Wei Qingqiu's eyes suddenly brightened:

"The Old Council is structured from the bottom up as Sparks, Messengers, Apostles, and Councilors. I'm a Messenger, and if you join, you could become a Messenger with the Black Flame, on the same level as me!"

She stared intently at Chen Xiang:

"As an Old Messenger, you will gain the favor of the Old Sovereigns, embark on a completely different path, and benefit from the resources of the Council... And!"

"And what?" Chen Xiang asked, intrigued while pondering the meaning of the Old Sovereigns.

Wei Qingqiu proudly declared:

"Our lineage reports directly to the Speaker... which means privileges!"

She patted Chen Xiang's shoulder, earnestly saying:

"The Speaker is the boss of our boss and can face the divine... In other words, once you join the Council, you'll have a powerful backing. Just think about it—someone powerful watching over you..."

Chen Xiang felt a stirring in his heart. The idea of having a powerful protector in a world filled with dangers began to sway him.

Noticing his interest, Wei Qingqiu continued:

"Let's talk about the benefits of being an Old Messenger: First, a divine bloodstone every month, worth about twenty million;

"Second, access to pseudo-divine visualization diagrams, invaluable treasures—the kind the Giant Academy keeps hidden. Once you promote to an Old Apostle, your diagrams will upgrade to true divine levels."

"Third, authority to mobilize the Old Sparks; they are the grassroots of the Old Council, and Messengers are part of the ‘management.'"

"Fourth, you'll receive an extraordinary item to manage as you wish."

"Fifth..."

Chen Xiang listened intently, his heart racing with excitement.

After a moment's thought, he asked:

"By the way, I'm curious about how strong my boss's boss is? And what about you, Wei?"

Wei Qingqiu smiled brightly, reclining on the couch, her feet dangling in the air:

"To be an Old Messenger, you usually need to embark on the extraordinary path. But you're a special case, possessing the Black Flame, which grants you abilities comparable to a weak extraordinary...

"As for our top boss, let's just say He should be referred to as ‘He.'"

With that, she stood up and placed an envelope down:

"This is the invitation. Don't rush to refuse; tomorrow there's a class on secret teachings called ‘Studies of Mysterious Societies and Secret Cults,' where the Old Council will be discussed. You can audit it and decide afterward."

After speaking, Wei Qingqiu vanished like a gust of wind, leaving the room.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Chen Xiang watched in disbelief as she disappeared before he could stop her.

"Could I at least borrow your phone...?"

He sighed, realizing he needed to contact his brother soon.

Sitting on the couch for a while, Chen Xiang organized his thoughts and strapped the Hunting Rhinoceros Five-style weapon to his waist. After thinking it over, he also retrieved two fragmentation grenades and a biological hazard grenade from the hidden room.

Better safe than sorry.

"Why don't you take me with you?"

The mirror spoke up gloomily:

"I want to go out and play."

Chen Xiang pondered for a moment and shook his head:

"No way, carrying such a big mirror would be too conspicuous. Plus, your background is unclear; if someone recognizes you, I won't know how to explain."

"No need to explain!"

The mirror retorted:

"I'm the invincible Mirror King. If I encounter anyone who knows me, I'll just eat them... except for that big fool Chun and the crippled old man."

"Who are they?" Chen Xiang asked, intrigued.

The mirror thought for a moment:

"That big fool Chun is a big fool, and the crippled old man is a cripple."

"......."

Chen Xiang was speechless and ignored the mirror, stepping out of the hidden room and leaving the house.

The sun had already set, and dusk had passed. Typically, the start of nightlife would be the noisiest time, but the streets were eerily empty.

Cars riddled with bullet holes burned fiercely by the roadside, and the bodies of gang members lay quietly on the ground, blood everywhere.

Chen Xiang felt a deep sense of sorrow.

Reaching an almost unused public phone booth, he recalled his brother's phone number and dialed.

"Hello?" came the familiar voice on the other end: "Who is this?"

"It's me, Second Brother."

"Little Brother!" Chen Xin sounded surprised. "Why haven't I been able to reach you for the past two days? What happened?"

Chen Xiang gave a wry smile and briefly explained:

"I had a little accident, lost my phone, and there's no landline at home. I was fine, really, but I got so caught up in the study materials at the academy that..."

"I see."

On the other end, Chen Xin became excited, lowering his voice:

"Thanks to you, I got promoted five levels! I'm now a senior inspector! The main office even allocated me a villa, and I can move in tomorrow!"

"Senior Inspector?" Chen Xiang was visibly shocked and quickly asked what had happened. Chen Xin recounted the details.

"Is that so..." Chen Xiang pondered. "The identity of an assistant at the academy is indeed more significant and important than I imagined."

On the other end, Chen Xin chuckled, recalling something:

"By the way, there's a special initiative for caring for the disabled. As the newly appointed senior inspector, I need to take care of a disabled person. It's all arranged, so can you pick them up the day after tomorrow?"

"Sure," Chen Xiang replied, feeling a bit strange but agreeing nonetheless.

Chen Xin continued:

"I looked over the kid's file; he's eleven and has disabilities in both legs. Quite pitiful... I think his name is Jerusalem... Alright, your sister wants to say a few words."

The call switched to Chen Shaoyan, and after a brief chat, she suddenly asked:

"By the way, little brother, the sect leader sent two martial arts chiefs to protect you... have you seen them?"

"Martial arts chiefs? No..." Chen Xiang was puzzled, about to ask when suddenly,

"Is this Mr. Chen?"

A thunderous voice boomed, and Chen Xiang turned to see a burly man emerging from the shadows, holding something in each hand. With every step, the ground trembled slightly beneath him!

He paled, feeling an immense pressure as if a prehistoric beast were approaching instead of a mere man!

A cultivator—someone at least at the Mystic Arts Second Level, worthy of being called a martial artist!

Chen Xiang even doubted if a martial artist truly possessed such a presence...

"May I ask who you are?"

As soon as he spoke, his pupils contracted, realizing what the man was holding.

Two severed heads, still bleeding, with bulging eyes.

The burly man grinned widely:

"So it really is Mr. Chen."

On the phone, Chen Shaoyan sensed something was wrong:

"Little brother, what's happening? Who's speaking with you?"

At the same time, the burly man raised the two heads, exhaling:

"These are the two martial arts chiefs sent by the Fire Sect to protect you. As for me, my name is Mandong."

His thunderous voice reverberated in Chen Xiang's ears, and Chen Shaoyan on the phone heard it too.

"Mandong..."

On the other end, Chen Shaoyan's hair stood on end as she suddenly yelled,

"Little brother, run... run fast!!"