Chapter 172: Emergency Meeting

In the shadows…

“Why did you call them back?” a rough, gruff voice demanded.

“That kind of attack strength is undeniable proof of the presence of an X-Rank hero. We need to reassess the situation,” a smooth, calm voice replied.

“Reassess? Reassess again? All you ever do is reassess! You were the one who proposed the plan to take over Silver Frost City. It should’ve been put into action a month ago, but you dragged it out till now. The plan was finally set in motion, and within two days, we’re already calling it off. What’s the meaning of this? Are you afraid of an X-Rank hero?”

“You may be strong, but don’t underestimate the power of an X-Rank. I should remind you, the only reason I still have half my head left is thanks to an X-Rank hero. If I hadn’t escaped in time, my life would’ve been forfeit.”

“And yet, didn’t that human get badly injured as well? Even if the one we’re facing now is stronger, if we join forces, we’ll still be able to take them down, right?”

“I understand how you feel. In fact, I feel exactly the same. We’ve been planning this for a long time, and we can’t afford to fail now. But we can’t act rashly and ruin everything. I hope you understand. Just to be safe, I’m going to investigate the situation myself. You stay here and wait for my word.”

“Ugh… what a hassle. Oh, by the way, when will Old Third return from Red Snow Volcano?”

“Given the current circumstances, it’ll probably be a few more days. I’m heading out now. Wait for my report.”

“Do what you want.”

***

Temporary peace returned as the alien creatures retreated, but the heroes couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

Taking advantage of the temporary disappearance of monster activity, the Star Alliance quickly began planning their next move. They couldn’t remain in a defensive position indefinitely and needed to seize the initiative when necessary.

That very night, the Star Alliance issued an urgent notice. 

This time, the message was only sent to a select group of heroes—specifically, those ranked S and A. The notice called for all S and A-rank heroes in Yinshuang City to attend a critical meeting at the Star Alliance headquarters the following day.

When Lin Xinyan noticed this detail, she immediately understood that something important was about to happen. Without delay, she reached out to her mentor, Jing Xin.

“Master, what’s going on with this meeting?” Lin Xinyan asked.

“Don’t ask too many questions for now. Once we’re at the Star Alliance tomorrow, everything will become clear,” Jing Xin replied. “Oh, and make sure that idiot comes along as well. The more hands we have, the better.”

Lin Xinyan nodded. “Understood.”

“We’re all exhausted from dealing with the alien creatures. Get some rest tonight, and I’ll see you at the Star Alliance tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Master.”

“Goodnight.”

After ending the call with Jing Xin, Lin Xinyan thought for a moment and decided it would be best to inform Shi Ji immediately. Knowing his usual behavior, if she didn’t notify him in advance, he’d probably sleep in and miss the meeting entirely.

With that decision made, she headed off to find Shi Ji.

***

Shi Ji had a pretty decent day overall. He got to beat up a hero and even scored a new bow.

Feeling a bit bored, he lay down and flipped through TV channels. Despite going through hundreds of them, he couldn’t find anything interesting to watch.

This left Shi Ji grumbling. 

“In this day and age, with how expensive this place is, the TV isn’t even connected to the internet?”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Hearing the knocks at his door, he sighed, set down the remote, and stopped channel surfing.

When he opened the door, he saw Ling Xinyan standing there.

“Oh, it’s Xinyan! Come in.”

Lin Xinyan had only planned to tell him something and leave right away, but before she could react, Shi Ji pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them.

Thinking that Shi Ji must be lonely by himself, she decided to stay a little longer.

Shi Ji quickly grabbed a chair and brought it over to her. 

“Xinyan, have a seat.”

Though he said this, Lin Xinyan didn’t respond right away. Instead, she stared at the TV in a daze.

Shi Ji finally noticed the issue and turned to look at the screen. He then realized what was playing—a show called Victoria’s Secret. At that moment, a model with a perfect figure was joyfully strutting down the runway, her hips swaying.

Uh…

When he had gone to answer the door, he hadn’t paid attention to what channel he’d left on. 

Watching something like this when bored wasn’t bad—it was nice to look at—but having Lin Xinyan see it? That was awkward, to say the least.

Shi Ji definitely didn’t want to leave her with the impression that he was some kind of pervert.

Shi Ji quickly grabbed the remote in a bit of a panic, almost dropping it in the process. Once he managed to change the channel, he nervously let out a chuckle and started explaining.

“Hehe! Xinyan, I wasn’t really—”

“Mhm, I believe you.”

Before Shi Ji could finish, Lin Xinyan had already cut in. This caught him off guard, but then again, it made sense. After spending so much time together, they had developed mutual understanding and trust. There was no need for much explanation.

Even though Lin Xinyan’s face still held a trace of awkwardness, Shi Ji decided to explain anyway, just to be sure.

“I was just bored, sitting here alone, and there wasn’t anything good on TV. I was flipping channels when you knocked, so I didn’t notice what was on when I got up to open the door.”

Lin Xinyan listened but didn’t seem too concerned. 

Since she trusted Shi Ji, the explanation wasn’t that important to her.

Now, her focus shifted to the room itself. The setup felt a bit outdated, like something from many years ago. It was expensive, and knowing Shi Ji was living here alone, she figured he might be feeling a bit lonely.

“The environment here isn’t that great. Why don’t you move to my building?” Lin Xinyan suddenly suggested.

Shi Ji was a bit surprised by the offer.

Lin Xinyan quickly realized how her words could be misunderstood, and her face turned slightly pink with embarrassment. 

“What are you thinking? I meant move to my floor, not live with me.”

As she spoke, she instinctively turned her back to Shi Ji, feeling a bit shy.

Shi Ji had, in fact, briefly misunderstood what she meant.

Lin Xinyan was a kind-hearted girl. This was something Shi Ji was certain of. Hearing her suggestion just now made him feel a bit touched.

“Nah, I appreciate the thought, Xinyan. Having a place to stay is already good enough. I’m not too fussed about living somewhere high-end. Maybe once I have some money, we can talk about it.”

Once Shi Ji made up his mind about something, he rarely changed it. Lin Xinyan knew this well. Since he had already turned her down, pressing the matter further would be pointless.

With a soft sigh, she said, “Fine, since you’re set on this, I won’t push it. Let’s talk about the important stuff instead.”

Shi Ji quickly pulled a chair up behind Lin Xinyan. 

“Here, take a seat and we’ll talk.”

Once she sat down, Shi Ji even poured her a glass of water.

“The Star Alliance just sent out a notification. All S-ranked and A-ranked heroes have to go to the Alliance tomorrow for a meeting. I’ve already talked to my mentor, and she asked me to let you know. So tomorrow, you’ll be going with me to the Alliance.”

That was the gist of Lin Xinyan’s visit—short and to the point.

Shi Ji took a sip from his cup, mulling it over. 

“Your mentor said that, huh? But I’m not a hero, let alone an A-rank or S-rank one. Are they even going to let me in?”

It was a fair concern.

Ling Xinyan smiled. “You don’t have to worry about that. My mentor holds a high position at the Alliance. She’s probably already arranged everything with them. You just need to come with me.”

“Hmm, alright, that works. What time tomorrow?”

“Eight in the morning.”

“Eight to leave?”

“No, the meeting starts at eight.”

“Uh… Xinyan, can I, uh, skip this one?”