No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Seeing that Huang Helou was not easily fooled and was a knowledgeable person, Jiang Shu had no choice but to say half-truthfully, "It was just a coincidence. I had previously obtained a prop that was specifically designed to counter curses, but it could only counter curses. Its versatility was not strong, and it could even be said to be somewhat limited. I had almost forgotten that I had such a thing, but I did not expect it to be of great help this time."

"I see, then it really was just luck." Huang Helou nodded. "It's also thanks to the fact that this incubator doesn't disable its abilities, otherwise we would both have been doomed."

“Yes, yes,” Jiang Shu echoed.

Just kidding, banning it won't make you lose.

Having clarified his doubts, Huang Helou stopped asking questions and did not inquire further about the names, functions, or levels of the items, because the higher the level of an evolver, the more they knew what these things meant.

Generally speaking, not prying into other people's secrets is a sign of politeness.

Especially someone like Huang Helou, who has a certain pride, would never, and disdainfully, inquire about other people's backgrounds.

"So, what are you going to do next?"

Let's leave it at that for now.

Jiang Shu replied:

"Even if we wanted to do something now, there's no room for us to do anything. We'll just have to wait until the train arrives in Baiyun City before we can do anything about it."

Before that, I continued to absorb as much desert power as possible. Although the falcon is no longer a threat to us, our target is the Sand Demon. We don't yet know what abilities it possesses, and I feel uneasy until I've elevated myself to the point where there's no higher level to go.

"Yes, I think so too."

Yellow Crane Tower strongly agrees with this:

"Although I benefited from this misfortune, and with that guy's help I overcame the rejection reaction and part of the curse after being possessed, it will still take some time to fully digest it. I should stay here and adjust slowly, so I won't go with you."

Jiang Shu hummed in agreement.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it, nor did he think the Yellow Crane Tower was weak.

After all, the sand in the laboratory is top-quality, first-class. Huang Helou has done a great job to achieve this level on his own. Once he fully digests it, his combat power should be no less than that of Xue Wang.

After saying that, Huang Helou remembered something and added, "In addition, I am actually a little concerned about that dream. I always feel that it was hinting at something to me."

Based on my understanding of the Hatchery mission system, the more obvious the enemy, the less important they are. The worldview within the Hatchery is the most important thing. Therefore, I estimate that after the Sand Demon, it will likely be an exploration of the power of the desert.

We're on a train now, and there's very little we can explore. After thinking it over, all I can do is get my hands on this strange sand.

Since you're not afraid of the curse, why not experience it more? You might discover something unexpected.

After listening to Huang Helou's words, Jiang Shu had a strange feeling for some reason. He felt that Huang Helou's experience seemed to be more like a protagonist template.

He was first framed by villains, then became a prisoner, but his fate took a dramatic turn for the better. By chance, he came into contact with something beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, which opened up a secret story known only to him.

If this is his usual way of conquering opponents, then it's no wonder he has the kind of ideas commonly found in shonen manga.

He looks just like the male lead.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shu couldn't help but feel somewhat saddened.

why?

Why is fate so unfair?

Why can others be the male lead, while I, Jiang Shu, can only be a cheater, invincible just by standing there, and I can't experience that kind of suppression and struggle at all!

"Sigh." He sighed.

"Why are you sighing?" Huang Helou asked.

"Sometimes I just feel pretty bored," Jiang Shu said with a wry smile. "I always feel like I'm too ordinary."

Huang Helou was stunned, and blurted out: "You? Ordinary?"

Do you have some misunderstanding about what "ordinary" means?

With a hint of resentment, Huang Helou said, "Even though you seemed unreliable at first, I didn't think you were ordinary. Putting everything else aside, you're absolutely first-rate at causing trouble."

To be honest, at first I thought Xue Wang had been tricked by you. You know, a good girl like her is most easily fooled by those shady characters. The hardest thing she's ever suffered in her life was drinking iced Americano. It's hard to say she wouldn't easily fall for some cheap stuff she's never seen before.

But now I'm finding out that it's not what I thought.

"Oh?" Jiang Shu asked, somewhat surprised. "You've seen through my sincere and kind nature?"

"No," Huang Helou denied decisively. "It's just that I acknowledge you're a somewhat capable blond guy, and that you're really messed up in the head."

"Tsk...you're swearing again," Jiang Shu said, displeased.

"Moreover," Huang Helou added, "surprisingly, they're quite reliable."

"To be honest, I'm not happy at all by your praise."

"You want the Snow King to praise you?" Huang Helou smiled. "If you beg me, maybe I can get him to praise you."

Jiang Shu was stunned.

This is really quite baffling.

What exactly is your role in standing next to the Snow King?

Or do you have some kind of quirk?

Seeing that Jiang Shu remained silent for a long time, Huang Helou assumed that he did not believe in his abilities, so he immediately said proudly:

"She and I are childhood sweethearts, we grew up together since we were little. Now that I've accepted you, how could she refuse to praise you?"

“Not a friend…” Jiang Shu was somewhat surprised by the other person’s confidence: “Does she know that you two are childhood sweethearts?”

"?" Huang Helou's tone turned somber: "What do you mean? Are you looking down on me?"

"Let's not talk about that now." Jiang Shu was more curious about something else: "I'm saying, you don't have any special fetishes, do you? Normally, now that you know I'm not a noob, shouldn't you be even more annoyed with me?"

This left Huang Helou completely bewildered: "Why?"

"Because I pose a threat to you?"

"What threat?" Huang Helou still didn't understand: "The stronger you are in the hatchery, the greater the chance of us conquering you. Why would I feel threatened?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Shu couldn't see his expression and didn't know if he was faking it, so she simply said bluntly, "Your dad and his dad know each other. She entered this dangerous incubation facility, and then, with the arrangement of both of your fathers, you came along too. Isn't that very deliberate?"

"Oh! You mean this?" Huang Helou suddenly realized, "That's normal. I'm better than Xue Wang in every way. My elders just asked me to take care of my sister. There's nothing special about it, right? It's just normal sibling help between siblings."

After a pause, Huang Helou asked suspiciously, "You don't think I have any ulterior motives, do you?"

“It’s not that I think so. Xue Wang told me that you two have been neighbors since you were little. When you were a child, you would always try to get close to her and fawn over her whenever you had the chance, as if you really liked her.”

"Hey, hey, you can't just say things like that!" Huang Helou quickly explained, "I had my reasons."

"What reason?" Jiang Shu asked curiously.

Sighing, Huang Helou said, "It's a little embarrassing to say, but you should know that girls develop earlier than boys. Although I'm older than her, we're not that much older. So when we were little, she was taller than me, and I couldn't beat her at all."

The Snow Queen back then was completely different from the one now. Although she was still cute, her personality was completely different. She used to be the one who bullied the old folks in Nanshan and kicked the kindergarten in Beihai. In the area where she used to live, she was the recognized little tyrant and the big sister.

I knew that to gain a place among those kids, I had to become the most capable assistant to the eldest sister, so I gave her all the good food and fun things to do as soon as possible.

It was called currying favor, but in the eyes of the young Laozi at that time, it was simply bribery.

"So career-oriented since childhood?" Jiang Shu was surprised.

"That's not."

Huanghelou continued:

"I moved away when I started elementary school, and then I didn't see her for more than ten years. To be honest, given the relationship between our two families, it wouldn't be difficult for me to contact her. In the information age, it's so easy to add her on WeChat or ask for her phone number, right?"

The reason we haven't seen each other for over ten years is mainly because that period left a deep shadow on me. Do you understand...?

His voice became incredibly sorrowful:

"Even before I started elementary school, I already understood what it meant to serve a ruler like serving a tiger!"

Things only got a little better in the last two years, and my dad brought this up with me, which is why I agreed to come in with her.

Then she mentioned you to me, and something felt off. She might not have realized it herself, but I immediately felt she was interested in you. So I decided to check it out, which is why I wasn't very friendly to you at first.

"Well..."

Jiang Shu recalled his first meeting with the Snow King and their subsequent interactions:

Was she... like this before?

Hearing Jiang Shu's shock, Huang Helou perhaps sensed something and quickly began to take precautions: "But she has changed a lot now. Girls change a lot as they grow up. You must not try to test her because I told you this. If she finds out I told you this, she will kill me."

"Don't worry, she can't beat you," Jiang Shu comforted her.

"No, she can't beat me, but she can tattle. My dad can beat me." Huang Helou was a little scared.

Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation, a yawn came from next door.

"Eh? You guys are back?" The lolicon's voice carried a hint of surprise, but then he realized something and said regretfully, "But since you're back, you must have become batteries like me now."

"No, not at all," Jiang Shu said.

"Just showing off." The lolicon scoffed, "Why did you even come back if you weren't going to become batteries?"

"Really, no." Jiang Shu said helplessly, "I just live here."

"You put it in a very fresh and unconventional way. You're quite an optimistic person."

The lolicon laughed and said:

"Since you live here, that means you should be free to move around, right?"

Why don't you come to my room for a bit? I haven't seen anyone in ages.

Just as he finished speaking, two creaking sounds came from next door, and then the door to his cell was opened from the outside, and Jiang Shu and Huang Helou crawled in.

The two looked the bewildered lolicon up and down.

He was bound to a chair, his body half-muddied, almost fused with the chair, firmly stuck to its surface, no longer recognizable as human. Many tubes were inserted into his body, connecting him to the ground, his whereabouts unknown.

"Since you're already here, I might as well give you a little something to celebrate, and let you have some fun." Jiang Shu asked politely, "I remember you're a lolicon? I wonder if you'd be interested in being a loli?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a drill bit from somewhere, seemingly stolen from the laboratory.

Upon seeing this, the lolicon's eyes widened.

"No!!!"

The terrified screams were drowned out by the loud whistle of the Zodiac Train as it continued its journey.

After several days of ecstatic pleasure for lolicon enthusiasts, the train finally arrived at its destination...

Chapter 158 Departure for White Cloud City

squeak--

The enormous creature slowly came to a stop amidst a piercing screech.

Its body, which had become covered with rust in just a few days, was covered with a thick layer of yellow sand, making the whole train look gray and dirty.

Several long-limbed, emaciated sand golems, resembling hyenas and jackals, hung on the vehicle.

It's unclear how long they've been there, but they're still diligently gnawing at the steel surface, occasionally scratching with their sharp claws, their movements sluggish and mechanical.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared, and the sand golems were all decapitated at the same time, falling off the vehicle.

They instinctively wanted to rely on the power of the desert to recover, but for some reason, they could not do so. It turned out that the specks of crystal that clung to the broken ends of their necks prevented them from regenerating.

The falcon sheathed its hidden knife, whose blade was made of crystallized sand, and then waved behind it.

The next moment, the two large doors on both sides of the middle section of the train opened simultaneously, and one guard after another jumped off the Huangdao train and landed steadily on the yellow sand.

The sand is fine and soft; as soon as you step on it, half of your leg sinks in, making it extremely difficult to move your legs. It would be difficult for an ordinary person to walk in such an environment, let alone explore it.

But everyone present moved freely and showed no discomfort whatsoever.

The falcon stood at the forefront, slightly lowering the brim of its hood, squinting as it observed the situation ahead.

Those are countless ravines and hills.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh: "The book says that Baiyun City was a city with spring-like weather all year round and unparalleled beauty. There was a Yunjiang River outside the city that flowed eastward around Baiyun City. Along the way, there were green pines and cypresses, strange rocks and beautiful scenery. But under the erosion of the desert, it eventually became like this. The scenery recorded in the book will probably never appear again."

"So we're actually standing on the Yunjiang River right now, right?" someone asked beside me.

The falcon nodded: "Keep digging, and maybe we'll reach the original riverbed."

Upon hearing this, everyone present felt a deep sense of regret.

The weight of history and the vicissitudes of time are embodied in this moment.

However, apart from those who were selected for the exploration team because they successfully obtained the power of the desert and performed well, the other guards were not very excited.

Because during their time away from home, they had already witnessed many such scenes.