Rendezvous

Nan Yue and the others exchanged glances and hurried to the teleportation point.

Behind Fu Xi Ming, the French windows were still hazy with rain; the rain in Eden hadn't stopped.

She set aside a half-read report, the ashtray in front of her already overflowing with cigarette butts.

Outsiders would only see her tired expression and bloodshot eyes, yet her meticulously styled curly hair and neat suit showed no signs of an all-nighter.

"A-Xiu, I'm going to the digital city state to check out the newly built supplementary cultivation project. You stay in Eden. If anything unexpected happens, discuss it with He Jiu Chen and handle it."

He Jiu Chen was competent in both purification and governance; aside from their differing philosophies, he was a very trustworthy colleague.

Fu Xi Ming understood He Jiu Chen well; he simply didn't want her to take risks, but for anything else she was interested in, he would do his utmost to help.

For instance, the operation of "Sharp Blade."

A-Xiu hesitated for a moment. "But it's unsafe for you to be alone."

Fu Xi Ming smiled. "I can protect myself."

Fu Xi Ming's awakened ability wasn't attack-type, but her combat skills were absolutely top-notch.

A-Xiu closed her mouth; since Fu Xi Ming insisted, there was nothing more she could say.

Fu Xi Ming thought for a moment, then added, "Let Jing Shui accompany me."

A-Xiu's expression finally relaxed. "Alright."

Fu Xi Ming's actions couldn't escape He Jiu Chen's notice. If he found out she went alone, he would definitely be uneasy, and might even follow her, which would be counterproductive.

Lan Jing Shui arrived quickly, driving Fu Xi Ming to the teleportation point.

He Jiu Chen was also in his office, with a very handsome man standing behind him.

If Nan Yue were here, she would recognize this man as Yin Qian, the "flower vase" from the forums with little ability.

The first time Nan Yue came to Eden, she had even seen his projected advertisements.

Yin Qian had "peach blossom" eyes and a "smiling" mouth, appearing gentle and non-threatening.

"Deputy Head He, Department Head Fu has gone to the digital city state."

He Jiu Chen grunted in response. If Fu Xi Ming didn't go out, his office wouldn't have so many documents.

Tsk, these people were so annoying, bothering Fu Xi Ming with everything.

If it weren't for the issues, Fu Xi Ming would handle everything personally, and working at a desk like that was bad for her eyes and body.

Yin Qian was a bit helpless. "Should I follow?"

He Jiu Chen didn't turn his head. "No need."

"I don't do things like stalking or imprisonment."

A man with glasses, always smiling, appeared in He Jiu Chen's mind. "I'm not a pervert."

Yin Qian shook his head. The relationship between these two was truly strange. He Jiu Chen clearly wished he had eyes glued to Fu Xi Ming, terrified that if he wasn't careful, something would happen to her.

Ever since Shen Nian and the others had their accident, both He Jiu Chen and Bai Yao, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, had grown increasingly eccentric.

At least He Jiu Chen's most beloved person hadn't suffered an accident; though awkward, he still retained some sanity.

Bai Yao...

Yin Qian scratched his face. He seemed completely insane, both paranoid and gloomy, and apparently, he now had someone he liked.

He didn't know who it was, but he guessed they were quite pitiful.

He Jiu Chen endured and endured, finally slamming a file down.

"She went to City State 183. Don't worry about where she's going or what she's doing. Send Stone over there to guard the teleportation point in case she's in danger."

Yin Qian pouted. He knew He Jiu Chen's frankness wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

"Got it."

After Nan Yue arrived at the purification point, she found a knife-cut noodle restaurant nearby to wait for Fu Xi Ming.

It had been too long since she'd been to a digital city state, and now she realized the cost of living here was truly much cheaper than in the upper city states.

The Scavenger world was a projection of the Federation, and under the Federation's guidance, it now exhibited a largely solidified class system and world.

Halfway through her meal, Nan Yue saw Fu Xi Ming arrive, or more accurately, she saw Lan Jing Shui.

His flamboyant pink outer layer was too conspicuous.

The six gathered in the small knife-cut noodle restaurant.

The owner was shrewd; seeing that these few were no ordinary scavengers, he served the noodles and retreated to the back kitchen, adhering to a policy of "hear no evil, see no evil."

Fu Xi Ming ate her noodles heartily, and Lan Jing Shui even ordered a bottle of beer.

Nan Yue had expected Fu Xi Ming to bring someone, but she hadn't anticipated Lan Jing Shui.

This proved that Lan Jing Shui's strength and position within "Sharp Blade" were far deeper than they had previously imagined, and much more than he let on.

Yet Lan Jing Shui's ranking had always hovered around the twenties or thirties, which was very thought-provoking.

He probably deliberately hid his strength, especially since the rankings were published by "Sharp Blade."

"Where are we going?"

Fu Xi Ming slurped her noodles. "There's a safe house in City State 183 that no one can enter but me."

Nan Yue looked at her empty bowl. "What about the tail following you?"

Fu Xi Ming continued slurping. "Don't worry about him; he'll just stay here. He Jiu Chen is just worried I might be in danger."

Nan Yue: ...What kind of bizarre relationship do you two have?

The moment Fu Xi Ming looked up, she casually glanced at Jiang Siyan across from her.

Both she and Lan Jing Shui had noticed Jiang Siyan's change the moment they met.

He was now cold, dangerous, almost visibly volatile.

Only when he was beside Nan Yue would the indiscriminate chill he exuded recede slightly, transforming into a strange, viscous emotion.

It was a bit like... a man-eating plant in the abyss, fixated on the only thing that could keep it alive.

More than love, it was a dependence for survival.

He had to stay by Nan Yue's side, otherwise, he wouldn't survive.

But everyone knew such feelings were too dangerous, too obsessive; when one person placed the entire weight of their life onto another, it became a suffocating burden.

However...

Nan Yue didn't seem to notice at all.

Fu Xi Ming buried her head in her food, her own backyard still ablaze.

After eating, the six walked towards the busiest part of City State 183. Just as Fu Xi Ming had said, the man hadn't followed; he simply sat down in the same noodle restaurant they had just left and ordered a bowl of noodles.

City State 183 was larger and more diverse than City State 66, with many Cuckoos doing business right on the streets.

Cuckoos were the most well-informed, and also had the strongest perception of scavengers.

But as the six walked down the street, almost no one glanced at them. Occasionally, passing residents of City State 183 would notice them, but they would be subtly diverted by information deliberately or inadvertently released by the Cuckoos.

"Sharp Blade" possessed significant power and absolute control over the city states.

Fu Xi Ming led them to a shopping mall, entering a large department store that was having a clothing sale.

She walked straight to the first locked fitting room. After fingerprint identification, a hidden door opened, and the six filed in.