Chapter 55: Do You Also Wish to Compete for the World's Supremacy?
Staring at the armed and alert military police surrounding him, Shen He felt numb all over. Not far away, the senior members of the village’s intelligence department were hiding in a corner, sneaking glances in his direction, clearly intent on witnessing the spectacle to the end.
If nothing else happened today, he suspected that, from now on, he would be known in village gossip as the child from Shen Lao’er’s family who ended up in the station. Perhaps, in the city, he’d even be rumored as a frequent fugitive returning from the underworld.
Shen He sighed and said, “Captain Chen, isn’t this a bit excessive?”
Chen Zhao smiled, “No can do. I have to give you some face, don’t I? Everyone in your village seems to love a good drama.”
Shen He cast him a slightly resentful look. When had Chen Zhao started picking up such tricks?
A young man, sharply dressed in a suit and carrying a case, stepped off the vehicle and approached Chen Zhao, “Captain, let’s go review the research materials first.”
Chen Zhao nodded, then turned to Shen He, “Where’s the body?”
Shen He led the two into the courtyard and to the corner where he had discarded the dog’s corpse, pulling back the rainproof tarp.
The body of a black dog, the size of a calf, lay exposed.
Captain Chen crouched down to inspect it carefully, visibly surprised, “One strike, killed instantly. You’ve really learned something, haven’t you?”
He already knew Shen He through Li Ding, and after the previous incident, he’d investigated him further. It was clear that Shen He had returned this time after training in swordsmanship with the action director from the film crew.
The only visible wound on the dog’s body was a sword injury at the back of the head—the blade had entered through the mouth and exited through the skull. A single, decisive blow. The technique was clean, and the body was much more intact than he’d expected.
Shen He smiled, “I spent so much money, of course I learned a thing or two.”
He watched as the young man opened his case, revealing precise instruments. Blood samples were taken, tests for residual bioelectricity and cellular activity conducted—the process was intricate and painstaking.
Shen He sidled up to Chen Zhao and whispered, “Captain, what’s going on here?”
Chen Zhao replied quietly, “It’s a new protocol from above. After sending the previous materials, they urgently developed these testing tools to gauge the strength of mutant beasts and assign levels.”
“That last dog was preliminary Level One, the mantis was Level One. According to the procedure, Level One materials start at two hundred thousand. The higher the grade, the more money you get.”
“Oh, and if you’re willing, you can test yourself. Every city bureau has special measuring instruments to let you know your current strength.”
Hearing this, Shen He’s expression cleared. So, the authorities had learned of the mutant beast situation and started designing new regulations and workflows—assigning levels for convenience.
If that's the case, there must be plenty of powerful humans as well.
But if so, how did things end up so devastated two years later? Was it because the underground and mutant beasts appeared simultaneously? Or did humans simply evolve slower than those monsters, resulting in a deadly pincer attack that destroyed cities and crippled the defense system?
He asked quietly, “Hasn’t anyone figured out where these creatures came from?”
Chen Zhao shook his head, “It won’t be that fast. They need a lot of materials for research. If they get a clue within half a year, that's already impressive.”
Shen He understood. Trying to explain all this scientifically was bound to be difficult.
At that moment, the young man in the suit stood up, “Strength reached mid-Level One, assessed at two hundred fifty thousand.”
Chen Zhao nodded, then looked at Shen He, “Same account as last time, right?”
Shen He nodded, “Hasn’t changed.”
Chen Zhao turned and made a phone call. About three minutes later, Shen He’s phone chimed.
‘Ding!’
‘Your account 9641 received a deposit of 250,000 Great Xia coins on July 14. Available balance: 2,689,689. Note: Police task reward issued.’
Chen Zhao said, “Check it, the money should have arrived.”
After Shen He confirmed, several military police stepped forward and wrapped the dog’s corpse in a special bag, then loaded it into one of the armored vehicles. The young man in the suit had already packed up his instruments and carried the case away.
Chen Zhao said, “Since everything’s settled, we’ll head back.”
Shen He saw them out of the courtyard. Watching the armed officers board their vehicles once more, he waved at them in front of the ‘village intelligence department’ elders, as if bidding farewell to friends.
Soon, a bolder old man shuffled over and whispered, “Xiao He, what were they here for?”
Shen He replied with an earnest expression, “They came to invite me out of retirement.”
The old man’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Shen He.
Shen He lowered his voice, “Uncle Liu, don’t spread this around. If word gets out, it’ll hurt their reputation and cause trouble.”
Uncle Liu patted his chest, “Don’t worry, everyone knows I’m the tightest-lipped in the village.”
Shen He nodded and walked back into the courtyard.
No sooner had he left than Uncle Liu hurried back, and the waiting elders swarmed him.
They chattered, “What happened? Did Xiao He get in trouble in the city and run back? Why didn’t they arrest him?”
“I don’t think so. They didn’t take him away. How could he be a fugitive?”
“Maybe they had no evidence? Isn’t that how things go nowadays?”
“……”
Uncle Liu cleared his throat and raised a hand; the group immediately fell silent.
He lowered his voice, “I’ve got the story. Those officers were here to invite young Shen into the mountains.”
A granny asked, “Into the mountains? What for?”
Uncle Liu stroked his chin, “I saw what they carried out from Xiao He’s house all wrapped up. My guess is they found an ancient tomb in the hills and want him to explore it.”
At these words, the crowd wore expressions of awed confusion.
Meanwhile, Shen He returned to his room and summoned the system panel, selecting the ‘Profession’ tab.
[Ding! Your Martial Artist profession has reached 100%. You may now receive the Promotion Quest.]
[Would you like to view the Promotion Quest?]
[Yes/No]
[…]
He tapped to view the quest, and subtitles appeared on the light screen.
[Martial Artist Promotion Quest!]
[First fists, then legs, followed by grappling; weapons and internal skills, all five combined.]
[Defeat five masters in their respective fields to complete the promotion quest!]
[Time limit: 7 days]
[Currently defeated: Li Ding (fist techniques), Lin Helu (weapons)]
[…]
As Shen He read the quest details, especially the description below, it seemed ever more familiar.
Suddenly, he looked up sharply, eyes wide, “Are you treating me like Feng Yuxiu? Trying to fight for the world’s top spot, are you?”