Although he had received a new mission, Yue Shi did not set out immediately. The task at hand was—moving.
The original Happiness Apartments were not only remote but also trashed. Now that Yue Shi had acquired invisibility, he no longer needed to stay in such a place to hide his movements. Moving was imperative.
Yue Shi didn't have many belongings, so packing was easy. However, just as he was carrying his packed bags outside, he ran into an unexpected person—the landlord, Mrs. Bai.
The old woman was as shrewd, healthy, and talkative as ever. Seeing Yue Shi moving his things, she didn't forget to greet him with a chuckle: “Young man, moving out, are you?”
Yue Shi nodded politely, unable to resist glancing at her a few extra times. He had thought the old woman was dead, considering she had been quite close to Old Man Qin, who turned out to be a supernatural—the Heart Thief and Parasitic Mushroom—in disguise.
“A young man like you has a bright future; this place really isn't suitable for you.” Mrs. Bai's attitude was gentle, with none of her usual sharp-tongued bitterness. After all, she wasn't blind. Yue Shi was not only a transcendent but also part of the Investigation Bureau; only an idiot would go out of their way to offend him.
However, Mrs. Bai had no intention of trying to curry favor. Getting too close to a transcendent from the Investigation Bureau might bring benefits, but it likely carried equal risks.
Mrs. Bai was quite old and desired a peaceful, stable life. She followed the standard procedure to refund Yue Shi's rent and deposit, without charging him for the damage to the room.
Yue Shi, however, stated that he would report the damages to the Investigation Bureau and try to have them reimburse her.
Mrs. Bai understood instantly and drafted a list of damages.
Her reaction time had always been quick; otherwise, she wouldn't have noticed something was wrong with Old Man Qin and slipped away quietly.
The former security guard, Old Man Qin, had indeed been a handsome old fellow, and Mrs. Bai had been interested. But after interacting with him up close, she had discovered his abnormalities.
No matter how much a non-human entity tried to act human, it couldn't help but carry an uncanny, pseudo-human weirdness.
Mrs. Bai trusted her intuition. She wasn't the type to be blinded by good looks; if there was even a shred of potential danger, she would stay far away.
Without tipping him off, Mrs. Bai had found a reasonable excuse to leave quietly, even putting on a show of reluctance before she went.
Old Man Qin’s target hadn't been her, so he hadn't paid much attention.
Mrs. Bai had stayed out of sight because she felt Yue Shi was also trouble. She had only let him move in because she hadn't known he was a transcendent at first.
The identity of a transcendent itself meant trouble and whirlpools. A transcendent who specifically chose to live in such a remote place was likely the ultimate magnet for trouble.
Mrs. Bai felt her small temple couldn't house such a great buddha, so she had been hiding, fearing that trouble would stick to her. Only now that Yue Shi was finally moving out did she dare to appear.
...
The dormitory provided by the Investigation Bureau wasn't large, but it was fully equipped with everything one could need.
Yue Shi briefly organized his luggage, stuffing his firearms and other weapons under the bed. He placed the Potential Potion seized from those men and the ring of keys obtained from Qingshan Sanatorium into a biscuit box, which he then stored with his other snacks.
The security of the Investigation Bureau's dormitories should be quite good.
When his new place was almost ready, a set of footsteps echoed outside. Yue Shi turned to see Bai Wanyang standing at the door, peering inside with a bag in his hand.
“What are you looking at?” Yue Shi asked.
“Checking out my new neighbor. I live right next door,” Bai Wanyang said, walking in casually.
At that moment, there were still some cardboard boxes in the room that hadn't been cleared out. The setting sun shone through the window, plating the messy room in gold.
Bai Wanyang looked around. “You really don't have much stuff.”
“I don't add non-essential items to my home.” As Yue Shi spoke, the savory aroma of fried chives wafted into his nose.
Bai Wanyang held the bag out to him. “Fresh from the snack bar nearby. Want a taste?”
Yue Shi stared at the golden, half-moon-shaped objects in the bag and blurted out, “Are these chive pockets?”
Bai Wanyang blinked. “The crust is crispy, and the filling is fresh and tender. They're delicious.”
With that, he pulled out a chive pocket and thrust it toward Yue Shi’s mouth.
Yue Shi hurriedly caught the “projectile,” the crispy crust shedding flakes. He actually didn't like eating food with such strong odors; back when he was constantly hiding, a scent could easily become a trail for someone to follow.
Bai Wanyang didn't stay long. Before turning to leave, he reminded him, “Don’t forget, we’re heading out of the city tomorrow to track down the source of the Bee Woman. Get some rest tonight and build up your strength.”
They were originally supposed to track down the Queen Bee today, but Yue Shi had been late in the morning and busy moving in the afternoon. Ling Xun didn't feel comfortable letting Bai Wanyang go out on field duty alone, and everyone else was busy, so the mission was pushed back by a day.
Bai Wanyang was probably in a hurry for revenge.
Yue Shi remembered the first time he had seen Bai Wanyang at the school; the boy had been like a stressed wolf cub, trusting no one and looking ready to bite anyone who came near.
He was much better now, at least no longer treating every stranger who tried to approach him as an enemy.
That night, Yue Shi summoned two ravens from the shadows and sent them toward the Chaos Zone ahead of time, using the ravens' vision to search for the Queen Bee’s trail.
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