Chapter 603 Connection

After finalizing the matter of returning to his "hometown" to investigate, Luo went back to the hub host and checked the suspicious logistics records and communication logs again, downloading them all into his auxiliary brain implant.

She didn't find any more clues—the organizer behind that series of "thefts" had obviously hidden himself very well, leaving no name in any of the records, not even a single reliable network address or code name. In fact, if Blackstone's database hadn't been so special, and if the highest access privileges hadn't always been tied to her, those few records probably wouldn't have been preserved at all.

It seems the only option is to find an opportunity to return to our previous hideout and search the backup data from those starports and customs facilities for clues, or perhaps ask the head of the guard? If "the rat" was hiding inside the original Blackrock Station, the head of the guard might recall something, and the local black market might also leave some traces...

Yu Sheng, with his large metal face, watched this scene from the side. After a while, when he saw Luo disconnect the data cable behind him, he finally spoke: "Speaking of which, your modifications are quite useful—except for fighting, they're pretty comprehensive in other functions."

The mechanical limbs behind Luo slowly retracted, and the living metal re-fused into his body, leaving only a beautiful but somewhat eerie silver "skin" on his back, like a layer of floating mercury.

Upon hearing the new boss's words, she simply pursed her lips and said, "Could you please not mention fighting anymore?"

Yu Sheng gave a few perfunctory replies, then asked curiously, "By the way, is this kind of modification common in the Black Dot Group? Or is it only done on the 'elites'? I saw the medical reports sent by the Secret Service before, which mentioned that your bodyguards also had some modifications, but not as extreme as yours. At most, they had an extra artificial heart and lungs, or a bulletproof endoskeleton in vital areas. The higher the rank, the more drastic the modifications?"

“It’s not about ‘fashion,’ but rather everything is for practicality, or rather, ‘profit,’” Luo thought for a moment and sighed softly. “Flesh and blood are too weak to withstand the hardships of seeking the truth, so they can only be replaced by tough steel. Of course, some people will choose to strengthen their original bodies to the extreme, or seek dangerous ‘enlightenment’ from the warp and dark psionic energy—as long as the benefits can cover the costs, everything is permissible, and indeed, as you said, the higher the status, the more drastic the modifications.”

"Within the Black Dot Group, efficiency is paramount. Whether it is economic gain or intellectual advancement, it is worth paying any price, and must be paid at all costs."

"My transformation is actually considered relatively conservative among management, since I'm still trying my best to remain 'human.' My 'colleagues' are mostly freaks who have transformed themselves into completely inhuman beings, some in appearance, some inside and out..."

Yu Sheng keenly noticed her emotional change.

"You seem a little sad?" he suddenly asked.

“I don’t really like these things,” Luo Weiwei turned her head slightly, a mechanical limb extending from the living metal on her back, swaying slowly in the air. “Sometimes they even confuse me, making me unsure whether I am a highly modified Alglade or a bunch of living metal and logic chips that have inherited the dying memories of some unlucky guy…”

"Perhaps 'Luo' died on the operating table during some kind of modification many years ago? Perhaps these living metals still mistakenly believe they are 'her'? But without this thing, I wouldn't even be alive today..."

Luo felt a slight tingling sensation in her brain's neural connectors. Her thoughts wandered back and forth between her biological and mechanical parts, eventually settling on a point where they were indistinguishable—like waking from an extremely brief dream. The overly emotional self-doubt quickly faded from her mind, and she realized that she had said too much again.

"Sorry, those are just boring stories."

She turned her head away and threw herself back into her work, not mentioning anything more to Yu Sheng.

...

A cold wind blew across the riverbank, swirling up a few fallen leaves by the roadside. Yu Sheng, walking along the road, squinted in the wind, looking at the gray sky in the distance and the raccoon busily working beside the withered bushes not far away.

The fox spirit girl was wearing a thick white coat and a fluffy scarf around her neck. She was squatting on the ground, happily digging a hole.

"They're all people with stories to tell."

Yu Sheng sighed thoughtfully.

The fox had very sharp ears and immediately raised its head: "What did you say, my benefactor?"

“I wasn’t talking about you,” Yu Sheng waved his hand, then glanced at the mound of earth next to the other person, “…Remember to bury it back after you’re done digging.”

The great fox demon was delighted: "Alright, sure!"

Yu Sheng raised his eyebrows. Although Hu Li had tucked in her ears and tail, just listening to her cheerful voice, he could almost hallucinate a bunch of big, silvery-white tails swaying behind her.

He looked around again—thankfully it was cold today, windy and cold, and snow was forecast, so there were no pedestrians on this side of the riverbank. Otherwise, the scene of him leading a pretty girl to dig holes in the green belt would have attracted a lot of attention, and if a responsible old man or woman came along, they would have reported him to the municipal government...

Thinking about this, Yu Sheng became a little curious: there was such a large area in the valley where he could run around and dig holes as he pleased, so why was this girl so keen on digging up the green belt when she went out for a walk with him?

The doubt had barely formed in his mind when he saw Hu Li suddenly leap out from behind the bushes, holding something in her hand: "My benefactor! I caught a mouse!"

Yu Sheng said expressionlessly, "...Throw it away."

"oh."

Then a while later.

"My benefactor! We've caught a squirrel!"

"Throw this away too."

"My benefactor! We've caught a bird!"

"...Let it go, and then I'll take you to the pedestrian street to buy some food. You can fill in the hole first."

"Alright!!"

Yu Sheng finally realized that because of the weather, the vendors selling grilled sausages and candied hawthorns along the riverbank where he and Hu Li usually strolled were not out. This girl had come here to hunt today...

A moment later, Yu Sheng led Hu Li along the pedestrian street on the edge of the old town. The latter was holding a steaming hot roasted sweet potato in her hands, her face beaming with happiness.

"My benefactor, who came up with this idea? It's so delicious!"

Yu Sheng didn't say anything, but just reached out and patted the mud on the hem of the girl's clothes (it got on her when she was digging a hole in the green belt), and then took out his phone to check the time.

It's about time to go home; Eileen will start nagging if I get back late.

Even if she gets back early, she'll still grumble about other things.

Just then, Yu Sheng's phone rang, and the caller ID on the screen showed Zheng Zhi's name.

By the way, Zheng Zhi's profile picture is a peace charm, and his personal motto is "Peace and good fortune every day".

When Yu Sheng saw the large amulet pop up on his phone screen, his heart skipped a beat. Before the call even connected, he had a premonition of something. He put the phone to his ear, and the voice coming from the receiver confirmed his judgment: "Brother Yu! Something's happened to me!"

The fox girl, who was munching on a roasted sweet potato, immediately pricked up her ears (human ears) and came closer.

Yu Sheng quickly led Hu Li to a secluded spot, asking rapidly as they went, "What's going on? Another world? A physical entity? A cultist or an angel? Here's your portal card..."

"I didn't use any spell cards, and I'm safe now," Zheng Zhi's voice sounded a little shaken. "I just saw some strange things. On this street next to the Heyuan Shopping Mall, I think I saw people from the Hermitage Order, and also an artificial saintess..."

Yu Sheng's eyes widened immediately.

"Find a secluded spot, press the portal card against the wall, activate it but don't open the portal—I'll come straight to you!"

A few minutes later, on a deserted street corner, in the shadows between buildings, a phantom door suddenly appeared on the wall.

After the door opened, Yu Sheng led Hu Li out and immediately saw his nephew, who was carrying a shopping bag.

The young Secret Service intern looked nervous, but aside from being a little frightened, he didn't seem to have suffered any harm and was even in good spirits.

Basically, he always seemed to be in this state after being involved in supernatural events. Yu Sheng was used to this situation and didn't offer much comfort. He simply went up and patted the other person on the shoulder before inquiring about the specifics of what had happened.

Zheng Zhi recounted all the strange things he had experienced, starting with the changes in his surroundings and the interference with communications, to the "illusions" he saw, to the voices he heard, and finally to the "artificial saintess" who, despite being separated by a veil of time and space, still sensed his spying and attacked without hesitation.

As he listened to Zheng Zhi's account, Yu Sheng's brows furrowed even more deeply.

As soon as Zheng Zhi finished speaking, he immediately asked, "Are you sure 'they' mentioned 'Black Spot Lab'?"

“I’m sure,” Zheng Zhi nodded immediately, “I even recorded it on my phone…”

As he spoke, he quickly pulled out his phone, found the recording from that time, but when he pressed play, all that came out was a hissing noise.

Zheng Zhi was dumbfounded: "Hey, this isn't right, I heard it clearly at the time."

Yu Sheng was not surprised by this situation at all: "It's okay, I'm used to it. People with high intuition are like this. Sometimes I can hear sounds that others can't hear and that the equipment can't record. Anyway, you still have to take the recording on your phone to the Secret Service's technical department to see. Even if the sound wasn't recorded, the changes in the environment may have left traces in the sensors. This thing is still very technically advanced."

Zheng Zhi said "Oh," and while putting away his phone, he couldn't help but look at Yu Sheng's expression: "So, Brother Yu, what's next..."

“This matter is becoming increasingly suspicious. When those ‘knights’ first appeared in the alley, I was curious why the Hidden Order would emerge again at this particular time. Now they’ve explicitly mentioned the ‘Black Dot Laboratory’… Although there are many Black Dot Laboratories, the only one that can be connected to the border region recently is the one that was just blown up by the Boundary Bridge,” Yu Sheng said, stroking his chin as he pondered. “And there are the clues that Luo discovered…”

He suddenly stopped, and a sentence Luo had said earlier popped into his mind—

"There are rats stealing my things..."

"Damn it," Yu Sheng muttered to himself, "They wouldn't go this far... would they?"

(End of this chapter)