Seized by the System

After thinking about it for a moment, Fang Ning said to the System, “Since this place was used by him to kill anyone that descended from the Upper Realm, and it also doesn’t appear on the System Map, we should have someone stationed here. Good ones can be saved while the bad ones can be killed before the ocean takes them instead…”

The System quipped, “Then isn’t the Black Dog perfect for the job? It has that phone that can Summon the Dragon God, so if any enemies appear it can just summon us.”

Brett the Black Dog, who was currently looking around while in the giant bubble, did not sense that it was being talked about at all.

It seemed that being immersed in the longing for a perfect life caused its perception to deteriorate rather quickly…

As expected, a fish will thrive because of calamity but will die because of ease.¹ This dog was just like humans, it has grown less vigilant ever since it fell into depravity for it was no longer as sensitive as before.

However, Fang Ning was still soft-hearted in the end. He knew that the Black Dog was in the midst of solving a great problem in its dog life, and having it stationed here at the trench during a time like this was truly…

Needless to say, once it found out where it would be stationed, the dog would never follow him willingly.

Who would be able to spend their days in a dark trench deep in the ocean?

There would be no Internet connection, no electricity. The crux of the matter was that dogs did not even like seafood…

Fang Ning muttered despondently, “The Black Dog can’t do this. It’s in the midst of trying to solve a great crisis in its dog life, so we can’t have it stationed here. If only we had a cat follower instead—we could have it stationed here, and it would definitely be happy to oblige since it would be able to eat fresh seafood every day. I won’t have to worry too much either if that were the case…”

The System suddenly blurted, “If that’s what you’re saying, there’s another suitable fellow for the job. He’s already working in the ocean so he can just do this while he’s at it.”

Fang Ning was perplexed at first, he then subconsciously glanced at the System Map and immediately realized, “You’re right, he completely slipped my mind. He’s an Ally now too, and completely independent. He really is the best choice.

“However, I would still have to go and notify Senior Ren about this. The Truth Department should also have their eyes on this place, since I heard Senior Ren aims to become the leader of the World…”

“You’re right, Mr. Rich Boss. I’ll quickly send the message now, otherwise when that fellow wakes up, things might get even messier,” said the System urgently.

Right as Fang Ning was about to nod his head, he deadpanned, “We’re deep in the ocean, so how are you going to connect to the Internet? We’re not within the coverage of China’s Nets Above Snares Below either, since I can’t seem to the Spiritual Network at all.”

“Of course you can’t go online, but I’ll still be able to send a message, hahaha…” quipped the System mirthfully.

“I’ll give you props,” admitted Fang Ning entirely from the heart. After all, ordinary radios could not even transmit signals from deep in the ocean to the surface of the ocean at all.

…

At the same time, the base of the Truth Department Headquarters.

Ren Ruofeng had his head buried in work since there was currently two major matters that he, the advisor, needed to give suggestions on.

The first thing was the competition of Climbing the Stairway to Heaven and Competing for the Heaven’s Favor that would be beginning around early October, which was a month or so away.

The second thing was the return of the Moon. ²

Countless departments were in the midst of coordinating and arranging various aspects such as the livelihood of the people and so on in response to the event, and the details that needed to be attended to reflected the severity of the situation. For example, they were not only in the midst of looking for suitable plateau areas to relocate industrial and mining enterprises, but they were also allocating reserve materials…

Each matter was as complicated as the one before it, and any normal person would definitely go crazy at the amount of work that had to be handled.

However, Ren Ruofeng had the time to pick at the finer details and arrange everything it was all organized.

Just from this feat alone, it was plain obvious that Ren Ruofeng said distinct similarities with Zhuge Liang. After all, Ren Ruofeng seemed to handle internal politics better than handling intelligence units.

It did not mean that it was any less tiring though…

If he knew that a particular fellow would still be sleeping in their bedroom with a view of the sea despite the sun having risen high in the sky, he would have been furious. It has been a pretty long while since he’s enjoyed anything remotely close to that kind of comfort.

A moment later, Administrative Secretary Liu, his ex-subordinate who he trusted with his life, entered his office before passing him a document.

“Advisor Ren, I have a strange telegram marked urgent and signed off by the Venerable Dragon God here for you. However, we weren’t able to verify its legibility, so do see for yourself.”

Ren Ruofeng immediately set whatever he was working on down to receive the document before he studied it closely.

“At latitude XX North, longitude XX East, a deep-sea trench was discovered. It has also been confirmed that the physical bodies of those descended from the Upper Realm gather here as well. Please send people over for support and defense immediately. Venerable Dragon God, sent on August 27 2018 from some mysterious deep-sea trench.”

“Is direct contact possible?”

“No, only passive reception can be done. Direct contact was not possible,” replied Administrative Secretary Liu in a serious tone.

“If that’s the case, I’ll need to think about some things,” said Ren Ruofeng. He was quiet for a moment before he said, “The information should be true since nobody else will be able to do something like this. Oh, isn’t Xie Dong floating along the surface of the ocean? Verify his location; if he’s close, send him over as support first.”

Administrative Secretary Liu immediately carried out the orders he received. Five minutes later, he returned to report Xie Dong’s satellite position.

However, remote communication from the surface of the ocean and from the bottom of the ocean worked very differently.

“Huh, who would’ve thought that that fellow’s location would roughly coincide with the location of the deep-sea trench that the Venerable One is at?” Ren Ruofeng then immediately realized the situation and sighed in awe. “I think the both of them have already met, but the Venerable One knows Xie Dong’s current situation so he did not ask Xie Dong for help immediately and instead spent the effort to contact us to give the order instead.”

“Ah, if it weren’t for the fact that the Venerable One harbors care for the entire world and thus goes everywhere to ensure the security of the people in this world, such an important yet well-hidden place would have never been discovered. If it were up to us to complete the task, locating it would’ve taken us an unknown amount of time, which would have made things more troublesome since every day taken to find it would be another day for more powerful beings to come through into this world.”

Ren Ruofeng was full of admiration. How many things has the Venerable One done that he himself should have done but could not?

He immediately gave his orders and Administrative Secretary Liu promptly left his office in preparation to notify Xie Dong to change from being a traveling businessman to a permanent shop.

He believed that his colleague would be elated at the news; after all, spending the whole day in a single place is so much more comfortable than running around…

…

At the same time, Twelve Arms, who was currently floating along the surface of the ocean, was telling the black and white dolphins the latest updates.

“Yeah, so turns out that the Brother White Pond Loach, no, Brother White Dragon, actually had a Great Azure Dragon supporting him all along. Once it appeared, the terrible old octopus immediately lost all will to fight back. It was probably swallowed up in the end, but I couldn’t see clearly since the Azure Dragon was too big and blocked my view.”

Twelve Arms was currently excitedly telling the story, relaying everything it had seen like a passer-by that had watched a battle. The pair of dolphins, on the other hand, were listening intently to its every word.

They flipped and turned in their spots as they listened to Twelve Arms, who had been going on for a long time, but they showed no signs of being bored since they asked about every detail that cropped up.

After all, it was the first time the Great Azure Dragon had entered the ocean.

While they were listening to the Twelve Arms tell the story, an anguished cry suddenly sounded from within the floating cottage that was tied to the white dolphin’s tail.

“How is that possible? I thought my business trip would be ending soon, but not they’re sending to some deep-sea trench?

“When will they be sending someone over to rotate with me? In three months? How despicable, this is practically bullying me just because I’m nice…”

“I’ll go, but remember to help me apply for the triple subsidy. Just tell them it’s for a deep-sea business or whatever… I predict prices for a lot of things are going to soar soon, so remember to convert to gold for me too.”

Twelve Arms was quite confused at what it was hearing, so it asked the pair of dolphins, “What is Teacher Xie going on about?”

The black dolphin was intelligent, so it immediately answered, “I think he was sent by someone to be deep-sea trench below, and he might have to stay a while too.”

“Oh, then it’s no wonder that Teacher Xie is so unwilling to go. It isn’t exactly a comfortable place, all dark and gloomy with nothing to eat to boot. You’ll probably catch a small fish at best. It would never compare to a sunlit zone of the ocean,” sighed Twelve Arms in pity.

“That’s true, I wouldn’t go too if it were me. I think you would adapt quite fast though, Twelve Arms. Aren’t you octopuses happy enough with staying in jars for an entire lifetime?” joked the white dolphin.

“Yeah, you’re right. If Teacher Xie is willing to let me stay in that cottage of his, I would stay in the deep-sea trench for ten years in return. However, I can’t do that now because I have a destiny to fulfill. Once that is done, then I’ll consider it,” answered Twelve Arms honestly.

A heartbeat later, Xie Dong emerged dejectedly from within the cottage. He said to Twelve Arms, “Hey, Brother Octopus, could you bring me to this location below us…”

Right after his words fell, he pulled out a marine chart and pointed to a place on it, which was coincidentally not far from the area they were currently in.

When Twelve Arms was helping the Azure Dragon look for the deep-sea trench, the pair of dolphins were also swimming near the surface of the ocean in an attempt to converge with it.

Before Xie Dong could finish his sentence, Twelve Arms replied, “I just went to that seabed not too long ago. That place you’re talking about isn’t very far from here. Just show me the direction and I should be able to locate it soon.

“Oh, that’s very good news. At least I won’t have to worry about being lost now,” said Xie Dong.

Twelve Arms then pulled the floating cottage into the water once more, which was fortunately a treasure. Ordinary submersibles would never be able to enter deep-water, for professional devices alone were capable of handling the pressure down there.

Even if that were the case, Twelve Arms still expended quite a lot of effort to reach their destination.

When it finally reached the deep-sea trench under Xie Dong’s lead, they both saw the still waiting Azure Dragon.

At their arrival, the Azure Dragon jeered, “If I had known you both would take so long to arrive, I would’ve gone over to get you myself.”

The honest Twelve Arms immediately felt fear rise within itself upon hearing those words. It shook its tentacles, “We would never want you to go through that trouble. For delaying the matter you are currently dealing with, we apologize sincerely.”

“No trouble. Is Mr. Xie in that cottage?”

“Yes, Teacher Xie is inside.”

“Very well, thank you for going through the trouble to bring him here. Here are two Nine Transformations Soul Strengthening Pills that will strengthen you and enrich your blood. These will also strengthen your soul and heal any injuries to it, so keep them as backup.”

As he spoke, Fang Ning gracefully produced two small bubbles from nothing, which floated towards Twelve Arms; encased within the bubbles were two extremely valuable pills.

This couple of “Nine Transformations Soul Strengthening Pills” were truly valuable, for there was not even a lot of them in the System’s warehouse.

Crafting one of these pills expended ten thousand experience points and quite an amount of high-quality vitality herbs too. The pills were not available for sale as only a small amount was crafted only for Fang Ning’s cultivation needs.

The System did not take into account all those experience points that were expended before, but Fang Ning was currently using his own experience points to craft these pills.

The River God, who was sitting in a giant bubble to the side, watched everything unfold with gleaming eyes.

He mumbled to himself in disbelief, “These two pills are truly extraordinary. That octopus merely did a small favor, yet it was rewarded so handsomely? As expected of the Supreme True Dragon, who is truly different from ordinary dragons.

“Long Wu, Long Da, Long San… This trio often takes baths in the Sky River, yet they never give me anything as thanks. As compared to this Azure Dragon, that trio of stingy dragons don’t even deserve to be called dragons.

“No, if I’m invited as a distinguished guest the next time the True Dragon Clan elects their clan leader, I will definitely cast my vote for this one instead…”

The great green insect by his side was salivating at the same situation, and its saliva was wetting the fur on the Black Dog’s head beneath it. However, the Black Dog acted as it nothing was happening.

“Great Azure Dragon, I want to eat that too… I’ll exchange these treasures of mine with you for those,” said the great green insect as it raised one of its thin legs, which had the three jade bracelets around it.

Twelve Arms, on the other hand, was touched at what had just transpired.

It was an honest octopus, and it believed everything it heard; especially since these two obviously were not ordinary characters, there was no need for them to lie to it.

Besides, the Azure Dragon actually gifted it with such precious pills with no hesitation.

This Lord Dragon King treated everyone so well, he was truly worth following…

After all, it was not a modern human, so it did not possess the independent personalities of humans. Following the strong was a demon’s instinct.

In actuality, it was also an instinct that humans followed, but humans hid it with feelings and sensibilities. In the end, everyone was the same.

“That fellow’s turned green. Unfortunately, we’ve long reached the limit of Followers we’re allowed, otherwise we would be gaining another one,” said the System suddenly.

“Yeah, I know. It would be strange if it hadn’t turned green, since that octopus has always been an honest fellow. Once you treat it slightly better, it’ll return the favor tenfold. Besides, those pills truly are valuable,” replied Fang Ning.

“Yeah, in the end, that fellow would still swear loyalty to you… How terrible, you eat my food and use my things, yet nobody ever swears loyalty to me,” grumbled Sir System once it thought things through clearly.

“Haha, that’s what they call reaping what you sow,” quipped Fang Ning gleefully.

Fang Ning then once again took control of the Azure Dragon and swam over to the floating cottage, to which it then pushed a claw through the barrier to pass a mobile phone over.

“Mr. Xie, here is a phone that will allow you to summon the Dragon God. Any time there is new information on your side, or if you’re in danger, just press that button and I will immediately rush over to save you. You have nothing to worry about here, and if you have any problems, just use that phone to summon me.”

In the cottage, Xie Dong received the simple yet somehow slightly heavy phone, equally moved as well.

“Thank you for immense kindness, Venerable One. This humble servant will not hesitate to lay down his life for you if need be.”

After following Ren Ruofeng for a while, Xie Dong had also learned a little on how to speak with the Vigilante A.

“Haha, you speak well. Stand guard and be vigilant always. These books are all for you as well, so you don’t get too bored. My subordinates read them, so they’re nothing too valuable.” As the Azure Dragon spoke, he also gifted Xie Dong a bunch of online novels.

All the injustice and discontent that Xie Dong was feeling previously disappeared instantly.

This was merely another job for him, yet this True Dragon, the Venerable Dragon God, the Eastern Pharos, had considered so many things in his stead despite being a noble. Be it his safety, or nourishment for his mind, had all been taken care for already. What else could Xie Dong say?

He could only do one thing—keep up his spirit and keep a close watch so that not even one visitor from the Upper Realm would past through.