Following the girl out of the treehouse, they walked toward the eastern side of the Tree of Eternal Life club.
They entered an indoor garden where cyan vines grew along wooden frames. The afterglow of the sun spilled through the glass skylights, and the plants in the garden stretched out comfortably under the golden radiance. On swings woven from wisteria branches, bird-like creatures chirped, their tiny, grain-sized eyes casting curious glances.
Xu Xiaoyou watched the girl sit on a wisteria swing. After using the tips of her rounded shoes to push off the ground a few steps back, she extended her legs, and her body began to sway lightly with the swing. Her soft skirt danced in the wind like a graceful butterfly.
Several bird-like creatures flew to the girl's side, chirping as they surrounded her. The girl smiled peacefully and reached out a fingertip; a small bird with a reddened beak landed on her hand, tilting its head to meet her gaze.
Xu Xiaoyou looked at the bird with the reddened beak and blinked. She actually sensed the aura of an urban legend from this tiny bird.
"You're very cute today too, Xiao Mi."
As she spoke, the girl tossed a flower bud she had plucked into the air. The bird's beak suddenly split into four petals, each inner wall embedded with tiny white sharp teeth. Flesh buds sprouted from the gaping maw, growing countless times larger than the bird's original body.
Only then did Xu Xiaoyou notice the strangeness of this seemingly peaceful and serene garden.
On the planting racks, countless dark red gazes peered out from behind the cover of green leaves like predators sniffing out the scent of prey. Corrosive liquid dripped from the gaps between flower petals onto the brown soil, making a sizzling sound.
A large shadow fell from above, obscuring the afterglow. Xu Xiaoyou looked up; a giant plant had somehow climbed into the space above the garden. Eight vine tentacles with barbs were firmly attached to the ceiling's framework. The pink flower bud at the center was blooming, emitting a sharp roar as countless tooth-like stamens vibrated within the sound waves.
Looking down, she noticed numerous plants by the stream in the corner. At that moment, they were tightly entwining a corpse whose upper half had vanished, extending various feeding organs to suck the nutrients from the body.
The skin of the corpse was becoming dry and shriveled at an imperceptible rate.
"Another intruder dealt with today. Good job, Xiao Mi." The eerie scene made even the girl's smile seem a bit off.
The reddened beak of the bird named Xiao Mi wasn't natural; it was the fresh blood of others.
Just then, a blue bird flew over and landed on her shoulder. Xu Xiaoyou noticed the blue bird approaching her cautiously, making a cooing sound before affectionately rubbing its soft head against her cheek.
"It seems you're quite popular with these punishment birds," the girl said.
"Punishment birds? Is that their name?" Xu Xiaoyou looked at the blue bird on her shoulder. The little blue bird also tilted its head, looking at her with its small black eyes.
The girl nodded. "They are guardians of the great forest. That place is filled with flowers and herbs of miraculous effects and immense value, and they were born from people's greed for that forest."
"These poor little birds... after the trees they nested in were knocked down by bad people, they became homeless. Most were repeatedly resold on the black market, becoming pets in birdcages."
"Are you also from the Dawn Agency?" Xu Xiaoyou asked after a moment of silence.
"No, I am only a member of the Dawn Society," the girl said, shaking her head. "First time meeting you. My name is Tao Shier. I am the Queen of Diamonds in the Dawn Society and a member of the Tree of Eternal Life. I am a grade 3 botanist."
Xu Xiaoyou looked around at the surroundings again. She had never seen these aggressive plants with such bizarre properties anywhere else, thinking they might be products derived from the girl's mutated abilities.
"No need to be so guarded. I have no intention of hurting you," Tao Shier said with a smile, as if she could guess what she was thinking.
"This entire garden is my mimicry, named Eden. The plants are quite cute and interesting, aren't they?"
"Inside my mimicry, I can perceive your physiological state and detect your thoughts and moods."
Noticing Xu Xiaoyou's discomfort, Tao Shier looked apologetic. "Sorry, I did it instinctively..."
After saying that, Tao Shier stopped prying into Xu Xiaoyou's heart. She closed her eyes, and a turquoise fluorescent light flowed through her pupils.
It felt as though a layer of gray haze had been lifted from Xu Xiaoyou's mind, and she felt a bit more relaxed.
"Let's get back to the main topic. I am willing to provide you with help—from the standpoint of the Tree of Eternal Life, of course, not the Dawn Society."
"What kind of public opinion do you need to stir up?"
Xu Xiaoyou adopted a thoughtful posture.
The Curtain had a memory. Trying to directly suppress public opinion was unrealistic. When public sentiment grew so large that conventional methods like paid posters or comment control couldn't handle it, media companies would often give it the cold shoulder on the surface while secretly contacting media outlets to drop another bombshell to divert people's attention, like a lizard cutting off its tail to survive.
This was why when paparazzi dug up heavy news about a certain trending artist, they wouldn't release it immediately. Instead, they would sell it to media stations for a high price or use it to blackmailed the media companies.
After stating her needs in concise language, Tao Shier nodded.
"I understand. I'll contact the people at CCA City Radio to see if they're sitting on any big scoops."
"Don't worry, I am one of the largest investors in CCA. They won't refuse me."
After a brief communication over the Curtain, Tao Shier burst into laughter, as if she had heard a staggering amount of information.
"This really is... quite a powerful scoop."
Hearing Tao Shier's words, the corner of Xu Xiaoyou's mouth rose imperceptibly.
...
Under the gray sky, the magnificent night view of the Queen's District was reflected in small puddles of stagnant water. A pair of red high heels splashed through the water, making a rhythmic clicking sound on the ground. The woman walked toward the interior of the Rongsen Media building with an ashen face. Raindrops fell on her expensive, bright lady's suit, darkening the color slightly where it was wet.
Upon entering the building, the passing staff greeted her one after another after seeing the woman's face clearly.
"Hello, Ms. Chen."
"Good evening, Assica."
"Mm." The woman nodded slightly in response. As if thinking of something, her expression darkened again, and she picked up her pace.
"What's wrong with her? Why does she look so upset?" someone asked.
The person next to him pulled him back and lowered his voice. "Don't you know? The stuff related to Lin Fan is all over the Curtain right now..."
And so, the people on the first floor of the company watched as the figure radiating the aura of a powerful career woman jogged across the bright marble lobby and entered the elevator.
Inside the elevator, the wait felt long. Noticing the woman's expression was off, the employees inside gave her a wide berth. One junior employee reached out to press a floor button but was glared back by the woman's predatory gaze.
The junior employee shrank into the corner submissively. Soon, the elevator reached the designated floor. Before stepping out, the woman gave the junior employee a cold look. "Pack your things and get out. You don't need to come to work tomorrow."
With that, under the gazes of everyone who was as silent as cicadas in winter, the woman walked away briskly in her red high heels.
In a dark room, a young man sat slumped with a listless spirit, his eyes vacant. He was surrounded by girls who were at a loss for what to do. Hearing the familiar sound of high heels outside the door, his expression changed several times before his head finally hung low.
Within seconds, the woman was standing in front of him, her tone icy. "Lin Fan."
As soon as the youth looked up, a loud, stinging slap landed on his face.
"Are you fucking tired of living? How dare you touch something like moon sugar!?"
Rate on N.U.
