In November, the city of X had begun to chill, with temperatures nearing zero. Unfazed by the cold, Lu Yan, in tune with the season, donned the autumn uniform of the Special Operations Department. Carrying a small suitcase, he stood on the street corner, resembling a southern ornamental plant, adding a touch of color to the dull sidewalk.
The contract signing ceremony was scheduled for November 11th, just in time for Lu Yan's 27th birthday. The headquarters dispatched four negotiators and ten Harbingers for the occasion. Most of these negotiators were lawyers and diplomats, prepared to sacrifice during contract negotiations, knowing well that pollutants wouldn't heed any legal regulations.
All staff were accommodated at the X City Pollution Disease Prevention and Control Center. As Lu Yan led Tang Xunan into the lobby, before completing their check-in, they were greeted with a pleasantly surprised call, "Lu Yan!" It was Zhou Qiming, donning sunglasses and a floral shirt, striding gracefully on the polished marble floor. "I've missed you so much!"
With a swift dodge, Lu Yan evaded Zhou Qiming's embrace. "Long time no see."
"It's fate that brought us together again," Zhou Qiming's expression was sincere. "I wasn't keen on taking this mission, looked too dangerous, might have clashed with my plans for the XX gaming expo. But when I saw your name on the team list, I realized it was a mission sent to me by the heavens. Rest assured, Dr. Lu, I'll protect you. By the way..."
Zhou Qiming instinctively glanced at Lu Yan's head.
【The End of Cults (Ultimate)】
【Visitor from the Abyss】
【Meow Meow Yan】
He intended to ask how Lu Yan had quickly ascended to A-level, but upon seeing the title above his head, he forgot his words. After moving from B to A, Zhou Qiming could now see an additional column of titles. Not everyone had three titles, he observed. The first was an honorific title earned by completing specific events, the second a personal title reflecting the virtual world's assessment of the NPC, and the third, a relationship-related title that was rather puzzling when dropped.
Seeing the receptionist with a green title of "Next Door Old Wang," Zhou Qiming understood the implications of the third title. But "Meow Meow Yan"? What could that possibly mean?
While Zhou Qiming was lost in thought, a hand quietly landed on Lu Yan's shoulder.
"What are you talking about?"
Tang Xunan's towering figure, combined with his sharp features, exuded an imposing aura when he looked down at people.
Zhou Qiming also noticed the titles above his head.
【Hell Hunter (Inactive)】
【Black Dragon of Destruction (Inactive)】
【Dog Dragon】
It was the first time Zhou Qiming had seen gray inactive titles. But these two lines flashed by quickly, and the text above Tang Xunan's head changed the next moment: #Provided Online Reading by Thinking Rabbit Web#
【Hell Demon Hunter】
【Seeking Mate Black Dragon】
【Dog Dragon】
Both "Seeking Mate Black Dragon" and "Meow Meow Yan" were equally sweet and lovely in pink.
Zhou Qiming muttered, "By the way... do I need to see an ophthalmologist? I played Ranked games with Chen Twelve all night yesterday, must be an illusion."
During their conversation, the front desk had already completed their check-in and handed them two room cards.
"Two gentlemen, these are the rooms arranged as per your request, both on the same floor. Please keep your room cards safe."
Rooms at the Disease Prevention and Control Center were all singles; there were no couple suites. Due to the pollution sources and spiritual threshold, higher-ranked individuals tended to subconsciously oppress lower-ranked ones. Many Harbingers also preferred to keep their distance from others of their kind. Additionally, for comfort considerations, there were only two rooms per floor.
Gradually, an unwritten rule emerged within the center: unless the relationship was exceptionally close, it was best not to assign two Harbingers to the same floor when vacancies were available.
Lu Yan tucked away the room cards and nodded slightly to Zhou Qiming. "I'll head up first. See you at the meeting."
There was another short meeting scheduled for 2 p.m.
Watching the two figures walk away, Zhou Qiming reluctantly took out a small mirror from his pocket and looked at the text above his head:
【Game Producer】
【Fish of Unrequited Love】
---
At 2 p.m., in the conference center of the X City Pollution Disease Prevention and Control Center, a pre-contract signing meeting was held for the ceremony two days later.
Lu Yan didn't speak but carefully surveyed the Harbingers present. They were all colleagues, some of whom had interacted more or less before. However, Lu Yan, who had only recently emerged this year and was reticent, had gone largely unnoticed. Many only realized today what he actually looked like.
Beside Lu Yan sat Bai Qiu Shi, who sighed, "Your spiritual threshold has risen too fast. It's unfair." As he spoke, his four pupils kept darting around.
[Due to having too many pupils, the world in Bai Qiu Shi's eyes seemed like constantly shifting frames. You could try rapidly moving your eyes to simulate it. An ordinary person would probably be unable to bear it for a day or two, let alone endure it for decades as he has.]
Lu Yan glanced at the person opposite him.
[Odin, Ice Crow. Talents: 47 - Frost, 119 - Plague. The crow on his shoulder is a piece of flesh that fell from him, capable of spreading a harmful plague to pollutants. Currently, his spiritual threshold is 9900, and the headquarters has been eagerly awaiting him to surpass ten thousand.]
Lu Yan asked, "Can he also give birth?"
[...That's not the kind of flesh that falls.]
Another unfamiliar figure was Yuan Chen.
He kept his head down, staring at his toes, his exposed fingertips unnaturally pale. Yan Bei sat beside him, doodling on paper.
The strategic meeting arranged by the headquarters was quite comprehensive. Who was responsible for clearing the battlefield, who was tasked with restraining Lu Zhi and 01, who was in charge of protecting the hostages—all was clearly delineated. In addition, there were backup plans B, C, and D.
After multiple simulations by the super AI, these plans were predicted to have a success rate of over sixty-seven percent.
The system's evaluation of this plan was succinct: [Useless.]
"Why?"
[You'll know when it's night, midnight.]
So, Lu Yan quietly listened to the important speech of the strategic planner and took notes during the meeting, although his mind was mostly occupied with what to eat tonight, much like a high school student waiting for the final bell to ring.
The headquarters never skimped on their employees' needs.
Dinner was à la carte, indeed delicious, especially the salmon sashimi.
It was said to be a mutated creature from the depths of the sea, much larger than normal salmon, with two heads. After processing, the flesh had a distinct texture, tender enough to release fish oil. Children would probably love it.
Lu Yan devoured half a piece in one breath. After finishing, he declined the team-building
activity and returned to his room.
With four hours left until midnight, he could take a nap first.
Lu Yan tucked his knife and bow into his arms and, before closing his eyes, exchanged a few words with his little boyfriend, indicating his tiredness and desire to sleep early.
Midnight.
Although the alarm on his phone didn't ring, Lu Yan still opened his eyes because of the bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloping him.
One moment, he was in his hotel room; the next, he found himself sitting on an empty street.
In the dead of night, there wasn't a single car passing by. The sky was tinged with a faint red hue, as if filtered.
The system chuckled softly: [Do you know why the headquarters can always follow the trail to Pig Alley but never find the slaughterhouse? Welcome to the otherworld.]
The smell of blood lingered in Lu Yan's nostrils as he cautiously looked around. The dried blood on the street resembled oil paint, splattered on the pavement.
On either side of the road, people who had long been dead hung like sheep in a butcher's shop, tied to the treetops with ropes.
Their flesh had been completely stripped, leaving only relatively intact heads staring at the ground. Red-headed flies buzzed around on their skeletal frames, gnawing on the remaining flesh.
The system reminded: "[You better find a black piece of clothing and cover yourself. Even though you have the butcher's work permit, it's not considered safe. There's some clothing in the alley to your left at the front intersection. Hope you won't be stubborn because of cleanliness, my treasure.]"
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