First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!
Chapter 32: Old Man, Your Defense is Wide Open. Time to Die!

.....

The swamp exploded in an instant, sending countless waves of black sludge surging into the air, rushing toward Lu Ding.

The old man formed another seal with his hands.

Inside the black mud sphere, Lu Ding’s voice remained calm and unhurried.

"I told you, dragging things out and charging up your ultimate move with a pre-cast sequence—this kind of outdated technique doesn’t work anymore."

"Break for me!!!"

With a single punch, wrapped in terrifying force, Lu Ding shattered the encasing mud sphere.

He spread his fingers open.

A breeze stirred in the air.

Hundreds of slashes came slicing in from all directions at tricky angles, all aimed at the old man.

Each attack carried a razor-sharp edge, powerful enough to dismember a Cultivator of Qi at the same realm.

Elder Huang swung his palms, twisting his body, channeling his spiritual energy to cast defensive techniques.

The mud around him constantly shifted—forming shields, raising walls, piling into mountains—relentlessly blocking Lu Ding’s barrage of slashes.

But the more they fought, the more shocked the old man became.

Speed, strength, ranged attacks, close combat—aside from their difference in realm, he held no advantage in any aspect.

He had heard that Lu Ding’s physical body was strong, but the rumors never mentioned that his speed and ranged techniques were also this formidable!

Now, he finally understood why Yuan Baifeng had died at Lu Ding’s hands.

From the inside out, from top to bottom—not a single flaw.

He couldn’t win!

Today, defeat was inevitable.

Lu Ding completely countered him—or rather, Lu Ding countered most Cultivators of Qi.

Unless he was facing someone as monstrous as himself—

Someone who had cultivated both body and techniques to the highest levels—

No ordinary Cultivator of Qi could handle him.

For those specializing in techniques, Lu Ding would constantly disrupt their casting, preventing them from accumulating enough energy for a finishing move before closing in for the kill.

Even if they managed to keep their distance, it would only be a slow, drawn-out death.

No one could maintain perfect defense forever. The moment Lu Ding found an opening, his overwhelming strength would decide the fight in a single strike.

As for those specializing in raw physical power, they would be bombarded by his relentless slashes, forced into a passive defense.

And to make things worse—he could fly.

A physically strong Cultivator of Qi would struggle to even get close to him.

And even if they did, Lu Ding’s own physical strength was terrifying. At that point, there wouldn’t be much suspense about the outcome.

The old man simply couldn’t understand how one person could be so well-rounded.

Was his willpower, his spirit, his talent—were these things limitless?

Signs of defeat began to show.

The old man’s defenses finally slipped, revealing a brief opening—

A slash broke through, slicing deep.

Blood sprayed.

An arm flew into the air.

The old man gritted his teeth, enduring the pain without making a sound.

Then, he caught sight of Yan Feifan nearby.

A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he charged straight at him.

Yan Feifan flinched in terror.

"Don’t come at me!!!"

He turned and bolted.

But his strength was too low—he couldn’t outrun the old man.

Just as the old man was about to grab him—

Yan Feifan suddenly sank into the solid ground, and the old man’s hand grasped nothing but air.

"Heh heh, old man, your back is wide open. Get ready to gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

Unwillingness filled the old man’s eyes.

His vision blurred as he fell.

He saw his own body standing there—headless, with blood gushing from the neck.

"So this... was my body? I really have gotten old..."

Lu Ding landed, reaching down to pull Yan Feifan—who had nearly drowned in the ground—back up.

"Urgh~~ blegh~~~ urgh... Lu Ge... I need to get my stomach pumped... urgh..."

"What’s the point of that hassle?"

Lu Ding grabbed him by the ankles, flipped him upside down, and shook him a few times.

Yan Feifan puked even harder, nearly throwing up his entire stomach.

Only after he was almost empty did Lu Ding finally let go.

"That old man was an idiot, trying to grab me..." Yan Feifan gasped, slumping onto the ground.

Lu Ding looked at his miserable state and couldn’t help but comment, "You should learn how to swim, seriously. I’m really afraid one day you’ll drown underground."

"Or, you know, learn to control mud like that old guy."

"Bro, I phase through walls, not control elements. That’s not how it works."

"Alright, alright."

Lu Ding looked up at Xie Shunan, who had remained silent.

"Sihai Group should give me an explanation for this."

Xie Shunan met his gaze directly.

"Investigator Lu, you heard it yourself— I tried to persuade him to calm down, but he wouldn’t listen. This was his own personal decision and has nothing to do with the Sihai Group. Both I and the Sihai Group maintain a friendly and cooperative stance toward you and 749."

"I’m a businesswoman. Sihai Group is a business. We have no part in this kind of thing."

"Whether you’re involved or not—we’ll talk about that later. For now, you can leave."

Lu Ding didn’t waste any more words.

He hadn’t forgotten why he was here in the first place.

Finding the treasure was the top priority—

No need to drag things out.

"Then I’ll take my leave. The Sihai Group always welcomes you, Investigator Lu."

From start to finish, Xie Shunan’s expression remained calm—no fear, no anger, nothing showing on her face.

Lu Ding couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

But it was best if she didn’t harbor any ill intentions toward him.

He nodded, and Xie Shunan quickly retreated.

She got into a luxury car parked outside the security perimeter.

The moment she closed the door, she slammed a fist onto the steering wheel, her face darkening.

"The young ones don’t know their place, the old ones don’t know their place—this whole Daheshan bunch is nothing but a pack of mountain bandits. The times have changed, but they can’t change their ways!!!!"

"A bunch of troublemakers!"

"They never think about the consequences of their actions. They all act recklessly and die so easily—but I’m the one left to clean up the mess!"

Xie Shunan pulled out her phone and made a call.

The other end picked up shortly.

"Dad, tell Grandpa—I’m done. I’m not taking over the Sihai Group anymore. There are three other candidates, let them fight over it. I’m out. Whoever wants it can have it.

"And those people from Daheshan—don’t introduce me to any more of them. I don’t care who they are, how strong they are, or how glorious their past used to be.

"This is a new era. Their ways are long outdated."

There was a long silence on the other end before a voice finally spoke.

"Nan Nan, what happened?"

Xie Shunan controlled her emotions and recounted everything to her father, leaving nothing out.

The man on the other end was silent for a while before replying.

"The Daheshan matter—our family will stay out of it from now on. Lu Ding's talent is too monstrous, and his methods and mentality are ruthlessly decisive. He doesn’t hesitate when he acts. A man like that is dangerous. Making an enemy out of him isn’t worth it—we have no conflict of interest with him."

"Here’s what we’ll do—I’ll have someone look into what he likes. We’ll send an apology gift. Both on the surface and behind the scenes, the Xie family will make sure to give him plenty of respect."

Xie Shunan gave a neutral "mm" in response and hung up.

Then she slammed her foot on the gas, speeding off.

It seemed like she still hadn’t cooled down.

—

Meanwhile, inside the tomb.

Lu Ding had been searching for quite some time before finally stopping in front of an unopened burial chamber.

Just like Ye Xuan and the others before him, he tried every possible method.

In the end, he even resorted to brute force—yet the tomb door didn’t budge in the slightest.

Just as he was starting to feel stuck—

Yan Feifan spoke up from the side.

"Lu Ge, how about I give it a shot? I can phase through walls—I should be able to get inside."