No matter what, even if this chaos came out of nowhere and disappeared without a trace, at least for now it seemed to be over, and Xia Henao could finally relax and rest for a couple of days. He rested for a whole week in the secret realm.
This was not because they had a schedule for changing shifts, nor was it because Xia Henao insisted on setting an example. It was simply because Xia Henao found the environment in the secret realm more comfortable than outside. So, after giving himself a week off, Xia Henao only brought Shen Yu out of the secret realm leisurely as his college entrance exam results were about to be released, wanting to see how Shen Yu had performed.
Although Shen Yu had already been accepted by Liuling University, checking her college entrance exam score was still a "thrilling" event. In the past few days in the secret realm, Shen Yu had often discussed this matter with Xia Henao.
However, neither of them expected that as soon as Xia Henao and Shen Yu emerged from the secret realm, they would be intercepted on their way home by a staff member in uniform. Xia Henao hadn't even walked twenty meters before he was forcibly dragged into a black car. Xia Henao was confused, and Shen Yu didn't fare much better. After Xia Henao was pulled into the car, she was also forcibly taken into the car by several women wearing sunglasses and masks. The car doors then closed, and it drove off along a main road, heading towards an unknown destination.
Xia Henao and Shen Yu had no intention of resisting. Firstly, Xia Henao's reputation preceded him; any bandits who dared to abduct him directly would not be insignificant figures. If a fight were to break out, Xia Henao worried about Shen Yu's safety, and Shen Yu was afraid of being a burden to Xia Henao.
Secondly, they were completely unable to resist. The moment Xia Henao was pulled into the car, a towel was thrown over him. Before Xia Henao could react, the system merely alerted him to ether, and then he lost consciousness. As for Shen Yu, her reaction was even slower than Xia Henao's, as she didn't have that practically non-existent system.
The car drove for days in a daze. When Xia Henao and Shen Yu groggily arrived at their destination, they didn't care about their appearance and squatted on the ground, vomiting violently. After Xia Henao had finished throwing up, he slowly began to survey his surroundings.
His vision was filled with darkness. Although he could hear the hustle and bustle of the city, he couldn't discern his location at all. When one of the five senses is restricted, the others tend to be amplified. Unable to see anything, Xia Henao closed his eyes and then smelled the strong aroma of food.
A restaurant? A rural guesthouse? Where on earth had they brought him? He couldn't possibly have been taken to the Crossroads of Trees, could he? Xia Henao frowned, then heard approaching footsteps. Xia Henao reached out and grabbed Shen Yu beside him. As he anticipated meeting the boss, Xia Henao couldn't help but feel nervous.
The footsteps grew closer, and Xia Henao recognized that it was someone wearing high heels. However, when the person arrived, Xia Henao clicked his tongue: "Holy crap, this is really..."
Xia Henao, having seen plenty in his previous life, said, "Don't tell me you're a temporary worker; even a ghost wouldn't believe that excuse, right, Xiaoyu?"
Shen Yu, who had been eating peacefully, subconsciously nodded when Xia Henao called her out. Then she realized something was wrong and playfully pinched Xia Henao's waist, forcing him to grimace and seek an explanation from Meng Tianya.
"It's just that a new batch of graduates is about to emerge from the university, and our alliance headquarters needs to recruit a couple of newcomers. I didn't expect them to choose such a clueless person when assigning tasks. I told him to keep it secret and be quick, and he directly brought people to tie them up..."
As Meng Tianya explained, Xia Henao and Shen Yu's expressions gradually became more interesting, and even Zheng Xiaoxiao's face turned peculiar. After all, this clueless person was a graduate from her Liuling University. Tong Ruo slapped the table: "Unacceptable! One of our own students has tied up our own teachers. He won't get his graduation certificate this time; I think he should be expelled."
Zheng Xiaoxiao gave her an exasperated look. It was one thing for the two of them to discuss this privately, but why bring it up at the table? Was she not embarrassed enough?
Fortunately, Xia Henao didn't dwell on this issue further. He casually picked a cold dish from the plate and said, "So, what do you need me for? And why did you bring Xiaoyu along too?"
The four people present exchanged glances. Finally, Meng Tianya took a deep breath and handed a tablet to Xia Henao: "You, prepare yourself."
Xia Henao found it amusing. Prepare himself? What did he need to prepare for?
He thought it all through, but the moment Xia Henao glanced at the content on the tablet, he was completely taken aback. The news on the tablet one-sidedly attributed the recent Pokémon riot to him, claiming that it was precisely due to Xia Henao's reckless actions that this mess had occurred. If Xia Henao hadn't planned the college entrance exam for martial arts within the secret realm, the Pokémon wouldn't have been stimulated, and consequently, there wouldn't have been a Pokémon riot.
Looking at these comments, Xia Henao stroked his chin, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Shen Yu, seeing Xia Henao's expression, leaned over to take a look. Then she scrolled down the tablet's content.
If we were to talk purely about self-cultivation, Xia Henao was truly far superior to his peers in the open. Shen Yu had only read half of it before she resembled a mischievous Zapdos about to self-destruct. Xia Henao gently patted her hand and then asked Yu Longdu, "So, what's the official decision? Am I being treated as a temporary worker?"
Meng Tianya turned his head. This mess had absolutely nothing to do with Xia Henao, and the situation had escalated to this point due to their own fault. "This matter, we..."
His words were cut short by Xia Henao. "Alright, enough nonsense. I just want to know if Xiaoyu and the others will be implicated."
Meng Tianya nodded. "Of course. Although we don't know who planned this, this scheme is solely aimed at you. While it has some impact on Xiaoyu and the others, you understand."
As he spoke, Meng Tianya gestured with his eyes towards the other two sitting at the table. Xia Henao understood clearly. Yu Longdu's arrangement was likely to assign Zhang Hong to Mu Zhishui, and Shen Yu to Liuling University. This arrangement was not problematic, as Zhang Hong's methods were similar to Mu Zhishui's. As for Shen Yu, so what if she was his girlfriend? With the influence of Zheng Xiaoxiao and Tong Ruo, protecting her would be effortless.
Thinking this, Xia Henao nodded casually. "That's good. So, how long do you think I should disappear for?"
Meng Tianya extended his hand and gestured a four. "Four years, perhaps. After four years, Shen Yu will graduate from university. By then, these netizens will have mostly forgotten, and Shen Yu won't be afraid of being targeted. That would be the best time."
Xia Henao nodded. He ate this "last supper" with Shen Yu, then decisively stood up and walked out of the room. "Since that's the case, the subsequent matters are up to you."
Seeing Xia Henao's resolve, Shen Yu sniffled and was about to get up to follow him, but Zheng Xiaoxiao held her hand, keeping her seated at the table. "Xiaoyu..."
As she started to speak, she saw Xia Henao push the door open again and walk back in. Meng Tianya frowned, wondering if he had changed his mind. Xia Henao, while picking his ear, sat back down at the table. "I almost forgot, what's the price for this?"