Chapter 23: Aftermath of the Battle

After putting on his clothes, Ning Shi walked at a speed of more than ten meters per step.

When he reached a large banyan tree, he jumped onto it.

To prevent his phone from being damaged, Ning Shi threw his phone onto the banyan tree before the battle began.

After taking back his phone, Ning Shi called his mother.

It was answered in a second.

“Xiao Shi, are you alright? I heard from Xiao Wei that you ran off to fight with the cultist. I didn’t even dare to call you. You’re my only son. If anything were to happen to you, what would happen to your father and me?”

Hearing his mother’s anxious voice that sounded like she was crying, Ning Shi quickly comforted her.

“I’m fine, Mom. Don’t you understand me? If I’m in danger, I’ll run far away. The threat from the Pantheon of Gods has been resolved. I’ll go home immediately.”

“It’s good that you’re fine. Go straight to Tzu Chi Hospital. We’re all here. Your uncle is still receiving blood transfusions in the operating theater. Come over and have a checkup.”

“Okay, I’ll go over now.”

Ning Shi hung up the phone and ran for another three kilometers before he stopped a taxi at the intersection.

He looked at the game. There were still two hours before the update. Ning Shi put down his phone and closed his eyes to rest.

When he arrived at the hospital, his uncle had already left the operating theater. There was a thick bandage on his shoulder.

His left arm had already been burned to ashes by the flame ability. He could only lose one arm permanently. This was the result of Ning Shi’s hard work.

Thinking about the guests who had died on the spot, his uncle, the organizer of the banquet, had a responsibility that could not be shirked.

It was already good enough that he was still alive.

“Xiao Shi, it’s all thanks to you this time. I heard from Xiao Wei that if it weren’t for you, they would all have died.”

Uncle was still unconscious. Aunt Gong Li stood by the bed and thanked Ning Shi.

“Alright, Aunt, we’re all family. There’s no need to be polite. Technology is advanced now. Uncle’s arm is fitted with a prosthetic, so it won’t affect his life too much.”.

“Xiao Wei had learned a lesson today. He’s still young. If this is not handled well, he will have psychological trauma. You have to pay more attention to him.”

His aunt wiped away her tears and nodded.

Seeing that his mother was going to pull him for a check-up, Ning Shi quickly said, “Mom, I am an awakener. My body is very healthy. It is already 1 p.m., and I haven’t eaten yet. I am so hungry.”

“I will go find a restaurant to eat. After that, I will go straight back to the rental house.”

Ning Shi was really hungry. He found a restaurant downstairs in the hospital that cooked vegetables.

There was a large plate of chicken, steamed meat, pork loin, dried pork and a tomato egg soup.

Four dishes and one soup. He ate five big bowls of rice in a row.

Ning Shi ate quickly. He was half full from finishing up the food.

He wiped his mouth with a tissue. Just as Ning Shi was about to pay the bill and leave, Wang Yunlin and Zhu Daniu walked in together.

Wang Yunlin had five scars on one side of his face, while the other side of his face was swollen and split open. His current appearance was somewhat miserable, but Ning Shi would not sympathize with him.

If it were not for him not letting the guests leave early, no one would have been killed by the Flame Messenger.

Ning Shi was ready to pay the bill and return to the rental house as soon as possible. He waited for the game update to be completed before continuing to stay at home and play games.

“How much, Boss!”

“153 yuan, just give me 150 yuan!”

Ning Shi deliberately ignored Wang Yunlin and Zhu Daniu, paid the bill and left.

Wang Yunlin followed behind and asked carefully, “Mr… Mr Ning, we have found the Flame Messenger Brian’s body. What do you want to do with it?”

“If you don’t mind, we will announce to the public that the Flame Messenger was killed by the Investigation Department so that the Pantheon of Gods won’t come looking for you again.”

Ning Shi sneered and stared at the wound on Wang Yunlin’s face, asking, “Does the wound not hurt anymore? You want to take the credit so quickly?”

Wang Yunlin took a deep breath and looked at Ning Shi with a complicated gaze.

“Mr Ning, I, Wang Yunlin, awakened at the age of 15 and joined the Investigation Department at the age of 18. I served in the Investigation Department for 20 years and killed 3721 criminals of all kinds.”

“For 20 years, I walked in darkness and pain, just for the faith in my heart, just so that more people could enjoy a peaceful and ordinary life.”

“The cultivation of my special ability was extremely painful. In order to integrate my air-type special ability, I had to endure the despair of suffocation at all times. Do you see the scar on my face? I dug it out with my own hands!”

“In order to protect the lives of ordinary people, I had put in all my effort.”

“I, Wang Yunlin, have a clear conscience towards the country and the people.”

“Yes, this time, it was my mistake in my work that caused the deaths of innocent people.”

“But I wasn’t wrong!”

“In this era of change, I want to become stronger, obtain a higher position, control more power and protect the order in my heart. What’s wrong with that?”

“I need an A-level spiritual crystal. Since the crystal this time belongs to you, I beg you to give me the credit for killing Brian. With this credit and my previous accumulation, I can apply to the organization to exchange for an A-level spiritual crystal.”

Wang Yunlin’s eyes were red, and the five deep scars on his face were both his painful past and his medal of merit.

After listening to Wang Yunlin’s story, Ning Shi’s heart was shaken. Human nature was indeed the most complicated thing.

“I have no use for the credit. I can give it to you, but the reward for killing Brian cannot be less than one cent.”

Ning Shi finally relented. Wang Yunlin immediately replied, “The reward for killing Brian is one million. I will give an additional one million. I will transfer two million to you immediately!”

Ning Shi nodded, turned around and hailed a taxi to leave.

Five minutes later, a text message notification came from his phone.

“Your bank card ending with 6116 received a transfer of 2,000,000 yuan at 14:05 on July 22nd, 2023. The current balance is 2,013,210.11 yuan.”

Looking at the notification of the transfer, Ning Shi sighed.

At the same time, in the self-built house in Qianjin village.

The trainee was lying on the ground with a purple face. There were two black holes on his neck, and some black blood was flowing out.

Judging from the symptoms, it seemed that he had been bitten to death by a poisonous snake.

Green Snake packed up her things and ignored the corpse on the ground. In a flash, she left the self-built house.

Green Snake knew that something bad was going to happen since the Flame Messenger had not returned for such a long time. The Flame Messenger must have fallen in Donglin City.

If she didn’t run now, she would be hunted down by the investigators who were everywhere.

“I can’t go back to the Pantheon of Gods. The Flame Messenger is dead. Someone has to take the blame. I won’t be able to escape death if I go back. At this time, Yunmeng Kingdom is the safest.”

Green Snake carried her luggage and drove an old used car that she had prepared in advance. She didn’t take the boat to the southeast corner and return to the Kingdom of Mies. Instead, she went west.

To the west was the less developed area of the Yunmeng Kingdom. It was vast and sparsely populated, making it easy to hide.

Central City, the headquarters of the Special Affairs Department.

A few big shots from the Investigation Department and the Exchange Bureau sat together.

Yun Moxiang stood in the middle of the long table, reporting the situation to the big shots.

“The body of the Flame Messenger Brian has been found. According to the preliminary estimation, he died from a sword wound. His body was split into two by the long sword. The cutting surface is extremely neat, even more neat than the products of industrial cutting.”

“Ning Shi’s combat strength is currently on par with a Tier 8 awakener, and his ability is a strength-type special ability.”

“The captain of the Donglin City Investigation Department, Wang Yunlin, has already contacted Ning Shi. Ning Shi is willing to give the credit for killing Brian to Wang Yunlin.”

After briefing about the basic situation, Yun Moxiang asked, “That’s the situation. How should we deal with it? Please give us your instructions.”

The few big shots looked at each other, unwilling to speak.

Yun Moxiang also obediently remained silent. She knew that the faction war in the Special Affairs Department was intense.

The old minister was about to retire. Three people had the best chance of being promoted: the director of the Investigation Department, Jiang Yunsheng; the director of the Exchange Bureau, Tian Jun; and the deputy minister of the Special Affairs Department, Guo Qun.

These three people were competing openly and secretly. At this moment, they couldn’t figure out the attitude of the old minister, Hu Changjun. No one was willing to speak first.

Hu Changjun sat at the head of the table and looked at the cautious looks of his old subordinates. He was disappointed as he said coldly.

“Before we discuss Ning Shi’s matter, I’ll first announce a piece of news. Given the current state of the Special Affairs Department, I’ve decided not to retire for the time being and will serve another term.”

One term was five years, and the old minister still had to serve for five years. The three people who were competing for the position of minister were stunned.

“Ever since I announced the news of my retirement, the Special Affairs Department has been in a mess because of the three of you. The three of you have been engaging in factional conflicts every day, and you are not doing anything practical at all!”

“The matter of expanding the recruitment of the Investigation Department had been prepared for so long, but it was still a mess when it was implemented. The Exchange Bureau was responsible for the education and training of young awakeners, and until now, the project of the Awakener School had yet to come to fruition!”

“Take Ning Shi’s case for example. His cousin had an A-level aptitude, but he had been snatched away by a non-governmental organization to take in as their disciple. What was the Exchange Bureau doing?”

“Every one of you is a vegetarian. You all took the resources provided by the state to cultivate, but didn’t put your heart into doing anything.”

“If this continues, I’ll kill all of you!”

The Special Affairs Department was built by Hu Changjun alone. His prestige in the department was unparalleled.

Seeing that the minister was angry, the three big shots under him lowered their heads and admitted their mistakes like children.

“Leader, I was wrong. Regarding the expansion of the recruitment of the Investigation Department, I guarantee that it will be completed according to the schedule!”

“I was muddle-headed for a moment. Leader, the basic facilities for the Awakener School have been fully prepared. There are a total of 3421 schools, which are enough to accommodate about 12 million students. They meet the current needs.”

Seeing his three subordinates admit their mistakes, Hu Changjun’s face relaxed slightly. The three of them were his old subordinates who had followed him for decades. He could not criticize them too harshly, so he could only exhort them.

“Time is very tight. We have a very heavy burden on our shoulders. The pressure on the army is very great. We have to train our military forces as soon as possible.”

“The A-level spiritual crystal incident in Donglin City has been announced publicly. Flame Messenger Brian was killed by Advisor Zhao of the Investigation Department together with his subordinates.”

The head of the Investigation Department, Jiang Yunsheng, nodded. “Roger that. How will we account for the credit for killing the Flame Messenger?”

“Since Ning Shi allowed it, the credit will go to Wang Yunlin. We will also agree to his A-level spiritual crystal exchange request.”

Hearing the minister’s words, Jiang Yunsheng was elated. Wang Yunlin had received an A-level spiritual crystal, and the Investigation Department would have another noteworthy general.

However, the elation did not last long, Hu Changjun said, “After advancing to be a Tier 7 awakener, Wang Yunlin will be transferred to the front line of the army. In this A-level spiritual crystal incident, he created a lot of problems and his thinking wavered. He needs to experience blood and fire!”

Jiang Yunsheng was instantly speechless. The front line of the army was very dangerous, and there was the possibility of losing his life at any time. Wang Yunlin’s future was uncertain.

As for the arrangements of the old minister, he could only follow them.

Hu Changjun suddenly asked Tian Jun, the director of the Exchange Bureau, “In the entire country, what is the ratio of strength-type awakeners?”

Tian Jun was stunned for a moment. He did not know this number. Fortunately, Yun Moxiang was smart enough to send him a message.

Tian Jun read out the number in the message.

“In the entire country, there are a total of 58.71 million 14-to 18-year-olds of the right age. A total of 11.8 million people have awakened. Among them, 2.1 million are spiritual-type, 3.55 million are elemental-type, and 6.15 million are strength-type.”

“Strength-type accounts for 52% of the total.”

Among the awakeners, the strength-type awakeners, who had always been looked down upon, were the majority.

Hu Changjun said, “From the perspective of the national strategy, Ning Shi’s role is hard to estimate. Before him, the strength-type awakeners could at most advance to Tier 3”.

“But he has the strength of Tier 8.”

“If his cultivation method can be popularized, then he will be a grandmaster who will affect the progress of the era!”