Chapter 231 The Winter Cart of Extraterrestrials
"Senior Fufeng."
Dongche arrived before us and first greeted Fufeng, the highest-ranking administrator of the base, with great politeness. Considering his youthful appearance, perhaps "well-behaved" would be a more accurate description.
Although I didn't know exactly what Asa was wary of, I first carefully observed the other person.
Fufeng didn't directly tell me whether Dongche's master, the Diviner, was the Great Impermanence behind the Divine Spear, but after careful consideration, I think the possibility is quite low. In the past, the forces behind Lu Youxun and other forces had entangled in divination disputes over the specific location of Ma Zao. Since the Diviner is the Great Impermanence who specializes in divination, it's hard to imagine him getting caught up in such a quagmire.
However, this did not mean I let my guard down. Since the character of Fuyutsugi had appeared here so coincidentally, I had to regard it as "some kind of signal." I don't know if it was driven by this mentality, but this boy slowly became mysterious and unpredictable in my eyes, seemingly exuding an unusual and suspicious aura.
At the same time, after greeting Fufeng, Dongche also started observing me and Mazao.
"Who are these two...?"
"They are my guests," Fufeng said in a distant tone. "Moreover, Dongche, I heard you captured a researcher from the Humanitarian Affairs Department and brought him here on your own initiative?"
Dongche answered obediently, "Yes, because we were very close to here when we captured the target."
"Perfect timing?" Fu Feng pressed for details. "You just happened to be near our base to handle an incident related to the Humanitarian Affairs Department? I've never heard of such a thing."
Dongche clearly sensed Fufeng's suspicion and quickly explained, "It really is just in time, but I didn't come here specifically to arrest members of the Humanitarian Division. I had a mission to investigate strange events in a place called Hujia Village, and I happened to catch that person on the train. So I got off midway and escorted him to the nearest branch base."
"Is that so? Well then, you've worked hard. You can go back to your original mission now," Fu Feng said coldly.
"Well, there are still some suspicious points about the researcher we caught..."
Under the pressure of the adults' words, Dongche's still-childish face showed a look of helplessness, and his voice became softer and softer.
I can't blame Fufeng for being so impolite; these are special times, and he has to provide cover for Mazao and me. Dongche's stance is so suspicious. There's something Fufeng didn't mention before, but I can connect the dots. Even the fortune tellers who can predict the future say they're always willing to welcome Dongche back to their ranks. Thinking from the perspective of a proponent of social order, it's almost as if they're predicting Dongche will inevitably betray social order at some point.
The winter car looked around pitifully, as if seeking help, and its gaze met mine again.
Suddenly, as if noticing something, his gaze fixed on me, then his eyes widened. Fufeng's expression changed slightly, and he seemed to reflexively step in front of me and Mazao. By then it was too late. Dongche, with an expression of realization mixed with surprise, peeked out from beside Fufeng and looked at my face.
"Could you be the legendary Zhuang Cheng? And this gentleman next to you is Ma Zao?" he asked excitedly.
“…Fu Feng?” I turned to look at Fu Feng. “Didn’t you say that as long as we’re not at the Great Completion level, or at the Completion level who are particularly skilled in mental magic, we won’t be recognized?”
Fu Feng revealed his embarrassment, and then explained: "After all, Dong Che is a top disciple of the Divination Master. He has a soul perception, or rather, inspiration, perception, and awareness, that far surpasses that of ordinary level-one demon hunters... The mental misleading effect provided by the nameless pendant is easily ineffective in front of him."
"Um... are you hiding your identities?" Dongche seemed to realize that something was wrong.
"That's how it is. Now you understand why you're being watched. And, I'm sorry, now that you've discovered my true identity, I have to take some action against you."
As I spoke, I grabbed Dongche's wrist.
Regarding this opponent whose allegiance is unclear, I wouldn't necessarily eliminate them outright. To preemptively kill them simply because they might become an enemy is not in my nature. Even after the Lu Youxun incident, I haven't changed this mind.
That being said, letting him do as he pleases is impossible. I've decided to first place my thermal signature on him and monitor him for a period of time. If he tries to transmit our message, I will immediately stop him and, depending on the situation, consider him an enemy and eliminate him directly.
Children this age usually value their privacy very much and might struggle a lot. I completely understand that, but right now my top priority is the safety of myself and Mazao. If he doesn't want to, I'll just have to be firm.
However, what happened next was not quite what I had imagined.
The moment I projected my thermal energy onto him, a strange sensation arose. Perhaps it was because I had directly attached my spirit to the target's body, but my perception gained a deeper understanding of his existence. From the moment I touched him, I sensed an indescribable, suspicious odor. At first, I thought it was just my own paranoia, but now I realized that wasn't the case.
This winter carriage... he actually looks somewhat like Silver Moon.
To put it bluntly, he's not human.
If you ask me what exactly makes him seem inhuman, I can't say. This feeling came about quite by accident. It's like having an image that looks exactly like a real person's photo, with a caption saying "This is an AI image," and you can only use that as a premise to look for details that don't seem human, but after searching for a long time, you just can't find them. I even started to wonder if my perception was wrong.
Unlike Gingetsu's beauty, which could be terrifying to the eye, Toussaru, while undeniably a beautiful boy, was certainly not superhuman. Like a meticulously crafted doll indistinguishable from a real person, he didn't exhibit the so-called "uncanny valley" effect, and his words and actions offered no clues that would lead one to suspect he was a monster. However, compared to my unremarkable intelligence and eyesight, I trusted my extraordinary intuition more.
Even though he was treated so rudely, he did not show any resentment; instead, his eyes became bright and alert.
"Just as rumored, they acted swiftly and decisively!"
He actually turned around and grabbed my outstretched hands with both of his, and said happily like a fan meeting his idol, "You really destroyed the Divine Spear, and also destroyed the Chenlong of the Humanity Division and repelled the great demon Yinyue, right?"
"That domineering divine spearman... I've always thought that one day when I reach the Great Perfection level, I must personally defeat him on behalf of the Governing World. But even I never imagined that I could defeat him so utterly. Well done! You've really vented our anger for the Governing World!"
"By the way, I also heard that you are a person with the qualifications of the Great Impermanence, who can ward off all evil and even manifest the laws of heaven and earth. Is that true?"
"Why were you not well-known in the past? Was it because you were immune to evil? You already possessed the characteristics of being immune to evil before you even made your debut? In the information I've seen before, even most of the Great Impermanence (a powerful deity) don't have such high talent. I think you definitely have the potential to become..."
His passion was like a blazing fire, burning even me, a fire elemental being, so intense that I had to retreat.
"Um...can you let go of my hand now?...Why are you still touching me?"
My scalp tingled from his touch. What's wrong with him? Is it really okay to leave a thermal energy mark, a manifestation of his spirit, inside his body? I'm already starting to want to back out.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
He reluctantly let go of my hand, then explained, "I heard that your body is likely a simulation of flames, so I want to know what the difference is between an elemental body and a normal body... Um, can we talk privately later? There are still many things I want to know, please tell me..."
Suddenly, Mazao squeezed between us expressionlessly, then took a step back while holding my arm.
"Zhuang Cheng will be with me from now on, so please go back," she said very seriously.
I don't know if Ma Zao noticed my predicament or realized that something was wrong with Dong Che, but I was relieved that she was able to help me out.
Fu Feng glanced at Dong Che strangely, then looked at Ma Zao, a mysterious smile suddenly appearing on his face.
"...What are you laughing at?" I asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, nothing... Hahaha, I feel like I'm twenty years younger after watching this." He actually let out a somewhat impolite laugh.
Even if you were twenty years younger, it wouldn't make much difference to someone who's at least several hundred years old.
Then, Fu Feng put away his smile and said to Dong Che, "Alright, now that you've figured out Mr. Zhuang Cheng's true identity, I can't let you leave this base for the time being. Your mission will be suspended for now, or you can simply give it up. You'll have to stay in this base until they leave, and I'll choose a room for you later."
"Okay..."
Fuyuki nodded absentmindedly, his gaze still fixed on my face. Then, he glanced at Asahi, a slightly puzzled expression on his face.
Fufeng led the three of us to the base's living quarters and arranged a room for Dongche. During this time, Dongche's gaze followed me the whole time, glancing at Mazao every now and then. After parting ways with Dongche, Fufeng continued to lead Mazao and me, seemingly wanting to arrange rooms for us further away from Dongche.
Ma Zao glanced back at the direction of Dongche's room, then whispered, "Zhuang Cheng, there's something wrong with that person."
(End of this chapter)
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