13: Chapter 13: The Entire Internet is Stunned: The National Team Personally Steps In to Help Him Withdraw from School?

The campus forum of Tianhai University exploded.

Even the Weibo trending topics were dominated by those few blurry candid photos.

[Breaking! Heavy armored vehicles appeared at Tianhai University! The Physics Department building is surrounded by special forces!]

[Confirmed! It is said they are capturing a super spy! Helicopters are circling above the scene!]

[Location: Second Canteen! Witnessed with my own eyes a male student being taken away by agents in black, suspected of carrying data on weapons of mass destruction!]

In the comments section, millions of onlookers were like marmots jumping around in a melon field, their keyboards clacking so fast they were practically sparking.

"Holy crap? Is this real? I studied at Tianhai University; besides having a lot of top students, could that place really produce terrorists?"

"I've seen the picture above; those aren't ordinary SWAT teams, those are regular troops! See that armband? It's from the Southeast Theater Command!"

"It's terrifying to think about... I know the student who was taken away, his name is Jiang Chen. He usually looks like a very honest person. Who would have thought he was actually a walking 500,000?"

"What 500,000? With this kind of lineup, I think he's at least at the 'five million' level! Maybe he was caught hand-crafting a nuke in his dorm!"

Rumors rolled bigger and bigger like a snowball, and some even started making up stories that Jiang Chen was an alien undercover agent lurking on Earth.

Just as the public opinion on the internet was about to spiral out of control, and even parents were calling the Ministry of Education to complain about security issues at Tianhai University.

An official notice with white text on a blue background was suddenly pinned across the entire internet.

Issuing Units: Tianhai City Public Security Bureau in conjunction with the Southeast Theater Command.

[Situation Report]

[This morning, our city, in cooperation with the Southeast Theater Command, conducted an important national defense security exercise codenamed "Thunder-2025" at Tianhai University.]

[This exercise aimed to improve the response capabilities of university faculty and students to sudden security incidents. Due to the realistic Nature of the exercise, it caused misunderstandings among some citizens and netizens. Please do not believe or spread rumors.]

[Additionally: Jiang (Male, 21), a junior student in the Physics Department of the university, performed excellently during the exercise and actively cooperated with relevant departments to complete various high-difficulty tasks, demonstrating the high national defense literacy and patriotism of contemporary university students. We hereby commend him.]

After this notice was released, the entire internet fell into a death-like silence for a moment.

Immediately following that, the screen was filled with question marks, causing the server to lag.

"???"

"An exercise? You call this an exercise? Armored vehicles crushing asphalt roads made it to the trending topics; is that something an exercise can produce?"

"That 'Jiang'... could it be that guy who was taken away? So he's not a spy, but an extra helping with the performance?"

"What kind of extra is that! Which extra gets picked up by a General personally? What is this 'Jiang's' background? Did the national team step in personally to whitewash him?"

"Stop guessing, guys. Didn't you see the words 'national defense literacy'? Maybe he was secretly recruited by the state and will be a big shot we can't afford to offend in the future!"

Regardless of how heated the online debate was, this storm was forcibly suppressed by the state with an invisible hand.

Although the name Jiang Chen was just a fleeting "Jiang" online, it had already become an absolute taboo within the high-level circles of Tianhai City.

...

Western Suburbs of Tianhai City, Yunding Villa.

This is the place with the highest security level in all of Tianhai, where either high-ranking officials or retired dignitaries reside. The entire hill is covered with dense vegetation, with guards every three steps and sentries every five. Even a mosquito flying in would have to have its gender checked.

A Hongqi sedan with military license plates slowly drove into the detached villa with the best view on the mountainside.

The car door opened.

Jiang Chen, carrying that battered backpack of inestimable value, stood at the entrance of the villa, dazzled by the scene before him.

This isn't a house; it's practically a palace.

The front garden with a fountain alone was more than ten times larger than the dilapidated room he used to rent in the urban village. The three-story European-style building had huge floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the distant mountain scenery, and the private swimming pool shimmered in the sunlight.

"Mr. Jiang, this is the temporary residence arranged for you by the state."

A Major in charge of logistics stepped forward and handed a set of electronic keys to Jiang Chen, his tone as respectful as if he were addressing a superior officer. "There is a guard company patrolling here twenty-four hours a day. The basement has been converted into a top-tier explosion-proof laboratory, and the equipment was just transported from Longke Academy."

"Additionally, there will be designated personnel to take care of your daily life. The daily ingredients are specially supplied and air-freighted to ensure safety and health."

Jiang Chen took the keys, weighed them in his hand, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

As expected, the end of the universe is a government position.

Although this doesn't count as an official government position, this feeling of being raised by the state like a panda...

"It's truly fragrant."

Jiang Chen couldn't help but curl his lips upward; this feeling of eating soft rice in a hard way was simply too satisfying.

He turned his head and smiled at the Major: "Please thank Elder Zhong and General Qin for me. This place is quite good; I am very satisfied."

"Your satisfaction is our highest mission."

The Major saluted and led his men to quietly retreat to the outer perimeter defense line.

Pushing open the heavy mahogany door, the level of luxury inside made Jiang Chen gasp. Leather sofas, Persian carpets, a 100-inch laser TV... even the slippers were Hermès.

Jiang Chen threw his backpack onto the sofa, spread his limbs in a "big" shape, and threw himself onto the five-meter-wide custom-made bed in the bedroom.

"Comfortable!"

He rolled on the bed twice, feeling the sensation of sinking into the clouds, and his nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed completely.

From being blocked at the door by loan sharks in the morning to being escorted by special forces at noon, this day was more thrilling than a roller coaster.

Now, he had money, he had status, and even his retreat was guaranteed by the state.

"A winner in life, isn't this exactly what it's like?"

Jiang Chen turned over, lying on his back looking at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, his hand habitually reaching for the phone in his pocket.

Since his real life was stable, it was time to care about that "sugar daddy" who changed his fate.

Opened "Civilization Revival".

The moment the screen lit up, that familiar Wasteland tone reoccupied his vision.

However, this time, the art style of Dawn City had clearly changed.

It was no longer that lifeless gray gloom.

Because of the sufficient supply of "Divine Grain" and the repelling of the beast tide, the entire settlement was filled with a festive atmosphere of surviving a disaster. The pixelated little people were busy repairing the city walls and clearing the battlefield.

In the center of the screen, the silver-haired, red-eyed Empress Jiang Wanqiu was standing in front of an altar built from the bones of mutated beasts.

She had changed into clean clothes—although it was still a slightly worn combat suit, at least the bloodstains had been washed away, and her silver hair was meticulously combed, fluttering slightly in the Wasteland wind.

Seeing Jiang Chen log in, a huge pink exclamation mark immediately appeared above her head, and she instantly knelt on the ground.

[Jiang Wanqiu (Extremely Excited): Father God! You have finally descended!]

[Jiang Wanqiu: In this battle, Dawn City won a complete victory! Those damn mutated beasts have become our food and materials. The soldiers are all chanting your holy name!]

Jiang Chen looked at the screen and gently tapped the head of the chibi character.

"Well done."

Although the other party couldn't hear him, he still praised her subconsciously.

At this moment, a new dialog box popped up on the screen, carrying a hint of mystery.

[Jiang Wanqiu: Father God, to celebrate the victory, Wanqiu personally led a team deep into the wilderness to capture an extremely special "prey" for you.]

[Jiang Wanqiu: This prey possesses extremely rare genes; although it resisted fiercely, it has been knocked unconscious and tied up by me.]

[Jiang Wanqiu: I think you will definitely like this kind of sacrifice full of wildness and vitality. Shall I offer it to you now?]

Special prey?

Full of wildness and vitality?

Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, and various images of Wasteland monsters flashed through his mind.

Could it be a mutated tiger? Or some lizard with wings?

Anyway, it definitely wasn't anything normal.

However, since it was the Empress's intention, and she had specifically caught it for him, Jiang Chen was naturally full of anticipation.

"Sacrifice it."

Jiang Chen clicked the confirm button, even calculating in his heart that if it were a rare monster, could he extract it to be a guard dog for General Qin, or send it to Longke Academy for slicing and research.

However.

When that familiar golden light flashed across the screen.

"Hum—"

This time, the commotion was even greater than when the golden belt and blueprints appeared before.

The air seemed to be torn apart, and a scent with a faint fragrance, yet mixed with a trace of a burnt smell, appeared out of thin air in the spacious bedroom.

Immediately after, with a muffled "thud."

A humanoid object, tied up with special alloy ropes and still wriggling, fell heavily onto Jiang Chen's five-meter-wide bed, even bouncing twice on the soft mattress.

Jiang Chen looked closely, and his whole body instantly turned to stone.

What the hell, where is this a monster?!

This is clearly a living person!

And it's a blonde bombshell wearing a tight leather suit, with a figure hot enough to explode, staring with a pair of angry big eyes...

"Mm! Mmm mmm!"

The woman had a rag stuffed in her mouth. The moment she saw Jiang Chen, the anger in her eyes turned into terror, and she struggled desperately on the bed, writhing like a fish out of water.

Jiang Chen held his phone, looking at this "sacrifice" that had appeared inexplicably on the bed, and then looked at the seeking-praise emoji of Jiang Wanqiu on the phone screen.

At that moment, Jiang Chen only felt his scalp go numb, and his head was buzzing.

"Jiang Wanqiu, damn you..."

Jiang Chen swallowed, his voice trembling, "You call this... prey?"