strokinit Chapter 71 An "Old Friend" from Underground
Chapter 71 An "Old Friend" from Underground
Xiao Wei's holographic projection hovered stably above the bar, its mechanical eye behind the lens flashing red light.
"Boss, the encrypted communication protocol has been forcibly activated."
"It's not communication, it's instructions."
Chu Jiang was holding the "Celestial Master's Seal" like a trinket when he heard this, and paused in his actions.
"What instructions?"
"Release command."
V's voice was completely flat, as if he were reading a product manual.
"Based on the energy trail remaining within the Celestial Master's Seal, the target is located 500 meters underground in Shanghai."
"A high-energy collection of resentment that has been sealed away for 1,200 years."
Chu Jiang threw the Celestial Master's Seal onto the table with a dull thud.
Speak like a human.
"Longhu Mountain has buried a huge thing under our feet."
V's projection switched to a 3D city map, with a huge red dot flashing wildly in the city center.
"According to the encrypted files we just pulled from the Longhushan server backend, they call it... 'Drought Demon Corpse King'."
"And the Celestial Master's Seal is the brick that weighs down the coffin lid."
Before Chu Jiang could even complain about how the Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain were using the city as a cemetery, Li the coder's face, filled with panic, suddenly popped out.
"Boss, something terrible has happened!"
"The 'Three Paths Fast Crossing' app has detected a large-scale abnormal biosignal activity in its backend!"
"The city's sewers are alive again."
Li, the coder, projected the surveillance footage directly onto the wall of the milk tea shop.
In the video, countless dark manhole covers are being forced open from below by a force, producing a harsh metallic scraping sound.
Immediately afterwards, like a black tide, countless rats surged out of the sewers. Their eyes flashed with an eerie red light, and their squeaking sounds blended together, sending chills down one's spine.
Wherever the rat swarm went, trash cans and roadside green belts were instantly devoured clean.
Pedestrians and vehicles on the street were thrown into great chaos.
"Boss, according to the model, the corpse poison carried by these rats can cover 70% of the city within three hours."
"Our milk tea shop is also...within the coverage area."
Li's voice was choked with sobs.
At that moment, everyone's phone, regardless of brand or operating system, went black simultaneously.
Immediately afterwards, a huge, grotesque face covered in lividity and with distorted features appeared on the screen.
A hoarse, resentful voice, as if crawling out of the deepest hell, resounded throughout the city through the phone's speaker.
"It's been 1,200 years..."
"I...have finally seen the light of day again!"
"This city will become my great domain, the domain of the Corpse King!"
"Mortals, tremble and wail! Become my lowest servants, or... become the dinner of rats!"
"Hahahaha!"
The screen cuts off amidst the arrogant, maniacal laughter.
Outside the milk tea shop, the strange and disorganized people who were originally queuing up to take the civil service exam had already fallen into chaos.
"It's the Corpse King! I can smell that stench!"
"It's all over. The Corpse King has been born, and all living beings will suffer."
"Run! Forget about this government job, your life is more important!"
Inside the shop, Red Boy, who had just been worrying about the 150,000 yuan fine, now looked solemn.
"The Drought Demon Corpse King... this thing is not easy to deal with."
"It is invulnerable to blades and spears due to its corpse poison, and can also command undead creatures. My father's generals all suffered from it back then."
He looked at Chu Jiang, his eyes filled with a question.
"Hey, aren't you going to make a move? This is a Class A disaster."
Chu Jiang, however, acted as if nothing had happened, took out his phone, and slowly dialed a number.
"Feed? Meng Po?"
"It's me, Chu Jiang."
"Do you still have that 'Forget-River Sprite' flavored Meng Po soup that you mentioned last time? Yes, the one that makes you forget your troubles and keeps burping after drinking it."
"Give me a big bucket, I need it urgently. I'll send someone to get it."
After hanging up the phone, Chu Jiang looked up at Li the coder.
"Li, don't panic, it's nothing serious."
"Right now, immediately, post a top-level, server-wide announcement for me on the 'Santu Kuaidu' app."
Li, the coder, was stunned.
"Public announcement...announcement? What should it say?"
"Let's write: 'Crossing the Three Paths' Earthly Division's First Large-Scale Immersive Team Building Activity and City Cleanup Charity Challenge Officially Launched!"
Chu Jiang leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
"We define the rat swarm as 'newbie village mobs,' the corpse poison as 'environmental debuffs,' and that so-called Corpse King as 'area-limited powerful enemy.'"
"Aren't we going to have KPI assessments? This event is the perfect testing ground."
"Tell them that all current and prospective employees who participate in the activity will receive performance points based on their contributions."
Li, the coder, opened his mouth into an "O" shape.
"Then... what about the reward?"
"Good question."
Chu Jiang snapped his fingers.
"The warrior who ultimately defeats the area boss and brings back the boss's core token will receive the ultimate limited-time reward for this event—"
"A legendary item, a 'Marrow Cleansing Pill'!"
Red Boy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he listened.
Marrow Cleansing Pill? That's a treasure that can cleanse the marrow and reshape one's bones! Even in the Heavenly Court, it's a rare item!
That's an incredibly extravagant gesture!
Half a minute later.
All users in the city who had downloaded the "Santu Kuaidu" APP experienced their phones vibrating wildly.
A pop-up window with fire effects and background music forcibly occupied everyone's screen.
【🔥Epic Limited-Time Event: Sewer Cleaner🔥】
[Activity Details: Clean up city sewers, remove pollutants, and contribute to building a better home!]
[Event Rewards: Massive amounts of Yin Virtue Points, bonus points for Underworld government job interviews, and more...]
[Grand Prize: The legendary "Marrow Cleansing Pill" (one of a kind)!]
The announcement sent the entire mortal realm and the supernatural world into a frenzy.
The little monster, who was crying and preparing to run away just a second ago, wiped away his tears and took out his ancestral magic weapon from his bosom the next second.
"Marrow Cleansing Pill! My God! With this, I'm sure I can pass the civil service exam!"
The little fox Hu Xiaoyao, who had been crying her eyes out because of her failed job interview, now had a burning gaze and her tail was wagging like a windmill.
The immature teenager "Demon Lord," who had just been kicked into the ground by Chu Jiang and fined by the enforcement team, climbed out of the pit and wiped the dirt off his face.
"Hmph, a Marrow Cleansing Pill? Perfectly befitting my status as the reincarnation of Chonglou!"
The disciples of Longhu Mountain, who were forced to study online, couldn't even concentrate on listening to the lectures.
"Senior brother! This is our chance! If we get the Marrow Cleansing Pill and present it to the Supreme Elder, we might be able to redeem ourselves!"
In an instant, all the cultivators, awakened beings, demons, and monsters in the city seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, roaring as they rushed towards the entrance of the sewers in the city center.
The scene was even more crowded than the subway during rush hour.
Shanghai, the city center square.
The enormous drought demon king had just crawled out of the ground. It took a deep breath of the "free" air and was preparing to deliver a long declaration of destruction.
"I, the king who has slumbered for a thousand years, awaken today. You all..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
"A deafening roar."
A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck it precisely on the top of its head.
"Who's so blind...?"
"Fireball!"
"A thousand miles frozen over!"
"Prajna Palm!"
"Look at my ancestral black donkey hooves!"
Before the Corpse King could react, hundreds and thousands of colorful spells, supernatural powers, and physical attacks rained down on him like free fireworks.
Its supposedly invincible body couldn't withstand even a second of that intense barrage of fire.
The arrogant expression on the Corpse King's face was frozen in time.
It never understood it until its death.
How come this generation of mortals is even more ferocious than the heavenly tribulation?
A few minutes later.
Chu Jiang strolled leisurely to the scene, carrying a garbage bag labeled "Hazardous Waste".
The square was a mess, with deep craters everywhere left by the magical bombardment.
The group of superhumans were frantically searching around the pile of ashes left by the zombie king, trying to find the so-called "BOSS core certificate".
Chu Jiang ignored them and walked straight to an inconspicuous corner.
He kicked a charred stone on the ground with his toe.
Beneath the stone, a black inner core, the size of a pigeon's egg and radiating pure corpse energy, lay quietly.
The shockwave from the spell explosion just now blasted it right here.
Chu Jiang bent down, picked up the inner core, wiped it on his clothes, and put it in his pocket.
He turned to leave when he suddenly saw a dirty stray dog squatting not far away, looking at him with longing eyes, its tail wagging like a propeller.
Chu Jiang thought for a moment, then took out the Corpse King's inner core from his pocket.
"V, activate the hidden function of the magic item 'Measuring Ruler'."
"KPI assessment mode, switch to... 'Pet snack processing' mode."
A glimmer of light flashed by.
The inner core containing the essence of the thousand-year-old Corpse King was rapidly deformed, compressed, and polished in Chu Jiang's hands.
Finally, it turned into a... golden-yellow dog food stick that looked like a meat bone.
It was still steaming hot, emitting an enticing aroma of meat.
Chu Jiang threw the dog food stick over.
"Eat."
The stray dog snatched it in one bite and swallowed it in no time, then licked its lips as if it wanted more.
It walked to Chu Jiang's feet, rubbed against his trouser leg, then raised its head and barked at him twice.
That look in his eyes was filled with human gratitude.
Chu Jiang waved his hand, signaling it to leave.
The dog gave him a deep look, then turned and ran into an alley, disappearing from sight.
Just then, Chu Jiang's phone vibrated.
He picked it up and saw that it was a private message from the "Santu Kuaidu" APP.
The sender's account is: "Erlang Zhenjun Loves to Slack Off".
The message was very simple, consisting of only one sentence.
"Thanks, my dog said it tastes good, but it's a bit chewy."