"Hmm? Kevin? How's the security job treating you? Getting used to it?"
"Not bad. This peaceful life suits me well."
"Alright. If you ever want to quit, just let me know."
"Sure."
After the small talk, Wu Tong finally steered the conversation to the main topic.
"By the way, Kevin, what's this…?"
"An intruder. He tried to force his way into the academy this morning, so we caught him."
Kevin lifted the figure wrapped tightly in chains, resembling a silver caterpillar, and presented it to Wu Tong.
"Oh? Someone actually dares to barge into my territory now? Interesting. Did you get his name?"
Wu Tong casually pulled out a beer, popped the tab, took a refreshing sip, and then turned his gaze to the bound figure, studying it with amusement.
"Yeah, something like… Dugu Bo?"
Kevin answered in a flat tone.
Pfft—
The beer in Wu Tong's mouth instantly turned into a fountain as he spat it out.
"Dugu Bo?!"
Hearing Kevin's words, Wu Tong quickly took the "caterpillar" from him and unfastened the chains.
Sure enough, the stubborn, defiant expression beneath the bindings could belong to no one else.
"Old man…"
Wu Tong let out a bitter laugh and hurriedly helped Dugu Bo up from the ground.
"Why didn't you let me know you were coming? Come on, get up."
Combining Kevin's account with Dugu Bo's personality, Wu Tong easily pieced together how this misunderstanding had unfolded.
It was simple: Dugu Bo assumed the academy was lightly guarded, and given that the previous security had been ordinary people, his pride as a Spirit Master made him skip the formality of announcing himself. He likely tried to slip in unnoticed.
But this time, the usually unimpeded Dugu Bo ran into an immovable obstacle.
The result was obvious—a seasoned expert had met his match.
"How was I supposed to know you'd managed to recruit such a powerhouse in just a few days? I thought your security was still a bunch of ordinary folks."
Dugu Bo stood up, rubbing the bruised spots where Kevin's puppet had struck him.
"Well… old man, I can't really blame you for this, but you really need to be more careful from now on."
Wu Tong didn't know what else to say. After all, most Spirit Masters looked down on commoners.
Expecting a superhuman to coexist harmoniously with ordinary people was nothing short of a pipe dream.
All he could do was offer a few consoling words with a wry smile.
Nearby, Kevin, realizing the two were actually acquainted, looked slightly awkward.
He had assumed the intruder was a genuine enemy, only to find out it was just a misunderstanding.
"I'll take my leave then, Wu Tong."
With those words, Kevin walked away from the awkward scene.
———
"Hey, you little monster, how did you manage to recruit these ridiculously strong freaks?"
Once Kevin was gone, Dugu Bo relaxed completely, reverting to his usual demeanor.
Recalling how he'd been effortlessly overpowered by a mere puppet, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. He slung an arm around Wu Tong's shoulder and asked.
Wu Tong glanced at him but didn't hide the truth. Not only was he planning to reveal the existence of other worlds soon, using other factions as tools, but Dugu Bo was also his trusted confidant. Telling him now wouldn't hurt.
After all, he'd find out eventually.
"They're from another world."
"Oh, another wor—another world?!"
Dugu Bo's face initially showed understanding, but within seconds, it twisted into shock.
He stared at Wu Tong, dumbfounded. "Are you joking?"
Wu Tong shot him an unimpressed look. "Who's joking? I'm dead serious."
Seeing Wu Tong's earnest expression, Dugu Bo snapped back to reality.
"But… this is just too unbelievable."
Dugu Bo let out a bitter laugh. The idea was simply too staggering—another world?!
What did a new world represent?
Even Dugu Bo understood.
It meant vast new lands, abundant resources, and a wealth of untapped talent…
Noticing Dugu Bo's dazed expression, Wu Tong immediately guessed what he was thinking and rolled his eyes.
You're really getting ahead of yourself. Planning to invade the Tree and Sea Multiverse with our tiny world, which isn't even the size of a leaf in comparison? Who gave you the courage? I wouldn't dare think like that.
This wasn't just an egg hitting a rock—it was outright suicide!
"What's so shocking about it? You didn't actually think our world could stand up to Kevin's, did you?"
"!!!"
"Fair point. Forget it. This kind of thing is better left to you youngsters."
Dugu Bo choked on Wu Tong's words but quickly came to his senses.
Even if Wu Tong agreed to lead people to another world, they'd still be hopelessly outmatched.
He'd experienced it firsthand—a single move he couldn't even see had floored him.
Not to mention, he'd sensed even more terrifying power lying dormant within those puppets.
In the grand scheme of things, if travel between worlds became possible, the question of who would invade whom was far from settled.
"By the way, old man, what brought you to the academy today?"
Seeing that Dugu Bo had grasped the reality, Wu Tong relaxed and changed the subject.
Dugu Bo smirked. "Someone's got a death wish. I came to see what you plan to do about them."
"???"
"What happened?"
Wu Tong's interest was piqued.
What could have earned Dugu Bo's label of "death wish"?
"It's the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family. Last night, they launched a surprise attack on Wutong Courtyard. If the place hadn't been empty, they might've succeeded.
But even though they failed, they got away clean. With my strength, I couldn't stop them if they wanted to leave."
Dugu Bo's expression was complicated, and his tone carried a hint of guilt.
...
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(End of Chapter)