Chapter 87: Flesh and Blood

Rong Le continued to sink in the deep sea.

His consciousness was clear and he was able to think about some things, such as which time point he was thinking about going back to.

He found that he was beginning to control the door in the deepest part of his consciousness.

This shows that he can control the time nodes and choose the timeline he wants to jump to at will, which confirms what KP said at the beginning.

However, be careful not to get lost in the long river of time and space.

Rong Le closed her eyes, a series of people and situations flashed through her mind, and she finally locked onto the node of retrospection.

…

Rong Le was invited to a dinner party hosted by Uriel.

He communicated with Alice according to the trajectory of his last action. When Alice said that dolls could also have souls, the character's mission jumped by one third.

It turned out that he had already touched the soul of the doll at this time.

He nodded with a smile, said goodbye to Alice, and patiently repaired the dolls in the mansion.

After being wanted, these dolls went to the base of Bionic Man No. 1 with the help of the Archives and participated in the final war.

They were heading towards the central building, which was also the place with the densest concentration of runaway bionic people and the strictest security.

He knew that they just wanted to be closer to their master.

During the dinner, Rong Le looked at Uriel, who was sitting in the main seat and looked proud, having not seen him for a long time.

If one hadn't seen it with one's own eyes, who would have believed that this noble boy could withstand such tremendous torture? No matter what he became, his proud spine never bent even a bit.

He protected the puppets and took them under his wing.

Even after enduring painful suffering, the blue eyes still sparkled.

He chose to go back to the time when Uriel had not yet been captured. Since there was no conflict of interest between them, he could naturally cooperate with him.

He wanted Uriel to use himself as bait so that they could join forces inside and outside to fight the enemy.

So this time Rong Le went straight to the point and pointed out what Uriel had done.

Uriel was silent for a long time.

His concern was obviously the puppets in the mansion. Rong Le was like an enthusiastic salesman, introducing her next plan to him.

Their strength alone is far from enough. The cult acts lawlessly, and protecting the safety of an entire city requires sufficient power support.

He will also introduce foreign aid and invite friendly organizations from outside to cooperate with Miskatonic University.

There is nothing shameful in cooperation. This is called risk transfer. Once the risk is transferred, it is equivalent to no risk, Rong Le thought very confidently.

His trick of using the tiger's skin to deceive Uriel was very effective in convincing Uriel that the power gathered from multiple organizations obviously had the ability to resist.

In fact, he had no other choice.

If he wants to protect the puppets in the mansion, he can't avoid Han Shangyan.

Rong Le was not yet an investigator at the University of Michigan, so he did not have the same contact channels as last time, but he had Bai Yue's contact information.

Baiyue said at that time that we could contact him at any time.

So Rong Le immediately called the boy’s mother.

Obviously, they have never lost contact and have maintained close communication for two years.

Baiyue, who received the call, greeted him very sincerely and was very happy that he asked for help as soon as he called. He would immediately find a way to come and help him clean up the mess.

Rong Le: “.”

Ah, that’s great.

Baiyue obviously has considerable power in the University of Michigan. As long as he wants, he can leverage a lot of resources, and he has also heard about the situation in the Mechanical City.

Since the area around the Mechanical City was blocked by the cult, Miskatonic University did not receive sufficient intelligence.

After understanding the seriousness of the Mechanical City, this case was directly classified as an A-level task. The relevant procedures were handled quickly, and a considerable team was formed on the same day to head to the coordinates of the Mechanical City.

In the report file of this operation, Rong Le is listed as a wild investigator.

Yan Liu is in charge of the reception at the collection hall, and the A grade is enough to attract the attention of the school.

Rong Le was waiting for the luxurious lineup that Bai Yue brought. These investigators from the University of Michigan made up for the lack of professionalism to a certain extent.

And he can use his connections with Baiyue to bring this new team under his control.

But Rong Le didn't expect that with the arrival of Baiyue, his life would become dire straits.

*

Baiyue was indeed being taken advantage of by him. The team that came included not only investigators from the University of Michigan, but also members of his own family.

In recent years, he has begun to take over family affairs, and his aura of a president has become increasingly stronger.

On the one hand, he wanted to suppress the pagans and recover the Book of the Dead, and on the other hand, he wanted to gain benefits for his family.

Therefore, after landing, Baiyue openly showed his identity as a stranger and contacted Han Shangyan directly as a consortium.

After he attracted everyone's attention, Mi Da and others disguised themselves and sneaked into the Mechanical City in a low-key manner.

Obviously, he was planning to stab the enemy in the back.

With the various identities of a wildlife investigator, a temporary contact person of the collection museum, a long-time friend of the team leader, and the friendly aura of the android, Rong Le became the contact person of the Michigan University investigation team and took on the role of coordination and command.

The University of Michigan's attitude towards the new organization, the Archives, is relatively polite.

They don't care about too many things, and to some extent, the collection's philosophy coincides with theirs.

The captain of the investigation team is an experienced warrior with an oriental face, a strong and sturdy build, a thick beard, and a samurai sword at his waist.

He claimed his name was Yamamotoji and that he practiced Japanese kendo.

At first glance, the name sounded familiar, and Rong Le quickly recalled the memory.

Yamamotoji will be Tina's kendo teacher in the future and the husband of Anna, the director of the Polish Tri Library, and their future relationship will obviously be quite good.

Yamamotoji is still a golden bachelor now. He has no troubles in love life. He is a little taciturn and has a serious personality. You can feel that he values ​​every word Rong Le says.

Rong Le: "Your identities have been arranged. Since identity IDs are difficult to obtain, you will be residents of the marginal city area and recruited by the noble Uriel to become employees of the mansion and provide him with various services."

"You have a temporary ID that can be used to handle various inspections within the city. The content of your mission is already stated in the investigation report."

"The main mission is to protect the residents, prevent the pagans from attacking civilians, and collect the last copy of the Necronomicon scattered throughout the city and share it with the school. In return, we will print one of the other two copies and give it to the school."

Rong Le: "The Archives is responsible for fighting against the cult, and Bionic Man No. 1 is responsible for launching the general attack. We each bear important responsibilities."

“I’m grateful to the University of Michigan for its willingness to lend a hand in this incident. I believe we can achieve perfect cooperation.”

Yamamotoji: "The ideals of the Archives are very noble. I admire the director's courage to cooperate with Bionic Man No. 1 to fight against the cult and the local tyrants. I admire this decision very much."

"Moreover, if we ignore the cult's desire to obtain the Necronomicon, this outcome is not what we want to see."

"Then we have reached a consensus."

Rong Le smiled slightly. The Michigan University investigation team was obviously bewitched by his gentle and reliable appearance and trusted him very much.

After a brief communication, a professor praised him as a young talent and wanted him to study at the University of Michigan and become his disciple.

Rong Le joked with a hint of distress, "I'm afraid that's impossible, because Baiyue invited me two years ago. I told him that I would go there, but not as a student."

If you are not a student, then you are a teacher.

Professors specially hired by the University of Michigan are all excellent investigators. The professor was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Okay, then I'll wait for you at the University of Michigan!"

The atmosphere was joyful for a while. After Rong Le got familiar with them for a while, she settled them down and left.

They need to get familiar with the Mechanical City for at least a few days before being picked up by Uriel.

Rong Le had just returned to the studio when a new guest arrived.

The wind chimes at the door made a crisp sound.

Bai Yue put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly into the studio. His custom-made leather shoes stepped on the marble in the hall, his crisp suit was casually open, and his hair was neatly combed back, revealing his smooth forehead. Nika was instantly shocked by the rich man's dress.

She rushed over quickly: "Guest, do you need any service?"

Zero swore he had never heard Nika's voice so passionate.

If Nika knew what he was thinking, she would definitely scold him for not knowing how expensive food and daily necessities are.

She is in charge of the studio's finances, and both purchasing costs and various living expenses are a considerable amount of money.

It's just that the customers here usually don't have a lot of money, and Rong Le is sometimes kind-hearted, so the studio's income and expenditure can only barely balance.

Although she had no worries about food and clothing, Nika's heart still bleeds when she sees the pitiful number on the bill.

...I guess I've gotten on a pirate ship.

In short, I finally met a big fat sheep, no, a big customer, and I must make a lot of money from him no matter what!

The customer, whose name was "I'm expensive" written all over him, looked around the workshop and said, "I'm looking for the mechanic here. He's here, right?"

Nika said gently, "Yes, the mechanic is free right now. Is there anything I can help you with? Repairs or replacements?"

Baiyue: "No, I'm Rong Le's friend."

“…”Not a customer.

Nika pointed and said, "The workshop, go in by yourself."

His attitude suddenly became cold and ruthless.

Is this a bionic doll? It’s really interesting.

Baiyue smiled and walked in with interest. The workshop where the mechanic usually worked was always chaotic yet orderly. Behind the door was a large room. Various mechanical parts were placed on the long workbench opposite the door.

There was a smell of engine oil in the air. He looked past it and saw Rong Le with her back to him.

Rong Le sat on a chair, looking down at a torn book quietly, as if she was absorbed in it, and didn't even notice someone entering the workshop.

"What book are you reading so intently?"

Suddenly, a shadow came from behind, blocking the light from his reading. Rong Le raised his eyebrows and looked up at the person who came.

He said cryptically, "...Wow."

This look, full of mature aggressiveness and social stability, is very different from Baiyue in the Qiuhai period when he just graduated, but it is more sharp than in the Polante period, like a sharp knife that has just been sharpened.

Having not seen Bai Yue for such a long time, Rong Le could sense the obvious danger in him. Even when he approached, she felt a little uneasy.

Bai Yue tugged at his tie, and understood what Rong Le meant without needing to be told, and said with a smile:

"This is obviously more in line with the position of the head of the consortium, right? That Han Shangyan has been intimidated by my performance and now values ​​me as a major client very much."

Rong Le: "The aura is so strong that I don't know what to say."

Baiyue raised an eyebrow: "Do you like it?"

He smiled and didn't answer.

Bai Yue casually took off his tie and unbuttoned his collar, and his whole temperament suddenly relaxed.

He had grown taller than when he was in Qiu Hai's period. Even when he was leaning lazily on the chair, one could vaguely see that he was tall and straight. He had gradually changed from a young man to a mature man.

From the moment he appeared on the screen, the screams from the barrage never stopped.

“Aa ...

"awsl, help me, how did this man become so handsome!"

"So the Baiyue had such a strong presence in their youth? That waist, those legs, shashasha, I'm so blind!"

"This is too aggressive! Help! Is it my illusion? Why do I feel that the way he looks at Rongrong is not innocent?"

"Upstairs, it's not your illusion, his eyes really aren't that innocent."

"They're so direct and unconcealed, it feels like they'll devour you if you show even the slightest weakness."

Bai Yue casually pulled a chair from the side and sat down next to Rong Le.

Rong Le calmly moved to the side, trying to create some distance.

Baiyue's temperament is at its most youthful and vigorous stage, and has not yet reached the maturity and restraint of the Polante period. The aggressiveness in the whole person is not concealed at all, making people want to escape.

Bai Yue pulled him over: "Why are you hiding? Do you remember how long it has been since we last met?"

Rong Le's eyes shifted: "It's only been two years."

Baiyue: "Isn't two years long enough? Don't go too far."

Rong Le said confidently, "Two years isn't a long time at all. It just flew by in my eyes."

Baiyue was so angry that he laughed at his extremely annoying attitude.

Why did he initially think Rong Le was a young man with heavy responsibilities?

He's clearly a little devil with a bad temper who can cause trouble everywhere if he's not careful.

It was not until later, as time went by and he got along with Rong Le, that he slowly came to his senses and realized that Rong Le was trying to gain his sympathy.

In fact, he is a lawless little devil with a bad temper.

But none of that matters now.

As he got to know Rong Le better, their relationship became closer and closer. According to worldly standards, they were good friends who had known each other since their youth.

With Rong Le's awkward personality, the fact that she was able to ask for his help was, to some extent, a sign of trust in him.

"You dare to come here right after leaving the Han family? Should I say you are bold enough or too impulsive?"

Rong Le turned her head and looked up from bottom to top, staring at him with a pair of cat eyes.

Bai Yue said calmly: "It will be much easier to shake off the tail after pretending to enter the outer city for sightseeing."

Given his superb skills, this level is just a drizzle.

Rong Le curled his lips in a good mood, not wanting to admit that the strange feeling he felt when he saw Bai Yue disappeared in the blink of an eye, and the Bai Yue in front of him was still the person he was familiar with.

"So where are you going to stay? Let me tell you, the studio is completely empty."

Baiyue sat upright on a chair, legs crossed as he looked at him. His good upbringing was evident in these details. He tilted his head and asked, "Aren't you going to take me in?"

Rong Le: "You really haven't prepared a place to stay... Forget it, just come back with me to rest."

Baiyue was not surprised by this result at all and had already begun to look around at the layout here.

Rong Le threw the book to him, interrupting his observation, and stood up to put away the tools that were scattered around.

He clutched the book in his arms, looked at the young man's relaxed figure, and smiled helplessly.

Finally, I saw him.

Something had once sounded the alarm for him, telling him that although he had gotten close enough to the vigilant green-eyed cat, it was not yet time to reap the rewards.

Otherwise, if you are not careful, you might scare people away.

Therefore, he could only take it step by step.

Baiyue lowered his eyes slightly to hide the darkness in his eyes.

…

Rong Le soon realized that she had made a wrong decision.

"You live here?"

Bai Yue arrived at the house where he lived and changed into slippers at the door. His tall stature made the room seem much narrower. He walked into the house and looked around before asking.

Rong Le turned her head and asked, "Is there any problem?"

Bai Yue pondered for a moment: "Nothing, I just didn't expect you to wrong yourself and live in a place like this."

Rong Le was silent for a moment.

Although the surrounding environment is not luxurious, it is not shabby either.

In a city like the Mechanical City where every inch of land is worth a lot of money, his place of residence is very consistent with his personality, and he also has a good income. "Where do you think I should live?"

Bai Yue smiled and said, "I don't mean anything else. It's just that the impression we made when we first met was too deep, so..."

It turns out it was referring to the time when he was still the student council president.

At that time, his character was indeed very cold and broken, and it was a version of the beautiful, strong and miserable one.

So a person's first impression is very important. Baiyue probably always associated him with a high and mighty scene and never thought about how he looked like he had to endure hardships.

Rong Le: "I'm sorry that Young Master has to sleep in a commoner's house like mine. I hope you can forgive me for my poor hospitality."

Baiyue tactfully shut up and followed his instructions to get herself ready. When it was almost time for bed, she hesitantly asked, "Where do I sleep?"

Rong Le raised an eyebrow: "There is no extra place for you to sleep in the bachelor apartment. You only have two choices, the sofa or sleeping on the bed with me."

It would be difficult for an adult to sleep on the sofa in the living room, let alone Bai Yue, who is nearly 1.9 meters tall. When he lies down, part of his ankles will be exposed.

So the Baiyue actually had no choice at all.

Rong Le was still muttering about who told him not to prepare a place to live, but it was too late to regret it now. When Bai Yue was at Han's house, he directly declined the room arranged for him by Han Shangyan, saying that he had his own plans.

Without an identity ID and capital to pave the way, the Baiyue people can only find a place to live in the marginal urban areas or sleep on the streets.

He didn't notice Bai Yue's pupils trembling, and concluded with finality: "I don't dislike you at all, so don't be picky. I took you in out of kindness."

Baiyue pretended to be calm: "...Don't worry, I'll sleep here."

Rong Le nodded in satisfaction. When it was time to go to bed, Bai Yue stood by the bed for a while and then lay down on the other side of the bed.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Have you slept?"

"No."

"...Are you going to sleep?"

"...Baiyue, you are very annoying."

Baiyue shut his mouth.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard the sound of even breathing. He turned his head and saw the young man lying flat on the bed with his hands folded, falling asleep peacefully.

Unlike her usual appearance, Rong Le sleeps in a very well-behaved state, as if she was taught strictly. When she is quiet, her eyes and brows are calm, and she is almost defenseless.

Baiyue's Adam's apple couldn't help but roll.

He raised his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, repeatedly telling himself not to look anymore, but his gaze seemed to have a consciousness of its own as he stared at the young man, as if guarding a treasure that could be easily lost.

Baiyue had no doubt that as long as he dared to show any other emotional tendencies, the cat, which was very wary of people, would immediately stay away from him and observe him from a safe distance.

Then there will be no chance to get close to him like this.

To this day, he still doesn't know which step he took correctly to get himself on Rong Le's trust list.

He was willing to participate in more of Rong Le's affairs, but in the process, for some reason he couldn't take his eyes off Rong Le.

At first I just wanted to observe him.

But what does it matter?

At least he was in the position closest to Rong Le, and Baiyue would not miss the opportunity, unlike some people who would just hide in the dark and observe.

He will be the one who finally touches and hugs Rong Le.

He will be the only inseparable part of this decadent world and countless world lines.

“…”

In the void, it seemed as if something was surging and trying to appear.

…

Rong Le woke up from her dream.

He knew clearly that he was dreaming, but the content of the dream was beyond his control.

When he realized he was dreaming, he was being pressed down on the bed.

“…”

Rong Le opened her mouth, and her nimble fingers moved in and out of her mouth. Her eyes were covered with a layer of black cloth, and she could not see anything clearly, only hazy light and shadows.

The saliva made a sizzling sound, and the sticky liquid could not be swallowed in time, flowing from the corner of his mouth all the way to his cheek. It was gently wiped clean by someone. Someone chuckled, as if making fun of his embarrassment.

Rong Le angrily tried to bite off the rebellious finger, but her mouth was stretched open by someone, revealing tender, red, and moist soft flesh. The person came closer to observe, as if studying some strange creature.

"very beautiful."

He finally exclaimed.

The voice sounded familiar. Although the physical sensation was uncomfortable, Rong Le still tried to clear her head and think about where she had heard this voice before.

I'm upset, my mind is in a mess, I can't think at all...

"Rongrong, you're offering yourself up like this, do you want me to do something to you?"

He chuckled.

He recognized who it was.

Rong Le's mind exploded with a buzzing sound.