Zhang Chulan stood in place, looking at the three people who had him faintly surrounded. Specifically, he looked at the expressionless Feng Baobao, who was casually carrying two people on her shoulders as if she were lugging two pigs. The other two strangers—one wearing glasses with a somewhat refined temperament, and the other with a cigarette in his mouth and a heavy air of a hoodlum—both radiated a presence that could not be ignored.
Zhang Chulan's heart sank.
However, he reacted quickly. "Hey there, big brothers and big sister, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" A harmless smile plastered onto his face, his tone carrying a hint of sycophancy.
"I'm just an ordinary college student! Isn't the Qingming Festival coming up soon? I came back early to visit my grandfather's grave. I didn't expect to run into this mess. It was all thanks to that... uh... passing hero who helped me out."
"You guys are officials here to ask questions, right? Don't worry, I saw the whole thing." He tried to play dumb, attempting to extract himself cleanly from the situation.
"An ordinary college student?" Xu Si puffed a smoke ring, stepped forward, and sized Zhang Chulan up. "An ordinary college student who knows the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Golden Light Curse and can hand-forge Lightning Method?"
Xu San pushed up his glasses, took out a phone, and clicked on a video. "The surveillance we installed just happened to record some footage of you, the 'ordinary college student'."
On the screen was the exact moment Zhang Chulan, pressed by Xia He, had used the Golden Light Curse and Yang Five Lightning in a moment of desperation.
Zhang Chulan's pupils shrank. 'Damn it! Who installs surveillance in a graveyard in the middle of nowhere?!'
Almost by instinct, his Qi surged. His palm was instantly covered in a faint electrical glow, and he slapped the phone like a bolt of lightning.
"Crackle!"
With a crisp sound, the phone screen shattered completely and went black.
A vein throbbed on Xu Si's temple. "Holy crap! Kid, you've got some nerve!"
He hooked his arm around Zhang Chulan's neck and lightly patted his face. "Do you understand what surveillance recordings are? That stuff has backups. You think destroying this one fixes anything? And besides..."
"And besides what?" Zhang Chulan asked reflexively.
"Besides, that was my phone! A limited custom edition! Over twenty thousand yuan!"
"Pay up!"
Zhang Chulan's face fell, and he seemed to lose all color. "How... how much?" He felt his life had turned gray.
Ultimately, under the dual coercion of money and force, Zhang Chulan chose to accept his fate. Hanging his head, he followed Xu San, Xu Si, and Feng Baobao away from the wreckage of the graveyard.
On the way, Xu San and Xu Si probed for information regarding Ian, asking Zhang Chulan if Ian usually showed any abnormalities. Zhang Chulan looked bewildered and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Brother Ian? He's usually pretty ordinary. Doesn't talk much. Who knew he was this fierce!"
"I swear, I really didn't know he had this kind of skill. If I did, I would have clung to his leg a long time ago!"
Seeing that Zhang Chulan didn't seem to be faking it, Xu San and Xu Si exchanged a look and temporarily stopped the questioning.
Back at the North China Regional Branch of Every Delivery.
In an office filled with computers, Xu San and Xu Si sat before their monitors, working overtime with their subordinates to quickly pull up data. Ian's personal information soon appeared on the screen. The boy in the photo looked like nothing special, aside from being quite handsome.
Name: Ian Age: 19 School: Nankai University Family Background: Ancestors practiced Xingyi Quan; the family once produced outcasts. His grandfather used to run a martial arts hall, but the heritage seemed to have ended with his father's generation. His father was merely an ordinary martial arts coach and passed away in a car accident along with Ian's mother during Ian's high school years. Outcast Aptitude Assessment: None. Social Relations: Simple, no history of contact with outcasts.
"A successor of Xingyi Quan?" Xu Si looked at the data, his brow furrowed. "His dad was just an ordinary coach, barely counting as having some outcast heritage. But could he practice to that level of strength based on that alone?"
Xu San also found it unbelievable. "The data shows that aside from the family Xingyi Quan, he most likely hasn't contacted any other cultivation systems."
"Is it possible this kid is a once-in-a-century martial arts genius? Practicing Xingyi Quan to its peak at a young age and innovating on it? That... doesn't seem likely, does it?"
They leaned toward another guess.
"Innate ability?" Xu Si rubbed his chin. "This kid might have awakened a powerful innate ability that happened to create a miraculous chemical reaction with his family's martial arts, boosting each other to reach his current level."
This explanation seemed more reasonable, yet it was full of holes. What kind of innate ability lets a person manifest so many weapons out of thin air? And wear a suit of shining golden armor?
At this point, Zhang Chulan, who had been ignored and was pretending to study the patterns on the wall, couldn't help but interject.
"Wait... I say, big brothers." He leaned in, pointing at Ian's photo on the screen. "Is this analysis of yours reliable? What 'Xingyi Quan'?"
"That bro's golden shiny gear and those 'pew-pew-pew' weapons shooting everywhere—he's clearly imitating an anime character, okay!"
"Anime character?" Xu San and Xu Si looked at him simultaneously.
"What anime?" Xu Si pressed.
Zhang Chulan curled his lip. "It's the Fate series! Haven't you heard of the Holy Grail War? There's a character named Gilgamesh, nicknamed Goldie. His ability is the Gate of Babylon. It's exactly the same as the move he used just now!"
Xu San and Xu Si immediately began searching on the computer. Soon, various clips of Gilgamesh appeared on the screen. Golden portals opened in the air like ripples, and countless ornate Noble Phantasms shot out, covering the sky. That heroic spirit in golden armor with an arrogant posture was almost identical to the surveillance footage of Ian fighting.
Xu San and Xu Si's expressions gradually turned grave. They replayed the clips repeatedly, comparing them with the memory of Ian's actions.
"This is imitation?" Xu Si's voice was a bit dry. "This is damn 'imitation'? It's practically identical!"
Xu San's expression reached a peak of seriousness. "Based on the residual energy fluctuations and destructive power at the scene, his ability is definitely not a simple imitation of appearance or an illusion."
"This can't count as Xingyi, can it?!"
"Others use Xingyi to imitate animals, but this kid uses Xingyi to cos-play anime characters?"
"He can pull out so many powerful weapons..." Xu Si spoke, his tone carrying an undetectable tremor. "What about that sword said to 'sever the world,' Ea? He wouldn't be able to pull that out too, would he?"
The two looked at each other, both seeing deep apprehension in the other's eyes. This person was too dangerous! His strength and the bizarre nature of his ability far exceeded their estimates.
This had to be reported immediately!
Xu Si picked up the internal communication device and contacted headquarters directly. The call was answered quickly.
"Chairman Zhao, this is Xu Si. I have an emergency situation to report..."
He briefly narrated the events at the graveyard to Chairman Zhao, especially the parts concerning Ian. Hearing this, the other end of the line was silent for a moment.
"Hm, alright, I see." A steady voice came through—the Chairman of Every Delivery, Zhao Fangxu. "Immediately lock down all intel regarding this Ian. Do not let the news leak out."
"I will send a specialist to handle this matter and communicate with him."
"Yes, sir!"
Xu Si hung up the phone and let out a small sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, at Every Delivery Headquarters, in the Chairman's office.
Zhao Fangxu put down the phone and rubbed his brow. Another unfathomable young man. From Xu Si's description, this Ian was extremely powerful, yet his actions seemed measured; he hadn't killed indiscriminately, which counted as following the rules.
It was a good thing for the outcast world to produce such a junior. But Zhao Fangxu's heart was not light. To have such formidable strength and yet the Company had been completely unaware for all these years—that in itself represented a risk.
Add to that the fact that this incident involved the Eight Supreme Skills' Origin of the Qi-Lithic, All-Encompassing Heaven, and Dragon-Tiger Mountain. This storm, he feared, was only just beginning.
It seemed the peaceful days of the outcast world were coming to an end. Zhao Fangxu sighed; he would likely have to work overtime again. Then, he picked up the phone to arrange people to handle the situation.