Part 1The Aftermath
By the time dawn broke, Hidden Dragon Peak Mountain was silent—except for the rain.The Torrent Rainstorm still poured, heavier than ever, though the hail had ceased. Weather reports warned that the tornadoes would return in three days.
The battle was over. No enemy remained alive.
The only survivors from the opposing side were three captured Awakeners, taken alive for research. The rest—enemy soldiers, mercenaries, and hired teams—had died on the slopes, in the tunnels, or at the gates. Anyone who tried to retreat or send back reports never made it past the base of the mountain.
The dead littered every front:
Underground tunnels
Outside the Training Site
Hidden Dragon Base
Commander Long's Private Training Base
Dragon Peak Military Base
Abandoned vehicles—cars, jeeps, trucks—sat scattered among the corpses, their weapons still clutched by cold hands or lying in the mud.
Inside the command center, Secretary Wen stood before Long Yi, delivering the report:
"Three captured Awakeners sent to the laboratory. Twenty soldiers and mercenaries in custody at the Military Base jail, awaiting interrogation. Cleanup is ongoing—trucks are hauling corpses and weapons. Abandoned vehicles are secured at the outer base garage for inspection. There are still… many scattered bodies on the mountain."
He glanced briefly at Han Yue, curled up in Long Yi's arms, half-asleep. She hadn't slept all night, tirelessly feeding coordinates to the teams.
"Thankfully," Wen continued, "Assistant Chen and Liu recorded everything she said. Over thirty coordinates have been dispatched for retrieval and cleanup."
Long Yi brushed a thumb over Han Yue's cheek, his voice calm but edged with intent.
"Continue the cleanup and collection mission. As for the corpses… strip them clean and put them in a gift box for later use."
Secretary Wen's grin widened.
"Yes, Sir."
Orders rippled out across the mountain. Shadow guards, soldiers, and crews moved as one, hauling loot, cataloging bodies, and stripping the dead of anything useful—guns, knives, smartwatches, radios, wires, ammo, food rations, lighters, even their clothes. Everything was thrown into large bins for later inspection.
They laughed and joked over comms, already guessing what the "gift box" would be for. Corpses were tagged:
Military for those in uniform
Mercenary for those with heavy gear
Private for security contractors
Awakener for those with special abilities
Dead Awakeners were sent separately to the laboratory.
No one was happier than Doctor Hanzo. The scientist practically bounced in place, eyes bright with anticipation. Behind him, other scientists and assistants looked equally thrilled—they finally had live and dead specimens to work with.
The three captured Awakeners, chained to experimental tables, mouths gagged, trembled in terror. They couldn't speak. They couldn't run.
Meanwhile, Commander Long had returned to Dragon Peak Military Base, where Secretary Liang and Colonel Zhuang reported in.Twenty more enemies were being held alive. Cleanup crews were working from the perimeter down to the base of the mountain. Coordinates from Secretary Wen matched Long Yi's own assessment—Han Yue had left nothing alive, which meant the lower slopes were littered with bodies and loot.
By midmorning, the entire mountain was buzzing with activity.The haul was immense—armored trucks, custom jeeps, military-grade weapons, grenades, crates of ammunition, communication devices, and enough food rations to feed an army.
Nothing was wasted.Nothing was left behind.
The rain never stopped.From the summit to the base of Hidden Dragon Peak Mountain, vehicles moved in a constant stream—trucks, jeeps, and armored carriers loaded with loot or corpses.
The Underground Train Station was just as busy. Trains ran from checkpoint to checkpoint, repurposed as massive carriages to haul supplies and the dead.
The cleanup lasted until two in the afternoon.What a great harvest, the soldiers thought.
Teams scrubbed blood from walls, ceilings, and floors. Others hauled crates of weapons and piles of stripped clothing. Technicians and engineers worked side by side with base staff, sorting the loot with military precision.
Every item was inspected—passed through metal detectors, scanned with signal detectors to ensure nothing was bugged or tracked.
Even the clothes of the dead were carefully processed.Maids washed and dry-cleaned everything—shirts, pants, gloves, hats, underwear, shoes—nothing was wasted.
Managers patrolled with clipboards, checking and double-checking every entry.
By the end of the day, Hidden Dragon Peak was spotless, and the storerooms were bursting.
When Long Yi finally decided to rest, he carried Han Yue in his arms. She clung to his neck like a sleepy koala, half-asleep but mumbling,
"I'm rich… so much loot…"
Long Yi smiled faintly and carried her down the fortress mansion's quiet halls. He laid her gently on her bed, watching her for a long moment. His fingers brushed over her cheek before he leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"Sleep well."
Then he left for his own room, the sound of rain still falling outside.
While Hidden Dragon Peak Mountain reveled in victory, the same could not be said for the factions, military branches, and government offices that had issued the order to invade.
They had sent their people into the storm with one objective: confirm whether the mountain's summit was tied to the Awakening Potion. Many private bases and factions, smelling opportunity, had also dispatched teams.
The previous night, the first and only updates they received were brief: "We've arrived at the location." Some claimed they were "scouting the terrain."
After that—nothing.No reports. No signals. No survivors.
By noon the following day, panic had begun to spread. Some factions had sent between twenty and fifty people. Not one had returned. Not one had even called in.
For those who had hired Awakeners, the dread cut deeper. Their most prized combatants had either been captured… or were lying dead on that mountain. The financial and power loss was staggering.
Those who had abstained from the invasion—other military units, government branches, and private bases—watched quietly from the sidelines. By daybreak, the rumors were already circulating: dozens of teams had gone up Hidden Dragon Peak and never returned. Not even a corpse had been delivered back.
The unspoken question lingered: Who did these fools provoke?
Everyone knew the mountain had been purchased before the end of the world and renamed Hidden Dragon Peak—a name that all but announced the presence of a hidden, dangerous force. But arrogance had blinded the invaders, and now the cost was clear.
Meanwhile, word spread that Hidden Dragon Peak wasn't the only target. The same night, other mysterious bases hidden in different mountains across the Dragon Kingdom had also been attacked. Some of their defenders had sent their attackers back injured. Some returned only partially intact. Others… never returned at all.
For the first time, the higher-ups—wealthy families, private base owners, power-hungry factions, and government officials—began to doubt their own invincibility. They had believed numbers, weapons, and influence could crush any stronghold. Now, they realized they had provoked too many sleeping giants in a single night.
As the old saying went: "There are many crouching tigers and hidden dragons in this country."
In the capital, President Xia Zhengyuan sat in his office, listening coldly as the reports piled up on his desk. He had already ordered his people to gather every detail, intercept communications, and compile a list of every fool who had joined the assaults on these mountain strongholds.
The numbers were ugly: countless lives lost, massive amounts of supplies wasted—all because of greed and arrogance.
He sighed heavily, picked up his encrypted phone, and made a single call.
"Let's make a deal soon."
The person on the other end was no stranger—the same mysterious figure Commander Long had contacted before to "spread the seed."
In a different mountain stronghold, that man listened to the call with a faint smile, stroking his beard. Outside his window, his people were hard at work, cleaning corpses and hauling loot from the night's failed invasion.
He began to hum an old tune, his voice calm but filled with satisfaction.
"The seed has been planted… and it's almost time to harvest the fruits."
The rats had shown themselves. The potential allies were waiting.And the game was far from over.
Part 3
That evening, Long Yi instructed Secretary Wen in a flat, cold tone,
"Pack up the gift boxes full of corpses and send them to the capital's front gates. Let everyone see what happens when they offend someone they can't afford to offend."
Secretary Wen's eyes gleamed.
"Understood, sir."
He immediately mobilized several teams to begin the grim work. Corpses were dragged, stacked, and shoved into massive shipping containers. Once filled to the brim, each was tied with a huge, eye-catching bow — mockery wrapped in silk. There were so many bodies it took three containers to hold them all.
As Wen supervised, he stroked his chin, considering transport. Then he picked up his phone.
"Secretary Qiao, is the airport usable yet?"
On the other end, Qiao replied with confidence,
"Yes. The airfield is ready. Thanks to the earth-type users and Shadow Three, we finished the landing strip. The rest of the buildings will take more time, but the runway is functional."
"Good," Wen said with satisfaction. "We'll use it at 4 in the morning. I have a gift to send to the capital."
Around 4 a.m., Long Yi arrived at the secret airfield with Shadow Two, Shadow Three, Secretaries Wen and Qiao, and a unit of shadow guards. The facility, built in secret before the world ended, still had unfinished areas, but the runway was serviceable.
Long Yi summoned the military-grade cargo plane from his space ring. The shadow guards moved quickly, loading the three massive containers into its hold. Shadow Three stood nearby, using his gravity ability to lighten the weight, making the process smoother and faster.
Long Yi's gaze swept over the operation.
"Shadow Two, you and Shadow Three will escort the delivery to the capital gates. Also assist the plane's lift-off and landing. I don't want unnecessary strain on the craft."
"Understood," Shadow Two replied.
From the side, Secretary Wen spoke with a grin,
"I've already contacted someone in the capital to make sure the show is recorded and will be uploaded anonymously."
Satisfied nods followed.
Twenty minutes later, everything was ready. The pilot — a colonel personally assigned by Commander Long — and his hand-picked crew prepared the aircraft for departure.
Wen gave final instructions.
"Drop the giftboxes right at the gates. Use your powers to control the weight and descent of the containers. We want shock, not collateral damage."
"Got it," Shadow Two said, already imagining the impact.
The rest of the airfield personnel withdrew. The cargo plane roared to life, moving down the runway. With Shadow Two and Shadow Three subtly manipulating gravity and air currents, the heavy craft lifted effortlessly into the pre-dawn sky, carrying its grisly gift toward the sleeping capital.