Chapter 209 - 206: Contacting Dawn

Chapter 209: Chapter 206: Contacting Dawn

「Qingzhen Secret Place.」

Gou Dandan seemed to be able to tell good from bad right after being born. After a brief scare, the little one was no longer afraid of most people. Of course, it still trembled in fear when facing Monkey and Doudou.

It was worth mentioning that even Qin Xiaoxia and the Red Demoness had no idea whether Gou Dandan was male or female.

It was already evening. Although the inside of the Secret Realm had the feel of nighttime, it lacked the usual hindrances. Visibility was still excellent, and the starlight overhead seemed all the more brilliant.

Huang Jiutian had thoughtfully put together a large bird’s nest for Gou Dandan, lined with Demonized Dandelion Down.

Xiao Lili’s injuries were only "flesh wounds," and thanks to the effects of the Flower of Life, she could already make simple movements. With a certain awkwardness, she and Gou Junbao also took part in building the nest.

Even though the two of them had been a bit afraid of and resistant to Gou Dandan at first, after half a day, the parental love in their hearts began to slowly sprout.

It had to be said, for a fledgling, Gou Dandan was quite good-looking. It was still bald but very cute. It wasn’t shriveled like a typical newborn bird; instead, it was chubby and tender like a human infant of several months, just with a different face and a bit more downy fuzz.

If not for the "good looks" bonus, this conveniently acquired child probably wouldn’t have earned that bit of parental love so quickly.

The little one was also quite good at sizing people up. Besides being close to its parents, it was also very affectionate with Huang Jiutian. It could even sense that Qin Xiaoxia was the one with the real authority here. So, whenever Qin Xiaoxia showed interest and approached, Gou Dandan would instantly abandon its own birth parents and "Mrs. Huang" to squawk strangely and curry favor with Master Sage.

But Qin Xiaoxia wasn’t swayed by its cute act; he was just looking.

The whole nest was about the size of a serving tray, woven from soft, thin vines and padded with soft grass, flower petals, and dandelions.

Huang Jiutian planned to keep this bird’s nest with him even when he slept for the time being.

During their late-night snack, Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili, who had finally learned the "truth of the world," had their worldview shattered. But their child was ironclad proof. That, combined with the fog being lifted on some previous news events and the magical things they had witnessed today, meant the thought of disbelief never even crossed their minds.

They were young, after all, and their blood was soon boiling with excitement.

The table was laden with cooked food and barbecue: roast chicken, roast duck, fried chicken, fried skewers, plus drinks.

Huang Jiutian balanced the bird’s nest on his head, occasionally tearing off a chicken leg or tossing up a piece of fried chicken.

Gou Dandan always managed to pick all the meat clean. At first, it couldn’t break the bones and tried to swallow a chicken leg bone whole, getting it stuck in its throat and squawking. A terrified Jiutian and Gou Junbao had to hastily pull it out.

For a little chick that wasn’t even the size of a fist to eat so recklessly was quite something.

However, seeing Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili’s excitement at learning the secret and the possibility of joining Dawn, Huang Jiutian suddenly found it a bit jarring.

He glanced at Qin Xiaoxia and noticed that even after feeling his gaze, the latter maintained a serene expression and said nothing to warn them. He figured Qin Xiaoxia probably intended to let the couple learn the cruel reality of their situation through firsthand experience later on.

"Brother Gou, Sister Gou, joining a transcendent organization, possibly becoming heroes... sounds pretty cool, right?"

Gou Junbao tried hard to stay serious, but he couldn’t hide his smile.

Huang Jiutian sighed. He was smiling too, but his eyes held a warning as he looked at Gou Junbao and his wife.

"Brother Gou, you’re both adults. Being a hero isn’t as glamorous or easy as it looks in American blockbusters. You should know, in the history of Dawn, less than a third of its members have died of old age."

As Jiutian’s words fell, the Red Demoness tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth curling up.

Those words sent an inexplicable chill through Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili. The previous talk about fighting dark Demons seemed to come alive in their minds, tainting even the radiance of their fantasies with a layer of blood.

It was as if this key point had opened up contact and communication with some mysterious power.

In a daze, the two of them seemed to be standing atop a tall building, looking down on the earth just as they had imagined. But as far as the eye could see, there were only mutations and corpses. Overhead, dark, ominous clouds pressed down constantly, like a giant lead weight crushing their bodies and souls. Their physical forms felt like they were about to collapse.

Shattered illusions, the wails of the dying, and the mournful song of the entire world—all of it flickered in and out of existence, sounding intermittently in their ears.

An icy coldness seemed to invade their souls, threatening to drain them of all warmth and turn them to dust.

They couldn’t breathe. The air was like cement, thick and solidifying, refusing to answer the call of their airways.

"Hah..."

After a brief moment of suffocation, they both took a deep breath and realized they were still sitting at the table with their late-night snack.

Their backs were hot and their foreheads were covered in sweat. Both of them were breathing a little rapidly.

Jiutian didn’t believe his warning could have had such a powerful effect.

Sure enough, Qin Xiaoxia revealed a slight smile after this.

"Gou Junbao, Xiao Lili, did you see the ominous clouds of the approaching Dark Tide?"

This time, he didn’t call him Brother Gou. His tone was exceptionally solemn, and his gaze lacked the lively, playful spark Gou Junbao was used to. Instead, it was profound and heavy, deep as an abyss.

"Here, in the place closest to the Power of the World, what you saw was a warning to us from our ’Mother.’"

Following Qin Xiaoxia’s gaze, everyone looked up at the sky, not even Gou Dandan excepted.

"It... is about to press down on us!"

"And we are the ones who must hold it back!"

His tone was suffused with powerful, roiling Magic Power, making one feel as if they could see the crushing weight of the sky.

Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili glanced at each other. They were beginning to understand why Qin Xiaoxia had repeatedly mentioned allowing them to regret their decision once, and why he had stressed that they shouldn’t make their choice lightly.

The atmosphere inevitably grew somewhat oppressive.

Just then, Huang Jiutian’s phone rang.

He took it out and saw it was a call from Tao Xingzhi himself.

’Well, looks like Gou Dandan is going to need a new temporary babysitter...’

With a resigned sigh, Jiutian pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Jiutian. Am I disturbing your rest?"

"It’s fine, Chief. Just having a late-night snack with some friends. It’s still a while before I turn in. By the way, does this mean I need to report back to the team early?"

In the Special Security Team Headquarters office in Kyoto, Tao Xingzhi stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.

"Hahaha, you brat. You even dare to complain about your leader."

Then his expression turned serious. "Russia caught a big one over there. We need to make a trip."

"How big is the fish?" Huang Jiutian’s voice was clearly filled with interest.

"Very big. A mutated creature that wears clothes and understands an unknown language!"

At the volume the phone was at, everyone present—human or not, aside from Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili—heard it as if it were on speakerphone.

At Tao Xingzhi’s words, several gazes immediately converged on Jiutian.

Jiutian’s expression changed, and he shot a meaningful look at Qin Xiaoxia.

"Okay, I’ll set off immediately. Do I need to return to Kyoto first, or fly directly to Russia from here?"

Tao Xingzhi toyed with a metal box on his desk. He inserted a special key and, with a few quick turns, opened the combination lock, revealing several seeds inside that had a metallic sheen and were much smaller than soybeans.

"No need to be in such a hurry. If possible, I’d like to bring some special guests along."

Using the precious Sound Transmission Flower Seeds was a decision made after careful consideration of the situation.

Tao Xingzhi had already learned about Russia capturing the mutated creature during the day, but he hadn’t expected the haul to be this big.

As far as was currently known, this was the first time a truly intelligent mutated creature had been captured. The Flame Demon back then might have been intelligent too, but it was definitely not the kind of entity that could be captured. They were lucky enough to have just destroyed it.

Of course, among the mutated creatures annihilated in the past, there might have been other intelligent ones, but that was irrelevant now.

Based on the available information, even if Jiutian went, he might not be able to communicate with it without issue. The risk factor of the "spoils of war" itself couldn’t even be determined yet; after all, the difference between an intelligent creature and a wild beast is immense.

But this time, Russia’s "spoils" were too precious. It was risky, but they definitely couldn’t bring themselves to eliminate it.

Intuitively, Tao Xingzhi felt that if there was anything that could pique the Dawn Association’s interest, this was definitely it.

It would also help improve their relationship. After all, it was difficult to build a foundation of trust without repeated collaboration.

Although there was a risk of leaking information about Dawn to the Russians, the benefits clearly outweighed it.

PS: Second Chapter for Sunday.