Chapter Forty-Six: The Recipe Diary of a Noodle-Slurping Devotee [Thanks to Lord Lu Qiuqiu]

Inside the elevator, Zhang Changlin’s domineering words left Sun Yaohai momentarily speechless.

How could he be so confident?

That newcomer, despite awakening the Infinite Dream Spirit, possessed no special abilities. He could only rely on wielding forbidden artifacts to fight; his potential was capped.

Yet Zhang Changlin’s confidence made Sun Yaohai suspect that Du Fang had awakened a top-tier special ability.

Before Sun Yaohai could respond, the elevator doors slid open.

Zhang Changlin sneered, exhaling a thick plume of smoke toward Sun Yaohai’s face.

“Just wait and see.”

With that, Zhang Changlin strode out of the elevator.

The other two gold-ranked squad leaders followed, exchanging amused glances as they left.

Sun Yaohai was left alone inside, his expression clouded and uncertain.

In the president’s office, Zhang Changlin and the other gold squad leaders found themselves facing President Tang Nai, who wore traditional Chinese attire.

Tang Nai’s hair and eyebrows had long turned white, but his gaze was gentle as he regarded the four before him.

Truth be told, President Tang’s request for this meeting was largely a formality—after all, this year’s provincial Rookie Dreamwalker Invitational was to be held in Jiangling City.

Naturally, Tang Nai harbored high hopes that the city’s own rookie dreamwalkers would rise to the occasion, showcasing their skill and spirit.

Wildfire and the three gold squads, as Jiangling’s premier assault teams, were the ones Tang Nai placed his greatest faith in. He had called their leaders here to convey his wishes.

Once the four had departed, President Tang Nai stood by his floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the cityscape.

Wen Ji arrived, having received the summons as well.

“Didn’t I instruct you to assign a monitor to keep an eye on the newcomer who awakened the Infinite Dream Spirit?” Tang Nai inquired. “How is that rookie? Any unusual behavior?”

Wen Ji’s expression remained as cold as ever. “According to the monitor’s reports, the Infinite Dream Spirit’s host can be cleared of suspicion for high-level Dream Demon possession. As for abnormal behavior, there’s been none.”

Tang Nai cast Wen Ji a sidelong glance, then smiled and waved him away.

Exiting the office and stepping into the elevator, Wen Ji’s frosty mask immediately collapsed; his face fell completely.

“Damn! That was close—I almost gave myself away. That Su Xiaoyu girl is absolutely useless!”

“What kind of monitoring diaries is she sending me?”

Leaning against the elevator wall, Wen Ji let out a long sigh.

President Tang Nai was a terrifying man. Wen Ji felt that if not for his cold exterior masking his inner guilt, Tang Nai would have seen right through him already.

He pulled a small notebook from his pocket.

This was the monitoring record sent by Du Fang’s assistant, Su Xiaoyu.

He flipped to the first page:

“There’s a shop selling snail noodles at Du Ge’s neighborhood entrance. Today I chose to eat noodles while waiting for him.”

The second page:

“Had noodles again, waited for Du Ge to leave home. He trained today. I asked what food he liked—he said fish head tofu soup. I’m planning to open a shop in his neighborhood specializing in it.”

The third page:

“Du Ge left late today. I had two bowls of noodles before he appeared. He says he likes ginger duck now. I’m planning to open a ginger duck shop next to the fish head tofu place.”

…

With tears in his eyes, Wen Ji shoved the notebook back into his pocket.

I told you to be Du Fang’s assistant and keep a monitoring diary—not to write a sycophant’s recipe journal!

How could this girl be so unreliable!

…

Outside the Dreamwalker Tower, in a tranquil café a kilometer away, the mellow strains of piano music filled the air.

An elderly gentleman, elegantly attired in a tailored suit and leaning on a cane, sat quietly, savoring a sip of rich civet coffee.

The bell above the door chimed.

The chauffeur, Old Chang, entered, carrying a thick folder.

He approached the elderly man, respectfully handing over the dossier.

“Sir, these are the results of my in-depth investigation.”

The old man slowly set down his cup, both hands gripping his cane as he focused on the documents.

“Du Fang, twenty years old, sophomore at Jiangling University, rookie in the Wildfire Squad…”

“Survived a Grade 9 Eerie-level dream disaster, and a few days ago, survived solo through a Grade 3 Eerie-level dream disaster—subsequently earning the recognition of Squad Leader Zhang Changlin, who invited him to join…”

The dossier detailed everything about Du Fang.

The old man had paid handsomely to have Du Fang investigated.

But the conclusion astonished him.

“Impossible!”

“How could that person be an untainted, ordinary man?”

The old man frowned, muttering to himself.

Such overwhelming pressure.

Such terrifying aura.

That fleeting glimpse of the bizarre little girl, the oppressive sensation—it had filled his heart with dread and despair, as if facing an unnameable deity.

“Sir, I’ve just discovered that the psychiatrist responsible for Du Fang’s mental care is actually a member of the ‘Divine Core’ organization,” reported Old Chang respectfully. “Yesterday, Divine Core sent another member, ‘Monkey Lord’, to approach Du Fang. But… he died peacefully, and his body was taken away early this morning.”

The old man was stunned.

“The Divine Core organization?”

“That does complicate matters… The Divine Core is quite troublesome.”

“But their aim is fallen gods, while mine is the flesh. I wonder if there’s room for cooperation.”

He continued reading. Suddenly, his brow relaxed. “Du Fang is about to participate in the Rookie Dreamwalker Invitational…”

That tidbit caught his interest.

His own body was failing; he desperately needed a suitable vessel.

This encounter seemed to be fate opening another door to immortality for him.

He must seize this opportunity.

“The Rookie Dreamwalker Invitational…”

The old man narrowed his eyes, his hands caressing the handle of his umbrella.

Perhaps, during this tournament, he could truly assess Du Fang’s strength and suitability as a host.

Or perhaps Du Fang was merely putting on a show?

And that strange little girl…

Was she truly a free fallen god?

At this thought, the old man raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

Testing Du Fang was crucial, yes.

But what the old man wanted even more was to reclaim the “Hand of God” from Zhang Changlin—his most vital asset for forging the perfect body.

Following the trail of the Calamity Mire’s aura, he had tracked down Zhang Changlin.

Clearly, the disappearance of the Hand of God was inextricably linked to him.

“Zhang Changlin!”

Deep within his eyes, a flicker of madness and fury surfaced.

That Hand of God was of utmost importance to him.

He had staked his very life, gambling everything to retrieve that peerless artifact from a nation-destroying dream disaster.

It was his only hope for immortality.

“Whoever took it from me will cough it up, one way or another!”

…

Du Fang spent the entire day training in the practice room.

He even had lunch there—his diligent assistant Su Xiaoyu ordered takeout, and a group of elegantly dressed hotel waitresses delivered the food to the training room.

Du Fang, Luoluo, Su Xiaoyu, and Chen Xi—who had come to freeload—made a party of four. Su Xiaoyu had ordered sixteen dishes!

“Du Ge, if there’s anything you want to eat, just tell me. Next time I’ll have the five-star chef from my family’s hotel make it for you!”

Su Xiaoyu beamed with pride. As an exemplary sycophant—no, an exemplary assistant!—she believed her first task was to win Du Ge’s stomach.

She even considered, once she’d catalogued all Du Ge’s favorite foods, buying an entire street to open a food court just for him.

That way, after training, Du Ge could immediately enjoy hot, delicious meals tailored to his taste.

Du Fang found his little assistant almost too thoughtful.

Luoluo, seated beside him, was happily gorging herself, sauce smeared across her mouth.

Seeing Luoluo happy, Du Fang was happy too.

Only the little wife perched on his shoulder seemed to be clenching her fists the entire time.

Ah, she couldn’t eat…

No wonder she was upset.

After training, Du Fang took Luoluo home.

Next door, Brother Hou’s apartment was still locked tight. Du Fang was disappointed—no ginger duck today.

When would Brother Hou return?

The first day without him, and Du Fang already missed him.

He tore his gaze away from Brother Hou’s door and was about to make dinner for Luoluo when—

Suddenly, his Dreamwalker phone vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out and saw a message from Zhang Changlin.

“Xiao Du, come to the foot massage parlor called ‘Golden Bucket’ on the second street of your neighborhood immediately. I’ll give you some combat training.”

Du Fang’s youthful face flushed.

A… a foot massage parlor?

Combat training?

Was this for real?

Night had fallen, and the captain’s invitation was to a foot massage…

Should he go or not?

Someone as innocent as Du Fang—how could he possibly go to a proper foot massage parlor?

But if the captain called, it had to be for business.

After a moment’s thought, Du Fang replied with righteous resolve:

“Wait for me.”

PS: Many thanks to old friend Lu Qiuqiu for the Alliance Leader reward—much appreciated! Please keep those recommendation votes coming~