49: Chapter 49

49

Under the organized support and containment of the Guard Department members, Jiang Haojie's pressure was greatly reduced, allowing him to weave through the monsters with ease, searching for the opportunity for a fatal strike.

He estimated in his heart that he was already quite certain of annihilating this group of monsters.

Suddenly, his clear shout resounded across the chaotic battlefield:

“Everyone—cover your ears!”

The onlookers had already witnessed his prowess from the footage of Jiang Haojie's previous battles; at this moment, they all raised their hands to tightly cover their ears in unison.

Even Bai Wenluo quickly covered his ears.

“Roar—!”

Jiang Haojie focused his breath and exerted his strength, and a transparent shadow of a lion's head suddenly condensed above him.

Immediately following that, a roar that nearly tore the eardrums apart burst from his mouth, and the sound waves swept toward those ten monsters like a physical substance.

“Awoo!”

The monsters immediately let out shrill wails.

The terrifying sonic shock caused the blood and Qi within their bodies to churn violently; had it not been for their own resilient strength, they might have exploded and died on the spot.

Everyone looked at Jiang Haojie in horror.

When they had seen him perform this move in the video before, they thought they had overestimated him enough, but only now did they realize they had still underestimated him.

This sonic offensive was too terrifying; even with their ears tightly covered, they could still feel waves of blood and Qi surging in their chests.

Before the echoes of the Lions Roar had dissipated, Jiang Haojie's figure was already in motion.

He stepped with Lingbo Microsteps, and the crimson flame sword in his hand burst with fire as he charged rapidly toward the ten monsters.

Seeing this, the members of the Guard Department immediately followed close behind, forming a supportive formation.

The monsters shook their heads, a fierce light glinting in their eyes, as they all pounced toward Jiang Haojie.

Jiang Haojie did not dodge or yield; a layer of blazing flame-shroud rose from the crimson flame sword as he met the ten hideous figures head-on.

The Guard Department members also cooperated with all their might: those skilled in long-range attacks launched strikes from the periphery, while close-combat experts stayed close to Jiang Haojie to contain the monsters.

Two support-class Awakened in the team continuously cast brilliance, stacking buffs such as attack and speed for Jiang Haojie and his companions, causing their overall combat power to climb sharply.

Jiang Haojie's sword style was as swift as lightning, the crimson flame sword piercing the monsters' torsos again and again.

But these monsters were by no means easy to deal with; not only were their attacks fierce, but their defenses were also extremely tough.

Aside from Jiang Haojie's crimson flame sword which could break through their flesh, the weapons of the others could not harm them in the slightest.

In the chaos, several Guard Department members were even severely injured when the monsters found an opening; fortunately, Jiang Haojie came to their aid in time, saving them from dying under the monsters' claws.

Amidst the fierce battle, Jiang Haojie caught sight of a key point—though these monsters were strong, they had no intelligence and acted entirely on instinct.

Since that was the case, there were openings to exploit.

With a thought, the Critical Hit ability within his body was triggered, his speed increasing by another thirty percent as he suddenly circled behind a monster that was being entangled by Guard Department members.

Hand raised, sword fell!

Bang!

The light of the crimson flame sword flashed, and the monster's head rolled onto the ground at the sound.

Its body staggered for two steps before collapsing with a crash.

The thick scent of blood seemed to stimulate the remaining nine monsters; the red light in their eyes intensified, and their attacks became increasingly frantic.

Jiang Haojie repeated the tactic, flashing to the side and rear of another monster.

That monster reacted very quickly, immediately raising its arm to block, but it ultimately underestimated the sharpness of the crimson flame sword—

Jiang Haojie's blade sliced through the air, and with a dull sound of tearing, the twisted monster's arm and head fell to the ground.

The laboratory was filled with a pungent smell of burnt matter mixed with blood.

Bai Wenluo and Xu Jing stood before the monitor screens, their faces as grim as iron.

On the screen, the ten biochemical weapons they had spent years of effort and astronomical resources to cultivate were falling one after another beneath the feet of the man codenamed 'X' and his companions.

The fall of each monster seemed like a piece being forcibly gouged out of their map of ambition.

When the roar of the last monster fell completely silent, the cages deep underground were also opened one by one by Liu Jinglong's subordinates.

Those people who had been imprisoned for a long time, their eyes hollow, supported each other as they staggered into the long-awaited light.

“X, Longcheng owes you a huge favor this time.”

A middle-aged man dressed in a crisp uniform with a majestic aura strode forward and patted Jiang Haojie's shoulder firmly, his palm broad and powerful.

He was Kong Wenguang, the Director of the Guard Department of this city, whose power was second only to the mayor.

“It was my duty.”

Jiang Haojie's answer was brief and calm.

Liu Jinglong stepped forward at the right time to introduce the two sides.

Jiang Haojie nodded slightly to Kong Wenguang in greeting.

Two pivotal figures of Longcheng now stood side by side, yet their gazes were both focused on this young man whose identity was a mystery.

“The cleanup work is finished; we can evacuate.”

Liu Jinglong said.

Jiang Haojie nodded and was about to leave, but his gaze seemed to sweep inadvertently over Bai Wenluo in the corner and the newly arrived Xu Jing.

The corner of his mouth hooked into a very faint arc.

“You two, I hope you have been well.”

His voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the noise. “I'm truly sorry for spoiling your plans.”

Vicious curses churned in Bai Wenluo's chest, but an impeccable, almost elegant smile surfaced on his face: “Mr. X, you overstate it.

As corporate citizens, we should naturally be grateful for the removal of city hazards.”

“You're too kind.”

Jiang Haojie's smile did not reach his eyes. “Speaking of which, I should thank a certain righteous employee of your company.

If not for his clues, I would not have had the chance to participate in today's... grand event.

You really should reward him well.”

He no longer looked at the two men's suddenly darkened faces, laughed aloud, and turned to leave with Liu Jinglong's group, his back disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Once the outsiders were far away, the smile on Bai Wenluo's face instantly froze. “Has the higher-up contacted us?”

He asked in a low voice.

“They have.”

Xu Jing's voice was a bit tight. “They said they would handle it.”

“Very good.”

Bai Wenluo squeezed out a cold laugh from between his teeth. “Let them have their moment.

The real trouble is yet to come.”

Xu Jing frowned and lowered her voice: “What about Kamo... what if he talks?”

“He won't dare.”

Bai Wenluo interrupted her, his eyes sinister. “Don't forget, his family is still in our hands.

He cannot afford the price of betrayal.”

After speaking, he straightened his suit collar and led Xu Jing and a group of silent subordinates toward a secret door in the opposite direction.

***

A few days later in the early morning, Jiang Haojie was having breakfast in his apartment when his communicator rang.

It was Liu Jinglong.

“Mr. X, regarding the Guard Department's public commendation, will you really not reconsider? This is an excellent opportunity to increase your public influence; with your current reputation, your future would be limitless.”

Jiang Haojie picked up his glass, took a sip of water, and cast his gaze toward the city that was gradually waking up outside the window.

“If the report needs it, just mention the codename.”

His voice came through the communicator, steady and clear. “As for showing my face, it won't be necessary.”

Yesterday, Jiang Haojie had resolved a significant crisis for Longcheng, so Kong Wenguang intended to arrange an exclusive interview for him so that everyone would know of his contribution.

Unfortunately, he didn't have Jiang Haojie's contact information, and they weren't exactly close, so calling him abruptly would seem presumptuous.

So this matter was entrusted to Liu Jinglong.

Liu Jinglong mentioned another thing on the other end of the phone: “By the way, don't worry about the rewards for the mystic realm exploration yet. The higher-ups still have to go through a verification process. Once confirmed, they will naturally be sent to you.”

“Fine, just follow the rules.”

Hanging up the call, Jiang Haojie finished breakfast and headed out.

It had been nearly half a month since school started, and aside from showing up on registration day, he hadn't stepped foot inside the school gates again.

Today, having nothing else to do, he planned to go to school and look around.

As for the upcoming campus competition, although he had been keeping an eye on it, calculating the days, there was still half a month before it opened, so there was no need to rush.

The location for this year's competition was set at Zhanwu Academy, one of the Five Great Academies; he only needed to set off ten days in advance.

Before long, Jiang Haojie was standing in front of Longcheng University.

The flowing aura of youth and the faint scent of books in the campus made a long-absent sense of relaxation rise in his heart.

During this period, he always felt that he didn't seem like an eighteen-year-old youth; the people and things he had experienced had long exceeded the scope of what one should have at this age.

He walked through the tree-lined path, entered the teaching building, and finally stopped at the door of Freshman Class 3.

When he pushed the door and entered, many doubtful gazes were cast from the classroom—it seemed no one remembered having such a classmate.

Someone even whispered, wondering if he had come to the wrong place.

“Excuse me, classmate, who are you looking for? Or did you walk into the wrong classroom?”

A delicate-looking girl came forward, her tone gentle but carrying a sense of distance.

Just as Jiang Haojie was about to speak, two more people entered from outside.

It was the thin guy with yellow hair and the fat guy with a tattoo on his arm.

Upon seeing them, the girl's brow immediately furrowed. She glanced at Jiang Haojie again, said nothing, and turned back to her seat. The undisguised look of disgust she left with made Jiang Haojie feel a bit bewildered for a moment.

When had he ever offended her?

The yellow-haired thin guy familiarly pulled Jiang Haojie to an empty seat: “Brother Jiang, you've finally come! You haven't shown your face for a while without even asking for leave; the class advisor was furious.”

“I had some things to handle and didn't get around to asking for leave.”

Jiang Haojie smiled, his gaze lingering on the two of them for a moment.

Given their past temperaments, it was quite rare for them to actually come to class honestly.

The tattooed fat guy leaned in closer and lowered his voice: “Brother Jiang, what big business have you been busy with lately? Bring us brothers along; we can help out.”

The yellow-haired guy also nodded repeatedly: “Right, right, we'll definitely follow your arrangements.”

But Jiang Haojie shook his head: “The things I do, you can't get involved in.

Just focus on school.”

These words were not an excuse.

Whether it was going deep into the Fallen Zone to clear out monsters, taking on missions, or exploring mystic realms, none were scenes that ordinary people could handle.

The two of them were only F-rank with the lowest talent, their cultivation still hovering at the threshold of zero-order; going there rashly would be no different from seeking death.

The yellow-haired thin guy opened his mouth to argue further, but the classroom door was pushed open at that moment, and Qi Yue walked in holding a stack of lesson plans.

“Roll call now.”

Her voice was crisp and efficient, “Cao Xiaotao!”

“Present!”

“Li Na!”

“Present!”

Names were called out one after another, each response short and clear.

When it was Jiang Haojie's turn, Qi Yue's gaze swept lightly over the list without stopping—in her impression, this student's long-term absence was already the norm, and the roll call had long lost its meaning.

“Everyone is here; let's begin the class.”

She raised her head to scan the classroom but froze when she touched upon a certain unfamiliar figure.

Like the other students in the class, she failed to recognize who it was immediately.

“This classmate,”

Qi Yue frowned slightly, “Which class are you from? Did you walk into the wrong classroom?”

The yellow-haired thin guy and the tattooed fat guy sitting next to him exchanged a look, the corners of their mouths simultaneously curling into an arc of anticipation for a good show.

“Teacher, I am Jiang Haojie.”

The youth stood up.

Although the class advisor before him was only a First-Order Awakened and he could suppress her in an instant if they met outside,

this was a school, she was a teacher, and he—Jiang Haojie always remembered—was still a student.

The duty of respecting teachers and valuing the way was something he had never forgotten.

“Jiang Haojie? You are Jiang Haojie?”

Qi Yue's pupils contracted slightly.

Jiang Haojie nodded with a calm smile on his face.

Qi Yue's face darkened.

It was this person who had been missing for half a month and hadn't even fulfilled the most basic leave procedures.

Reprimanding words almost rushed to her lips, but the scene of the Dean of Students and the Principal specifically seeking her out for a talk a few days ago suddenly surfaced in her mind.

She took a deep breath and pushed her emotions back down into her heart.

“Come with me for a moment.”

She turned to walk out the door and looked back to add to the whole class, “The rest of you, self-study first.”

Though Jiang Haojie didn't know why, he still followed that slender back.

“Hey, do you think the Old Boss called Jiang Haojie out to scold him? He hasn't shown his face for half a month.”

“Who knows, but I think it looks bad for him.”

“What do you mean 'looks bad'? It definitely is! The Old Boss is just giving him face by not saying it in the classroom.”

As soon as the two left, the classroom immediately buzzed like a disturbed beehive, with various speculations rising one after another, the focus invariably centering on whether Jiang Haojie would receive disciplinary action.

And these discussions were, naturally, unknown to Jiang Haojie.

At this moment, he had already followed Qi Yue through the long corridor and stopped in front of a dark wooden door.

A brass plate reading “Principal's Office”

hung on the lintel.

Jiang Haojie's brow furrowed slightly.