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The next day, in Ai Qing's office.
Behind the desk, a girl rested her chin on her hand, looking intently at Huai Shi behind the desk: "So, what's the deal with your appearance?"
"It's a long story," Huai Shi mumbled.
His voice was definitely not clear under the full-coverage helmet.
In fact, not only his face was covered, but he was also wrapped in a layer of airtight clothing from head to toe, with a layer of liquid latex filling and a sealed layer inside, almost like a biochemical-level protection.
Not an inch of skin was exposed.
He looked completely eerie.
He was stopped by the police several times on the street, and if it weren't for the special department's badge, he wouldn't have made it to Ai Qing's office.
"A long story?" Ai Qing raised her eyebrows. "Then make it short."
Huai Shi hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to explain.
"Um... I'm sick."
"Okay," Ai Qing nodded, expressionless. "I can see that."
Huai Shi had a hard time speaking.
In fact, he was really sick.
Even now, every time he breathed, countless strains of bacteria spread into the air from his skin and lungs.
Due to the excessive vitality after advancing, the talent of the mountain ghost was active 24 hours a day. Not only did it spread wherever he went, but even the ash of calamity and the newly acquired plague aura spread with his breath.
If left unchecked, after sitting in a public place for ten minutes, there would be few people who could breathe, let alone stand. Even without a vaccine, ordinary people would be doomed if they encountered the border flu.
And not only was he responsible for killing, but he also provided a one-stop service for graveyards...
Thinking of this, he got a headache.
But there was no way to solve this problem. It should be said that it was not a disadvantage, but rather an advantage. Now he was essentially carrying a 24-hour buff of vigorous energy.
To solve this, he could only use time and effort, waiting for him to get used to the mountain ghost's Holy Mark and digest it.
But it was hard to say about the time.
It could be as long as half a month, or as short as two days. No one could say for sure.
So he could only go out like this.
Keeping the advancement a secret was not a solution, and Ai Qing was his boss. Morally and legally, he shouldn't hide it.
He decided to be honest.
"I've advanced."
"Hmm?"
Ai Qing was stunned for a moment, seemingly shocked by his speed and honesty, then nodded slowly. "In that case, your disappearance for half a month makes sense."
Other than that, she didn't say anything else, not even any other questions.
"Mountain Ghost," Huai Shi added.
"..."
Ai Qing was silent for a long time, surprised. "From the name, is it the Holy Mark of the East Lineage?"
"Yes," Huai Shi nodded.
Then her expression became strange, looking at Huai Shi suspiciously for a long time, and tentatively asked, "Is the weather in Southeast Asia okay recently?"
"What Southeast Asia? I don't know..." Huai Shi said halfway, suddenly remembering a certain transgender country, and his face under the mask turned green. "I'm a man! Pure! 24k pure!"
"Fine," Ai Qing shook her head regretfully, making Huai Shi suddenly feel confused. What are you regretting? I didn't go through a sex change, so why are you unhappy?
The office was suddenly filled with a sense of persecution.
Huai Shi couldn't scratch his head through the helmet, so he could only sigh helplessly and try to steer the conversation back on track. After clearing his throat, he asked seriously, "So, what's going on? Are we going on a business trip?"
"Urgent mobilization," Ai Qing said halfway, then couldn't help but sneer, "Actually, it's not that urgent, just formalism... But in order to make it in time to accompany the Crown Prince for his studies, we need to arrive in Jinling before six o'clock in the evening.
After that... you probably have other tasks."
As she spoke, she showed the notice from Jinling and pushed her wheelchair out from behind the desk. "Is everything packed?"
"If you're talking about the chemical protection equipment, it's all here," Huai Shi pointed to the oversized suitcase next to his chair, sighing helplessly.
"Then let's go."
Ai Qing seemed to be suppressing her displeasure and said gloomily, "I really hope this trip will be quick."
Outside the window, the roar of a helicopter sounded, landing in the backyard flower bed from the sweeping hurricane, crushing the carefully tended flowers and grass into mud.
"Are we in such a hurry?"
"When you have a family waiting for you to move forward, don't complain that time is passing too quickly."
After a moment of silence, Ai Qing looked down at the bulging veins on the back of her hand, her expression dark.
She said, "I have a bad feeling."
Three hours later, at four o'clock in the afternoon.
***
In the rest area of the Jinling Astronomical Society branch, Huai Shi suddenly had a bad feeling too.
Originally, he would have thought that the department of the Astronomical Society would be located in a mysterious place where few people had been, or that it would require certain qualifications and experiences to enter, but he didn't expect this large office building to be located in the bustling commercial district of Jinling.
There was a whole building in the prime location of the old street corner.
Boldly displaying the sign of the International Astronomical Society, people came and went, and you could take an elevator up without seeing anything special.
No, for Huai Shi, it should be coming down, as he arrived by helicopter.
Since there were no workstations for staff from other regions in the branch, Huai Shi had to stay in the huge rest area before going through the formalities.
It was called a rest area, but it was actually similar to a bar or coffee shop.
Elegant environment, warm atmosphere, and most importantly, free drinks!
Milk tea, smoothies, alcoholic beverages...
All! Free!Huai Shi felt so frustrated he wanted to rip off his helmet and take advantage of the situation. Wearing this darn thing, he couldn't even drink a milk tea and could only watch others enjoy themselves.
So annoying!
The emergency mobilization in Jinling seemed quite urgent this time. It could be said that most of the operatives from the southeastern region had already arrived one after another.
At a glance, there were roughly seventy to eighty Sublimators, who seemed to know each other well, sitting in groups and chatting leisurely, waiting for the meeting above to end and the orders to be conveyed.
Old Xiao and Yue Jun hadn't arrived yet, so Huai Shi could only sit alone in a corner, without even a drink to order, staring blankly at the green plants on the table in front of him.
His peculiar outfit attracted quite a few glances, as it was indeed rare to see fully armed operatives in such a place.
After seeing Huai Shi's outfit, many were speculating which department he belonged to, looking as if he was part of the biochemical defense force, exuding an aura of coldness that said 'keep out'.
But Huai Shi was suffering inside.
Behind the black visor, he pretended not to notice the curious looks of others and quietly swallowed his bitterness while continuing to put on airs.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before someone approached and struck up a conversation.
"Hey buddy, nice to meet you, I'm Chen Yan, an operative from the branch."
The newcomer was a young man with a slightly punk Mohawk, but his smile was refreshingly pleasant.
He pointed to the seat opposite Huai Shi: "May I sit here?"
"Please, feel free."
On the sofa, the sharp-angled full-coverage helmet nodded slightly, and the muffled voice carried a hint of hoarseness, sounding stern and indifferent.
In reality, Huai Shi was almost suffocating.
It was so hot!
He wanted to turn on the air conditioning!
Chen Yan was momentarily taken aback by the imposing manner, but the subtle sense of intimidation emanating from Huai Shi left him with no doubt about its authenticity, simply attributing it to an aversion to social contact.
Understandable.
Chen Yan also knew that people from these special departments often had to deal with various terrible threats and, for the sake of secrecy, rarely interacted with others, not out of intentional coldness.
After a warm smile, he sat down and started chatting with Huai Shi, not rashly asking for his name or job, just making small talk. Soon, Huai Shi's responses confirmed Chen Yan's suspicions.
Before long, the two became familiar with each other. It was clear that Chen Yan had a warm heart, and he even introduced a few friends to join them, successfully rescuing Huai Shi from his awkwardness.
It's better to be lively.
Although his outfit was still bizarre, it was no longer as eye-catching as before.
"Ah, if it's your first time in Jinling, then you must take a good look around. There are many nice places at the branch. After I finish my shift, I can show you around."
During their conversation, Chen Yan enthusiastically said to Huai Shi, "Many workshops have opened branches here, and there are lots of good items! Even if you don't buy, it's worth it just to look!"
"Sure," Huai Shi was quite interested, "Let's go together."
As they talked, Huai Shi's movements suddenly froze when he overheard the conversation of the people sitting next to him.
"Hey, have you heard?"
An operative named Luo Ming paused, lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously, "Recently, there's a pervert named Huai Shi among the operatives who likes to confess to girls just over fourteen."
What the heck?
Huai Shi was stunned.
"That's not all!" Chen Yan snorted coldly, "I heard that guy is audacious, daring to harass minors right in front of Xuan Niao. Now he seems to be on the Social Security Bureau's blacklist, and many from the bureau say they'll break his legs on sight!"
"Really?" The others were incredulous.
"Breaking his legs is letting him off easy!" Someone's expression darkened, "If I catch whoever is bringing shame to our Astronomical Society, I'll definitely kill him."
"Yeah, count me in," the others were filled with righteous indignation.
"Me too!"
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"I'll break his damn legs!"
That's too much!
Behind the mask, Huai Shi trembled, tears welling up in his eyes.
It was just a slip of the tongue, big brother, why has my reputation turned into that of a rapist?!
"Um... I think..."
Huai Shi mustered the courage to speak, and in an instant, everyone's gaze turned to him, serious and attentive, eager to hear the masked man's profound insights.
But facing those murderous faces, Huai Shi couldn't help but swallow hard, and after a long struggle, he could only lamely express, "Yeah, that's really low."
Seeing even the aloof masked man angered, the others immediately nodded in agreement, cursing, "He's a beast!"
"Scum!"
"Degenerate!"
"A wolf in sheep's clothing!"
"Worse than pigs and dogs!"
I didn't do it, I'm not...
Behind the mask, Huai Shi could already see his social demise, wishing he could cover his face and run away crying.
Why did it turn out like this? It was his first time in Jinling, his first time meeting so many friendly colleagues, two happy events overlapping...
As he silently wept, he suddenly heard a voice from behind.
It was so soft and polite, yet chillingly seemed to come from the depths of hell.
"Excuse me, is Mr. Huai Shi here?"
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