Chapter 646

Chapter 646: Order in Chaos

In the year 6088 of the Xia calendar, in Haigang City

When the alarm bell of a certain bank rang loudly, they encountered the first robbery in decades. In the era of online payments, bank robberies had almost disappeared. However, with the return of spiritual energy, bank robberies resurfaced. But this time, they were not after cash, but sought resources for cultivating, such as spirit stones.

In the 88th year of Huaxia, cultivators were still a minority. Some ordinary wealthy people managed to obtain spirit stones and spiritual herbs through various channels, and stored them in the bank.

Five unregistered independent cultivators rushed into the bank. The bulletproof glass and steel gates seemed weak in their eyes, as they looted many items.

However, with brave bank staff risking their lives, the alarm was triggered. The five individuals then flew out of the bank, attempting to escape. Without a vehicle, their flying speed far surpassed the speed and agility of any car.

"Everyone, please remain calm and avoid crowding to prevent any accidents…"

A broadcast on the street appeared, shortly after, a protective barrier covered half of Haigang City, guided by surveillance, the barrier narrowed down, trapping the robbers in a specific district.

The robber, with nowhere to go, hid inside a building and took dozens of people hostage. The police, unable to attack head-on, instead started negotiations in hopes that the robbers would surrender.

"Listen, robbing a bank is not a capital crime. If you surrender, I can write a recommendation letter for you to receive a reduced sentence. You may even be able to earn early release by performing well in prison. Just earn some merits, and you could be out in a few years…"

"Nonsense! I’m not going to the prison where we fight monsters!"

"Listen to me…"

The negotiator patiently talked with them, dragging out the conversation until a small flying craft landed in front of everyone. The police breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the person who came out of the craft with admiration.

A confident woman descended from the flying craft, and a police officer quickly approached her to brief her on the current situation.

"Alright, I understand. There are five robbers at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, right?"

"Yes, ma’am."

"Follow me."

"Sir, do you want…"

"No need."

The woman shook her head, then walked directly towards the building. When the robbers realized from a distance of seven or eight meters, they tried to make the woman stop, but it was too late. The woman released a powerful energy that directly immobilized the five of them. The gap between the building foundation and Qi Refining was not large, easily immobilizing them. Then the woman opened the door and went in.

"Capture them."

"No need."

The police officer shouted, but the woman shook her head. Then a flying sword appeared and directly ended the lives of the five men.

"In turbulent times, strict laws must be enforced. The prisoner camp is about to be abolished, these people’s deaths are not regretful."

The woman explained that in previous years, the number of cultivators was severely insufficient. They not only had to maintain law and order, but also fight against monsters from different regions, so they allowed some criminals to make amends by contributing.

However, this led to some ruthless bandits breaking the rules, thinking that no matter what they did, they could still make amends in the prisoner camp and might not stay there for long, without learning their lesson.

Nowadays, there are enough cultivators in Huaxia, so the prisoner camp is no longer needed. It has been decided to cancel it and it is emphasized that in turbulent times, heavy punishment is needed to suppress the spirit of these cultivators.

······

In the villa estate, at Lin Jiang’s door, there is a flying vehicle parked. It is produced by the Spiritual Energy Research Institute. The vehicle is round, the size of a car, powered by spiritual energy, capable of vertical takeoff and landing, very convenient. Hundreds of them have been produced now, only given to cultivators guarding important areas. The one in front of Lin Jiang is already the second generation.

"Indeed more comfortable than the flying boat."

Lin Jiang smiled. Compared to the flying boat, he preferred this sci-fi flying vehicle.

"Sir."

Wu Jiang and a young man walked over. The man beside him was Wu Li, one of Wu Jiang’s many sons. Wu Li was now preparing to take over his father’s business and become Lin Jiang’s bodyguard, and he was also a cultivator.

"Make sure to keep your things safe, don’t let them get wet in the rain or blown by the wind."

"Sir, I have a storage bag."

Wu Li said he couldn’t understand why Lin Jiang didn’t use a storage bag to pack it up.

"No need, put it in the exhibition hall."

Lin Jiang shook his head. In his mansion, he had a few dedicated exhibition halls, which were his collection rooms, where he kept many valuable things, including antiques and famous paintings from different dynasties.

"Your son looks a bit clueless, can he take over your position?"

"No, but he can be Mr. loyal guard, and I can have him run errands. I have more than ten sons, and he is the most honest and hardworking one."

"Alright, then I’ll accept."

Lin Jiang nodded. Wu Jiang had been his bodyguard for over two hundred years, so he had to give him some face. Having someone by Lin Jiang’s side would help maintain the wealth and prosperity of the Wu family.

"Sir, I am getting old too. One generation after another, it’s time to find a replacement."

"No worries, when the elixir is ready, I’ll give you a pill so you can live twenty more years."

"Teacher, I…"

"Let’s go, back home."

Lin Jiang didn’t want to say much, he walked back to the mansion estate, and the secretary had already placed a big pile of files in front of Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang felt a movement in his mind, all the files automatically opened up, then his mind scanned through them, the computer on the side opened up automatically, and the artificial intelligence chose important news reports for Lin Jiang.

The news about the cultivation systems in Huaxia had already spread worldwide, but now there was a lot of unrest globally. Huaxia was still okay, thanks to Lin Jiang’s early preparations. In recent years, many cultivators emerged, and the Spiritual Energy Research Institute invented many weapons. The demonic beasts within Huaxia were being eradicated on a large scale, maintaining overall stability.

However, other regions were struggling. Places like Qingyun and Zhou Liao could now only protect key cities, while the countryside had deteriorated. Even when they distributed conventional weapons, they couldn’t fully control the situation.

As for other countries, it depended on their strong national power. Wealthy countries could still protect important areas like Qingyun, but weaker ones were in grave danger.

The most dangerous were island countries, where dozens of small nations had already been wiped out by sea creatures. Third-level sea creatures had emerged and claimed territories at sea.

Although Huaxia had sent its navy to battle a few times and defeated some third-level sea creatures, they suffered heavy losses and couldn’t eradicate them. New third-level sea creatures would appear within a few months after each elimination. Therefore, Huaxia had currently given up and the navy was fully committed to guarding the coastal waters.

In this way, sea trade has decreased by half, with costs doubling. Now, the connections between continents rely on airplanes, but they are not safe. They almost always require air force escorts, and who knows how much logistics costs have increased.

"The demon race is approaching aggressively!"

"Lin Jiang sighed. The dormant demon race has not even appeared yet, and the situation is already so serious. If those demons were to appear, who knows what would happen."

"Sir, the lady has returned."

Just as Lin Jiang finished sighing, he heard the voice of his secretary. These secretaries had all been disciplined by Cao Ying, now they all referred to her directly as Lady Cao Ying. Lin Jiang couldn’t do anything about it.

As the words fell, Cao Ying walked in, wearing a white sportswear, looking youthful and energetic, completely unrecognizable as a millennia-old monster.

"Uncle, I’m back!"

"Have you not hit anyone this week?"

"Oh, am I such a violent woman? She is just a young girl."

Cao Ying looked shy, making Lin Jiang roll his eyes. But deep down he was happy. He remembered that Cao Ying had not been so youthful and lively since she was young. Lin Jiang disliked the state of the witch from Yun State.

With Cao Ying’s current state, Lin Jiang doesn’t need to worry about her Heart Demon anymore. It should be gone.

"How are the new students this month? Are there any geniuses?"

"Stronger than last year, at least ten or more are worth focusing on."

"Selected from billions of people, having some geniuses is normal."

"In just three years, someone actually succeeded in building their foundation. Thinking about his own cultivation three years ago, it’s unbelievable."

It can only be said that cultivators nowadays are too strong. Geniuses are no longer valuable. Among Cao Ying’s students, one brick could hit five or six geniuses.

"Uncle, we have a mission in a few days. Do you want to join?"

"Is it the mission to eliminate the demons within the Huaxia Federation by the Military Department?"

"Yes, I’m ready to take the old students into battle. Just practicing without fighting is useless. We have to shed blood."

"Don’t harm those few who are pursuing you too much. Be more generous."

Lin Jiang said. Cao Ying went to a cultivation school to teach students. Because of her mysterious identity and stunning beauty, she is very popular among students, especially those in their twenties who have made her their dream lover. If it’s just a secret crush, Cao Ying doesn’t mind, but someone openly pursuing her made Cao Ying angry. She often hits people, and doesn’t have to pay for it, like hitting for free.

"Niece, I’m thousands of years old, do they really think I would bother with those students?"

"Okay, protect these students well, they have great potential."

Lin Jiang nodded, Cao Ying knew what matters. Now in Huaxia, there are three systems of cultivators: one is the Military Department, which trains cultivators from the military; the second one is official, training cultivators mainly for security and management; and the last one is the education system.

The Education Department has the most people, but they are not very strong. The Military Department is the strongest, with lots of resources and advanced technology weapons. With these weapons, they are like real-life superheroes.

However, it’s clear that their potential is not as great as the students’. These students are chosen from millions for their great potential. Lin Jiang has invested a lot of resources in them and is not willing to give up on them easily.