That night, Gao Peng received a phone call from He Ming. He said that his wife had fallen ill and that heâd had to accompany her at the hospital. He was hoping to reschedule a time for his appointment, as he would not be able to attend the following day.
âCaptain He, Iâll be heading over to Yuzhou tomorrow. Letâs arrange for an appointment if weâre both available in the future,â Gao Peng answered.
Gao Peng felt that this was really too coincidental. He had been trying to think of an excuse to avoid working on He Mingâs familiars, and, lo and behold, an excuse had appeared right in front of him.
After about ten minutes, the phone rang again. Flamy, who was working hard on the treadmill, immediately got off. It rushed to the sofa in hops and jumps, grabbed the phone, and rushed it into the kitchen. Flamy handed the phone to its master, eager to please.
Gao Peng took the phone, and Flamy happily puffed up its chest, eagerly looking at its master with expectant eyes.
Gao Peng looked at his phone and saw that it was Director Chen. As he answered the phone, he waved Flamy away with his hand and said, âLooks like youâre taking it easy now, arenât you? One more hour on the treadmill.â
Flamyâs soul left its body.
âYouâre back from Jiangnan?â On the other end of the phone, Director Chenâs hearty laugher could be heard. âAre you free tomorrow? There is something I need your help with. Itâs something good, donât worry.â
âDirector Chen, why did you leave the Monster Breeder Association?â Gao Peng asked. Director Chen was a seasoned director of the Monster Breeder Association. Apparently, he had taken up the role ever since the Cataclysm.
When the topic of the Monster Breeder Association was brought up, Director Chen seemed a bit sad.
âThe organization has changed. It is no longer the Monster Breeder Association that I loved working for. The Monster Breeder Association is now a subsidiary of the Monster Trainer League, and the Monster Trainer LeagueâŠâ Over on the other end, Director Chen fell silent. He seemed to have something to say, but the words never came out in the end.
âI heard that the establishment of the Monster Trainer League has something to do with the Allied Government,â said Gao Peng. This would mean that the Monster Trainer League and the Allied Government had a very close relationship.
Director Chenâs laughter came from the other end of the line again. âYes, they are related. But itâs not in the way that you might imagine. Iâm working for the military right now. Are you interested in coming to work here? Based on your talents and the potential in your work performance, it would be totally possible for you to be in charge of your own laboratory here.â Director Chen knew that Gao Peng was on his own, and he wanted to help him out.
If this were the Gao Peng of the past, he would have considered. But now that he had gotten back in touch with his grandpa, he had abandoned all intentions of joining any such established powers.
Director Chen felt that Gao Pengâs decision was a pity, but he quickly lifted his spirits. âItâs alright. But for now, thereâs a big job to be done. Are you interested? Uh⊠I canât pay you much for it, but I can make up for it with rare materials.â Director Chen knew Gao Pengâs personality well. Money was the greatest enticement.
âPlease feel free to get straight to the point, Director Chen. If itâs within my means, I will do my best to help.â
âAlright, Iâll get straight to the point, then. Youâve probably heard of the Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworms migrating over from the Dali Desert, right? The colony of Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworms has already been driven out beyond the Changâan City borders. But recently, a Monster Hunting Squad discovered that, within the colony, a Commander tier Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm is about to promote to Lord tier.â
A Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm about to reach Lord tier⊠Gao Peng tried to digest the news.
âThe military is preparing to capture a Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm on the brink of reaching Lord tier?â Director Chen was representing the military now, so this request was also coming from them.
âYes, but not right away. We intend to have this Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm successfully promote. Since these earthworms initially lived in the Dali Desert, we believe they will return to the Dali Desert if it manages to successfully promote.â
Gao Peng realized their plan with a start. Dali Desert was currently dominated by the Desert Ruler. Although the Dali Desert had gotten bigger since the Cataclysm, it was definitely not big enough to house the territories of two Lord tier monsters. When the time came, a huge battle would erupt. It seemed like the Changâan military was preparing to reap the spoils of this battle.
But the only thing wasâŠwhat part could Gao Peng possibly play in this plan? He was baffled. A battle at such a level was way beyond him. Even if he went, all he could do was watch.
âDonât worry, we wonât be taking part in a battle between Lord tier monsters. All weâll do is prevent other monsters from interfering while the Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworm is in the midst of promoting.â
âWhy come to me then? Arenât there much stronger trainers within the military?â
âWell,â said Director Chen awkwardly, âthis plan was proposed by me, but the upper brass of the military didnât like it, so I can only rely on my own connections. But donât worry, there shouldnât be too much danger. I also have a few military trainers on my side, and, if the plan goes well in the end, the Golden Deity itself will personally lend us a hand.
âSeems like Director Chen isnât doing so well since joining the militaryâŠâ thought Gao Peng.
âAlright, when will the giant earthworm be evolving?â
âIt should be within the next two days. According to reports, a lot of Shatuoman Man-Eating Earthworms have already begun to gather. We believe this is in preparation for the promotion. Iâll owe you one after this. In the future, just come to me if thereâs anything you need,â said Director Chen gratefully. Ever since he had stepped down from his position as the director of the Monster Breeder Association, he had truly learned about the warmth and coldness of humanity. Many who had appeared to be his friends on the surface had all declined one by one the moment they heard about a monster promoting to Lord tier.
âŠ
The next day, the group of people gathered along the Mirror Lake in the outskirts of Changâan. By the time Gao Peng got there, Director Chen and the others were already there. Other than Director Chen, there were two others dressed in casual wear. They were both tall and fat. He thought their weights added together must equal more than 500 pounds.
âAnd this is?â asked Director Chen, looking hesitantly at the old man standing next to Gao Peng.
âHe is one of my elders from my familyâŠâ said Gao Peng, introducing Uncle Liu to the rest.
âGood morning, everyone. Have you all eaten? I have some buns here, theyâre still hot.â Uncle Liu took over the conversation and offered the plastic bag he was carrying. The thick fragrance of meat buns rose into the air.
âItâs ok, weâve eaten,â said Director Chen with an awkward smile.
âWhy, thank you.â The fat man on the left chuckled as he reached his hands into the bag and took out two large buns.
âUncle, you are so generous. I shall not stand on ceremony.â The fat man on the right also chuckled as he reached for two large buns. He bit into one, smearing his mouth with grease.
Director Chen just stared at them silently.
âLetâs not be strangers, everyone,â said Gao Peng, trying to diffuse the awkwardness in the air.
Uncle Liu was wearing a white athletic jersey, a pair of grey shorts, and a pair of olive green sports shoes. He looked like he was just taking a walk in the park, which probably explained Director Chenâs puzzled expression when he first saw him.
âMy name is Liu Shaotang,â said Uncle Liu as he introduced himself. âYou can call me Uncle Liu or Old Liu.â
Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu
This was the first time that Gao Peng had heard Uncle Liuâs full name, which he thought was rather elegant. Gao Peng suddenly thought of how Uncle Liu looked when he was dressed proper, and it gave an entirely different impression of him.