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*****
"Xiao Xu, are we really not stepping in?"
A middle-aged man with only a few wispy hairs fluttering in the wind on his mostly bald head looked at the monitor with concern on his face. On screen, Jin Baobao was surrounded by members of various sects, families, and individual strangers.
Although it was their policy not to intervene in conflicts within the stranger community, that was only on the condition that it didn't threaten overall societal stability.
If all that happened was the Tongtian Record being stolen, that would be manageable. But the real fear was that no one would back down, and a chaotic brawl would break out.
Even if ordinary people weren't affected, a large-scale melee with high casualties would still destabilize the stranger world. The more deaths, the more likely surviving family members and sects would seek revenge, creating a chain of retaliations. If mishandled, it could spiral into a disaster.
As the director of the East China Division, anything that happened on his turf—even if Xu San had taken over the matter—would still reflect on him.
Standing next to him, Xu San handed him a cigarette.
"Old Dou, don't worry. This Jin Baobao is extremely strong. Most people won't be able to handle him. The main concern is still the Wang family.
I've already spoken to the Grandmaster. If things get out of control, he'll step in to mediate."
Jin Baobao's behavior was shrouded in mystery, and Xu San had no real leads on his true identity. That's why he was using this opportunity to find out exactly where this person came from.
"With the Grandmaster involved, things shouldn't get out of hand. You've already made a major contribution catching so many Quanxing cult members—even their acting leader!"
"Please don't flatter me. We suffered heavy losses too. We still haven't figured out Quanxing's goal in all this. I'll be lucky not to get disciplined."
"By the way, I just got word from headquarters. All six division heads have been summoned for a meeting."
"Six? I thought there were seven divisions?"
"Old Liao from South China is dead. I had someone inside look into it—rumor has it he was killed by a temp. There's talk that this meeting may be to reform the temporary worker system. You should keep an eye on that."
Meanwhile, back on the monitor, when it became clear that there wasn't any immediate threat, someone finally couldn't hold back and launched an attack on George.
A young man wearing a baseball cap and a surgical mask burst from underground. Instead of attacking George directly, he reached straight for the Tongtian Record in the scooter's basket.
Everyone's goal was the same—to get the Tongtian Record. They had no personal grudge against George, so if it could be acquired without a fight, that would obviously be preferable.
"An Earth-Burrowing Technique? That's worth collecting."
With a flick of his hand, George lashed out a whip of electricity, which coiled around the young man mid-air, zapping him until he screamed and twitched. Then George yanked him back in.
At that moment, the rest of the hidden attackers could no longer sit still. They leapt out from all directions, each launching their own techniques toward George.
Grass-cutting mounts, bean soldiers, paper dolls turned human, Gu poison, voodoo curses, animal familiars, talismans, zombies—so many types of Daoist arts were being used that even George was a bit dumbfounded.
He had assumed these were all minor sects or small clans, but to his surprise, he saw many unmistakably high-level techniques—even Shaolin's Great Mercy Palm made an appearance.
But soon, he realized it had been naïve to think it would be that simple.
Just because the major sects wouldn't openly dispatch people to steal the Tongtian Record didn't mean those among the attackers hadn't learned techniques from them.
In the world of strangers, there were many expelled disciples from the major sects, as well as those who had secretly stolen their techniques.
Many of these people had joined Quanxing, which had always shown a strong interest in the Eight Miraculous Skills.
It was very possible that some of the attackers here were Quanxing members who had escaped during the Mount Longhu battle.
"But this actually works out well—it saves me a lot of time."
Having figured things out, George smiled.
He wasn't afraid of more enemies—he feared too few. The more who came, the more techniques he could collect. This way, he could skip the hassle of trading the Tongtian Record with each sect.
In a flash of lightning, George left a static afterimage where he stood and began subduing the attackers one by one.
Though numerous, most of these attackers were mediocre in strength—very few even reached the level of Zhang Lingyu.
Which made sense. Those who advanced in the Luo Tian Dajiao were the top talents of their sects—strong even by broader standards.
With each blast of electricity, another foe dropped. By the time George circled back, a whole row of unconscious strangers lay by his scooter.
One by one, he copied their memories, extracting the techniques and Daoist arts he wanted, then hopped back on his little e-scooter and rode away.
He didn't kill them. They came for the Tongtian Record, and he took their techniques—consider it an even trade. No need to shed unnecessary blood.
Besides, after today, none of these people would dare go after the Record again.
"That was fast. No wonder he placed first—his strength is definitely something else."
Old Dou was shocked watching the surveillance feed. Jin Baobao had effortlessly neutralized all those strangers and left them twitching by the roadside.
Even the temp under his command, Xiao Zizai, would have a hard time winning against that many strangers from different sects and families.
Yet this teenager had done it with ease.
"Let's see if the Wang family can force him to show his full strength."
Xu San took a drag from his cigarette and muttered to himself.
Anyone who could one-shot Quanxing's acting leader already had power nearing the level of the Ten Elders. So he wasn't surprised George could dispatch a bunch of mid-tier strangers.
What he really wanted was to see how George fared against the Wang family—and whether doing so would expose a flaw he could use to uncover George's true identity.
To be honest, both he and Xu Si had read the files and developed a suspicion: maybe this Jin Baobao who had returned from the Goblet of Fire was already possessed by Voldemort.
Only a Western bigshot like Voldemort could possess strength comparable to the Ten Elders.
That would explain how a 17-year-old sixth-year wizard could exhibit such insane power.
But it was only a suspicion. Voldemort had never shown innate lightning powers when alive. And what made Jin Baobao so formidable now wasn't black magic—it was innate lightning ability.
So everything would depend on the final test.
If George couldn't hold out against the Wang family and resorted to spells like Avada Kedavra, Fiendfyre, or Cruciatus, then it would be hard to deny that Voldemort had returned.
And if it was Voldemort, then they would have to take the threat seriously.
"Jin Baobao is about to enter the Wang family's ambush zone. All teams, be on alert. Have Zhang Chulan notify the Grandmaster to prepare."
As George was about to step into the Wang family's trap, Xu San quickly gave the order.
(End of Chapter)