The Old God Church's espionage network also began to show its effectiveness.
They gathered vague intelligence regarding "Emperor One" from various factions.
Rumors spread like wildfire: "unfathomable strength," "does whatever he pleases," "presumed to be extremely lustful," and "loves collecting various female deities and rare treasures."
The bishop looked at the thick stack of intelligence reports on his desk, his brows tightly furrowed.
"The true upper limit of this 'Emperor One's' strength and his specific abilities remain a mystery."
"But judging from these rumors, he should be an eccentric powerhouse who dislikes being restrained."
"However, it seems he also has a weakness. Perhaps we can try seducing him."
Lu Liang paced anxiously to the side. "Since this newly emerged Emperor One is that kind of person, then Snake Woman..."
The cardinal's words made Lu Liang's face instantly turn pale. "I'm afraid she's met with disaster. It's highly likely she has already been collected by him."
"But this might not necessarily be a bad thing."
"Since he has desires, he has a weakness that we can exploit."
"If we can successfully rope him into our great Old God Church, the gains we reap will be unimaginably massive!"
He slammed his hand on the table, his voice slightly distorted from excitement.
"Hurry! Immediately summon all the female God-Vassals on standby in the Old God Church!"
"And filter out the most beautiful female believers as well!"
"Make absolutely sure to select the most top-tier stunners!"
Meanwhile, at the recruit training camp, Lin Qiye observed Ian's performance every day.
During the day, Ian was a recruit so ordinary he couldn't be any more ordinary.
At night, he was highly likely going out to find "entertainment."
Lin Qiye had mixed feelings. He silently mourned for those unlucky gods, yet couldn't help but want to roast Ian's twisted hobbies.
At the same time, he keenly sensed some unusual snooping around the training camp.
Those gazes hidden in the dark carried obvious malice, making him feel a faint sense of unease regarding the upcoming training camp graduation ceremony.
But whenever he looked at Ian beside him, that unease would instantly dissipate.
With this walking cheat code by his side, what was there to worry about?
Time flew by in this bizarre tranquility, and the recruit training finally came to an end.
All the recruits were preparing for the upcoming graduation ceremony, completely unaware that a turbulent conspiracy was quietly brewing in the shadows.
Time passed swiftly amidst this bizarre tranquility and surging undercurrents.
The recruit training finally reached its conclusion.
The training camp's graduation ceremony was held as scheduled.
On the giant electronic screen, the final scores and assigned postings of this batch of recruits scrolled by.
Although Lin Qiye had performed exceptionally well during the training and turned the tide at critical moments multiple times, he was assigned to Cangnan City's Night Watchman Squad 136.
Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, and the others also received their respective transfer orders, about to head to various parts of Great Xia to shine in their different posts.
"I don't accept this!"
A slightly sharp voice shattered the somewhat sorrowful parting atmosphere of the scene.
Shen Qingzhu stared at Lin Qiye's assignment result on the screen, a look of utter disbelief on that striking face.
"Why is it that he performed so well, yet he can only stay in Cangnan?"
"This is completely unfair!"
Instructor Hong's unsmiling face turned toward Shen Qingzhu, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
"This is a joint decision made by the higher-ups based on a comprehensive assessment of all recruits, as well as careful consideration of the overall future strategic layout."
His voice was stern and steady, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"For a soldier, obeying orders is a bounden duty."
Intimidated by Instructor Hong's imposing manner, Shen Qingzhu's lips moved, but ultimately, the recruit lowered that head in resignation.
Just as everyone was preparing to bid farewell and wish each other well, the sky suddenly changed.
The sky, which had been clear just a moment ago, was instantly covered in dark clouds. The leaden clouds pressed down low, as if trying to swallow the entire world.
Immediately after, bean-sized raindrops poured down without warning.
Lin Qiye furrowed his brows slightly.
He keenly felt an extremely abnormal, faint tremor coming from the ground beneath his feet, like the heavy breathing of a giant beast.
"Woo— Woo— Woo—"
The piercing sound of the emergency alarm echoed through the skies above the training camp, instantly scattering the sorrow of parting without a trace.
Yuan Gang appeared on the high platform with a solemn expression, his voice spreading to every corner through the amplification equipment.
"Emergency notice!"
"Due to continuous torrential rain, a massive mudslide disaster has suddenly occurred in the Jinnan Mountain area on the border of Cangnan City!"
"Currently, multiple villages have lost contact with the outside world. The situation is critical, and the lives and property of the people are under severe threat!"
"Orders: All newly graduated recruits are to board the vehicles immediately and set out at once to participate in the emergency rescue operation!"
As the orders were issued, all the recruits, including Lin Qiye, quickly sprang into action. The childishness on their faces faded, replaced by the unique fortitude of soldiers.
Just as all the recruits were urgently assembling and preparing to rush to the disaster area, Ian quietly sidled up to Lin Qiye and blinked at him.
The next second, his figure swayed slightly within the dense crowd and vanished into the pouring rain, like a drop of ink blending into water.
Inside the military covered truck, the rain battered the roof, making a muffled sound.
Instructor Hong stood at the front of the carriage, solemnly explaining the details of the rescue plan to Lin Qiye and the others.
"Lin Qiye."
Instructor Hong's gaze fell upon Lin Qiye.
"Due to your outstanding performance and command abilities during the training, you are hereby appointed as the captain of Rescue Squad 1."
"You will be responsible for leading your squad to Village 1, where the disaster is the most severe and the rescue difficulty is the highest, to execute your mission."
As he spoke, Instructor Hong handed a standard-issue Star Blade, gleaming with a cold light, to Lin Qiye, and then distributed them to the other squad members.
"Remember, this is no longer a drill."
His voice was resolute and decisive.
"This is a true test of life and death."
At the same time, Ian's figure appeared like a phantom, standing alone before a partially collapsed dam where the floodwaters roared fiercely.
On the other side was the mountain acting as the source of the mudslide, where giant boulders continuously tumbled down, looking as if it would form an even larger-scale landslide at any moment.
The muddy floodwaters were like wild, unbridled horses, frantically crashing against the remaining dam structure and letting out deafening roars.
Over on the mountain, a mixture of mud and rocks was pouring down at a visible speed, as if it would swallow everything below in the very next second.
Ian sized up the disaster scene before him—which he considered a "minor spectacle"—and casually stretched his limbs.
Then, he extended his hands and slowly began to gesture in front of him. His movements seemed casual, yet they carried a certain indescribable rhythm.
"Water Release! Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
As his voice fell, an enormously massive Nether Portal abruptly appeared in the center of the surging, churning river channel.
The roaring floodwaters seemed to have found their ultimate outlet, madly pouring into the portal and vanishing into the unknown Nether dimension in the blink of an eye.
The accumulated flash flood was directly resolved.
Immediately after, Ian turned his gaze toward the crumbling mountain.
He unhurriedly formed a few more hand seals.
"Earth Release! Earth Shore Return!" he called out lightly, casually slapping a palm onto the ground beneath his feet.
In an instant, countless block-shaped chunks of dirt and stone surged and erupted from beneath his feet, as if they possessed a life of their own.
These "blocks" spread upward at an astonishing speed, rapidly covering the entire surface of the mountain.
They accurately filled every fissure and stabilized every loose rock.
In just a few moments, a catastrophic disaster capable of leveling several villages was completely neutralized.
Ian casually clapped his hands, as if he had merely done something trivial.
Just as he finished dealing with this "minor inconvenience," a crisp round of applause rang out from the rain not far away.
Ian took a look. *Oho, a new figurine.*
*Oh, wait, no, it's a beauty!*