"Boss Lady, aren't we supposed to be heading to Beijing for the rescue? Why are we hitting up a gay bar in Chengdu instead?" Chainsaw Girl asked, confused. Jill Young replied simply, "Who said we're going to Beijing?"
"Huh?!" Chainsaw Girl was seriously shocked. "We're not going to Beijing?!"
"When did I ever say we're going to Beijing?" Jill Young squinted her eyes, just like a homeroom teacher peering through the classroom door glass after spotting something interesting. "Tell me, were you asleep the whole time Paladin was giving the briefing last time?"
"Uh..." Chainsaw Girl glanced around, saw all her teammates nodding, then playfully knocked her own head and gave a cute grin. "Ehehe..."
"Ehehe my foot!" Jill Young bonked her on the head and had to explain again: "Jasper Xiao's from Beijing, sure, but that doesn't mean we have to go there. This time, his SOS isn't just 'not in Beijing'—it's not even on Earth. It's in another world. He ran into a campaign-level enemy over there, couldn't handle it himself, so he called for backup."
"Campaign-level enemy?" Chainsaw Girl caught another new phrase. "Sounds hardcore, what does that even mean?"
"Campaign-level means we’re up against a whole campaign: lots of enemies, a wide front, complicated factions, big scenes. Not something a couple of experts can handle. So, this whole rescue is gonna be long-term and multi-threaded. But most of the baddies aren’t super powerful individually."
"This kind of showdown is deep—everyone can find their own spot. And I want you all to get some training in, plus I need a little R&R myself, so a trip to another world sounds perfect. This time, it’s half saving a friend, half leveling ourselves up. Got it now?"
Chainsaw Girl visibly relaxed. "Whew, so it’s in another world. Back when I was a shut-in, I was always scared of someone checking my water meter, and I still haven’t totally gotten over it. If you asked me to run wild with a chainsaw in Beijing, I’d probably chicken out. But another world? No problem!—Wait, hold up, if he’s really in another world, how did he send the SOS back here?"
Good question! Rachel Luo and the others nodded in agreement. Just a tiny piece of paper with two words on it, but it means real-time messaging between another world and Earth is possible. It’s like Armstrong’s first step on the moon—a small step, but a giant leap forward.
If they really pull off a large-scale Earth-to-otherworld real-time messaging project, any halfway decent manager could dream up a whole basket of super-profitable new businesses. Dig deep enough and you’ll seriously speed up the Chosen Ones’ pace of changing the world. Honestly, it’s kind of terrifying if you think about it—the shock is right up there with when the World Observation Bureau’s website first went live.
"I’m curious too, which is why we need to grill the guy inside this gay bar for details." Jill Young shoved open the door and led the way into the familiar bar.
Familiar bar, unfamiliar vibe.
The place used to be hopping, but now it felt kind of dead. It was after 8 p.m.—prime party time—but only a handful of people were scattered around, chatting quietly. The bartender was polishing glasses one by one with a white towel, looking for all the world like he was about to pack up and skip town. The Citywide Slump hit places like this the hardest.
At the bar, a pretty boy was nursing a glass of fruit milk. Elbows on the counter, sitting alone, he looked like he was puzzling over some deep riddle—his furrowed brow gave him a serious, thoughtful vibe.
"Hey, drowning your sorrows with... milk? Business bad enough to need comfort food?" Jill Young walked over and patted his shoulder. The boy snapped out of his daze, and when he saw Jill, his eyes went from confused, to surprised, to straight-up shocked.
"Ha, got my wires crossed again." Jill realized the boy, Quentin Koon, knew Teacher Yang, not her. "You haven’t met 'me' before, so you probably have no idea who I am."
"No, I know." Quentin Koon shook his head, looking thoughtful. "Even if I didn’t at first, a few glances and it’s obvious. If you see one, you might not know, but after meeting both of you, it’s clear. The threads connecting you and your life mentor are so thick, so strong—way stronger than any married couple. A lifetime of love can’t compare; even death can’t break it. But the bond between you two, no amount of worlds or lifetimes can wear it down. If I couldn’t see your connection, I might as well go home and farm with my master."
"Uh..." The boy’s words were half mystic, half plain, and honestly, nobody knew how to respond. Good thing Jill Young’s always been great at cutting to the chase: "So bottom line, you know I’m not some shady character and you trust me, right?"
"Of course!" Quentin Koon tucked all his feelings and revelations deep in his eyes and suddenly seemed relaxed and friendly. He smiled at Jill Young with the same tone and attitude he used for Teacher Yang: "A thousand glasses of milk with a kindred spirit still isn’t enough. Long time no see! Come on, drinks are on me tonight! By the way, what should I call you?"
"Jill Young. That's 'Jill' as in 'Kira.'"
"Nice, that’s easy to remember!" Quentin Koon’s mystical eyes seemed to see right through everything, and his tone was all "I totally get it~~". "You know, your life mentor is this super-strong dude, an entertainment industry boss, but he never cares about all those celebrity beauties. I used to think something was up with him, but now I get it. Turns out his own 'sister' is way hotter than any starlet—no wonder only a goddess like Maggie Monroe could catch his eye."
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He smacked his thigh, looking heartbroken. "Unbelievable, just unbelievable—you (or you two) have this side to you! Ahhh, why do all the god-tier beauties end up with you guys?!"
"Ahem, let’s skip that topic!" Jill Young, seeing things going off the rails, snuck a guilty glance at Rachel Luo and the crew, then quickly steered back on track: "So, Paladin sent me to find you. Don’t tell me you’re clueless. The key is that paper—the one with the writing. How did it actually get here? And don’t give me any cryptic nonsense, or I’ll hit you with a Double Dragon Brainbuster!"
"Relax, relax, I wouldn’t try to fool you. Hang on a sec." Quentin Koon pulled out his fortune-telling phone, shook out a weird divination pattern, and set it on the table, like he was guarding against some mysterious force. Jill Young waved to Rachel Luo and the crew, who immediately spread out, keeping watch for eavesdroppers or surprises.
The bartender, of course, was whisked away in an instant.
This conversation was strictly classified.
"Alright, here’s the deal." Quentin Koon took a big gulp of fruit milk and settled in for a long talk. "I know what you want to ask, so I’ll give you the rundown. Ever since your—uh, life mentor went into hibernation, Jingzhe followed Professor He to Beijing. Sure, Professor He moved the Black Death Emperor from Dunhuang to Shanghai, but Jingzhe thought the old prof shouldn’t have to pay with his life. So that justice-loving goof went to Beijing to protect him."
"Yeah, I know about that," Jill Young nodded. "Then he got stuck like a bug on flypaper—totally trapped."
"Pretty much. But that justice-loving goof isn’t a total idiot—he’s got brains. He did a bunch of work behind the scenes; I don’t know the details, just that one day he secretly got in touch with me." Quentin Koon pointed at the sky, looking mysterious. "You know, folks like us are always under major restrictions—heaven’s rules and earth’s laws keep us from saying or doing a lot. The more you know, the tighter the chains. But he found a loophole: didn’t ask for much, just wanted me to do a divination and help him find a Soul Rift. That’s how I bent the rules and helped him out."
"Soul Rift?" Jill Young raised an eyebrow. "Trying to make an escape?"
"Don’t ask me—I don’t know, don’t want to know, and can’t know. Otherwise, I couldn’t help you at all. All I can tell you is, he didn’t want to drag you—or 'you all'—into this. But you’re the only ones he trusts, both for loyalty and skill, so he gave Paladin the backup plan early." Quentin Koon’s expression grew serious. "That SOS? He’d never send it unless things got truly desperate. Be ready for that."
Jill Young didn’t flinch. "Of course. With his personality, asking for help means it’s serious. So, about that SOS that crossed the void—did you make it happen?"
"Nope, I didn’t do a thing." Quentin Koon quickly denied it. "He’s got experts on his side, and Holy Light is a special kind of power—does all sorts of crazy stuff. That beam of Holy Light that crossed worlds? He figured it out himself. I just ‘happened’ to leave a blank piece of paper in the right spot at the right time. That’s all I did."
"Tch..." Jill Young shot him a look. "You’re still being cagey after all that talk. Classic you."
"That’s how I roll! Doctors write prescriptions in the air, right? It’s called professional style! If you’re a Fate Guide, you gotta talk like this!" Quentin Koon finished his fruit milk and slammed the cup on the table. "So, tell me, pilgrim—are you here to ask about romance or your future?"
"Ask you about romance? Please, my parents have already taken over all the matchmaking—I'm here for my future! So, where’s the road ahead?"
"The road is right under your feet—wait, dang it, you made me say the lyrics! Anyway, you guys need to head to Leshan, climb up to the Buddha’s head at sunrise, and let the morning glow light up your way!"
"Alright. One last question." Jill Young finished her fruit milk and stood up. "Where does this road lead?"
"Don’t know, don’t want to know, can’t know—go if you wanna!" Quentin Koon pocketed his phone, then suddenly pointed at a TV in the bar. Instead of blasting pop hits, it was playing a movie—Lord of the Rings, The One Ring.
Jill Young got it instantly.
Early next morning, atop Leshan Buddha, a mini White Night spread out. The Soul Rift opened wide, and the Void Ferry docked, ready to pick up its passengers.
Campaign-level, Lord of the Rings world—let’s go!