Cold winds roared in the surroundings.
Water was all over the place and he was feeling dizzy from his cold.
The temptation of returning to the dormitory room for some hotpot as well as watching the slices of lamb and potatoes slowly getting cooked in the boiling pot brought Tang Hong to the extreme limits of his willpower.
In the past, Tang Hong couldn't hesitate, nor would he be able to. The large boost in the percentage of his Willpower allowed his thoughts to be more articulate.
It gave him greater resolve and decisiveness.
'Why don't I go back and have some food first?'
'It's almost 11 PM. If I returned to the dormitory, I won't be able to leave again.'
Tang Hong patted his stomach, feeling a little regretful.
One point of Individual Value every day was a stable method for long-term gains.
One could also look at it as the most basic and easiest points in a college entrance examination paper that must be harvested. No single point must be left behind.
At the least, this ought to be the case for the days before he entered the special training camp located in the Imperial Capital.
Missing even one day…
It was a huge sin in itself.
Tang Hong swallowed his saliva.
He had to move out of the dormitory building.
"What a pity."
'If Fang Nanxun was a little bit more influential and powerful, he should've been able to postpone my entry to the special training camp until December.'
Right now, whether he participated in the Special Training Camp or not, was not to be determined by Tang Hong alone nor was it something that Fang Nanxun was qualified to interfere and postpone.
One week ago, the government had indeed taken notice of the video surveillance of that night. If it wasn't because the Yellow River Organization had brought out that contract, he probably would have been drafted long ago and forced to stop his studies for the military.
Tang Hong had to go to this special training camp in June.
Otherwise, the Yellow River Organization's Yunhai Division Office wouldn't be able to explain it to the government.
Even though he knew nothing, Tang Hong was starting to understand that joining the Yellow River Organization was indeed the best choice that he had ever made.
This was because…
He woke up from the influence of the Sacred Voices of the Gods by himself. His Willpower was exceptional, but most importantly, all of these stemmed from Individual Value…
Freedom! Ample free time and space!
This was the prerequisite of triggering the increase in his Individual Value which was Tang Hong's only pillar of support on his journey to becoming stronger.
The resources that the government could provide might be more than that of the Yellow River Organization…
But in the Yellow River Organization, Tang Hong truly had freedom.
If he had joined the government military, he would be miserable.
That would be equivalent to sacrificing half of his true potential.
It was possible that even several months into enlistment, his Willpower would not even be as high as it was now.
'Fortune and misfortune are closely intertwined.'
He rejected his roommates' hotpot invitation and followed the address that Fang Nanxun had sent to him through WeChat.
Tang Hong got onto the last bus and arrived at a certain estate in Yunhai, Yangtze District.
The greeneries of the street where the entrance to the estate was located were extremely well done. It was very clean and street lamps illuminated that conspicuous sculpture that stood tall similar to an eagle with a metallic luster. There was also a mini fountain behind the sculpture. It gurgled as the water rose and fell. It was still operating despite it being so late in the night.
A peaceful silence spread in the area, along with the gurgling sound of water flowing down the mini fountain.
It instantly soothed Tang Hong's terrible mood.
He swept a glance at the entrance. The sculpture and fountain stood in the middle. On both sides were tall trees. Further ahead was the entrance. An LED display hung above it, changing at times and frozen at times.
It ran prompts of 'Welcome Home' and 'beware of the wet floor'.
"Oh…"
Tang Hong's eyes lit up. He saw a middle-aged man holding the hand of a small girl, preparing to enter.
He hurriedly followed. That middle-aged man turned back and looked at Tang Hong. Then, he held the metal gate open.
He waited until Tang Hong was close before leading his daughter in.
"Thank you," said Tang Hong.
The middle-aged man waved his hand without a word, he soon disappeared into the gloomy night.
Whereas Tang Hong followed the map and searched for a few minutes before finally finding the building he was looking for.
"Three units…"
Tang Hong did not rush to go in. He observed the surroundings and marveled at their construction.
Every unit corresponded with a pavilion.
Each pavilion seemed like they were made with ancient architecture.
They all had an antique flavor in them. Lights were also lit up inside the pavilions.
The number of greeneries in this area was extremely high. The gaps between the buildings were really huge as well.
Slogans of all kinds of real estate advertisements floated through Tang Hong's mind: unique style, wonderful living environment, limited edition, collectors' edition.
'My head is starting to hurt…'
The devil was in the details.
Tang Hong pulled open the unit door and went up another two steps before he saw the unit number depicted: 103.
Pulling out the key, he rubbed it and lightly pushed it in.
Click.
The door opened with a creaking sound. Tang Hong instantly felt less nervous and constrained.
He closed the door, changed his shoes, and toured the place.
This house that Fang Nanxun loaned him actually had four bedrooms, three washrooms, and two living rooms. Brand new appliances were in the open kitchen, dishwasher, and oven. Even baking machines, pressure cookers, and whatnot were available.
"Gulp!"
"This is way too big."
Tang Hong dusted off his pants. He hesitated for a moment before sat down lightly on the edge of the sofa.
'What was this inexplicable sense of guilt?'
He opened WeChat and contacted Fang Nanxun.
"This house is too big! It's so well furnished. If it's rented out as a homestay, the prices would start from at least 700 dollars, right?!"
After some time, Fang Nanxun replied. "700? Hahaha…"
"At least 1000 Hua dollars then? *Grins*."
Tang Hong was still seated at the edge of the sofa.
"Knock it off." Fang Nanxun replied. "The sofa that you're currently seating on is worth 500 thousand Hua dollars. The amount spent on the furnishings alone is close to an eight-digit figure… Most of them were gifts received from other people though. I could not reject their gifts and could only keep them."
"Make yourself at home."
"Take it that you're helping me with the upkeeping. It's no good if a house is left uninhabited for a long time."
These few voice messages from Fang Nanxun completely shocked Tang Hong.
Tang Hong felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
He stood up in surprise and bewilderment.
"A gift?"
"From the developer, cost price," Fang Nanxun replied.
"Other than the bedrooms, there are real-time monitors in all other places. Just don't do shameful things."
"I'm here on official business…"
"Go to the basement first. There's a staircase beside the living room, just go down along with it. You're not scared of the dark, are you? The light there is broken, but the left side of that basement is the garage. I've told you the password… Take the key and get on. I'll teach you how to drive."
Staring at the rhubarb yellow, streamlined car body on the other side of the translucent semi-tempered glass, Tang Hong's mind went blank. He held his breath unconsciously as he stepped back while keeping his eyes on it.
The first thought that came to his mind.
'Driving that alone for the first time should trigger an increase in my Individual Value, right?.'
But…
He truly felt a little dizzy at this moment.
He picked up the invitation to video call from Fang Nanxun.
"Forget it."
"Let's forget it."
Tang Hong quickly waved his hand. He was feeling extremely complicated. The fancy car that he could usually only see in movies, novels, news, Tik Tok, or by the streets at night was right before him at this moment.
It wasn't guarded in the slightest. It was as if he could take it whenever he pleased.
He felt an indescribable sense of power bubbling inside his heart!
It was as if the 2D little fairy in the comics was lying stark naked on the bed and looking over at him affectionately.
Dong Dong~
He was betrayed by his heart as it started to beat faster.
The basement fell into silence, only Fang Nanxun's laughter came from his phone's speakers.
…
North Lake Province, the protected side of a barren mountain.
"Consultant Fang."
Liu Sheng, who was draped in long ropes, turned her head and stared at Fang Nanxun. Her expression was grim. "That Danger God is about manifest. This isn't the laboratory of the Tiansheng Organization. We do not have the large-scale collider that can suppress that kind of existence!"
Fang Nanxun said coolly. "Could we certainly kill that god if we just sat and waited here obediently?"
Liu Sheng sneered. "I cannot bear to see this. A dignified figure at the consultant-level becoming a domestic nanny."
"Hahaha."
Fang Nanxun's eyes instantly turned sharp, pricking straight at one's soul.
"More like you do not wish to see us Transcendents of humble birth reach the top in one leap. That child likes money. He likes material things, so I'll do my best to satisfy him. If you cannot stand at the sight of it, you can choose not to watch."
Liu Sheng faltered. Her expression changed slightly. She was so enraged that even her fair collarbones trembled.
"You are ruining us—Transcendents!"
She completely disagreed with Fang Nanxun's distorted idea.
"I won't argue with you anymore."
Fang Nanxun's eyes became calm as water once more.
"When someone talks about treatment with you, you insist on talking about dreams. After dreams, you want to go on to responsibility. After responsibility, mission. After mission, glory. That's not right… In our line of work, we fight with our lives in the line. The casualty rate for consultants last year reached 20% more than the previous…"
"Tang Hong is someone I have forcefully dragged into the Yellow River Organization. Before he becomes a Transcendent being, what's wrong if I gave him riches and honor? Young people these days like to play. It's normal if he's materialistic."
It was easy for the frugal to become extravagant but reversing the process was difficult.
He wanted to let Tang Hong experience a dream-like life.
Then, he would make Tang Hong understand that all of these were just temporary.
They did not belong to him. He was planning on using that to let Tang Hong's eagerness on becoming a Transcendent being burn fiercer than ever.
This was motivation.
"Problems that can be resolved with money aren't problems."
"I do not wish to see a genius of the era leave the Yellow River Organization again."
Fang Nanxun darted a glance at Liu Sheng who said nothing.
After some time, Liu Sheng spoke up.
"But you're too friendly to the ordinary people. You also helped that Fan Yu from the reception for a spot in the special training camp…"
"Mm?!"
Fang Nanxun suddenly stood up. His eyes burned like the morning star.
"He is manifesting! Stop Him!"
Rumble!
All of a sudden, mud and rock exploded all over as he dragged out a shadow behind him and shot towards that flowing divine brilliance ahead like an arrow that left its bow.