Chapter 64: Anthill

Take, for instance, the old man carrying firewood on his back. He looked frail, yes, but his hands were calloused. A closer inspection, however, revealed that these weren’t the calluses of one who regularly chops wood. The wear patterns from wielding a wood axe differed from those of a dagger.

Or consider the young man outside, engrossed in his phone. His features bore little resemblance to the middle-aged man’s.

If appearances were anything to go by, this seemingly ordinary farming family, spanning three generations, might have a family tree twisted beyond recognition.

And then there were the others, who appeared to have settled into the rhythm of farm life, radiating a rural simplicity. Yet, with the Eye of Heavenly Dao, one could detect a hint of something amiss, a seed of doubt.

If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, if his uncanny sixth sense wasn’t playing tricks, these individuals were all genetically modified humans! This was a grave situation!

He practiced ancient martial arts, but how would those skills fare against genetically enhanced opponents in a real fight?

Apart from shaking Dongzi’s hand, conveying the message that "Lin Xiaosu is powerful, it’s best not to silence him," he hadn’t engaged in any direct combat.

Therefore, he wasn’t willing to gamble. Thankfully, he didn’t need to.

Knowing when to leverage external forces was the key to living a long and prosperous life…

As the sunset painted the sky, Yuntai Mountain slowly faded into the twilight.

Far across the sea, on a remote island, a towering peak pierced the heavens like a sharp sword.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and starlight illuminated a small, elegant courtyard.

Within, red flowers and verdant trees created a tranquil scene.

A swing swayed gently in the sea breeze.

Only when seated on that swing did the beautiful woman with flowing hair truly relax. She was Chang Ye, and she was someone whose very presence was too much for the world to contain.

Why?

Because her hair was a deadly weapon, each strand laced with fatal toxins.

Facing her was another woman, petite and shapely, seemingly a strict diet body manager. A closer look at her behavior, however, revealed the fallacy of the saying, "To have a good figure, you must control your mouth and move your legs."

Because her mouth was never controlled.

Even in this small courtyard, even after dinner, she continued to stuff grapes into her mouth.

And she had something to say: "Chang Ye, did you decipher the mutated orchid from Lao Mountain last time? Is it possible to create a genetic connection with grapes?"

Chang Ye was speechless: "Are you still thinking about making grapes the size of watermelons?"

"Well, imagine, if there were grapes that big, wouldn’t one be enough instead of me devouring three plates every time I come over? And you wouldn’t have to guard them like a thief every time."

"You completely miss the point. I’m not guarding them because I’m unwilling to share. I’m afraid you, in your recklessness, will devour my genetically engineered grapes!"

Mentioning it only piqued New Moon’s interest: "Hey, can I have just one of those genetic grapes? Just one…"

"Get lost! I’ve said it before, I haven’t even analyzed the genetic makeup of these grapes. Are you not afraid of a sudden mutation in your body if you dare to eat one?"

"Wouldn’t mutation be even better? I’m afraid of everything else – breaking rules, losing points, Old Dead 88 scrutinizing the Reserve Regulations. Genetic mutation is the only thing I’m not afraid of…"

Chang Ye shook her head: "I’m giving up on you. Everyone else is extremely cautious about genetic experiments, but to you, it’s just a grand adventure. I promised your grandfather I’d keep you alive, so I won’t indulge your madness!"

"Tch! Do the things you promise always count? You also promised to find me a man to test the waters, but did you?"

"Good heavens, that’s even more insane…" Chang Ye said, "Forget about such outrageous things. Did you investigate what Lin Xiaosu is doing, like I asked?"

"I did! Ever since his name entered the business registration system, I’ve been following your instructions to track his activities. I must say, that kid is making waves in the civilian world. He’s playing games in Feng City…" New Moon elaborated.

Charging people 30,000 for finding a dog!

Demanding 100,000 for catching an adulterer!

Honestly, is that something a normal person would do? That kid is completely obsessed with money.

I’ve heard from the grapevine that the kid is on the straight and narrow now, diligently paving a different path, and desperately saving up for his wife fund. At this rate of unscrupulous accumulation, he’ll soon have enough. Who knows, he might actually find a wife. After all, in this completely ruined world, as long as you have money, even an old man whose "penis" can’t even be supported by cement can find a wife.

"You keep calling him a scoundrel… Has he actually done anything scoundrel-like?" Chang Ye asked casually.

New Moon flew into a rage, leaping to her feet: "Even in the heat of battle, he didn’t forget to take a swipe at my ‘grandma’! From one leaf, we know the coming of autumn, isn’t that enough to prove his scoundrel nature?"

Chang Ye gave her a teeth sour expression, was she planning to hold onto that grudge forever?

New Moon understood her look and added: "If you need further proof, his actions speak for themselves. He’s as sweet as honey with that Miao Ruolan, engaging in heavy shelling in the detective agency’s small building every day. Moreover, the cannon fire shows signs of overflowing… And there’s a female police officer named Zhou Mei, strolling and shopping with him. Indications are that the next barrage of cannon fire might erupt under the willows on the Yishui Bund…"

"Zhou Mei?" Chang Ye paused slightly: "Is Feng City’s recent 5.16 major case related to him?"

"Your focus is on Zhou Mei? Zhou Mei is nothing! You should be paying attention to Miao Ruolan. Do you know who Miao Ruolan is? An ancient martial arts successor! Someday, I’ll definitely have a fight with her…"

Chang Ye was a little surprised: "Why fight her?"

"See, you’re thinking the wrong way again, aren’t you? Do you think I’m fighting her for cannon fodder? I just want to see who’s stronger, so-called ancient martial arts or us genetically modified humans…"

Suddenly, Chang Ye lifted a hand and picked up a pair of glasses from the tea table.

As she put them on, the scene before her seemed to transform.

Ripples spread out across the vast expanse of starlight…

Great Xia Republic! Dingxi Province! Jianghe County! Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area!

The location of the call was pinpointed in about five seconds…

The caller: Xiao Su.

The swing beneath Chang Ye suddenly froze, and her hair, halfway through its sway, slowed to a stop.

It was an eerie sight.

New Moon jumped up: "Who’s calling?"

"It’s him!"

"Damn it! Lin Xiaosu…"

The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ say ⊥ at ⊥ six ⊥9⊥⊥book⊥⊥bar⊥⊥first⊥ hair!

Chang Ye waved her hand gently, and New Moon immediately fell silent.

A smile slowly spread across Chang Ye’s face as she answered the phone: "I thought you’d forgotten about me."

"Under normal circumstances, I might. But tonight, the situation is clearly not normal," a calm and clear voice came from the other end of the line.

"What’s the situation?"

"…"

Chang Ye’s expression changed abruptly, and she stepped off the swing.

"Stay where you are and do nothing! We’re coming immediately!"

"…"

"Okay! Don’t worry!"

Chang Ye ended the call, her eyes gleaming: "If I’m not mistaken, he’s found an anthill! And it seems to be a big one!"

Anthill…

A term of art…

New Moon was stunned: "Anthill! He found one? How is that possible? Are anthills so easy to find? How could an unaffiliated person find one?"

Anthills were secret strongholds of foreign powers within the country.

They were the places the Hidden Dragon were committed to searching for.

Many Hidden Dragon spent their entire lives searching, yet failed to find a single one.

Many died on the hunt.

Finding an anthill meant making a great contribution to the nation.

For an official Hidden Dragon Gold Medal, this would be a great achievement!

As a member of the reserve service, New Moon dreamed of becoming a full member. If she were to find an anthill, Old Dead 88 wouldn’t be able to suppress her, no matter how hard he tried.

Therefore, New Moon’s greatest obsession had recently shifted. She would find any means to locate an anthill.

However, how astute were those "ants"? How could they be so easily found? They often spent years laying out their plans, establishing layers of protection, and setting up various disguises. The search process itself was a game of hunting and being hunted…

Tonight, this unaffiliated person, who had already been declared out of touch with the Hidden Dragon, had actually found one? Why was that? Why would he put in such painstaking effort?

For a moment, New Moon’s normally quick-thinking mind came to a standstill.

In theory, Lin Xiaosu had completely changed his life path. In theory, he would no longer intersect with the Hidden Dragon. Yet, he had put in this painstaking effort. Could it be that the kid hadn’t given up after all? Thinking of this, New Moon felt a surge of excitement.

She wasn’t one to accept the status quo.

When Lin Xiaosu was around, he repeatedly overshadowed her, groped her chest, oh no, used a knife to slash her chest in the battle scenario, and shone brilliantly on Lao Mountain, leaving the majestic New Moon dim in comparison.

These were all blows to her self-proclaimed title of "the most awesome member of the reserve service" in history.

But did New Moon accept it? Fart! She didn’t accept it at all!

However, a decree had caused her resentment to change direction.

She didn’t accept the decree!

Tonight, if this kid made a great contribution and returned to the Hidden Dragon’s orbit, that would be something to look forward to. I’ll use my newly learned eighteen positions to crush you until you beg for "mercy"…

Let’s go! Back to Yuntai Mountain!
(end of chapter)