CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46 I AM NICK FURY

Seeing Wang Lan come out unscathed, the icy expression on Jiang Xinyu’s face thawed in an instant. A warm smile slowly spread across her face.

"Big brother—" Song Jia ran towards him with a cheer, crashing into Wang Lan’s embrace. "Big brother... Mom is really worried about you, Xinyu as well, and also Xincheng, Feiyu, Xiangwen bros..." Song Jia said eagerly, her face flushed with excitement.

"Did Jiajia worry about me?" Wang Lan asked with a laugh as he tousled Song Jia’s hair.

"Mhm, most importantly, I was also very worried about you!"

"I just knew you wouldn’t have any trouble!" A punch landed solidly on Wang Lan’s chest. "You... playing the hero!"

"Exactly! Acting like you’re the only one ready to face death, while the rest of us seem like cowards. If you had told us sooner, we would have stayed with you no matter what."

BOOM—

The metal gate fully opened, and behind Wang Lan stood Ren Xingwu and dozens of Star Martial Army warriors.

"Big Brother Ren, I’m leaving. You guys should go back. I’ll treat you to a meal when I have time."

"Salute—"

Suddenly, Ren Xingwu barked a command, and the fifty warriors standing behind him crisply saluted Wang Lan with utmost respect.

This scene sent shivers down the spines of Jiang Xinyu and the others, instantly igniting a surge of passion and pride. For a moment, Jiang Xinyu saw a dazzling radiance burst from Wang Lan.

Wang Lan was slightly stunned but quickly turned around, standing at attention before the Star Martial warriors and returned a formal military salute.

Song Jia hurriedly called Wang Qi. As soon as she got into Xu Xiangwen’s car, Song Jia held the phone up to Wang Lan’s face.

"Hello, Auntie. I’m fine... not injured at all, feeling good... Okay... Okay..."

"Fellas, Xinyu, let’s go to Fragrant Courtyard Bay."

"Alright!"

"Received!"

The car roared as it shot out of the trial area’s gate and zoomed towards the nearby expressway.

Wang Lan’s aunt rushed home and only finally felt relieved when she saw Wang Lan was safe and sound. After celebrating at a restaurant outside of Fragrant Courtyard Bay with Jiang Xinyu and the others until late into the night, they finally called it a night.

That night, Wang Lan didn’t stay at his aunt’s place. He went straight back to his home in Xinyu Building, where his heart could finally settle.

Half a month as a Star Martial Warrior has been truly thrilling.

Standing on the hundred-square-meter balcony, he looked out over the dazzling lights of the city. Suzhou City was truly prosperous.

Jade Country is one of Sky Blue Star’s top three economies, second to none in economic strength. And Suzhou City is one of Jade Country’s wealthiest prefecture-level cities. It boasts towering skyscrapers and extensive overpasses that become a sea of bright lights at night.

But beneath this prosperity, how many dangers secretly stir in the shadows?

Seventy years of peace have made a new generation forget the cruelty of war, oblivious to the prolonged century of painful experiences. But as a Star Martial Warrior, one cannot forget.

His experiences ranged from the perilous Ring City National Highway to adventures in the rookie trial area. These seemingly small events could unfold into a profound and potentially world-changing larger conspiracy.

The Demon Clan has once again bared its fangs at humanity, moving silently in the darkness.

Wang Lan was born in the best of times because this era is one of high prosperity and rapid human civilization development. At the end of last year, Jade Country proudly proclaimed to the world that they had successfully eradicated all poverty. Everyone now had a home, food to eat, and clothes to wear against the cold.

Yet this is also the worst of times. The fangs of the Demon Clan have just emerged, and the dark clouds of war have unexpectedly cast a shadow over this era. The brief peace of less than a century is on the brink of ending.

After days of intense excitement, Wang Lan spent three days idle at home.

Eat? Order takeout.

Exercise? Don’t feel like it!

Star Martial Skill? We’ll talk about it in a couple of days.

BEEP—BEEP—

Suddenly, the phone rang. Wang Lan picked it up lazily and glanced at it. An unknown number? Another sales call, he thought, and hung up.

No sooner had he put the phone down than it rang again. It was the same unknown number.

Salespeople are pretty dedicated these days. For the sake of sales, sometimes they persist until they get through.

Wang Lan answered the call.

"Hello! I am Director Wang Qianfeng from the Ministry of Defense’s direct intelligence agency, the Tianjian Bureau’s Suzhou City Information Office."

"Director Wang, nice to meet you. I am Director Nick Fury of the National Land Strategic Defense Attack and Logistics Support Bureau. What can I do for you?"

There was silence on the other end for three seconds. "I’m serious!"

"Hmm, me too!"

BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...

Wang Lan chuckled and tossed the phone aside, then looked at the gradually setting sun and stood up to draw the curtains closed.

"DING DONG, Wang Lan, you have visitors."

"Xiao Ai, I didn’t order takeout. Who is it?"

"Don’t know, they rang the bell. Do you want to switch the screen?"

"Switch it over."

The TV screen instantly changed, showing the entrance of Wang Lan’s private elevator in Xinyu Building. A middle-aged man in a black military uniform was pressing the elevator button. Wang Lan’s expression became severe as he focused on the man’s shoulder straps.

Lieutenant Colonel!

"Xiao Ai, check out his identity for me."

"Searching... I am sorry, there is no identity information for this person on the network. However, I found the style of military uniform the person is wearing. Does it match?"

"Match!"

"Tianjian Bureau standard military uniform is divided into four levels: green, white, red, and black. This person’s military uniform has a ninety percent match with the Tianjian Bureau uniform."

The Tianjian Bureau?

He had dealt with the Tianjian Bureau before. If they hadn’t arrived in time during his first crisis, he probably wouldn’t have been left with even ashes. The image of Zeng Xiaomo emerged in his mind, especially those straight and slender long legs of hers.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?" Wang Lan’s voice sounded at the elevator entrance.

"I just called you a minute ago. I can introduce myself again. I am Wang Qianfeng, head of the intelligence department at the Tianjian Bureau’s Suzhou City branch office, directly under the Ministry of Defense’s intelligence department." As he spoke, he took out his credentials from his pocket. "This is my officer’s card and identity documents."

"Xiao Ai, is this real?"

"Ninety-two percent authenticity, it can be determined as genuine."

"Open the elevator!"

The elevator doors opened, and Wang Qianfeng stepped in. He was just about to press the elevator button when he found that there were no buttons inside. The elevator doors closed and went straight to the top floor.

Wang Qianfeng glanced at Wang Lan’s nearly five-hundred-square-meter home. "It seems you’re living quite well. Do you live in such a big space alone?"

"Yes. Actually, I don’t like living in big houses. If I wanted, I could even renovate the top floor into a five-thousand-square-meter residential home. But it’s too big and feels like a haunted house. So, I only partitioned off about five hundred square meters. I still prefer living in smaller quarters."

A spasm crossed Wang Qianfeng’s mouth, and his heart twinged slightly.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee?"

"Give me a glass of water!"

"Xiao Ai, one glass of water, one cup of coffee."

"Okay!"

Soon, a robot came from some corner, arriving beside the coffee table to deliver coffee and water.

"Director Wang, please take a seat."

"Do you know why I am here to see you?"

Wang Lan shook his head docilely. "I don’t know."

"On July 2nd, you single-handedly thwarted the Demon Clan’s scheme, saving twenty-five children and seven adults. On behalf of the government and the Tianjian Bureau, I present to you the Medal of Valor and an Honorary Citizen Certificate." As he said this, he took out a brocade box from his bag and placed it in front of Wang Lan.

Wang Lan took the brocade box with a puzzled look and opened it. Inside lay a medal and a certificate quietly. Instantly, Wang Lan’s expression changed.

"Ding, medal interface unlocked. For the first meritorious achievement, you are rewarded with one thousand skill points."

Inside the system, a brand new page popped up, with a shining medal appearing in the first slot of the page. And this medal was exactly like the Medal of Valor before him.

Holy crap...

"What’s wrong? Is there something amiss?"

"No, this is..." Wang Lan asked, holding up the bank card from the certificate.

"Of course, the reward isn’t just spiritual; there should be material rewards too. There is five million in the card, which might not be a lot for you, but it’s what you deserve."

"Thank you!"

"This is just the first reward. Three days ago, you assisted the Tinglin Beginner’s Training Ground garrison in successfully defending the training ground and thwarted the Demon Clan’s scheme. What reward would you like?"

"This..." Wang Lan looked at Wang Qianfeng, his eyes flickering. "How about... another medal?"

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... Wang Qianfeng put down the glass of water and hurriedly took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth. "Wang Lan, medals aren’t given out casually. If you assist the military, even if you want a medal as a reward, it can only be issued by the military."

"Aren’t you from the military?" Wang Lan asked while looking at the insignia on Wang Qianfeng’s shoulder.

"Although I am a soldier, I belong to the Tianjian Bureau, which is a parallel department to the military department. How about this, I reward you with a set of Star Martial Skills?"

Wang Lan’s heart skipped a beat. He almost blurted out the word ’good’ but restrained himself at the last moment.

The difference in Star Martial Skills could be huge. Some could be bought for just one or two hundred thousand, while others couldn’t even be thought of for less than five million. With such a great achievement, you shouldn’t even think about fobbing me off with average Star Martial Skills.

Seeing Wang Lan’s hesitation, Wang Qianfeng smiled faintly. "You don’t have to worry. The Star Martial Skill I am rewarding you with is definitely not ordinary stuff, and you absolutely can’t buy it from the Star Martial Hall. This set of Star Martial Skills is a B-grade Star Martial Skill called Star Cloud Sword Dance. It can truly be mastered only by Star Cloud Stage Star Martial Warriors. Of course, while Star Cloud Stage Star Martial Warriors are the ones who can truly master it, those at the Star Shine Stage are also able to learn it."

"So, if this set of Star Martial Skills were to be sold at the Star Martial Hall... how much would it be worth?"

Wang Qianfeng looked at Wang Lan teasingly. "You little slick, don’t even think about it for less than eight million."

"Alright then!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than suddenly Wang Qianfeng made his move, pointing his two fingers at Wang Lan’s forehead. "Relax your mind, don’t resist."

A powerful spiritual power invaded Wang Lan’s mind. The cultivation methods, secrets, and experiences for the Star Cloud Sword Dance Star Martial Skill flooded into his mind.

"A learnable Star Martial Skill discovered, do you wish to learn?"

Wang Lan did not dare hesitate and immediately confirmed yes.

"Please add skill points!"

Damn! That’s steep!

After clicking one hundred skill points in a row, the Star Cloud Sword Dance skill icon lit up among the active Star Martial Skill icons.

Star Cloud Sword Dance, Silver LV1 (0/100)

It’s actually a silver-level Star Martial Skill? No wonder it needed a hundred skill points.