Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1095: Confrontation

Yan Xiaoxi’s murmured words reminded Mo Mo of his earlier conversation with Lai Caisheng, during which Michael’s Society was briefly mentioned — but Mo Mo had never realized Nero might be a member.

He had simply thought Nero was a regular customer of that mysterious shop owner.

“Did something just occur to you?” Yan Xiaoxi suddenly asked.

Mo Mo shook his head. “I’m not sure. I only remember Representative Lai mentioning it once. I was a volunteer in some drug trial at the time.”

“You mean Heaven’s Tears,” Yan Xiaoxi replied calmly. “We have a record of your trial at the Bureau. Anything else? Did you talk to Representative Lai about anything more? Ever since the appearance of the Jade Dragon Pillar, we’ve lost all contact with him. He might’ve also been caught up in this mass disappearance. Lai is the current generation’s Heavenly Heart — if we can find him, he’d be a great help against the 71st generation.”

“Nothing else,” Mo Mo said after thinking for a moment. “But after the item Yang Taizi asked me to deliver was stolen, I went to Lai to confess. Now that I think about it… it felt a little strange.”

Yan Xiaoxi’s eyes lit up. “What was strange?”

Mo Mo frowned. “I didn’t know what was inside that brocade box. But from what you’ve said, it was an important item used in every Penglai Grand Gathering. When I told Representative Lai it had been stolen, he didn’t seem too worried. In fact, he told me not to stress about it. It was like he was certain it would return to him somehow. Then again, he is the current Heavenly Heart… maybe he foresaw something. I didn’t think much of it at the time.”

“Did he say anything else?” Yan Xiaoxi asked.

Mo Mo shook his head. “No.”Yan Xiaoxi nodded. “Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Mo Mo. You may stay here with him or return to your room — but please, don’t leave Croaching Dragon Estate for now.”

Mo Mo gave Yan Xiaoxi a glance. “You still suspect me, don’t you… Out of all the Daoist World and Demon Clan people who got captured, I was the only one unharmed.”

“We’re simply not ruling out any possibilities,” Yan Xiaoxi said seriously. “Hope you understand.”

Mo Mo sighed. “I’ll stay here with Zhan’er. By the way, can I contact the outside world? After all that’s happened, I at least need to inform my master. And I’d also like to let Yang Taizi know what happened to Zhan’er.”

“Someone will assist you shortly,” Yan Xiaoxi replied, then turned and quickly left the makeshift medical room.

Mo Mo looked at Zhan’er lying behind the glass, hooked up to oxygen and tubes. He sighed and sat down against the wall. Yan Xiaoxi’s words echoed in his head—

He might never wake up again...

That thought triggered another memory—something said by that beautiful maid at the club:

“No matter what you want, as long as you can pay, you can get it here…”

If only…

...

The kidnapped teacher’s surname was Zhou, commonly known as Old Zhou by his colleagues. He was a middle school history teacher in the town — forty years old, already a bit balding.

Life had been peaceful for Old Zhou. The town was quiet, uneventful — or so he thought.

He never expected that a scene out of an action movie would crash into his mundane life. He had been kidnapped.

To be exact, he was dragged out of his house by a group of heavily armed muscle-heads — and even more absurd, it wasn’t for ransom, but…

To teach a history class.

Old Zhou looked around at the guards with guns lowered cautiously, then to the handsome man slurping braised beef noodles in front of him.

The man raised his head, twirling noodles with a plastic fork. “There’s a woman inside that room. She’s got something wrong with her head — thinks she’s from ancient times. Go in and teach her some modern history. But she’s deep in character, so don’t take her reactions personally.”

What the hell is this?? Are you kidding me?

Old Zhou was dumbfounded.

The handsome man continued, “Just make her believe it’s the modern era by sunrise. Don’t worry, we’ll transfer some money into your account afterward — enough to start your early retirement… understood?”

Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, Old Zhou dared not protest under the gaze of automatic rifles.

“W-What if I fail?” he asked, swallowing hard.

“You’ll find a way,” the man smiled. “Isn’t this what your exam-focused education is for? Mock tests, practice sheets, swimming in a sea of questions — just do your best. Easy!”

But I’m teaching a lunatic here!!

Before Old Zhou could cry out in despair, a burly man behind him poked a gun into his back. He froze.

“I-I need some chalk…” he muttered weakly.

...

It was still dark, but a flurry of activity buzzed in the valley — the first appearance site of the Jade Dragon Pillar.

A black SUV jostled its way to the valley entrance. Yan Xiaoxi stepped out, followed by Greedy Wolf’s Young Master, Zi Xing, and Daoist Su Mubai.

They approached the camp already set up: tents, floodlights, and dozens of researchers and agents.

Yan Xiaoxi made a beeline for a haggard man in a loose white lab coat.

This was Dr. Zhao — a specialist hired by the Management Bureau for research and weapon development involving supernatural phenomena.

“Dr. Zhao, any findings?” Yan Xiaoxi asked from behind.

Dr. Zhao scratched his head and lowered his tablet. “I don’t get it. The magnetic field here is too weird!”

“What do you mean?” Yan Xiaoxi asked, frowning.

Dr. Zhao picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it toward the Jade Dragon Pillar—it vanished before it could touch the surface.

The sight stunned Yan Xiaoxi, Zi Xing, and Su Mubai.

“What just happened?” Su Mubai asked, baffled.

“There’s an odd magnetic field around the pillar,” Dr. Zhao said. “It warps space. Anything — living or dead — that gets too close just disappears. We ran tests with animals and recording devices, and we’ve only found them miles away. Haven’t tried it with a person… unless you’d like to volunteer, Chief Yan?”

“Are you insane?” Yan Xiaoxi snapped.

But he was deeply troubled. He had discussed this with his master, a hermit beneath the Forbidden City. The Jade Dragon Pillar was key to the 71st generation's plot — destroy it, and their plans could be foiled.

But if they couldn’t even approach it, how could they destroy it?

“No way to disrupt the magnetic field?”

Dr. Zhao shook his head. “We’ve tried everything. Not only can we not neutralize it — we can’t even analyze it. At our current tech level, it’s impossible in the short term.”

“I see,” Yan Xiaoxi nodded. He had just taken over this case and was still at square one, but he wasn’t discouraged.

Just then, he received a call.

“Chief Yan!” the voice on the other end said rapidly. “We’ve detected a huge energy spike! It’s almost identical to the energy signature of the Jade Dragon Pillar!”

“Where is it?”

“At Fan Cliff!”

...

A dozen off-road vehicles drove into the weather-worn, jagged cliffs. But the rugged mountain roads forced their progress to a crawl.

By the time dawn began to break, casting a faint silver light on the horizon, the convoy finally stopped — they had reached the location of the energy source they had detected.

Stepping out, Yan Xiaoxi wore a gray-black bulletproof vest and carried twin pistols. He handed similar vests to Zi Xing and Su Mubai.

“This won’t help,” Zi Xing said, shaking his head. Bulletproof vests might block bullets, but were no defense against supernatural attacks.

“This isn’t the same vest you’re thinking of,” Yan Xiaoxi replied directly. “It’s developed by our Bureau using cutting-edge nanotechnology. The weaving technique was adapted from the Vermilion Bird Clan’s flame feather robes and enhanced.”

He then raised his gun and shot one of the vests. A burst of flame flared from the impact — yet the vest only showed shallow marks, which quickly faded away.

“Spell bullet?” Su Mubai asked in surprise. He knew some arcane tech-focused Daoist sects had long cooperated with the Management Bureau. Spell bullets were one such result, though he had only heard of them before.

“These bullets are about as powerful as a standard low-level Daoist flame palm strike,” Yan Xiaoxi said, handing the vest back.

Zi Xing and Su Mubai exchanged a look before putting on the vests.

As Zi Xing slipped his on, he asked, “Chief Yan, what’s the production rate of these vests?”

Yan Xiaoxi, now directing nearby agents to begin a search, casually replied, “Not high. The weaving process can’t be automated. We’re lucky to make three a month.”

Another glance exchanged between Zi Xing and Su Mubai—both saw worry in the other’s eyes.

In this age where Daoists and Demons were in decline… just how much advanced technology had humanity secretly developed?

“Chief Yan, something’s here!” came a shout from the hillside.

Everyone quickly gathered and began climbing, but suddenly the slope shook violently — massive rocks began rolling down from above!

“Watch out!” Yan Xiaoxi shouted. “Don’t panic, it’s just an illusion!”

One giant boulder rolled straight toward a Bureau agent and passed through his body harmlessly—just an illusion, as Yan Xiaoxi had said.

After the chaos, Yan Xiaoxi donned night-vision goggles and scanned the slope.

His gaze swept across the terrain—then stopped. In the green hue of the night vision, he saw a figure standing atop a boulder.

The figure stood tall, hands clasped behind his back, wearing a bronze mask.

“Heavenly Heart… 71st generation?” Yan Xiaoxi shouted coldly.

The bronze-masked man looked down, his voice hoarse, “I heard the Management Bureau has a rising star these days — a direct disciple of the infamous Firecloud Evil God. Seeing you in person… you live up to the reputation. You saw through my illusion immediately.”

(Note: Changed Flaming Cloud to Firecloud)

Yan Xiaoxi remained unmoved by the compliment. Behind his back, his hand silently formed a signal — one swiftly understood by several elite agents behind him.

“71st generation of Heavenly Heart, your schemes have been exposed,” Yan Xiaoxi said coldly. “Don’t be foolish. If you surrender and release Daoist Baijie and the others, I’ll help you get leniency.”

The bronze-masked man shook his head. “Since when did the extraordinary beings of Divine Land fall to relying on mundane laws and favors… Is this the sorrow of this era?”

“Times change, just like dynasties,” Yan Xiaoxi replied calmly. “This era is not sorrowful. When the common people can live in peace, isn’t that enough?”

The masked man shook his head again. “We walk different paths. More talk is useless… If you have the ability, try and stop me.”

Yan Xiaoxi narrowed his eyes. He raised his hand — and just as the agents behind him prepared to strike, the ground trembled violently again.

This time, it wasn’t an illusion — it felt like a real earthquake.

From the hillside, earth and mud exploded as huge figures began to rise.

They were massive golems made of stone and dirt — each one over four meters tall.

(End of Chapter)