After finalizing the decision to return "ho" to investigate, Luo returned to the main hub and ticulously re-examined those suspicious logistics records and communication logs, downloading all of them into her auxiliary brain implant.
She didn't discover any more clues—the organizers behind that string of "thefts" clearly hid themselves well, leaving no na, no reliable network address or code in any records. In fact, if it weren't for Black Stone Station's unique database and her having the highest operational privileges, those few records might not have been preserved at all.
It seems she can only find an opportunity to return to the previous hiding place, see if there are any clues in the backup data from those Star Ports and customs facilities, or perhaps ask the Guard Captain? If the "rat" was hiding in Black Stone Station at that ti, the Guard Captain might rember so hints, and the local black market might have left so traces…
Next to her, Yu Sheng watched the scene unfold, wearing a large tallic face. After a while, he spoke up as he saw Luo disconnect the data cable from behind her, "You know, your enhancents are really useful—except for fighting, your other functions are quite comprehensive."
The chanical limbs behind Luo slowly retracted, the living tal rging back into her body, ultimately leaving only a beautifully eerie silver "hide" on her back, like a layer of floating rcury.
Hearing her new boss's words, she just smirked, "Can you not ntion fighting?"
Yu Sheng casually replied with a few words, then asked curiously, "So, is it common in the Black Dot Group to modify like this? Or is it just the 'elites'? I saw the health report from the Special Service Bureau, ntioning that your guard soldiers also have so signs of enhancents. Not as extre as yours, maybe just an artificial heart and lung set, or a layer of bulletproof internal skeleton in vital areas. The higher the status, the more severe the modifications?"
"It's not 'common'; it's all about practicality, or 'benefit'," Luo thought for a mont, then sighed lightly, "Flesh is weak and cannot bear the hardships of seeking truth, so it can only be replaced with durable steel. Of course, so choose to enhance their original bodies to the extre or seek dangerous 'enlightennt' from subspace and dark spiritual abilities—as long as the benefit covers the cost, anything is permissible. And indeed, as you said, the higher the status, the more severe the modifications.
"Within the Black Dot Group, efficiency trumps all. Whether it's economic benefits or knowledge advancent, it's worth any cost, and must be pursued at any cost.
"My level of modification is relatively conservative among the managent, after all, I'm still trying to maintain a 'human' form. Many of my 'colleagues' have transford themselves into complete monstrosities, so visibly, others internally…"
Yu Sheng keenly sensed her emotional change.
"You seem a bit sad?" he suddenly asked.
"I actually don't like these things very much," Luo slightly turned her head, a chanical limb extended from the living tal on her back, swaying slowly in the air, "Sotis, they even confuse , making it unclear whether I am a heavily modified Algredian or just a mass of living tal and logic chips inheriting so unfortunate soul's final mories…
"Perhaps 'Luo' already died on an operating table many years ago during one of these procedures? But these living tals still mistakenly believe they are 'her'? But without them, I wouldn't be alive today…"
Luo montarily dazed, feeling the neural connectors in her brain emitting a mild pain, her thoughts wandering back and forth between her biological and chanical parts, ultimately halting at an indistinguishable position—like waking from an extrely brief dream, the overly sentintal self-doubt quickly faded from her mind, realizing she had spoken too much.
"Sorry, just so boring stories."
She turned her head, once again fully imrsing herself in her work, saying nothing more to Yu Sheng.
...
A cold wind blew over the riverbank, lifting several shattered leaves along the roadside. Walking on the road, Yu Sheng squinted his eyes in the wind, looking at the distant gloomy sky and, not far away, the bustling Hu Li near the withering shrubs.
The demon fox girl wore a thick white coat today, with a fluffy scarf around her neck, happily digging a hole while squatting on the ground.
"Everyone has a story."
Yu Sheng comnted reflectively.
Hu Li had keen ears and imdiately raised her head, "What did you say, Savior?"
"Not talking about you," Yu Sheng waved his hand, glancing at the mound of earth beside her, "...Rember to cover it back up when you're done digging."
The Great Demon Fox was delighted, "Hey, got it!"
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. Even though Hu Li had put away her ears and tail now, just hearing her cheerful voice, he could almost imagine a bunch of silver-white tails swinging behind her.
He looked around again—it was lucky that today was cold, with wind and forecast snow, as there were no pedestrians by the riverbank. Otherwise, accompanying a pretty girl while she dug in the greenery would surely attract attention, and conscientious onlookers might report him to the municipality…
With this thought, Yu Sheng's curiosity piqued: With so much space in the valley to dig freely, why was this girl so eager to dig in the greenery during their walks?
This curiosity had just surfaced when he saw Hu Li suddenly springing up joyfully from behind the shrubs, holding sothing in her hand, "Savior! Caught a mouse!"
Yu Sheng, expressionless, said, "...Throw it away."
"Okay."
Then, after another while.
"Savior! Caught a squirrel!"
"Throw this one away too."
"Savior! We caught a bird!"
"...Release it, then I'll take you to the pedestrian street over there to buy so food. Fill up the hole first."
"Okay!!"
Yu Sheng finally understood. Because of the weather, the vendors selling grilled sausages and candied haws on the usual riverside walk he and Hu Li strolled on hadn't set up their stalls. This girl ca here today to hunt...
A mont later, Yu Sheng was walking with Hu Li on the edge of the old town's pedestrian street. The latter was holding a steaming hot roasted sweet potato, looking so happy she was about to bubble over.
"Savior, who do you think ca up with this thing? It's so delicious~"
Yu Sheng didn't say anything, just brushed off the dirt from the girl's clothes (picked up while digging a hole in the greenbelt earlier) and took out his phone to check the ti.
It was about ti to head ho. If they got back late, Erin would start nagging.
Though she would also nag if they got back too early.
Just then, Yu Sheng's phone suddenly rang, and the caller ID noticeably displayed Zheng Zhi's na.
Incidentally, Zheng Zhi's profile picture was a peace charm, with the personal signature "Peaceful and smooth every day."
Seeing that large peace charm jumping out from the phone screen made Yu Sheng's heart tighten. Before answering, he already sensed sothing was wrong. As soon as he put the phone to his ear, the voice that ca through confird his suspicion: "Brother Yu! I'm in trouble here!"
The fox girl, who was munching on a roasted sweet potato, imdiately perked up her ears (human ears) and leaned in.
Yu Sheng quickly led Hu Li to a quieter place, speaking rapidly as they walked, "What's the situation? Exotic Realm? Entity? Cultist or Angel? Did you use the Teleportation Gate Talisman Card I gave you..."
"I didn't use the talisman card. I'm safe now," Zheng Zhi's voice sounded a bit shaken, "It's just that I saw so weird things on the street next to River Source Mall, and I think I saw people from the Hidden Monastery, and even an Artificial Saintess..."
Yu Sheng's eyes widened instantly.
"Find a secluded spot, press the Teleportation Gate Talisman Card against the wall, and activate it but don't open the door — I'll co straight to you!"
A few minutes later, at a deserted street corner, in the shadows between buildings, a phantom door abruptly appeared on the wall.
After the door opened, Yu Sheng and Hu Li stepped through and imdiately saw his nephew holding a shopping bag.
The young intern agent from the Special Service Bureau looked extrely tense, but aside from being a bit startled, he didn't seem hard, and his ntal state was relatively good.
Almost every ti he got involved in an Extraordinary Event, he seed to end up in that state. Yu Sheng was used to it and didn't offer much comfort, just patted his shoulder and began inquiring about the details of what had happened.
Zheng Zhi recounted the "weird events" he experienced, from changes in the surroundings, interference with communications, the "illusions" he saw, the voices he heard, and finally, the confrontation with the "Artificial Saintess" who sensed his spying and attacked him through the veil of ti and space.
Listening to Zheng Zhi's account, Yu Sheng's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
As soon as Zheng Zhi finished, Yu Sheng imdiately asked, "Are you sure 'they' ntioned the 'Black Spot Laboratory'?"
"For sure," Zheng Zhi nodded imdiately, "I even recorded it on my phone..."
While saying this, he quickly took out his phone and found the recording. However, when he pressed play, only static noise ca out.
Zheng Zhi was dumbfounded, "Hey, that's not right. I clearly heard it back then."
However, Yu Sheng wasn't surprised by the situation at all, "It's fine, I'm used to it. People with high sensitivity sotis hear things others can't, and equipnt can't record — anyway, you should still show the record on your phone to the Special Service Bureau's tech team. Although the sound wasn't recorded, the environntal changes might have left traces in the sensors, and that stuff is quite technical."
Zheng Zhi replied with an "oh," put away his phone, and couldn't help glancing at Yu Sheng again, "So, Brother Yu, what's next..."
"This is getting more suspicious. When those 'Knights' started appearing in the Dark Alley, I was curious why the Hidden Monastery erged at this point. Now they explicitly ntioned the 'Black Spot Laboratory'... Although there are many Black Spot Laboratories, the only one recently connected to the Boundary Land is the one just blown up by the World Bridge," Yu Sheng pondered while stroking his chin, "And there's the clue found by Luo..."
He suddenly stopped, a sentence from Luo surfaced in his mind —
"There are rats, stealing my stuff..."
"For God's sake," Yu Sheng muttered to himself, "could they really be playing on such a grand scale...?"
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