Weak as Ants (3K)

The sea breeze was damp, but the sunlight was rather fierce.

Binhai City’s weather was hardly beautiful at this time of year.

Wearing a sunhat, Luoshui stood beside the containers and watched her master lead a group of people in inspecting cargo ships and warehouses receiving goods from Japan.

Her skin was fair, almost dazzlingly white beneath the sun. By appearance alone, she did not look like a police officer capable of fieldwork at all.

The young man responsible for warehouse registration was distracted, repeatedly glancing at Luoshui. He did not even clearly hear Song Xian’s several reminders.

Smack.

Something suddenly cracked beside his ear. Only then did the young man in work clothes turn around. Looking at the dark-skinned detective, he lowered his head somewhat sheepishly.

"Sorry, Officer. I’ll make sure this regulation is implemented. Binhai City Customs and warehousing facilities will prohibit any old-style videotapes from entering the country!"

Song Xian frowned deeply and turned to leave. The young man panicked, thinking his earlier behavior had displeased the officer. He wanted to explain, but saw the man wave a hand behind his back.

Song Xian was already used to this sort of thing. He had frowned only because he had unconsciously used two fingers to strike the air and create that explosive crack.

He was becoming increasingly accustomed to this Superman-like body, making more and more inhuman movements without thinking.

Song Xian was worried about this.

Even an official Reincarnator like him was like this. The "wild" Reincarnators hiding throughout the city could only be in an even worse state.

As the Reincarnators grew stronger, this group would become ever more unstable.

No law or morality could permanently restrain a group that possessed extraordinary power. What was more, they were a group of superhumans who could die at any moment.

Manic agitation was an illness these people could not suppress. When they felt that their lives could not be guaranteed, what difference was there between being erased by the space for breaking the rules, or being killed by Plot Characters and other Reincarnators in mission worlds?

With his brow tightly furrowed, Song Xian felt immense pressure. He silently returned to his disciple’s car without saying a word, still thinking about how East Xia could remain stable under such circumstances.

He had contacted several Title-level Reincarnators in the space, but none of them had taken a stance. The only thing that comforted him was Azure Sky’s promise that it would not allow Reincarnators whose destructive power exceeded the limits to use their abilities in East Xia.

But that person had not told him what exactly those limits were.

"Master, the higher-ups suddenly ordered a complete ban on the circulation of old-fashioned video players and the sealing and investigation of all old videotapes on the market. Is it because of what happened in Japan…?"

Luoshui asked tentatively. She knew there were many things her master could not say openly, and she had also been strictly forbidden from getting involved with such matters.

But she was not stupid. The timing of the two events was too coincidental. Besides, her family was quite influential, and she knew that in Japan, rumors had already begun to spread of cursed videotapes circulating in secret. In just two days, dozens of people had died.

Song Xian sighed and rubbed his brow. The pressure of carrying out missions in the space, combined with having to watch the increasingly severe Reincarnator situation in the real world, had already left him feeling overwhelmed.

Yet fewer than a hundred Reincarnators were officially registered in East Xia. That number was wholly insufficient to handle the possible incidents across such a vast territory.

For now, he could only hope that the various high-tech weapons currently being developed by the military would be put to use soon. At the same time, he hoped to win over more Reincarnator teams in the space to stand on the side of maintaining order.

"Yes. Someone activated something very dangerous in Japan. It could cause a disaster across the entire world at any time."

"And such incidents can easily have an extremely negative influence, causing many ill-intentioned Re… ill-intentioned people to imitate them."

Perhaps the pressure was simply too great. Song Xian rarely revealed the worries in his heart to his disciple.

Luoshui sat in the car without starting it. She recalled the internal reports she had seen recently. Terrifying things seemed to be happening everywhere in the world.

A horrific explosion had occurred in Australia. It was said that several high-ranking national officials had died. Australia had now been designated a high-risk area, and East Xia had issued evacuation notices to its citizens throughout Australia.

Southeast Asia was also in chaos. It was said that rioters in Northern Myanmar had brazenly seized large swathes of streets and towns, and had even killed Public Order Officers.

"Myanmar… seems pretty close to Teng City…"

For some reason, Luoshui thought of that person again. Sometimes, she recalled how clean and innocent he had looked when they first met, standing by the window and turning back to look at her.

His face was utterly unlike the life he had lived.

It took Song Xian a moment to recall the young man named Bai Cangshu. Thinking of the other party’s highly unusual background, he was certain that if that guy entered the space, there was a very high chance he would grow strong.

"Student Bai went to Teng City for work, right? You might as well remind him that something major may happen in Myanmar soon. Tell him he should return to Binhai."

"If he really needs work, we… no, you can arrange something for him."

Song Xian shook his head, rejecting the thought of personally finding a way to send the other party into the space. Most Reincarnators were short-lived creatures.

In East Xia’s secretly ongoing Southern Heavenly Gate Project, personnel were selected from military elites and recruited under the name of a suicide squad. Every soldier who volunteered had cast aside life and death for the greater good.

He could not drag Bai Cangshu into something like this.

Luoshui nodded as if she understood. She planned to organize the information carefully and make sure Student Bai thoroughly understood just how dangerous and terrifying Myanmar had become.

"Oh, really? Thank you so much, Officer Luo. I hadn’t even heard that something like that had happened in Northern Myanmar…"

"Yes, exactly. They actually killed Public Order Officers and armed soldiers from several camps. It’s far too dangerous. I’ll definitely be careful."

"Return to Binhai? I can’t go back for now. Yes, my boss values me highly. I have to wait until the project is finished before I can return. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be careful."

Lin Qinfu and Du Enqin stood at the entrance of the presidential suite, both with their heads lowered and pale faces.

In their eyes, Boss Bai, whose tone was currently gentle and polite, was slowly examining the head wrapped in white cloth in the room.

As he unwrapped the white cloth and looked at the dead Grand Zen Master’s head, he spoke on the phone in that manner. It sent chills down their spines.

Bai Cangshu hung up. He had gained some useful information from that naive police officer, even though she had not explained it clearly.

Combined with her mention that something terrifying would happen in Myanmar soon, Bai Cangshu already had a guess.

More and more Reincarnators had begun trying to challenge the existing order lately. At a time like this, the true behemoths currently controlling the world would surely make a move.

Wrapped in a bath towel, Bai Cangshu tossed aside his phone, picked up the aged head again, and threw it back to the woman.

"Du Enqin, you did well. Since this old man was so stubborn, then just replace him with another Grand Zen Master."

"Tsk. He called himself a Grand Zen Master, yet he was no different from an ordinary person. What a disappointment."

He had not seen anything mystical or different from an ordinary person in that head. There were rumors in the space that the real world also possessed certain hidden supernatural powers, but this Grand Zen Master clearly was not among them.

Following Bai Cangshu’s orders, Du Enqin had tried to persuade her master to agree to the Paradise Project. But the old Zen master, nearly a hundred years old, clearly could not understand what paradise was. He rejected Du Enqin’s goodwill.

Knowing Boss Bai’s cruel nature, Du Enqin believed that her teacher’s opposition would likely get him killed soon. Perhaps she wanted to avoid punishment for failing in her task, or perhaps she wanted to earn merit. In any case, she had directly murdered her own teacher.

Then she had returned to the hotel with the Grand Zen Master’s head.

Bai Cangshu had no intention of wasting thought on such trivial matters. He waved a hand, signaling that the two could leave.

"Later, have those old men from the local tribes sort through the connections in this region. I want to know who truly stands behind these factions."

Lin Qinfu hurriedly nodded. On the surface, he was now the initiator of the Paradise Project, as well as the "big boss" who occupied nearly half of Wa State.

He had gained power, but behind that power stood Bai Cangshu’s terrifying deterrence.

He did not need to answer to anyone, but as long as Boss Bai was dissatisfied, he too could be eliminated at any time. With power and pressure intertwined like this, even the pain from Lin Qinfu’s broken leg and hand seemed to have vanished.

His efficiency had reached unprecedented heights.

After the two left, a cleaner soon entered the room with her head lowered to replace Bai Cangshu’s bloodstained carpet.

The female cleaner bent over to roll up the bloody carpet, constantly backing away until her butt bumped into Bai Cangshu’s leg as he stood in place.

She fell with the motion, then turned to Bai Cangshu with a bashful expression. Beneath that dark blue work uniform was unexpectedly a delicate, pretty face.

The woman glanced at Bai Cangshu’s face, and the blush on her cheeks deepened.

"Sir, I never expected that you would not only have power, but such an astonishing appearance as well~"

Her voice was soft, like a murmur, carrying the shy hesitation of words left unspoken. Bai Cangshu merely shook his head and smiled.

At the instant Bai Cangshu shook his head and looked away, the bashful woman instantly pulled a black pistol from her clothes.

Bang!

The bullet struck Bai Cangshu between the eyebrows in an instant.

Joy flashed across the woman’s face, but the next moment, unbearable burning pain spread throughout her body.

Whoosh!

Radiant Flame ignited. Bai Cangshu looked at the woman as her skin split and flesh blistered in the flames, then smiled. Naturally, he was not moved by her performance. Rather, he realized that professional killers like this now seemed absurd and laughable to him.

Her heartbeat, breathing rhythm, and even the motion of drawing her gun were all too slow, too weak.

Tap tap tap, smack!

Hearing the scream, Du Enqin, who had just gone downstairs, hurriedly ran back. This hotel was now her property, and afraid of being blamed, she ran more desperately than anyone else.

But when she pushed open the door, all she saw was Boss Bai standing by the window with his back to her, seemingly admiring the view. In the room, a woman wrapped in flames was rolling around and wailing. Before long, she fell silent.

"Sorry, Boss Bai. I’ll handle it immediately. I’ll conduct a thorough investigation of everyone in the hotel at once. I’ll definitely find the mastermind!"