"Brother Zhao, shouldn't we get moving now?" A nearby Void-Realm master set down his teacup.
"That's right, time to get down to business. I'm actually itching to see what that Ryan Ling is made of!" Another Void-Realm master sneered, and the rest all smirked darkly, as if Ryan Ling was just a plaything in their eyes.
"Alright, since everyone's eager, let's go take a look!" Zhao Yinglong nodded, tossed the money onto the table, and in an instant, the six of them vanished without a trace.
"Let me tell you, that wild fox grave up on Lonely Hill is the real scary story..." The teahouse owner turned around, still wanting to chat, clearly not done yet, but in a flash, his customers had already disappeared.
The owner scratched his head, utterly baffled.
At that moment, the clear sky overhead suddenly gathered dark clouds, which somehow only covered the stadium. Watching the lightning flash inside the clouds, it was obvious a thunderstorm was about to break.
"Weird, it's like the thunderstorm is targeting the stadium. Do they not know there's a big event there today? Seriously!" The owner shook his head and went to tidy up the tables. Suddenly, he noticed that beside the stack of bills, there was a piece of paper. On it was a drawing—of the very stadium in front of him, and above it, a huge black cloud.
......
Ryan Ling was led into the stadium, and cheers erupted all around him. The cries of "hero" rose in wave after wave. He'd never experienced anything like this before, and couldn't help feeling a rush of emotion.
But just as he raised his hand to greet the crowd, a sudden sharp pain stabbed his chest, like something had pricked him.
"What's wrong?" At that moment, Sophie Su was standing to his right. Seeing Ryan Ling seem to call out, she quickly asked in surprise.
"N-no problem!" Ryan Ling took a deep breath, feeling strange himself. His residual poison had already been completely cleared, so how could there still be any sensation? Although the pain wasn't strong, it left him a bit unnerved.
But right now, with everyone watching, even if there is a real problem, he can't just leave—not until the ceremony is over.
"Xiao Feng, you don't look so good. Did you not rest well last night?" To Ryan Ling's left was Lily Liu, who asked in a soft voice. The two had spent a stormy night together—at least three times—and Lily Liu had never felt so good before. This morning she even wanted to do it again despite the pain, but there wasn't enough time, so she reluctantly gave up.
"It's nothing, don't worry. I'm just excited!" Ryan Ling forced himself to act calm and smiled faintly, while he forcibly ran Heavenwood spiritual qi—the source of life. Under its nourishment, his earlier discomfort completely vanished.
The sensation came quickly, and left just as fast! But it was incredibly strange.
"Boss, your seat is right here. You're the guest of honor today—we're all riding your coattails!" Jason Lin and Harvey "Million" Jin saw Ryan Ling slow down and hurried to pull him over. Ryan didn't want to spoil his brothers' mood, so he sat with them in the front row.
Then Gabriel Xue took the stage and began reading out the award document. The crowd erupted in excited applause, and the music and bugle calls brought the whole arena to an early climax.
"Now let's welcome our hero, Anti-Japanese War God Ryan Ling to the stage!" Gabriel Xue finished reading and immediately shouted Ryan Ling's name. The crowd erupted again. Ryan Ling bowed to everyone and slowly walked onto the stage. Gabriel produced a glittering anti-Japanese medal, and the other brothers watched in excitement—this was a national honor. Even lifelong officers rarely get this treatment.
But just as Gabriel Xue was about to pin the medal on Ryan Ling, suddenly a line of armed soldiers burst in. Leading them was none other than Commander Victor Tang, with several deputy commanders by his side.