Chapter 13: Hidden Dragon Group
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Liu Xiao replied irritably.
[What presence! Truly befitting the chief of us Representatives. I am Leng Yufeng, affiliated with the Hidden Dragon Group. Since you've returned to Earth, might I request an audience?]
Liu Xiao almost cursed. First, it was broken English, now classical Chinese? As a science student, this was too much.
"Get to the point. I'm busy right now!"
Liu Xiao did have urgent matters—these children needed food and water. But he didn't immediately cut off the telepathic link because Leng Yufeng was clearly evolved and seemed connected to national authorities, meaning he might have valuable intel.
[Straight to the point, as expected. Then I'll be frank. The Hidden Dragon Group wishes to recruit talented individuals like yourself. To earn 2,800 merit points in a single day is no ordinary feat. In these chaotic times, we need strong individuals like you to forge a new era in the Origin Point.]
Liu Xiao remained silent, waiting for more.
[The Hidden Dragon Group is a national asset. Every member is exceptional. Though I am unremarkable, I've attained Wind Element Affinity, slain a few extraterrestrial barbarians, and earned modest merits before returning to handle mundane affairs.]
Damn it. Liu Xiao wanted to scream. This guy actually got Wind Element Affinity—was it because of his name? Pure luck.
"What are the restrictions and benefits of joining Hidden Dragon?"
Liu Xiao treated this like a job interview: What are the KPIs, and what's the salary?
[Excellent. Judging by your accent, you're from East China. May I ask which city you're in?]
"Qiantang."
A brief pause.
[Good. There are no restrictions to joining Hidden Dragon. We only require maintaining telepathic communication. Once you return to the Origin Point, I'll add you to the group's star-mark network, allowing information exchange. Verified intel will be heavily rewarded. By agreeing to join, you'll immediately gain partial access to Hidden Dragon's privileges. Call this number for details.]
He recited a strange number, which Liu Xiao memorized.
"So, I'm in just like that?"
Liu Xiao was skeptical about this phone-interview-turned-instant-hire process.
[Indeed.]
"Let me ask you something."
[Go ahead.]
"Can you drop the classical Chinese?"
[...]
[Bro, Hidden Dragon is a centuries-old secret organization with a reputation to uphold. Classical Chinese adds mystique.]
"Goodbye!"
Liu Xiao was ready to end the call.
[Wait! Hold on!]
"Speak."
[How did you become an Evolved? It's bold to ask, but this info is crucial!]
"I'll tell you if you answer my question first: How did you get Wind Element Affinity?"
[Deal!]
"I got an energy crystal from an extraterrestrial."
[Ah!] No surprise in his tone—he clearly knew about this method. [Chief, you know long-distance travel in the Origin Point is impossible. If energy crystals appear, it means there's likely a deposit near Qiantang's spawn point!]
"You're saying there's a place where energy crystals can be mined?"
[Exactly. This is vital intel. Energy crystals are already a national strategic resource—the Galactic Order values them highly. If we control a deposit...] He paused, organizing his thoughts. [Our nation's technological civilization could leap forward.]
"I'll look into it, but don't get your hopes up."
Liu Xiao wouldn't ignore this lead, but energy crystal deposits were surely contested by extraterrestrials—danger was guaranteed.
[If you find it, you'll be a national hero—]
"Answer my question first," Liu Xiao cut in.
[Ahem. You know the initial stage of Element Affinity is forming an elemental core in your spirit. It's 1% luck, 9% talent. My Wind Core formed naturally during spiritual evolution—a case of elemental awakening.]
"Damn it..."
Liu Xiao couldn't hold back.
9% talent? But he'd gotten nothing after evolving!
[What did you awaken, brother?]
Critical hit!
Bastard!
"Goodbye!"
This time, Liu Xiao hung up without hesitation.
He almost dialed the number Leng Yufeng gave him but stopped himself.
Instead, he grabbed a phone from an unconscious pedestrian.
Beep... beep...
"Hello, how may I assist you?"
Pure customer-service professionalism.
"Hello. Leng Yufeng told me to call this number."
No code phrase was given, so Liu Xiao just dropped the name.
"Understood. Please hold while I transfer you."
"Transferring, please wait..."
Soon, a crisp female voice came through.
"Greetings. May I ask who is calling?"
Liu Xiao cringed.
"Speak normal Chinese!"
"...Hello, who is this?"
"Leng Yufeng recruited me for Hidden Dragon. He said to call about benefits."
Silence.
Then:
"Understood. Since it's Leng Yufeng's direct recruitment, there's no issue. How should I address you?"
This simple question stumped Liu Xiao. He couldn't give his real name, but a random alias like "Genghis Khan" or "CoolWindSwordSaint" felt ridiculous.
"Forty Thieves?"
"Please be serious."
"Fine. Call me Ren Pingsheng."
"Noted, Mr. Ren."
"I don't have a surname. Ren Pingsheng is just a name, not my full name."
"...Understood. Mr. Ren Pingsheng, which characters?"
"'In a straw cloak, he spends his life in mist and rain'—the last three characters." Liu Xiao was losing patience.
"Noted. You are now a Hidden Dragon reserve member, codename: Chaofeng."
Great. One alias wasn't enough—now he had a codename too.
"Chaofeng, I will be your dedicated liaison and personal assistant. My codename is Bailing. Let me briefly outline the organization's rules—"
"Leng Yufeng said there are no restrictions for now. Just maintain telepathic contact in the Origin Point and exchange intel."
Liu Xiao cut her off.
"...One moment, I'll confirm."
After a pause, she returned.
"Confirmed. However, disclosing any Hidden Dragon intel is strictly prohibited. Now, let's review your privileges."
"Go ahead."
"1. Military rank conferred."
"2. Family members receive elite-tier benefits, including medical care."
"3. Permission to establish a company with up to 100 employees, fully funded by state-owned enterprises. Annual budget: 10 million Dollars, no profit requirements."
"4. Private jet with nationwide flight access, dedicated crew, and airport parking."
"5. Access to Level-1 classified documents."
"6. If the reserve member dies, family retains Benefit #2."
"That's all."
Liu Xiao was speechless.
A few words exchanged, barely a hundred characters in total.
His family would get top-tier treatment, social status secured.
A 100 million dollars a year, a private jet, and if he died? No problem—his family's benefits remained.
He was dizzy from the sheer scale of it.
The only thing keeping him grounded was the apocalyptic chaos around him.
But he knew this was temporary. The state was a well-oiled machine. As more people returned from the Origin Point, society would stabilize.
A small hand tugged at his sleeve. The little girl stared up at him.
"I'm issuing a directive now," Liu Xiao said firmly.
"Go ahead," Bailing replied calmly.
"Within two hours, resolve the survival crisis for stranded children in Qiantang. They need food, water, and adult supervision." Each word was deliberate.
"Noted. I'll provide updates on progress. Anything else?"
"Not for now. Goodbye."
Liu Xiao ended the call.
He looked up at the sky. His ID number still led the rankings by a wide margin.
....
After finding clean water in the kindergarten, Liu Xiao helped the children hydrate. He spoon-fed the weaker ones, relieved that at least these toddlers were potty-trained—otherwise, he'd have faced some truly challenging scenarios.
Parents are surviving in the wilderness of the Origin Point, while their children endure hunger and thirst on Earth.
Nearly an hour after staying with the children, the distant rumble of a tractor engine grew louder until it stopped at the kindergarten gates.
A farm trike rolled up, and six adults—five women and one man—hurried inside.
The man wore a military uniform, likely a soldier from Qiantang's garrison. The women were in civil-service attire and white lab coats.
The soldier approached Liu Xiao, who was surrounded by dozens of kids, and saluted. No words were needed—the salute said everything.
Watching them unload food and water, and the doctors tending to the weaker children, Liu Xiao finally relaxed.
After brief goodbyes, he left under the reluctant gazes of the kids.
[Intelligent Being 87242-82231-25241-2241, accept telepathic communication request? No merit cost.]
Riding his electric bike at full speed, Liu Xiao received another telepathic call.
What now, Leng Yufeng?
He accepted.
[Salut, génération divine!]
[Detected non-native language. Enable translation? No merit cost.]
Liu Xiao silently enabled it.
[Esteemed Chief Representative, greetings!]
"Yeah, go on."
A pause—likely the other party also toggling translation.
[Ah, a noble citizen of Huaxia! It is an honor to speak with you!]
"Mhm. Continue."
[Allow me to introduce myself. I am Noël, of the Bonaparte family from the Republic of Gaul, ranked 71st on the Merit Record. I've reached out hoping to befriend you and invite you to join the Brotherhood. Rest assured, we are not religiously affiliated—our members include top Merit Record holders, ancient lineage scions, active nobility, and sages. As the current Chief, you deserve—and need—powerful allies.]
"Keep talking."
[The world order is changing. Nations, civilizations, systems, resource distribution, and class hierarchies will be overturned. Soon, those who control Origin Point resources will dominate Earth. And power has always belonged to the strong. The strong require allies and support to remain strong. I trust someone of your stature understands.]
Noël's analysis of Earth's future was astute—Liu Xiao couldn't refute it.
"Anything else?"
[To show sincerity, I'll share a Brotherhood top-secret intelligence.]
A dramatic pause.
[This human migration isn't the first. Since antiquity—no, since humanity evolved into intelligent beings meeting the Galactic Order's standards—people have been migrating to the Origin Point.]
Liu Xiao slammed the brakes, stopping abruptly.
[Historical mass disappearances and mysterious deaths are linked to this. But that's not the key point.]
[In Europe, certain families wield eternal power and wealth, some even possessing supernatural abilities. This isn't just due to 'noble blood' or wisdom.]
[The Merit Record only tracks this migration's data. The ancients aren't listed.]
[Now, will you join the Apocalypse Brotherhood?]
Noël's tone grew increasingly smug, as if certain Liu Xiao would beg to join.
"Maybe later. Bye."
[...]
Liu Xiao revved his bike and sped off.
He couldn't care less if Noël was now fuming somewhere. Recruitment pitch delivered, intel shared—thanks, but he'd already pledged loyalty elsewhere.
All that convoluted pomp made Leng Yufeng seem downright charming in comparison.
Still, the intel was valuable.
It confirmed that other Earth humans existed in the Origin Point—likely far stronger than him—and that certain groups held vast knowledge about it.
But Noël's eagerness also revealed a weakness: these "ancients" couldn't intervene much, or else Liu Xiao wouldn't be topping the Merit Record unchallenged.
If Europe has old families, surely Huaxia does too. I'll ask later.
Over the next hour, Liu Xiao received three more telepathic calls: a European nation's recruitment, a private faction's friendly outreach, and a random fanboy.
All offered no substance—just empty flattery.
Annoyed, Liu Xiao considered blocking telepathy entirely. But Hidden Dragon required open channels, so he grudgingly endured it.
This wasn't new. Back when he topped online game leaderboards, random players would spam him daily. Games even slapped flashy titles over his avatar, making him a walking spectacle.
But Liu Xiao wasn't the type to flaunt virtual trophies. He'd rather play the game—explore, fight, experience things—than bask in strangers' admiration.
Why waste time chatting when I could be grinding loot?
After scouring Qiantang to check on his teammates' families (all safe, thankfully), Liu Xiao witnessed the city's escalating chaos—fires, explosions, inevitable casualties.
But his directive had worked. A text from Bailing confirmed that within two hours, all kindergartens and elementary schools in Qiantang had received aid.
The state machinery, once mobilized, is terrifyingly efficient.
Now, at a highway entrance, Liu Xiao sighed at the gridlocked cars. Returning to Wucheng by road was impossible.
As his bike's battery died, he retreated to his high-rise apartment, face-planting onto his bed.
The day's events weighed on him. Even someone as resilient needed a moment to process.
His old life was gone. This wasn't a dream. No longer just a graduate with plans, his future had shattered with that first telepathic chime.
The bedsheets were soft, warm. He wished it were just another lazy weekend.
I wish.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Xiao sat up abruptly.
After deep breaths, he shut off the gas, water, and electricity, sealed the windows (leaving one ajar for air), and spent 20 merit points on [Body Sustenance]—a green bud that embedded itself into his temple upon contact.
He lay down, called his grandmother with final instructions, and glanced at the wind chime on the windowsill.
Then, he closed his eyes.
[Spiritual transmission commencing...]