I, the Guide to the Omniverse, Usher in Blue Star's Great Ascension! - chapter 23

Chapter 23

Xiao Qin hadn’t been a police officer for long, and he’d already seen plenty of bizarre, surreal things in his daily work.

But he’d never seen anything quite this surreal.

He opened Aunt He’s phone and saw a huge number of videos inside, featuring those Toad Spirits-so vivid it was almost eye-watering.

So realistic, even their skin was detailed to an astonishing degree.

There was no way to tell it was special effects.

Even with current AI technology, it would be impossible to simulate such lifelike results.

What’s more, every movement of the Toad Spirits was filled with a kind of human-like, nuanced sense of daily life.

Aunt He had even filmed videos of He Zhou playing games with the Little Toad Spirits.

But who would believe it!

It was just like Aunt He and the others standing before him-if they hadn’t experienced it themselves, no one would dare believe it!

He Weiguang and Xiao Qin quickly skimmed through some of the videos. After all, if they watched every frame in detail, it would take hours.

Just the two of them couldn’t possibly do it at this stage.

Aunt He waited a while, growing a bit impatient: “Weiguang, we haven’t done anything wrong, have we? Xiao Ai isn’t refusing to come home, so you can’t keep us here and not let us go back, right?”

Xiao Qin took a deep breath. “We…”

He Weiguang’s eye twitched; he really didn’t dare say he wanted Sheng Ai and the others to get their heads checked at the hospital.

No matter how detailed and realistic the videos on the phone were, he was a staunch materialist-and a police officer-so he couldn’t believe it.

But Aunt He was his mother!

He Weiguang hesitated, then said, “We really don’t have any reason to hold you…”

Aunt He: “Then that’s settled.”

He Zhou took the initiative to hand over a box of soil in a ready-to-eat rice container, carefully giving it to He Weiguang: “I was planning to use this to plant flowers from Xiaomi Mountain, but I’d better let you take it for testing. See if there’s anything unusual in it-this really is what we brought back from over there.”

“Dad, we really aren’t crazy. If you don’t believe us, maybe next time we travel, Sister Ai can take you along.”

Sheng Ai immediately looked up: “Hey, that’s right!”

He Weiguang: “…”

Sheng Ai was actually quite anxious inside-mainly because the rewards from the System couldn’t be settled here.

Unfortunately, she didn’t dare leave.

If things weren’t explained clearly and they found an excuse to stop her from traveling next time, she’d be finished!

He Weiguang took a deep breath: “Let me drive you home first. I’ll come find you after work tonight.”

Sheng Ai instantly broke into a delighted smile.

Just as they were about to leave, He Weiguang saw Sheng Ai’s eager smile-he wanted to say something, but considering there were outsiders present, he held back.

After a while, the other tourists had pretty much finished giving their statements.

He Weiguang saw his colleagues’ bitter, helpless expressions and knew that no one would dare believe the nonsense they’d heard.

Still, the police cars drove each tourist home.

As for the so-called “Otherworld materials” the tourists brought back, He Weiguang and the other officers kept some of them.

Of course, after testing, anything normal would be returned.

Watching Sheng Ai happily follow Aunt He and He Zhou into the alley, Xiao Qin looked at the box of soil in He Weiguang’s hand: “Captain He, if this thing really is from the Otherworld, is it okay for us to just hold it like this? Shouldn’t we sterilize it?”

“And shouldn’t your daughter and the others be sterilized too? Who knows if the Otherworld materials might carry some kind of virus or infection…”
He Weiguang let out a helpless sigh. “You actually believe that? And you’re a police officer.”

Xiao Qin spoke cautiously, “But there’s no way to explain how they disappeared for three hours. Most importantly, if there really was some ulterior motive, what exactly would your niece be after?”

He Weiguang thought for a moment. “Did you copy those videos?”

“Yes, we did.”

He Weiguang pressed his temples. “Still, send them for inspection. Ask our colleagues in the Investigation Department to check if the videos have been synthesized or faked. Also, investigate the relevant licenses of Sheng Ai’s online travel agency, and look into the identities of these tourists. In addition, try to keep the news under wraps as much as possible-don’t let rumors spread and cause public panic.”

“Her travel agency situation is complicated, but it doesn’t seem to involve anything illegal. I’ll go home tonight and ask her some questions in a personal capacity, so as not to make her defensive.”

The police report that afternoon had caused quite a stir, mainly because more than ten people had disappeared, which made the mall nervous.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Even though it sparked some discussion in Hu City, there was no real sensational point, and people would forget about it in a few days.

Xiao Qin nodded. “Alright.”

Compared to the police’s bewilderment, Sheng Ai and the others were overjoyed.

The tourists went home, and as soon as Sheng Ai got back, she closed the door.

Unable to contain her excitement, she asked, “Is it time to settle up now?”

No sooner had she spoken than a pop-up appeared before her eyes.

[Beginner Task: Invite ten tourists to the ‘Journey to the West Pilgrimage Route’ to enjoy the scenery (Completed)]

[Reward Received: Spiritual Root]

[The next journey will begin in three days. Host, please be prepared.]

Before Sheng Ai could focus on the next task, her vision blurred, and a pure white, lustrous pearl appeared before her.

It slowly landed in her palm.

System: [This is a Spiritual Root Pill. Swallow it, and your Spiritual Root will be awakened.]

Sheng Ai stared at the pearl, her eyes wide. “It’s almost half the size of a fist-do I swallow it whole?”

System: [It dissolves with water.]

Since that was the case, Sheng Ai carefully swallowed the Spiritual Root Pill.

Sure enough, the smooth pearl had no sensation at all, just a cool feeling.

As soon as it entered her mouth, Sheng Ai felt as if a stream of clear water slid down her throat.

Then, her body immediately felt a fiery transformation.

Moments later, it turned bone-chillingly cold.

The alternating sensations of hot and cold were a bit uncomfortable, even distressing.

But it wasn’t unbearably painful.

After about a minute, her body was enveloped in a warm, extremely comfortable sensation.

She blinked and realized her vision seemed sharper than before.

Her eyesight had always been good, so she didn’t need glasses, but distant objects were still somewhat blurry.

Now, standing in her room and gazing into the distance, she could actually make out the faint silhouettes of people moving behind the transparent glass of a faraway building.

Sheng Ai marveled, “Whoa, that’s all it takes?”

System: [Yes, your Spiritual Root has been awakened. Even if you don’t cultivate, your body will get better day by day.]

Sheng Ai hesitated. “I always see Cultivation Methods on TV. Don’t I get one?”

System: [That will be a reward for your next journey.]

Sheng Ai: “…”

Well, so you get paid after every job, huh.

Fine, that’s actually pretty fair.

Sheng Ai had no complaints-in fact, she was quite satisfied.

Her previous shitty company used to delay salaries sometimes!