I Am Your Natural Enemy

He both made things convenient and brought food, obviously hoping Wen Yan would give a blessing.

But, of course, he couldn’t just bring up classified information and say, ”I know you command Scorching Sun and can bless all sorts of things—can you give our detention center a boost?”

He hadn’t expected Wen Yan to be so tactful, getting things done without saying a word about it.

That’s why, when Wen Yan reached out to touch the building, he understood what was happening, sensing the Yang Energy spreading like a faint glow quickly covering the entire structure—though he gladly pretended otherwise.

Back in the command center, looking at the readings on the detection equipment, the index was a whole level higher than the usual peak—still inching up as the sun kept rising—he finally exhaled in relief.

He had high clearance here, good benefits, even his family’s benefits were generous, but the pressure was enormous; one mistake, and he’d lose everything.

With his clearance, ever since learning about Scorching Sun, he’d been longing for Wen Yan to show up, only rules prevented him from ever contacting Wen Yan on that pretext.

This time, he finally found his excuse.

The warden left the command room and personally brought the items to Scholar Tu.

”Here’s what you wanted. Write whatever you need.”

...

After Wen Yan left the detention center and walked some distance, he regrouped with Feng Wei and Tong Si in the desolate tombs.

The tombs sealed shut again, and once they were back on the path, Tong Si finally spoke up.

”Just now I saw something—some things, or some people, arrived about three kilometers outside the detention center.”

”I suddenly caught a trace of their energy. My guess is they either burrowed up from underground or used the Nether Path as well.”

”There aren’t any desolate tombs out that way—no temporary paths to open up.” Feng Wei added from the side.

”And then?” Wen Yan asked.

”Then, the detention center’s aura suddenly grew stronger. The Yang Energy there was overflowing, and as the sun rose, it just grew more intense. Those guys just laid low out there, and I doubt they’re up to anything good.”

”You didn’t dare say this earlier?” Feng Wei whispered.

”Yeah, I saw waves in the air—probably something among them can eavesdrop. I didn’t dare say it out loud.”

”Let’s wait until we get home.”

Once home, Wen Yan gave Feng Yao a heads-up to notify the Guard Detention Center, best not to call—just send a message.

Wen Yan didn’t really believe anyone would try a prison break in broad daylight, but better to be careful.

He glanced at the sunlight outside—unlikely anything would happen today—so he went to the backyard to bask in the sun and keep grinding away.

If he could train for twelve hours but only managed six, that meant he hadn’t even finished his daily routine.

He stayed at home cultivating, tossing his phone aside—if something happened, Feng Yao would call.

Elsewhere, the detention center warden watched as Scholar Tu wrote, then glanced at a notification on his phone and quietly began making arrangements.

Since the Evil Suppression Detention Center was built, it wasn’t like there hadn’t been bold intruders before.

Especially some revived old monsters—their ignorance and daring were the real deal.

He didn’t rush into action; since the detection gear didn’t give any alerts, he just waited. People looking for trouble rarely came in broad daylight—that’d be asking to die.

Once Scholar Tu finished his writing, the warden checked it, took photos for the record, and put the items away.

He returned to the command room, scanned the surveillance footage—nothing unusual—then used the overhead satellite connection to check recent satellite images.

Soon, a few kilometers out, he spotted a new hole in the ground—one that didn’t match previous photos.

Having confirmed Wen Yan didn’t leave in that direction, he marked this small entry point.

The warden studied the hole, hesitated a moment, and pulled up some related case files.

At present, there were three officially documented types of demon that could possibly dig so close to the detention center without tripping any alarms.

Right away, the detention center’s underground detection systems kicked on, following the usual daily checkup routine.

From geological radar to sonar—every kind of equipment swept the ground and compared results to previous data.

Today, data inside one kilometer was normal, three kilometers out was also fine.

Past three kilometers—factoring in margin of error—it still looked fine.

The warden calculated the position of the inconspicuous hole—just a bit farther than three kilometers out.

He picked up his phone and immediately called the General Director.

”General Director, I’ve got some information. I think it’s time to upgrade the detention center’s equipment.

Based on the last incidents, I suspect someone’s figured out some of our security data.

Or, someone’s leaked part of it.”

”You think someone’s planning a prison break?”

”No, I think someone’s plotting an escape.”

...

After an afternoon of training, Wen Yan felt he’d pushed things to just the right limit—tired, but not exhausted. Gray Cloth, on the other hand, had been squeezed dry; once cultivation ended, he collapsed on the ground like a used rag.

During dinner, Wen Yan got a call from Feng Yao.

”That big tomb in the Qinling Mountains—just now, something or someone tried to sneak in. After being discovered, it got hurt and fled.”

Wen Yan mulled over the news for a moment.

”You mean the people near the detention center might also be after Scholar Tu?”

”That’s a possibility.”

”When he was first caught, all his personal belongings and any resting places were seized immediately, right?”

”Yes. Everything—scanned three times. No matter what it was, we took it away right away.”

”Anything else come through the fissure?”

”I don’t think so. From the looks of it, it was more like something here was trying to get over there through the crack.”