Apocalypse Forecast

"Hey, kid."

The old man squinted, scrutinizing the audacious bastard. "Do you know the consequences for harassing a minor?"

A murderous aura soared.

Huai Shi's legs went weak for a moment, and he instinctively wanted to beg for mercy, but then he realized, "Wait, I'm a minor too!"

"Hm?"

Xuan Niao was taken aback and, surprisingly, found himself at a loss for words.

By this time, the Cowherd, who had been momentarily stunned by his young buddy's string of actions, finally recovered. He hurriedly came over, forcing a smile to put in a good word, "He's seventeen this year, Sir. Please be magnanimous..."

"Seventeen?"

Xuan Niao burst into anger. "So young and already a dropout, an uneducated vagrant?! Instead of learning anything useful, you're mimicking others in love!"

Goddamn dropout! How are you just like Director Fu!

"Part-time, it's all part-time work to support my family..." Huai Shi mustered the courage to raise his hand. "Besides, I play the cello incredibly well; it'll get me a lot of extra points on the college entrance exam!"

Xuan Niao seemed skeptical. He pulled Huai Shi over and stared at him intently, one eye turning pitch black, gazing at Huai Shi as if piercing through fate itself.

The Eye of Fate of the Sky Destiny Xuan Bird!

Whatever he saw, his expression subtly changed.

"Huai Guang's great-grandson? Quite rare indeed..."

As if astonished, after pondering for a moment, his expression suddenly softened. "Working at the Astronomical Society has no future, kid. How about coming to work at the Social Security Bureau?

"How about I assign you to Xiao Bai's team? You'll see each other every day!

"Once you finish your college entrance exams, you won't have to worry about which college to attend. I'll write you a recommendation letter, and you can go straight to Ji Xia to further your studies. Four years later, you'll come out as a civil servant with an iron-clad job, a good salary, and not much to do. How about it?"

In that instant, Huai Shi was almost blinded by the allure of an 'iron-clad job.' Stable income, a fulfilled life, and a steady career...

Thinking about all the shady business he was involved in, he swallowed hard and shook his head resolutely, speaking earnestly, "Thank you for your generous offer, but there's no need. I've already decided to dedicate my life to defending the peace of the Current Circumstances!"

"Tsk, one slippery eel after another..."

The old man seemed displeased as he shook his head but said nothing more. He just waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to take care of the injured, as they disappeared into the spreading night.

They had other places to be; no time to dawdle here.

Before leaving, Li Jian Amber glared at him fiercely a couple of times.

He wasn't sure if her look meant 'just you wait, I'm calling for backup' or if she planned to ambush him on a dark night to vent her frustration for being upstaged today.

Huai Shi waved nonchalantly, pointed to the badge on his chest, and smiled without a word.

Come at me if you dare!

And so, the chaos came to an abrupt end.

Under the hammer that descended from the sky, any conspiracy, any sinister tricks, were utterly crushed by absolute power.

With the Social Security Bureau perfectly demonstrating its strength and Dongxia's foundations, this great battle would likely conclude before long, wouldn't it?

But that was no longer Huai Shi's concern.

When Liu Dongli helped him out of the subway, all he saw was the vast night sky.

Somehow, it was already evening.

The city still shone brightly. The few explosions from the day were easily blamed on some non-existent chemical plant in the East Suburb. Despite the initial disturbance, things would probably settle down quickly, right?

The world continued to spin.

Huai Shi breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling finally relaxed, he was sitting in the ambulance for a medical check when he saw that familiar wheelchair.

Ai Qing, pale-faced and quietly receiving an IV drip, nodded slightly at Huai Shi. "Well done."

"Ah, it was nothing..."

Huai Shi smiled awkwardly, about to be modest, when he heard her add, "Especially confessing to a girl who just turned fifteen in front of everyone. Quite your style."

"..."

Huai Shi suddenly fumbled for an explanation, but Ai Qing waved her hand calmly. "Next time you decide to be an idiot, please take a quick look at your environment. Try not to get squashed by one of her parents with a single finger, okay?"

"Uh, sure..."

Huai Shi nodded sheepishly and shrank onto the stretcher, trying his best to diminish his presence. However, after Liu Dongli finished dealing with Director Fu, he squeezed over and marveled at Huai Shi.

"Bro, you hit the jackpot."

He inspected the Crystal Stone signed by the White Emperor's Son in Huai Shi's pocket. "Getting such a lavish consolation prize even after a failed confession—that's unheard of."

"What's this?"

Huai Shi was astonished. He picked up the rather ordinary-looking Crystal Stone, turning it over and over, unable to discern any particular miraculous effect.

"Is this thing that amazing?"

Old Liu rolled his eyes. "A Wish Fulfillment Crystal. You tell me if that's amazing."

"Wish Fulfillment Crystal?" Huai Shi asked curiously, "Can it be used for making wishes?"

"A limited kind of wish-granting, I suppose," Ai Qing glanced at it. "It's probably a Source Crystal formed by the contraction of the wondrous power within Garuda's body after being killed instantly.

"If you release this power all at once, you could tip the balance of the Sea of Silver and achieve many unimaginable things. Of course, don't even mention something as far-fetched as world peace. At best, it merely allows things humans are capable of to be realized sooner."

Huai Shi was delighted. "That's pretty amazing already, isn't it?"

Watching his excited expression, Ai Qing shook her head. "But compared to the genuine article, this is just a flawed product from a crude assembly. You'd best not get your hopes too high."