Chapter 125: Earth

Chapter 125: Earth

Moments ago, crimson clouds still loomed over the Security Department, their ominous hue pounding at the hearts of those who yearned to escape.

Within this year, they had seen such blood-red clouds countless times in news reports and announcements of tragedies. The frequent sightings had led them to believe they could withstand the red terror.

But when the calamity struck them personally, they realized that all their mental preparations were in vain.

It was a terror that defied description.

It is a calamity from which one cannot escape despite giving their all.

They were aware that the crimson rain was about to fall, staining their hair and clothes, yet there was no way they could escape the encroachment of the crimson clouds and rain within three minutes.

For an entire year, all nations and various organizations on Earth toiled in pursuit of a solution, yet none could devise a means to avert the Cataclysmic Red Rain.

Thus, as they gazed upon the crimson storm clouds looming above, hopelessness gripped everyone's hearts, and some even closed their eyes, awaiting the end of their lives.

Yet the raindrops that should have been pelting their faces were conspicuously absent, as a gasp of sheer disbelief rippled through the nearby crowd.

"Good heavens! The clouds have dispersed!"

One by one, the incredulous people opened their eyes to look up at the sky, only to find that the vast expanse of crimson storm clouds that had once blanketed the sky had vanished without a trace.

!!!

"God... Am I dreaming? The Red Rain invasion has stopped?!"

"How can this be, how can this be, how can this be?! How could such a massive swarm of clouds just disappear all of a sudden? Did I mistake what I saw earlier due to my aging eyes, or did something occur beyond our knowledge?"

After the initial shock, it was the nation's premier researchers, who had been among the first to be relocated, who rushed back in a frenzy.

Among them, a spry silver-haired grandmother sprinted the fastest, panting as she messaged the surveillance department, "Huff! Huff! I need to see all the surveillance cameras around the research institute! All of them, now!"

She had to figure out exactly what was happening to halt this invasion that no human on Earth could counter or prevent.

But when they reached the monitoring room, the revered researcher was struck speechless by the images before her.

On the massive surveillance screens, footage from four different angles displayed the same young man standing atop the Security Department's spire. He looked calmly into the sky, and with the first drop of red rain falling, he intervened to avert the catastrophe.

The calamity that was impossible to escape, impossible to eradicate, and impervious to all efforts in the hearts of everyone seemed like a fleeting cloud before him, dispersible with a mere breath or a wave of his hand.

"…What did he say?"

"Is this the true power of an 'Exile'?"

The monitoring room fell into an eerie silence. The spectators, their emotions entangled, were gripped by an indescribable fear and caution after the initial excitement subsided.

Then, a voice filled with joy broke the stillness, "He's a child capable of saving the world!"

The silver-haired researcher, a grandmotherly figure, beamed with a smile, "With this child, no one will be taken away by the red rain anymore. People won't have to live in fear of the crimson clouds in the sky."

Soon, others chimed in, their voices laced with laughter, "Exactly, exactly! He's truly opened our eyes. Comrade Xiao Chen is our hope!"

"Absolutely. As long as we have Comrade Xiao Chen, China will be secure. We should speak with him now and offer him the best treatment possible."

However, a dissenting voice soon emerged.

"With such immense power, will he heed the nation's commands? He stopped the red rain with just four words. His power of speech surpasses all my expectations."

"He could halt the Red Rain invasion with a single word, so he could just as easily annihilate a nation." The young bespectacled man adjusted his glasses. "According to our energy calculations, today's Red Rain invasion by the Security Bureau had enough otherworldly energy to sink that eastern island nation into the sea forever."

The monitoring room fell into another eerie silence.

"How can such a person be expected to obey the state? And if all those exiles possess similar terrifying powers, I believe their return wouldn't be a blessing but an even more uncontrollable disaster," the young researcher said, looking at Minister Tu.

Minister Tu, watching the shocking footage on loop, wore a wry smile.

He was well aware that the world might be on the brink of an uncontrollable upheaval.

Yet, he quickly shook his head. "I need to have a good talk with Comrade Chen."

"Bai, you're right. We can't force such exceptional individuals to obey us, but why must we?

"Heroes deserve heroic treatment."

"We are not lofty commanders; we are merely the voice of the people."

Researcher Bai froze, then pursed his lips. "…Minister, I was being too extreme."

Such power was indeed terrifying. No one present probably understood better than he did the sheer terror those mere four words could unleash.

The man had seemingly spoken only four words, but in reality, he had unleashed a tempest of energy.

"Alright, this is a good thing. Everyone, don't be too tense. We need to trust our fellow countrymen and partners."

Minister Tu chuckled. "Come on, let's go talk with Comrade Chen and listen to what he has to say."

Before Minister Tu could finish his sentence, the alarm of the surveillance department suddenly sounded again.

The operator immediately switched the monitors, and another shocking scene appeared before the eyes of the security team members.

This horrifying scene didn't take place in the Security Department, nor was it in the capital.

It happened in one of the previous Nine Forbidden Zones, a city that had once been one of the most prosperous places in Huaguo.

On the top of the towering Pearl Tower, a man with black flesh wings stood in midair with an ecstatic, frenzied expression. In his hand, he held a screaming, tearful woman. At the very tip of the tower, there hung a man with a pale face and multiple apparent fractures.

"Vile wench! I knew you were no good! Complaining about my lack of wealth, looking down on me, toying with my affections – that's fine. But I had one simple request, just one last night with you, and you refused!

"Next thing I know, you're clinging to this rich brat! Hah! What does he have that I don't? Just a few more coins in his pocket? Pah! Now, let me show you the worth of mere money! Power! Supreme power is the true might!"

"And now, look at your wealthy beau. Can his money buy him his life? Ha ha ha! What about you? Do you still see me as good for nothing?

"The cameras nearby capture the maniacal glee on his face with perfect clarity. Even worse, he seems to believe that this display of strength should be witnessed by many, thus broadcasting it live on his phone.

"He stands atop that towering peak like an omnipotent king, joyfully spreading his arms wide, laughing amidst the woman's shrill screams."

"I'm back! Hahahaha! This is the real Earth! Liu Yong has returned! This time, I'll reclaim everything that's mine!"

The woman he held suspended in the air had turned pale and couldn't help but let out a piercing scream.

Yet, as she lifted her head to gaze at the smug Liu Yong and her blood-soaked fiancé, her eyes betrayed not only fear but also anger and hatred.

"You, you..."

As Liu Yong heard her speak, he raised his eyebrows in triumphant satisfaction, drawing her closer still.

"How do you plan to beg for mercy?"

The woman let out another shrill scream, then clutched her chest and roared in fury, "You despicable, shameless scum! Filth!"

"I never paid any attention to you from the start! It was you who kept pestering me! I never asked for anything from you! Ah Feng and I have been childhood sweethearts and decided long ago to marry after graduation! All I did was wash your car, yet you acted like a madman, clinging onto me – Aaahh! Aaahh!"

Furious at being exposed, Liu Yong lost his cool and flung the woman off the tower.

The woman's uncontrollable screams and the bloodied man's howls echoed together atop the tower. At the same time, countless gasps of shock and angry curses could be heard from those watching the live feed on their phones.

"Oh my goodness! Who is this? What kind of person is this? What's with those wings on his back? And what about that girl?! Who's going to save her?!"

Grandma Lu, watching the live stream in the meeting room, slapped her thigh in anger at the birdman.

Just moments ago, her entire family had been discussing their escape plans and wondering where Chen Shijin had gone.

But after Chen Shijin calmly announced, "The rain has stopped, and the fog has cleared," Grandma Lu's spirits lifted.

"Oh, heavens above! How fortunate, how fortunate! As expected, our Junjun brings great blessings upon his return!"

Lü Jun's eyes sparkled as he pounced on his cousin. "Bro! Bro! You can even stop the Crimson Rain? You really can stop it! That's the Crimson Rain, the one that led us to the Exiled Lands a year ago! Aaaah!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! I knew my brother is omnipotent! Bro, you're my god! My one and only god—"

Grandma Lü: ...

Her little grandson might have a serious problem.

But compared to Grandma Lü's confusion, Lü Dad and Lü Mom looked at Chen Shijin with astonishment.

Though they didn't witness it directly, Chen Shijin's sudden disappearance and reappearance, along with their son's fanatical adoration, pointed to an undeniable truth.

A truth that was almost unimaginable to them.

Only now, as ordinary people, did they realize that the family members and friends who returned from the Exiled Lands might look the same, but they were fundamentally different.

This realization became even clearer to Lü Dad and Lü Mom after Grandma Lü saw the live stream of the bird creature. It was also the first time that such a stark contrast was laid bare before ordinary Earthlings who had just learned of their loved ones' return.

"Tsk, another low-budget drama seeking attention? This male actor isn't particularly attractive at all. But the female lead is quite pretty."

"The bat wings on that guy's back look pretty realistic. Why not use feather wings? Bat wings do seem rather unsettling, though."

"The plot is about the Dragon King's return? How cliché. But they must have spent a fortune to shoot at the Pearl Tower – holy crap! He actually threw her down?!"

"God, she doesn't have any protection on her at all!!"

As countless people gasped in shock, Liu Yong, who had thrown the woman down, dove downward at an accelerated speed, catching and pulling her back up just as she was about to hit the water!

The live stream chat was now in a frenzy.

"Holy sh*t, is this real or special effects?! This doesn't seem very scientific, does it?!"

"…Please help, I don't think this is a short video. The fear on that girl's face looks too genuine…"

"I've called the police! That girl is a graduate student from our university! She's not an actress! A winged person suddenly appeared on campus and took her and her boyfriend away! I'm questioning my whole existence right now!"

Laughing wildly, Liu Yong flew back up to the top of the tower, chuckling at the barrage of comments:

"Ahahaha, foolish humans! Do you think this is a movie? Open your eyes and witness the truth! From today onwards, you'll see genuine superheroes!"

Liu Yong held his phone, turned around, and punched the very top of the Pearl Tower with all his might.

Under the gazes of countless people, that alloy tower tip was astonishingly shattered by his single punch.

Shattered.

"Hahahaha! I knew I wouldn't be a mere car washer forever, nor would I continue to struggle in exile! I am the Chosen One! I have returned, and I am the god on Earth—"

As Liu Yong spoke, he glanced at the bloodied man, then sneered as he lifted him up.

This time, he glared maliciously at the terrified woman. "Woman, this is the consequence of your disdain."

"Watch your man die with your own eyes."

He released his grip.

The girl screamed, her eyes reddened as she rushed forward. Embracing her fiancé, they both plummeted from the towering Pearl Tower together.

Yet this time, Liu Yong sneered coldly and didn't rush down.

"Slut, go die, huh?!"

Suddenly, in the live stream that reflected Liu Yong's distorted, vicious face, three more figures appeared out of thin air.

One of the youths hovered opposite the tower without uttering a word. To his left was a towering, bear-like man who leaped high into the air, charging straight at the smirking Bat-Man Liu Yong and slapping him across the face with a resounding smack. Liu Yong was sent flying into the tower, colliding with a tremendous crash.

To the youth's right was a green-haired young man with his hair styled like leaves.

He glanced down and exclaimed, "Green Leaf Bud!"

Below, out of the live stream's view but visible to many onlookers and security cameras, a vast expanse of green branches and leaves suddenly sprouted from the river. The green tea leaves wove themselves into a net, precisely catching the two people plummeting towards the water.

"Love stronger than gold, forming a heart for you two," Lu Jun chuckled, and the green tea leaves below transformed into a heart shape.

By now, the live stream had skyrocketed to the top of the trending charts on all platforms without a doubt. Countless comments and amazed exclamations were flooding the internet, threatening to burst its digital boundaries.

At that very moment, a hand appeared on the live stream screen.

It was an exceptionally well-proportioned male hand. The camera then shifted, revealing the calmest among the three individuals who had seemingly materialized out of thin air.

Also, the one who unconsciously gave off the strongest aura of being someone not to be trifled with.

This handsome, indifferent young man offered a subtle smile towards the camera.

In an instant, it dazzled countless viewers.

However, the smile vanished quickly. At that moment, everyone watching the live broadcast heard his slightly hoarse yet extraordinarily enchanting voice.

"Esteemed future exiles from the land of exile."

"If you're watching or have watched this video, please pay close attention to what I'm saying."

"This is our true home, not the World Devourer."

"Having returned with great difficulty, please don't court disaster."

"Earth has its own order, and it is where our loved ones and friends reside. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to protect it."

"I am Chen Shi Jin."

"Let me not have to address you directly, do you understand?"

Exiled wanderers gazing at their phones: "……"

"Who dares to stop you from speaking your mind, Father!"

Everyone staring at their phones: "?????"

Who the hell is Chen Jinnan, and why does he look so damn cool?!