Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
That night, Gao Peng received a phone call from He Ming. He said that his wife had fallen ill and that he’d had to accompany her at the hospital. He was hoping to reschedule a time for his appointment, as he would not be able to attend the following day.
“Captain He, I’ll be heading over to Yuzhou tomorrow. Let’s arrange for an appointment if we’re both available in the future,” Gao Peng answered.
Gao Peng felt that this was really too coincidental. He had been trying to think of an excuse to avoid working on He Ming’s familiars, and, lo and behold, an excuse had appeared right in front of him.
After about ten minutes, the phone rang again. Flamy, who was working hard on the treadmill, immediately got off. It rushed to the sofa in hops and jumps, grabbed the phone, and rushed it into the kitchen. Flamy handed the phone to its master, eager to please.
Gao Peng took the phone, and Flamy happily puffed up its chest, eagerly looking at its master with expectant eyes.
Gao Peng looked at his phone and saw that it was Director Chen. As he answered the phone, he waved Flamy away with his hand and said, “Looks like you’re taking it easy now, aren’t you? One more hour on the treadmill.”
Flamy’s soul left its body.
“You’re back from Jiangnan?” On the other end of the phone, Director Chen’s hearty laugher could be heard. “Are you free tomorrow? There is something I need your help with. It’s something good, don’t worry.”
“Director Chen, why did you leave the Monster Breeder Association?” Gao Peng asked. Director Chen was a seasoned director of the Monster Breeder Association. Apparently, he had taken up the role ever since the Cataclysm.
When the topic of the Monster Breeder Association was brought up, Director Chen seemed a bit sad.
“The organization has changed. It is no longer the Monster Breeder Association that I loved working for. The Monster Breeder Association is now a subsidiary of the Monster Trainer League, and the Monster Trainer League…” Over on the other end, Director Chen fell silent. He seemed to have something to say, but the words never came out in the end.
“I heard that the establishment of the Monster Trainer League has something to do with the Allied Government,” said Gao Peng. This would mean that the Monster Trainer League and the Allied Government had a very close relationship.
Director Chen’s laughter came from the other end of the line again. “Yes, they are related. But it’s not in the way that you might imagine. I’m working for the military right now. Are you interested in coming to work here? Based on your talents and the potential in your work performance, it would be totally possible for you to be in charge of your own laboratory here.” Director Chen knew that Gao Peng was on his own, and he wanted to help him out.
If this were the Gao Peng of the past, he would have considered. But now that he had gotten back in touch with his grandpa, he had abandoned all intentions of joining any such established powers.
Director Chen felt that Gao Peng’s decision was a pity, but he quickly lifted his spirits. “It’s alright. But for now, there’s a big job to be done. Are you interested? Uh… I can’t pay you much for it, but I can make up for it with rare materials.” Director Chen knew Gao Peng’s personality well. Money was the greatest enticement.
“Please feel free to get straight to the point, Director Chen. If it’s within my means, I will do my best to help.”
“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point, then. You’ve probably heard of the Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworms migrating over from the Dali Desert, right? The colony of Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworms has already been driven out beyond the Chang’an City borders. But recently, a Monster Hunting Squad discovered that, within the colony, a Commander tier Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm is about to promote to Lord tier.”
A Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm about to reach Lord tier… Gao Peng tried to digest the news.
“The military is preparing to capture a Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm on the brink of reaching Lord tier?” Director Chen was representing the military now, so this request was also coming from them.
“Yes, but not right away. We intend to have this Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm successfully promote. Since these earthworms initially lived in the Dali Desert, we believe they will return to the Dali Desert if it manages to successfully promote.”
Gao Peng realized their plan with a start. Dali Desert was currently dominated by the Desert Ruler. Although the Dali Desert had gotten bigger since the Cataclysm, it was definitely not big enough to house the territories of two Lord tier monsters. When the time came, a huge battle would erupt. It seemed like the Chang’an military was preparing to reap the spoils of this battle.
But the only thing was…what part could Gao Peng possibly play in this plan? He was baffled. A battle at such a level was way beyond him. Even if he went, all he could do was watch.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be taking part in a battle between Lord tier monsters. All we’ll do is prevent other monsters from interfering while the Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm is in the midst of promoting.”
“Why come to me then? Aren’t there much stronger trainers within the military?”
“Well,” said Director Chen awkwardly, “this plan was proposed by me, but the upper brass of the military didn’t like it, so I can only rely on my own connections. But don’t worry, there shouldn’t be too much danger. I also have a few military trainers on my side, and, if the plan goes well in the end, the Golden Deity itself will personally lend us a hand.
“Seems like Director Chen isn’t doing so well since joining the military…” thought Gao Peng.
“Alright, when will the giant earthworm be evolving?”
“It should be within the next two days. According to reports, a lot of Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworms have already begun to gather. We believe this is in preparation for the promotion. I’ll owe you one after this. In the future, just come to me if there’s anything you need,” said Director Chen gratefully. Ever since he had stepped down from his position as the director of the Monster Breeder Association, he had truly learned about the warmth and coldness of humanity. Many who had appeared to be his friends on the surface had all declined one by one the moment they heard about a monster promoting to Lord tier.
…
The next day, the group of people gathered along the Mirror Lake in the outskirts of Chang’an. By the time Gao Peng got there, Director Chen and the others were already there. Other than Director Chen, there were two others dressed in casual wear. They were both tall and fat. He thought their weights added together must equal more than 500 pounds.
“And this is?” asked Director Chen, looking hesitantly at the old man standing next to Gao Peng.
“He is one of my elders from my family…” said Gao Peng, introducing Uncle Liu to the rest.
“Good morning, everyone. Have you all eaten? I have some buns here, they’re still hot.” Uncle Liu took over the conversation and offered the plastic bag he was carrying. The thick fragrance of meat buns rose into the air.
“It’s ok, we’ve eaten,” said Director Chen with an awkward smile.
“Why, thank you.” The fat man on the left chuckled as he reached his hands into the bag and took out two large buns.
“Uncle, you are so generous. I shall not stand on ceremony.” The fat man on the right also chuckled as he reached for two large buns. He bit into one, smearing his mouth with grease.
Director Chen just stared at them silently.
“Let’s not be strangers, everyone,” said Gao Peng, trying to diffuse the awkwardness in the air.
Uncle Liu was wearing a white athletic jersey, a pair of grey shorts, and a pair of olive green sports shoes. He looked like he was just taking a walk in the park, which probably explained Director Chen’s puzzled expression when he first saw him.
“My name is Liu Shaotang,” said Uncle Liu as he introduced himself. “You can call me Uncle Liu or Old Liu.”
This was the first time that Gao Peng had heard Uncle Liu’s full name, which he thought was rather elegant. Gao Peng suddenly thought of how Uncle Liu looked when he was dressed proper, and it gave an entirely different impression of him.
“I am Li Qing,” said the fat man on the left.
“I am Qin Yi,” said the fat man on the right.
“…Zhong?” Uncle Liu ventured hesitatingly.
