Shen Yun never expected this outcome. In his original plan, the best-case scenario was to engage in a massive battle with the villain, successfully rescue Jiayi, and avoid exposing his true skill level in front of another Golden Core expert.
Yet, the villain actually chickened out?
"Take me there," Shen Yun said.
For a brief moment, he hesitated about whether he should just go back. But he still wanted to see his sister in this world. Besides, he could hide for a while, but not forever. Unless he announced a life-or-death seclusion right now and hid far away, he would inevitably run into other Golden Core experts sooner or later.
"Please come with us."
The police officer in front of him breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since the military internally released the testing video of their Golden Core expert, anyone who watched it began to question reality. People like the young man before him had completely transcended the definition of "human." It could be said that within their seemingly ordinary bodies resided true "gods." Soaring through the skies, burrowing into the earth, moving mountains, and parting seas—even if they couldn't do all of that yet, what would Cultivators be incapable of in the future?
Shen Yun was respectfully escorted into the police car. He was a bit unaccustomed to such reverence, but he knew this was no longer his previous world.
"Only my sister was released?" Shen Yun wanted to ask for more details, but he figured a Golden Core big shot should act a bit arrogant. He scoffed coldly. "He knows what's good for him, but does he think I won't go after him just because of this?"
In the passenger seat, the police officer's eyelids twitched. Surprisingly, the officer felt a thrill of excitement. It was just like before the Spiritual Qi resurgence, when the world's richest man would publicly announce his intention to ruin someone. Ordinary people mostly just wanted to watch the drama unfold.
"Mr. Shen, a classmate of your sister's appeared alongside her, but it seems only the two of them were released. Later, we might also need to ask her for some information," the police officer said carefully.
After all, they were the only two victims of the abduction case who had been found so far, and they had actually been let go by the culprit. The families of the over one thousand missing people were already deeply dissatisfied with the rescue operations. Now, the pressure on the police had grown even heavier.
"Mhm."
Shen Yun simply grunted in acknowledgment and said no more, well aware that the more one speaks, the more one errs.
At the same time, he asked Xiao Jiu in his mind, "What is the exact ratio of Cultivators in this world?"
"About one in a hundred," Xiao Jiu said, relaying the officially published information to Shen Yun. "However, even now, many people are continuing to become Cultivators one after another. After the Heavenly Dao was reshaped last night, this ratio should see a significant increase."
"One in a hundred..." Shen Yun thought.
He could more or less picture the current state of this world. Cultivators could live on the outside, while ordinary people were confined to refugee camps. Physical power was far more direct and domineering than the power of wealth or authority. No wonder the Three Medicine Group had triggered such a massive scramble after merely producing over a hundred successful cases. Among those abducted, there were undoubtedly people who refused to give up even the slightest sliver of hope to become Cultivators.
Then what about his sister in this world...
While Shen Yun rushed to the hospital, the latest information was also being published by major media outlets online.
[Breaking News: Perfected Thunder's sister has been released! She is safe and sound.]
[Shocking! He Anhe actually chickened out!]
[Three Medicine Group Chairman terrified, obediently surrenders hostages!]
[Only Cultivators can fight Cultivators!?]
[The untold story of Perfected Thunder and his sister...]
Setting aside the array of unscrupulous and gossipy information, one fact was subsequently confirmed by the authorities: two junior high school girls really had been released, and one of them was Shen Yun's sister.
Naturally, the internet was in an uproar. Everyone had imagined that He Anhe, the number one wanted Cultivator, would engage in a massive battle with the Golden Core expert. Instead, he surrendered before the fight even began. He had practically handed the hostages over on a silver platter and might have even left clues about himself for the police.
"Too cowardly! This is the worst villain I've ever seen!"
"Perfected Thunder is obviously the villain here. He Anhe is clearly the protagonist—oppressed, fleeing in panic, and destined to make a desperate comeback in the end."
"Comeback my ass. He let the most useful hostages go. Is he stupid or what?"
"Has the commenter above seen the video of Perfected Thunder traveling? It was a trail of lightning and thunder. If he were coming after you, you'd probably drop to your knees and call him daddy."
"Am I the only one who cares about the other hostages...?"
Nestled in Shen Yun's arms, Xiao Jiu continuously browsed the online information, picking out the interesting bits to share with him. She even remembered to leave a like on the comment about calling him "daddy."
Shen Yun was now thoroughly famous, and not just domestically, but globally. In the three years since the Spiritual Qi resurgence, the eyes of the world had been entirely focused on Huaxia. Netizens from various countries tried every possible method to bypass the firewall and struggled with all sorts of terrible auto-translation software, all because this was the absolute center of the world's Cultivation Realm.
Even when the Heavenly Dao was reshaped last night, the Golden Core Thunder Tribulation only appeared in Huaxia. Astonishingly, there wasn't a single Golden Core expert abroad!
Naturally, as a Golden Core expert who made such a high-profile entrance, Shen Yun quickly drew both domestic and international attention. Not many people abroad cared about the abduction case; they were far more interested in what kind of abilities someone who survived the Thunder Tribulation possessed—and what would happen if those abilities were applied militarily...
Listening to Xiao Jiu's explanation of all this, Shen Yun felt somewhat speechless. He genuinely wanted to keep a low profile the most, yet he ended up being the most high-profile of them all.
"Master, this should be a good thing," Xiao Jiu explained seriously. "The more powerful the abilities you display, the less anyone will doubt your identity as a Golden Core expert. This will reduce the risk of the Bodhi Branch being exposed."
In a way, she was right. If the Bodhi Branch were exposed, it would absolutely drive the world mad. Even if Xiao Jiu could protect him, what about his parents? What about his family? Plus, it would bring an endless stream of trouble.
"Which is why... if we had just cleared up our relationship from the very beginning, none of this would have happened," Shen Yun said, feeling rather frustrated.
He had been a bit dazed at the time. Otherwise, no matter how he looked at it, the best approach would have been to hide his connection with Xiao Jiu. Then, he could have embarked on a low-key protagonist's journey of playing the fool to outsmart the enemy, all while having a big shot secretly backing him up.
"Master—" Xiao Jiu's voice carried a hint of coquettish reproach. "But if you did that, you would have no connection to the Otherworld. That might just be a massive opportunity."
"..." Shen Yun fell silent.
She was right. Based on the current situation, even if the authorities truly intended to share matters regarding the Otherworld with civilian Golden Core experts, it was highly unlikely they would allow Golden Cores of unknown origin to participate. His clean and clear background as a Huaxia citizen would instead serve as a qualification.
Forget it. Wealth is found in danger. Since he had already put on an act, being famous was no big deal. If others could be big shots, why couldn't he pretend to be one?