(Note: Changed Osten to Auston)
In the darkroom.
Luo Qiu gently placed the photo paper, which had been exposed and enlarged, into the developing tray that Miss Maid had already prepared.
The pure white paper slowly revealed black-and-white patterns, like ink dissolving in water. He savored the process.
Under the dark red safety light, Luo Qiu looked up and caught Miss Maid’s gaze—they shared a smile.
After 60 seconds, Luo Qiu used a new pair of tweezers to lift the photo from the developing tray and placed it into the stop bath. After about ten seconds, he transferred it into the fixer tray.
When the tir reached 30 seconds, Luo Qiu smiled in satisfaction, lifted the finished photo, and rinsed off the chemicals with distilled water.
He had no intention of speeding up the drying process… though separating the liquid from the paper could be done ntally, he preferred to watch it dry naturally.
It would be a process to enjoy.
“Where will the master put it?” Miss Maid asked softly.
Luo Qiu smiled. “Just hide it.”
Like that little leather ball, or a tiny tray of gem flowers, or perhaps just a single seed—You Ye knew their master always liked collecting these little things.
Small as they were, the intent embedded in them was like subrged agarwood beads, their fragrance lingering for a long ti.
It wasn’t about store profits, just the master’s collecting habit… For this hobby, Miss Maid always allowed it, gradually growing fond of these items herself.
The developing was done in private; another finished piece had long since been sent to the happy family who had left.
“Hmm… using the studio’s equipnt,” Luo Qiu noted.
Before leaving, Boss Luo restored the props to their original condition and weight… directly paying for them would have seed odd.
The real studio boss was asleep in the lounge… technically, it was already closing ti, and his ho was upstairs anyway… so how did he fall asleep?
The studio boss shook his head in confusion. As he headed back to the store to clean up, he thought he saw two figures leaving.
He rubbed his eyes but saw nothing… probably just a trick of vision.
Never mind—nothing was missing anyway.
---
“It’s already this late.”
On the street, Luo Qiu glanced down the long avenue, like a cara panning to the end… He looked at a passing electronics store’s display cabinet.
The TV in the cabinet was playing programs from different channels… Boss Luo’s gaze lingered on the news channel.
“…Recently, several holess people have gone missing in the city. Police urge citizens to exercise caution while out.”
Luo Qiu stomped his foot.
Miss Maid whispered, “Master?”
Luo Qiu shook his head, said nothing, and turned to take Miss Maid’s hand. “Let’s walk a bit more.”
It seed Alaya was starting to prepare a new script… After redefining Ren Ziling so whimsically, the original battle between the extraordinary and the mundane was naturally postponed.
The grand script’s trajectory wouldn’t change. Since this restart chose the battle between the extraordinary and the mundane… even though the tiline was delayed, it wouldn’t wait until then to truly act.
Preparations would naturally be thorough—Ren Ziling’s previous protagonist was the ‘Plain-Clothed Dao’; now, it was unclear who the ‘main character’ would be after Ren Ziling.
Luo Qiu could have asked, as higher permissions were available… but he decided not to disturb it for now.
Sotis Luo Qiu felt a bit guilty toward Alaya No. 003, having already made it rewrite the grand script once.
With Alaya’s predictive ability, mid-script modifications weren’t difficult, but repeated rewrites would frustrate anyone with a ‘mind.’
Like a designer constantly hassled by clients, repeatedly modifying blueprints.
Suddenly, Boss Luo’s mischievous curiosity erged—he wondered if this mindless administrator could really get ‘annoyed’… it would be adorable, he imagined.
---
Dock warehouse area.
Late at night, a black 7 Series slowly drove in, stopping in front of a shipping container. Several young n keeping watch rushed over with smiles.
“Boss Cheng!”
“Good evening, Boss Cheng!”
The man exiting the car pressed a tissue to his nose… Cheng Yun disliked the sll here.
Every sll, every person… when arriving, he had passed two similar cars heading to different locations—many smuggling bosses chose this place to unload.
Cheng Yun didn’t speak, just nodded—the waiting youths understood. The lead signaled behind them, and two youths slowly opened the container while two others held iron pipes and machetes, waiting.
The container doors opened. Two strong flashlight beams shot in, revealing over ten ragged, dirty holess people, huddled and uncertain of their age.
Their eyes widened in fear, though so looked dazed.
“Boss Cheng, how’s this? Sixteen in total, all as you instructed.” The lead big bro flattered. “Picked from outside, mostly fools, no one saw. My n are clean.”
“Really?” Cheng Yun said calmly.
His slightly shrill, hoarse voice gave a sinister impression.
The lead big bro bowed repeatedly. “Of course! Whatever Boss Cheng orders, we’ll get it done!”
Cheng Yun sneered. “Is that so? I heard the police recently received several missing person reports about holess people.”
“No way!” the big bro said hastily.
“Hmph.” Cheng Yun snorted. “Don’t tell you didn’t hear? The news reported it. Fat Chicken, you think my money’s easy to make, so you can do anything?”
The lead big bro—Fat Chicken—broke out in cold sweat.
Good people fear troublemakers, slackers, and rogues. But these troublemakers also feared soone: those with authority in both governnt and business—the type they feared most.
“Y-yes!” Fat Chicken stamred. “Two of my idiots couldn’t complete the task, so they grabbed two from the train station… maybe that caused the mistake.”
“Hmph!”
“Boss Cheng, I won’t dare again. I’ll strictly control my n! Please give another chance! Next ti we’ll follow orders perfectly!” Fat Chicken swallowed nervously.
Cheng Yun just wanted to intimidate them… he always needed people for his business. Nowadays, it’s hard to do anything—many shady types have transitioned or gone legitimate in the last decade. Finding soone to work here often ant dealing with a dwindling group.
“No need.” Cheng Yun said coldly. “Since sothing went wrong, hide for now… then go sowhere else. Not here.”
“Boss Cheng, you an?” Fat Chicken hesitated.
Cheng Yun rolled his eyes. “Can’t you find people in the lower counties? One shot in one place. How did you survive out here?”
“Y-yes, got it!” Fat Chicken nodded, then shalessly asked, “Then… Boss Cheng, what about this shipnt?”
Cheng Yun glanced thoughtfully, waved, and soone behind stepped forward. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your reward! Be smarter next ti. If sothing goes wrong, take a detour through Thailand, then co back and start over!”
“What?”
Fat Chicken had no idea what that ant, only thought Thailand sounded nice—he still rembered playing a few Demon rounds there.
Hopeless… such quality.
This generation of thugs is hopeless… Cheng Yun sighed inwardly, cast one last glance at the “cargo” in the container, and muttered, “Why’s there a bald one… what bad luck!”
Not long after, the container was loaded onto a truck and slowly drove away.
---
Three researchers, looking terrified, wearing white coats and visibly exhausted from several days without proper rest, were being pushed into an office by several n.
The place was still Auston Pharmaceuticals… three days had passed since that night’s incident.
The researchers in the underground lab had no idea what had happened outside during these three days; they only knew that after the cultivation chamber exploded, they were captured by the intruders.
These three n were the main leaders of the research team—one principal and two deputies. They had expected to et Mr. House himself, but instead, it was Mr. House’s personal assistant, Jimmy.
His Chinese na: Tang Tianlin.
“You three may step out first,” said Jimmy… Tang Tianlin, waving his hand.
Several n, clearly not ordinary Auston security guards, nodded silently and left, closing the office door behind them.
Tang Tianlin sat down and studied the three leaders responsible for the underground research projects over the past few years, his gaze intimidating.
“Assistant Tang, we…”
Seeing the three nervous n, Tang Tianlin said expressionlessly, “Putting aside the woman who broke in… this experint would have failed anyway, right?”
The three trembled. The lead doctor gritted his teeth: “Assistant Tang! This is entirely my responsibility. I hid it from Mr. House… but I had no choice. Consciousness transfer isn’t sothing humanity can achieve at this stage! Forget transferring consciousness—copying it isn’t even possible! But Mr. House was pushing urgently… I really had no way! I’ll take full responsibility. Please consider our work over the years and spare them…”
“Doctor!” The two other researchers behind him were furious and distraught.
Tang Tianlin waved his hand, signaling them to calm down. “Although this experint failed, I actually think it’s not a bad thing…”
The three n froze… what did he an, “not a bad thing” despite failure?
Tang Tianlin continued calmly: “I plan to disband this research team. You three, along with your mbers, I will arrange for you to return to your original places and reunite with your families… though not imdiately.”
“I didn’t hear wrong…” The lead doctor looked at Assistant Tang in disbelief.
Mr. House would disband this research team? Impossible. No one knew better than him Mr. House’s obsession with life… unless Mr. House could no longer “reincarnate”…
Suddenly, it seed he had realized sothing.
He knew so of Mr. House’s secrets… the old man had no heirs. If Mr. House couldn’t “reincarnate,” his wealth would…
The doctor stared at Tang Tianlin in horror, speechless.
“Let it be,” Tang Tianlin said indifferently. “I’ll arrange for you to live elsewhere for now. You won’t leave imdiately, but I’ll allow you to contact your families… of course, I don’t want you to reveal what happened these past years. Five years ago, House could find you and your families. Repeating that now wouldn’t be difficult.”
“Rest assured, none of what happened these past years will be revealed!”
“Go. I’ll give each of you so money as wages for these years.” Tang Tianlin waved and pressed the desk phone.
Soon, soone ca in to take the three away.
Tang Tianlin remained alone in the office—the original office of Mr. House, located near the entrance to the underground lab.
The office lock would be replaced the next day… Tang Tianlin had found the chanism to enter the underground lab in the past two days.
After locking the door, he reopened the entrance to the underground lab.
Apart from the researchers, the guards who had originally died there had been removed… disposing of their bodies had cost him so effort.
Otherwise, the place showed no signs of cleaning—the shattered fragnts of the exploded cultivation chamber were still scattered everywhere.
Tang Tianlin walked alone into the area where the researchers had lived—a place also designed to contain disobedient personnel.
A water prison, specially built by Mr. House.
Inside, a man wearing only a white shirt, shivering in the cold water and chained, heard footsteps and beca extrely agitated.
“Let out!! Let out!! I’m Jimmy, Assistant Tang!!! I was kidnapped! Let …”
His shouting abruptly stopped, replaced by sheer terror… as he saw the man in front of him.
Wearing his clothes, even looking like him… the sa man who had appeared behind him at the club, knocked him out, and replaced him—a demon!
“Don’t co closer!! Don’t co closer!” he scread, splashing in the water prison.
‘Tang Tianlin’ squatted above calmly. “Looks like you’re still lively. Did I co too early?”
Jimmy froze, glared upward with hatred, gritting his teeth: “Qin Zheng…”
‘Tang Tianlin’ said calmly: “House won’t live much longer. When I remove his oxygen tube, that’s when he dies… don’t expect him to save you. You were, after all, just his first failed experint…”
“What do you want to do!!” Jimmy roared in the water prison. “Qin Zheng! I didn’t expect you could endure this!! You survived last ti, hid away, even had plastic surgery to look like … You want to take over the entire Auston Group!!”
“Perfect cell…” ‘Tang Tianlin’ said slowly. “Tell , where is it hidden?”
(End of Chapter)
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