Chapter 333: Accumulating Earth to Build a Mountain and Gather Cultivation

Li Banfeng was going to Yaowanggou. Ma Wu helped him arrange a travel permit and bought his train ticket.

Ma Wu was very weak during his promotion period, but he still saw Li Banfeng off at the station.

Returning from the station, Ma Wu was looking forward to several days of good sleep, but then someone arrived at the newspaper office.

A-Qin had arrived.

How could A-Qin be in Heishipo? Under normal circumstances, she wasn't allowed to leave Xindi.

It was later revealed that A-Qin missed Ma Wu and sought out Qiu Luoye, who agreed to her request. Qiu Luoye then asked Shui Yongquan to conceal A-Qin's presence.

A-Qin arrived at Lanyang Village, found Ma Wu's subordinates, obtained a travel permit and train ticket, and made her way to Heishipo.

A-Qin's arrival was certainly welcome.

But Huoling was also there.

How would the two of them get along?

It seemed Ma Wu wouldn't be sleeping soundly for the next few days.

As it turned out, Ma Wu had worried unnecessarily.

A-Qin and Huoling already knew each other and got along well. Learning that Ma Wu was about to be promoted, they both helped him intensify his cultivation.

Once Ma Wu was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep, the two women didn't disturb him and went to watch a movie together.

"Blood Blade Detective 6" was showing in Heishipo, and a long queue had formed outside the cinema. Bai Qiusheng had someone buy tickets for A-Qin and Huoling. They watched one showing, found it genuinely good, and then asked Bai Qiusheng to get them two more tickets to watch it again that evening.

At Yuezhou University, in the academic lecture hall, nanometer materials expert Zhang Xuanming had just finished his report, and the applause in the hall was continuous.

After the lecture concluded and the students dispersed, He Jiaqing, disguised as a staff member, went to the podium to collect the microphone.

He removed a battery from the microphone base. Unaware observers would have thought he was just checking the equipment.

After securing the battery, He Jiaqing left the lecture hall, entered a hotel next to the school, and rented a room.

Once in the room, He Jiaqing placed the battery into the charger's slot and plugged it in.

Soon, a white ring reappeared on the battery's surface. He Jiaqing took out the battery, connected a wire to each of its positive and negative terminals, and then plugged them into his head.

Smoke wafted from He Jiaqing's head.

The effect was good, but it did a bit of damage to his scalp.

Once the battery was fully discharged, He Jiaqing put it back into its box. As he lay on the bed resting, the button on his chest began to vibrate.

"Jiaqing, the new movie's attendance rate has reached 80%."

He Jiaqing nodded. "I knew my sister had talent."

"The seventh installment has already begun filming, and we don't have much film left. I asked the producer to buy some, but they said the film must be procured by you personally."

"Sister, the film we use is special, so I do need to purchase it myself. Tell them to conserve it for now; I can get the film delivered in a day or two."

After cutting the connection, He Jiaqing rubbed his scalp, dislodging quite a bit of hair.

This wasn't good; he was really going bald.

He had to endure the baldness; he couldn't slow down now.

Leaving the hotel, He Jiaqing stood by the roadside.

Observing the endless flow of people, He Jiaqing saw countless sources—sources of cultivation.

Accumulating soil to form a mountain, only by continuously gathering resources could he build up his "mountain."

Third Uncle was still lying in the hospital for him, and he would have to lie there for a long time.

Before, when he had the "travel cultivation skill," he didn't need a substitute. As long as he planned his route in advance, he could get things done in minutes, and no one would even know he had left his hospital room.

Now that the travel cultivation skill was depleted, things had become troublesome.

He needed to replenish his techniques quickly.

Should he go to the stadium again tonight?

No rush, he should wait. He couldn't go to the same place too frequently.

Where else could he find a crowd comparable to a stadium?

He Jiaqing went to the subway station; rush hour was approaching.

Ma Wu slept for a day and a night, recovering 70-80% of his strength. His promotion was successful.

He was now a third-level Huanxiu, with even higher demands for his cultivation.

Huoling and A-Qin were both present, possessing strong physiques and advanced techniques. Their coordination was excellent, ensuring they could maintain the intensity of his cultivation.

Ma Wu ate something and quickly got into the zone, but then he learned that the two beautiful women weren't at the newspaper office; they had gone to watch a movie together.

Watching a movie again?

Was it really that good?

Bai Qiusheng came to Ma Wu's room, closed the door, and said, "Master Wu, there's something wrong with the two ladies."

"What's wrong?"

"'Blood Blade Detective 6'—the two ladies have already watched it five times. They're not eating or sleeping, just watching it one showing after another."

Ma Wu chuckled, "Let them watch. They haven't seen many movies in Xindi, so they're probably just enjoying the novelty."

Bai Qiusheng shook his head. "I thought so too at first. I even bought them a season pass so they could watch any movie in the cinema.

But the two ladies only watch this one movie. They don't even glance at other films, not even our own 'Blood Gun Detective'."

Ma Wu paused for a moment and asked Bai Qiusheng, "Is this 'Blood Blade Detective' particularly good?"

"I haven't seen it myself; I don't have the time. But everyone who has seen it says it's good."

Ma Wu grew a little nervous. The popularity of "Blood Blade Detective" was quickly catching up to "Blood Gun Detective."

What could be the reason for this?

A good script? Good actors? Or did they push the boundaries?

I need to go see it. I can't afford to suffer a big loss by underestimating it.

Despite his business growing, Ma Wu had never relaxed his vigilance when it came to movies.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw A-Qin and Huoling returning.

"Fifth Brother is awake!" The two women were delighted. They had planned to catch the next showing but had rushed back to check on Ma Wu because they were worried about him.

A-Qin asked, "How is Fifth Brother's recovery going?"

"I've recovered about seventy or eighty percent." Looking at A-Qin and Huoling's charming appearance, Ma Wu was still debating whether to go watch the movie or seize the time to cultivate.

To his surprise, A-Qin had no intention of cultivating with him. "Fifth Brother, since you've recovered, come watch a movie with us."

Huoling also agreed, "This movie is truly good; we never get tired of watching it."

Ma Wu nodded, "I was just thinking of going to see it myself."

"Let's go quickly, Fifth Brother."

"Wait for me to change my clothes."

"No need to change, Fifth Brother. Watching a movie isn't a big deal."

Ma Wu said, "Just a moment, I'll be ready soon."

"Hurry up, or we'll miss the next showing."

Ma Wu paused for a moment, then suddenly cupped Huoling's chin.

Huoling shyly lowered her head. "What are you doing? Look at you, so eager. We can cultivate after the movie."

"Ling'er, don't move." Ma Wu gently pried open Huoling's eyelid.

Huoling didn't move; she was very obedient to Ma Wu.

Ma Wu saw a blood vessel on her sclera.

He gently scraped the blood vessel with his fingernail. The vessel broke, and a little fresh blood flowed out.

"Ow!" Huoling cried out in pain, reproaching Ma Wu, "What are you doing? You've broken my eye!"

Ma Wu looked at the blood on his finger, then turned to A-Qin.

There was also a blood vessel in A-Qin's eye.

He knew why the attendance rate for "Blood Blade Detective" had improved.

At Huahu Park, He Jiaqing was taking a stroll.

Da Tou casually walked up to him, and the two walked side by side.

"Xiao Zhenggong is on duty at the bureau tonight."

"He's still on duty?"

"He often doesn't show up for cases or meetings, and he's usually nowhere to be seen during work hours, but he's never missed a duty shift. He'll definitely be there tonight."

He Jiaqing nodded. After wandering for a while, he left the park.

At 6 PM, Xiao Zhenggong arrived at the Dark Star Bureau. Everyone else had left for the day, except for the new recruit, Qin Minghui.

Xiao Zhenggong sat on Qin Minghui's desk, looked at him for a moment, and said, "Zhong'er?"

He remembered Qin Minghui's code name.

Qin Minghui quickly stood up and said, "Deputy Captain!"

Xiao Zhenggong chuckled, "Why the heck do you add 'Deputy' in front? Why aren't you gone yet?"

"I'm still an intern. According to the bureau's latest regulations, starting this month, I have to be on duty with both captains."

"That's a nasty rule. You barely earn anything, and they make you suffer like this? Go home, I'll allow it."

Qin Minghui shook his head. "I can't go back. Rules are rules."

Xiao Zhenggong frowned. "Why are you being so ungrateful? If I tell you to go home, just go home quickly. Wouldn't a good night's sleep be better?"

Qin Minghui still shook his head. Xiao Zhenggong said impatiently, "Fine, if you won't leave, just stew here!"

In a blink, it was midnight. Xiao Zhenggong was in the office, playing with his phone, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

He glanced towards the door; Qin Minghui was still reading in the office.

Xiao Zhenggong walked closer and saw that Qin Minghui was reading a combat training manual.

"What's your discipline?"

"Discipline? Do you mean my profession? I just started last month, and I chose 'Fighter'."

"Another Fighter?" Xiao Zhenggong chuckled. "Aren't you a law student? Why did you choose 'Fighter'?"

"I can't just have legal knowledge; I also need the ability of an enforcer."

"What ability? The ability to fight?"

"The ability to subdue villains!" Qin Minghui answered every question with great seriousness.

"Alright, promising! Just reading books is useless. Come train with me; I'll give you some pointers."

Qin Minghui shook his head.

"What's wrong, scared? Afraid of pain or afraid of dying?" Xiao Zhenggong smirked provocatively.

Qin Minghui looked at the duty phone in front of him and said, "I'm on duty. I can't leave my post without authorization."

"Don't worry, just for a little while. I'll just show you a couple of moves; I wouldn't even want to teach you more."

Qin Minghui adamantly refused to leave. Xiao Zhenggong's eyes glinted menacingly. "What, you're not going to obey my orders?"

Before Qin Minghui could respond, the duty phone suddenly rang.

Qin Minghui immediately picked up the phone. Following established procedure, after confirming twice, he promptly reported to Xiao Zhenggong: "An unidentified creature has appeared at Ruirong Textile Factory on Chengyun Road. It's suspected to be a dark energy anomaly. Two children have been attacked and are trapped within the factory grounds."

Xiao Zhenggong nodded. "I understand."

"Deputy Captain..."

"Why are you looking at me? Haven't you learned the procedures? Don't you know what to do now?"

Qin Minghui immediately pulled open the drawer under the duty phone and pressed the red button.

Both Qin Minghui's and Xiao Zhenggong's phones rang simultaneously, as did the phones of everyone in the Dark Star Bureau's Security Team.

Xiao Zhenggong continued, "Don't just stand there, explain the situation!"

Qin Minghui picked up the receiver and explained the situation.

All team members were now required to rush to the scene immediately.

Qin Minghui looked at Xiao Zhenggong.

Xiao Zhenggong raised his eyebrows. "What are you looking at? I'm the on-duty officer; I can't leave my post without authorization. You're an intern. If you want to go, you can."

Qin Minghui hesitated.

Xiao Zhenggong sighed. "Ruirong Textile Factory is very remote. It's the weekend today, and no one from the team knows where everyone's gone off to. I'd say those two children's chances are slim."

Qin Minghui immediately put on his jacket, strapped on his sidearm, and rushed to the elevator.

Xiao Zhenggong called out, "How are you going to get there? Are you running? By the time you arrive, they'll be cold! I'll contact the on-duty driver to take you there shortly!"

After Qin Minghui left, Xiao Zhenggong sat in silence in the office for a moment, then lit a cigarette.

There was no flame on the cigarette, but the smoke rising from it was thick.

Xiao Zhenggong took a deep puff and exhaled a large cloud of smoke. The smoke seemed to have a life of its own, enveloping him.

He left the office and entered the stairwell. He passed a surveillance camera, but no image of him was recorded.

He walked up the stairs to the twelfth floor. Exiting the stairwell, he faced an iron door.

The iron door had no keyhole, no fingerprint scanner, and no password input device. Only two small lights were illuminated.

These two small lights were not for illumination; they were for retina scanning.

Xiao Zhenggong didn't have the authority to open this door. Even if he did, he wouldn't open it, as he didn't want to leave any record of his entry or exit.

But he possessed a magical artifact, one he had purchased at great expense from Puluozhou.

He pulled out a black glove and put it on.

His hand fumbled on the iron door for a moment. The door opened, but no record of it opening was left.

Xiao Zhenggong entered through the iron door. Inside the dark, windowless room, dozens of rows of data shelves were arranged.

Xiao Zhenggong scanned the data shelves one by one. He knew what he was looking for, and it wasn't his first time in the data room. However, all the documents in the data room were rearranged daily.

After searching for a long time, he found the documents he wanted on the sixth row of shelves.

The document box had only two words: "Boundary Line."