Chapter 161: Her |
For a moment, Shi Rang lost his ability to think. The Management Authority member whose mouth was opening and closing as he spoke, and Agent Leah who was stammering something out, both dissolved into a hazy blur beyond the focus of his vision.
He stared at her blankly.
The light blue striped jacket paired perfectly with her dark blue long skirt. Coupled with a flaxen bowler hat, it was an outfit fit for a picnic with a lunch basket in hand. She looked as beautiful as a silhouette pulled straight from his memories. He subconsciously recalled the way she used to look back and smile at him under the sunlight.
The words, "You look beautiful in that," reached the tip of his tongue, only to retreat in the face of the cold vigilance displayed on that familiar face.
She hid behind the other two people, her eyes glaring at him with a slight frown from beneath the brim of her hat as a counterattack to his prolonged stare.
Shi Rang's heart trembled violently as the description of the Class F Amnestic Agent flashed before his eyes.
[Completely overwrites memories, replaces social identity.]
The Fan Yingshang he knew would never show such an expression.
She did not know him.
"Actually, I just came over to say hello, and happened to run into them. Welcome to the town." The Management Authority employee's communication device logs showed he was on leave and had not received any mission to investigate Shi Rang.
"The environment in this town is quite nice. It is a good place." Shi Rang nodded politely to him before looking back at Agent Leah.
The latter had definitely said something to him just a moment ago, but his attention kept drifting back to Ying Shang, so he hadn't absorbed a single word.
Under his intense gaze, Agent Leah had no choice but to brace herself and repeat her words.
"Supervisor Shi, regarding what happened this morning... thank you very much."
Shi Rang disliked the interpersonal rules of the workplace and society, but he actually understood them perfectly well—he just refused to play along.
He realized that his moment in the spotlight that morning—targeting a petty director who had provoked him in front of everyone—was certainly imposing, but it had undoubtedly brought trouble for Agent Leah. Rather than believing that the new supervisor punished Director Aurore out of sheer integrity, most people would attribute the motive to Agent Leah, viewing it as a classic case of a hero saving a beauty.
For the party receiving the help, this was not necessarily a good thing.
If he guessed correctly, it was likely anxiety that had driven Agent Leah here. She wanted to figure out what Shi Rang's true intentions were and whether she needed to offer some gesture as the reward of the helped weakling. She probably did not dare to come alone, so she found companions to accompany her—this was probably the real reason Ying Shang and that employee had come here.
Shi Rang then explained, "I just do not like Aurore as a person, nothing more to it. I have been tormented by those kinds of impromptu directives before, so I could not stand him."
Agent Leah looked at him with a hint of suspicion for a moment before finally accepting his sincere answer.
She finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much for helping me out of that situation...
"
Seeing that the three of them still had no intention of leaving, Shi Rang realized this was an opportunity to learn about the current Ying Shang.
He planned to invite them inside to sit for a while. Since he had already sent Jing Zi and the thugs out, this was the perfect time to...
'No, wait.'
He could still sense that cluster of anomaly fluctuations lingering in the kitchen, separated by just a single wall.
Ghost Spirit, the Head of the Ascension Society, was still here.
Seeing Ying Shang had almost made him feel smugly elated. Even though the situation was somewhat cruel, in that moment of a dream coming true, many things had been temporarily cast to the back of his mind.
'I cannot let her stay here. I cannot let Ghost Spirit know she exists.'
Shi Rang was no longer a free man. He had been swept up in the operations of the Ascension Society. Until he could extricate himself, he absolutely could not let any of this affect her.
"I also just arrived here today, and the house is a bit of a mess. When I get the chance, I will come visit you all," he said, maintaining his vigilance toward the fluctuations that practically enveloped the house, praying they would leave quickly.
"That is true, it is almost time for dinner. Let's meet again next time!"
After exchanging a few meaningless pleasantries, the trio finally left together. Ying Shang walked the fastest, clearly unwilling to stay a second longer. Shi Rang's intense gaze had undoubtedly repulsed her to the extreme.
He stood at the door, watching her turn into a silhouette against the setting sun until her figure completely vanished.
"Do you care a lot about that woman?"
The words that suddenly rang out from behind him set off blaring alarm bells in his mind.
Regardless of whether that statement was meant as a threat, Shi Rang could not stop himself from displaying hostility.
He could tolerate many things, but anything concerning her was the sole exception.
Ghost Spirit was leaning against the doorframe leading from the foyer to the kitchen. Facing Shi Rang's furious glare—which, to it, probably posed as much of a threat as a puppy baring its teeth—it smiled and waved its hand dismissively.
"Do not look at me with such frightening eyes. I have no intention of breaking up a happy couple; I am just a bit curious about your type. I have fallen in love with humans too, several of them, actually. There was one who left the deepest impression on me. I stayed in the same body for several weeks just so I could spend more time with her."
Shi Rang turned his head away. Besides a deep sense of powerlessness, he also felt a hint of curiosity. "To you, isn't it strange to fall in love with food?"
"Well, who made humans the answer to the universe?" A Piao brushed the question aside with a bizarre statement. "I must use human bodies; that is my way of survival. But before I grow bored, I am still willing to experience emotions."
"...That person you mentioned, what happened to her later?"
"Her... I used that body for too long. I tried my best to preserve it a bit longer, but it still rotted. When we were being intimate, my hand accidentally fell off. Later on, the people from the Management Authority tracked her down, gave her an injection, and she forgot all about me completely." A Piao pulled itself out of the memory, raised its head, and smiled. "Actually, as a brief romance, it was not bad. At least we did not part on bad terms, right?"
"I am sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me? You are still too young. When you reach my age, you will also be able to let things go." A Piao pushed off the doorframe and stood up straight. "I should get going too. Here is your assigned task—look for the locations of nearby Management Authority facilities. Our target is a piece of equipment called the Directional Reconstructor. This area is so desolate, and the Ninth District is chaotic. There are not many places for the Management Authority staff to go when they come out for off-duty rest. You are responsible for keeping an eye on this town, and I will watch the neighboring city. Let's communicate any news promptly. Let me know if you need more manpower."
Shi Rang committed these key points to memory. "I should be able to find some clues. They are practically defenseless against me."
"Then I will wait for your good news." With a wave of its hand, A Piao shoved its hands into its pockets and left the house, walking out into the sudden descent of the night.
In the blink of an eye, the entity vanished from the street.
A Piao was a dangerous figure, but he inexplicably felt that the things it said were true.
Other than The Sheriff, the only one he could trust and empathize with was actually an anomaly from the Ascension Society...
He stood on the porch for a while. When he finally snapped back to reality, he realized he was staring in the direction Ying Shang had left.
After a moment of thought, he started walking toward the direction of Number 210.