Chapter 57: Esteemed Dragon King, Might You Be Interested in a Collaboration?

In the stillness of the deep night, all was quiet.

Dream Crossing Tower, sixteenth floor.

The lights in the training room finally went out.

Chen Xi awakened from a faint, her body limp, legs trembling, and stomach growling with hunger.

Du Fang, drenched in sweat, had trained nearly to exhaustion under his wife's guidance and with Luo Luo's help. Yet, the results were remarkable.

He felt a marked improvement in both his combat techniques and his control over forbidden tools. By his own estimation, even without his wife's intervention or relying on his daughter's abilities, he could now hold his own against a lower-ranked Dreamwalker.

Just days before, his dream spirit's strength was less than ten energy units—he would have been easily overpowered by any lower-ranked Dreamwalker. Now, Du Fang was genuinely satisfied with his progress.

As training ended, the little assistant cheerfully ordered takeout, and soon, gourmet meals from a five-star hotel arrived.

Chen Xi, just roused from her faint, was delighted to eat. Du Fang, not one to waste the assistant’s efforts, joined in with Luo Luo.

The aroma soon drew Su Jiuming, Si Nan, and Zhao Lu from their rooms. Zhang Changlin quietly wheeled himself out to join them, his wheelchair once featuring a sweet song recorded by Su Jiuming, but now reduced to simple blinking lights after Zhang had crushed the speaker in a fit of impatience.

Thus, what was meant as a late-night snack for Du Fang quickly became Wildfire Squad’s first communal feast.

Under the glow of the lights, Zhang Changlin devoured over twenty oysters before lazily sipping his beer, reclining in his wheelchair. With a cigarette dangling from his lips, he looked at Du Fang and said with a smile, “Little Du, I know your combat skills are solid. We’ve all seen your hard work these past days.”

“Tomorrow is the opening day of the Newcomer Dreamwalker Invitational. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself—just perform as usual.”

Su Jiuming, cheeks flushed from strong vodka and eyes sparkling with mischief, chimed in, “Exactly, Little Du Du, don’t stress. Your big brother will always have your back.”

“Wildfire doesn’t put much stock in honor or set harsh demands on newcomers. Just do your best in the competition—no regrets, that’s what matters,” added the rotund Zhao Lu with a kind laugh. “This invitational is for your experience and growth. As for glory, that’s something we win together. Don’t burden yourselves.”

Si Nan, red-haired and grinning broadly, recalled, “Back when I entered the newcomers’ tournament, I was eliminated in the first round. I cried for ages, thinking I’d be scolded. But Su—sister—spent the whole day comforting me. I was so embarrassed.”

“Hey! It’s brother, not sister!” Su Jiuming rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

Du Fang smiled, glancing at Luo Luo beside him, who tilted her head, eyes bright as she watched the members of Wildfire.

A warmth bloomed in Du Fang’s heart.

Meanwhile, assistant Su Xiaoyu, mouth greasy from feasting, loudly hyped, “My Brother Du is unbeatable—he’ll dominate tomorrow’s invitational!”

As Du Fang’s number one sycophant, the assistant’s loyalty was unquestionable.

“To Brother Du! To Sister Xi! Cheers!” she cried, raising her glass of cola.

Outside, neon lights flickered. Inside, the room shone with light and laughter as everyone raised their glasses—some filled with wine, some with soft drinks.

Du Fang lifted his own, fruit wine swirling within, a radiant smile on his face.

In this moment, he understood what Su Jiuming had once told him.

Wildfire was his second home.

“Cheers.”

Clink! Amid laughter, glasses rang together.

One toast to Wildfire.

One toast to tomorrow.

...

...

Jiangling City, outskirts.

Within a solitary villa, the lights blazed.

Lin Liuli stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, clad in a tailored suit and heels, elegantly poised. In her hand, a wine glass swirled with red wine.

Behind her, a cold surgical table bore a headless corpse covered in a white sheet—the very same Hou that Du Fang so often thought of.

Lin Liuli had yet to deduce how Chen Hou died; she simply had no idea what horrors he’d faced. But one thing was certain: Chen Hou had activated the will of the Fallen God within him.

Yet, it was all for nothing.

Chen Hou’s death caused not a ripple. It was as if the will of the Fallen God was swatted away like a bothersome mosquito.

“Was it Luo Luo?”

Lin Liuli’s eyes were hazy as she swirled her wine.

If it truly was her...

Then perhaps Luo Luo was no ordinary Fallen God.

Her threat level would need to be reassessed, and upgraded by several ranks.

Suddenly, Lin Liuli heard the crack of tiles breaking.

She turned slowly.

Space twisted before her, and several figures emerged from the distortion. At their head was a man in a suit, wearing a menacing dragon mask.

At his side were two men and one woman, wearing masks of the rat, ox, and rabbit.

“Vermilion Bird,” said the dragon-masked man, his eyes beneath the mask fathomless as he regarded Lin Liuli.

“Azure Dragon,” she replied.

The man called Azure Dragon approached the surgical table, lifted the sheet, and glanced at Chen Hou’s tragic remains.

“The will of the Fallen God has been annihilated. The Monkey is dead. Our opponent is formidable.”

“The more formidable they are, the more powerful the Fallen God. It could even be one of the Seven Fallen Gods... which only makes it more necessary for us to capture them,” Azure Dragon said with a light laugh.

Lin Liuli said nothing.

“You were right not to act rashly. If the miniature god-core within you were detonated, it would be a tremendous loss for the organization. Rest assured, for this mission, the organization sent me to assist you.”

“Originally, White Tiger and Black Tortoise were to accompany me, but they’ve been dispatched to the capital to handle the strange city-destroying dream calamity there. That calamity is believed to have birthed the Wrathful Fallen God, one of the Seven. Both had to go to lure it—otherwise, there’s no way to snatch the Fallen God from the capital’s Dreamwalkers,” Azure Dragon explained.

“No need to elaborate. I know the organization doesn’t trust me. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent someone like Chen Hou, who acts on his own whims,” Lin Liuli replied coolly, her tone icy to all.

“Don’t worry. What happened to Chen Hou won’t repeat. Given the opponent’s strength, their danger level has been raised to high-risk, so I was sent to help you. And I have some good news,” Azure Dragon’s tone was ever cheerful.

Lin Liuli shot him a chilly look. “Enough riddles. Out with it.”

A smirk touched the corners of Azure Dragon’s mouth beneath his mask. “Are you familiar with the Sky Demon Dragon King?”

“Last night, a Dragon King-level powerhouse from the Sky Demon Organization appeared in Jiangling. But their target is the physical body, while ours is the Fallen God. Our goals don’t conflict, so we hope to form an alliance. With a Dragon King on our side, even if Tang Nai, president of the Dreamwalker Association, intervenes, he won’t be able to stop us. The Dragon King should be quite willing to cooperate,” Azure Dragon said with a smile.

“Oh,” Lin Liuli maintained her frosty aloofness, saving her rare smiles only for Du Fang and Luo Luo.

“I’ve got their contact from the organization. I’ll call the Dragon King now,” Azure Dragon said, taking out a special phone.

He dialed, putting the call on speaker.

Beeep—

“The number you have dialed is busy. Please try again later.”

Azure Dragon: “?”

Lin Liuli stared at him icily.

Azure Dragon coughed awkwardly, then dialed again. Relentless, eyes reddening with effort, he called dozens of times.

At last, the call connected.

“Who is it?” croaked a wary, hoarse voice.

“It’s me, a representative of the God Core Organization. You must be the esteemed Dragon King of the Sky Demon Organization. Our target is the same youth, Du Fang, who will compete in the Newcomer Dreamwalker Invitational tomorrow. We can cooperate—you take his body, I’ll take the Fallen God. Would you be interested in working together?” Azure Dragon’s tone brimmed with confidence. He couldn’t imagine the Dragon King refusing.

Silence on the other end for several seconds.

Then a deep, thoroughly rude snarl:

“Idiot!”

“Get lost!”

Beeep—

Azure Dragon: “...”

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