Chapter 10: The Drawing
On the first page, the people of Yanhuang Nation watching Baideng’s press conference burst into uncontrollable laughter the moment they saw what happened. They quickly made short videos and posted them online. As more and more people saw it, they too laughed themselves silly.
“Baideng is truly one of a kind!”
“He’s actually celebrating the joy of our nation’s lucky winner obtaining resources!”
“The biggest fool in history, that’s Baideng for you!”
“Especially since he’s celebrating while saying he’ll use those resources to defeat us Yanhuang people—just thinking about it cracks me up.”
“I can’t stop laughing! (>^ω^)”
“Our little troublemaker just slapped Baideng hard across the face.”
“That invisible slap is even more devastating.”
“I bet Baideng is feeling pretty miserable right now.”
...
Unaware of all this outside commotion, Qin Chuan had no idea that he had already gained countless fans among the people of Yanhuang. The entire nation was applauding his actions. The subtle satisfaction of hurting someone without them realizing it felt exhilarating just to think about.
Watching the disappearing ore around him, Qin Chuan finally understood why the Shadow Leopard had brought him here. Although he cared little for such a small amount of resources, he still praised the Shadow Leopard.
“You should have told me this was copper ore from the start,” Qin Chuan chided.
The Shadow Leopard flicked its leopard face aside, silently enduring the unspoken sting of those words. Silently it cried within: “I told you, it’s your own fault for not understanding.”
The generational gap between species was indeed a major issue.
“Big cat, can you transform into a human?” Qin Chuan asked with curiosity.
The Shadow Leopard’s expression changed slightly. It suspected Qin Chuan was insulting it. Why should a proud leopard bother turning human? Isn’t being a four-legged leopard just fine?
But it dared not resist. Bowing to Qin Chuan’s will, it shook its head, signaling it could not.
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Qin Chuan replied.
The Shadow Leopard: (⊙﹏⊙)
---
On the second page, Qin Chuan stepped forward, attempting to place his small hand on the Shadow Leopard’s head, but he was too short to reach. Just as he frowned, the Shadow Leopard immediately lowered its head, allowing Qin Chuan to satisfyingly pat it and say, “Don’t worry, I have a hundred ways to turn you human. You won’t have to worry.”
Hearing this, the Shadow Leopard’s eyes widened in alarm, suddenly feeling quite unwell. Tears welled up instantly, and it whimpered softly, meaning: “No, please don’t.”
“You’re moved to tears? Looks like I’m really a good kid who cares for leopards,” Qin Chuan said, feeling self-satisfied.
The Shadow Leopard cried even harder.
“You need a name now,” Qin Chuan said, pondering for a moment before an idea struck. “From now on, I’ll name you Shen Gongbao.”
The Shadow Leopard: Can I refuse?
Qin Chuan: Try me.
Shadow Leopard: Fine, I’ll try. This name... wow, it actually sounds great.
Meanwhile, in the live broadcast room:
“This has me laughing to death.”
“I’m currently on my way to the hospital, this national destiny live broadcast nearly killed me, but this troublemaker is really about to make me laugh my way into a hospital bed.”
“This guy and the leopard are the perfect match.”
“Just look at that leopard. Hmm, it has a name now—Shen Gongbao. That’s quite a distinctive name.”
“The leopard’s expressions alone could make me laugh for ten years.”
“I’ve even made a leopard emoji pack, come check it out.”
“Hey kid, send me a copy.”
“Got it.”
...
What should have been a solemn national destiny broadcast turned into a comedy show thanks to this little troublemaker. They didn’t want to laugh, but they simply couldn’t help themselves.
Even the Yanhuang National Security Bureau, a serious government department, burst out laughing after seeing Baideng’s news and then watching Qin Chuan’s interaction with Shen Gongbao. It had been a long time since they’d laughed like this.
They bore a heavy mission and responsibility and could not afford any relaxation because someone always had to protect the nation.
Even Director Yang Zhengyi of the National Security Bureau said, “In this battle for national destiny, Qin Chuan might be the true key to our country’s fate.”
“Indeed, who would have thought he could do so well?”
---
On the third page:
“Whether it’s luck or something else, the moment he appeared in the Forbidden Zone representing the nation, his destiny became intertwined with Yanhuang’s triumphs and trials.”
“But he’s still just a child!”
Yang Zhengyi sighed deeply. If he could, he would go to the Forbidden Zone himself to save Qin Chuan. The weight of the nation’s future shouldn’t be placed on such a young boy.
...
At that moment, Bing Bing spoke in Qin Chuan’s live broadcast room: “Our Qin Chuan is not only lively and adorable but also quite mischievous. With the help of Shen Gongbao, I believe our nation’s little savior can bring us miracles once again.”
“I believe so too.”
“Bing Bing’s judgment is spot on!”
“Come on, little Qin Chuan!”
Soon, Yanhuang Nation located the copper mine where Qin Chuan had been rewarded—five million tons of copper ore. Experts confirmed the ore was of very high quality and required minimal processing for extraction.
Clearly, the gap between one-star and two-star resources was vast, but no one knew exactly how the standards were defined.
Yanhuang Nation broadcasted all these details immediately. Bing Bing was the first to mention the copper reserve’s volume during a live stream and praised Qin Chuan once more.
Though the reserves weren’t enormous, the significance was profound—it was a harsh slap across the face of Great America, who had been so boastful before.
“You thought you were all that.”
On the live broadcast, viewers saw Qin Chuan pointing and gesturing atop Shen Gongbao’s back. They quickly guessed he was drawing lots, although the exact process was unknown to them.
“I’m really curious about what he’ll get.”
“A two-star draw must be incredible.”
“Great America’s Jerry’s one-star draw has already happened—it seems to be some sort of supernatural ability. After the draw, Jerry could even shoot flames with his bare hands.”
“Whoa, that’s amazing! Qin Chuan’s two-star draw must be even more powerful.”
“Of course it is.”
Everyone was eager to see what Qin Chuan would draw but frustrated that they couldn’t witness the process.
Indeed, Qin Chuan was drawing lots. In front of him appeared a dozen packages; he could only choose one, and no one knew what was inside. Qin Chuan casually picked one and opened it.
A golden light flashed, revealing an ancient-looking ring in his hand.
[Congratulations on obtaining a Storage Ring with a capacity of 200 cubic meters.]
Qin Chuan was momentarily stunned. A Storage Ring—well, that wasn’t so bad.
“Seems like I don’t have much to store anyway.” He put the ring on. Since he carried nothing, the ring was merely ornamental for now.