Chapter 3  : Back to Earth

“Ah…”

He checked the familiar white jade ceiling, crystal chandeliers and a large window wall in his room, before showing a relaxed look which had not come upon his face in quite a while.

Wait… 

My bedroom has been touched?

He frowned immediately.

With the sharp alertness he gained in the previous month during which he battled against monsters in the woods, combined with the superior perception he was born with, he immediately detected something odd.

Based on memory, he could clearly remember the positions of his furniture, such as how the extra-sized blue-and-white porcelain vase in front of him shouldn’t be pressed against the red wooden flower cabinet like how it was right now. There should be a gap between the two objects. Also, the tip of his 12-inch gilded pyramid model was supposed to be precisely pointing at the central axis of the silvered European standing clock. At the moment, however, it was tilted to one side.

A thief broke in?

Ji Ye’s expression instantly turned serious.

He owned this three-story apartment building, which was given by his parents, all by himself. Even though Yang City was only a Tier 4 city, such a large house was still worth over ten million and was protected by devoted 24/7 security. With him specially giving instructions, he had never encountered any problems when he went out to work.

Did something else happen here when he was trapped inside the Land of Inheritance?

Did something important happen on Earth as well?

Like some kind of spiritual energy awakening, an alien invasion or a world-ending apocalypse?

At least the peaceful scenery and orderly pedestrians outside the window didn’t suggest such things.

Obviously, these were all unlikely.

Someone’s there.

Ji Ye noticed that a short-haired young man was standing on the balcony on the second floor of the villa.

He was talking to the black cellphone in his hand.

“Aye, I’ve been watching. Nothing to report yet. Oh come on, give it a break, old man. You know you can trust me. Oh, right. Don’t forget to bring me some instant noodles when you come. The sour flavor. I haven’t had any lunch—”

On the balcony on the second floor of the villa, a short-haired young man wearing a black windbreaker was chattering nonstop on the black phone.

“Who is it…”

The man heard noises coming from behind and quickly turned around to check.

Whoosh!

He was answered by Ji Ye, who just jumped down from the bedroom on the third floor. Using his new Seven-Sided Mantis Fist, Ji Ye’s punch created a sharp noise in the wind.

“It’s you—”

However, the crew-cut man was exceptionally agile.

Trained by professionals, even. With a quick defense move, he was able to parry Ji Ye’s punch.

Still, the Mantis Fist art was not all about one hit. The core of this art was using a combination of quick attacks that followed the first attack in succession. Using all of his body parts such as his head, shoulders, wrists, fists, feet, waist and knees, Ji Ye unleashed a flurry of consecutive assaults at the stranger.

The stranger might be good, but after losing the upper hand, he only managed to fend off a few more strikes before Ji Ye’s hand-chop landed on the side of his neck, hitting his artery.

“You… Ji… Ji…”

The man’s eyes rolled up as he collapsed on the floor, unable to finish his speech.

“Oi, Xing. What’s going on over there? Someone’s fighting? Ji? Did the target return? Xing??”

The logo-less cell phone was dropped nearby during the fight, which was broadcasting someone’s panicked voice.

“Target? He has returned after going offline!”

Ji Ye knitted his bushy, blade-like eyebrows again.

He didn’t believe the man he had knocked out was a petty thief. Those reflexes and fast moves were too good for a thief.

“Who are you?”

Ji Ye picked up the phone and asked aloud. Though he more or less had an idea about what was going on.

“Isn’t—You’re not Xing!

Are you Mister Ji Ye? We came from the Confederation Office. What did you do to Xing?”

On the other end of the line was a middle-aged man’s voice. He was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted and spoke with a slightly anxious tone.

“He’s alive. He just needs some time to wake up. And… the Confederation?”

Ji Ye frowned as his guess was mostly confirmed.

“We’re a special department working under the International Confederation to investigate the Land of Inheritance. Only the elite members from the military and police forces from various cities are involved!

“Mister Ji Ye, you can check Xing’s ID for confirmation. He should be carrying it. I—I’ll be there in a moment. Please, stay there so we can talk once we meet.”

The speaker appeared relieved after learning that his man was safe.

He did those explanations as quickly as he could.

“The Confederation Office…”

Ji Ye hung up and found a black credential with the national emblem embossed on it.

Ji Ye knew that the other party’s words were most likely true.

This also meant that he shouldn’t be surprised.

The message of the Land of Inheritance was announced to all of humanity, after which a million candidates were magically teleported away. Of course the whole world would look into this matter.

Not to mention that the Confederation would do a good job coordinating everyone.

The International Confederation was a united force joined by different countries and regions, and was founded after World War III, which had caused some apocalyptic consequences including radioactive pollution to this world. As time went by, more countries and regions joined in, making the Confederation the top commanding force for all humans in recent days.

[Author’s note: consider the main stage as a different world based on our real world. But it’s not the same. This is important!]

So… I saw an agent of the Confederationhim as a thief the moment I came back, then I knocked him out cold.

Ji Ye checked the ID in his hand and glanced at the sleeping “intruder,” who was probably a soldier or a police.

All things considered, Ji Ye didn’t feel sorry for punching this man at all.

The empty cola cans and snack bags all over the room told him that this man had been occupying his home uninvited for quite some time.

As the owner of the house, he was not pleased.

Guess he deserved it then.

Being constantly monitored by the Confederation and media, the authorities very much valued laws and their images.

Home privacy was a rather important matter modern people cared about. Ji Ye was sure he wouldn’t be the one blamed.

Time to hit the Internet and look for information.

After tossing the intruder’s ID back, he powered up his PC and began searching for the keyword “Land of Inheritance.”

A forum that focuses on relevant discussions… Administered by the Confederation?

Usually, the search engine he used would always place several advertisement entries at the beginning of the result page. This time, however, there was only one hit.

[(Pinned) Those who have logged off, please read!]

[The Land of Inheritance, an opportunity for mankind to finally dive deep into the universe?]

[An alien plot, or a game manipulated by gods? Let’s talk about what this new world truly is…]

[Professional advantage + the right age? Come and find out why you weren’t chosen as a pioneer!]

[Advanced technological knowledge can be brought back to reality. What about magic, supernatural powers, and immortal cultivation?]

[(Hot) New discovery! Winners of “trials” were rewarded with Talent Skills!]

The front page of the multi-language forum presented Ji Ye with the emblem of the Confederate government, as well as many posts with hundreds of millions of view counts.

He considered for a moment and clicked open the pinned and highlighted post created by none other than the Confederation. This one seemed to already have a view count of over 2 billion.