Xu Que glanced at the phone number, and he was certain that it must have been Shen Mengchu who had given his contact information to Shen Tianhe.
"May I ask what brings you to me, Uncle Shen?" Xu Que lowered his voice slightly, inquiring.
Shen Tianhe, not interested in pleasantries, went straight to the point. "I have two questions for you. The first is about the situation at the East Suburb Metro Station No. 8. I personally feel your appearance there was no coincidence, so I hope you'll speak honestly with me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Que's eyes grew cold. He hadn't expected the authorities to have figured it out so quickly.
No, wait. If the authorities had truly discovered him, they wouldn't have used such a probing tone—they would've come directly to him.
After a brief moment of reflection, Xu Que feigned ignorance. "Uncle Shen, are you referring to that mysterious phenomenon?"
Although Xu Que wasn't sure how long he could conceal this matter, he was reluctant to cooperate with the authorities too soon. First, he feared it would interfere with his own plans. Second, he didn't know enough about Shen Tianhe. The longer he kept his secrets, the more leverage he had, especially in this life.
"Xu Que, I mean no harm. I just hope you'll tell me the truth," Shen Tianhe said with a tone of paternal concern.
"Uncle Shen, I went there because I witnessed that strange phenomenon. Many soldiers saw it too," Xu Que replied.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tianhe stopped pressing the matter. He knew well enough that without concrete evidence, it was hard to get anyone to speak the truth.
"Xu Que, what is your relationship with Mengchu?"
Without hesitation, Xu Que answered, "For now, we are friends, but who can say what the future holds?"
Shen Tianhe on the other end of the line couldn't help but chuckle, clearly a warning in Xu Que's words.
"Do you know who I am?" Shen Tianhe asked deliberately.
"Yes, you mentioned it just now." Xu Que shifted the conversation. "Although Mengchu and I are not together yet, I want to assure you, I have the ability to protect her."
Upon hearing Xu Que's bold declaration, Shen Tianhe didn't laugh. He didn't know where Xu Que drew his confidence from, but he didn't wish to delve into his daughter's personal affairs. After all, with the catastrophe looming, who could guarantee anything else?
"You say you can protect Mengchu. How about I secure a spot for you in the Special Training Camp?" Shen Tianhe suggested.
Before he could finish his sentence, Xu Que interrupted. "Uncle, I won't join the official training camp. I have my own plans. But before that, I think it's better if I share some things with you."
"Do you know where the spatial rifts came from?" Shen Tianhe asked urgently.
"I don't," Xu Que replied.
Shen Tianhe froze for a moment. Before he could figure out how to proceed with his questioning, Xu Que's voice rang out again.
"From my recent investigations, I've uncovered some things. It seems everyone has received a sort of game-like attribute panel, and the cultivation mentioned on it resembles the way of immortality, though it's different. Moreover, hunting those other-dimensional creatures provides cultivation points. From my guess, you might want to visit ancient martial families or Taoist sects. After all, they have many texts on energy gathering."
When Shen Tianhe heard this, he immediately understood what Xu Que was referring to.
"Do you have any such texts?" Shen Tianhe asked, his suspicion growing. Xu Que's knowledge meant he had likely encountered some rare opportunity.
"Yes, I recently discovered that the Taoist breathing techniques can be practiced and can slowly improve one's cultivation."
Xu Que didn't hold back, knowing the technique would soon become widely known, so he decided to share it now, paving the way for future cooperation with the authorities.
"Xu Que, would you be willing to turn over the breathing techniques?" Shen Tianhe asked eagerly, but then quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't let you go unrewarded for your contribution."
"Uncle Shen, I've never doubted you. I'll send you the technique shortly," Xu Que quickly interrupted.
"Good, then I'll thank you on behalf of the military," Shen Tianhe replied.
Just as Shen Tianhe was about to hang up, Xu Que's voice came through again.
"Uncle Shen, the Special Training Camp you've set up is fine, but it doesn't provide much help. I suggest you try the corporate system."
Before Shen Tianhe could respond, Xu Que had already ended the call.
"The corporate system?" Shen Tianhe stood there, dumbfounded.
Although the Special Training Camp had only been established for two days, he knew better than anyone that these civilians were hard to manage. The investment in resources was small, but achieving results was still uncertain.
After much thought, Shen Tianhe decided it was better to discuss the matter further, considering the lives of the public were at stake.
As for Xu Que's suggestion regarding cultivation methods, he chose not to hide it and immediately issued orders back at the command center.
Meanwhile, in the villa, Xu Que sent the basic breathing techniques to Shen Tianhe before heading to the kitchen.
As Xu Que fried some meat, an intense discussion was taking place at the military command center.
Night fell, and Xu Que opened his eyes from meditation.
He glanced at the stars he had stored and sighed in frustration...
At this moment, he wanted to enter the dimensional rift, but there were still things left to resolve. So, he could only wait for Liu Ruyan's arrival the next day.
As he opened his phone to check live streams from other countries, he heard a series of growls coming from outside the villa.
"The fourth dimensional space has opened?" Xu Que stood up, puzzled, and walked outside.
Although he knew the fourth dimensional rift would open nearby, he hadn't expected it to be in this very villa!
Xu Que initially thought the humans in Jinjiang Garden had mostly fled, but he hadn't anticipated they had been transported to the other-dimensional space.
It made sense, though. After all, when he arrived, there were no humans, and aside from a few damaged villas, there had been no signs of life.
As Xu Que stepped outside, two massive, monstrous toads spotted him.
C-class Ghost Evil Toads!
Before Xu Que could figure out how to deal with them, they lunged at him.
"Croak!"
Their enormous tongues shot out like cannonballs.
Just as Xu Que dodged, the other toad's tongue appeared in an instant.
"Damn, should've grabbed a weapon!" Xu Que cursed as he barely managed to avoid the attack.
The first toad opened its massive jaws and lunged at him.
While toads appeared harmless when still, if you moved, death was imminent. Their hunting speed was terrifying—if a snake could strike at speed 52, a toad would be over 70...
As Xu Que felt cornered, a huge explosion sent him and the two toads flying!
"Boom, boom..."
Missile after missile pounded the Jinjiang neighborhood.
The creatures that had just emerged from the dimensional rift hadn't even reacted before they were obliterated by the missiles.
"Bang!"
Xu Que and the two toads slammed into a wall. Before the toads could recover, Xu Que delivered a brutal punch to one of their heads.
"Splurt!"
His fist pierced the toad's skull, and he yanked, pulling out its brain fluid.
The second toad, now enraged, flicked its tongue out again. Xu Que grabbed the corpse of the first toad and hurled it at the creature.
The two toads collided, and Xu Que seized the opportunity, charging in and landing a punch to the second toad's chin.
Still dazed, the toad flipped over just as Xu Que appeared above it.
"Die!"
With a starry-powered punch, the toad exploded, its viscous innards spraying everywhere.
As Xu Que caught his breath, a second wave of missiles exploded nearby.
Sensing the intense heat wave, Xu Que spat, about to leave, when he noticed a blue orb lying where the first toad had fallen.