Upon hearing this name, Li Rui furrowed his brows, pondered for a few seconds, and said, "If I had to guess, this is about supernatural forces from the Secret Realm appearing in the real world, right?"
"Xiaowu was right; you really react quickly."
Wang Ba praised with a nod, "Last night, the Huangwen Highway, Gao Town section, was closed for two hours due to sudden fog."
Li Rui recalled seeing this news.
Wang Ba continued, "That was Xiaowu leading a team on a field mission. The fog was summoned by our Baili Association's Rain Summoner, mainly to isolate ordinary citizens, making it easier for us to handle the situation secretly."
Li Rui asked, "So, what was hidden in the fog? I mean, what appeared in the real world?"
"Well, the thing that appeared yesterday is quite common; it's a demon beast from a dungeon. That kind of creature isn't too formidable, just level fifteen, but it poses a great threat to the safety of nearby residents and their property. If you wanted to deal with it using modern weapons, at least a rocket launcher would be needed, so typically we, the Superpower Division, handle it to cause less commotion, plus we're professionals."
Li Rui asked, "How much can we earn from such a field mission?"
"Depends on luck." Wang Ba replied nonchalantly.
Li Rui immediately frowned, yet again depending on luck?!
Without noticing his expression, Wang Ba continued to explain, "Because our bonus isn't given out of thin air. Although creatures from the Secret Realm manifest in reality, they retain the same mechanism as in the Secret Realm, meaning they drop materials and equipment."
"But there's one point: materials dropped in the overlapping reality might not be soulbound, meaning if something drops that you don't need, you can choose to turn it in, and the Superpower Division will compensate you with money. Ordinary materials can fetch thousands or tens of thousands each time, while high-grade ones are naturally pricier. If you're particularly lucky and get non-soulbound equipment, then it's worth a lot."
Li Rui finally understood why these people are so wealthy.
"Brother Ba, your car....."
"Not just it; even my hundred-and-forty square meter house worth five million was bought with field mission rewards." Wang Ba said proudly with a hum.
Li Rui already started plotting on how to make the monsters in the overlapping reality drop more loot.
Wang Ba didn't know what he was thinking, but noticing a mischievous smile on his face, he felt a chill run down his spine for some reason.
"Brother Ba, when can I participate in an overlapping reality mission?" Li Rui asked.
"Haha, according to the rules, you must reach level ten and complete your first class change before you can execute missions. For now, focus on beating the Demon Wind Temple before considering anything else."
Wang Ba said, "The neighborhood in front is it, right? I probably remember correctly."
"Yes, thank you, Brother Ba."
"Get some early sleep and spend more time digesting what those group leaders talked about when you can."
Wang Ba said, "I'll check the intranet for information about that so-called Demon Wind Temple and see if there are any guides."
Li Rui expressed his thanks again, then walked into the neighborhood alone, only to be stopped just inside the door by the old security guard who had once lost a door core.
"Xiaorui, who was that just now?"
The old man's eyes were full of suspicion, "His car seems pretty valuable, right? Your Grandpa Niu has traveled all over and seen a lot; that car has to be worth at least four or five hundred thousand."
Li Rui chuckled dryly twice, "He's my part-time boss. I worked late today, so he drove me home."
Only then did the guard feel a little relieved, "Oh, then he's quite a nice person."
Li Rui thought to himself that Wang Ba's car was too flashy, and he'd better not take it next time, lest the neighbors keep asking questions.
Especially in an old community like this, where most residents are ordinary folks, seeing a convertible sports car was unusual, and it drew everyone's attention. If the driver was a rich woman, it'd be another story, but seeing a man in that seat was just too much.
After going upstairs, Li Rui took out his notes to review.
Although he wasn't overly worried about the upcoming Secret Realm dungeon, there was still a lot of material to memorize and digest. He tackled it with more seriousness than reviewing wrong answers for the college entrance exam and didn't go to sleep until midnight.
The next day was the weekend, with no school and Wang Ba's training session in the evening, leaving Li Rui with nothing much to do. He went to a supply store and bought a few large dumbbells, not so much for exercise but rather to get accustomed to the growing strength in his body.
Just as he was in the living room fiddling with dumbbells weighing dozens of pounds, the doorbell rang.
"Uncle Wang."
Opening the door, Li Rui wasn't surprised. As a community police officer, Officer Wang Huai, who knew him well and always looked out for the orphan, was standing there.
"No class today, right? I happen to be off-duty, so I came to check on you. My wife bought some meat; quickly put it in the fridge. Wow, you're working out now, but these dumbbells are way too heavy. I might not even be able to lift them. Exercise should be gradual."
Li Rui responded, taking the bag handed to him, and just one look was enough to tell that it was full of premium pork ribs, costing at least twenty bucks a pound, with at least five or six pounds in total.
"Thank you, Uncle Wang."
He knew there was no refusing; he used to think he'd reciprocate once he started working. Now, he seemed to have the capability but needed to think of a proper way.
Wang Huai didn't stay for long before getting ready to leave, "Oh, starting tomorrow, I'll be on temporary assignment at Celestial King Town for a month, so behave yourself and don't get into trouble. If you need anything, tell your aunt. Don't hesitate to borrow money—we trust you to repay it once you start working after graduation. I'm not worried about you defaulting, haha."
"... Understood, Uncle Wang."
After seeing him off, Li Rui continued using the dumbbells for his workout until evening when he headed to Guotong Mansion again for training.
This time, even before reaching the meeting room, he saw several team leaders and Brother Ba gathered around a computer. Wen Yan from the support team, Prophet Wu Bing, and even Wu Sun, freshly back from field work, were there too.
Li Rui hadn't even gotten close before feeling an incredibly heavy atmosphere emanating from them, as if the air pressure there was lower than its surroundings.
"Brother Ba, what happened here? Do you need my help?"
He displayed a proactive attitude, knowing full well that in front of those Secret Realm agents of levels ten or twenty, his strength was still limited, but it was crucial to make a good impression.
Wang Ba was sitting in front of the computer, its glow reflecting on his face.
"You can't help because the problem centers around you."
"What's happened to me?"
"This Demon Wind Temple—we checked the intranet and even used connections to inquire among other Secret Realm agent organizations. We've basically confirmed that it's an unexplored dungeon."
Li Rui said, "Oh, so what? Someone's always going to encounter a new dungeon, right? Don't tell me everyone else failed."
"Not exactly."
Wang Ba's expression wasn't just heavy; it could even be described as painful. "But generally, unexplored dungeons are entered by groups, with more than one person in the same cooldown entering the Secret Realm dungeon."
Liu Shanshan added, "As for your Demon Wind Temple, after checking with all organizations nationwide, we're pretty certain that you'll be the only one entering this unexplored dungeon."
Zhao Wuji chimed in, "The worse part is, given it's unexplored, there's little information we can provide you."
Hu Dali added, "And worse yet, because of our inquiries, now Secret Realm agent organizations across the country know a newcomer beat up an Administrator, and then drew a ten-star dungeon for his first run. The organizations not on great terms with our Baili Association are all waiting to see you stumble."
"You're all too much." Wen Yan puffed in anger, "Isn't there some good news too?"
"What good news?" Li Rui asked.
Wu Sun spoke up: "Regardless of relations with our Baili Association, everyone appreciates your bold act of hitting an Administrator. They've even composed a poem for you on the intranet forum."
"A true hero pummels the puppet, seizing gear like a bold bandit."
"Struck by the ten-star dungeon, sorrow cloaks the Dragon Country."
It's as if I'm already a goner!
Li Rui felt bad luck hit hard, "What kind of nonsensical poem is that..."
"Our provincial division's president wrote it."
"...But upon careful contemplation, it feels playful yet cultured, with seemingly nonsensical words holding depth, a crooked poem that's truly a great one."