After the college entrance examination, my identity as a Mahayana Immortal Venerable could no longer

Chapter 38 Lu Yuan, the Immortal Slayer

At three in the morning, the mountain wind howled like ghosts, knocking the weeds at the foot of Yunding Mountain Villa flat on the ground.

At the entrance to the mountain road, the deathly silence was ripped apart by a piercing electrical hum—six searchlights suddenly blazed on, their pale beams like icy swords cleaving through the impenetrable darkness, sweeping wildly through the dense forest halfway up the mountain. The leaves were illuminated a ghastly white, casting menacing shadows as if countless ghosts were lurking within.

Six camouflage-painted heavy armored vehicles blocked the road, their tracks creaking over gravel. Thick, impenetrable blast-proof steel plates sealed tightly, completely blocking the only path up the mountain; not even a fly could squeeze through. Behind a half-person-high sandbag fortification, dozens of special agents from the Alien Bureau stood taut, their muscles bulging beneath their black combat uniforms. Their specially made high-voltage electromagnetic rifles were all aimed at the mountaintop, the barrels gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. Triggers were pressed to their fingertips; they dared not even breathe too heavily.

The air was as thick as congealed blood, and a sense of oppression seeped into the lungs through the nasal cavity, making people feel choked and their chests tight. Even the wind seemed to have stopped, leaving only the rapid heartbeats of the special agents, which made people's eardrums ache.

"Team... Captain... this setup is terrifying!" A young special agent lay prone behind a sandbag, night vision goggles pressed tightly against his eyes, his gaze fixed on the dark mountain path. His voice trembled uncontrollably, the chattering of his teeth particularly clear in the silence. "They've even set up anti-material sniper rifles. Just who are these formidable opponents that warrant such a massive mobilization from headquarters?"

The middle-aged man next to him abruptly spat out his cigarette butt, the sparks arcing through the night. His leather shoe crushed it, instantly shattering the cigarette butt and sending sparks flying. The man had sharp features and a scar running from his brow bone to his jaw. He was Li Qiang, the deputy captain of the Jiangnan branch. At this moment, his face was ashen, and the fear in his eyes was almost palpable.

"Shut your mouth!" Li Qiang's voice was extremely low, yet carried an undeniable ruthlessness. His fingertips were clenched so tightly they turned white. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Just do what you're supposed to do. If anything goes wrong today, we'll all die here!"

No one knew that Li Qiang was more panicked than anyone else. The news that Wang Gang's team had been wiped out while leading them up the mountain was strictly suppressed by headquarters, but as an insider, he knew the inside story better than anyone else—Wang Gang was crippled, rendered useless; even more terrifying was that the command center at headquarters in Beijing had been smashed into ruins thousands of kilometers away!

That's not human, it's a monster! Let alone six armored vehicles, even if all the tanks from the Jiangnan Military Region were brought over and missiles were placed at the foot of the mountain, Li Qiang wouldn't have a chance. All he could do now was hold on and defend this line of defense.

"Everyone, pay close attention!" Li Qiang slammed his hand on his earpiece, his voice hoarse and cracking as he roared into the communication channel, "Not a single bird is allowed to escape! Anyone who messes up, I'll be the first to shoot them!"

Before the words were even finished, a deafening roar suddenly came from the night sky above, like a thunderclap, shaking the ground slightly. Everyone looked up sharply and saw three black armed helicopters cutting through the thick clouds, swooping down in a triangular formation. The wind whipped up by their rotors howled, making the sandbags rattle and the special agents' combat uniforms flutter wildly.

The searchlights on the helicopter's belly lit up simultaneously, and three giant beams of light converged as if it were daytime, precisely locking onto Villa No. 1 halfway up the mountain. The luxurious European-style building was illuminated in every detail, and even the stone carvings in the corners of the walls were clearly visible, as if it had been gripped by an invisible hand and exposed to the public eye.

"It's a plane from headquarters!" Li Qiang jumped to his feet, his tense body instantly relaxing. His back was already soaked with cold sweat, and even his legs were slightly weak. He let out a long sigh of relief, his voice filled with the relief of surviving a close call, "The big shots from headquarters are here! Even if the sky falls, they'll hold it up!"

The special agents at the foot of the mountain also breathed a sigh of relief, their tense nerves easing slightly, but no one dared to let their guard down—someone who could get a big shot from headquarters to personally come out was definitely not someone they could contend with.

Inside Villa Number One, blinding light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room, so intense it was impossible to open one's eyes. Some people instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, but the light still caused their eyes to water. The wind whipped up by the helicopter rotor raged wildly in the yard, causing several ornamental trees as thick as bowls to be blown about, their branches lashing against the glass with a loud crackling sound, as if trying to demolish the entire villa.

Zhao Tiancheng huddled behind the sofa, his hands clutching his head, his body trembling violently. The sound of his teeth chattering drowned out the lashing of the branches. His face was deathly pale, ashen. He furtively glanced out the window at the three armed helicopters hovering there, his pupils contracting sharply. Despair overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, and he muttered repeatedly, "It's over...it's all over..."

He finally realized that this wasn't some江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) feud at all; this was the state apparatus getting serious! It was the top-tier power of the Extraordinary Immortal Bureau, a killing move capable of crushing everything! No matter how skilled Lu Yuan was, no matter how many enemies he could take on, could he withstand the artillery fire of armored vehicles and the strafing of helicopters? Could he withstand the top-tier combat power of the Extraordinary Immortal Bureau?

Despair, a despair that seeps into your very bones.

In stark contrast to the deathly silence and despair in the living room, the kitchen presented a completely different scene.

Lu Yuan wore a slightly comical pink apron with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his smooth forearms. He held a frying pan in his hand, his fingertips turning it lightly. The hot oil in the pan sizzled, and the golden egg liquid slowly solidified in the pan. The aroma wafted out through the crack in the kitchen door, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere in the villa.

The roar outside the window, the sound of shattering glass, and the warning sirens of helicopter strafing seemed to have no effect on him. He didn't even lift his eyelids. With a slight flick of his wrist, the fried egg in the pan drew a perfect arc in the air. The egg white curled slightly, while the yolk remained runny, falling steadily back into the pan. The edges were fried to a golden brown and crispy, and the sizzling oil splattered, but it never touched the hem of his clothes.

"Brother...it's so noisy outside, it's keeping me awake."

Lu Qingxue, wearing a loose white nightgown and with her hair disheveled, rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked lightly to the kitchen door, her face still showing signs of drowsiness. She had been sleeping soundly upstairs when the roar of the helicopter woke her up, and her eyes were full of confusion.

Lu Yuan turned off the gas stove, gently scooped the fried eggs into a clean white porcelain plate, and handed over a small fork. His voice was so gentle it seemed to melt hearts, completely out of place with the somber atmosphere outside: "It's alright, just a few junk collectors disturbing you. Go to the restaurant for breakfast, then take a nap. You'll feel better when you wake up."

Lu Qingxue, carrying the plate, glanced at the glaring searchlights outside the window, then at Lu Yuan's calm profile—his eyes were indifferent, without a trace of panic, as if the vast army outside was nothing but fleeting smoke. She asked nothing, obediently nodded, whispered "Thank you, brother," and quietly walked towards the dining room with the plate.

In her heart, as long as her brother was there, she wouldn't be afraid even if the sky fell. Her brother was her sky, her whole world.

Lu Yuan untied his pink apron and casually hung it on the back of the door, his movements languid yet exuding an invisible aura. He slowly walked out of the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Tiancheng, who was still trembling behind the sofa. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an irresistible authority, striking Zhao Tiancheng's ears like a thunderclap, drowning out all the sounds outside.

"Stand up and go open the door."

Zhao Tiancheng froze, swallowed hard, his throat dry and painful. He gripped the sofa armrest, trying desperately to stand, but his legs felt like they had no bones. He stumbled as soon as he straightened up, almost falling. He looked up at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with fear and pleading: "Mr. Lu... there are guns everywhere outside, people from the Immortal Bureau. Opening the door means death!"

Lu Yuan glanced at him indifferently, his tone calm but with absolute confidence, each word resounding: "With me here, no one can harm a single hair on your head."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Zhao Tiancheng and walked straight to the front door. His slender fingers grasped the cold doorknob and gently turned it—with a "click," the heavy security door was slowly pushed open.