The Three Realms Thief Chapter 25

Urgent footsteps sounded.

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

An old and authoritative voice said.

The door opened.

A cultivator in a Daoist robe almost rushed in, speaking like a machine gun:

“Someone is rapidly approaching the core of the incident!”

In the spacious conference room.

Two rows of high-level cultivators sat at the long table, all looking at the cultivator.

The old man presiding over the meeting stood at the end of the long table, having just lit a cigarette and taken a deep puff, then said:

“Don’t rush, speak slowly.”

The cultivator nervously swallowed, and stammered:

“There are currently 21 groups who have entered the subway shelters.”

“Among them, 9 groups successfully fought against the monsters.”

“These 9 groups of students have severely depleted their spiritual power, and are almost all resting, replenishing spiritual power, and reinforcing defenses in place.”

“But 3 groups of students sent out scouts to investigate the situation in the subway tunnels.”

“—Three scouts are exploring in the subway tunnels and are about to encounter the core incident head-on!”

Everyone’s expressions were complex, their eyes flickering.

But the entire conference room maintained a neat silence.

No one spoke a single word.

Only the old man spoke:

“Exploring the subway tunnels is the core of the entire city destruction incident. They’re doing quite well, aren’t they?”

The cultivator continued to report:

“Please instruct us on what to do next.”

The old man pondered for a few breaths, then asked, “What are your opinions?”

He looked around at the cultivators on both sides of the long table.

But everyone lowered their heads, silent, as if they hadn’t heard.

A bunch of sly old foxes!

The old man cursed inwardly, but his face remained impassive, and he continued:

“Are the cover-up arrangements for the core incident in place? Will it be discovered?”

The cultivator immediately responded: “Sir, we have followed the original plan and swapped the genders of the two, and all their physical features have been changed.”

“—The original identities of the two Highnesses will never be exposed!”

He quickly formed a hand seal.

Three light and shadow screens flashed in the void.

Indeed, three students were seen moving through the long, dark subway tunnel.

They were cautiously exploring the path ahead.

“Young people are growing up fast.”

The old man smiled.

The cultivators on both sides of the long table seemed to come alive all at once, chiming in:

“Yes, it’s time for us to inject fresh blood.”

“We thought it would be difficult enough, but they actually contacted the core incident so quickly.”

“This time it’s called a joint exam for eight schools, but it’s actually a national exam.”

“Young people, truly remarkable.”

The old man looked at the three people on the screen and said:

“Pass on my order, activate the second stage early, let’s see what happens.”

“Yes!” The cultivator immediately responded and retreated.

In a moment.

On those three screens, identical incidents appeared.

Three small teams.

Three scouts.

The three individuals, who were advancing, all stopped in unison and looked into the darkness.

Under the gaze of all the examiners.

They simultaneously entered a certain incident.

The first person was a boy, who asked, quietly raising the spear in his hand, and said:

“Who’s there?”

The second person was a girl, who also vigilantly called out to the darkness:

“Come out, I’ve already seen you!”

The third person—

It was Xu Yuan.

“What’s wrong? Do you need help?” He asked softly.

…

In the tunnel.

A tall, handsome boy held a spear, aiming at the shadow in the darkness.

“Stop playing tricks, if you don’t come out, I’ll make a move!”

He struck a pose and shouted in a deep voice.

The shadow ran out quickly, and said urgently: “Don’t attack, I’m human!”

The boy looked closely, and it was a five or six-year-old boy.

This place.

There was a boy here?

“Who are you? Where are your parents?”

The boy asked.

“I got separated from my family, and now I have no strength left. Can you take me away from here?” The boy asked.

The boy observed carefully.

—This was a normal human child.

How strange.

In the exam, the question about rescuing civilians had already been given once.

He had also led his classmates to establish a temporary shelter, allowing civilians to rest and take refuge there.

Why was there another identical question here?

Or rather…

Did I misunderstand the question?

“I have a mission, I must go ahead to investigate the situation. How about you come with me?”

Said the boy.

“I won’t go—I want to go to the surface!” The boy said.

“Don’t worry,” the boy smiled, “If you keep following this road, you’ll reach the next subway station. I’ll take you to see it, and then we’ll come back.”

“Don’t…” The boy’s expression was a little desperate, “Please take me away from here immediately, okay?”

This question was a bit shrouded in mist.

The boy looked at the pleading face of the child, then glanced into the dark depths of the tunnel.

His mission was important.

He had to find a safe place for the team, gather all sorts of information, and figure out a way out of the city.

How could he stop for a child?

So this question was testing the students’ strategic arrangements in a dilemma.

It must be!

A sudden realization dawned on the boy. He stepped forward, patted the boy’s head, and said:

“Don’t cry, I will investigate as quickly as possible and then take you to a safe place.”

Without waiting for the boy to say anything else, he picked him up and quickly ran forward.

The two disappeared into the darkness.

The examiners withdrew their gazes and turned to the second light and shadow.

The girl crouched in front of the child, took out a handkerchief, and wiped away his tears.

“Why are you here?”

“I got separated from my family. Can big sister take me to the ground?”

“It’s dangerous up there, there are monsters,” the girl said.

“But my family is waiting for me up there, please, big sister,” the child pleaded.

“…Alright, I’ll take you on a trip,” the girl said.

The girl picked up the child and was about to leave when her walkie-talkie rang.

“Wang Jia’er, are you there?”

“Officer, I’m listening.”

“There’s a lost child in the subway tunnel, about 1.4 meters tall, with long hair, wearing a red coat and white boots. Please search for him.”

“Once the target is found, please take him to Gulou Street Subway Station, his family is waiting for him there.”

“Over and out.”

The girl glanced at the child.

1.4 meters tall, long hair, red coat, white boots.

“Your family is at Gulou Street Subway Station! I’ll take you there now.”

The girl patted the child’s head and said with a smile.

“No… my family won’t be there… please take me to the surface.”

The child pleaded.

“Don’t worry, the officer I spoke to is from the government army, they wouldn’t lie about something like this,” the girl said.

She picked up the child and darted into the depths of the tunnel.

“Both students performed well.”

An examiner commented.

“They brought the two Highnesses together in the shortest possible time,” another examiner added, “I’ll give them a high score.”

“This year’s batch is truly full of talent,” yet another examiner said.

The others nodded.

In both of these light and shadow scenes.

The students, with the child, arrived at the subway station.

Powerful cultivators had established a large defensive array at this subway station.

—It was safe here!

The child was brought before a woman.

The examination ended.

The two students were immediately teleported back to reality.

The examiners began scoring.

After a while.

Everyone suddenly remembered that there was still one student.

—Why hadn’t he come out?

More and more examiners chatted while looking at the third light and shadow screen.

In the light and shadow.

Xu Yuan was also in action.

“What’s wrong? Do you need help?” He asked softly.

That small shadow revealed its form.

It was a young boy.

“I got separated from my family, and now I have no strength left. Can you take me away from here?” The boy asked timidly.

His speech was slow, but it conveyed a hidden anxiety that would be missed if one didn’t listen carefully.

Xu Yuan crouched down, looked at the boy, and began to ponder what kind of question the current situation represented.

“Of course I can help—”

His voice suddenly stopped.

Behind the boy.

Not far away.

In the dark subway tunnel.

A three-meter-tall woman stood inverted on the tunnel ceiling.

She had seven or eight long black legs.

And—

The invisible, massive thing that Xu Yuan had been chasing was prostrate on the ground, constantly kneeling and bowing to the woman.

The woman slowly crawled down from the tunnel ceiling, opening her mouth.

Her mouth became very large, like a snake’s, and she began to devour the invisible thing.

A cold sweat immediately broke out on Xu Yuan’s back.

He withdrew his gaze and focused on the boy.

Calm.

This was an exam.

The examiners should be able to see that monster.

Right?

Absolutely.

But—

What if?

What if they couldn’t see it—

“Of course I can help you, but what exactly happened to your family, and why are you here alone?”

Xu Yuan asked.

The boy’s voice trembled: “There’s a monster ahead—I don’t know what it is, but my family insisted on checking it out.”

“I was very scared, so I ran away by myself.”

“Please take me away from here, please!”

Xu Yuan smiled.

That’s doable.

Even with that terrifying woman eating in plain sight, he could still manage a smile.

—My RPG (Role-Playing Game) social skills are really improving!

Come on.

Say the right lines, you idiot!

He took a deep breath, maintaining a steady voice, and deliberately said:

“It’s dangerous outside. How about I take you back to your family instead?”

At a time like this, someone qualified to investigate the subway must be extraordinary.

So, from others’ perspectives, his choice should be:

—Take this child back, take him to his family, and all problems will be solved.

And he also needed to continue exploring the tunnel.

Killing two birds with one stone.

So he had to act this way!

Whether the examiners saw it or not, he wouldn’t have any problems!

“No!” The boy suddenly screamed, “I want to escape from here, but I can’t walk anymore, please take me away! Please!”

He started crying.

Xu Yuan tilted his head slightly, appearing to observe the child.

—He had encountered many similar game plots.

In such a situation.

Children crying is to express dissatisfaction, protest, and achieve a certain goal.

So their crying would mainly consist of dry bawling, rolling around, and throwing tantrums.

Some children can cry actual tears, sobbing profusely, increasing the emotional impact.

That would be the most extreme.

But—

This boy closed his eyes, covered his face with his hands, and silently shed tears.

He cried very quietly.

Like someone who had completely despaired, shedding tears for the impending end.

—He wasn’t trying to influence others with his crying at all!

That hit way too close to home.

I wanted to cry too, when I saw that monster just now.

Wait!

Could it be—

Xu Yuan’s mind raced, and he asked in a doubtful tone:

“You’re very scared… what are you scared of?”

The little boy looked back at the dark tunnel, and whimpered:

“You always turn a blind eye—all of you are like that, what can I do!”

Damn, damn, damn, damn!

This kid can see!

He can see that terrifying woman!!!