Soon, Zhou Ziqi and the captain of the superhuman team sat down on chairs next to the research room, while Ruan Qing'an sat on the other side, wiping his long sword with a soft handkerchief.

Zhou Ziqi glanced at her and shook his head helplessly, but he couldn't help feeling a little more at ease because of her presence.

He looked at the captain: "Speak."

The leader of the superhuman squad then said, "It's like this, Mr. Zhou. The superhumans on the monitoring team reported that there are obvious signs of viral activity outside the base. The superhumans on the action team went out to investigate and found a lot of traces of zombies."

"As the number of zombies detected increases, many people with superpowers come into contact with the zombie virus more often, which leads to fluctuations in their superpowers. The risk of consuming crystal cores to enhance superpowers is also increasing."

The captain paused for a moment: "Mr. Zhou, the research institute may need to increase the amount of injections available for people with superpowers, but the researchers told us that it depends on your opinion."

"Are zombies active...?"

Zhou Ziqi lowered his eyes, seemingly deep in thought: "You go out first. I'll handle this. There's no need to win by sheer volume. I'll provide more effective injections later."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the superhuman team immediately stood up and bowed to Zhou Ziqi, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou!"

Zhou Ziqi waved his hand, not caring. Only after the captain left did he look at Ruan Qing'an, who was wiping his long sword, and said, "Little Ruan, come over here. Don't keep hiding."

"When you were with me, didn't you hear enough things? Now you know how to avoid suspicion?"

His voice was tinged with laughter as he pinched Ruan Qing'an's chubby cheeks, his narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed: "No need. To you, I will never have any secrets, and you don't need to avoid me."

Ruan Qing'an felt the man's warm fingertips on her cheek, seemingly carrying endless, tender affection. Her eyes flickered, and she hurriedly looked away, her eyes half-closed as if she were afraid of something.

She subconsciously grasped Zhou Ziqi's slender fingertips: "Mr. Zhou, but—no, it's nothing... never mind."

It seems that he is caught in a conflict of emotions.

Shyness, doubt, complex feelings...

Zhou Ziqi seemed to sense something, and he grabbed Ruan Qing'an's slender wrist with his other hand, saying in a deep voice, "Little Ruan, I will be very busy in the coming days."

"But Mr. Zhou, your health—"

"Yesterday's rest was enough."

Zhou Ziqi paused: "I got the best rest I could ever have, and I haven't slept this peacefully in a long time. When I turned around yesterday, I wondered if you would worry about me, if you would... choose me. At least to you, I'm not just a former employer."

Fortunately, I received the answer I longed for most, and it is also the best answer for you.

Ruan Qing'an's hand froze, and she subconsciously looked at him. Zhou Ziqi's upturned phoenix eyes held an unreadable expression, and she realized that if she hadn't followed him yesterday, even Zhou Ziqi himself probably wouldn't know what he would do.

She closed her leaden-gray eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

037: [What's wrong, ancestor?]

"That's about enough. We've done the exciting stuff, and it's time to wrap up the mission. Besides..."

Ruan Qing'an paused, a hint of unease creeping into her eyes. This inexplicable sense of crisis was slowly eroding her—perhaps neither Shi Yi nor Zhou Ziqi would continue this stalemate any longer.

At this moment, after Zhou Ziqi finished speaking, seeing that Ruan Qing'an had no reaction, his expression darkened slightly. But just as he was about to let go of her hand—"Wait, Mr. Zhou!"

The petite girl suddenly grabbed the man's hand with her soft touch. Her delicate face showed a hint of anxiety, as if she wanted to prove something but didn't know where to begin, displaying an innocent naiveté.

Zhou Ziqi stopped and heard the girl's whisper, barely audible: "I... I don't know how to face Mr. Zhou. I was originally just an employer, and should only be an employer. The organization has already said that the employment relationship is the simplest monetary relationship."

"But... but I don't know why. Maybe I've gotten used to Mr. Zhou. If I don't leave when my employment ends, I'm afraid—I don't know how I'll leave."

The girl's voice grew softer and softer. Faced with emotions, even the once fierce and ruthless girl with a knife in her hand became uneasy and confused.

For the first time, one-sided feelings received a response.

Even Zhou Ziqi was stunned. He must have guessed what Ruan Qing'an might say, but when he actually heard it, his heart was still in turmoil.

His little Ruan was responding awkwardly.

Just thinking about this fills me with a strange feeling, as if even the surging dark emotions dissipate in an instant.

【Affection Level: 90】

Zhou Ziqi's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. His narrow phoenix eyes were filled with a viscous lust, as if he wanted to entwine her completely like a venomous snake. His slender fingertips pulled towards Ruan Qing'an.

But at this very moment—

The underground research lab suddenly shook, as if the research institute on the surface had been impacted. Before Zhou Ziqi could react, researchers quickly ran down from the emergency exit, panting and shouting, "Mr. Zhou!"

"You instructed us to stop that person from entering, but now... now they've broken in!"

Only Shiyi was specifically instructed by Zhou Ziqi.

He squinted, but the vibration had stopped by then. A 'ding' sounded, and the elevator stopped. When the elevator doors opened again, a tall, slender man stepped out.

He had a face that was six-tenths similar to Zhou Ziqi's, but his eyebrows and eyes were more indifferent, and his lips were pursed into a straight line.

Zhou Ziqi scoffed, hands in his pockets: "Force your way in?"

"How could that be? I was just worried about Qing'an's situation, so I came to check on her. Unfortunately, your researcher is inconsiderate and didn't know to give me a way out, so I can only have a less than friendly exchange."

As Shi Yi spoke, her dark green eyes looked at Zhou Ziqi, her gaze sweeping over him before turning to Ruan Qing'an behind him. Seemingly confirming that she hadn't found any unpleasant signs, the hidden killing intent in Shi Yi's eyes subsided somewhat.

At this moment, Zhou Ziqi took a step to the side, blocking Shiyi's view: "How come I didn't know something had happened?"

"It seems you're not very familiar with your base either."

Eleven then said, "The abnormal fluctuations in the zombie virus mean the number of zombies outside the base is starting to increase... I think you'll be very busy in the coming days, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziqi's eyes darkened, but the smile on his lips became increasingly gentle and refined, like a bright moon and a gentle breeze.

Even the leader of the superhuman team had only recently reported this news to Zhou Ziqi, so why did Shiyi know? The more Zhou Ziqi suspected, the darker his eyes became.

Ha, so it really was him who did it...

Before Zhou Ziqi could speak, Ruan Qing'an, who was behind him, suddenly stepped forward half a step: "Let's go, Shiyi."

"Little Ruan".

"...Our matter should come to an end."

Ruan Qing'an nodded slightly to Zhou Ziqi and followed Shi Yi's footsteps—it was time to have a result regarding both Zhou Ziqi's strategy mission and Shi Yi's matter.

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