Chapter 318: Don't Make Excuses for Your Failure

July 20th!

Sunny!

Special Department.

"Everyone, I risked my life to bring these back. I'm giving them to you now in the hope that they will increase your strength, so we can better protect our country."

"I hope you'll cherish them."

One-Eyed Man distributed the fruits of his research on the dragon vein crystals to Lin Daoming and the others. Before they took them, he gave them a special speech.

Lin Daoming muttered, "He's taking credit again."

"What did you say?" One-Eyed Man looked at Lin Daoming, his single eye glinting unusually.

"Nothing." Lin Daoming wasn't stupid. He spread his hands, indicating he hadn't said anything.

One's mouth is soft after eating, one's hands are soft after taking.

He was naturally happy that One-Eyed Man gave him something good to increase his strength. His slight complaint stemmed from his dislike of One-Eyed Man taking all the credit.

This stuff was clearly Lin Fan's accomplishment.

If it weren't for Lin Fan, with One-Eyed Man's strength, honestly, he'd be like a well-behaved baby in front of the Starry Sky experts, without a shred of resistance.

Master Yongxin pressed his palms together and said, "Amitabha, this old monk never hides anything. Just now, Benefactor Lin said you were taking credit again."

After the old monk finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Lin Daoming smiled, his missing front teeth showing, and exchanged glances with One-Eyed Man. Neither spoke nor initiated conversation, as if they were long-lost friends reunited.

Suddenly, One-Eyed Man stood up and reached out, trying to snatch the item in front of Lin Daoming, wanting to teach him a lesson about the harsh realities of life and the price of speaking out of turn.

But Lin Daoming was quick-eyed and quick-handed, immediately swallowing the dragon vein crystal placed on the table.

"What are you doing? You scared me!"

Lin Daoming was startled by One-Eyed Man. He hadn't expected him to be so petty as to resort to snatching. He had only spoken the truth. The ancients didn't deceive; honest advice is unpleasant to the ear. Truth-tellers are always unpopular.

"Give it back if you don't want it," One-Eyed Man said.

"I want it! Why wouldn't I? I never said I didn't want it."

Lin Daoming realized One-Eyed Man was truly petty. And that old monk, Yongxin, was a disgrace to monks. He was truly too much, simply inhuman.

At this moment, Lin Daoming, who had hastily swallowed the dragon vein crystal, began to exhibit unusual symptoms. His face flushed red, as if flames were burning on his body.

"Oh my god, I'm burning to death!"

Lin Daoming screamed, bewildering the others in the conference room. They turned to One-Eyed Man. He had brought this thing; this unexpected reaction after consumption was truly surprising.

One-Eyed Man said, "What are you looking at me for? I don't know either. It should be a normal reaction."

As he said this, he lacked confidence.

He was puzzled.

Those guys had taken it without any issues. Why was there a problem here? Could it be that the scientific research had caused changes in the dragon vein crystals, leading to this situation?

Probably not.

Old Chen had told him that, based on scientific methods, the dragon vein crystals had been optimized for better effects. Perhaps this was the benefit of optimization.

Soon, the unusual symptoms on Lin Daoming gradually dissipated, and they could all sense a powerful energy accumulating within him.

Master Yongxin said, "This is indeed good stuff."

Liu Haichan nodded in agreement. It was indeed much better than what they had taken last time. Combined with the cultivation technique traded from Wu Sheng, the effect was even more pronounced. He wouldn't dare to exaggerate, but the difference was like heaven and earth.

A phone rang.

One-Eyed Man answered.

The caller ID showed it was Old Master Xu from Xia Du.

"Hello!" One-Eyed Man knew why the other party was calling.

But for him, the quantity obtained was limited, and it certainly couldn't be shared with everyone.

They had already divided it within Yanhai City; there was nothing left to give him.

"I heard you had a bountiful harvest at Changbai Mountain recently. How about it, any extra?" Old Master Xu asked directly.

He knew beating around the bush with One-Eyed Man was a waste of time.

Given the other party's personality, if you didn't bring it up, he definitely wouldn't mention it.

One-Eyed Man said, "No, we've already used it all."

"Give me some."

"Really, there's none left."

The conversation stalled.

An awkward silence ensued. One-Eyed Man held the phone, staring at Lin Daoming, paying no mind to the person on the other end.

What could he do?

Nothing, of course. The good things they obtained from Changbai Mountain were hard-earned. They wouldn't casually give them away. Moreover, the situation in Xia Du wasn't good. If the traitor found out, they might reap the benefits. The thought was quite unpleasant.

He hung up the phone.

One-Eyed Man wanted to tell Old Master Xu that it wasn't him being stingy, but the dragon vein crystals were too precious. The situation in Xia Du was complex. With such items, they would undoubtedly be taken to Xia Du for research, and in research, things often disappeared. This was perfectly normal. Even with serious and careful handling, it was difficult to guard against thieves, especially those within.

Lin Fan didn't care about the things they got from Changbai Mountain.

For others, consuming dragon vein crystals would generate a rich energy within their bodies, but in Lin Fan's view, this energy was truly insignificant.

Inside the room, Lin Fan, Old Zhang, and the demonic rooster stared at the TV. A captivating movie was playing. At least for Lin Fan, it was incredibly interesting.

"This guy is much worse than you. He can't even beat that person," Old Zhang said, pointing at the screen.

Lin Fan said, "He just hasn't met a master yet. It's just the beginning. He'll meet a master soon and learn powerful skills. Be patient and keep watching."

He had seen many movies, and they were basically all like this.

Moreover, he loved watching these plots. They were particularly interesting and inspiring.

"Have you met a master?" Old Zhang asked curiously.

Lin Fan said, "No. Someone called a master must be much stronger than me. I haven't met anyone stronger than me yet. Actually, I really want to meet a master and learn skills from them."

Old Zhang said regretfully, "That's a pity."

The demonic rooster squatted there, not even glancing at them.

Crazy guys.

Suddenly, Lin Fan abruptly stood up, walked to the window, and looked into the distance. Even the movie, which had reached the part where the protagonist meets the master, failed to capture his attention.

"What's wrong?" Old Zhang asked.

Even the demonic rooster looked at Lin Fan curiously. Strange and inexplicable behavior. If it weren't for being accustomed to it, he might have been startled.

Lin Fan said, "I sense a powerful aura."

Old Zhang opened the window, stuck his head out, and took a deep breath. "I don't smell anything."

"I want to go check it out," Lin Fan said.

"What about me?" Old Zhang was anxious. He also wanted to go with Lin Fan, fearing Lin Fan wouldn't take him.

Lin Fan shook his head. "The other party's aura is very strong. I don't know if I'm a match for them. Taking you along would be troublesome."

"Ah?" Old Zhang's eyes widened, as if he had thought of something terrifying. He immediately hugged Lin Fan's leg and wailed, "Can you please not go? If something happens to you, what will I do?"

As he spoke, Old Zhang started to cry.

He was most reluctant to part with Lin Fan.

If something truly happened to Lin Fan, he would feel like the sky had collapsed, leaving him in darkness and utter confusion.

Lin Fan said, "Old Zhang, my mind is made up. I must go. Battling strong opponents is what I look forward to the most. You understand me best, you get it."

Old Zhang slumped to the floor, looking at Lin Fan pitifully, and finally released his grip. "Then go. But you promised me, you must come back alive."

"Mm, don't worry." Lin Fan nodded.

Then, under Old Zhang's reluctant gaze, he leaped from the window and soared into the distance.

Watching Lin Fan leave, Old Zhang hugged the demonic rooster. "Hen, he's really gone. Pray with me for his safe return."

The rooster in his arms nearly suffocated.

He had heard clearly. Lin Fan had gone to find a strong opponent. But he was curious, what kind of powerful being could make Lin Fan take it so seriously? He was truly curious.

If it were before, the demonic rooster's thoughts would be simple. He would pray that Lin Fan would be beaten to death by the strong opponent. But now, he also hoped Lin Fan would return alive. His, the demonic hero's, grand undertaking was not yet complete.

Damn it.

He couldn't figure out where those Starry Sky experts came from, nor where his compatriots had run off to. He couldn't find any trace of them. It was truly infuriating.

Changbai Mountain.

"Viewers, I'm currently facing the most dangerous situation ever. You all felt the tremors just now, right? The entire screen was shaking. But you weren't here and can't imagine it. It was like the whole sky was about to collapse."

"I don't know what happened. A huge rock almost crushed me to death just now. Luckily, I reacted quickly enough and smashed it with a punch, narrowly escaping."

As Sun Xiao livestreamed, the comments in his直播间 went wild.

The netizens were completely convinced. What a domineering move, smashing a rock with a punch to escape. Unpretentious bragging was the most terrifying.

Many envied Sun Xiao. They had witnessed how he transformed from a weakling with no strength to a powerful figure. It was truly a dramatic story. And if one were to tell this story, it would have to begin with a snake…

Sun Xiao's livestream was very popular.

Because he was the only one broadcasting the situation at Changbai Mountain.

And his actions were incredibly sneaky. He only filmed the surroundings of Changbai Mountain, even capturing the Starry Sky experts on camera. Of course, he wasn't discovered by them. Otherwise, whether he could still be standing here was an unknown.

"Viewers, I just observed the situation. It seems to be coming from over there. I'll go check it out now and see what's going on."

"No need to worry about my safety. I'm very sneaky."

After saying this, Sun Xiao slipped into the depths of the forest.

Before he had any power, he was cautious, panting after traveling a short distance. Later, after gaining abilities, traveling became easy. His back didn't ache, his legs didn't hurt, and his steps were brisk.

"You have disappointed the clan. You've been here for so long and haven't found anything, not even a single ancient ruin?"

A tall figure was angrily reprimanding others.

Zhuang Xiao, Zhuang Ming, and Zhuang Yun stood there obediently, heads bowed, accepting the scolding without any thought of defiance.

Zhuang Yun, an elder of the Zhuang clan, stood there being scolded, which was somewhat puzzling.

Zhuang Yun said, "Clan brother, there are powerful beings on this planet."

"Powerful beings? How powerful?"

Zhuang Yun said, "Very powerful. I'm no match for them. I…"

He wanted to say he was defeated with a single punch, but thought better of it. It was a bit embarrassing.

"Hmph, don't make excuses for your failure. This planet has just awakened and recovered. How powerful can it be? I think you're just looking for an excuse. Enough. I came after receiving your plea for help. I hope this place won't disappoint."