I Can Copy the Talents of All Creatures

"What are you trying to say?" Wang Jie suddenly cut in, his tone cold.

Mr. Jia faltered, looking at Wang Jie with displeasure. ’After all our years of friendship, this bastard actually doubts me.’

"What I mean is, could we ask Ms. Han to rally her teachers and classmates? Yuqing University is full of talent. If just one or two experts were to step up, solving our current crisis shouldn’t be difficult."

Han Qiubai looked a bit disappointed. "I’ve been trying to contact my mentor since last week, but I haven’t gotten a reply. My professor is very busy with experiments and sometimes doesn’t check his messages. However, Taolang did call for a classmate from the Gang Qi Realm. He said they’d be here in a day or two. They were originally coming to deal with the sudden appearance of the Apostle."

Wang Jie’s spirits lifted. "That’s some powerful backup."

Mr. Jia shook his head. "Useless. If there’s a Grandmaster, sending a Gang Qi expert is just suicide. By the way, let me see that message Taolang received again."

Jia Jingxian had been the director of the Public Security Bureau for many years. He had come up through the ranks and possessed a wealth of investigative experience.

As he stared at the short message sent to Taolang, his mind was already working.

"There’s a problem here."

Jia Jingxian pointed to the printed-out text message, which he had stuck to the wall.

"Look at this message..."

[The Bright God Sect will attack Tianning County. A Grandmaster is involved.]

Jia Jingxian pointed to the three words "Bright God Sect" and said grimly,

"Generally, whether it’s us or the public, the standard name is the Illuminati. But here, they are called the Bright God Sect. Only a cult member would use that name. Therefore, the person who sent this message is, in all likelihood, from the Illuminati..."

Wang Jie scratched his head. "But... that doesn’t make any sense. Why would they send this kind of message? Regardless of whether it’s true or false, it’s not going to help their attack on the county."

Jia Jingxian also fell into a thoughtful silence. It really didn’t add up; there was no logical reason for it.

"Could it be that someone in the cult had a change of heart and wants to switch sides?"

Wang Jie hypothesized.

Han Qiubai shot down the idea. "Impossible. This roving band of cultists has been hounded all the way here. They’ve all been baptized and have lost their humanity. On top of that, they’re corrupted by the Dark Ash Evil God. Their minds are completely twisted by now."

Just then, Han Qiubai’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen, her expression suddenly lighting up with a pleasant surprise, and quickly gestured for the two men to be quiet.

"Hello, Professor... Yes, okay. Thank you so much..."

Hanging up, Han Qiubai looked elated. "I’ve told my mentor everything," she said excitedly to the two men. "She says the Soul-Breaking Sword, Mr. Kong, is nearby! She’s going to contact him for us."

Hearing this, Wang Jie collapsed into his chair, sighing with immense relief.

After a few moments of excitement, Jia Jingxian spoke up. "Even with Mr. Kong to back us up, we still need to be fully prepared to defend our posts to the end. Let’s make our preparations as thorough as possible."

With that, they dove into discussing the details of their plan.

"The sentry post can set up a cross-fire sniper position here. Their super-weapons can’t hurt a Grandmaster, but they can be fatal to regular enemies... It’s a shame the post has so few of them."

"All personnel from the Martial Arts Administration Bureau at the second realm and above will be armed and ready for close-quarters combat..."

"The Public Security Bureau will coordinate civilian evacuations, focusing on the main thoroughfares..."

"We should request aid from the neighboring counties..."

"That’s not a good idea. We could be the target, or they could. Let’s just share the intel and have everyone go on high alert. If an enemy does attack, we can provide mutual support..."

Everyone put their heads together, and in a short while, they had the main points of their plan worked out. Just then, Taolang leaped through the window, carrying Mr. Li in his arms like a princess. It appeared the man’s limbs had been dislocated with a joint-locking technique, leaving him completely powerless. His jaw had been unhinged as well.

Taolang smirked at Mr. Li in his arms. "Darling, did you enjoy my big stick?"

With that, he tossed the Cloud Dragon Staff aside, gently placed Mr. Li on the floor, and even wiped the dirt from the man’s face.

Wang Jie saw Mr. Li’s eyelashes trembling. Looking at the unctuous Taolang, he couldn’t imagine what this straight-laced old soldier had just endured.

When Han Qiubai saw the two return, she simply ignored them.

’The strong deserve respect, but that doesn’t include Taolang.’ She tried to ignore his particular... style, but it was impossible.

"Wang Jie, brief these two on what we just discussed."

Wang Jie quickly pulled out his notebook and read the key points they had just recorded.

"Mr. Kong? Oh my, Mr. Kong is my idol! I do hope he gets here in time. Then I won’t have to suffer the tragic fate of a fallen beauty..."

Wang Jie lowered his head, not wanting to speak. ’If Mr. Kong were here,’ he thought, ’he’d probably slap Taolang to death.’

Taolang then added, "As it happens, I have some good news, too. My darling senior brother will probably be here tomorrow morning~"

Everyone was delighted. This was indeed good news. Mr. Kong’s arrival was still uncertain, but a genuine Gang Qi Realm expert would soon be in their midst, giving them a much-needed layer of security.

Just then, Taolang picked up his Cloud Dragon Staff and tapped it twice on Mr. Li’s jaw—TAP TAP. His exquisite control of his Inner Qi didn’t harm the man in the slightest; on the contrary, it restored his ability to speak.

"So, you magnificent specimen of a man, what contribution will you be making?" Taolang asked sarcastically.

"I’ve got one life to give, and I won’t take a single step back. You rotten-assed, gender-bending freak, stay the hell away from me!"

Mr. Li was willing to admit defeat, but there was no way he would verbally submit to Taolang. A man can be killed but not humiliated. He, Li Cunliang, had never been afraid of death.

Taolang caressed his staff, fuming internally. But there was nothing he could do. ’This guy isn’t an enemy,’ he thought, ’so I can’t just bash his brains in...’

"Alright, meeting adjourned. Everyone, get to your preparations," Jia Jingxian said, breaking the tension. "Wang Jie, take care of Mr. Li."

Jia Jingxian then walked over and reset Li’s joints, then turned and left. Taolang snorted and left as well.

Jia Jingxian muttered, "What a disaster..."

Afterward, everyone quickly got to work. Although they had a plan, many details still needed to be ironed out. This was a matter of life and death, and no one was taking it lightly.

The sentry post’s platoon leader, Li Cunliang, silently accepted the decisions. His next task was to set up the sniper positions, and the locations had to be chosen carefully. Since they were unsure of the enemy’s direction of attack, they needed to plan for several potential spots to be ready to engage at a moment’s notice.

Wang Jie looked like he wanted to say something, but just ended up sighing. "Did you really have to do that...?"

Li Cunliang said, "I just can’t stand that effeminate act of his. It’s an affront to male dignity. I don’t care if he’s fifth realm; I’d look down on him even if he were a Grandmaster."

"Despise him all you want, but you didn’t have to provoke him. In the end, you’re the only one who lost out."

At this, Li Cunliang gave a mysterious smile. "You don’t get it. These two kids may have the cultivation realm, but their actual ability and resolve are still unknown. Would you dare entrust the fate of an entire county to them?

"I provoked them. If they were afraid to die, they would have used it as an excuse to leave, and that would have been a good thing. If our leaders lack resolve, the coming battle will be a nightmare.

"But that sissy dared to lay hands on me, and both of them have been calling in favors and trying to find a solution. Those are the kind of teammates we need. The kind of people you can trust your back to on the battlefield."

Wang Jie was stunned. "You..."

Li Cunliang gave a crafty smile. The thick-browed, big-eyed man looked like a bear that had just found a pot of honey. "Wang, my boy, in matters of life and death, you can’t be too careful. You’re good at administration, but when it comes to war, you’re still green..."

With that, he grabbed his uniform jacket and walked out. ’Train an army for a thousand days to use it for one morning.’ He was ready for a real fight.

Han Qiubai finally received a reply from her mentor. The Soul-Breaking Sword, Mr. Kong, was on his way. Her mentor urged them to be extremely careful and, no matter what, not to give up.

...

"Mr. Tang, when do you think I should make my move?" Kong Sheng asked, looking at the message from Mr. Zhuang with a frustrated expression.

Mr. Tang was frowning at the chessboard in front of him. Hearing Kong Sheng’s question, he said irritably, "You can make your move after that iron-headed kid gets himself killed..."

Kong Sheng understood at once. He couldn’t actually wait for Yan Sea to be killed in battle; Su Yue would hate him for the rest of her life. He was supposed to wait until Yan Sea was facing a life-or-death crisis, and then take off Dust Sacrifice’s head.

He looked at Mr. Tang, who was scratching his head in frustration over the game, and felt his own irritation growing. After days of playing chess with this terrible but obsessed player, he didn’t want to stay here another second. ’I just want to grab Dust Sacrifice, go through the motions, take the bastard’s head, and collect my MVP award...’

’This damn weather is getting too hot. A storm’s about to break...’