First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!

Then some of the Cultivators of Qi from Huokang Village, along with the completely clueless Tianli Cult members who only knew to fight 749, began to desperately resist.

They were stalling for time for the remaining Cultivators of Qi from Huokang Village.

Tianli Cult member: You can escape? If so, why the h*ll didn’t you say so!?

But could they really escape?

Obviously not.

That group of Cultivators from Huokang Village had barely poked their heads out when they got busted on the spot by 749 Investigators lying in wait.

It was a complete trap—nets from the sky, walls of people, all just waiting for them to walk right in.

And the arrests going on inside Huokang Village were equally intense.

There were so many Investigators from Yunhai 749 that they didn’t even have enough people to assign to each task.That thing Feng Shang had said before, about Tianli Cult members being more valuable than Huokang Village Cultivators—

Completely invalid.

Because the number of 749 Investigators was several times the combined total of both Huokang and Tianli’s Cultivators.

How the h*ll were they even supposed to fight?

One target per person wasn’t even enough—who had time to be picky?

Kill who needs to be killed, capture who needs to be captured.

This whole operation was commanded by Lu Ding.

His rule was simple—no unnecessary risks or sacrifices.

If someone could be captured easily, then capture them.

If not, then blow them up like they’re sleeping.

And so, several hundred Tianli Cult and Huokang Village Cultivators of Qi...

Only a few dozen were left alive.

Most of those were just small fry.

Because small fry are easy to catch.

The elites were basically all dead, and the ones left alive were all severely injured.

Lu Ding was very satisfied with that outcome.

But even after searching the entire village...

There was no sign of Hanging Guest or Wild-Haired One. That left Lu Ding a bit dissatisfied.

He had several Huokang Village Cultivators brought in for questioning, one after another.

“Any other monsters?”

They replied, just three.

Two were released early, one only finished forming today.

Well, that matches up.

Fireball Children and Mourning Garb were the first out.

Calamity Star just finished forming.

So much for trying to complete the full skill set combo, huh?

Eh!

There’s always a way.

You think a living person can’t be killed by holding in their pee?

As long as your mindset doesn’t collapse, there’s always more solutions than problems.

There was a ritual tablet tucked into the back of Lu Ding’s waistband.

He swaggered over to Deputy Director Chu.

“Director Chu, this thing here... we could study it a bit, what do you think...”

Yup, totally above board.

749’s always been about process—don’t judge people by their techniques, judge their actions not intentions, and no one’s perfect on the inside anyway.

But by habit, few people pick techniques that look unappealing or aren’t much stronger.

A knife can kill or save—it all depends on how you use it.

It’s like a regular person holding a gun versus a Security Officer holding one. Not the same thing. A Security Officer at least won’t use it for crime.

Huokang Village wanted to use that “gun” for crime—or more accurately, already was. Like Fireball Children colluding with a cult.

Taishui Mine is no joke. It devours vitality and draws misfortune.

Tianli Cult didn’t have the rights or resources 749 has, so if they wanted to create Taishui Mines, they had to harm civilians, leech off their life force and fortune.

Basically like a rogue factory dumping waste—only way worse.

But 749 is different. They’ve always conducted research by containing and confining monsters.

Standardized procedures, specialized tools, intelligent workflows, humane cultivation.

Under proper 749 surveillance and without using forbidden techniques.

The materials used in the Four Pillars Fate Gods technique? Just a special formula, paired with the Ten Thousand Homes’ lights, plus a Taishui Mine.

Only three conditions. 749 could replicate that way faster and more authentically than some backwater mountain village.

As for the Taishui Mine issue, 749 can handle and digest that themselves.

And the Ten Thousand Homes’ lights? 749 is backed by the Great Han—those lights are from the people of the Han.

The power of those lights flows like water through a pipe into the big pool that is the Han.

Feng Shang was basically drilling holes to steal oil. 749 just scoops it from the pool—no harm to the pipeline. In other words, no harm to the people.

Deputy Director Chu laughed, “Well now, you’ve really earned yourself a big merit. And you still want to turn in your spoils of war?”

Lu Ding pulled the ritual tablet from his waistband and examined it. “I’ll turn in the technique, not the tablet.”

The technique in there wasn’t better than Lu Ding’s own Sin Dragon Bone Inscription. He’d never switch, so he could hand that over.

The tablet didn’t have any attack or defense value.

It was just a tool to accelerate technique cultivation.

Could get the Kitchen God’s blessing.

But Lu Ding was already one with Heaven and Man—he had Heaven’s blessing.

So... kind of useless.

But!

Here’s the kicker!

Brother Feifan still needed these kinds of things.

As his auxiliary counselor, Lu Ding had to look after him.

This thing had to be saved for Yan Feifan.

Chu’s eyes lit up: “Tablet? What tablet?”

Technically, Lu Ding’s war spoils belonged to him—749 wasn’t going to snatch them. But there were supposed to be forms and reports filed. Kind of a hassle.

It’s a government agency, after all—gotta follow procedures.

But with Chu’s one line—

All that paperwork vanished.

So much simpler now.

Lu Ding’s smile grew wider.

The two of them shared a look and grinned at each other like Sun Wukong and the Grand Supreme Elder Lord.

The Tianli Cult’s Deputy Leader, wearing a face full of blood and grime, saw the two acting like this.

He spat, furious and unconvinced, “Ptooey! Colluding bastards!”

Next second.

Two size-forty-something feet smashed into his head and stomach, one each.

“Who told you to speak?” ×2

Then Deputy Director Chu and Lu Ding laughed in unison.

Their wild, arrogant laughter rang out.

“Hahahahahahahahaha...”

The sound echoed away, loud and bold.

Definitely didn’t sound like the good guys~

Paired with the surroundings—bloodstained and scorched, collapsed buildings, giant craters in the ground—

Yeah... hard to comment.

Let’s just say—just pay for the damages and be done with it.

By the time the battle was nearly over...

Yan Feifan dog-paddled sneakily out from underground, poking his head up.

He opened his dustproof pouch.

Shook out a set of clothes. “Brother Lu!”

He came up, clothes spread out, and Lu Ding just reached out a hand.

His bare upper body was finally covered up.

Lu Ding flicked his wrist, and the ritual tablet flew toward Yan Feifan. “Only Little Feifan knows how to read the room. That’s your reward.”

Yan Feifan caught it.

His mind was full of question marks.

He’s really giving this to him?

He’d seen most of it earlier and had watched Feng Shang use it to summon the Kitchen God.

Even though Lu Ge had blown the Kitchen God to bits.

Still—it was the Kitchen God!

He was supposed to be with Lu Ding during the fight.

But the battle had gotten way too intense.

He knew if he showed up, he’d just be in the way.

So he found a safe place and quietly laid low.

And you know what?

The spot he chose was both hidden and strategic—it gave him a full view of the battle.

And he even caught a fleeing Cultivator from Huokang Village.

Where else would that happen?

Director Chu came over: “Go ahead and use that thing. One use, no noise. Be careful though—don’t set yourself on fire.”

That image of Feng Shang getting wrecked by it was still fresh in their minds.

But this is cultivation.

When is it ever smooth sailing and risk-free?

Except for Lu Ding, that is—nothing sticks to him.

Most people have to tread on thin ice.

Yan Feifan clutched the ritual tablet tightly.

He wasn’t gifted, wasn’t strong in combat—nothing really worked for him, except maybe his brain.

But holding this ritual tablet gave him a bit of hope for the road ahead.

The blurry, lost road of life—

Lu Ding was the one who lit the way for him.

Yan Feifan didn’t say anything sappy like “thank you.”

He’d already said that to Lu Ding too many times.

Everything was in his heart—he’d repay it through actions later.

He watched as Lu Ding’s coat hem fluttered in the breeze, striding off against the wind through the smoky aftermath.

“Wait for me, Brother Lu.”

Yan Feifan shouted, quickly running to catch up with Lu Ding’s steps.

Meanwhile, Bai Hemen was still snoring away.

What could he do? He was drunk.

Missed out on an epic battle.

But this is one of 749’s more humane traits—unless it’s a life-or-death crisis requiring forced enlistment or specific assignments, everything else is completely voluntary.

That said, for large-scale operations like this, it’s rare for Investigators to sit on the sidelines.

Because large-scale operations—especially on home turf—mean one thing: scooping up contribution points.