A certain residential complex:
Sun Xiao was too excited to sleep. He had spent the day shouldering his DSLR camera, capturing intense footage, the biggest scoop of his life.
He organized the videos, crafted catchy titles, and felt a surge of satisfaction. He was indeed the professional Teacher Sun, not only handsome and daring, but also a skilled videographer. He promptly uploaded the videos to the forum.
He reviewed his titles with satisfaction:
Four City-Protecting Level Experts Confront the Evil King Special Department Head Unleashes a Lost Palm Technique Five Experts Join Forces to Suppress Evil The Impenetrable Battle Barrier
The titles were bold, but not clickbait. The content lived up to the hype.
He refreshed the forum.
"What's going on? No comments?"
"The content is clearly amazing."
Sun Xiao had his share of vanity. He craved the amazed reactions of the forum members, comments like:
Wow! Awesome! Such powerful footage!
And so on.
This was what he longed for, but the current silence left him confused and wanting to ask what was wrong.
After several minutes of refreshing, besides a few likes, there were no substantial comments. The anticipated sense of fulfillment vanished.
A tiring day.
Body aching, time for a shower and sleep.
Sun Xiao stood up from his computer, glanced at the comments with a sigh, and headed towards the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water filled the air. Through the frosted glass, a shadowy figure could be seen moving.
If there were any onlookers, they'd surely say…
"Well, I'm shamelessly flaccid."
Unbeknownst to Sun Xiao, his videos had caused a stir in the forum. The initial lack of comments was because the members were engrossed in watching, too captivated to type.
Each battle was intense, especially the scene where the five Yanhai City experts joined forces, making their blood boil.
Strong! Way too strong! Damn! So fierce! What kind of evil creature was that? Even after being ripped in half, it didn't die. How did it finally die? Admin LoveLove said it might be related to the evil creature from thirty years ago. Not just related, but the same creature, reappearing. Are these the strongest in Yanhai City? They seem average, worse than the strongest in our area. Stop bragging, upstairs. Do you know where the eyepatch guy ranks nationally? Just spouting nonsense.
The usual boasting ensued.
However, many expert members, after carefully reviewing the videos, remained speechless, witnessing such scenes for the first time.
In a chat group composed of these experts, a heated discussion was underway.
It's the Roach Demon, no doubt. I saw this evil creature in my dad's computer files.
I wasn't born during the battle thirty years ago, but I've always wondered what kind of evil creature could kill half of the top experts. Now I understand. It's ridiculously strong.
Not just ridiculously strong, but able to regenerate after being torn apart. I have to say, those top experts in Yanhai City are really strong.
I doubt they killed the Roach Demon.
???
Question marks filled the group chat, indicating confusion.
The person continued:
I watched the video multiple times. The five experts' strongest attack only ripped the Roach Demon in half. That was their limit. But the creature has a near-immortal body. How could it die? I suspect another expert killed it. You mean there's an unknown expert hidden in Yanhai City? Exactly!
A brief silence fell over the group.
Everyone pondered this possibility. The more they thought about it, the more sense it made.
Sun Xiao hadn't filmed the fight between Lin Fan and the Roach Demon, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. He was just an ordinary person. The battle between One-Eyed Man and the others against the creature spanned a vast area, shifting from south to north.
Meanwhile, after his shower, Sun Xiao checked the forum again. If…
"Holy crap!"
"So many people!"
Sun Xiao was energized, his fatigue gone. A bright smile spread across his face. Sleep was forgotten. He dove into the forum, sharing his experiences during the filming.
Satisfying one's vanity was that simple.
Outskirts, Evil Headquarters:
A group of evil creatures were bewildered and slightly melancholic.
The creature that had emerged from the ground earlier, warning the Roach Demon against arrogance, was now moving among them, recounting the events and emphasizing the Roach Demon's arrogance. It had warned him, it said, that he would pay the price. Now look, it was right. He hadn't listened and now regretted it.
The Roach Demon was the strongest among them.
Without its leadership, they were like headless flies.
A cell phone rested on a stone chair.
Ding
The screen lit up, displaying a message:
You will revive!
April 2nd!
Sunny!
Bright sunshine!
Special Department Rooftop:
One-Eyed Man, accompanied by Jin He Li, awaited their arrival.
Soon, a helicopter approached from afar, aligning itself with the rooftop landing pad and slowly descending. The rotating blades whipped their clothes.
Five experts emerged, around One-Eyed Man's age, dressed in casual attire.
"Welcome to Yanhai City, everyone. Unfortunately, the battle ended last night," One-Eyed Man greeted them with a smile.
These five were among the top-ranked experts in the country.
"Who knew it would end so quickly? By the time we heard, we were almost here. So we didn't turn back. It's been a while. Consider it a visit to old friends."
The speaker, Heng Jianqiu, was in his fifties, dressed in dark casual wear with a goatee. He was one of One-Eyed Man's former rivals.
Heng Jianqiu genuinely hadn't expected the battle to end so swiftly. On the helicopter, he had envisioned his grand entrance, arriving just as One-Eyed Man was at his lowest, like a god descending from the heavens, landing before the battered One-Eyed Man and delivering the most epic line:
"You've worked hard. Leave the rest to us."
It was just a fantasy.
But the more he thought about it, the more exciting it became. Reality, however, rarely matched expectations.
One-Eyed Man muttered, "Such a fake smile."
Then, he put on a polite, adult smile and said, "Thank you all for coming from afar. I'm sure you haven't had breakfast yet. As the host, I must offer you the highest level of hospitality. Come with me."
Everyone laughed.
One-Eyed Man had finally grown up.
They had once told him that his personality would eventually make him unpopular, even disliked by his mentor. They were proven wrong. Upon graduation, his mentor used his only opportunity to place One-Eyed Man in the Yanhai City Special Department, even giving him a minor official position.
As for them…
They simply used their family connections to secure positions at headquarters. Their start wasn't as fast as One-Eyed Man's, but their potential for advancement was higher.
Now, the five experts, initially smiling, sat with serious expressions.
Highest level of hospitality?
The cafeteria?
"Don't be polite, everyone. Make yourselves at home. Our cafeteria employs the most renowned chefs in Yanhai City. Take this plain-looking rice porridge, for example. The taste is extraordinary, especially with the spicy tofu. Delicious."
"If you're too polite, it'll make things awkward. Just grab a plate and help yourselves. Eat as much as you want. It's all-you-can-eat."
One-Eyed Man brought over a plate and placed porridge, side dishes, and buns in front of himself.
He took a sip of the porridge.
A look of enjoyment spread across his face.
"Absolutely delicious."
His exaggerated expression made it seem like he was savoring some rare delicacy.
Heng Jianqiu said, "You're quite frugal."
"Sigh," One-Eyed Man put down his bowl and sighed, "How can I not be? After such an incident, money is needed everywhere. We don't want evil creatures to attack, but the citizens think, 'We pay so much in taxes just for you to goof around?'"
"But if there's a battle with evil creatures, people will die."
"So we have to save wherever we can. Look at my clothes. I haven't been willing to throw them away for years. A few stitches here and there, and they're still wearable."
One-Eyed Man spoke earnestly.
He didn't seem to be joking, his facial expressions demonstrating peak acting skills.
Jin He Li wanted to laugh but held back, then went to serve porridge to the five experts from headquarters.
Heng Jianqiu said, "But I heard that the Yanhai City Special Department isn't short on funds. Your merchandise is selling like hotcakes, and you've branched into various industries. With such business acumen, how could you be short on money?"
One-Eyed Man feigned surprise. "Who told you that? You can't just slander people. Even if it's true, I definitely haven't participated. It must be the individual actions of certain members."
"But let's not talk about this now. Let's eat. I'll be visiting the families of our fallen members later. As representatives of headquarters, you can come along."
The first step was to take them there.
Since they were here, if they didn't follow the proper procedures, it wouldn't truly reflect the unique character of the Yanhai City Special Department.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang were enjoying their days. Sadness was temporary, respected with a single second of mourning, then replaced by joy. They led the Evil Rooster towards the city.
As an undercover agent, the Evil Rooster quickly adapted to its new life. It always remembered that it was a hero among evil creatures.
Heroes are often misunderstood.
But one day…
Its fellow evil creatures would understand that everything it was doing was for the greater good of evil.
In the distance, Master Yongxin squatted in the shadows, eating a bun, his gaze fixed on the entrance.
Seeing Lin Fan appear, he swallowed the bun whole, preparing for a "chance" encounter.
He had been waiting for a long time.
If he couldn't learn One-Eyed Man's secret technique, then this young man, with a little flattery, would surely become complacent.
Heh heh!