Chapter 154 A Small Test

"Hua——" I would be a fool if I paid any attention to her!

Chen Xiao'er hung up the phone with a click, panting with anger. She let go of her senior's hand, spun around twice, and sauntered over to the window sill to enjoy the cool breeze.

Zero quietly walked behind her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

They stood at the window, looking out across the corridor at the interior garden. Men and women in light clothes were sitting on benches, talking in low voices. They were so close together, holding hands, and occasionally letting out a pleasant low laugh.

Seeing her classmates' rare leisure time, Chen Xiao'er's mood gradually improved.

She took her senior's hand again, and the two of them left the terrace and walked back along the flocked carpet.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of their footsteps melted into the music as they walked at the edge of the auditorium. When they looked up, they could see their classmates dancing on the dance floor.

Chen Xiao'er slowed down her pace, curiously gazing at the relaxed dances of her seniors. Blue Star had many dances suitable for socializing, such as Latin and waltz. But ballroom dancing on Red Star was different.

The clothes worn by the senior students dancing on the dance floor were not very elaborate. Both men and women wore loose-fitting clothes that were similar to robes.

The style of the robe is very similar to that of an empire-style long skirt, with a pair of soft-soled shoes worn under the loose skirt or trouser legs.

Their pirouettes are light and graceful, and their thin clothes dance with the music, but as you watch, you'll notice something very strange: their steps are too simple, almost crude.

Those seniors who usually show off their skills in physical education classes, when it comes to dancing, they just do small, circular steps with one clap and the other clap. The beauty of the dance is reflected entirely through a relaxed posture and a sense of rhythm. Apart from that, there is no difficulty at all.

Chen Xiao'er had never learned to dance, but there was no need to learn a dance like this.

She stared at the students on the dance floor. They did not distinguish between male and female steps, and their dance partners were not necessarily of the opposite sex. Their interaction methods were basically determined by their height.

In most beats, they just need to pirouette and tap, guided by their partner, without stepping on their feet.

The music would reach a distinct climax at regular intervals, during which the shorter partner would rest his head on the chest of his taller partner, and then the two would spin in a lovebirds-like posture.

It cannot be said that there is no aesthetic appeal. After all, young people with light figures look good no matter how they dance to the beat. But when such movements are done over and over again, the biggest meaning is just... sticking?

She turned her head and quietly looked at her senior sister's flawless profile, her cheeks slightly hot.

If~if I could* dance next to the senior, that would be nice too, right?

"?" Ling noticed her gaze, and she immediately turned her head and looked back into Xiao'er's eyes seriously.

The lights flickered, and her swan-like neck and the smooth curve of her chest formed a very charming silhouette.

Gurgle.

Chen Xiao'er blushed and swallowed her saliva, her eyes full of that smooth neck: Maybe it was because of the celebration party, Ling tied a black lace ribbon around her neck today, and the pure black ribbon made her skin look even whiter.

Ling raised his right hand without saying a word, gently held Xiao'er's cheek, then tilted his head with some worry: "Do you have a fever?" The temperature was so high.

No, although in a sense it is?

Chen Xiao'er slid her senior's hand away and coquettishly put her arm around her waist, her little head pressed against hers. She mumbled softly in her senior's arms, "I kind of want to dance..."

[0, Chen Xiao'er's application for harm testing has been approved.]

[From the moment this notice is issued, relevant tests may be started at any time, please be aware.]

"Okay." Ling decisively took her hand and took two or three steps with his long legs to the center of the dance floor.

She held the girl's hot hand, but her heart sank to the bottom: It turned out that the church had delayed the next reset so that I could test Xiao'e in the "most suitable" state.

This test not only sought to determine whether the powerful Chen Xiao'ai could be easily harmed by the church, but also whether the apostles, endowed with emotions, would become a disadvantage in their attempts to harm Chen Xiao'ai.

These two purposes are obvious to everyone, and the bishops of the church are certainly aware of them.

They will not allow such a powerful force as this to be held by the "opposite side".

If Chen Xiao'er has any possibility of betraying humanity, even if it is unconscious alienation or loss of control, someone needs to "deal with" her as quickly as possible.

If I were not an apostle who "could not betray", my last act of ignoring orders and acting on my own in the abnormal area would be considered betrayal.

Unstable factors are not allowed to exist

The control ring on her neck fit her skin tightly, but it made her feel like gagging.

Even if 999 companions could become chains that bound each other, the church still needed a controller that could take effect instantly. A "failure" like the last time must not happen again when "immediate action" was needed.

Xiao'ai is not an apostle. The existence of Zero and her cognitive problems make it impossible for her to provide any reliable promises to the church.

Therefore, the church's control over her will be stricter than that of ordinary people, until they are sure that she will not cause any harm to them under "any extreme circumstances."

Am I really Xiao'er's companion? No, closer to a jailer, or even a reserve executioner.

Self-blame tightened around Ling's throat like a snake. When he caught a glimpse of the bright smile on Xiao'ai's face out of the corner of his eye, the feeling of suffocation became even stronger.

She wants to dance.

Ling's eyelashes trembled as he repeated Chen Xiao'er's request numbly.

[Before the next reset, I will agree to any request you make] because this is all I can do for you, only a small amount.

"Wait a minute, follow me."

Chen Xiao'er suddenly stopped and walked out, dragging her hand.

Zero followed her obediently, subconsciously slowing down her pace in order not to hurt the girl's wrist.

The jet-black hair danced in front.

They held hands, their steps were exactly the same, yet they seemed to be running further and further away.

Zero's vision became blurry, then became clear again the next second.

【Cleanup completed】

…

The black-haired girl left the auditorium lightly, seemingly without attracting any attention, but the screen in the monitoring center quietly placed her close-up in the center.

Chen Xiao'er turned a corner and walked towards the stairs holding Ling's hand.

Ta-da, ta-da.

She jumped over several flights of stairs and finally stopped in the middle of the floor.

There is a long and narrow open space between the two flights of stairs. Standing here, you can not only dance, but also observe whether there is anyone passing by above or below at any time.

The best part is that the corridor is located right next to the auditorium, so you can beat the beat to the music that can be heard faintly through the walls.

"How about it, this place is suitable, right?"

Chen Xiao'er lifted the hem of her skirt and playfully stood on tiptoe and turned half a circle.

Suddenly, Ling saw a flash of light beside her ear, and he couldn't help but stretch out his hand: "This is..."

The girl didn't avoid him, but instead raised her head to face her. Chen Xiao'er gently leaned on her shoulder and tilted her ear towards her.

Ling lifted her jet-black hair and his throat moved slightly: Xiao'er's earlobes are small, which makes them look even rounder. Now, a delicate silver ear clip is clipped on this lovely earlobe.

The girl in his arms shook the ear clip, and the tiny diamonds danced on her earlobe. "I don't want to get my ears pierced. How about it~ Do they look good? Hehe, I'm afraid it will hurt, so I only wear one."

Gurgle.

Zero paid no attention to the changes in body temperature, heartbeat, or clitoris. He simply used his index finger and thumb to gently fiddle with the constantly jumping ear clip. It was clipped very loosely, hanging there precariously, like a floating elf.

As the ear clips danced, some fine white hairs were also shaking gently, and a beautiful crimson color appeared underneath.

"Haha, it's itchy~" Xiao'er punched her in annoyance. The fist was soft on the shoulder, and the earlobe touched by her fingertips was even softer, smoother than milk pudding.

The accelerated heartbeat drowned out the music, and an overflowing emotion made Zero lean forward—

jingle.

The force of her fingertips was a little out of control, and the small ear clip on her earlobe bounced off with a bang, fell to the ground, and rolled over several times with a jingle.

"Ah." Chen Xiao'er cried softly, holding up the hem of her skirt, bent down and tried to block it with her hands. But the small clip was too round, and it rolled down the stairs like flying to the bottom.

Seeing her fluffy duckling behavior, Zero unconsciously raised his lips and walked towards her: "I'll do it."

Ling walked closer and closer, his eyes cutting through the girl's outline in motion, and finally fell on Xiao'er's delicate shoulders.

Then—she raised her right hand.

Why should I raise my hand?

Zero's eyes widened in the next moment, and a large amount of data flowed through his irises, issuing a variety of instructions.

A red light suddenly flashed.

【Test Start】

With a click, the collar on my neck connected to the neural network, and the cold reminder sound resounded through my mind.

Start temporary monitoring mode

What, wait?!

Zero gritted his teeth, his mask of calm completely shattered.

She tried her best to control her body, trying to manipulate every muscle as usual, but she could only watch as her right hand continued to move forward until it touched the girl's soft and fragile shoulder.

The apostle's arms were very strong, and to his specialized muscles, the weight of a human body and a vase was not much different.

Crash——

Then the vase fell.

Her hair fluttered in the air, and Chen Xiao'er's body turned slightly in her imbalance. In a trance, all he could see was her stunned profile, and those clear eyes flashed through Ling's mind.

She...will be sad.

“————”

Ling opened his mouth, but no sound came out of his throat.

Move, my body!

I can pull Xiao'er back, I can be the cushion underneath, it's just that little distance, just that little bit of distance...

The grid woven by the data streams confirmed her calculations. According to the apostle's original functions, such a simple task could certainly be done.

However, her body was ordered to stay fixed in place until the fluttering butterfly fell heavily to the ground.

Boom.

…

Crash!

Miroku pushed the notebook away and yelled in a panic, "What are you doing?!"

Huh...Huh!

She took a deep breath and felt dizzy for several seconds before she realized: It's useless, no matter how loud she shouts, the colleague giving the order can't hear her.

Hiss... She bit her lips, and blood flowed down the corners of her mouth.

Milo picked up the notebook and threw it back on the table. He took turns typing on the keyboard with his left and right hands, his movements so deft that it seemed as if two people were operating it separately.

【Milo: I need an explanation, why the mandatory order was not approved by me?】

[Zhu: Relax. I made multiple predictions before confirming. Chen Xiao'er will be fine.]

[Zhu: Even if you don't believe in my character, you should at least believe in my emphasis on power, right?]

Milo's hands trembled slightly. She actually knew that this would be the reply before she sent it.

She is only responsible for part of the Apostle Plan. The parts related to Chen Xiao'er, especially the part about "monitoring", will most likely bypass her.

They had already applied for the damage test, so they naturally had to find the right opportunity to conduct the test. That moment just now was a good opportunity in their eyes.

Good opportunities are fleeting, so of course you have to press the confirmation button immediately to avoid missing the opportunity.

But……

Her hands slowly clenched into fists.

"I hate this kind of thing." The devil's voice was a little heavy, no longer possessing that distinctive broadcasting accent, even its magnetic quality eroded by anger. "We clearly share the same goal, yet we insist on doubting each other."

But after saying this, the devil's voice returned to normal.

"Never mind. This is part of the charm of being human."

“…” Milo was too lazy to refute. She could see the biggest difference between the devil and herself.

In the eyes of the devil, humans are probably just some cute animals.

She doesn't want animals to die, and hopes they can eat well and live healthily. But she also likes to observe the "real" lives of animals and see them struggling to survive in the cruel nature.

The devil loves opera, loves the heroine in the opera, and will cry for the injuries she suffers. But the devil also loves the scars on the heroine's body, and loves the poignant notes she sings while bleeding.

Miroku put aside his thoughts about the devil and continued typing.

[Milo: I hope you all know that Chen Xiao'er's mental state is unstable. Because of her different cognitive abilities, her mental endurance is somewhat weaker than that of an average child.]

C: Objection. Based on her archival experience, she's far stronger than you think.

[Milo: The true situation of Zero is still unclear, and you should not doubt the loyalty of the apostles.]

[Zhu: Don't worry, I've predicted many futures. We don't doubt Zero, we're just testing the mandatory instructions.]

[Zhu: After all, Chen Xiao'er's reset seems to have some level of authority priority. If the forced command can be made ineffective, the relevant control methods will need to be changed.]

It makes sense. Zero is responsible for "killing Xiao'ai and seizing power in an emergency", so there is nothing wrong with you doing this.

[Milo: What about the aftermath? What should we do about Chen Xiao'er's emotional issues after she wakes up?]

…

【I leave it to you.】

Huh... Milo took a deep breath. Zero on the right side of the screen had already picked up Chen Xiao'er and flew towards the infirmary at the fastest speed, breaking several guardrails on the way.

[C: Zeroing will still expire after Chen Xiao'er completely loses consciousness. The entry has been entered.]

laugh.

Miroku shook his head, the devil's chuckle echoing in his mind.