Chapter 11

In the spacious and luxurious office, Li Dongze lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, left hand holding a glass of wine, and right hand gripping a cigar, looking quite at ease.

Just now, he had reported the news of recruiting the new Night Walker to his direct superior.

Li Dongze knew that the young centurion, newly appointed, was eager to achieve results and cultivate his own loyalists. A Night Walker with a clean background was like a timely rain for the young centurion from a prominent family, coming at just the right moment.

Sure enough, the young superior expressed high praise for him and promised to record a major achievement for him.

In the system of the White Tiger Army, military merit was paramount.

"Bang—"

The glass door of the office was rudely pushed open, and Guan Ya, wearing high heels, burst in.

Li Dongze frowned, sipped his wine slowly, and criticized, "Guan Ya, this is very ungraceful."

"Section Chief, this kid entered the trial spirit realm called She Ling Tunnel!" Guan Ya came straight to the point.

"Spit!" Li Dongze suddenly became a spray warrior, not bothering to wipe the wine, he stood up from the table, and shouted in a sharp voice, "She Ling Tunnel?! Oh, God, you stupid fool, look at what you've done."

He grabbed his cane and rushed out, running to the office area, where he saw the new Night Walker staring blankly at the computer.

Noticing Li Dongze's arrival, Zhang Yuanqing, with a bitter face, said, "Section Chief, do you think there's any hope for me?"

He was afraid that the other party would blurt out: "No hope, just wait to die, terminate the contract!"

Li Dongze looked at him silently, his expression like someone who had finally pursued the girl he loved, only to find out she was his long-lost sister.

Facing the new employee's expectant gaze, Li Dongze took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "The trial spirit realm is the first solo instance for every spirit realm traveler. The most challenging part is that in a solo instance, no one can help you. This is the test the spirit realm gives you, the price you must pay to obtain supernatural powers."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded heavily, feeling the weight of the situation.

Li Dongze continued, "I will report this matter for you and hope that the higher-level database has information and strategy suggestions about the She Ling Tunnel. Otherwise, no one can save you. Go back and wait for news; I will inform you as soon as there is a result."

Although not a Night Walker, as a senior spirit realm traveler, he had heard of the notorious She Ling Tunnel.

So far, according to the official organization's records, no one had ever cleared the She Ling Tunnel. The "first kill" of this instance had never been achieved.

"Alright, thank you, Section Chief." Zhang Yuanqing nodded stiffly.

Li Dongze added, "Write down your experience in the She Ling Tunnel in detail."

...

After arranging a car to send Zhang Yuanqing away, Guan Ya returned to her desk, took out a notepad with an Aquarius watermark from the drawer, and unscrewed the cap of a pen with a Virgo pattern.

Everything on her desk, including the computer, notebook, desktop, and water cup, was printed or labeled with various zodiac signs.

It was clear that she was a seasoned zodiac enthusiast.

Guan Ya wrote on the notepad:

"Yuan Shitianzun, Scorpio male, zodiac trait: manipulative, vengeful, strong in bed."

"Note: High probability of being lured by women from other organizations."

After finishing, the mixed-race beauty sighed, tore off the note, and stuck it in the personnel file of Team Two.

She had annotated the traits of every team leader, including those who had resigned or died in the spirit realm.

"Hey, Wang Tai, does that kid have any hope of clearing the instance?" Guan Ya raised her head and shouted to the next desk.

Wang Tai, with messy hair, looked up and said, "Taiyi Sect might have detailed information about the She Ling Tunnel, but it's probably not very useful, otherwise, Taiyi Sect would have arranged for Night Walkers to clear the instance long ago. There should be a good reward in an S-level trial mission."

Guan Ya frowned.

Wang Tai continued, "If we can find him a few items, there might be a chance of clearing the instance, but as you know, items have various functions, and our understanding of the She Ling Tunnel is limited. We can't provide targeted solutions, and the result is likely to be a loss of both life and resources."

"Rubbish!" Guan Ya rolled her eyes.

Items were incredibly rare and valuable. For extraordinary spirit realm travelers, having one item was already quite good.

Unowned items could only be obtained through two methods: entering the spirit realm to find them or killing spirit realm travelers in the real world to take their items. The items had to be outside the inventory to be taken.

Neither of these methods was practical.

Most importantly, without knowing the specific situation of the She Ling Tunnel, who knew which type of item could help him clear the instance?

If he died in the spirit realm, the item would be automatically reclaimed, resulting in a significant loss.

Wang Tai typed away on the keyboard, pulled up a series of data, stared at it for a long time, and muttered, "It's just after Qingming, which is the time when the She Ling Tunnel opens every year. Is this guy just too unlucky?"

In the office, Li Dongze opened the chat software and typed a message:

"Centurion Fu, I have something to report, related to the new Night Walker we recruited. His trial spirit realm is the She Ling Tunnel, known as the 'Night Walker newbie bug' spirit realm.

"The She Ling Tunnel first appeared during the construction of a tunnel in the last century. A construction team mistakenly entered it and died in the spirit realm. Later, the authorities found a survivor. This survivor was teleported back into the spirit realm 36 hours later.

"Yes, the trial mission of the She Ling Tunnel has two stages, which is different from the one-time trial missions of other professions and other spirit realms.

"I apologize, I was blinded by surprise and misled by inertia. Seeing him return from the trial spirit realm to reality, I subconsciously thought he had already passed the trial.

"I know that Taiyi Sect's database has the most comprehensive information on Night Walker spirit realms, and the sect leader is the strongest Night Walker in the world. Perhaps, Taiyi Sect has information on the She Ling Tunnel.

"If Centurion Fu were to approach them, I believe Taiyi Sect would be willing to help.

"Not abandoning or giving up on comrades is a principle of the White Tiger Army. Since he has joined, I cannot easily give up. I hope Centurion Fu can assist."

After editing the message, Li Dongze read it several times to ensure there were no errors, then clicked send.

He held his wine glass, stared at the screen, and sighed.

...

Zhang Yuanqing returned home with a heavy heart, entered the password, and opened the security door.

In the living room, his grandmother was mopping the shiny floor, and a middle-aged uncle in a black jacket, with a handsome face and black hair, sat at the dining table. The deep frown lines on his forehead and the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gave him a sense of沧桑 (cang桑, meaning the vicissitudes of life).

From his appearance, there was no doubt that he was a very charming older man, likely popular among mature women and some young girls who liked older men.

But this middle-aged uncle was not Zhang Yuanqing's uncle, but his cousin.

His cousin swallowed the warm porridge and looked at Zhang Yuanqing, "Grandma said you were looking for me last night?"

He had a serious expression, not smiling, like a younger version of his grandfather.

... Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth, shook his head, and said, "It's nothing."

The problem from yesterday had been resolved, and his cousin couldn't help with the new challenge, so it was better not to mention it.

Besides, he had signed a confidentiality agreement.

His cousin glanced at him, sipped his porridge slowly, and said, "It's about Lei Yibing, right? I heard Li Dongze visited yesterday, which means his case is unusual. Even I can't help."

It turned out his cousin had already investigated! Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

Seeing his low spirits, Chen Yuanjun didn't say more, assuming his cousin was worried about Lei Yibing.

At that moment, Jiang Yufei, wearing a cute teddy bear pajama, walked out of her room, holding a stack of face masks, "Here, anti-wrinkle and anti-aging, use them morning and night, they should work well. Grandma asked me to buy them for you."

His cousin's face darkened, frowning, "Auntie, I don't need these."

His aunt shrugged indifferently, "Suit yourself."

The grandmother, leaning on the mop, glared at her grandson, "If you don't need face masks, do you need me to iron out the wrinkles on your face with an iron?"

Because her son was unreliable, the grandmother had long given up on him and focused on raising the next generation.

Currently, her grandson had been accepted to Songhai University, and her grandson was working at the Public Security Bureau, both with bright futures.

But the grandmother had a heartache: her grandson was too mature and serious, looking 40 at 30.

A few years ago, an old friend of her husband visited Songhai and, upon seeing Chen Yuanjun, was surprised and said to her husband, "I didn't know you had another son."

Her husband, after a long pause, said, "This is my grandson."

The old friend, being straightforward, blurted out, "Your grandson looks quite stubborn..."

Their decades-long friendship almost ended there.

Chen Yuanjun helplessly took the face masks, put them in his pocket, and said, "Alright, grandma, stop nagging. I have to go to work. I have a missing person case, and it's quite busy."

Missing person case? Zhang Yuanqing became sensitive and asked, "What's the situation?"

Chen Yuanjun picked up some pickled vegetables, "Two people have gone missing in the She Ling Tunnel, and we still haven't found them. We checked the surveillance, and they didn't enter the tunnel at all..."

His cousin suddenly stopped and warned, "Don't spread it."

He had signed a confidentiality agreement.

The grandmother, upon hearing this, immediately became interested in gossip, and said mysteriously, "Is it haunted again? Hey, why hasn't this place been sealed off? Every year, a few people go missing in the tunnel."

His aunt perked up her ears, with the same gossipy expression as her mother.

"Grandma, don't ask."

Could it be that they also mistakenly entered the mountain god temple? Damn, these two unlucky guys, I wonder if they can survive for three hours... Zhang Yuanqing felt both sympathy and a sense of relief that he wasn't the only one suffering.

He had a deeper understanding of the spirit realm. Li Dongze had said that spirit realms had always existed, and perhaps some of the missing people each year had disappeared into the spirit realms.

...

In the capital, in a quadrangle courtyard.

The large locust tree in the courtyard was lush, like a green umbrella.

Under the umbrella, an elderly man with white hair lay in a rocking chair, wearing a white shirt and shorts, holding a palm fan, and resting leisurely.

The elderly man had a gaunt face, a mole on his forehead, and an indescribable air of nobility.

A gentle breeze blew, the leaves trembled, and the sunlight was scattered on the ground.

Faint, childish laughter could be heard from the locust tree.

"Grand Elder Sun, the young man from the Fu family has sent you an email," a middle-aged man in black stepped over the threshold and came into the courtyard.

Whether it was the Five Elements Alliance or the Taiyi Sect, those who could become elders were renowned spirit realm travelers.

"Fu Qingyang?" The old man chuckled, without opening his eyes, and waved his fan, "What's the matter?"

"He has a subordinate in Songhai who recruited a Night Walker. The trial spirit realm is the She Ling Tunnel, and he wants to ask you for information about the tunnel. He also hopes you can give some advice," the middle-aged man relayed the email content.

The old man's hand paused for a moment, then said after a few seconds, "It's just after Qingming, and the time is right for the She Ling Tunnel to open. Many people will be lucky enough to receive the Night Walker role card, but unfortunately, no one can clear the She Ling Tunnel."

"I can give him the information. The sect has already given up on clearing the She Ling Tunnel, and the confidentiality level of the related information has been lowered. Also, tell the young man from the Fu family that the She Ling Tunnel is an S-level trial spirit realm, and there have been some complications, making it even more difficult, far beyond the scope of a trial spirit realm.

"My advice is to give up on the Night Walker. There's no point in investing in someone who is bound to die."

The middle-aged man nodded lightly. As an executive in the Taiyi Sect, he knew the eerie and ominous nature of the Songhai She Ling Tunnel.

An S-level trial spirit realm was already the most difficult for newbies, and the She Ling Tunnel was even more bizarre.

Each S-level trial spirit realm contained something extraordinary, whether it was a rare item or important information, making it extremely valuable.

To crack the She Ling Tunnel, the Taiyi Sect had specially dispatched two Level 1 Night Walkers to Songhai, as S-level newbie trial spirit realms occasionally opened to Level 1 spirit realm travelers of the same profession.

After waiting for months, the two Level 1 Night Walkers successfully received the She Ling Tunnel mission.

However, one Night Walker entered the spirit realm and never returned, while the other completed the first task but died in the second.

Both Night Walkers had items with them.

After that, the Taiyi Sect's Elder Council reassessed the She Ling Tunnel and completely gave up on clearing it.

"If anyone can clear the She Ling Tunnel and obtain the information inside, it would also resolve a long-standing issue for our Taiyi Sect."

The middle-aged man smiled and said.

The old man did not comment, and slowly said, "In a few days, the sect leader will call all Night Walkers to the capital for a meeting to announce a major event. Prepare and recall all the young men under you."

After saying that, he waved his fan to dismiss the man.

The middle-aged man bowed and left.

...

PS: I update 7,000-8,000 words daily during the public period, and some people still say I update too little? Don't your consciences hurt, hmm?