Chapter 63

Zhuohua's lips curved almost imperceptibly as she reached out and pressed Shuangling's head back into her bag, giving a cold glance at the car across the street.

That gaze was devoid of emotion, yet it was like a solid icicle, instantly piercing the car window and sending a chill down the spines of the two people inside, as if they had been indifferently swept over by a prehistoric beast.

Chen Feng's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Lin Wei's face turned pale, and her fingers froze on the keyboard.

"Retreat." Chen Feng made a decisive decision, his voice hoarse. The car started silently, quickly merged into the traffic, and disappeared from sight.

"Hmph! They're smart enough to know their place!" Shuangling smugly hummed from inside her bag.

Zhuohua ignored the little incident and hailed a taxi home. Just as she unlocked her own door, Lu Xiao's door across the hall opened as well. He had clearly just returned, carrying a thick script and looking thoughtful after studying it.

"Hua Hua, you're back?" Lu Xiao's eyes softened instantly when he saw her.

"Hmm." Zhuohua walked over and naturally reached out to tidy up his hair that had been ruffled by the wind.

Shuangling immediately flew out of her bag, eager to complain: "Lu Xiao, Lu Xiao! I'm telling you! I just saw those two idiots from the Special Affairs Bureau again! They were hiding in the car peeping at Hua Hua! I yelled at them and chased them away! I called them toads! Humph!"

Lu Xiao chuckled and carefully caught the small snowball that flew towards him: "Shuang Ling is really amazing." He looked at Zhuo Hua with a questioning expression.

"It's nothing important." Zhuohua said casually, pulling him into the room. "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll help you make it."

The cozy dinner time began again. Lu Xiao was busy in the kitchen, Zhuo Hua occasionally handed him a plate, while Shuang Ling squatted in a corner of the counter, staring longingly at the bubbling tomato beef brisket in the pot, her little nose twitching and her mouth almost dripping with saliva.

"It smells so good! Lu Xiao! Add more tomatoes! I love sour things!" it commanded.

Lu Xiao smiled and agreed, then quickly got to work. The dinner for the three of them (one person, one deity, and one bird) was as warm and cozy as that of the most ordinary family.

However, the atmosphere is completely different on the other side of the city.

In Feng Qi's luxury apartment.

Wu Ying cried her eyes out, her delicate makeup ruined: "Feng Qi! Look at Lu Xiao and his girlfriend! And that damn bird! They must have done it on purpose! Deliberately humiliating me! And that old woman Su Qing actually called my agent today, saying that my 'luck is unstable' and 'be careful of backlash'? What does she mean? Is she cursing me? It must have been that woman named Zhuo Hua who orchestrated it!"

Feng Qi irritably loosened his tie, his face so dark it could drip water. He gripped his phone tightly, the screen displaying an encrypted communication interface; the latest message from the other party cast a shadow over his heart:

"The target (referring to Zhuohua) has detected the anomaly. The 'Peach Blossom Curse' feedback showed a brief period of stagnation, suspected to be due to external interference. The risk of exposure at Wu Ying's location has increased. Suspend in-depth guidance for Wu Ying and observe the target's movements. The 'Mysterious Yin Sect' will handle the subsequent sources of interference. Proceed with caution."

External interference? Feng Qi recalled the bird's disgusted expression and Zhuo Hua's icy gaze last night, and Su Qing's sudden warning today… A chill ran down his spine. That woman named Zhuo Hua… just who is she? The "Xuan Yin Sect" said they would handle it… can they really handle it?

He suppressed his unease, forcing himself to remain calm as he embraced Wu Ying, his voice carrying a barely perceptible stiffness: "Alright, stop crying. They're just a bunch of clowns. Don't take Su Qing's words to heart, what does she know? Our Yingying is a top star now, who dares to touch you? As for that Zhuohua... humph, there are plenty of fleeting stars in the entertainment industry."

However, even he himself felt somewhat unsure of his words.

Meanwhile, in the unassuming office of the Lingte Bureau, the lights were on.

On the screen in front of Lin Wei, a complex signal tracing graph was jumping wildly, eventually locking onto an extremely weak, constantly shifting encrypted signal source.

"Team leader! We've got it!" Lin Wei's voice was filled with excitement and seriousness. "Last night, the residual 'smell' in the neighborhood, the abnormal energy residue in the advertisement image associated with Wu Ying, and the abnormal encrypted communication signal near Feng Qi's apartment... these three points intersect! The signal source points to the west of the city... the 'Misty Fragrance' private club! The signal characteristics... are highly consistent with the low-frequency residue detected in the previous TV station warehouse incident! Preliminary determination: the same manipulation source!"

Chen Feng abruptly stood up, his eyes sharp as an eagle's: "Immediately mobilize the Seventh Team and prepare for action! Target location: 'Fragrance of Mystery' Club! Note that the other party may be involved in high-risk metaphysical methods and is carrying the highest level of protective equipment! Operation code name... 'Elimination'!"

He paused, then added, "...Simultaneously activate passive monitoring of 'Zhuohua.' If the 'removal' operation gets out of control...she might be the only 'insurance'."

As night deepens, beneath the city's neon lights, sweet daily life and surging undercurrents intertwine silently. The aroma of tomato and beef brisket wafts through Lu Xiao's apartment, mingled with Shuang Ling's satisfied chirping, while in another corner of the city, a campaign against the unknown darkness is about to begin.

Under the warm light of Lu Xiao's apartment, the rich, sweet and sour aroma of tomato and beef brisket dominated the air, while the bubbling sound of stewing provided a comforting background noise.

Shuangling, like a little supervisor, squatted steadily on the edge of the kitchen counter. Her bright eyes were fixed on the beef brisket chunks bubbling in the casserole, soaked with broth. Her little head bobbed up and down with the steam, and she swallowed her saliva with loud gulps.

"Lu Xiao! That piece! That big one! Is it cooked until tender? Let me have a taste!" It pointed eagerly with its little paws at a trembling piece of beef brisket in the pot, its little voice carrying an unquestionable command.

Lu Xiao chuckled, carefully picked up the "handpicked" piece of beef brisket with his chopsticks, blew on it, and placed it next to Shuang Ling's special cold jade dish: "Be careful, it's hot."

Shuangling immediately pounced on it, her little mouth grabbing one end of the meat piece. She cried out in pain from the heat but didn't let go. She breathed on it as she tore and bit into it, eating with such gusto that she was completely absorbed in it. Her little wings even opened slightly in happiness.

Zhuohua leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching this scene. A faint smile, like melting spring water, rippled in her glassy eyes. She held the script in her hand, but her mind wasn't on the words. This everyday warmth of ordinary life was, to her, a sweeter nectar than any divine elixir.

"How's the script?" she asked, watching Lu Xiao's busy figure.

Lu Xiao covered the clay pot with the lid, turned the heat to low, wiped his hands, and turned around, his face showing the focused look of someone who had just studied the script: "Very solid. The character is very challenging, with a lot of inner drama, but the logic is clear and the growth line is complete. Communication with the directing team was also very smooth." He paused, looked at Zhuohua, his eyes warm and grateful, "Thank you, Huahua."

Zhuohua walked over and naturally reached out to brush away a stray strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead: "You deserve it." Her fingertips were slightly cool to the touch, and her tone was one of unquestioning certainty.

"Chirp! And me too!"

Shuangling finally swallowed the beef brisket with difficulty, patted her belly with her little paws in satisfaction, and didn't forget to take credit, "If it weren't for my keen nose that smelled those two stinky guys, you wouldn't know there were bad guys causing trouble behind the scenes! I deserve some credit! Lu Xiao, I want to eat roasted lamb chops tomorrow! The kind with the fat!"

"Alright, alright, everyone deserves credit." Lu Xiao agreed with a smile, completely helpless against this self-proclaimed credit-taker.

Zhuohua's smile deepened, and she gently tapped Shuangling's proudly raised head with her fingertip: "Yes, Shuangling is the best. You can have a couple more pieces of beef brisket tonight."

"That's more like it!" Shuangling narrowed her emerald eyes in satisfaction, then lowered her head to work on the beef brisket in the small dish.

The cozy dinner ended with Shuangling's anticipation of the "fat lamb chops." Lu Xiao cleaned up the kitchen, while Zhuohua held Shuangling, who was now full and drowsy, in her arms, and they snuggled on the living room sofa to watch TV. Shuangling nestled against her neck like a little heater, her fluffy tail occasionally brushing against her chin, making soft purring sounds.

In this moment of tranquility that makes one want to sigh—

"Buzz...buzz..." Zhuohua's phone screen, which was on the coffee table, lit up, displaying an encrypted number. She glanced at it, her expression unchanged, and with a light swipe of her finger, answered the call and put it on speakerphone.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Chen Feng's voice came through, carrying obvious fatigue, frustration, and even a hint of barely perceptible lingering fear.

"Ms. Zhuohua, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night." Chen Feng's voice was much hoarse than when they last met. "I am Chen Feng."

Shuangling stopped snoring, and her little ears perked up alertly.

Zhuohua didn't respond, but waited for what was to come.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, seemingly organizing his thoughts, his tone unusually heavy: "...Regarding the 'Fragrance of Dew' club...we failed."

Zhuohua's eyes flickered slightly, but she remained calm.

"The defenses at the target location are far stronger than anticipated. The enemy has used an extremely insidious and unprecedented sorcery trap. The Seventh Operations Team... has suffered heavy losses."

Chen Feng's voice was filled with suppressed pain, "Three elite team members are seriously injured and unconscious, and have not yet woken up. They still have extremely domineering Yin energy remaining in their bodies, which cannot be removed by conventional means. Five others have suffered from mental pollution, and have developed severe hallucinations and self-harm tendencies... We... have paid a heavy price, but we haven't even caught a glimpse of the enemy's core figures."

He paused, his voice strained: "...During the retreat, we were ambushed. The enemy... wasn't human. It was some kind of... monster forcibly created and infused with animal resentment. The operation report and preliminary energy analysis data have been sent to your private email address via encrypted channels."

He added, with an almost resigned frankness, "We know you're not interested, but... this is currently the only lead that allows us to access the 'core'. Also... the experts in the department are helpless regarding the seriously injured team members... they won't survive 48 hours."

This last sentence, carrying a heavy plea, is no longer a businesslike request, but more like grasping at the last straw on the edge of despair.