Alien Species Invasion? I Kill Them Back.

Chapter 68: Chapter 66: Sanqing Mountain

At 10:45 AM, the official announcement that countless netizens had been eagerly awaiting was finally released.

The full text was as follows:

Following a tip from a concerned citizen, the Qingjiang City Alien Species Safety Inspection Branch identified the Mengjia Hotel on Wangjiang Avenue as highly suspicious. That same night, it was confirmed that the hotel’s receptionist, manager, and operator were all Alien Species. In accordance with the *Alien Species Biological Safety Inspection Act* and *Urban Safety Management Regulations*, the Qingjiang Branch launched a cleanup operation against the Mengjia Hotel. A total of twelve Alien Species and one large, A-level Pollution Body were eliminated, and all guests were safely evacuated.

This operation was a complete success, ensuring the safety of our citizens and maintaining public order. The Qingjiang Inspection Branch would like to express its sincere gratitude to the concerned citizen who participated in this operation!

This notice is hereby issued!

...

As soon as the announcement came out, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Immediately after, the internet’s self-appointed experts began to analyze the notice, parsing it sentence by sentence, word by word.

[Jia Miaojuan]: It can’t be a coincidence that a hotel’s receptionist, manager, and operator were all possessed by Alien Species. It’s highly likely the operator was possessed first, and then that Alien Species gathered its companions and placed them in the hotel as employees.

[Fox Mongoose No Snoring]: What were so many Alien Species planning to do, all gathered in one place?

[Yang Xiangsheng]: A quest, duh. Don’t Alien Species love calling themselves players? They were probably teaming up.

[E Ling Bb]: Whatever they were planning, having that many Alien Species gathered in one place is a huge safety risk. Don’t forget how many people died at Times Square not long ago. There are still bloodstains between the paving stones that won’t wash out.

[bird]: Yeah, Alien Species will stop at nothing to complete their quests. To them, killing a person is no different than squashing an ant.

[Luo Jiu]: It’s a good thing a concerned citizen reported it. Otherwise, that time bomb at the Mengjia Hotel was bound to go off eventually.

[The Real Koi]: How did the "concerned citizen" find out there was a problem with the Mengjia Hotel?

[Wu Yuzi]: Look at the last sentence. The Inspection Bureau thanked the citizen for *participating* in the operation. That means this person didn’t just file a report, they actually took part in the action. Not just anyone can join a Bureau cleanup operation. So, this is obviously some big shot with a Card Ability. The announcement wouldn’t have been so polite otherwise. My guess is this powerhouse will be joining the Inspection Bureau soon.

[Xingji]: It’s kind of exciting to think we have a powerhouse like that in Qingjiang City.

[Yuan Qi Yumo]: I wish a powerhouse would come to Jinnan City! The serial dismemberment case here has everyone terrified. I want to move, but I have a mortgage... *sob*.

[bird]: Wuzhou City could use a powerhouse, too. Ever since our Vice Captain Li was killed in the line of duty, no new Inspector has been assigned. The city’s inspection branch is basically an empty shell.

[Ali]: Lansha City needs a powerhouse, too! We don’t even have an empty shell.

[Qiuqian]: Han Shui City could use a powerhouse, too...

The comment section under the announcement was a uniform flood of pleas for a powerhouse.

...

「Sanqing Mountain」

A gentle breeze rustled through the mountain forest, carrying the melodious songs of birds.

A quaint, bluish-gray Taoist temple was hidden amongst the trees.

A young man dressed as a Daoist walked slower and slower along a rugged mountain path, finally coming to a stop...

He was handsome and refined, possessing the uniquely elegant and free-spirited aura of a Cultivator. The only thing that seemed out of place was the phone he held, adorned with a strap full of cartoonish beads.

On his phone screen was the very announcement released by the Qingjiang Branch that morning.

A confused expression crossed his face. As if to confirm something, he tapped the screen and switched to his WeChat conversations—

[Aisha]: I’m fine. There was just a small incident. I’ll have to come back tomorrow to see the sunset.

[Three Pure Ones Palace - Daoist Li Qing (Blessing Divination Talisman)]: Stay safe.

...

Li Qing stood frozen, sorting through his thoughts.

’Okay, what I know so far is this: Aisha is a hidden boss. Someone on the forums was selling intel on that hidden boss, who is located in Qingjiang City. A player bought the intel and hired help to hunt them down... and then, last night, the Alien Species nest at the Mengjia Hotel got raided.’

’If the hidden boss had been successfully defeated, the System would have definitely made an announcement.’

’So...’

’Even though I don’t know exactly what happened last night, the result is that the hidden boss is still alive, and the player hub in Qingjiang City was wiped out by the Inspection Bureau.’

Li Qing switched back to the news announcement and read it over again, his eyes also falling on the flood of comments below begging for a "powerhouse."

It really felt like a party of players had gone to hunt a hidden boss, only to get wiped out by the boss instead.

’Is the hidden boss the "powerhouse" everyone’s talking about? Is she really that strong?’

He thought for a moment, then opened the Alien Star forum app and found his private message history with "Dou Sha"—

[Dou Sha]: What should I do now? I’m so scared T﹏T

[Green Weasel 01]: Don’t be afraid. Pack your bags now and get to Yunhai City as soon as possible.

Li Qing: "..."

’Have I... been tricked?’

’Hmm...’

...

Oh, well.

’At first, he’d just felt it was unfair. Innocent humans were being dragged into this meaningless game. A young girl, forced by the System to become a boss and hunted by players against her will... it was tantamount to having her entire life destroyed. *Sigh*.’

’So, on the principle of helping where he could, he had offered her some advice and a bit of money.’

’But it seemed now that she had the means to protect herself and didn’t need his help after all.’

’Considering she had likely joined forces with the Inspection Bureau, continuing to communicate with her could easily expose his identity.’

After careful consideration, Li Qing deleted Aisha from his friends list.

Even after deleting her, he still felt uneasy.

He took a small turtle shell from his robes, placed a few ancient bronze coins inside, and found a relatively flat stone slab beside the mountain path. He shook the turtle shell, then tipped the coins out onto the stone—

Just then, two other Daoists passed by, greeting him with a smile.

"Junior Brother Li Qing, what are you doing, casting a reading out here?"

"Mountain over Earth... that’s the Stripping hexagram. A bad omen, a very bad omen~"

Slightly embarrassed, Li Qing changed the subject. "Where are you two Senior Brothers off to?"

"Oh, just heading down the mountain to get some bubble tea."

"Want us to get you some, Junior Brother?"

"You’d better not go down the mountain, Junior Brother. The *Tianji of Divination* says of the Stripping hexagram: ’The mountain is high and crumbles from its peak.’ This is a time of overwhelming yin energy. A wise man should be cautious and patient, not act rashly."

"Yin is ascendant and yang is in decline. It’s a dangerous sign, very dangerous~"

Li Qing nodded sheepishly. "You two Senior Brothers are right."

Chatting as they went, the two Daoists headed down the mountain.

Li Qing gazed at the coins on the stone slab, sighed, and gathered them up along with the turtle shell.

’The reading is inauspicious. I’d better stay on the mountain for the next few days.’

...

...

That evening, Feng Ling came to the riverbank once more.

Same place, same time. The same flash of light streaked through the twilight glow.

Consulting her map, she finally pinpointed the location. It was a AAAAA-rated national tourist attraction, Sanqing Mountain.

She couldn’t tell which specific peak the light originated from, however. Her only option was to take a photo and ask the locals to identify the spot once she got to Sanqing Mountain.

With the greatest problem weighing on her mind finally solved, Feng Ling felt a wave of relief and sent a message to the Daoist—

[Aisha]: (^o^) Daoist, I finally solved the riddle!

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