Chapter 9: A Buzzing Head

"Are you Lou Cheng from Songcheng University? I am an official from the relevant department. Here is my identification and the method to verify its authenticity. You may check it first; we shall only begin our conversation once you have confirmed my credentials."

"Uh, alright."

A short while later, Lou Cheng left the campus and boarded an inconspicuous vehicle headed for the train station. At first glance, he couldn't help but be struck with dismay.

There were sentries every few paces. There were at least a hundred soldiers nearby, all looking heavily armed and imposing. As for whether they had truly disengaged their safeties and were prepared for combat at a moment's notice—well, he dared not ask, nor did he dare to imagine!

His head was buzzing!

Even now, Lou Cheng felt somewhat dazed. How could he, a college student—one who was busy trying to win over a high school classmate—suddenly attract the attention of "the relevant department" and be brought here? He had finally managed to get closer to Ke Ke thanks to the appearance of the stars in broad daylight, so how had things ended up like this?

As he walked, he reached a green-skinned train consisting of only two carriages.

Two carriages? A green-skinned train? Combined with the hundreds of soldiers he had seen earlier, Lou Cheng immediately realized that this was a big deal. Could the secret of the golden core in his dantian have been discovered?

At this thought, cold sweat broke out on Lou Cheng's forehead. Although it had only been two days since he obtained the golden core, he had already begun to experience the benefits it brought. Yet, looking at the scene before him, was there anything else about him, other than this mysterious core, that warranted such a massive mobilization?

But the golden core had already merged with his dantian, becoming one with him. How could they possibly extract it? Would he be vivisected? Was he going to die young? At the thought, Lou Cheng felt a wave of sorrow.

Upon boarding, Lou Cheng realized that the interior of the carriage had been completely refitted. Instead of the usual rows of seats found on regular trains, it was a long, expansive living area. Long tables were lined up on both sides, piled high with stacks of documents. Although he was some distance away, Lou Cheng had excellent eyesight and immediately made out the words "Confidentiality Agreement."

The carriage was sparsely populated. Apart from the soldiers in camouflage, there were only a few remarkably young people who all looked like college students.

Everyone seemed as constrained and cautious as Lou Cheng, which made him feel significantly more at ease. It seemed things weren't as bad as he had imagined! After signing the confidentiality agreement, Lou Cheng began to chat with the others.

"My name is Ye Fan. I just graduated this year from such-and-such university."
"I'm Chu Feng, also a recent graduate."
"I'm Huang Zixing, also graduated this year."
"Lu Zhou, only a freshman."
"Ning Fan, a veteran, been back for two years."
"Bai Mo, second-year graduate student."
"Jiang Ju, third-year doctoral candidate. I was in the middle of writing my thesis when I was brought here."
"My name is Lou Cheng. I'm just a freshman. Nice to meet you all, seniors!"

"I got on the train around ten last night and even slept in a compartment on the other side," Ye Fan said.

"I was found by them around three this morning, brought here, and after signing the agreement, I’ve been chatting with Brother Ye ever since."

When he heard the words "Brother Ye," Ye Fan nodded vigorously. He didn't know why, but the moment he saw Chu Feng, he felt an inexplicable, profound sense of affinity, as if Chu Feng were his own flesh and blood. The two had been talking non-stop from six o'clock until now, feeling so happy that all their anxiety, fear, and worry had vanished.

"I was weeding in the fields this morning around nine, still holding my hoe, when I ran into the officials and ended up here," Huang Zixing said, looking quite bewildered.

"I just arrived. Do you seniors know why we were brought here? I can't help but feel uneasy."

"Who knows? It probably isn't anything bad," Ye Fan said calmly.

By evening, there were twenty-six people of various backgrounds and professions in the carriage. Ye Fan and Chu Feng had chatted happily for an entire afternoon and evening, showing no signs of fatigue; it was as if they were long-lost friends. Their joy was infectious, causing the other students to gradually lose their tension.

People like Lu Zhou, Ji Zhen, Jiang Ju, and Bai Mo even began discussing science and mathematics. Lou Cheng tried to join in, but as a flood of technical jargon poured from their mouths, he realized he was completely out of his depth.

When Xiong Yan and Chu Xuan walked in, the carriage fell silent, followed by the sound of rapid breathing. Xiong Yan, with his head full of white hair and looking as though he might collapse at any moment, smiled happily as he looked at the twenty-four people in the carriage, nodding with great satisfaction.

If he remembered correctly, these twenty-four people, along with Chu Xuan and the Chief Instructor, made twenty-six in total—the first group to sense the call of the Void Realm seven days from now.

Three Grandmasters, four professors, the modern-day Shennong, the Son of Haotian... While not every hero in the world was gathered here, at least a third of the top-tier talents of the Great Xia in the future were present.

"Scoundrel! Scoundrel! You're a big scoundrel!"

A voice suddenly rang out in the silent carriage. Everyone turned to look toward a window seat where a man had been playing with a bird since he boarded. The speaker was a parrot. The bird had been trying to fly, but the man had been controlling his hand muscles to keep it grounded.

Lou Cheng vaguely recalled that in history, Yang Luchan had once achieved such a feat! But that was Yang Luchan, titled "Yang the Invincible"! He was the undisputed number one in the world!

Listening to the parrot's cries, Lou Cheng felt a spark of agitation. *Yes, aren't they all just a bunch of scoundrels?* They had brought them here without a word of explanation, made them sign a secrecy agreement, and then left them waiting—it was agonizing! Just tell them whether they were going to be killed or spared!

"Everyone, I am Xiong Yan, Director of the Great Xia Special Affairs Research Institute, responsible for all matters regarding paranormal research."

"I am Chu Xuan, Director of the Great Xia Special Affairs Management Bureau, responsible for managing all paranormal affairs."

"Paranormal?" Lou Cheng gasped in shock.

"Does the paranormal really exist in this world?"
"Has spiritual energy been revived?"
"Have the myriad realms returned?"
"Is the Earth in danger yet again?"
"Could it be that the appearance of the stars in broad daylight the day before yesterday was the beginning of the spiritual energy revival?"