Chapter 236 Strange Coincidences 2

Upon seeing this handsome and charming young man, Fu Feng's face immediately darkened, and he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Although Fufeng had placed Dongche under house arrest at the base, he clearly hadn't specifically restricted his movements. As long as he didn't venture outside the base or contact the outside world, he was free to move around. That being said, who could have imagined that he would appear before us like a rabbit waiting to run into a tree stump?

He replied with a clear conscience, "I had a feeling that Senior Zhuang Cheng might pass by here, so I waited here in advance."

Upon hearing this, Fu Feng showed a helpless expression and could only say, "Oh, really? No wonder you're a top disciple of the Divination Master..."

"Please stop talking about Master, Senior Fufeng. Master is a transcendentalist, while I am a pacifist. We are now irreconcilable enemies."

Dongche spoke seriously at first, then looked at me with an innocent smile and said, "Senior Zhuang Cheng, you were watching me all night, weren't you? Why didn't you talk to me? I really wanted to chat with you!"

"How did you defeat the great demon Silver Moon? Is it true that you challenged the Great Impermanence behind the Divine Spear? Please tell me! I want to know how to grow up to be like you, and also..."

I was once again overwhelmed by his enthusiasm and took a step back. He seemed to realize his overreaction and couldn't help but blush, saying, "I'm sorry, I got too excited..."

As he spoke, he looked around and then saw Ma Zao.

Ma had already completed the examination of the nameless pendant, confirming that there were no backdoors inside, and we were all wearing them now. Thanks to this, she no longer needed to wear the cat whisker mask. At this moment, she once again adopted a wary expression. Dongche was probably seeing her true face for the first time, glancing at her curiously for a few moments before trying to strike up a conversation with me.

Fufeng seemed to have no intention of continuing to drive Dongche, so he simply took him and us on a tour of the base. This time, he didn't lead us to any deserted routes; we occasionally saw other witchers along the way. It seemed that the Nameless Pendant's previous failure was indeed only due to Dongche's talent; the other witchers didn't recognize Mazao and me, but their reactions to Dongche's face varied.

As a "disciple of the Divination Master," Dongche was clearly a renowned genius. Some of the gazes focused on him were surprised, while others were wary, and one could faintly hear voices discussing him in the distance. An unparalleled genius, a direct disciple of the Great Impermanence, a future traitor to the social order... Whether they admired him or were hostile to him, they all showed him extraordinary importance.

He, however, showed indifference to the observing gazes and the comments.

Last night, I secretly watched him several times for surveillance purposes. Each time, he noticed my gaze and tried to talk to me. I had ignored him before, but now he seemed completely unconcerned, just clinging to me enthusiastically, wanting me to chat with him, as if I was the only one in his eyes.

It's all Zhu Shi's fault for talking nonsense. Thinking back to how this kid inexplicably touched my hand before, I'm actually a little scared of him now. But that's my own problem, and only a secondary reason. It's less of a genuine fear and more like a casual joke. I'm mostly at a loss for words. Because he seems to genuinely respect me.

If he truly meant no harm to me or Asao, and was simply admiring me, I'd actually feel awkward being too cold towards him. Or to put it more bluntly, I might be a little defenseless against being popular.

Fufeng's welcome to me was strongly motivated by self-interest and a desire to win me over, while Dongche seemed quite innocent. In the past, during my relentless pursuit of bizarre events, some people around me saw me as an oddball, some looked down on me, some laughed at me, and some, though they approached me, were driven by mere curiosity. Over time, my eye for such things became sharp, and I could easily discern them.

I know how to deal with unfriendly stares, but Fuyuki's pure and admiring gaze leaves me feeling awkward. Although I previously commented that Asaho wasn't good at accepting good fortune, I think I'm pretty much the same way.

Strictly speaking, this isn't the first time I've encountered someone who expresses agreement with me. I only met that person once before, and we quickly became friends. That person was Chang'an.

Could it be that I might become friends with Fuyusha? I imagined it for a moment, then had to put the thought aside for now. Other times would be fine, but now isn't the time to make new friends. Rather than wasting my energy on that, I'd rather focus on how to convince Maya of my true feelings.

I turned to look at Asao, and suddenly, I remembered something very important...

Last night when I confessed my true feelings to Ma Zao, did she mention that I liked her, and then I think I said something like "that's also a very important reason"... Did I just admit it to her face?

Last time at the city hotel, I only considered it a "blatant hint," but last night I actually admitted it outright. I was so focused on the truth I was about to tell that I only just realized it now. Wait, that's secondary. It's just turning a blatant hint into an explicit statement; there's nothing to be shaken about. The problem is Asahi's attitude—has she given a clear response?

I carefully searched through my memories, but couldn't find any similar trace. I couldn't discern her specific attitude towards my expressed affection. Did she find it acceptable, or did she think I was an unacceptable pervert?

Asking directly isn't necessarily a bad thing. Although Fufeng and Dongche are around now, we can find another opportunity to be alone later. It's just that we went through that kind of conversation last night, and if I ask her abruptly now, will she think that even saying I like her is a lie? And even if she's willing to answer, she might say something polite to save face for me.

Upon further reflection, I discovered even more.

I noticed Asaho's left wrist—she was still wearing a red GPS bracelet.

Why is she still wearing this bracelet? I clearly told her it's a GPS device for tracking and location. Could she be wearing it on purpose? And what's her reason?

On the bright side, it's possible that it wasn't just me who had romantic feelings for her; she felt the same way about me. The red GPS bracelet was the first gift I gave her, so even though she knew I had ulterior motives back then, she couldn't bear to throw it away. She might even see it as proof of my devotion to her, which carries a special kind of affection.

But is such a good thing really possible? And what about "even if you know there's a hidden malice" and "see it as proof of persistence"? Isn't this just explaining things in a way that benefits me? To have such a virgin-loli-level fantasy about a thirteen-year-old girl, even I think it's a bit of a fantasy.

Besides, there's an even more plausible possibility. Since she took all the truths I told her as white lies, it's highly likely that my statement "this is actually a GPS device" was also part of the lie, or perhaps she simply forgot about it.

Could it be that she didn't take my suggestion to use the second small bowl as a last resort at all?

I'd only ever heard of people not believing you if you pretended to be a good person; this is the first time I've encountered a situation where no one believes you even if you pretend to be a bad person.

"Senior Zhuang Cheng, what's troubling you?"

Dongche asked with keen insight and concern, then revealed an eager expression, saying, "Can you tell me about your troubles? Maybe I can help you solve them!"

"That won't be necessary."

I can only shift my focus back to the winter train.

Perhaps Asaha sensed my predicament. Every time Fuyu approached again, she would solemnly cut in between, then look at me with an expression as if to say, "This train is full." Fuyu, repeatedly stopped, looked at Asaha again, her face showing no anger, but rather a puzzlement as to why she was being obstructed. Fuyu, walking at the front, turned back, a mysterious smile returning to her face. What was this middle-aged man smiling about?

"Oh right, Dongche."

While going through my memories, I came across something noteworthy, so I took the opportunity to steer the conversation toward him: "Didn't you say last night that there were some suspicious things about the humanitarian researcher you caught outside?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Feng seemed to prick up his ears as well. He probably didn't ask any further questions last night because he was busy chasing people away.

Dongche was taken aback at first, then exclaimed with delight, "Senior Zhuang Cheng, you actually remember even such a short sentence I said?"

“Because I have a good memory,” I said. “Let’s put that aside for now. What exactly is suspicious about the researcher you arrested?”

He immediately became obedient and answered in a serious tone: "Yes, that's right. First of all, that researcher escaped from the old Humanitarian Division stronghold... that is, the stronghold that you recently infiltrated and destroyed, Senior Zhuang Cheng."

“There were indeed two researchers who escaped from that place, and you caught one of them, right?” Fu Feng seemed to have also been following that battle.

The straight-line distance from the former Humanitarian Affairs Bureau outpost to this area is at least a thousand kilometers. How could that unknown researcher have managed to escape to a place like this in just two days? Speaking of which, Dongche said that he caught that person on a train. It is indeed possible to do this if one travels for a long time using modern means of transportation.

However, the other party came to such a remote area, but happened to be captured by a passing Dongche, and happened to be taken to the Fufeng base, and happened to be overheard by Mazao and me...

Such a coincidence can only be attributed to the "manipulation" of "some kind of force".

—Or perhaps “revelation”.

Ma Zao and I exchanged a glance.

(End of this chapter)