Chapter 596 The New Boss
When Yu Sheng returned to No. 66 Wutong Road, it was already midnight. The quiet night enveloped the entire city, and the house was eerily quiet.
The main light in the living room wasn't on; only a small light was left on near the stairwell. In the dim light, he saw a pair of bright, golden-red eyes—Hu Li hadn't gone to sleep yet; she was waiting for him to come home on the sofa.
The moment Yu Sheng pushed open the door and entered the house, his eyes crinkled into a smile.
"My benefactor, you're back!" the fox spirit girl greeted happily. "Luna just went back to the spaceship~~ She said she was going back to process some vegetables or herbs or something..."
Then she pointed to the kitchen.
"There's food in the pot. I stewed some vegetables for you, and there are steamed buns in the steamer. I bought them from the small supermarket at the intersection, so they shouldn't be cold now."
Yu Sheng laughed and stepped forward to rub the fur behind the fox girl's ears, which made her squint her eyes happily.
"Where's Eileen? Did she go to sleep?" he asked casually.
“Here she is, she fell asleep halfway through watching TV,” Hu Li said, turning to her side and stretching out her tails to reveal a small doll sleeping soundly with a big tail underneath. “The others are sleeping upstairs.”
"...always complaining that fox fur got into his joints, and even crawling into your tail when he sleeps." Yu Sheng muttered with a wry smile, got up to get rice from the kitchen, and turned on the dining room light as he did so.
Hu Li then pulled off the tail that Eileen was holding, and covered the little doll with two more tails. Only then did she tiptoe up from the sofa. When Yu Sheng turned around and returned to the dining table, she was already sitting in the chair opposite him, propping her head up with her hands and smiling at him.
"Aren't you sleepy? Don't you usually get sleepy around this time?" Yu Sheng casually asked, placing two steamed buns in front of Hu Li.
Hu Li shook his head.
“I just took a nap on the sofa,” she said casually. “I was worried that when you came back, there would be no one awake at home, and it would feel lonely.”
Yu Sheng was taken aback for a moment.
He suddenly realized that it had been a long time since he had experienced the feeling of returning home to an empty house. No matter when he entered the big house, he would either hear Eileen chattering away, or a raccoon would come out to greet him. At the very least, Luna would be "on guard" in the living room. Over time, he had gotten used to it.
The fox stew emitted an appetizing aroma. Whether it was because he was hungry or because the fox girl's cooking skills had truly improved, the warmth of the hot food slowly melted in his stomach. Yu Sheng breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, feeling his fatigue gradually disappear.
The girl across the table had half a steamed bun in her mouth, her gaze fixed on them, her eyes darting back and forth—Yu Sheng couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Hu Li said with a serious expression, "My benefactor, do you think... we can really find Luna's home? If we do, and her family is still alive... how can we reunite her with them?"
Yu Sheng slowly stopped breaking the steamed bun in his hand.
"Is this what you were just worrying about?"
“It’s not so much that I’m worried,” Hu Li’s ears twitched. “It’s just that Luna has been preoccupied since she came back today, but she doesn’t seem to be thinking about these things herself, so I couldn’t help but think about it a little more.”
The fox spirit girl paused for two or three seconds, seemingly hesitant, but finally continued speaking.
"After all, her parents might still be waiting for her at home, but she's not the same person she was when she left... My benefactor, do you think the Secret Service has a way to turn Luna back? Even just temporarily, or maybe create a mechanical doll..."
As Hu Li finished speaking, her voice trailed off, gradually turning into a muttering soliloquy. Yu Sheng stared intently at this fox girl who seemed to have no worries at all, spending her days eating, sleeping, and sunbathing, lost in thought.
"Compared to finding Luna's home planet, these are minor issues," he suddenly said. "Besides, it's a bit early to think about these things now. Even if we figure out how those 'knights' sneaked into the alleys, finding the Hermitage of Saints' lair won't be a matter of a day or two—not to mention those cultists certainly won't give up a 'recruiting planet' willingly, and we'll have to fight a fierce battle first. Anyway, let's not think about that too much for now. Leave the solution to me."
Hu Li thought for a moment, and Hu Hu nodded: "Mhm."
Seeing the fox spirit girl relax and continue eating her steamed bun, Yu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face.
Then he heard the stew in the pot also breathe a sigh of relief.
Hu Li expertly tossed a dark blue fireball into the pot, then looked up and grinned at Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng: "..."
...
After a good night's sleep, fatigue is the best sleep aid—Yu Sheng didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky the next day, in the sunlight streaming into the room through the curtains.
Of course, Eileen wriggling around in bed and constantly muttering to herself was also a significant factor in waking him up.
The fox stew, combined with a good night's sleep, completely relieved the fatigue from exploring the dark alley.
After helping Eileen and the others wash up, Yu Sheng prepared breakfast for Hu Li, greeted Luna who was watering the succulents on the balcony, and then left No. 66 Wutong Road, heading straight to the Special Operations Bureau.
Today is the day Luo is "discharged" from the hospital—the "Blackstone Station Reopening Plan," which was previously delayed by an unexpected situation in the alley, should now continue.
Accompanied by Baili Qing, Yu Sheng met the blonde elf who was idly pacing around in the ward.
By this time, the aftereffects of the psionic mushroom had completely worn off. Although she looked bored and dejected, Luo's complexion was actually quite good.
To be fair, this elf's health bar is indeed quite thick. If Yu Sheng hadn't known beforehand, he really wouldn't have been able to tell that she had just had her stomach pumped twice.
Upon entering the room, Baili Qing dismissed everyone else and sized up Luo for a long time. The latter, who had initially looked displeased, quickly became docile under the subtle but palpable aura of the dragon. Sitting on the hospital bed, he stammered, "You've come to laugh at me? A department head at Black Dot Group has been brought to the emergency room because he ate poisonous mushrooms..."
Clearly, she didn't know that the mushrooms she ate were actually not poisonous at all, and didn't require emergency treatment...
Bai Liqing clearly didn't intend to tell her the truth, and simply replied, "I could have chosen not to arrange treatment for you."
Yu Sheng, who was listening nearby, almost stood up and applauded—this was the truth!
As a result, Luo didn't notice the subtle expression on Yu Sheng's face for a moment. Instead, he became a little embarrassed and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Um, anyway, thank you..."
Upon seeing this, Yu Sheng thought to himself, "That's it." This scientist with a bad reputation might be excellent at research, but she's really easy to fool in other areas. In her current state, she'll probably be tricked by Rapunzel into eating psionic mushrooms again...
"So, what's next?" Luo stretched on the hospital bed, looked up at the two people in front of him, and asked, "Is it time to lock me up somewhere else?"
“We have made new arrangements for you,” Baili Qing finally stopped tormenting her special “partner” and stepped aside to let Yu Sheng move to the front. “This ‘angel hunter’ vouched for you and secured new freedom for you—now, you are under his jurisdiction.”
Luo blinked, seemingly still not quite understanding the situation.
"In short, you have a new boss now," Yu Sheng coughed twice to break the silence, "I need some people here—the kind who do scientific research. Your research direction and talent are a good fit."
"Need people?" Luo was even more surprised. He looked Yu Sheng up and down a few times. "You have an industrial planet in the Flying Feather Star Region, the support of the Special Operations Bureau, and you're even friends with Alice House. If you're willing, countless legitimate people would be willing to cooperate with you—although most of them are good-for-nothings in my eyes, are you sure you need a 'blacklisted member' to work for you?"
That's because very few normal people can survive after tinkering with dark psychic energy and being empowered by angels.
"I mainly value your scientific literacy and research talent," Yu Sheng said seriously, his face expressionless.
Luo immediately showed a disbelieving expression—for some reason, she was harder to fool at this moment, as if she had been tricked in a similar way before, exuding an aura of post-traumatic stress disorder from illegal recruitment.
Seeing this, Yu Sheng didn't waste any words with her. He simply reached out and grabbed at the air next to him, opening a large door.
The illusory door opened silently, revealing the Crack Laboratory, whose framework had been repaired and whose original appearance was roughly visible. Inside, civil engineering immortals and machining immortals were busy flying around on flying swords, auspicious clouds, and purple-gold gourds.
Luo's eyes widened instantly, and he instinctively walked towards the door: "This, this is my house! This is my lab! It's been renovated like this... Hey, what are these people doing! Don't mess around! That's a precision structure! Hey you in the purple robe, put that thing you're holding down—"
Before she could finish speaking, the illusory door floating in mid-air slammed shut again.
Luo raised her head and stared blankly at Yu Sheng.
“If you are willing to cooperate, Blackstone Station will still be under your management,” Yu Sheng said earnestly. “Of course, it is now the property of the hotel in every respect, but to be honest, such a ‘pioneer laboratory’ is just sitting there in my hands. Only you know how to make it play its proper role. You should understand what I mean.”
He paused again, then cautiously added, "Compared to before, there will definitely be restrictions. You'll be responsible to me from now on, so you can't act as recklessly as before. The Law-Abiding Star Sector also can't allow you to continue doing things in the style of the Black Dot Group—your research projects, the movement of personnel and resources, and your connections with other forces will all be subject to monitoring. My personal energy is limited, so the specific execution will likely be carried out by Shuji or the Special Operations Bureau..."
Before he could finish speaking, Luo's face was suddenly pressed against his, her eyes, shining like stars, staring intently at him.
"Enough with the nonsense, where do I sign?"
(End of this chapter)
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