Chapter 68

This damn mission is exhausting, both mentally and physically. Clearly, Hao Ren, who has been an ordinary citizen for over twenty years, is still not quite used to the high-energy life of a behind-the-scenes hero—especially since he’s not even at the level of a behind-the-scenes grunt yet.

The connection with Raven 12345 went smoothly. The crazy goddess was in the yard, tending to her flowers and plants, with nothing to do. Hao Ren saw Raven 12345 on the holographic projection, still carrying that huge broadsword, looking like a tough woman who had just returned from a comic convention.

Hao Ren, with a weary expression, recounted his experiences over the past two days, and finally said with a hint of anticipation, "The task was completed smoothly. Do you think I did a decent job?"

Raven 12345 nodded, "Yeah, it was decent."

Hao Ren: "…"

It seems he shouldn’t have expected this unreliable person to say anything nice from the beginning.

"What, do you want me to give you a first-class merit or something?" Raven 12345 easily noticed the awkward look on Hao Ren’s face and smiled mischievously, "You think running halfway around the world to pick up a harmless new tenant is a tough mission?"

"I felt it was tough. You have to consider my situation," Hao Ren mumbled, "I even fought a few hundred ghosts and ran into a half-assed demon hunter. That was quite thrilling for me."

Raven 12345 pondered for a moment, then surprisingly nodded slightly, "Yeah, that does count as exceptional performance. According to the manual, your physical enhancements should still be in the early stages, and your combat ability is barely above 5. Yet, you didn’t back down even when you had little combat power. That’s quite unexpected. I’ll give you a reward… it’s enough to record some military merit for you. Even though you were on a civilian mission, the Temporal Administration’s military merit system includes such tasks."

Hao Ren was suddenly very interested and wanted to ask about the military merit, but Raven 12345 didn’t seem keen on explaining. So Hao Ren asked about something else, "Izax has been picked up. How do I get him back? I just realized something—you gave us enough travel expenses… but you didn’t arrange the entry and exit procedures for Izax to the UK! He’s still holding the documents for the original landing point, and he has a Chinese ID card…"

Raven 12345 slapped her forehead, "Oh, that’s right! I forgot! I only arranged the procedures for the three of you!"

Hao Ren felt it was a good decision not to have high hopes for Raven 12345 from the beginning.

"Wait a moment, Izax’s entry and exit procedures, right?" Raven 12345 didn’t look embarrassed at all, "Normally, my subordinates at various levels should handle these things, but I’ll do it for you this time. Wait a moment, I’ll start the procedures… 1, 2, 3, done."

Hao Ren was about to turn off the data terminal when he heard Raven 12345 start the procedures, thinking it would take at least a day or two to get results. But to his surprise, everything was done in the blink of an eye. Raven 12345 cheerfully told Hao Ren to extend his hand, "Open your hand, yes, catch it, go!"

Hao Ren felt a weight in his hand. When he realized it, a large file was already in his hand.

"Damn, that speed…" Hao Ren stared in disbelief at the complete set of documents that were processed in three seconds, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, "I haven’t seen any other skills, but how can you be so efficient with paperwork! Instant verification and super-temporal delivery…"

Raven 12345, hearing Hao Ren’s muttering, immediately asked curiously, "What did you say?"

"Um, nothing, I just said you’re pretty fast, hehe, pretty fast…"

"Of course, I’m a goddess. Alright, now the procedures are complete. Don’t stay out too long, get back quickly. You’ve made quite a stir, and staying too long might cause trouble."

With that final, somewhat caring remark, Raven 12345 ended the communication unilaterally.

The rest of the matters went smoothly. Hao Ren and the others originally planned to stay in London for a couple more days to recover from the high-energy night, but with even the unreliable Raven 12345 reminding them to return quickly to avoid trouble and preparing their flight tickets for the next day, they naturally hurried back to China.

When they stepped back onto familiar soil, Hao Ren took a deep breath of the not-so-fresh air in the southern suburbs, and the experience in a foreign land seemed like a distant dream. The only thing that reminded him of its reality was the towering giant standing beside him.

Hao Ren suddenly thought of the half-assed demon hunter he had met and quickly bid farewell to. Perhaps due to the other’s special identity and their shared battle experience (they had at least shared a brick), Hao Ren had a deep impression of Nangong. Although Nangong was a clown and a second-rate dealer, his fearless "fighting" spirit was quite memorable. Unfortunately, Hao Ren didn’t say goodbye to him when he left—Vivian didn’t want to have anything more to do with Nangong, given his reputation as a demon hunter.

It’s just that Hao Ren wondered if Nangong really had a demon hunter behind him and if he might become a potential threat, which was somewhat unsettling. Of course, Nangong had been successfully deceived by Hao Ren and didn’t suspect their identities, and a falling meteorite had prevented him from further investigating. However, Hao Ren felt that Nangong’s easy deception was largely due to the hard hit he had received, and he might start thinking about what happened when he sobered up…

But whatever, if the sky falls, there’s always someone taller to hold it up, like the two-meter-tall giant standing beside him.

After thinking it through, Hao Ren felt refreshed. His familiar large house appeared in front of him, and he immediately became excited, patting Izax’s elbow to introduce him to his new home, "Look, that’s where I live!"

Izax’s face showed no particular emotion, neither dissatisfaction nor surprise. He just nodded calmly, "Oh, quiet, that’s all I need. I can finally live a peaceful life."

Hao Ren looked at Izax curiously, "Big guy, is there something on your mind? You’ve seemed uninterested the whole way. Sometimes you talk a lot, and sometimes you don’t say a word."

Izax smiled gently, but even with a smile, his face was still scary, "Nothing, I’ve lived a long time and encountered many troubles, but it’s all in the past. I’ve had enough of fighting and enough of being troubled. I just want to find a place where no one will bother me and live a quiet life. The Temporal Administration promised to arrange such a place for me, where I can stay as long as I want… do you have any objections?"

Hao Ren thought to himself: The Temporal Administration is really bold, selling him off for life without his consent. But since he had signed the contract, he put on an indifferent expression, "Sure, I’m just renting the place. Who cares who lives here?"

That was the truth, but he left out the part that he never imagined his tenants would be non-humans!

The house was the same as when they left, just a bit dusty from a few days without cleaning. Fortunately, the main furniture and appliances had been covered with a large pile of tarps that Vivian had brought up from the basement, making the cleanup easy. Watching the vampire happily run around, mop the floor, and clean the rooms, Izax’s expression finally became a bit strange, "She… usually does this?"

The great demon mistakenly thought he would have to do the chores.

"Vivian’s situation is special," Hao Ren explained with a dry laugh, "She can’t afford the rent, so she does the work voluntarily… but everything is up to her. Raven 12345 said you can get your expenses reimbursed from her."

Izax blinked, "It looks like I have a lot to get used to…"

Hao Ren continued to laugh dryly, thinking to himself: You have a lot to get used to, especially when "Roll" hears the commotion and comes home. Then Izax will have to understand why a cat is the second-in-command of the household…

(Another author in the online literature circle died from overwork, which is deeply saddening. It’s said that, like most authors, he faced rampant piracy and meager income. Even when he died at his computer, the most he received was a flood of pirate readers cursing him for stopping the story. It’s truly a tough job, may the deceased rest in peace, and may the living continue to move forward.)

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