As soon as these words came out, the passionate discussion in the earpieces fell silent.
After a moment, Yu Chi was the first to speak.
“Captain, do you mean the ‘School Rules’ has a shielding-type ability?”
Tan Linyan remained noncommittal.
“It’s just my guess.”
He lowered his eyes, his fingers tapping on his phone.
He contacted Zhou Haizhi once again to ask for Bian Ying’s address.
Upon receiving the reply, his gaze flickered.
The Lower District…
Right, if she didn’t live in the Lower District, how could he have been so lucky to meet her during that Deceit incident?
After a good sleep, Bian Ying woke up feeling completely refreshed.
She glanced at her phone and found it had automatically shut down from a dead battery.
Not paying it much mind, she grabbed a cable to charge it before opening her bedroom door.
The next second, she shut the door, then opened it again in disbelief.
“…”
She wondered, “Did a thief break into my house?”
The living room outside was bright and spotless, with everything arranged neatly in its proper place.
The floor was so polished it looked like a brand-new house.
The dirt that had originally seeped into the floorboards had been thoroughly scrubbed away, and the cracked plaster on the walls had been completely repaired.
The living room light was old and had lost its brightness long ago; sometimes it even flickered as if it had a loose connection.
But now, Bian Ying saw a warm yellow glow illuminating every corner of the living room, as bright as if the bulb had just left the factory.
The scent of air freshener wafted through the air, almost entirely masking the damp, decaying smell of the old house.
“Mother~”
Eight Evils waited obediently for its mother’s praise.
Only then did Bian Ying remember that a thief hadn’t broken into her house—a Deceit had.
Her mind went completely blank.
Staring at a tentacle that still had a rag draped over it, she asked, driven by some inexplicable impulse, “Did you clean this?”
“Uh-huh!”
The tentacles swayed as if claiming credit.
“How could I let Mother live in such a terrible place?
Oh, right, Mother, I also finished writing your work report.”
“???”
Bian Ying’s eyes widened.
She marched over to the computer in two or three strides and browsed through the three-thousand-word work report.
The more she read, the more unbelievable it seemed.
This work report might not be exactly her style, but it was at least seventy percent similar!
And there were actually three whole pages dedicated to praising her superiors.
Eight Evils was still trying hard to claim credit.
“Mother, I learned a lot of things on the internet and even referenced your previous reports.
Are you satisfied?”
No wonder it looked so similar; He had actually referenced her past “masterpieces.” Bian Ying was more than satisfied.
She simply couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of her lips.
She thought, “Did heaven see how miserable my life was and specially send a Little Snail over?”
What?
The Little Snail was a Deceit?
Bian Ying picked out a few spots and made some minor edits to make the work report completely fit her style.
Now, her work was genuinely finished in the blink of an eye.
In an incredibly pleasant mood, Bian Ying looked at the tentacles with utmost gentleness.
“You did a great job.”
What could be more joyful than getting an omnipotent slave for free?
Bian Ying was absolutely certain that there was no greater happiness than this.
He was praised by Mother!
The tentacles trembled with excitement and shyness.
They coyly drew closer, greedily absorbing their mother’s scent.
It was not enough…
It was far from enough.
They wanted to lean into Mother’s warm and reassuring embrace.
KNOCK KNOCK.
The sudden knocking interrupted the tentacles’ emotional journey.
Realizing there was someone outside, the originally docile tentacles instantly became dangerous.
It was that human man who tried to steal Mother again!
“Bian Ying, are you home?”
She thought, “Senior Tan?”
Bian Ying was taken aback.
She wondered, “How did Tan Linyan find my house?
Could it be because…”
She glanced at the tentacles that were baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, looking as though they wanted to pierce right through the front door to grab him.
Her eyelids twitched violently.
She thought, “Oh no, I forgot to report this to the Investigation Bureau.”
But the Little Snail hadn’t really done anything…
He was just a mommy’s boy Deceit!
The scales in Bian Ying’s heart tilted silently.
“Alright, alright.” She hurriedly picked up the computer, opened the master bedroom door, and shoved the laptop under the quilt.
She then warned, “If you don’t want to be caught and taken back, hide well.
Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you.”
The tentacles froze.
The space beneath the quilt was filled with Mother’s sweet fragrance and the lingering warmth of her body.
It was cozy and warm, almost entirely wrapping the tentacles within it.
Their minds went dizzy, and they nodded blankly.
Bian Ying locked the bedroom door and turned to answer the front door.
“Senior Tan?
What brings you here?”
“…It’s good that you’re okay.”
Tan Linyan looked at Bian Ying, who was wearing pajamas with messy hair and a lingering trace of sleepiness in her eyes.
He silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry for dropping by so suddenly.
I called you several times, but you didn’t answer.
I was afraid something might have…”
He pursed his lips, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid, and instead looked into the apartment.
She thought, “Dropping by suddenly?”
Bian Ying eyed the items he was carrying in his hands.
It didn’t look like a sudden visit at all.
Seeing as he had brought gifts, Bian Ying stepped aside to let him in.
“My phone was turned off.
Did something happen?”
“Sorry to intrude.” Tan Linyan handed over the items in his hands.
“I didn’t have time to prepare anything expensive…”
“You’re too polite, Senior Tan.”
Bian Ying accepted them with a beaming smile.
Tan Linyan watched her check the contents of the bag with sparkling eyes, her dark pupils dyed with sheer happiness.
He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
But remembering the purpose of his trip, his expression turned serious.
“Bian Ying, the ‘School Rules’ escaped.”
“That high-risk Deceit?
Didn’t the Investigation Bureau already…”
“He likely escaped using a special ability.
I was worried He would come looking for you to seek revenge, which is why I rushed over.
As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
She thought, “Seek revenge?”
Bian Ying tilted her head.
There was no revenge to be sought, but there was certainly a repayment of gratitude.
Bian Ying smiled.
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Tan.”
Tan Linyan retracted his gaze.
The house was very clean; it didn’t look like it had been polluted by a Deceit.
“Did…
did you encounter any other Deceits on your way back?”
“Hmm?” Bian Ying lifted her eyelids in confusion.
Tan Linyan said with a solemn expression, “Zan Chen detected a lingering concentration of Deceits in the apartment.”
“…”
She thought, “Deceitful Devices actually have this ability?”
“Senior Tan, this is the Lower District.” She blinked.
“Isn’t that completely normal?”
The Lower District had suffered several Deceit outbreaks.
Two years ago, an ultra-high-risk Deceit had even appeared, but that incident had been controlled in a timely manner and hadn’t spread to the Upper City District.
However, since then, the pollution level in the Lower District had worsened, and the air was constantly filled with an unrelenting fog.
Tan Linyan came to his senses and nodded helplessly.
“I’m sorry…
If it weren’t for you, this mission wouldn’t have gone nearly as smoothly.
I will fight to get you promoted to a full-time agent.”
Once she became a full-timer, she could leave the Lower District.
Bian Ying smiled.
“Then I’ll have to thank you very much, Senior Tan.”
Tan Linyan had only come to ensure Bian Ying’s safety.
Having confirmed it, he soon took his leave.
Bian Ying quickly walked to the bedroom door, opened it, and went inside.
“Little Snail?” she called out, but the tentacles remained completely still.
Bian Ying frowned and lifted the quilt.
She saw the tentacles, which looked as though they had turned into a puddle of water, seemingly melting right into her bed.
She couldn’t help but be startled.
She thought, “…Could they have suffocated to death?”