District XX, located on the outskirts of A City, originally housed several moderately large factories.
Due to industrial restructuring policies over the years, these factories relocated to other areas, gradually turning this place into a popular weekend getaway for city residents.
But on weekdays, the scene changed completely—wild grasses grew rampant, the area was nearly deserted, and the ruins of those factories could be faintly seen behind layers of rusty, old fences.
“I never noticed it before, but now that I look… it’s kinda creepy, isn’t it?”
“It’s just a remote wilderness. Human activity here is rare, so the ecosystem naturally improved. The grass just grew thicker, that’s all. Look at you, scared stiff.”
“Isn’t it because of the news you guys spread? Saying there are mutated creatures here. Look at this place—wild, overgrown with weeds so tall. Honestly, if a mutant creature popped up, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Pfft, children’s talk, children’s talk… Can we say something positive for once? What do you mean ‘if a mutant creature really appeared’? If that happened, it’d be a huge problem. Not to mention, the ‘Young Dragon Observation Project’ would immediately enter the contact phase.”
“Putting that aside, that little dragon is something else. Do you think he knows what’s going on?”
“By logic, he shouldn’t know. But judging by how he’s acted these past few days, I’m not so sure.”
“According to the data analysis team, the fusion between that novel and reality hasn’t reached phase two yet. We’re currently in the ‘cognitive blur’ phase, where people near the fusion points have parts of their common knowledge altered…”
Li Yishu cut off the gradually diverging conversation: “Keep a close watch on Ji Ting. He definitely has a reason for coming here.”
“Boss, isn’t it obvious? The bait mentioned that this is where the small mutated creatures appear. He came here looking for them.”
“There’s one thing that doesn’t add up. He’s here alone, going after small mutated creatures? Those things have the combat power he himself wrote in the book. The original text says: small mutated creatures usually appear in groups, move extremely fast, and are the most common wild monsters in the wasteland.”
Li Yishu stood straight, his gaze fixed on dozens of surveillance screens showing Ji Ting from different angles.
On the screens, Ji Ting maintained a steady distance from the cameras as he moved—never too close, never too far—like someone was following him with a camera crew snapping relentlessly.
Behind Li Yishu, a large intelligence analysis team was busy comprehensively reviewing the footage.
They analyzed everything from Ji Ting’s micro-expressions to the spacing of his footsteps, compiling a detailed dataset.
These data were immediately sent to various teams, where experts turned them into targeted contingency plans, constantly adjusting the next steps in real-time.
This was just the tip of the iceberg for the “Special Incident Response Plans.”
As far as Li Yishu knew, hundreds of elites from different fields were thoroughly analyzing and summarizing the novels Ji Ting had written.
There were over three hundred contingency plans prepared for various emergencies alone.
And the culprit behind all this was currently leisurely “out for a stroll.”
Li Yishu had seen Ji Ting’s face so many times these days that he could sketch his expression without even looking—a careless lethargy, yet every now and then his sharp gaze sent a chill down one’s spine.
Ji Ting stared at a flying insect for a few seconds, then muttered to himself, “This bug looks kind of familiar…”
The remote-controlled micro-drone team immediately fell into chaos, shouting orders one after another.
“Switch to Team B2 immediately, A1 team rotate out.”
“Don’t keep flying it in front of him. This guy is way too perceptive.”
“Team leader, our micro-drones look exactly like normal bugs, and he still recognizes them?”
“God knows what’s up with him… Team V, 45-degree angle footage missed a frame, restore it.”
The little flying insect disappeared from view, and Ji Ting averted his gaze, continuing his “outing.”
The sudden turn of events happened quickly.
A shadow flashed past, and Ji Ting instantly took a step back.
Where he had just been standing, two giant bullfrogs appeared—eyes glowing red, as large as washbasins, their backs covered in little lumps, suspicious yellow-green pus oozing down and sizzling where it hit the grass.
The grass beside them visibly withered and turned yellow.
If Ji Ting hadn’t stepped back in time, it wouldn’t have been just the grass turning yellow now.
The moment the shadow appeared, the entire observation team immediately switched to battle mode.
Phones rang nonstop, orders flooded in, and reinforcements were swiftly deployed.
At the same time, Ji Ting, facing the “small mutated creatures” head-on, scanned the ground and locked onto a nearby makeshift “weapon.”
The two bullfrogs missed their first attack, then launched a second wave.
After a few short, strange croaks, they leapt into the air, able to jump half a person’s height—an astonishing display of their jumping ability.
Ji Ting bent down, picked up a nearby stone, and hurled it at the two bullfrogs…
“Bang!”
The wooden stock cracked.
That wooden crack sounded like a bugle call.
Dense footsteps, helicopter rotor noises, and urgent shouts erupted immediately afterward.
“Ji Ting, don’t move! Step back!”
“Ji Ting, retreat immediately!”
The stone Ji Ting threw hit the target, but it didn’t seem like it struck a living creature.
Instead, it was like dropping the stone into a highly corrosive pool.
The spot where it touched the bullfrog was quickly eaten away, leaving a large hole.
The bullfrogs froze in midair for two seconds, and corroded bullet casings littered the ground below.
From afar, a precision burst of gunfire struck the bullfrogs—yet they remained unharmed.
These were not creatures ordinary people could handle.
Although the bullfrogs’ only attack method was to pounce on people, their venom was terrifying—contact could leave a person permanently disabled or kill them instantly.
And with their speed and jumping prowess, escaping from their single attack method was difficult for most.
The tactical team immediately adjusted their plan, closing the distance between them and Ji Ting rapidly.
Despite the life-or-death situation, Ji Ting didn’t seem as tense as the others.
He even spared time to glance around, locking eyes again with a familiar little flying bug.
What had been an empty wilderness was now crowded with fully armed special forces, helicopters circling overhead, and faint black dots falling from the sky like dumplings.
Ignoring the noise in the distance, a formation of soldiers charged toward Ji Ting in a spearhead formation, fully covered in combat suits from head to toe without a single gap, shouldering various weapons.
The scene was so grand it didn’t feel like a suburban area of A City, but a war zone.
With the bullfrogs so close, Ji Ting followed the tactics arranged by unknown personnel—retreat, and retreat again, leaving the dangerous zone to the people’s soldiers.
The charging soldiers formed a human shield between Ji Ting and the two small mutated creatures.
Separated from the threat, they finally unleashed all their firepower.
Thunderous cannon blasts echoed through the land and sky.
After a barrage of shells had plowed the ground, not only were the bullfrogs gone, but the soil itself had been stripped several inches deep in the targeted strike area.
The rescue squad didn’t bother with what happened next.
As soon as the cannon fire began, they had already escorted Ji Ting into a vehicle, soldiers armed to the teeth flanking him to prevent any mishaps.
The vehicle was tightly surrounded on all sides by several others, forming a secure convoy.
Ji Ting instinctively looked out the window.
Through the dark tint, he vaguely saw rows of tanks orderly entering the area, sealing off all exits.
The convoy thundered out of the city, onto the highway, then headed to B City, eventually arriving at a complex on the outskirts of B City.
Ji Ting was escorted to a room inside the building.
The room was sparsely furnished—cameras in each corner of the walls, a single table, and two chairs. It looked hastily prepared.
The soldiers who escorted Ji Ting stopped outside the door.
Ji Ting entered, glanced at the slow-rotating camera in the corner, and sat down.
Not long after, a kindly middle-aged man entered and sat opposite him.
He pulled out a tea cup and placed it on the table, introducing himself: “My surname is Wang. You can call me Director Wang.”
Ji Ting asked, “What exactly did I do?”
“You wrote a novel that merged with reality.”
Ji Ting frowned, “A novel I wrote?”
That was a bit absurd.
The mess he’d written wasn’t even good enough for official publication, let alone be called a novel.
Wang seemed unfazed by Ji Ting’s surprise, nodding calmly.
“Be honest. How many novels have you written?”
Ji Ting’s expression turned odd for a moment.
“I didn’t even know my novels had become reality. How did you find out?”
“The protagonist of your novel contacted us and handed you over.”
Wang pulled out a pen and paper, looking at Ji Ting.
“Now, please explain your situation.”