INHA Chapter 117

In the following days, Xu Dongyou arrived at the sealing array on time to help Zhulong wipe his dragon scales. Of course, he also went home once. When Father Xu and Mother Xu saw Xu Dongyou, who was perfectly fine, they burst into tears of joy and prepared a lavish meal for him. Xu Yangchen was utterly confused, not understanding why their parents suddenly began showering Xu Dongyou with affection.

It wasn’t until later that evening when he overheard his parents mention how Xu Dongyou had completed a particularly dangerous mission, where several of the people who went with him had sacrificed their lives, that Xu Yangchen felt a wave of fear wash over him. It was only then that he understood why their parents were acting this way—it had been so close; he could have lost his brother.

This possibility, one he had never even considered before, scared Xu Yangchen so much that for the next few days, he even took the initiative to text Xu Dongyou, calling him “brother” with every message. Xu Dongyou, puzzled, transferred 5,000 yuan to Xu Yangchen.

Xu Yangchen’s mouth twitched, but his hands still naturally typed out a message: “Thank you, brother!”

Xu Dongyou smiled slightly. As expected, the reason his younger brother suddenly became so obedient was likely because he was short on money. Indeed, he was a qualified good brother.

As for the previously defected handler, Liang Shankai, he had already been escorted to the Fengnian Anomaly Handling Bureau for interrogation. After his request was officially approved, Liang Shankai began cooperating, confessing everything he knew in exchange for a chance at survival.

However, from now on, he would be forced to wear a monitoring bracelet, constantly under surveillance. His memories related to cultivation techniques would be erased and he would be expelled from the Anomaly Handling Bureau, becoming an ordinary person.

Although Liang Shankai was bitter, he found that, more than anything else he had lost, he wanted to stay alive. He even regretted his betrayal. If none of this had happened, perhaps one day he truly could have grown stronger.

Although that chance was very slim.

At least it was better than losing his identity as a handler and becoming a regular person. His parents didn’t know he was a handler, but at least they used to receive a considerable subsidy every month. Now, all of that was gone.

Liang Shankai instantly deflated, his face full of despair as he revealed his final secret: how to become the gatekeeper of this small world.

Liang Shankai explained that each world could only have one gatekeeper. The gatekeeper’s responsibility was to plant a seed of evil into those who met the criteria, and, with the help of incantations, gradually form an Evil Pearl. Then, the Evil Pearl would be brought before the Evil Tree in the small world, and the Evil Tree would automatically absorb the pearl and turn it into a resentful spirit.

Once the resentful spirit fully matures, it forms a set of rules and begins waiting for the right moment to kill.

The last mysterious figure had also planted a seed of evil in himself, but it would only gradually form an Evil Pearl after death. Liang Shankai originally planned to take the Evil Pearl with him, but the security here was too tight and he couldn’t retrieve it.

Fortunately, he had another method. He could approach the Evil Tree, drip his blood on its trunk, and recite an incantation to become the gatekeeper.

He shared this incantation with the Anomaly Handling Bureau.

The chief and the other interrogators looked grim. The chief tapped the table, clearly unsatisfied with the information Liang Shankai had provided so far. “Is there anything else you know?” he asked.

Liang Shankai shook his head earnestly and said, “I’ve already told you my deepest secret. There’s nothing else I haven’t shared. I swear, I’ve truly confessed everything I know.”

The chief glanced at another person in the room, who gave a barely perceptible nod. This individual was a psychologist in the real world, and after gaining spiritual abilities, they developed a keen sense of intuition that allowed them to discern the truth with 100% accuracy based on someone’s tone and subtle body language.

It was clear that Liang Shankai was telling the truth.

Liang Shankai was then taken away to have his cultivation-related memories erased and undergo further processing.

Meanwhile, with the issue of the Evil Tree in this small world resolved, Zhulong’s strength had mostly returned. His eyes no longer showed signs of madness, though there were still some distant memories that hadn’t fully recovered.

On the other hand, the chief could feel that the world itself seemed clearer, as if even breathing felt cleaner.

At the same time, the Anomaly Handling Bureau issued an order to search for all teleportation arrays, aiming to eliminate every one of them. As for the original small world, they remained intact but had lost their evil aura, transforming into fixed, small worlds.

The Anomaly Handling Bureau temporarily sealed this particular array.

Days passed. Xu Dongyou continued going to Zhulong’s place to help wipe the scales. Occasionally, he attended press conferences because the Anomaly Handling Bureau had developed a new product and once again selected him as the spokesperson.

Many celebrities envied him but knew they couldn’t compete. This time, Xu Dongyou became even more famous with everyone knowing his name. His power had also risen to a new level.

He could even feel that if he faced the Evil Tree again, he wouldn’t be as embarrassed as before and wouldn’t need Zhulong’s protection.

About a month later, a teleportation array and a new gatekeeper were discovered in a neighboring city. After a battle, the gatekeeper was successfully captured. However, this gatekeeper was entirely uncooperative with the Anomaly Handling Bureau, filled with violent and negative emotions, showing no empathy toward humans. He was like a devil wearing human skin. The Anomaly Handling Bureau, naturally, wouldn’t extend any mercy to someone like that.

The gatekeeper’s crimes were so severe that he didn’t deserve basic human rights. The research department urgently developed a method specifically targeting gatekeepers, forcing them to reveal all the information they knew.

However, the Anomaly Handling Bureau still had limited understanding of such entities. While they successfully extracted most of the gatekeeper’s information, they also inadvertently triggered terrifying consequences.

---