Chapter 123 - Earth (Second Installment)

Disregarding the last spam message, the majority of the exiles in Huaguo were temporarily reassured by the national messages on their phones.

Despite the myriad dangers, moral dilemmas, and indescribable transformations they had undergone in exile, which might have rendered them unrecognizable from their former selves, their resilience and hope remained intact. The response to their unwavering determination stirred emotions—both warmth and relief.

However, while sentiments were touched, the question of whether this world was real or if they had truly returned home was another matter altogether. The constant turmoil caused by the "World Devourers" had left everyone cautious. Even with no clear devourer present this time and a strong desire to believe in the reality of this world, they needed to proceed with caution.

As a result, although the majority of the exiles detected by Huaguo were moved by the texts, only about thirty percent actually registered on the websites mentioned. The remaining seventy percent were still observing, seeking confirmation that this was indeed their homeland.

At the headquarters of the Security Bureau.

"Minister Tu! We now have over 3,000 registered returnees, most of whom are inquiring about the well-being of their loved ones. So far, no hostile incidents or disturbances have been reported around the nine restricted zones. The returnees' emotions seem relatively stable."

Upon hearing this report, Minister Tu's face finally showed a hint of reassurance.

As long as they could initially reassure the majority, preventing them from using their powers recklessly due to suspicion and anxiety, it would be considered effective communication.

Though the number was still small, time would reveal their sincerity and efforts. Eventually, these returning wanderers would understand their intentions.

"That's alright. From now on, send comforting and informative messages at designated times each day. Do nothing else. If there are inquiries or special requests, ensure that dedicated personnel respond warmly, like the warmth of spring to soothe their hearts."

Chen is gold.

Lü Jun:

Uncle, please speak your mind and refrain from looking at us with that overly benevolent gaze that sends shivers down our spines, alright?

"Your advice has been immensely helpful. Would you kindly elaborate further on the Exiled Lands and the unique abilities in question?"

We have already dispatched a dedicated attendant to fetch your respective family members, and you shall have the pleasure of their company at this evening's dinner."

Liu Jun's face immediately lit up with excitement. Though his parents were always stingy with his allowance and never showered him with riches, and his grandma was a nitpicking chatterbox who loved flattery, they were still his family, no matter what.

His long-awaited family.

Compared to Liu Jun, Chen Shi Jin was more composed. He looked at Liu Jun and said straightforwardly, "Go tell the Minister and the others about the Exiled Land."

"I want to check out some other places first."

Liu Jun: "Huh?"

Without further ado, Chen Shi Jin began speaking and then vanished from everyone's sight in the meeting room, right before their eyes.

"How could you, brother?! Cousin, ahhhh! How could you leave me here alone?! I want to see other places too, ahhhh!"

As the meeting room echoed with gasps of astonishment, Liu Jun reluctantly extended his arm.

After a moment, Minister Tu pressed his chest and looked at Liu Jun with a kinder gaze. "Is it you, Little Liu? I heard your special ability is related to plant evolution? A top-grade Biluochun tea, perhaps?"

Liu Jun paused, then puffed out his chest proudly. "Yup! You can tell by this unique ring of hair around my head! I can pluck a few leaves for you to study, and maybe even draw some blood for an DNA test, but that's it! Don't even think about anything else!"

"Don't even think about slicing me up or confining me in a research facility! Even if I can't defeat all of you alone, just one word from my cousin, and the entire world will tremble at his feet!"

Everyone in the conference room: ...

The words sounded overly dramatic and unrealistic, yet the terrifying part was that they might actually be true.

"One of your cousins... Mr. Chen, does he possess the special ability 'teleportation'?"

An amiable grandmother with silver hair asked the question. She wore a researcher's custom uniform, making her identity clear.

Lü Jun immediately burst into laughter, his already raised chin lifting even higher, almost to the point of looking down his nose at them. "That's hilarious."

"My brother's ability would scare you to death if I told you."

"However, I won't disclose it without his permission. You can ask him yourselves later!"

Although he was leaning more and more towards this being the real Earth, what if these people were fake? He hadn't seen his parents and family yet; he needed to hold something back!

But soon, his arrogant posture was brought down by a cold voice.

"If I'm not mistaken, Chen's special ability is something like 'Spoken Law Becomes Reality' or 'Golden Utterance,' a kind of verbal superpower, isn't it?"

Lyu Jun's expression suddenly turned cold.

He turned to see the bespectacled researcher, a man with an elite yet unlikable appearance.

He scoffed. "You think?"

At that moment, the seemingly vulnerable young man revealed his vigilance and defiance as an exile. He casually took out his phone and said, "I'd like to rest for a while. There's no end to talking about the Exiled Lands in a short time. Let's discuss it when I meet my parents."

Although he couldn't just leave like his cousin, he wasn't someone to be trifled with either.

After all, not boasting, but he alone had the power to severely damage, if not destroy, this country's safest security agencies.

However, some anticipation and longing within him held him back, hoping that this wasn't a deceptive trap.

Lyu Jun's words froze the atmosphere in the conference room, but Minister Tu still wore a lenient smile. "Qixi, take Comrade Little Lu to rest. We were indeed too hasty. Matters regarding the Exiled Lands can be learned gradually.

"Comrade Little Lu, don't be upset. Researcher Bai is the main investigator of the Red Rain invasion incident. Based on the energy fluctuations during the invasion, he proposed the possibility that you might have been displaced to another dimension. He's one of the finest researchers currently studying the unknown energies of the Red Rain invasion."

He was also acting for the sake of national security.

Because he believed that there was a possibility of the Red Tide spreading across the globe in the future, swallowing up the Exiled Land where you were stranded, and ultimately consuming the Earth entirely."

Lu Jun abruptly lifted his gaze.

The researcher still wore that infuriatingly cold expression.

"He's just overly worried," Lu Jun sighed. "…I understand. I'll talk to you after I've had an hour's sleep."

"I'm also trying to contact others with my phone, to see if I can get in touch with the other members of our group. If possible, they might be able to provide more information."

While fiddling with his phone earlier, Lu Jun had been searching for the special app that the Golden Phones from the Exiled Land had installed.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find that particular app. However, he did spot the familiar "Eternal Heart Elite Group" in the WeChat group, which had been buzzing with messages since earlier. This further blurred the line between reality and fiction, leaving him rather overwhelmed.

"Eternal Star One Elite Group"

"Earth Bear Bro: Damn it, damn it, damn it! Is anyone there? Anyone?! Are we all okay after that cataclysm in the Exiled Land? Those who are still alive, make some noise! I'm a bit out of my mind right now!"

"Not Tasting a Hundred Herbs: ...Peep. Still alive. But... I'm having some doubts about life."

"Genuine Full-Titanium Steel Iron Man: Peep peep. Alive, but I too have my doubts about life."

"The Only Authentic Tyrant Chutiankuo in the Group: ...Hmph. Upon the tyrant's return, I realize I've gone bankrupt. My business district, my office buildings, even the land I bought, all turned into Red Rain Forbidden Zones.

No point beating around the bush, I've landed in a world similar to Earth. Yet, I haven't received any world missions... Instead, I've been receiving strange official messages.

Though I'm reluctant to admit it, the reality of this world... is rather convincing.

I just got a call from my mother."

After that, the rest of the group members posted similar messages, all in a state of shock, doubt, yet unable to resist checking on their loved ones and themselves.

However, Lu Jun counted the number of speakers in the group, and found that out of the thousand members, only one hundred and three had spoken up so far. The others seemed to be offline.

Lü Jun: ...

So was it really true or not?

Unable to figure it out, he decided not to think about it anymore. After all, his cousin would handle everything. Moreover, once he saw his parents, he would be able to determine if this world was real. He believed that no matter how powerful the devouring monsters were, they couldn't perfectly imitate his parents.

Therefore, seeing his parents would reveal the truth.

As long as he could see them, even if it turned out to be fake, it would be worth it.

*

Meanwhile, Chen Shijin was doing exactly as he had said – "exploring around."

He first arrived at his home, where he found the familiar house that seemed unchanged.

Then, he randomly visited many places he had been to before – the snowy mountains in the northeast, the sea in the south, the highest peak, and vast grasslands. Everything looked as he remembered, except for the people with slightly anxious expressions who occasionally looked up at the sky.

The neighboring countries weren't faring well, just as Captain Qi had mentioned. Almost the entire nation was off-limits, and their citizens lived in constant fear. However, Chen Shijin soon spotted a few exiles using their unique abilities while laughing heartily.

There were also exiles returning from overseas, making this world seem more genuine by the minute.

Then he traveled to the other side of the ocean, to Europe and other places, where the Crimson Rain Restricted Zone also existed. Similarly, there were exiled individuals who had gone missing and now reemerged.

In the end, Chen Zijin stood atop the world, gazing down upon the entire Earth with an overarching view.

His eyes shimmered with a silvery glow, and then he abruptly took a step back. After a long while, a slow, heavy sigh escaped his lips.

Amidst the expanse of heaven and earth, he clearly perceived the horrifying energy fissures that were invisible to the naked eye.

The power of an abyssal darkness seeped from the fissure, relentlessly eroding the earth.

Beyond the fissure lay an immense entity, unseen, untouchable, and beyond description.

It lurked in malevolent anticipation of its prey's demise.