Chapter Nineteen: Understanding a Hint of Forbidden Device Manipulation

That night, Du Fang couldn’t sleep. Excitement kept him awake—he’d finally landed his dream job, and the thrill was so overwhelming that only sleep could have calmed him.

The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, Du Fang got up to make breakfast for Luoluo: toasted bread, a cup of hot milk, and a lovingly fried egg. After breakfast, he changed into his professional attire: a white shirt under a black trench coat, with a metal pistol and his phone tucked into the coat pocket. Paired with blue jeans and canvas shoes, he felt refreshed as he took the eagerly dressed Luoluo, who was wearing a pleated skirt and full of anticipation, out the door.

Luoluo, as always, was looking forward to leaving the house.

The autumn sunlight was just right—warm and gentle, falling softly on their bodies like countless tiny hands caressing them.

They had just stepped outside the apartment complex when Du Fang stopped short.

There, at the entrance, was a black coupe. By the roadside, a familiar figure was crouched, slurping a bowl of river snail noodles.

Perhaps she had seen him—Su Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up, and she opened her mouth wide, quickly finishing her noodles.

“Du!” Su Xiaoyu grinned, her mouth glistening with oil as she greeted him.

The pungent aroma hit Du Fang like a wave, and he stiffened slightly.

Luoluo tilted her head, watching Su Xiaoyu, her smile growing ever more intense.

Dad seems a bit overwhelmed by the smell… Should I take care of this auntie?

“Having breakfast?” Du Fang forced a smile. “And you chose something with such a heavy smell for breakfast?”

Su Xiaoyu laughed, her spicy-red lips gleaming. “That’s right! I’ve been waiting for you at the gate for ages. Got hungry, so I had a bowl of noodles.”

She seemed to have come to terms with her fate and quickly slipped into her role as an assistant.

“Glad you enjoyed it… but maybe next time, don’t.” Du Fang glanced at Luoluo and said, “Luoluo said the noodles from street stalls aren’t clean—they might upset your stomach.”

Su Xiaoyu’s smile froze.

Luoluo… The joy of eating noodles instantly vanished, replaced by a certain dread.

In the next moment, Su Xiaoyu whipped out a fragrant tissue, wiped her mouth, rinsed with mineral water, and even sprayed herself with perfume, forcibly suppressing the overpowering smell.

She diligently opened the car door, beaming. “Du, please get in!”

“And Luoluo, hop in too~” she added, grinning broadly at the air beside Du Fang.

She’d gotten advice from Chen Xi the day before and knew how to handle this. She couldn’t see Luoluo, but that didn’t stop her from being friendly!

Du Fang smiled, got in the back seat with Luoluo, and Su Xiaoyu started the car, rolling down the window to air out the lingering scent of noodles.

With a roar, the car sped off toward Dreamcross Tower. Su Xiaoyu, her hair in a neat ponytail, drove steadily.

Du Fang admired the obviously expensive interior, a little envious. “This car must have cost a fortune?”

“It’s alright, my family bought it. I don’t really like driving, so I just swap cars all the time.” Through the rearview mirror, Su Xiaoyu glanced at him, then said, “If you like it, you can have it!”

“What? No, that’s not right!” Du Fang waved his hands in disbelief. What kind of family just gives away a car worth hundreds of thousands?

“If you want it, just say so. We have plenty.” Su Xiaoyu’s smile was dazzling.

Du Fang fell silent. So this is what it means to be truly wealthy. Poverty really does limit one’s imagination.

Beside him, Luoluo cocked her head again, her smile growing even more intense as she looked at Su Xiaoyu.

This auntie seems to have wounded Dad’s pride. Should I poke her in the head?

Su Xiaoyu didn’t care for wealthy men because her own family was truly rich. Working as a Dream Shepherd was her ambition; otherwise, she’d have been dragged home to manage the family business long ago. These days, many wealthy families preferred to have their members work for the Dream Shepherd Association—it was a status symbol.

In this era, Dream Shepherds were the focus of attention.

Arriving at Dreamcross Tower, Su Xiaoyu led Du Fang to the Wildfire Squad’s office, where Zhang Changlin was waiting.

Every registered squad had its own office in the building.

“Ding, sixteenth floor,” the elevator chimed.

Su Xiaoyu, who wasn’t wearing her professional skirt today due to a change in her duties (and now out of her uniform), led the way. As an assistant, unless Du Fang insisted on a strict dress code, she could dress more casually.

“Wildfire Squad is one of the top ten Dream Shepherd squads in Jiangling, rated Silver. Their highest achievement was independently conquering a Grade Six Nightmare—they’re an outstanding squad in the city,” Su Xiaoyu explained.

Du Fang listened intently; this was his first time learning about the squad’s achievements.

“Every formal squad has a small number of members, aiming for balance according to their needs. The stronger the squad, the more essential it is to have Dream Shepherds specializing in physical strength, psychic power, and domain abilities. Especially domain specialists, who are rare—squads with them are few and far between,” she added.

“How many Dream Shepherd squads are there in Jiangling?” Du Fang asked curiously.

“If you count the unofficial ones, about five or six hundred,” Su Xiaoyu replied. “But only sixty-six are officially registered, and most are Bronze.”

Du Fang was surprised. “So few?”

“That’s actually a lot. Some cities barely have ten registered squads. The Association is strict about issuing official licenses,” she said.

“Dreamcross Tower has eighty-eight floors, and each registered squad gets its own office. The entire sixteenth floor belongs to Wildfire,” Su Xiaoyu continued.

Suddenly, Du Fang understood why there were so few registered squads. Real estate prices these days were astronomical.

Just as she finished speaking, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

Holding Luoluo’s hand, Du Fang saw the office door at the end of the corridor swing open. Out stepped Zhang Changlin, with his slicked-back hair and a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a black trench coat.

Chen Xi was also there, similarly dressed, her youthful face serious.

Several other figures followed.

Du Fang was momentarily stunned, as was Su Xiaoyu.

Although Du Fang was an Infinite Dream Spirit, he hadn’t awakened any special ability—he could only use forbidden tools.

He was still an intern Dream Shepherd. For the entire Wildfire Squad to turn out to welcome an intern… this was a bit much.

But Su Xiaoyu quickly sensed something was off. An overwhelming sense of pressure made her discard her earlier assumption.

Zhang Changlin, cigarette between his lips, fixed his gaze on Du Fang. “You’re here?”

Du Fang nodded.

“Good. We just got a call for help with a nightmare outbreak. We’re about to head out. Stick close—this will be your first mission as a Dream Shepherd and a chance to get used to the team. Watch closely, learn well, and gain some experience,” Zhang Changlin said encouragingly.

Although Du Fang hadn’t awakened any special power, his Infinite Dream Spirit and his skill with forbidden tools made him a valuable asset.

“We’ll do the welcome ceremony when we get back,” Zhang Changlin said, clapping Du Fang on the shoulder. “I’m Zhang Changlin, captain of Wildfire Squad, dual-type specialist—strength and psychic power, main attacker.”

He strode forward, the tails of his coat swirling, and snapped his fingers. “Everyone, introduce yourselves to the new guy.”

A few figures approached, passing Du Fang and Su Xiaoyu.

A chubby man, round as a ball and smiling amiably, spoke first. “Zhao Lu, Wildfire Squad member, physical type Dream Shepherd, main defense.”

A slender, flamboyant man in a pink suit and black trench coat, holding a white rose, looked up at Du Fang with gentle eyes. “Su Nine Lives, vice-captain and manager, psychic type Dream Shepherd, secondary attacker.”

Next was a girl with flaming red hair, large black-rimmed glasses, and a mouth full of bubble gum. She grinned crookedly at Du Fang. “Si Nan, Wildfire Squad member, physical type Dream Shepherd, firearms specialist.”

And finally, Chen Xi looked nervously at Du Fang. “Chen Xi, Wildfire Squad member, psychic type Dream Shepherd—responsible for healing, combat support, intelligence analysis, nightmare risk assessment, forbidden tool tracking…”

Du Fang was speechless. Miss Chen was far more capable than he’d realized.

The red-haired Si Nan slung an arm around Chen Xi’s neck and laughed. “Just say you’re the logistics chief, Xi—no need for all that detail.”

Chen Xi opened her mouth, wanting to make a good impression, but gave up.

Introductions complete.

Five people, five professional Dream Shepherds. Each with different styles and duties, yet together they formed an outstanding Silver-ranked squad.

Zhang Changlin, cigarette in hand, turned to look at Du Fang, and the others followed suit.

There was an almost palpable pressure in the air, as if invisible dream spirits were flowing and expanding.

In an instant, all attention focused on Du Fang, waiting for his self-introduction.

He was a little nervous, just starting his career.

He glanced at Luoluo, who looked up at him with a delicate face. Suddenly, his heart calmed.

Facing Zhang Changlin and the others, he spoke, a little embarrassed but earnest.

“I’m Du Fang, a sophomore at Jiangling University, the sixth member of Wildfire Squad, intern Dream Shepherd. My ability… I know a little about forbidden tool manipulation. Please take care of me.”

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