It was a little past six in the morning.
Why was this neighbor named Gao Huating out and about? She wasn’t going to work or sleeping in.
From Daoist Wang’s casual observations over the past ten days, Gao Huating, a young nanny, was sweet and cute-looking, but not particularly outstanding. She was just an ordinary person without any fighting skills.
However, from the perspective of a cultivator, there was a certain spiritual energy about her, which was quite rare. As people grow older, their worries and burdens increase, causing their spiritual energy to fade away. To still have this energy at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four…
It was likely that her spiritual energy and talent were exceptional when she was younger. If Daoist Wang had discovered her when she was three or four, he might have taken her as a registered disciple.
Unfortunately, she was already grown up and didn’t have much potential left to cultivate.
She rode her bike along the sunlit concrete road, leaving a winding tire mark behind her. She looked carefree and happy, with a few plastic sunflowers bobbing in her bike basket.
Daoist Wang thought to himself:
She really seems like a good person.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Gao Huating’s bike stopped by the roadside. She looked around a bit and then jumped into a nearby wheat field with a sneaky look.
Suddenly, a section of the wheat field cracked open.
Daoist Wang’s spiritual sense scanned carefully and discovered a small building wrapped in “holographic fabric,” creating a perfect visual illusion.
Gao Huating opened the door and slipped inside.
It was a small elevator room. She skillfully authenticated her fingerprint and pressed the down button, descending four or five meters to a spacious studio filled with instruments and electronic equipment.
“Yoohoo!”
Gao Huating cheered, kicked off her sneakers, and, like a wild horse finding a pasture or a thirsty fish returning to water, she ran around in her light-colored knee-high socks on the clean floor. She rushed to the corner fridge, grabbed a cold drink, and jumped onto a nearby hammock.
She snuggled in the hammock, sipping her drink, tossed her knee-high socks aside, and wiggled her small, crystal-clear feet.
In the corner of the studio, a 3D projector hanging from the ceiling started working, displaying the half-figure of a middle-aged woman beside Gao Huating.
The woman urged, “Hey! You finally remembered you have this part-time job!”
“Hehe!”
Gao Huating smiled shyly:
“I recently got a new neighbor next door, and I didn’t dare to come out!”
“Neighbor? Didn’t I already have someone clear out the room next to yours? Why is there still a neighbor?”
“I don’t know! But that big brother is really nice!”
Gao Huating proudly wiggled her feet:
“I said hi to him! I wasn’t even too nervous!”
The middle-aged woman couldn’t help but facepalm: “That’s just wonderful… Am I chatting with a child from the nursery? You’re 24, Huating! Even though I’m just your manager and caretaker, if you like girls, I’ll support you! You don’t need to act scared of men all the time.”
“I’m not scared, I just don’t know how to talk to them.”
Gao Huating’s cheeks turned a bit red as she quickly defended herself:
“And I’m straight! Strictly traditional!
“I will follow the call of the fortress’s will and choose the right partner to reproduce at the right age, or… use a machine for surrogacy!”
“Okay, okay, let’s get to work!”
The middle-aged woman glanced at her watch:
“The next broadcast is in seventy minutes, and it will be soothing songs, at least five of them. You need to get ready.
“We’ve increased the number of radio terminals in the lower city of the fortress. Right now, the lower city is shrouded in fear from the blade beasts, and music is the only healing.
“And drink less! Take good care of your precious voice!”
“Oh,” Gao Huating replied, a bit pitifully, “but these drinks are really tasty!”
The middle-aged woman gave in, covering her forehead and ending the call.
Gao Huating giggled, jumped off the hammock, stood on her tiptoes, and walked a few dance steps, spinning around to the side wardrobe.
In the wardrobe, there were three wigs: golden medium-length hair, smooth black long hair, and wine-red wavy long hair.
Gao Huating held her drink in her left hand, crossed her right arm in front of her, and showed a thoughtful expression on her face.
She murmured to herself:
“Should I go for the ‘Rock Queen’ Jin Kairi today? Or the ‘Lyrical Lady’ Hua Moli? Or maybe the charming ‘Smoky Voice Sister’ Wang Qianqian?
“Chirp chirp chirp! It’s you today! Jin Kairi!”
She set down her drink, picked up the smooth golden wig, and bounced over to the makeup table. She quickly put on the wig, tied up her short hair, and applied a bright red lipstick in front of the mirror, giving a soft kiss sound, and then put on sunglasses.
Half a minute later, she picked up an electric guitar and began playing a passionate melody;
Two minutes later, she grabbed a bass guitar and played strong, powerful notes;
Five minutes later, she sat behind the drums, energetically hitting the cheerful beats;
Ten minutes later, she played the electronic keyboard with one hand, swaying her body to the rhythm, exclaiming “Wow” and “Cool.”
Daoist Wang, hiding behind a tree a hundred meters away, silently observed:
What is this?
Ah?
She really doesn’t seem very smart.
Finally, after playing enough, Gao Huating cleared her throat and activated the pre-recorded accompaniment.
She picked up the guitar and walked to a standing microphone, took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and murmured:
“The third song of the ten-thousand-person concert, rock style, one hundred and twenty-sixth rehearsal.”
She took off her sunglasses, her eyes became determined and bright, with a smile on her face, she waved to the front and said into the microphone:
“The next song is called ‘Our Dream,’ dedicated to everyone who has worked hard to survive in the fortress era. We have welcomed the dawn and victory! Thank you for your contributions to human survival! Thank you for waiting for the future!”
The accompaniment became exciting just in time, and her electric guitar quickly blended into the rhythm, her originally crisp voice becoming high-pitched, bright, and full of power.
Daoist Wang couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Although the whole scene was a bit… amusing…
The song was indeed good, stirring not just the eardrums but also the blood in people’s hearts.
What a magical talent.
After finishing the song, Gao Huating’s small face was covered in sweat, her breathing rapid, her chest rising and falling.
The imagined lights she had created faded away, and the canvas on the wall with stick figures naturally couldn’t give her any response.
“That was pretty good! Keep it up!”
Gao Huating smiled happily, then stretched her arms wide.
The 3D projector in the corner displayed the figure of the middle-aged woman again.
The agent shouted, “Ancestor! Huating! There’s no time! Are you still playing?”
“Oh, oh! Okay, okay!”
Gao Huating hurriedly put away the electric guitar, took off the golden wig, and rushed to the wardrobe, quickly putting on the black long hair, wiping off the red lipstick, and applying a layer of light pink lip balm.
Daoist Wang noticed that her aura had changed, becoming gentle and intellectual, while still retaining her original sweetness and cuteness.
Gao Huating hummed a cheerful tune, picked up an acoustic guitar, and sat down at the control panel in the corner, skillfully adjusting various parameters, waiting for the countdown to finish.
Finally.
She pressed the broadcast button, took a gentle breath, and spoke softly with a slightly ethereal voice:
“Good morning, residents of the fortress. This is T.E.R’s exclusive channel. I hope today’s songs can bring you some comfort like a gentle March breeze…”
Under the tree, Daoist Wang smiled knowingly. He held back the urge to leave a note to scare T.E.R’s Gao Huating and turned to walk toward the studio.
This girl really has a good personality, but her mental state is a bit questionable.
…
Daoist Wang had just returned to his dorm and sat in meditation for a while when an old communicator received a message, and he hurried to the studio.
Something had happened in the external C district.
“Wang Zheng, look,” Uncle Tai pointed at the screen showing the images.
A team of patrolling soldiers had been knocked unconscious, their bodies arranged in a black character shape, right next to the C district’s Ling Tong supply station.
Daoist Wang asked, “Are there any casualties?”
“Two died, but they weren’t discovered here.”
Wan Xiao Qi quickly said:
“Before this, two energy users from the 82nd fortress tried to sneak in and were shot dead by the security troops.
“Then, we found two soldiers in the C district perimeter who had been tortured, suffering mental attacks with bloodshot eyes, and two red hearts drawn on their foreheads.
“These two victims should be retaliation from the energy users, and the soldiers who were knocked out are considered two separate incidents.”
Zheng Shi Duo muttered, “More than a dozen people arranged in a black character shape. It should be a provocation.”
Wu Man looked puzzled: “Provocation? Black? Black Storm?”
“Exactly,” Uncle Tai said. “Right now, it’s the only possibility. The person who arranged this character is most likely provoking the Black Storm.”
Everyone turned to look at Daoist Wang.
Daoist Wang shrugged: “Don’t look at me like that, as if I’m easily angered.”
“Well, that’s good,” Zheng Shi Duo sighed in relief. “I was really afraid you’d get into a fight over a disagreement.”
Wu Man asked, “Besides attacking the soldiers, what else did these energy users do?”
“The supply station was breached.”
Uncle Tai pulled up two photos, showing a blurry figure and large footprints left on the ground.
Wan Xiao Qi quickly read the recently received information:
“The intruding energy user is over two meters tall, very agile, with an energy fluctuation index of B, classified as a B-level body-enhanced energy user.
“Besides this photo and the footprint, our cameras set up near the supply station didn’t capture any figures, and the biological radar didn’t trigger any alarms, suggesting they might have used optical cloaking or possess unique abilities.
“We arranged four mechanics in the fake supply station, and they all found a handful of sand by their pillows.
“This energy user likely could have easily killed those mechanics.
“All the equipment there showed signs of being tampered with, and they took the fake data we left behind, which… we intentionally retained some information related to Wu Man to cover these things.”
Wan Xiao Qi pointed to the large furnaces and freezers storing blade beast materials behind them.
Wu Man laughed, “I became the cover for the sir, that’s great.”
“You should adapt to walking sooner,” Daoist Wang teased, “or else you won’t be able to run away smoothly later.”
“I can walk a few steps now, but it’s tiring,” Wu Man said a bit dejectedly.
Daoist Wang patted Wu Man’s head, encouraging him: “No need to rush, just take care of your health. I’m just joking… So, does this mean another B-level energy user has come here?”
The speaker at the control panel announced the voice of Battle Sister Chi She: “To be precise, there are four.”
Outside the window, a curved tail flame trail appeared, and a graceful figure flew in through the window.
It was Chi She, wearing blade armor.
She was supposed to rest at the exclusive supply station of the surface military camp but had taken a detour here.
After landing, she stretched her sore neck and smiled:
“According to our intelligence, this is an investigation team made up of two A-level and two B-level members, a very professional team skilled in hiding their tracks.
“They previously appeared at the 82nd fortress and took away four assisting energy users.
“This investigation team has the combat capability to destroy the 76th fortress.
“If they insist on invading the fortress, it will be hard to resist with just conventional strength.”
Daoist Wang felt a bit speechless.
He had just settled into his cultivation for ten days!
Not even half a month!
Fortunately, he wasn’t lacking in crystal cores, and his recovery speed was decent… But the Gathering Spirit and Returning to Truth realms were processes of forging the foundation, and even with abundant spiritual energy, it would still take some time.
He needed to forge his body well; otherwise, the Dan Condensation stage would be quite uncomfortable.
Chi She looked at Daoist Wang, smiling:
“However, if you could give us a spiritual energy massage, we wouldn’t mind protecting you closely like Ling Tong.”
Daoist Wang leaned back slightly.
What do they think of me!
For the love of heaven!
Am I a massage therapist? Besides, Chi She is a woman, a married woman at that; how could there be any skinship!
Half an hour later.
Daoist Wang, dressed in a ‘surgical standard outfit,’ wearing thick tactical gloves, looked at Chi She and Shen Hai lying side by side on the bed, squinting and smiling, placing his hands on the necks of the two half-mechanical bodies.
“How’s this pressure?”
“Very good.”
“Hmm… No wonder Ling Tong’s strength improved so quickly… Honey, let’s fight for his love, double the benefits to hire him!”
Shen Hai chuckled: “Sure, but you have to get a divorce first and maybe add some height and a breast enhancement; otherwise, it might be a bit difficult.”
“Die!”
Chi She punched over, and Shen Hai was sent flying with the bed for over ten meters.
Daoist Wang’s hands immediately lightened up, helping Chi She relieve the dark injuries accumulated from years of battle.
Shen Hai ran back with the iron bed, smiling awkwardly at Daoist Wang, then lay back down to comfort his wife.
This couple…
Daoist Wang quietly laughed to himself, observing them closely.
At the same time.
By an elevator on the seventh floor, a burly man in military uniform slowly raised his head, locking his gaze on a residential building.
He sniffed the air.
The bear had already sensed it; it was indeed the scent of energy users.
(End of Chapter)