Noticing that the newcomer was also wearing a cloak identical to the one worn by Squad 010, Liu Mingxi relaxed slightly.
"Are you a Nightwatcher like Wei Xiuming and the others?"
The middle-aged man nodded and smiled calmly. "Hello, you must be Liu Mingxi! Wei Xiuming reported this to the upper management, and I'm here to see you."
"May I come in and talk? Standing out here in the doorway isn't very appropriate."
Liu Mingxi also felt it wasn't quite right. Even if he tried anything, she didn't need to be afraid—she was a dignified Human Ceiling, after all, why would she fear something like this? Besides, he was a Nightwatcher, so it was highly unlikely he was an impostor.
With a "snap," Liu Mingxi shut the front door, quickly set up a Wind Shield in her younger brother's room, instructed her painted creations to stay alert, and only then opened the door again.
Left outside by Liu Mingxi's sudden slam, Ye Fan had initially expected her to open up again, but who could have guessed she would just shut the door in his face! Feeling somewhat aggrieved, Ye Fan secretly wondered to himself—he thought he looked decent enough, and he wasn't fierce-looking either; had he really frightened the little girl?
Seeing Liu Mingxi open the door again, along with the outer stainless steel security door, inviting him inside, Ye Fan regained his confidence and walked in with a smile.
Sensing the countless observing gazes and the invisible pressure inside the house, Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. The little girl was quite vigilant; not bad!
Without standing on ceremony, Ye Fan sat down in the rosewood chair and got straight to the point. "My name is Ye Fan. I am the commander-in-chief of the Daxia Nightwatchers."
Huh? The commander-in-chief? Was that what she thought it meant?
Liu Mingxi was already numb to it all. Today she had said "ah" at least ten times, with surprises coming one after another.
"Liu Mingxi."
"Do you want to be a Human Ceiling?"
"I already am, Captain Wei told me," Liu Mingxi said with a puzzled expression.
"No, being a 'Human Ceiling' is not just a level of strength, but a position of responsibility and duty," Ye Fan explained, switching to a more colloquial and easily understood phrasing. "It means being the strongest human who, in times of crisis, guards this country and protects the people."
Ye Fan's words sounded rehearsed, as if he had said the exact same thing to others before—no, rather, as if he were trying to scam someone.
Clearly, such a seemingly scam-like speech sounded just like an old man meeting you on the street and saying, "Youngster, I see unusual bone structures in you; you are truly a one-in-a-million prodigy. With a bit of carving, you will surely achieve greatness."
How could Liu Mingxi possibly fall for a scam like that?
Well, actually, she fell for it completely.
Liu Mingxi nodded immediately, without the slightest hesitation. "Alright!"
While part of it was due to the youthful passion of a teenager, the vast majority of it was simply this: if the world wasn't stable, how could her own little home be protected?
If the country fell, how could a home even exist?
Besides, her little home had her painted creations guarding it, so there was no need to worry.
So, go protect the world, youngster.
Ye Fan was momentarily choked up, stunned for a second, before bursting into laughter.
"So decisive! I certainly didn't misjudge you."
"Well, starting today, the five Human Ceilings will become six," Ye Fan smiled.
"Who else is there?" Liu Mingxi asked curiously.
"One Sword, One Cavalry, One Sovereign, One Void, and one Fuzi—that's five. That Sovereign is me. But from now on, we must add one more: One Stroke."
Liu Mingxi remained noncommittal.
She hadn't expected the middle-aged man in front of her to be a Human Ceiling as well. Seeing his overwhelming presence, she had assumed he just had the aura of someone in high authority.
"We haven't determined what your Forbidden Ruins specifically are yet, though. I only heard Wei Xiuming's report stating that your paintings can come to life, much like Ma Liang's magic brush."
Liu Mingxi nodded in agreement.
"If you don't mind, you can take a trip to Shangjing City and visit headquarters to have your Forbidden Ruins confirmed."
Liu Mingxi lowered her head in thought. Shangjing was a bit far, but who wouldn't want to go? She didn't have much going on lately anyway, so she could just treat it like a trip away from home.
She nodded in agreement.
Ye Fan smiled. "Is there anything you want to ask?"
There were tons of things!
With questions piling up, Liu Mingxi raised her hand to ask, "Captain Wei explained to me that ever since the fog appeared a hundred years ago, people began acquiring Forbidden Ruins, which are ranked in sequences, and items that acquire Forbidden Ruins are called Forbidden Artifacts. I want to know more details—for instance, did Forbidden Ruins only appear after the fog? And how are the Forbidden Ruins sequences ranked...?"
"Let me explain them one by one. Did Forbidden Ruins appear with the fog a hundred years ago? No, they appeared a thousand years ago. Huo Qubing, the Champion Marquis of the Han Dynasty, single-handedly established the Suppression of Evil Department. A hundred years ago, Nie Jinshan, the first commander-in-chief of the Nightwatchers, founded the 139th Special Biological Response Group, which was later renamed the Nightwatchers.
The Forbidden Ruins sequences are categorized according to the level of danger humanity assigns to them. The higher the sequence number, the more dangerous it is. 'Ultra-High-Risk Forbidden Ruins' are those before Sequence 89; they possess the destructive capability to wipe out a city and cause massive casualties;
'High-Risk Forbidden Ruins' from Sequence 90 to 199 pose a massive threat to human society and possess ultra-high combat prowess;
'Dangerous Forbidden Ruins' from Sequence 200 to 399 pose a scaled threat to human society and possess the ability to fight against Mysteries;
'Low-Level Forbidden Ruins' from Sequence 400 to 599 have a certain lethality, but are not dangerous;
'Harmless Forbidden Ruins' after Sequence 600 have very little practical use and only provide some minor assistance in daily life."
Liu Mingxi nodded in understanding, looking down at the red string bracelet on her wrist. The Forbidden Ruins of the [Blessing Bracelet] fell under the category of "Harmless Forbidden Ruins." No wonder Baili Pangpang had given her such a strange look back then—she had chosen something so useless! But she felt it suited her just fine; she liked it.
"Then there are the Divine Ruins. Among the top 30 of the Forbidden Ruins sequences, 23 of them are Forbidden Ruins bestowed by gods. However, those who acquire Divine Ruins are called Divine Proxies, carrying out the orders of the gods in The Mortal World.
Most Divine Proxies, however, are proxies of evil gods. They created an organization of their own called the 'Ancient Gods Church'. As a newly emerged Human Ceiling standing on our side, they will definitely come looking for trouble, so you must be careful lately."
Ye Fan spoke to Liu Mingxi with a solemn expression, and Liu Mingxi nodded earnestly.
No problem! Whoever comes, I'll kill them! Liu Mingxi thought fiercely.
Her previous introverted, calm, and well-behaved persona was long gone.
"Wei Xiuming should have told you about 'Human Ceilings'. Let me add a bit more: based on human spiritual power, we divide cultivation into six realms—though 'Human Ceilings' are not among them. The six realms are 'Cup', 'Pool', 'River', 'Sea', 'Wuliang', and 'Klein'. The Mystery you killed this morning was at the 'Klein' realm, so now you understand the kind of strength a 'Human Ceiling' has!
Even as a squad leader, Wei Xiuming is only at the 'Sea' realm, so don't blame them for being so excited when they saw you kill a Mystery with a single arrow."
Ye Fan clearly knew something, the corners of his mouth turning upward.
Liu Mingxi chuckled awkwardly; they just wanted her autograph, after all.
"Oh, right, the Mystery you killed this morning is called a 'Human-Hound'. It resembles both a human and a hound. 'Klein' realm Mysteries rarely make such a huge fuss to appear in urban areas. It seems things are going to be unsettled again lately."