Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1387 - 670:

Creak——

The wooden bed once again emitted an unpleasant sound.

Xu Hao lay spreadeagled on the hard bed, tossing and turning unable to fall asleep.

Back when he was collecting protection fees on the streets, he would’ve dashed over the wall and run away upon encountering such bizarre events.

But this time, he wasn’t really working for the million-a-year salary; he was on an important mission assigned by the boss.

It’s worth noting that talent is abundant in the Illuminati nowadays.

Especially the recent recruits, including people with explosive combat power, experts in advanced tech, and even high-level intellectuals with doctorates and professor titles.

Among these elite talents, the boss specifically chose him to go undercover in this eerie place.

What does that indicate? It’s huge trust!

If Xu Hao were to turn tail, how could he ever face the boss again or hold his head high in the Illuminati?

Don’t be fooled by his usual carefree demeanor; he always prided himself as an "elder" within the Illuminati, but he was acutely aware of his situation.

In terms of combat power, he’s nowhere near the top.

In terms of knowledge, he dropped out early and grew up on the streets, barely literate.

What does he have to compete with those elites? Only sheer determination!

This time, even if it means scraping through, he has to complete the boss’s assigned mission flawlessly and without embarrassment.

Thinking of this, Xu Hao took a deep breath of the musty cold air in the room, rubbing his hands vigorously on his belly.

As he focused, the scorching energy accumulated from cultivating the Great Sun Burning Body Technique began to circulate slowly inside him.

Warmth rose from his chest and lower abdomen, flowing through his limbs, quickly dispelling the cold invading his body.

Feeling the intense energy coursing through his veins, the anxiety in his heart subsided, replaced by renewed confidence.

Screw fear!

If pushed to the brink, he’d go all out, treating those monsters as street thugs fighting for turf.

Anyway, he’s been a top enforcer for years and has distilled a personal survival law.

Fight to the death if possible, if not, flee with all his might, and if escape’s impossible, play dead.

At the worst, he only has to cry out in his heart, and the boss can instantly sense his location.

Then the boss would personally intervene, bulldozing this wretched village!

Having prepared for the worst, Xu Hao placed his hands behind his head, his gaze darting around the dimly lit room.

This evening, while eating that meager brown rice meal at the canteen, Supervisor Wu specially approached him with a grim face to inform him of something.

Tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and according to tradition, the village will hold a major festival, requiring all village guards to participate in the entire ritual.

Based on the boss’s prior intelligence, tomorrow night’s ceremony is likely when these monsters reveal their true intentions.

What kind of secretive ritual is it?

Will the hidden Inner World entrance and the ancient zombie the boss emphasized appear tomorrow night?

Xu Hao clenched his fists, the knuckles crackling softly.

These days, he had been playing the fool, executing the role of a street thug to perfection.

That group of creatures probably hasn’t grown suspicious of him yet.

No matter what happens tomorrow night, he must probe the village’s real situation before the ritual and locate Jiang Chen.

Once he gathers the accurate intelligence, he’ll immediately inform the Chairman, marking the undercover mission as successfully completed.

Whoosh——

A piercing wind scraped across the ground outside, causing the dry branches to sway and intermittently strike against the brick walls.

The old wooden window panes also clattered noisily against the impact of the wind.

Even though the surroundings were so eerie and scary, Xu Hao couldn’t resist the drowsiness creeping over him.

With his mouth half-open, one leg hung over the edge of the bed, he even had a hint of sparkling drool at the corner of his mouth.

His consciousness began to blur gradually, his breathing slowed, becoming heavy and deep.

"Crunch, crunch..."

Suddenly, a subtle yet sharp scraping sound emerged.

It was as if some invisible entity was crouched outside the window, scratching at the thin paper with its nails.

Xu Hao jolted awake instantly, startled out of his drowsiness.

He sat up quickly, his eyes fixed intently on the direction of the window, demanding in a low voice:

"Who’s outside?"

No response came from inside the room, and outside, there was only the sound of the wind.

No silhouette appeared against the dim window paper; only the shadows of branches swayed back and forth in the wind.

Suspicion and uncertainty gripped Xu Hao’s heart.

He reached under the pillow for his phone and pressed the power button.

The screen lit up, the harsh light momentarily blinding him.

The center of the screen displayed the current time.

12:03.

"Was it just a half-asleep illusion?"

Xu Hao muttered to himself, putting the phone back under the pillow.

At some point, the wind outside stopped, and the banging of the window panes ceased.

The entire village plunged into an absolute silence.

Even the air seemed to thicken into a dense leaden weight, pressing down on his chest uncomfortably.

Amid this extreme quiet, a faint sound seeped into Xu Hao’s ears, traveling through the earth’s vibrations.

"Rumble——rumble——"

The sound was dull and rhythmic.

Like the wheels of a heavy-laden cart rolling over an uneven dirt road.

Xu Hao furrowed his brows, his previously dazed eyes suddenly sharpening.

In this deserted mountain village late at night, there shouldn’t be any vehicles passing through.