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

”Since things haven’t officially gotten busy yet, let’s have a small gathering today.”

”Let everyone get to know one another.”

”Those of you here are people I, Lu Ding, approve of.”

”Come on, everyone raise your glass together, to our wonderful tomorrow.”

Everyone stood and raised their glasses together, laughter and chatter filling the air.

Lu Ding couldn’t have been happier.

Finally, finally he was going to eat hotpot again.

This time nothing would go wrong, right?

The unrest in the new city had been resolved, the troublemaking factions had quieted down, the port was about to begin reconstruction, all his friends had arrived, and there was no one missing who would suddenly run into trouble mid-hotpot and interrupt the meal.Everything, everything, was so perfect.

Under these circumstances, Lu Ding couldn’t imagine any emergency that might come up.

Even if the sky fell, he’d take a few bites of this hotpot before leaving.

Even if Yu Liuli of Wuwang, the one who Does Not Worship Guanyin, came looking for him, Lu Ding would let her stew for a bit while he had a few bites, then go kill her.

In ancient times there was ”cutting Hua Xiong after warming the wine,” today there was ”killing demons after warming the hotpot,” and then coming back to continue eating.

At the table, Lu Ding invited everyone to introduce themselves. Later he’d randomly pick names; anyone who couldn’t speak up had to drink.

Even Wutian would have to drink.

Names were called out one after another, and everyone listened attentively.

Lu Ding listened while conveying them to the hard-of-hearing Wang Qingge.

”His name is Zhou Chu, his name is Zhan Tingzhou....”

Wang Qingge nodded for each name he heard, and the corresponding name would appear on her small wooden plaque.

Until Bai Hemen’s name came up.

From the start to the end, Zhan Tingzhou, who had been watching him closely, finally felt the stone fall from his heart.

Sure enough it was Bai Hemen.

He looked at Lu Ding with an expression that left no trace.

’You really make friends everywhere, even these two utterly outrageous Great Han twin stars from your past life are your friends.’

He had thought that with Lu Ding here, the butterfly effect might pull Bai Hemen and Huangfu Lingyun away from coming to the west, but to his surprise they still came, still to the west, and they were still Lu Ding’s friends.

Sigh...

Fate, huh......

At this moment, Zhan Tingzhou abandoned the idea of intercepting Bai Hemen’s opportunity in advance.

Same as always, they’re all friends.

He wouldn’t do such a dirty trick. Besides, it wasn’t only Bai Hemen and Huangfu Lingyun’s opportunities — the prodigies of Great Han and the new city offered countless chances.

After everyone finished giving their names,

Lu Ding said, ”Alright, everyone’s done. The hotpot is ready, start adding the ingredients, eat something first to fill your bellies, so you don’t end up with nothing to vomit later. This wine packs a punch — let’s see which unlucky bastard drinks the most hahahahaha...”

Lu Ding couldn’t wait to start picking ingredients and putting them in.

Those that could withstand boiling went in first.

Then he picked up slices of meat and dropped them into the pot, stirring them back and forth.

One two three four..........

A phone rang.

’Staring at you, eyes that refuse to retreat.......’

Oh, Lu Ding was humming along.

He never denied his little hobby; so what if he liked to sing?

He loved music from his past life. If it weren’t for the Golden Finger, he might have been a plagiarist, a singer, an artist.

As the ringtone sounded, Yan Feifan, Bai Hemen, and the others turned their gazes toward him, all pausing in their movements.

As if time had stopped.

Lu Ding:.......

”I’m so screwed!!!!”

He put down his chopsticks.

He pulled out his phone.

”You mother....”

The rest of the insult hadn’t come out yet.

He saw the caller ID: Secretary Qiu.

Lu Ding pressed to answer.

A voice came through.

[Secretary Qiu: Lu Ding, come back for a moment, there’s an emergency, it’s urgent.......]

Secretary Qiu’s tone was somewhat heavy.

Lu Ding listened and his heart instantly sank.

[Could it be Elder Shui...]

[Secretary Qiu: It’s not...]

[Could it be Elder Deng...]

[Secretary Qiu: Not him either...]

Lu Ding’s suspended heart dropped immediately.

He exhaled and said,

[None of that matters. Whatever it is, it can wait until I finish this hotpot. Every time I eat hotpot something happens. Even if the sky falls, I have to eat!!!!]

There was a moment of silence on Secretary Qiu’s end.

Lu Ding took advantage of that moment to put a slice of meat, not yet overcooked but not raw either, into his mouth.

Then Secretary Qiu said,

[Secretary Qiu: Someone brought your birth chart and your information to Hanjing. They say they’re your family. I think you should come back quickly and check it out.]

That slice of meat was still a centimeter from Lu Ding’s lips, his mouth open.

But the instant he heard those words,

Lu Ding’s momentum exploded.

He threw down his chopsticks, appetite gone.

”Damn them, shameless pieces of trash, coming here to disgust me, goddamn ********!!!!”

No more words, he leapt into the air and shouted, ”You guys keep eating, I have an emergency!!!!”

At that moment, Lu Ding’s resentment was so intense even ghosts would feel ashamed.

He hadn’t even gotten to eat hotpot, and now some so-called family members had appeared.

They didn’t come when he was down and pathetic, when he was weak and alone, curled in the little bed of the orphanage; they didn’t come then.

Now that he was awesome,

now that he had everything,

now that he lacked nothing—

strength, development, prospects, territory, money, friends, and even elders like Crooked-Mouth Old Man, Elder Deng, Elder Shui looking out for him —

they showed up.

Isn’t that disgusting?!

They didn’t participate in the investment of his growth, but they come to reap the harvest.

And with a birth chart and information — Lu Ding didn’t recognize them.

What father, what mother, he spit!!

If they provoked him he’d react instantly, playing the big unfilial card.

If they were born but failed to raise him, cut off a finger and see if they cared — Lu Ding wouldn’t stop at fingers; he’d gladly give his whole hands and still refuse to be killed, no matter who the other side was!

Up in the sky, Lu Ding’s speed reached its limit.

Meanwhile,

in Hanjing.

In an office.

A man watched Elder Shui smoke cigarette after cigarette.

He called out a little helplessly, ”Elder Shui...”

Elder Shui exhaled smoke and looked at him, ”It’s possible the Lu Ding they found isn’t our Lu Ding, right?”

The man nodded.

Elder Shui smiled, ”Even if it is Lu Ding, he might not come back, right?”

The man nodded again.

The little old man in the wheelchair muttered.

”Great Han is so great, technology is so advanced, young people like Great Han, who would go to those feudal places...”

”We have the internet, we have phones, we have.......”