The moment the man finished speaking, Yang Zicang retorted without hesitation.
“What do you mean? “
“Though I’m not certain yet. It does appear quite reasonable to be here. But based on my extensive experience… ladies and gentlemen… “
Standing at the bow of the ship, he raised both hands:
“The end of the world was supposed to come within these two days, and yet a treasure has appeared before us—the very people most crucial to the ‘Unveiling the Future’ operation—so that we might discuss this matter tonight, right now, aboard a ship. Don’t you think… this is all a bit too much? “
As soon as he finished speaking, those aboard whose schemes had been interrupted by these straightforward words felt an increasingly strange unease settle in their hearts.
They all, along with Zhao Anlong, then looked towards Yang Zicang, who was sweeping his gaze over them with a hint of surprise. A thin, faint mist drifted around him on the sea’s surface, and under the ethereal moonlight, colorful rainbow lights, barely discernible to the naked eye, gently floated.
The man who had first made the proposal pushed through the crowd and strode over quickly.
“It really is a rainbow light! ” He turned his head to look at the Royal Court Barrier in the hands of a few people, his expression changing slightly.
-｛Distributor February. Di’an gave me a “Favorable Review. “｝
“You’re right, Chairman Yang. Either someone has invested in the Sparkle directed at our ‘Unveiling the Future’ operation, or it’s the curse of our times, using every possibility of our division as a catalyst to amplify its influence on us. I’m sorry; this is my fault too. “
The men holding the Royal Court Barrier looked at the treasure in their hands. “Fuck, ” a fat man cursed, making a gesture as if to smash it in anger, but immediately, his expression turned reluctant, and he rubbed it with his other hand.
The crowd buzzed with murmurs. Clearly, although everyone understood the cause of this, they held onto their own, hard-to-change opinions regarding the ownership of the Royal Court Barrier.
“Alright, ” Zhao Anlong said, his tone full of anger. “It’s just a barrier, dammit. We had to discuss this at this particular point in time? Quit the bullshit. Anyone who thinks they’re up for it, hurry up and follow us, Chairman Yang, back to the hotel. “
Yang Zicang said from the side, “I’m not going back. “
“Right when we were ready to go, what’s wrong with you now? ” Zhao Anlong and the others looked at him.
“It suddenly occurred to me that I still have things to do. Hmm, Anlong, you lead everyone back to the ship and return to the inn from the stone chamber. “
The boy in work overalls raised his hand in shock. “Brother Buchen, your excuse is just too, too… “
-｛Distributor February · Di’an gave me a ‘Favorable Review’!｝
-｛Distributor April · Odyssey gave me an ‘Unfavorable Review’.｝
Yang Zicang glanced at him. “The rainbow light means this interference has been dispelled, that’s what it means, right? This proves such interference is real. So now, I have other things to do. Farewell, everyone. “
With that, Yang Zicang turned and leaped off the ship. Several small fish swimming underwater suddenly had their trajectories altered, rushing uncontrollably toward him before a foot rested lightly on their backs as they sped away.
The group on the ship fell silent, watching that figure grow distant.
Amid Min Feng’s speechless stare, Zhao Anlong scanned their faces with a scrutinizing, arms-crossed gaze.
Suddenly, a financier’s folded line flickered over. After everyone on board accepted it, they saw the man’s figure against the sea surface.
{Everyone, does anyone have a communication device I could borrow? Preferably one with a storage battery. }
“……“
……
Near the Office of the General of the Special Defense Command, Black Code Query.
In the nearby camp barracks, many warriors who had originally been sleeping shirtless now ran out laughing.
Amidst the leaping flames, someone threw a worn-out rubber shoe into the fire. The acrid smell of burning rubber mixed with the hot air, spreading through the noisy crowd.
“Young men! ” a warrior in a lieutenant’s uniform called out, braking a three-wheeled motorcycle to a halt nearby.
“Stop playing around the fire there. The General has just issued an order. Leave one squad to watch the fire, and the rest of you, follow me on the run to the vehicles! “
“What for, Lieutenant? “
“To light fires outside the city. “
“Oh! ” The crowd instantly bustled into action. Some grabbed jackets, others picked up shovels, and all followed the motorcycle as it sped out of the camp.
Suddenly, they heard the roar of fighter jets coming from the west, charging towards the east in a horizontal streak.
Inside the office.
The General, with a thick mustache on his upper lip, was examining the latest report on aircraft movements.
At the same time, reports about igniting campfires kept coming in as the door beside him opened and closed incessantly, each time delivering new paperwork.
“General, ” the middle-aged guard beside him spoke in a low voice, “As of now, Yang Buchen hasn’t contacted us or made any special requests. “
“I think he trusts our wisdom, ” the General replied, without lifting his head.
The guard thought for a moment, then looked again at the general; his gaze, filled with doubt, fixed on the report detailing the movements of various air force planes.
The General muttered, pinching the paper in his hand, “So, our country actually harbors such a remarkable individual within it. “
After waiting two minutes, when the general put down the document.
“What are these aircraft for? ” A middle-aged guard in a special uniform, holding his hands on the edge of the office desk, spoke with no sense of hierarchy, like an old friend of the general. “Are they not about to be deployed for similar artillery bombardment missions as the Resistance Army? “
The general also showed a hint of suspicion, but slowly shook his head.
“Although I guessed that, as of right now, none of these deployed aircraft are carrying sufficient shells. They’re all loaded up with fuel. “
“Fuel. ” The guard frowned in thought. “Chairman Yang Buchen, what exactly is he trying to do, can this deal with the Doom Vines monsters? “
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