I will be stronger after the remake

At the end of the training, Yu Shujiang, whose spiritual energy was almost exhausted, reluctantly returned the Water Spirit Orb to Tang Ping.

She had just tried out all sorts of ingenious ideas and even sculpted ice into various virtual characters, holding an ice sculpture convention in the venue and truly indulging in the fantasy of being the Snow Queen.

"Brother, the Water Spirit Orb is really fun and useful!" Yu Shujiang said in a deliberately coquettish tone.

Tang Ping gave a lukewarm "hmm" in response, giving him a look that said, "Spit it out already."

"Look at me, your younger sister. As a newcomer to this industry, I'm empty-handed, pitiful, weak, and helpless, severely lacking in self-defense capabilities. Shouldn't you show some brotherly magnanimity and the spirit of Kong Rong sharing pears?"

Yu Shujiang's calculations were laid bare on her face.

"You're thinking shit!"

Tang Ping rejected the idea without holding back, and although she wanted to take the opportunity to make a few sarcastic remarks, she suddenly changed her tone when she remembered her previous guess: "If you can advance to the second job within a year, it's not something I can't consider."

"Really?"

Yu Shujiang was just saying it casually and didn't have any hope at all.

"What good would it do me to lie to you?" Tang Ping retorted, raising his palm as he said, "A gentleman's word is his bond."

"Hurry up and whip your horse!"

Yu Shujiang quickly slapped her hand to confirm, but then became a little worried: "Are you sure it's okay? I was just saying it casually."

"Your brother's cultivation speed is top-notch, so you don't need to worry about him. You should worry more about yourself. Advancing to the second stage in a year is not rare, but it's not something an ordinary spiritual energy user can do. Anyway, you've been given the opportunity. If you don't meet the standards and miss out on the Water Spirit Orb, you can't blame anyone else."

Tang Ping genuinely didn't care. His sister wasn't an outsider. Even if the Water Spirit Orb was given to Yu Shujiang, he could borrow it again when needed. Anyway, he needed Yu Shujiang to use "Turning Stone into Treasure" on the Water Spirit Orb to enhance its effects, so it was all the same to him.

If we can take this opportunity to use the Water Spirit Orb as a carrot dangling in front of a donkey to entice Yu Shujiang to cultivate diligently, it would undoubtedly be a worthwhile deal.

After returning to the real world from the illusory realm, everyone was a little tired. After having a meal together, they went back to their respective dormitories.

The boy next door to Tang Ping successfully applied for the job and has happily moved out, while Feng Maimai seamlessly moved in.

When Tang Ping arrived at the dormitory building, he saw a worker installing a camera. He didn't usually pay attention to the location of cameras and thought it was just routine maintenance, so he didn't think much of it. But when he got to his floor, he saw an electrician installing a camera above Feng Maimai's door with the help of a ladder. That's when he realized something was wrong.

"You called them?" he asked, looking at his two neighbors.

“Since we need to protect your safety and prevent you from being attacked, of course we need to strengthen the surveillance. There are only three cameras in the entire dormitory building, which is not enough!” Yuan Ji said matter-of-factly.

Feng Maimai also said, "Actually, the warning significance of these cameras is greater than their actual function. After all, they are too obvious. If someone really plots an assassination, it is impossible not to take action. Therefore, their real purpose is to act as a decoy to attract the enemy's attention. The monitoring method we rely on is several motion sensors hidden in the dark. They have infrared, microwave, and laser sensors. They will issue a warning if someone gets close."

As she spoke, she took out several gadgets that resembled feature phones, with symbols jumping on the screen that most people couldn't understand.

Yuan Ji said seriously, "I have to admit that the previous protection was too unprofessional, so this time I specifically consulted experts in this field. They told me a few security measures to deal with assassination attempts, and you might as well write them down."

"For example, you should limit the public disclosure of personal information on social media, turn off unnecessary location permissions, clear browsing and communication records, be wary of calls, texts or emails from unknown numbers, avoid fixed schedules, and randomly choose your travel routes and destinations. It would be best to have a 'safe house,' which I have already found. I will take you there to hide if necessary."

"In addition, while it's fine to use psionic energy in the Illusionary Realm, in the real world you have to carry protective gear with you at all times. Electric shock devices are said to be not very effective, but pepper spray is a better option. If you use the most pungent setting and spray it in your face, even Tyson would have to kneel down. Just be careful not to accidentally hurt yourself."

As Yuan Ji spoke, he took out a booklet and read aloud: "Prepare spare fake IDs and voice changers to disguise your identity when necessary. Be wary of acquaintances committing crimes. Install access control systems, cameras, and intrusion alarms. Replace locks regularly. Avoid driving alone. Always check your vehicle for tampering before getting in. Choose crowded areas with surveillance coverage when walking in public places. If possible, implant a subcutaneous RFID chip or GPS tracker, and carry a cell phone signal jammer to prevent being located..."

Tang Ping quickly interrupted, "Stop, stop, stop! It doesn't sound like it's for preventing crimes to happen, it sounds like it's for planning crimes."

Yuan Ji disagreed: "Offense and defense are two sides of the same coin."

"There's no need to go to such lengths. Besides, what you're talking about are all conventional methods of preventing assassination. But judging from the previous two operations, these cult organizations trust psychic energy more."

"That being said, the previous two operations both failed, so it's hard to guarantee that the other side won't change their approach and directly hire real-world assassins."

"Actually, I tend to think that the cult has already given up on me. They never really targeted me; they just used me as a sacrifice to achieve their goals. Now that their plan has been exposed, there's no point in continuing to assassinate me."

"I'll say it again, what you're saying reflects the thinking of a normal person. It's impossible to predict what cult members are thinking, and we can't rule out the possibility that they might assassinate you simply out of spite."

Tang Ping sighed and said, "What you said makes sense, but it can't go on like this. You can protect me for a while, but can you protect me for a lifetime? We have to set a time limit."

Yuan Ji thought for a moment and said, "Once you advance to the third level, there will be no need to continue protecting you. The third level is a huge improvement. Even a non-combat spirit like a fox spirit will gain enough ability to protect itself."

"Getting promoted to the third job advancement is no easy feat."

Tang Ping pondered that even if she consumed all the benefits of being a celebrity, and took three pills to increase her spiritual power, she would be grateful if her spiritual performance level could reach 60%.

If he doesn't take shortcuts and relies solely on arduous cultivation, given his incompatible nature with the fox demon, it will take him at least five or six years to have any hope—and that's assuming everything goes smoothly.

The Three-Turn Spiritualists are the backbone of the spiritual world, and they are treated as honored guests in any country they visit.

"I can't help you with your cultivation. If you want to get rid of protection, then you should hurry up and improve your strength."

Yuan Ji waved his hand and went into his room.

Tang Ping suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. Then she thought, isn't this just a disguised way of urging her to cultivate?

He had just used a radish to motivate his sister, and then someone else used a cabbage to motivate her.

"That boomerang came way too fast."

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. He had important guests to welcome tomorrow, so he should go back to his room and rest early.

Chapter 105 Nezha's Popularity

Cooperative supply and marketing cooperatives.

After the five members of the security department finished cleaning and made sure there was no trash in the bins, they waited together at the door.

Ma Yiming's promotion has reached a critical moment, and he simply cannot spare the time.

Feng Maimai didn't come. She frankly stated that if someone could assassinate Tang Ping in front of a fourth-level psychic, her presence would be useless. She would rather stay at home, go online, and expand her knowledge base.

Instead, the Armed Forces Department sent a man and a woman, one of whom was Cen Qin, with whom they had a good relationship. Fu Zhengyi himself did not show up, since Gu Linglong had specifically asked to see the Public Security Department, and as the department leader, he couldn't very well come over. However, he still had to give face to a fourth-level spiritual cultivator, so he sent two subordinates as a token gesture.

Feeling rather bored while waiting, Yu Shujiang quietly asked Hu Ze, "What kind of person is this Zhuque? Is he easy to get along with?"

"I haven't met her, so I can't comment. Anyway, some people in the industry say she's aloof, some say she's very arrogant, and some say she's self-centered and always says things that are hard to understand."

Yu Shujiang clicked her tongue and said, "It sounds like he has a terrible personality."

Hu Ze shook his head and said, "Think about it, if you now possessed the power to be number one in the country or even the world, and could do whatever you wanted without caring about other people's opinions, but instead others had to coax you and indulge you in every way, what kind of person do you think you would become?"

Yu Shujiang thought for a while and said uncertainly, "In the short term, he might only want to do all the goals he has fantasized about but is unable to achieve. In the long run, he will probably become lawless."

Hu Ze chimed in, "That's right. Zhuque is about the same age as you, but those who have met her only think she's a bit aloof. No one says she's lawless. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King called the Holy Maiden a crazy woman, but he didn't call Zhuque a crazy girl. It's clear that she's actually quite nice."

Yuan Ji said with a smirk, "I've wanted to ask you this for a long time. Where do you get so many sources of information? Who are you referring to in your circle? How do you manage to find out what's going on in the upper echelons? Why have I never heard of such things before?"

Hu Ze snorted twice and said arrogantly, "Rats have their burrows and snakes have their paths. You psionicists on the front lines only need to devote yourselves to the battle and follow orders. But we logistics personnel have a lot more to consider. We definitely need to set up more information channels to avoid missing any key intelligence."

Tang Ping found the name somewhat familiar and couldn't help but take out his phone to search for it. After confirming that there was no such game as "Mingchao" in this world, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially found it strange that Director Hu didn't seem like someone who would play anime-style mobile games.

The thought of the other person secretly calling a two-dimensional character their wife and spending 648 yuan on her account makes me feel like my image has been shattered.

Logically speaking, the development of things after 2010 is very different from the history he remembers. Many things that should have appeared did not appear, and many things that did not exist were born.

To avoid making a fool of himself by uttering common sense that doesn't exist in this world, Tang Ping has always kept an eye on ACG, a field he was very familiar with in his previous life, and made sure to update his knowledge in a timely manner. However, in the past six months, he has neglected quite a few things because he has been focused on the matter of psionicists.

Since there was still plenty of time before the agreed time, he decided to search for trending topics to fill in the gaps in his knowledge.

Hu Ze's interest in being a teacher was piqued, and he continued, "The psychic world is not like the officialdom. In the officialdom, everyone's position is clearly laid out in the open, and their backgrounds and backers are all for guarding against outsiders, not insiders. Everyone in the circle knows each other inside and out. But psychics are used to hiding their information. You never know which unassuming young man might have a powerful spiritual personality. So you have to observe carefully and know who you can offend and who you can't. Of course, whether you can offend someone or not, it's best not to offend anyone at all."

"When we read novels, we feel great when we identify with the protagonist and think of the villain. But it's really frustrating when we put ourselves in the villain's shoes. If you have a background and ability, you should have shown it earlier. If we had known you were so powerful, we definitely wouldn't have dared to offend you, and the conflict would never have happened in the first place."

Yu Shujiang asked curiously, "Who are the people we shouldn't offend?"

Hu Ze deliberately made it mysterious, saying, "The same question will have different answers from different people's perspectives. For example, for you as a newcomer, you can't offend anyone. When you advance to the second job advancement, this list will be reduced by half. When you advance to the third job advancement, the list will only have one-tenth left."

Tang Ping paid no attention to the conversation between the three. He could guess the ending of Director Hu's words from the beginning, so it was not worth wasting time. Therefore, he focused on searching for relevant terms by comparing them with his memories from his previous life.

"Tencent's 'Dream Star,' a game that imitates 'Egg Party,' is about to be launched. It's just like I remember. But NetEase's 'Sixteen Sounds of Yan Yun' is gone, and several politically correct big-name foreign games are also gone. It seems that Sony can lose less money. Game Science has released a gameplay video of 'Fengshen Rebirth: God and Demon Era'... It seems that 'Black Myth: Wukong' is really gone."

The demise of NetEase's "Yan Yun Sixteen Sounds" has little impact on the gaming industry. However, "Black Myth: Wukong" is a landmark work for the Chinese gaming industry. The key to such a huge change lies in the success of "Dou Zhan Shen" in this era.

The producers of "Black Myth: Wukong," Feng Ji and Yang Qi, both came from Tencent Quantum Studio's "Dou Zhan Shen" project. Although they chose to leave Tencent in this life because they wanted to make a 3A single-player game, due to the great success of "Dou Zhan Shen," they lost their obsession with the Journey to the West theme. In addition, they did not want to follow the old path, so they turned their attention to the Investiture of the Gods theme and chose Nezha as the protagonist.

"Hopefully their game will be just as successful as Black Myth... Wait a minute!"

Tang Ping suddenly remembered something and quickly searched for it, only to find that "Ne Zha" had not disappeared and was still in stable production.

"First the game became a huge hit in 24, then the animation became a huge hit in 25. Nezha is going to reach the heavens!"

If the two works achieve similar results to the previous one, Nezha's popularity will likely soar to unprecedented heights.

"Who wants to go to heaven?"

"Nezha?"

Why go to space?

"Because games and animations featuring him as the protagonist will achieve great success."

"I understand that the animation has a first season to back it up, so its performance won't be bad. But what about the game? Could it be an endorsement from the producer of 'Invisible Guardian'?"

Tang Ping wanted to say a few humble words and explain that the two games were completely different types, but suddenly a thought came to her mind: Who is talking to me?

He turned his head and saw a girl holding a black and red lace princess umbrella, wearing a Lolita-style soft hat, looking at him with a half-smile.

The other person was wearing a Gothic-style pleated skirt, with rounded legs encased in black cotton socks and a pair of small leather boots. Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled hard-boiled egg, creating a striking contrast with her black clothing. Combined with her bright red lips, she inevitably evoked images of vampires from Western mythology.

Tang Ping was startled. With her level of alertness, she hadn't even noticed someone getting close to her. Moreover, it seemed that no one else present, including Yuan Ji, had noticed the strange woman's approach.

But this also proves that the other party was definitely not an assassin.

Thinking of this, Tang Ping calmed himself down and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

The girl touched her lips with her finger and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're here to welcome me."

Chapter 106 Another Coincidence

The age and gender match, and the unusual attire and startling entrance also match the rumored self-centered personality.

The group exchanged glances, confirming that the girl, who exuded an air of nerdiness, was indeed the legendary Vermilion Bird, Gu Linglong.

"Uh, Ms. Gu, welcome to our unit for guidance."

Even the usually eloquent Hu Ze became stammering when standing in front of Gu Linglong.

It wasn't that I felt the pressure of a powerful figure; it was simply that our art styles were completely incompatible, as if we came from two different worlds and shouldn't have any contact under normal circumstances.

Tang Ping could understand the director's feelings at this moment. After all, the scene in front of him was a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit welcoming a female otaku who looked like she had just returned from a comic convention and hadn't taken off her cosplay outfit yet. It looked completely out of place.

"There's no need for formalities. I have already felt your sincerity. Just call me by my name."

Gu Linglong folded up the lace princess umbrella, pointing the tip downwards, and held the handle with one hand in a gesture of greeting from a noble lady.

Whether her movements conform to Western etiquette standards is unknown, but they definitely meet the etiquette standards of a noble lady in the world of anime, leaving no room for criticism.

Both his speech and actions exuded a strong sense of otaku culture, almost suffocating Hu Ze.

To be honest, Hu Ze thinks he is one of the more modern-minded people in the leadership team, who is more open to new things. After all, he is only a post-80s generation. He often cares about topics for young people, and he reads the annual summary of popular memes every year. He also knows some common knowledge about anime, cosplay, and mobile games.

For a time, I was addicted to online novels, especially those about officialdom. I read them day and night, even while slacking off at work.

However, Gu Linglong's concentration was still too high, so high that he instinctively felt resistant. He felt that if they continued talking, it would be an insult to the image of a leader. He could only cast a pleading look at Tang Ping, the only person he could rely on present.

Tang Ping forced herself to step forward and said, "Comrade Gu Linglong, is it alright for me to address you like this?"

"Indeed, this suits my taste."

Where is Doraemon?

Let's analyze and answer this quickly: how do we effectively communicate with a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) who possesses top-tier combat skills?

Tang Ping regretted not having Feng Maimai accompany him. After thinking for a moment, he decided to treat people with sincerity: "Comrade Gu Linglong, the educational level of our colleagues in the unit is limited, and they may not be able to understand your concise language. Could you please condescend to accommodate us ordinary people?"

Under Hu Ze's somewhat nervous gaze, Gu Linglong nodded and said, "Okay."

Isn't that quite easy to talk to?

Hu Ze suddenly felt that the evaluation of Gu Linglong in the circle was biased. She was not aloof, but everyone was afraid of her strength and dared not speak her mind.

But this thought was quickly dismissed, because he suspected that Gu Linglong was not easy to talk to, but rather easy to talk to Tang Ping. After all, this person specifically asked to see Tang Ping by name, so it was possible that she was willing to make concessions for the sake of the "beauty".

Regardless of the reason, the rest of the reception duties can be handled by Tang Ping.

Thinking of this, Hu Ze secretly gave Tang Ping a "good luck" and "it's up to you" gesture, and then called out, "Come on, don't stand at the door, let's go inside and talk."

Upon entering the house, Gu Linglong took off her hat and coat, placing them on the cabinet along with her princess umbrella. Without these decorations, she looked much more ordinary, like a stylish female college student, no longer exuding a nerdy aura. Hu Ze was finally able to conduct a normal reception and conversation.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tang Ping got straight to the point and asked about the purpose of the visit, since the other party didn't seem like the type to enjoy formalities.

Gu Linglong said in a businesslike tone, "First of all, it's business. The Spirit Energy Management Department took your previous report very seriously and conducted a rigorous investigation. They determined that it was a serious oversight caused by the negligence of the reviewers. They should have called you to inform you, but they felt that this was not serious enough, so they entrusted me to forward the processing documents."

After she finished speaking, she took out a file folder and handed it to Tang Ping.