Chapter 696: The 2008 Jinshi City

Li Xiaofei brought Ah Qing along because he had a feeling that this mission would not be as simple as it seemed. The girl's swordsmanship was terrifying. Her life level was ordinary but her combat prowess was exceptional.

The tall, thin, horse-faced expert from the other day hadn’t even reacted before he was slain by a single bamboo sword in Ah Qing’s hand. Li Xiaofei felt like he would have likely suffered the same fate if he had been in the same situation. Having such an expert by his side provided an extra layer of security.

After undergoing multiple inspections, a designated escort led the three of them to the most heavily regulated core of the Military Division: the Military Guard Bureau.

It was a massive crimson fortress. It resembled a furious beast crouched in the heart of Chongque City. As he drew closer, Li Xiaofei was shocked to realize that every inch of the fortress was built from the rare metal Divine Gold Alloy, a material equivalent in value to celestial jade.

This metal was typically used for forging armor and protective gear due to its naturally high resistance to both physical and magical attacks. Whether it was the trading market or the black market, it was a treasure with a price but no supply. What extravagance.

There were a hundred small fortresses inside the fortress. Each fortress managed a hundred teleportation channels leading to the base planets. This was the only legal way to enter the base planets. It was said that the formation had been personally forged by a high-ranking figure from Heaven.

Li Xiaofei saw soldiers in red military uniforms patrolling every corner of the Military Guard Bureau. The security was incredibly tight. What truly shocked him was that even the most ordinary soldier here was a Planet level lifeform.

DAMN. So strong.

The group arrived at fortress No. 22. A military officer, fully clad in crimson armor shaped like a raging tiger, meticulously inspected Li Xiaofei and the others' administrative passes and the official approval documents from the Military Division.

It was then followed by a series of rigorous body searches and various other security checks. It took dozens of inspections before they were finally allowed to enter.

Once inside, Li Xiaofei realized that the interior of the fortress was far larger than it appeared from the outside, likely due to some kind of spatial formation. There were a hundred oval-shaped light gates, each twenty meters tall and ten meters wide, arranged in a perfectly organized pattern like glowing giant eggs.

More than a thousand staff members were stationed here, rotating shifts and attending to their duties. The entire place was bustling with activity, reminding Li Xiaofei of the massive stock exchange halls from his previous life. He understood that these people used the giant oval light gates to monitor the base planets.

"Are you Hall Master Li?" A warm voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

Li Xiaofei turned to find a young man in his early twenties, with fair skin, short black hair, and an upright posture, looking at him with an excited expression.

The young man’s eyes shone with extraordinary enthusiasm as he eagerly said, "I’m Zhou Dongfei from the Five Dragons Society. Hall Master Li, I never expected to meet you here! Oh, by the way, I watched your duel with Nangong Longjian! It was hands down the most thrilling arena deathmatch in the past fifty years!"

Oh? Did I just run into a fan?

For a moment, Li Xiaofei didn’t know what to say. He simply nodded politely.

"Hall Master Li, are you also on a mission to return some 'contraband'?" Zhou Dongfei asked curiously.

It was only then that Li Xiaofei noticed a familiar figure hiding behind Zhou Dongfei. It was Emperor Zhu Yunwen, who had previously been auctioned off at the Wanjie Auction House. Li Xiaofei quickly realized that Zhou Dongfei was also part of this mission.

"Talking is prohibited." A nearby officer suddenly shouted, "This is your first warning. Li Qingchen, the three of you, follow me."

Li Xiaofei shrugged at Zhou Dongfei with a light smile, but he said nothing more and turned to follow the officer. It didn’t take them long to arrive in front of one of the giant oval light gates.

"You are heading to Base Planet No. 1818. This planet is unique; it is one of the reserve base planets and has yet to be developed. Its current timeline is set to September 3, 2008."

A young female military strategist gave them a detailed briefing and handed them clothing appropriate for that planet’s setting and time period. It ended up being three sets of Hongxing Erke sportswear.

After changing into their new outfits, the officer pulled Li Xiaofei aside and handed him a camera-like device. It was a Standard Human Memory Eraser. He also gave a few reminders about memory protocols.

Ten minutes later, the three of them stepped into the light gate.

***

Base Planet 1818. September 3, 2008.

It had been exactly ten days since the conclusion of the globally celebrated Olympic Tournament. The air over the vast land of Great Xia still carried the lingering excitement of the festivities. Many buildings on both sides of the streets remained adorned with banners and slogans.

"This is Jinshi City." Miss Fan looked around in delight and exclaimed, "We’re near the Jinshi City Olympic Center Stadium, and right next to it is the Huayuan Residential District..."

Li Xiaofei had already recognized it. Ah Qing was also looking around at the streets with wide, curious eyes. As one of the five directly governed municipalities of Great Xia, Jinshi City was an old coastal industrial hub with a solid industrial foundation. It had once enjoyed a golden era of prosperity.

However, in recent years, its development had lagged behind the other four municipalities. The city was also notorious for its chaotic urban planning. There was even a joke that had circulated online.

A Yiggs-affiliated Kings-brand pilot had once infiltrated Great Xia. He first flew over Xiajing City, took a look, and reported back, "Boss, this is the political center of the Xia people. We should preserve it for when we take over Great Xia. I don’t recommend bombing it."

Then he flew over Haijing City, observed its prosperity, and reported, "Boss, this is a rare economic hub. It would be a waste to bomb it."

Finally, he arrived over Jinshi City. Shocked by the disorganized city layout below, he asked in confusion, "Boss, has this place already been bombed once? Why do we need to bomb it again?"

But for Ah Qing, who had spent her entire life in the primitive tribal society of Taoyuan, this modernized city was just as overwhelming as her first visit to Chongque City. However, in Ah Qing’s eyes, Jinshi City felt warmer and more peaceful compared to the towering and imposing Chongque City.

The streets were bustling with people whose faces were filled with smiles. There was a palpable sense of vitality, making the world around them feel real and full of life.

"Master, may I contact my agent now?" Miss Fan asked cautiously.

Li Xiaofei nodded and said, "Go ahead."

According to the instructions given by the officer from the Military Guard Bureau, he was supposed to use the Memory Eraser to completely wipe a portion of Miss Fan’s memories as soon as they arrived on this version of Earth. He had to erase everything she had experienced prior to ensure she could fully reintegrate into her previous life.

But Li Xiaofei had no intention of doing so. The real reason he had agreed to take on this mission was because he wanted to find the people from Eden. Miss Fan had been kidnapped by Eden before. Now that she had been sent back, it was inevitable that Eden would take notice. They would surely move in the shadows to investigate.

"Master, are you... coming back with me?" Miss Fan asked cautiously after finishing her phone call. "My friend will be here in twenty minutes."

Li Xiaofei deliberately replied, "That would be great. I don’t know much about this world, so I’ll need to stay by your side for a while to get used to it. I won’t take up too much of your time."

"It’s my honor that Master wants to stay with me, this is wonderful!" said Miss Fan. She was so excited that she rushed forward without hesitation, wrapped her arms around Li Xiaofei’s neck, and planted a kiss on him.