As the host of the East Route, Chen Cheng invited them to have lunch beside the concert hall.
The few performers from earlier also came over carrying their instruments, adding a musical accompaniment to the meal.
“The fast-paced violin has a strong Gothic vibe, and the birthplace of Gothic style is very close to England, at least closer than where we are. Speaking of England, it reminds me of someone,” said the Sexually Repressed Shadow. “She definitely came running for Xu Chuyao, even admitted it herself. She came specifically to talk to Xu Chuyao!”
Shen Ning didn’t respond, only quietly eating while occasionally nodding.
“Don’t waste your effort,” said the Broken Shadow. “Ever since she woke from that dream a few afternoons ago, she’s been like this.”
She seemed to be deep in thought, not very sensitive to the outside noise.
Ironically, Xu Chuyao the one who usually loved to eat was absent-minded at the table, occasionally glancing at the Chen family member, pondering whether or not to say something that might be too much.
“Mr. Chen, I heard those remnants of the Clown Gang were caught in a rather unusual way,” she finally spoke.
She had to say it, as it was bothering her inside.
Chen Cheng put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then smiled slightly.
“Miss Xu, I understand what you mean. But in the business of trading, sometimes unexpected situations arise.”
“Business of trading?”
“That’s right. About the inspiration spray used by the Clown Gang.”
He gestured for the band to pause their performance and continued.
“When developing certain new products, we can’t always control the exact concentration levels. At those times, the security on the goods is relaxed a bit, allowing some of them to slip into the free market. It turned out that this batch of spray had a slightly higher concentration than intended. We didn’t expect a group of terrorists to get their hands on it. But no matter what, the spray is just an auxiliary aid—it doesn’t inherently cause crime.”
Xu Chuyao listened in slight confusion not because she didn’t understand, but because she understood all too well.
“You really didn’t have to explain so much to me… I was just casually mentioning it, and you ended up telling me a whole story.”
Chen Cheng smiled again. “Because I’ve heard of Miss Xu’s reputation. You’re a smart person; these things can’t be hidden from you. It’s better for me to explain proactively. And as for the East—”
“And what about the East?”
“Let me tease you a little you’ll find out very soon.”
After lunch, he took out a schedule and handed it to Xu Chuyao.
“Miss Xu, this is the place and time for your goods to be received, along with some requirements.”
Location: Farm No. 21 outside Freiden Free City, delivery to Chen Clan Pass (a small village 30 kilometers outside Center City).
Time: Tuesday, meaning tomorrow, from 10 a.m. to before 6 p.m. There will be someone at the farm to receive it.
“Theoretically, you just need to place the goods at the receiving point. After sunrise on Wednesday, others will come to take over, register, and store them.”
“The next day they register?”
Xu Chuyao blinked, tentatively asking, “Isn’t it risky to leave it overnight like that? What if something goes wrong?”
“As I said before, business is business. Besides, Miss Xu and Miss Shen are obviously still in school, suddenly taking on this job,” Chen Cheng said casually. “Must be tired of classes, so they came out to get some fresh air.”
Ten minutes later, the two girls left the music restaurant.
Xu Chuyao nudged her friend’s arm. “This guy is interesting he talks in a flow, one set after another.”
Shen Ning was slightly startled, as if her soul had just been nudged back.
“What?”
“I mean what he just said… didn’t you understand it?”
“I wasn’t paying attention.”
Not really paying attention the girl was just nodding along while eating, quietly lost in her own thoughts, completely unaware of what was being said.
Her mind was full of herself.
“He was upfront about it: the spray the Clown Gang had was indeed from the Chen family, whether by mistake or otherwise, it was given to them. Then he hinted that he knew we had ulterior motives in taking this job, but instead of stopping us, he gave some operational advice—telling us to sneak away under the cover of night.”
Hearing this, Shen Ning finally realized how much had happened during that meal.
“Why is he helping us?”
“Doing a favor, so I won’t investigate the spray incident,” Xu Chuyao made an ‘X’ gesture with her hands. “A clean slate.”
“I see.”
“Why do you look so calm? What’s wrong with you today?”
“Nothing,” the girl shook her head. “Just thinking about some things.”
Xu Chuyao asked what things, but Shen Ning didn’t say, only that it wasn’t anything serious or urgent, leaving Xu Chuyao thoroughly puzzled.
“Alright, then tomorrow morning we meet at nine. Don’t let your thoughts keep you up and make you oversleep.”
Xu Chuyao worried needlessly because logically, people only lose sleep over real-world concerns.
But Shen Ning’s worries were about what was inside her head, so she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Tuesday. Returning to an old place, though not really.
Farm No. 21 is located quite far outside Freiden Free City, near the highway.
The area is vast and sparsely populated; even if there were a crystal outbreak, it wouldn’t harm many people.
Although there were many goods here, Professor Swina hadn’t considered setting up a broadcast station.
Xu Chuyao and Shen Ning got off the plane at the suburban airport and climbed into a large truck arranged for them locally.
“Miss Xu, you really don’t need a driver from us?”
The local security officer in charge of coordination asked.
“No, I can drive.”
Xu Chuyao sat in the driver’s seat, placing a pair of big white rabbits on the steering wheel. This way, the truck definitely wouldn’t skid.
Shen Ning silently sat beside her, clumsily fastening her seatbelt after a reminder, then lowered her head, lost in thought.
Not the best girlfriend—she didn’t even ask when her friend had learned to drive a truck.
Xu Chuyao was prepared to tell the truth if asked—she had learned in her past life.
Finally, the truck arrived at the receiving point at 2:30 p.m.
From the outside, it looked like a farm, but it was actually a secret warehouse, inside which were over a dozen large black crates.
“You’re here, please come in.”
The warehouse manager was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, reminding Shen Ning of the Doppelganger Reflection who had sat next to her during questioning in the city of Yingsilu.
After carefully checking their documents, the manager opened the large door and led them inside.
The black crates were neatly arranged. The manager expertly operated a machine, loading them one by one onto the truck.
To keep Shen Ning more alert, Xu Chuyao said to her:
“I’ll tell you, don’t be fooled by how well-sealed these black boxes are. They don’t actually isolate anything. If the crystals were to burst, the boxes themselves would also transform. They’re safe only because the crystals inside are dormant. If something happens, one way is to inject an activation command—though that program probably isn’t here anymore. Another way is simple and brute force: direct physical impact.”
“In other words, if the road is bumpy while driving, they might…”
“No, Miss Xu,” the passing warehouse manager interrupted. “There’s shock-absorbing material inside the boxes, so they can handle some bumps. Unless the truck rolls off a cliff.”
Xu Chuyao flushed and smiled wryly. “Scaring my girlfriend with made-up stories isn’t a good explanation.”
“Then let’s load the goods and go.”
Retracing their route, the truck returned to the suburban airport.
With the local security’s help, the goods were loaded onto the plane and flown back to Center City airport.
After landing, they repeated the same procedure. Xu Chuyao drove the truck to Chen Clan Pass receiving point—final destination.
After unloading, night had fallen. The two girls ate a simple dinner of convenience foods.
“I just heard,” Xu Chuyao said quietly, “the workers here get off at 10 p.m. We wait here until they all leave, then open the boxes, take some crystals, and then we can leave.”
Of course, Chen Cheng tacitly approved this plan, but the people below didn’t know whether to be discreet or more discreet.
While waiting, Shen Ning wandered around the warehouse.
Besides the newly arrived black crates, there were some scattered small items—an old phonograph, various broken household appliances.
She found a single-lens eyepiece on a shelf, picked it up, and tried wearing it.
Seeing the world through one eye felt strange…
“You’re not seriously going to be a one-eyed person, are you?” the Sexually Repressed Shadow couldn’t help but ask.
The girl quietly took off the eyepiece, signaling she knew Uncle Liu’s words were metaphorical, not literal. The so-called blind world was not truly blind for the mutants—it referred to some kind of ability they lacked but she possessed.
This had been the question she’d been silently pondering these past few days.
It shouldn’t be just the ability to control emotions. What else could it be?
Sexually Repressed Shadow: “Good that you understand. I was really afraid you’d keep overthinking these past few days and mess up your brain.”
“Not that bad. You think too highly of her fragility,” said the Broken Shadow.
A great character, respectful not only of Xu Chuyao but of everyone.
The Milky Ning Reflection opened her mouth but said nothing, seemingly wanting to point out a bug but failing.
The sky grew darker, the moon climbed higher, and the workers at the receiving point finished their shift and locked the doors.
“Finally off work.”
“I’m a bit hungry. Let’s grab a bite.”
“At this hour, what’s left to eat?”
“Grilled skewers.”
No one noticed that inside the locked warehouse were still two beautiful young girls full of youthful energy.
“Let’s go, let’s get far away,” whispered Xu Chuyao, pressed against the door, “they’ve started working!”
For this stealthy borrowing operation, Xu Chuyao took full command, first telling Shen Ning to keep her eyes and ears open, watching carefully for anyone approaching.
“You can control wind element, right? You can hear the sound of the wind?”
Shen Ning wanted to say her control wasn’t that refined yet, but on second thought, since she didn’t have third-rank reconnaissance skills, second-rank ultrasonic abilities would have to do for now.
While someone took charge of the wind, Xu Chuyao relaxed and approached the goods, picking the black box that looked best.
She pressed her hands against it.
Hmmmm, how do you open this thing?
Suddenly she realized a problem—actually, many problems.
From the outside, there was no way to tell where the lock was, or how to open it.
Was it a mechanical lock or a smart lock? Was there a password?
She could forcibly open it with her strength, but that would leave damage marks, immediately giving them away.
And even if she managed to open it smoothly and take some crystals, how would they restore the packing inside?
The ever-resourceful prophet Xu Chuyao faced a problem for the first time.
It wasn’t her fault; it was the supervisor’s for not writing it down!
Just then, she heard Shen Ning say:
“Someone’s coming!”