96: Chapter 96, eh?

Tang Ningfei looked over and saw that familiar back.

Without thinking twice, she walked over quickly and poked her head out from his side to stare at his face.

The moment she saw him clearly, she froze.

“Eh?”

Seeing Tang Ningfei appear at his side, Gu Changming also looked over and responded:

“Eh?”

Hearing this reply, Tang Ningfei froze again.

“Eh?”

“Eh?” Gu Changming didn't say anything else, simply mimicking her.

Eh?

Tang Ningfei’s mind was a bit dazed.

The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds.

Then, she looked at him and spoke tentatively:

“Eh?”

“...”

Another brief silence.

“Speak,” Gu Changming finally said.

What are you doing? Do you really think you're a repeater?

Tang Ningfei finally snapped out of it, blinked, and said in disbelief, “Why are you here?”

Gu Changming continued walking forward. “Then where should I be?”

“No,” Tang Ningfei waved her hand to explain, “I mean, I didn't expect to run into you here.”

“I didn't expect it either.” Gu Changming’s pace still didn't stop.

Tang Ningfei followed beside him, becoming a bit more reserved. “You...”

She hesitated for a few seconds before asking, “What are you doing over here?”

“Some business,” Gu Changming replied.

Tang Ningfei gave an “Oh,” and the two walked a few more steps.

Then she continued, “Did you kill a lot of Shadow Devourers during the second Assessment? We received intelligence that you seemed to have shown up at a camp and displayed dozens of Shadow Crystals...”

Gu Changming glanced over, then retracted his gaze, not particularly caring.

He no longer needed to fear being targeted like he did at the beginning, so even if his news was leaked, he had nothing to worry about.

“Fake,” Gu Changming said without changing his expression. “Just a few. Rumors become more outrageous as they spread.”

Tang Ningfei nodded in agreement.

She also felt it was unlikely; it was most likely just a false rumor.

One had to know that even after knowing the 'Bright Light Rule,' not many people successfully hunted Shadow Devourers, and most of them were teams who only succeeded by triggering the 'Bright Light Rule' continuously.

The possibility of Gu Changming killing so many Shadow Devourers alone was not very high.

The two continued walking forward.

Tang Ningfei glanced ahead at the road leading to the camp exit and asked, “Where are you going?”

“To the Secret Realm,” Gu Changming answered concisely.

Tang Ningfei gave an “Oh,” then remembered Jiang Chen and immediately said, “Um... someone in our organization saw that recording from last time and wanted to meet you. He's here too, would it be convenient to meet?”

She thought this was just a polite gesture and that Gu Changming would probably agree casually.

To her surprise, Gu Changming didn't stop his pace at all, and his answer remained flat.

“It's not convenient.”

“Eh?” Tang Ningfei was stunned for a moment, not expecting to be rejected so directly.

Gu Changming had already walked out of the camp gate, and a sentence drifted back lightly.

“I just said, I'm going to the Secret Realm.”

They had just happened to run into each other here and said hello.

Gu Changming hadn't forgotten his original purpose; the Mimic Beast was about to hatch, and he had to go inside to test its evolved abilities.

Therefore, doing something like meeting someone else just for her sake was simply a waste of time.

Watching Gu Changming’s receding figure, Tang Ningfei stopped in her tracks.

She still had a mission; it was impossible for her to follow him into the Secret Realm.

...

Not long after Tang Ningfei stood there, prompts and messages began to arrive on her information panel.

The squad members under her command were operating smoothly, sending back brief reports like “Target controlled” and “Area control complete.”

About half an hour later, Jiang Chen appeared from the other end of the street, leading two elite members toward her.

Before he even reached her, Jiang Chen's voice came over: “Two D-rank ability users resisted quite fiercely. They couldn't be controlled and died.”

Tang Ningfei nodded; this level of casualties was within the plan and was a foreseeable risk.

“Just record it in the report according to procedure and submit it,” Tang Ningfei reminded him.

Jiang Chen acknowledged her and stopped by her side, his gaze sweeping across the street, which hadn't changed much because of their actions.

“This place is temporarily under control. Next, we just need to wait for the higher-ups to send people down. We really aren't very good at management...”

Most of their hundred or so people were combat personnel; they were good at fighting, but when it came to management...

It still had to be handed over to professional managers. If they were to do it, the best result would be maintaining the status quo.

If they had no self-awareness and insisted on ruling or reforming according to their own wishful thinking, order here would likely collapse before long, and all personnel would drain away to other camps.

After Jiang Chen finished speaking, Tang Ningfei glanced at him and spoke slowly:

“I just... ran into Gu Changming.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Chen was startled, thinking Tang Ningfei was joking.

Tang Ningfei continued, “Right after you left, he walked right past me. I was quite surprised...”

“Where is he then?” Jiang Chen pressed.

“He went into the Secret Realm,” Tang Ningfei replied.

“...”

Jiang Chen didn't know what to say at this moment.

He had searched for him for so long, only to miss him like this?

Seeing this, Tang Ningfei said, “It's fine. Don't we also need to explore the specific conditions inside the Secret Realm?”

Hearing her say this, Jiang Chen's expression softened slightly, and he nodded.

Controlling the camp was only one of the reasons they brought these hundred-plus people; another goal was to map out the internal conditions, creature distribution, and resource points of this Secret Realm to pave the way for the organization to efficiently and safely obtain points and supplies later.

Tang Ningfei continued, “Anyway, he's inside. We'll run into him sooner or later.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Chen responded, looking toward the entrance of the Secret Realm, his mind settling down a bit.

...

Inside the Secret Realm.

As far as the eye could see was a scorching, empty plain.

The ground was a dull crimson, like dried blood scabs, stretching to the edge of the horizon.

Rugged red rocks were scattered about, the air slightly distorted by high temperatures, with hot winds sweeping through from time to time. Vegetation was extremely scarce, with only a few clusters of tenacious, entirely fiery-red strange plants dotting this peculiar world.

A moment later.

Gu Changming appeared on this Crimson Flame Plain.

A nearly invisible film of telekinetic power enveloped him, insulating him from most of the scorching heat waves.

He held the Black Cocoon of the Mimic Beast in his right palm, walked to a half-man-high red boulder, and stopped.

He placed the Mimic Beast's cocoon on it and observed it carefully.

The surface of the cocoon was no longer pure black, showing a translucent texture.

Through the increasingly thin shell, one could clearly see a blurred creature curled up inside, its body constantly twisting slightly.

Gu Changming stood to the side, just staring.

A moment later, a faint “crack” sounded from the surface of the cocoon shell.

A crack appeared and then spread rapidly. A viscous, translucent liquid seeped from the crack, dripping onto the red rock below.

The crack widened, and a creature about the size of a house cat, with an indiscernible shape, wriggled out of the cocoon.