Chapter 157 Painted Body Swallowing Charcoal (6)
temperature.
Shu Ningmiao clenched her fingers into a fist and slowly slid down the car window.
The lurking spying in the darkness vanished completely. No one cared about the brief malfunction in the carriage. When the train arrived at the station, she went outside and got some fresh air, which immediately made her feel much more awake.
The final stop is right at the entrance of Jingshan. All you can see is the lush greenery of the forests and valleys. The environment is fresh and tranquil enough, but the location is too remote and life is not convenient enough. There are only a few manor houses nearby.
The Shi family's burned-down manor was not far from Jingshan, and she hadn't been there for a long time.
Standing here, the undulating mountains block the view of the houses behind the vegetation, and even if one could see them, they would surely have been reclaimed and rebuilt by the Pinheid government long ago.
Shu Ningmiao withdrew her gaze. At the foot of Jingshan Mountain was a lake, and the mission was located there. This place was usually an open wildlife park, where children would play even on weekdays. Now, however, the entrance was cordoned off with a sign prohibiting entry.
She stared at the target point that was about to overlap on the map and tapped the check-in button on the screen.
A man in a shirt, trousers, and a hard hat, standing not far away, stared at her suspiciously for a while before walking over: "Are you someone sent by Director Sun?"
Shu Ningmiao nodded, knowing that this person doubted her strength, but her expression remained calm—she no longer needed to show anyone anything to prove herself.
The man simply sized her up without saying much, tossing her his name tag: "You'll patrol this lake area. Just report any suspicious activity immediately. This area is full of security personnel and guards."
After he finished speaking, he waved her away and told her to go to the side, not wanting to say another word.
Shu Ningmiao looked up and surveyed the sky: drones, monitors, power grids, and the strong directional signals she sensed through the 'neural connection'.
The entrance to the scenic spot was closed, but there were signs of human presence every few meters along the lake.
What exactly are they doing in this desolate wilderness?
The staff who handed her over didn't expect her to be of any use, so they released her directly, and she slowly walked along the lakeside.
The lake water was as clear as a mirror, and the absence of tourists made it even quieter. Occasionally, a few fish could be seen leaping out of the water.
She walked a short distance down to the lakeside and stared blankly at the densely wooded hillside in the distance.
In the quiet environment, the sound of splashing water was particularly noticeable. She turned her head and a plump fish swam past her with its tail twisting, then fell into the water with a splash. It thrashed and jumped around in the water as if it had been electrocuted.
Shu Ning wiped the water droplets off her face with her fingertips, then took a few more steps toward the lake. The fish were no longer moving.
Its pale belly floated on the surface of the water, and a thin, transparent line was still hooked on the fish's mouth.
She crouched down, gripped the thin line, and pulled the fish up. The fish's upper jaw was pierced by the hook, and its mouth was full of blood. It trembled slightly as she lifted it up.
At this hour... there are still people fishing? Isn't this area off-limits?
Shu Ningmiao gripped the fishing line and looked around, instantly locking onto a figure on the bluestone on the opposite bank.
She had previously sensed that there were significantly more staff members on the other side, so this person was even less likely to have sneaked in.
The man stood on the bank, holding a fishing rod in one hand, quietly watching the movements on her side.
The other person was wearing a sun hat and a waterproof suit, the wide brim of which completely covered their face, so she couldn't see anything.
A moment later, another person walked out from behind the other person. She looked closely and saw that it was the staff member who had just handed over the work to her.
The staff saw her from afar, cupped their hands around their mouths like megaphones, and called out to her, "Hey, bring the fish over here."
She gestured to indicate that she understood.
Across the lake, the man on the other side couldn't see her unblinking eyes staring at him. He leaned slightly forward and smiled at the man next to him who had pulled down the brim of his sun hat: "Your fish is really big, it must weigh twenty or thirty pounds."
The man didn't respond to his compliment, but nodded slightly with his chin.
He turned his head, seemingly understanding but not quite, only to realize with a start that the girl had been standing behind him with the fish in her arms, and he hadn't even noticed her presence.
Is this the speed at which a human should move?!
The staff were surprised that she arrived so quickly, and even stammered a few times before taking the big fish and putting it in the bucket.
It was only after a moment that he realized that this girl... could she be a superhuman like those other people?
Taking the opportunity, Shu Ningmiao discreetly observed the person wearing a sun hat in front of her, watching him slowly wind the remaining fishing line onto the fishing rod, place it aside, change to a new fishing rod, and lie down on the folding chair.
A staff member called out to her, "Well, thank you for your hard work, you can go back and continue..."
The person holding the fishing rod spoke up: "Come and sit down."
The staff member raised his hand and pointed to himself in confusion.
Shu Ningmiao stepped past him a few paces and calmly unfolded the folding chair next to her and sat down.
"Do you know how to fish?" The man switched the fishing rod to his other hand, turned his face toward her, and the shadow under the wide brim of his hat shifted as the angle changed: "Shu Ningmiao, we meet again."
He gestured for the man behind him to bring her a fishing rod.
His sideburns, half black and half white, were visible beneath his sun hat, but he didn't look tired or old. Instead, he appeared dignified and refined. In reality, he did have an excellent image in most people's eyes, otherwise he wouldn't have received so much support before.
When a man gets older, but doesn't naturally exude an air of omniscience or condescension, he's much more pleasant to be around.
"Thank you for making this trip." Lucico spoke to her in a friendly manner, but she was observing the man's unusual tone of voice.
Her unhurried speaking pace seemed gentle, yet every word was clear, as if she were holding a breath of air. She was not observing an ordinary middle-aged man, but a successful politician.
He has a kind, philanthropic face, but it is more meaningful than his public appearance.
"...You're too kind, it's just a few steps."
Shu Ningmiao took the fishing rod, deftly twisted the hook, and showed no intention of casting it.
“Look, you’re lucky. I also benefited from it and caught a big fish right away.” The man placed his fishing rod on the stand. “What do you think of the scenery here? Clean… clear. It’s hard to find such relaxing greenery in the city anymore.”
It also means that the sparsely populated, difficult-to-monitor primitive environment has naturally grown blind spots under the cover of trees.
He seemed completely unaware of the high-risk environment he was in.
All this elaborate setup was just to allow Lucico to relax and fish alone—and now she's effortlessly seated next to the current representative.
She couldn't tell which of the two things was more absurd.
Shu Ningmiao turned her head slightly and smiled gently: "It's true that it's hard to find such a quiet place in the city, but it's just as beautiful."
Lucico chuckled, crossed his arms, and looked at her: "Why do you think Pigne is so beautiful?"
Shu Ningmiao briefly considered whether Lucico wanted to hear her flattery.
Lucico seemed to see through her intention to flatter her and shook her head before she could speak.
“Because we dumped all the waste generated from using Pandora into the New Earth.” He spread his fingers and spoke in the most calm tone, his words like thunderclaps: “They piled up like mountains, forming huge black wastes that emitted a suffocating odor and could explode at the slightest spark.”
“We need the new land, don’t we? If we leave this place, who will take care of our garbage and cleanse our lungs of toxic fumes? Everything has its reason for being, the new land is the same, and so is Intoli.” He was like an older employee complaining about his unsupported plan: “Many people can only see what’s in front of them and can’t understand the meaning of long-term existence. They scream and run away as soon as they think about someone dying.”
Lucico's direct and straightforward topic left her lost in thought. Shu Ningmiao went over his words in her mind and thought to herself with a petty jealousy, "If you put him on the battlefield, he might be scared out of his wits."
Thinking of this, she took a slow breath and looked at the middle-aged man's face.
If she calmed down, she could hear the sound of blood flowing under his skin. This old man looked so ordinary and frail... Of course she could do it, right now, right here.
Lucico turned to her at the same time, looking at her in surprise: "I don't consider myself an old man, do I? Or am I just out of touch with the trends of young people these days?"
Shu Ningmiao stiffened slightly and met his gaze.
Who exactly is Lucicolai talking to?
She hadn't even opened her mouth, yet he continued her inner monologue as if no one else was there.
Lucico looked at her and, without beating around the bush, said quite bluntly: "I am a superhuman, just like you. My superpower is indeed useless for self-defense; it's just [communication]."
“I believe the most important thing between people is communication, but sometimes misunderstandings arise in communication, and there are often barriers to communication.” He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the fine lines around his eyes slowly relaxed: “Only when hearts are connected can there be no obstacles.”
He's reading her mind!
Shu Ningmiao's heart clenched instantly, and at that moment, a question arose in her mind. The sharp question instantly overwhelmed her astonishment: Why did Lucico tell her this?
She was in the light, he was in the dark; no thought of hers could escape his notice. If she didn't actively reveal this, he could spy on all her thoughts from the shadows.
But why? Why did he suddenly reveal his supernatural abilities in front of her?
He did it on purpose.
The thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
When an ordinary person learns that the other person can read minds, their first reaction will inevitably be to desperately protect the secret they fear being discovered, and to uncontrollably try to confirm the thing in their mind that they least want others to know.
The greatest secret lies in a moment of intense mental focus.
Therefore, she couldn't think about anything, couldn't be afraid, couldn't panic, and the last thing she could think about was—
Shu Ningmiao pinched her palm, trying her best to recall the aroma of coffee this morning, the noisy music played by others in the waiting room, the white eyes of the fish in the water, and the possible expressions on the faces of every stranger she passed by... Her brain was like a radio that had gone out of control, buzzing and playing countless channels at the same time.
All the memories were jumbled and overlapping; she tried to recall everything that had happened, but it was as if she hadn't thought about anything at all.
Lucico's brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.
But Shu Ningmiao caught it.
efficient.
Even if I could hear her innermost thoughts, what difference would it make?
You might be able to hear one person speaking right next to your ear clearly, but if ten, a hundred, or even ten million people speak at the same time, can you still recognize what they are saying?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
