Schemes and Xin Hai'an

Bai Xiaodu walked out of the association.

He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, calming his chaotic thoughts. The excitement in his red eyes instantly gave way to deep contemplation.

Talking to others was merely a matter of wearing a mask.

But talking to Director-General Shen required both a mask and his wits.

Still, he remembered every single word she had said.

Using the advancement ritual of a machine civilization infiltrator to promote himself...

It certainly sounded like a great idea.

But what did she stand to gain from this?

Did she genuinely want to help him advance to a Warlock so she could groom him to take over?

Had Director-General Shen actually recognized his talent, identifying him as a spellcasting genius at the bottom tier of the Federation, and wanted to pull him up out of a sense of duty?

It was a bit ridiculous.

Was he some rare, highly investable race?

For her to so generously gift him a readily available advancement ritual worth millions of credits just to do him a favor...

Bai Xiaodu felt like something was off.

To have survived so long at the bottom of the Federation as a mere mortal with a face like his, he had learned a thing or two.

Bai Xiaodu was firmly against believing in free lunches.

Moreover, this “free lunch” seemed to require a lot of effort on his part. He might end up working his butt off for half a month, only for someone else to reap the rewards at the end.

If he died, it would fulfill the prophecy, proving Director-General Shen's divine foresight.

If he lived, it would be thanks to her guidance, also proving her divine foresight.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt Director-General Shen was full of wicked schemes. He couldn't help but shudder.

And she had set a strict deadline of half a month. This meant that within these two weeks, he had to master three Proficient-level spells.

Bai Xiaodu didn't know if any of it was true, but having a prophecy of death hanging over his head made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Haven knew if that woman would kill him himself just to ensure her prediction was accurate.

Director-General Shen was pushing him way too hard.

In the end, he grumbled under his breath.

“Bad woman.”

Just then, his phone rang.

It was the minotaur boss calling to ask where he was. Xin Hai'an's scheduled training session was about to start.

“I'm on my way.”

He quickly hailed a cab and headed to the gym.

Bai Xiaodu hadn't forgotten that Director-General Shen had mentioned Xin Hai'an at the very end of their meeting.

Although he didn't know how the two of them were connected, or where Director-General Shen had obtained the intel about a traitor among the vampires.

But an order was an order, and Bai Xiaodu still had to deliver the message.

Compared to his first visit, where he had racked his brain over everything, Bai Xiaodu's steps were much lighter this time.

Having spells at his disposal really made a difference. Every movement he made now exuded a subtle sense of confidence.

Several of his former colleagues didn't even dare look up at him. The moment they saw Bai Xiaodu coming, they were like stray dogs with their tails between their legs, resentfully hiding behind the gym equipment to avoid his gaze.

If they had known what happened last night, they wouldn't just be hiding behind the equipment; they would have probably called in sick and run away.

He knocked politely on the door.

“Sister Xin Hai'an?”

The doors slid open to both sides. Xin Hai'an was still lounging lazily in her chair, just like last time.

However, she had changed her clothes. Compared to the casual outfit she wore during their first meeting—when she had come with a playful attitude just to check out the “giga-chad”—she seemed much more serious today. At least she looked like she wanted to work out.

Her tight, sleeveless black shirt was sleek and neat, its folds and lines clinging smoothly to her skin, subtly outlining her slender figure.

Her straight, pale calves were exposed beneath her above-the-knee shorts as she casually crossed her legs, swinging a pair of expensive designer sneakers back and forth.

When she saw Bai Xiaodu arrive, she closed the book in her hands, tossed it aside, crossed her arms as she stretched her body from side to side, and stood up.

Before Bai Xiaodu could even react, Xin Hai'an was already standing firmly in front of him.

The distance from the door to her seat was over ten meters. What incredible speed!

So this was a Ranger.

He wondered just how strong Xin Hai'an actually was. If she could get close enough, would she be able to severely injure or even kill Director-General Shen?

Taking advantage of her slightly taller stature, she put her hands behind her back and deliberately looked down at Bai Xiaodu.

With the lights behind her, the shadow she cast fell over Bai Xiaodu's cute, harmless face.

Having suffered a subtle, inexplicable setback at his hands last time, Xin Hai'an was still fuming inside.

The weights she had lifted during that workout were way too heavy. Her shoulders had been incredibly sore, and she'd had to apply ointment twice during the night just to get some comfortable sleep.

After giving herself a day to recover, she had returned with a vengeance.

Bai Xiaodu, of course, wasn't going to let her walk all over him. He made sure to tilt his head up and look back.

It wasn't for any other reason than sheer elegance; Bai Xiaodu particularly enjoyed taking in the “mountain scenery.”

Wow, look at those vibration effects synced with her breathing.

To her left and right, the sword-wielding and gun-toting bodyguards were still glaring daggers at him.

They hoped to see some trace of fear on Bai Xiaodu's face.

However, by the time they and Xin Hai'an realized something was off, it was already a few seconds too late.

Xin Hai'an's lips twitched.

She held back the urge to kick him. After all, she had been the one to walk up to him herself.

Fuming, she walked over to the cable crossover and sat down. Her two bodyguards, highly perceptive as always, began stacking the weight plates.

Testing the weight and finding it about right, Xin Hai'an called him over.

“Let's continue with the same training as last time. Your instruction tempo is very good.”

The boost to her physical attributes was delightful. Xin Hai'an rolled her shoulders, trying to find a comfortable angle to exert force.

Bai Xiaodu interrupted her.

His expression was serious and earnest.

“Sister Xin Hai'an, you already have a great figure and excellent muscle strength. A comprehensive, full-body routine would suit you much better right now.”

He definitely couldn't let her keep working on her back. If she kept training like that, she would turn into a silverback gorilla.

Stopping her movements, Xin Hai'an turned her body and looked at him with great interest.

“So, what are we training next?”

Bai Xiaodu flashed his signature smile.

“Chest.”

Clack, clack. The all-too-familiar sound of a gun being cocked rang out again.

The two bodyguards beside her hissed like startled cats before his words could even finish echoing.

The gun-wielding bodyguard glared at him with wide, furious eyes.

Xin Hai'an waved her hand, knitting her beautiful brows.

Her expression made the bodyguard feel that things were taking a turn for the worse, so she had no choice but to stop in her tracks.

“You two are overreacting. Working out naturally involves training every muscle group in the body.”

With that, there was a hint of smugness in Xin Hai'an's voice.

“It's just basic upper body training. Rotating between chest, back, and shoulders is completely normal. Even someone as lazy as me has done quite a bit of research, yet you two haven't improved at all?”

The gun-wielding bodyguard was instantly dumbfounded. Hearing these criticisms, her mouth fell wide open.

For a moment, she couldn't even tell whose side she was on.

He was being so provocative, yet why was Lady Xin Hai'an still taking this fox's side?

Her mind couldn't quite process it, but the sword-wielding bodyguard immediately stepped forward, pressing her hand down and forcing the gun back into her holster.

“Apologies, Lady Xin Hai'an. She had a bit too much to drink yesterday and isn't fully sober yet. She was only doing this to protect you.”

With a faint hum to show she wouldn't pursue the matter, Xin Hai'an beckoned Bai Xiaodu over.

“Come over and explain the benefits of training the chest muscles, and teach me how to use the equipment while you're at it.”

Bai Xiaodu's smile remained unchanged as he replied earnestly, word by word.

“Training the chest helps with shaping. It makes them perkier.”

“...”

Xin Hai'an tilted her head slightly, staring intently at his face.

She suspected she had misheard.

Until the latter made a gesture with his hands.

It became the straw that broke the camel's back.

Veins instantly popped on her ivory-white forehead.