Chapter 600: Yu Sheng's "While I'm At It"

Seeing Yu Sheng's thoughtful yet expectant expression, Lo didn't quite catch on at first—after all, she'd just joined and wasn't that familiar with him yet. But soon, her quick mind latched onto something, and her expression turned somewhat subtle.

"Boss... what are you planning?"

Yu Sheng thought it over. "Is there any chance you could go back to work at the company—and then funnel their good stuff over to me?"

Lo was dumbstruck. After a long moment, she managed, "...Isn't that a little too direct?"

"Say it more gently and it's still the same thing," Yu Sheng said, clearly serious, thinking as he spoke. "Don't you think it's feasible? From Blackpoint Group's perspective, you just 'disappeared' in a lab accident—but actually I grabbed you from your room, and no one knows about that. After that, you were locked up in the valley until now, when you 'joined' the Lodge. Hardly anyone knows the whole story.

"Bai Liqing goes without saying. Mo Ran is my people. Everyone working on this space station is loyal and trustworthy. If anyone could be considered an outsider, it's that 'Master Alvin' and the Star Scholars he leads. I'm not close to them, but the Astrology Society and Blackpoint Group are mortal enemies—there's no way they'd tip off your old employer. I'll have Mo Ran specifically brief them later to prevent leaks..."

Lo listened, blinking. Though a bit surprised at first, she found her thoughts unconsciously following Yu Sheng's lead.

She had to admit, what Yu Sheng said made some sense—even if there were a few loose ends and he underestimated Blackpoint Group's spy network. She believed news of her capture would eventually reach the board in some form, but even so, it wasn't impossible for her to "go back."

Because the higher-ups really wouldn't believe she'd packed up the entire Frontier Lab and defected—or more precisely, that the Frontier Lab itself had become part of the 'Angel Hunters'.

Anyone who hadn't dealt with Yu Sheng would find it hard to grasp just how... uncanny his power was.

And on the other hand, even if the higher-ups grew suspicious and launched an investigation, Lo was confident she could handle that trouble.

She was no longer the naive student who'd been tricked into becoming expendable back then—surviving Blackpoint Group's brutal internal environment and rising to a "Director" level took more than just luck.

Lo lifted her head, staring straight at Yu Sheng. In her star-dusted pupils, an unusual light seemed to kindle.

Yu Sheng felt a bit creeped out by that stare. "...Why are you staring at me?"

"Do you just want to skim some perks from Blackpoint Group?" Lo said slowly, still staring at him. "Planting a Director-level spy inside Blackpoint Group... you must have more in mind than that?"

Whether it was his imagination, Yu Sheng sensed that this usually gloomy, jinxed elf was now speaking with a strangely... seductive and inciting tone.

She seemed eager for her new boss to have a bigger conspiracy, some bolder "plan" against Blackpoint Group.

Yu Sheng frowned. "You have a grudge against your old employer?"

Lo didn't confirm or deny.

"Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead," Yu Sheng continued, ignoring her silence. "It's just my habit to do something 'on the side'—leave a mark when I meet an enemy, bring back souvenirs after a fight. Now that I've got this chance, it'd feel like a waste not to plant a mole in Blackpoint Group. I'm not sure what I could do once you're in place, but maybe I'll want to do something someday?"

Lo raised an eyebrow. Light flickered in her eyes, though what crossed her mind was unclear.

Yu Sheng added, "Of course, I respect your choice. This is risky, thankless, and from what I've seen, you didn't seem happy working for your old boss either. So if you're not up for it, forget it—"

The moment he finished, Lo suddenly broke her silence. "I really don't like that place—oppressive, tense, cold, scheming. Aside from the unrestricted research environment, Blackpoint Group left me with no good memories..."

Yu Sheng exhaled.

But the next second, Lo's tone rose, and a particularly cheerful smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"But if you want me to go back as a 'spike,' ready to stir up some 'big trouble' whenever possible—then I'm all for it!"

Now it was Yu Sheng's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Then we'll need to plan this carefully," he said happily. "When you have time, tell me all about Blackpoint Group. I'm getting more and more curious about this 'extreme tech organization.'"

Lo smiled. "I'd be delighted."

Yu Sheng waved a hand, then changed the subject. "Oh, right. Let me tell you about the fast passage."

"Fast passage?"

Without wasting words, Yu Sheng led Lo to another stable compartment near the core area—an unremarkable-looking rest room.

A door, whose style clashed utterly with the surroundings, was embedded in the wall. Around its pale yellow surface spread vein-like, nerve-like grid patterns, as if the entire wall had once been something living, now frozen into a hard, stable form.

The moment Lo saw it, she felt the thing was just as sinister and uncanny as the Lodge's signature style.

Yu Sheng stepped forward and casually pushed the door open.

On the other side was the "Portal Hall" of the pyramid hub in the valley.

Several mass-produced Eileens with black hair and red eyes were running around scrubbing the floor. Two kids with backpacks were heading toward another door across the hall. A few cultivators with an immortal air were entering from a portal connected to the Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain—they looked like disciples of the Beast Taming Peak, probably coming to see Snake Lady.

"This door leads back to the valley. Once out of the hall, turn left and you'll see the path to Fairytale Town. It's about a ten-minute walk," Yu Sheng said, turning to Lo. "Arrange your own work hours. You can come back through here after work. I've already arranged it—that room you stayed in before in the town is still yours, consider it your dorm. Of course, you're welcome to stay on Blackstone Station too; there are a few habitable areas now. But I'd advise not wandering into other sections, and don't open doors you don't recognize."

Lo listened, stunned. When he finished, she blurted out in shock, "I can get off work?!"

Yu Sheng was appalled, a line of black lines appearing on his forehead as he looked at the jinxed elf. "Hey, is that the image you have of me?"

"Uh, that's not what I meant..." Lo quickly backtracked. "I just didn't expect to be able to go back anytime—I thought you'd throw me here and never let me return to the Borderlands or that valley, given my special status and..."

She trailed off, unable to find more words. Finally, she turned and gazed dazedly at the door to the transport hub, at the hall with many red-eyed little people scurrying around—a bizarre, dreamlike place, but full of all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

In a daze, she almost heard a voice in her ear again—

"Lo, let's go catch fish by the river!"

Ah, that's nice.

...

Meanwhile, on a street in the old district of Jiecheng.

A cold wind blew, carrying withered yellow leaves from the roadside. The chill crept into collars and sleeves, easily dispelling the afternoon drowsiness and making one shiver.

Zheng Zhi was carrying a plastic bag from the supermarket. He shivered instinctively as the wind hit him, then looked up at the somewhat gray sky.

"Whoa... so it's really winter now..."

The morning weather forecast had said a light snow later today. When he'd come out of the supermarket, it had changed to a moderate snow overnight. But judging by the gray sky, that snow wouldn't wait until evening, and it'd probably be heavy.

Zheng Zhi lowered his head, glanced at the bag in his hand, and started looking forward to tonight's hotpot.

When the snow starts falling outside, and the heat's on inside, and he and Brother Li cook hotpot by the window with beer—what a treat. If they wanted something fresh, they could pop over to the "valley" anytime, ask the kids for some mushrooms, pick some greens from the Saintess's garden... or just eat in the valley itself. That place is spring all year round, though you miss the snow view. But it's lively—maybe a bit too lively...

Zheng Zhi's mind wandered idly as he leisurely crossed the streets of the old district.

The Jieqiao incident was over. Though his Special Service Bureau colleagues still had a mountain of cleanup work, and various spirit world detective organizations and independent investigators were swamped with investigation orders from the bureau, the city on the surface had already returned to calm. For Zheng Zhi and Li Lin, whose main job was to keep an eye on 66 Wutong Road and maintain a good relationship with Yu Sheng, all that overtime and busyness had little to do with them.

To be fair, this job was a bit exciting at first, but after getting used to it, it was pretty comfortable.

As long as nothing goes wrong.

Another gust of cold wind blew from a nearby alley, aimed right at his neck, sneaking into his collar.

Zheng Zhi subconsciously tightened his jacket and noticed that pedestrians on the distant road were fewer than before, even cars were sparse—seems everyone had noticed the worsening weather, and maybe it was already snowing in other districts.

After all, Jiecheng was absurdly huge.

...Maybe I should save up and buy a car?

While mulling it over, he pulled out his phone, planning to unlock a scooter by the roadside.

No signal.

He blinked, confirmed the glaring prompt on the screen—"Environmental Anomaly Detected"—sighed, and looked up at the shop windows on the nearby street.

Oh wow, Great-grandma.

(End of chapter)