I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

The Void Blade Squad had been chasing a smuggling gang from the border region carrying the 'Heavenly Nest Mother Insect' all the way to Qingcheng. They stayed until now because they discovered that there might be an overlap between the two worlds in the unfinished building area in the south of the city.

Now that the pollution caused by unfinished buildings has been resolved, it's time to say goodbye.

"We haven't received orders from above yet," the mandrill chimed in from the side.

“There are many incidents related to the border area, happening every moment. The mortality rate of the White Ravens is also very high, and we are always short-handed. Usually, once a mission is completed, we will be assigned the next mission immediately. There is no time to rest.”

"...But strangely, after the captain sent the mission completion report to his superiors, he only received instructions to stay in Qingcheng."

The mandrill stroked its chin and said, "Could it be that the captain is getting a promotion? This newly built base doesn't even have a base leader yet."

Xu Ren glanced at Xue Jing with an ambiguous expression and said, "Who knows?"

"Alright, alright, it's about time we set off," Ning Yuantai said.

"The martial arts exam is in three days, Brother Xue. Zhige has already planned a secret and safe flight route. If we set off now, it will take about two days to arrive. Let's go now!"

Xue Jing asked curiously, "Oh? A covert route?"

Ning Yuantai gave a thumbs up: "Yes, it's absolutely secretive and safe enough, nobody will know."

Traveling across metropolitan areas is extremely difficult in this day and age. Affected by the 'Eternal Night' and various creatures from the border regions, the area beyond the city defenses of the metropolitan areas is an extremely dangerous 'badlands'.

Not only is the environment extremely harsh and unsuitable for human survival, but countless creatures that have ventured to the boundary between the real world and the heretical world have also formed a unique food chain ecosystem in the bad soil, with all kinds of powerful species everywhere, making it terrifying.

Ordinary people can never even dream of leaving their own metropolitan area; they simply don't have the resources.

Generally speaking, there are a few ways to cross metropolitan areas.

One type is a peerless ruthless person with overwhelming strength who traverses the treacherous lands alone.

One option is to travel in groups along well-planned, relatively safe routes, avoiding extremely dangerous badlands as much as possible.

The safest, but also the most demanding, option is the Dragon Nuclear Aircraft.

The Dragon Core aircraft can avoid the threats of most dragon species in the sky, but it still needs to plan its flight path, bypassing the territories of many top-level dangerous creatures and some special border areas.

Those who own Dragon Core aircraft are basically top-tier forces, and they all plan their own private, secret routes, each with its own unique system.

Although it was the safest way to travel across metropolitan areas, Xue Jing still looked strange when he heard Ning Yuantai say that it was "absolutely discreet and safe enough."

"you sure?"

To this day, he has never been on a plane without an accident...

Sometimes I even wonder if my surname is Qiao.

The glaringly obvious "Tribulation" attribute on the attribute sheet gave him a bad feeling when he heard Ning Yuantai make such a bold statement.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen!"

Ning Yuantai gave a thumbs-up and smiled as he assured him, his bright white teeth seemingly gleaming.

Xue Jing's lips twitched, and he said, "Alright."

"Then I'll be going now, see you later."

He waved to the group of the Void Blade Squad.

After saying that, he walked towards the cabin door and boarded the plane.

The massive dragon-core aircraft slowly hovered and took off. Xu Ren, arms crossed, watched the aircraft depart and spoke calmly:

"This is definitely going to cause trouble; Xue Jing has a health problem."

Mandrill: "Haha, I think so too."

……

The ground receded further and further from view as the Dragon Core fighter gradually reached an altitude of 10,000 meters.

Xue Jing looked away from the porthole and walked around inside the cabin.

This plane was much larger than the White Crow's, and its interior layout was completely different, much more spacious, and even quite luxurious.

It's practically a house inside, with various bedrooms, bathrooms, gyms, entertainment rooms, kitchens... everything looks like it's made of high-quality materials and doesn't look cheap.

Unlike the White Crow's plane, which was clearly more geared towards pure transportation, this one was more like a wealthy person's private jet, with its interior designed for enjoyment.

"Brother Xue, look!"

Ning Yuantai walked over carrying a bottle of red wine with no brand name on it and excitedly showed it to Xue Jing.

"This is a special wine supplied to high-ranking personnel within the Sixth Agency; it's a rare item that money can't buy."

"I rarely have the chance to drink this, so we're in luck today, come and have a taste!"

He held two wine glasses in his other hand, placed them on the table, and then flicked his finger, knocking the cork off the wine bottle with a 'pop' sound.

A rich aroma of wine wafted out. Xue Jing sat down in a chair, rested his elbows on the table, propped his chin on his hand, and began to speak:

"I'm still a minor."

Ning Yuantai was pouring wine into his glass when he heard this and paused for a moment: "Oh, really?"

I almost forgot, he himself is also a minor.

Ning Yuantai waved his hand casually: "Adults can drink this wine, but we minors can't? That's ridiculous!"

"Brother Xue, drink it without worry. I'll take the blame for the bitterness on your liver!"

Xue Jing smiled, reached out and picked up a stemmed glass filled with red wine. The color of the wine looked no different from ordinary red wine, but it was extremely clear, with no impurities or sediment visible, and it didn't even bubble when poured out.

I brought my nose close and smelled it; it did indeed have an unusual fragrance.

He asked, "Whose plane is this?"

Ning Yuantai raised an eyebrow and said, "You noticed, Brother Xue."

"After I reported to my superiors, upon hearing that you were heading to the Seventh Metropolitan Area, the Commander transferred this Dragon Core machine from her fleet."

He took a sip of the wine in his glass, pretended to savor it for a moment, then swallowed it, letting out a satisfied sigh: "That's strong!"

Xue Jing said, "Since it's that person's vehicle, is it alright for us to drink her drinks whenever we want?"

Ning Yuantai waved his hand and said, "It's alright, she doesn't care about these things. This wine is precious to others, but it's almost unlimited for someone of her level. She won't mind."

"The Commander only made one request: the master bedroom where she usually sleeps is for you only; no one else is allowed to enter."

Xue Jing looked puzzled: "I can use it? Why?"

Although he knew that the commander wanted to recruit him to join the Zhige faction, he was being treated too specially.

Sending his private jet to pick him up and letting him into his bedroom... it just felt weird.

Previously, the gifts sent were all extremely thoughtful, such as the Huang Po Gong and the Lion Lying in Nirvana Painting, which were very suitable for him, and even for his relatives and friends... much more thoughtful than what Bai Ya sent.

They even kept Ning Yuantai, the young master, here to serve him... although it seems that Ning Yuantai himself was happy to do so.

"Maybe it's because you're handsome?"

Ning Yuantai stroked his chin and guessed.

Xue Jing remained noncommittal, raised his glass, and took a sip of red wine.

Although he wasn't very knowledgeable about wine, this sip did indeed have a rich and mellow flavor unlike any wine he had ever tasted before.

It tastes pretty good, almost as good as cola.

While drinking, Ning Yuantai started a casual conversation, saying:

"The liquor industry in the Seventh Metropolitan Area is also very developed, much more so than in other metropolitan areas."

"The people there prefer baijiu (Chinese liquor), and since they are all physically fit warriors, ordinary liquor is hard to get them drunk on. So the liquor they make is all geared towards biochemical experiments."

"After all, even alcohol has a limited alcohol content. 100% pure alcohol is nothing special for martial arts practitioners. Therefore, in order to cater to this group, many companies have specifically researched and developed highly stimulating mutated alcohol using materials from border regions..."

“For example, there was a famous martial artist nicknamed ‘The Wine Master’ who was very fond of a type of baijiu called ‘Burning Intestines’.”

"That stuff, it's said, is so good that you can 'drink it all in one go and be left with only a breath,' and 'just a lick of it and you won't taste it for half a month.' It's like drinking dynamite. If an ordinary person drinks one cup, their intestines will be burned off. To buy this liquor, you have to provide the seller with a professional martial arts certificate of at least the eighth dan level. After buying it, you have to register it, just like buying dangerous substances like sulfuric acid..."

……

Just as Xue Jing was traveling by plane along a 'secret and safe' route to the Seventh Metropolitan Area.

In a secluded experimental base, in a room filled with various high-tech instruments, a researcher in a white lab coat looked at the screen with a slight frown.

“There seems to be something wrong with ‘Daenerys Targaryen’.”

"The Four True Dragons suddenly began to drive away the surrounding dragon species, their vigilance increased significantly, and the million-strong dragon horde also seemed much more irritable than usual... Something's not right."

The Four True Dragons are the four strongest dragon species born from the super-being 'Dragon Mother', and they are also the biggest obstacle that makes it difficult for humans to overcome the Dragon Mother.

Crimson Sarahmanda, Wave Undine, Raging Breath Sylph, and Withered Gnom—each possesses an extremely exaggerated level of strength and unique abilities.

"This looks like a sign of a 'dragon tide'," a researcher said somewhat uncertainly.

The person next to him exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be? The last 'Dragon Tide' was less than three years ago!"

The researcher glanced at him: "It has only been a little over thirty years since the Dragon Mother descended to earth, and she has only caused fewer than ten 'dragon tides.' The data is severely insufficient, and we have never been able to accurately determine the pattern."

"Although most of the time it takes five to six years, there have been cases where a second dragon tide has occurred in less than a year."

"...Don't be careless. Notify the higher-ups and get ready."

……

The sky gradually became shrouded in darkness.

After Xue Jing and Ning Yuantai finished eating the meal prepared by the private chef on the plane, they arrived at the door of the bedroom that was "only for his use".

He turned the doorknob, opened the door, and went inside.

The room was filled with a pleasant, high-end aromatherapy scent. It was quite large, but the decor was rather simple, with only some everyday household items, and there was nothing particularly special about it.

In the middle is a huge round bed that looks like it can sleep three or four people without being crowded.

Xue Jing first went to the bathroom to take a shower, and then sat on the bed feeling refreshed in a white bathrobe, his eyes scanning the room.

"Ok?"

His current insight is almost like a microscope, and he quickly noticed something amiss.

On the wall next to the bed, there is a gap that looks perfectly sealed, but is actually barely noticeable.

Xue Jing walked to the wall and tapped on the crack.