Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Mission Location

Li Rui walked down the neon-lit street with his hands in his pockets, kicking a walnut-sized stone ahead of him. It seemed to have come from a broken curb.

He found himself surprisingly calm. In fact, he used to secretly fantasize that his parents were not dead and might suddenly show up one day, claiming they had faked their deaths.

But now that he actually saw them, he didn’t feel anything special; it was like meeting friends he hadn’t seen in many years.

Thud.

The stone he kicked landed in a nearby trash can.

"Am I late?" he asked.

Cheng Mingyue stood on the curb, rocking on her heels, with her hands behind her back, wearing a dress she normally wouldn’t wear: "I came early."

The two naturally linked arms, as if they were long accustomed to it, indistinguishable from any other couple on the street.

However, if anyone overheard their conversation, they would surely be startled.

"The border is already starting to close; now trying to enter the country has become very difficult."

"Do we have enough people? Why haven’t we received any notification?"

"Maybe soon, but there might be other arrangements."

"What arrangements? Attacking the Holy Judgment High Court?"

"I don’t know, my uncle said that the top still needs to negotiate with the Western Kingdom. I never thought that after coming out from the Secret Realm battlefield, we would join forces with them."

As Cheng Mingyue spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up, pointing at the entrance of a restaurant beside them, she exclaimed: "I want hot pot! I’m starving."

Just as Li Rui was about to agree, he suddenly felt a weight in his hands, and Cheng Mingyue collapsed against him without a word.

On closer inspection, eight stars were engraved on the mark.

"... Why didn’t you mention the Secret Realm before."

Li Rui looked speechless as he hurriedly carried her to a taxi, heading to the capital branch.

The two greeters at the hot pot restaurant’s entrance turned pale.

"That girl just now..."

"Fainted from hunger?"

The downside of the Secret Realm countdown being canceled is that all Secret Realm agents would enter a sudden coma mode, catching people off guard.

Li Rui called the logistics team to inject Cheng Mingyue with glucose to prevent hypoglycemia. After all, now that the flow of time inside and outside the Secret Realm was the same, it was unclear how many days the coma would last.

He stayed outside the awakening room, playing on his phone, when he saw Nan Jiumei shouting in their small group chat.

"Brothers, I’m going to be stationed at the border. Have any of you received assignments?"

After the Secret Realm battlefield ended, their four-person group was split up, because with the significant increase in strength, they needed to be developed into independent roles.

But no one responded.

"... None of you have tasks?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I do."

Jiang Yu said, "I have to be on duty within the borders. The public is feeling uneasy about the situation in the chaotic places, and we need to prevent illegal agents from infiltrating."

"What about Brother Chuan?"

It was only then that Dong Sanchuan spoke up.

"Confidential."

Upon seeing this message, everyone approximately figured it out.

The current confidential task was likely escorting diplomatic personnel out of the country.

After all, the Holy Judgment High Court and the Polar Cathedral had already united. There were even rumors that they were planning to form a union called the Ten Thousand Gods Country, foreseeing that the world order would undergo tremendous changes. Other countries needed to reach consensus, and discussions were essential.

"What about Li Rui?"

Nan Jiumei asked again.

"I just came back and haven’t received the next task yet."

As an official advisor, Li Rui’s reconnaissance missions in chaotic places were naturally not public.

Seeing his message, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.

At this critical moment, his return was self-explanatory and was surely related to that explosive news.

No one else said anything, only Nan Jiumei replied playfully: "Alright, alright, Advisor Li, thank you for your hard work / sends flower."

Li Rui couldn’t be bothered to respond and put away his phone.

Cheng Mingyue’s Secret Realm lasted three days, and since Li Rui had nothing to do, he studied Secret Realm materials nearby.

Now that he had the ability to break through the Secret Realm barriers, he needed to carefully plan matters regarding the Dragon Thunder and Earth Thunder. Additionally, the search for Celestial Thunder clues had to be prioritized.

It was obvious that Zuo Qiutian and the others, whether they truly intended to enter the Upper Realm or had other aims, were definitely beyond ordinary comprehension.

If he could grasp the power of the Five Thunders Skill quickly, it would provide an advantage.

"Let’s aim to resolve six Thunder Generals in the next Secret Realm; then I can synthesize the twelve Dragon Thunder fragments. Next is Ghost Cry Ridge; I have to find a way to enter that vicinity again."

"... The whereabouts of the Celestial Thunder, even the division has no information. Who should I ask?"

He thought of his parents, whom he had lost for more than a decade, and wondered if they might have some answers.

Li Rui mulled it over and realized that he might have to go to the Secret Realm World again, where he could inquire if he encountered their people.

"Jingyang Academy?"

He suddenly recalled, the academy was just east of Ghost Cry Ridge. When searching for Earth Thunder, he could find a way to break through the barrier and ask a local world NPC for insight.

It was said that the academy was full of erudite scholars familiar with both ancient and modern knowledge, potentially offering clues.

"It’d be best to try contacting Daoist Chongxu; with his introduction, entry would be easier. Plus, I could discuss these matters with him—who knows, he might be willing to help?"

Li Rui, however, wasn’t quite sure; though Chongxu had said that the fate of all beings was tied to Shenxiao Palace, this was nonetheless not his world.

Not to mention Shenxiao Palace, even the countries in this world were not all willing to oppose the Holy Judgment High Court. After all, all they had done so far was plant a tree and engage in some inhumane acts on their occupied territory without initiating any warfare, at most having border skirmishes with the Western Kingdom.

Because of this, most countries only expressed condemnation but had yet to take any substantive action.

Three days later, Cheng Mingyue woke up.

"I’ve reached level 56, and I feel the Secret Realm has changed a bit too," she said. "But I can’t explain it; it’s just a feeling."

Li Rui replied, "That’s normal. Many things have changed lately. I have to go to the division; there’s a new mission, and I just got the notification."

As he was speaking, he received a new message, coincidentally Zhuo Feilong inquiring about Cheng Mingyue’s level. After responding, Li Rui read the updated message and was momentarily taken aback: "You have to go as well."

Once at the Superpower Division, Li Rui met an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a while in the minister’s office.

"Elder Song, what brings you here?" he asked, a bit surprised, without knowing exactly why he felt this way.

"These are turbulent times, and I can’t just retire locally. Our esteemed minister brought me to headquarters, primarily working as your superior," Song Yao replied.

Li Rui chuckled bitterly, "What do you mean by acting as my superior, as if I can’t do anything without supervision."

Knock knock knock.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Please come in," Zhuo Feilong said, after which Guan Gui walked in from outside.

This minister of the Superpower Division said: "Good. Now that the key personnel are all here, I’ll start by explaining that this mission’s location is within the Secret Realm."