Li Dongze quickly returned to his desk, rubbed his hands vigorously, and excitedly opened his computer to edit a message.
"Captain Fu, I have a report. Just received news that the Night Wanderer I recruited has successfully passed the trial and returned to reality. Yes, he has cleared the Sheling Tunnel."
He clicked send.
According to the rules of the White Tiger Troops, unless it's an emergency, subordinates can't call superiors directly and usually report via email or message.
Clearing the Sheling Tunnel is a big deal, but not urgent.
A few seconds after sending the message, Li Dongze's phone on the desk rang, showing it was Captain Fu calling.
Direct call? Li Dongze immediately grabbed the phone and answered.
"Li Dongze, you must stand by your words," came the cold, clear voice of a young man through the speaker.
"Captain, this is indeed surprising," Li Dongze responded calmly despite the warning. "I just finished talking to him."
"Is there a walkthrough?" Fu Qingyang asked immediately.
"Still need a little more time."
After a few seconds of silence, Fu's tone softened.
"I had no expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Anyone who can clear the Sheling Tunnel must be extraordinary.
"Li Dongze, you've recruited a talent for the White Tiger Troops. I will report this as a major merit to the Elders."
Oh my god, this is amazing... Li Dongze's smile widened, then he lowered his voice to ask:
"Should we keep it confidential?"
His recruitment of a Night Wanderer was no secret among captain-level figures in the Kangyang District. Even if deliberately unmentioned later, people would notice over time.
It couldn't be kept secret for long.
Especially since the Five Elements Alliance and Taiyi Sect had an agreement granting Taiyi priority rights to all Night Wanderers nationwide.
That agreement caused the Five Elements Alliance to have almost no Night Wanderers of their own, just a handful scattered around.
Fu Qingyang scoffed:
"Why hide it? Taiyi Sect already clearly rejected this Night Wanderer. They can't backtrack now."
"What you need to watch out for is insiders from the Five Elements Alliance. I don't want a repeat of what happened with the Hundred Flowers Society. We must win him over by virtue."
This aligned with Li Dongze's thinking. He respectfully asked:
"Please advise, Captain Fu."
"Make him a full member, raise his salary."
Huh? A raise?
Is that winning hearts by virtue?
"I don't like buying loyalty with money. People come together for profit and leave for profit. I prefer virtue, but virtue takes time to show, while money works instantly."
Fu's voice was calm. "Get him to write a walkthrough ASAP. I want to know the core info about the Mountain God Temple. And also repay the favor to Taiyi Sect."
Every S-level spirit realm contains valuable info and intelligence unmatched by ordinary realms.
"Understood!"
Li Dongze ended the call.
What kind of virtue is this? But that's the Fu family style... Li Dongze shook his head.
The Fu family had fled overseas during turbulent times to avoid war. After a century of development, they became a huge financial giant.
Later, the Fu family accepted the government's olive branch, returned with great wealth to develop the country's economy.
They were not just a financial powerhouse but a legacy spirit realm traveler family, producing scouts every year.
They were an influential family faction in the White Tiger Troops.
Captain Fu, young but skilled with money, was jokingly called the "money son" among the four official elite sons.
At that moment, Li Dongze saw someone mention him in the "Kangyang District Spirit Traveler Management Group."
Qingteng: "@Li Dongze, Captain Li, how is your newly recruited Night Wanderer doing?"
Qingteng was captain of the Hundred Flowers Society. If any other Wood Spirit asked that, Li Dongze would be suspicious.
But Qingteng was kind-hearted and fair, not some shady flirt.
Bailong: "Wow, what a stab in the heart. Knowing no one could clear the Sheling Tunnel, and you still tease Captain Li?"
Before Li Dongze could reply, Bailong, who had a grudge with Qingteng, jumped in to argue.
Big Muscle Boss: "He definitely died in the Sheling Tunnel. Someone in my jurisdiction also went missing there yesterday. Poor guy hasn't been found. Most likely dead inside the spirit realm."
The blunt Fire Master was still as annoying as ever.
Other than these three captains, no one spoke. They seemed uninterested.
My buddies, you're gonna be jealous of me next second! Li Dongze casually sent a 1000-yuan red envelope.
He was the first to grab, took 5 yuan.
Qingteng: "Thanks, boss."
Bailong: "Boss is generous."
Big Muscle Boss: "Boss is strong and wealthy."
They instinctively grabbed the red envelope, thanked him, then suddenly realized...
Bailong: "No way?"
Big Muscle Boss: "Li Dongze, explain yourself."
Qingteng: "Captain Li?"
Li Dongze: "Thanks for your concern. The Night Wanderer I recruited successfully cleared the Sheling Tunnel."
The group instantly fell silent as if muted.
Yuan Ting: "Li Dongze, don't joke."
Yuan Ting, a Taiyi Sect Night Wanderer who seldom appeared in the Five Elements Alliance group, spoke first.
Unlike other captains, this was a major career-related event he couldn't ignore, even if it was likely a joke.
Other captains remained silent, waiting for Li Dongze's reply.
Then Captain Fu posted:
"From today on, the first kill of the Sheling Tunnel belongs to the Five Elements Alliance. I will upload the walkthrough to the info library. As an S-level trial spirit realm, it produces Night Wanderers of higher quality than others. This will greatly aid the organization's Night Wanderer training program."
Seeing the long message, captains were stunned.
Captain Fu was an executive-level figure, so his words carried weight beyond Li Dongze's.
If he said it, it must be true.
The Sheling Tunnel really had been cleared? What kind of freak had Li Dongze recruited?
At that moment, the captains realized the newcomer's value — he was more than a "rare profession," he might be the most worthy investment.
Big Muscle Boss: "I want a team-building event again."
You wanna poach my crew... Li Dongze twitched.
Water Glider: "No sailing this month, let's arrange a get-together, how about today?"
Tang Guoqiang sent a red envelope.
Bailong: "Gathering's fine, but I don't think Hundred Flowers Society should join."
Qingteng: "Heh."
Boxing King: "I'm curious how the newbie cleared the Sheling Tunnel. Anyone who can do that isn't ordinary. Li Dongze's lucky to recruit such a talent."
Seeing the group getting restless, Captain Fu sent another message:
"I will use the Sheling Tunnel walkthrough as leverage to get Taiyi Sect to allocate Night Wanderer slots, aiming to provide each team with a Night Wanderer within five years."
Qingteng: "Thanks, Captain Fu."
Big Muscle Boss: "Holy crap, such good news."
The group's atmosphere became lively.
Captain Fu's move was brilliant; with such a big promise... Li Dongze sighed with relief.
Then several captains eagerly discussed long-term plans for training and allocating Night Wanderers, while secretly trying to find out who the first-killer was.
Male or female, age, etc.
But Li Dongze refused to tell.
While the captains happily discussed, Taiyi Sect's Yuan Ting felt completely different.
He stared blankly at Captain Fu's message, reading it over multiple times to digest the huge news.
The Sheling Tunnel, even Taiyi Sect was powerless against it, had been cleared?
How did the newbie do it?
As a practitioner of this profession and a Night Wanderer himself, he was more eager than any captain to know the truth, painfully so.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that; he had to report to the organization.
Shouldn't such an outstanding Night Wanderer join Taiyi Sect?
Elder Sun is careless, how could he rashly promise and cause Taiyi Sect to lose such a talent! Yuan Ting felt some resentment toward the elder.
...
Zhang Yuanqing took a taxi to the police station, skillfully circling to the back of the building before entering the elite glass office building.
Upon reaching the second floor, he immediately spotted the mixed-race woman sitting on the sofa sipping tea, crossing her supermodel-like long legs, wearing a blouse, skirt suit, black stockings, and high heels.
Her slender waist and full chest, exquisite makeup and stylish hair made her a workplace goddess standard.
Fortunately, Zhang Yuanqing's aesthetic standards had been honed by his aunt, so he greeted her without flinching:
"Sister Guan Ya."
Guan Ya put down her teacup and stood up with a smile.
"Tsk tsk, I thought you were a little puppy from college, turns out you're a little wolf dog. Congratulations on becoming a Night Wanderer. Here's a hug as a reward."
She opened her arms, chest proud.
Having preliminarily understood her personality, Zhang Yuanqing didn't fall for it, sneering:
"Enchantress, how dare you nurse me!"
If it were any other girl, he wouldn't say that, but Guan Ya was an old hand; stepping on the gas pedal was the right way to interact with her.
Guan Ya was momentarily stunned, then giggled:
"Let's go, Captain wants to see you."
After a few steps, she suddenly turned back and smiled lightly:
"You gained a lot in the spirit realm, didn't you? No, no need to tell me — hiding your strength and skills is a required quality for every spirit traveler."
I wasn't going to tell you anyway. Zhang Yuanqing was surprised but soon realized she meant he should keep some secrets and not reveal everything.
Following Guan Ya, Zhang Yuanqing entered a luxurious office again and saw Li Dongze lounging comfortably in a soft chair, holding a cigar.
"Do you know what worries me most right now?"
Li Dongze stood and walked to the guest sofa, eyeing Zhang Yuanqing.
"What?"
Zhang Yuanqing cooperated.
"I worry about you being kidnapped on the way here."
Li Dongze opened the wine cabinet, took out three glass cups, and asked:
"What would you like to drink?"
"Cola!"
Zhang Yuanqing answered.
"Guan Ya, go buy some."
Li Dongze immediately ordered.
Not bad, promotion is obvious... Zhang Yuanqing sat with Li Dongze, who took a sip of wine and got straight to the point:
"Well done, youngster.
"I'll need you to write a detailed walkthrough later. But before that, did you find anything unusual in the Mountain God Temple?"