Thanks to Li Jian Amber's divinely... insane driving speed, Huai Shi reached the Jinling Branch within five minutes and saw that yellow caution tape had already been put up outside.

"OK, Legendary Sauce, you can get out of the car now." Li Jian Amber leaned back lazily in her seat, sucking on a lollipop, and pointed outside. "Remember to give me a good review in the Social Security Bureau's callback, huh."

"You guys even have callbacks?" Huai Shi was astonished. "And what the heck is Legendary Sauce?"

"Huh? You don't know?" Li Jian Amber lifted her eyes and glanced at him. "That's your nickname now."

What kind of ridiculous nickname is that!

"Legendary Investigator, you wouldn't be feigning ignorance about this too, would you? The Darknet has already given you a Gold Medal certification."

"What is that!"

Amidst his shock, Huai Shi suddenly had a realization—that bastard KP is trying to screw me over again!

"That 'I don't know how awesome I am, so please praise me more' act you Dongxia people put on is incredibly irritating."

Li Jian Amber sighed helplessly. "Anyway, I also didn't expect that aside from courting death, you would have such talent—let's just say you're very impressive. Now, apart from the King of Games in America, you're the second Legendary Investigator to have revealed your own identity, and you're quite good-looking to boot. Your popularity on the Darknet is through the roof right now!"

Huai Shi felt increasingly uneasy.

What's this about being incredibly popular?

Could it be that a hellish place like the Darknet actually has a Little Huai Shi fan club?!

The thought of a group of young women waving glow sticks and cheering him on actually sparked a faint sense of anticipation within him.

"Of course, it's about the bounty amount." Li Jian Amber glanced at Huai Shi's head with ill intent, sending a chill down the young man's neck. "After all, quite a few people's walls are missing a heavy enough collectible... The Human Exhibition Bureau has offered forty million for your head. If one day you decide you no longer want to live, in light of our shared hardships, let me take care of it for you, alright?"

"No thanks!" Huai Shi responded irritably, and he had no desire whatsoever to know what that ghostly Human Exhibition Bureau was. "If one day you no longer want to live, remember our shared hardships and leave me all your gear."

BAM, the car door closed.

He held up his ID card, ducked under the yellow caution tape, and headed straight into the building.

Once inside, he saw numerous faint shadows. It was as if time was flowing backward. In the mess on the ground, amidst broken walls and ruins, countless pieces of brick and dust were slowly floating in the air, returning to their proper places...

After a brief ten minutes, the outer perimeter had already been repaired, leaving only the center of the hall marked by a second layer of caution tape.

A sea of heads, all agents poised and ready.

Noticing Huai Shi walking in, many looked over in shock, as his outfit hadn't improved much compared to not long before. Clad in a tattered shirt, covered in bloodstains, and with his waist-length hair carelessly tied in a ponytail at the back of his head...coupled with his face, which, after his advancement, had taken on an even more pronounced Cowherd-like handsomeness, it was an unbelievably bizarre sight.

Looking like a catwalk model as he walked in, he drew the gaze of everyone present, including a few 'old friends' who had chased after him with knives just a few hours ago.

Seeing this, Huai Shi couldn't help but raise his hand and rub the faint stubble finally sprouting on his chin. After waiting for so long, and following what could be considered a warm-up, his remaining energy seemed to have found an outlet, finally allowing a little to grow. This absolutely delighted Huai Shi.

A beard is great! The joy of growth! I'm even happier than Old Liu was when he finally grew some hair!

"Hey, Huai Shi, over here!"

In the crowd, Old Xiao turned his head and saw him, grinned, and pointed to something in the center. "Green Day left you a package, just waiting for you to sign for it!"

Dammit, you again! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!

Huai Shi's expression twitched; he suddenly felt the urge to chop Old Xiao.

Then he saw eyeballs dropping left and right; the stunned expressions on dozens of faces were a sight to behold. "What the heck!" Luo Ming exclaimed, pointing at the young man's face, and turned in astonishment to Old Xiao. "Is he, he, Huai Shi?"

"Yeah." Old Xiao nodded affirmatively, a sentimental look on his face as he said, "Haven't seen him for a month, indeed he looks a bit more dashing than before, but it's normal for young people to develop quickly..."

Normal my ass!

Luo Ming was at a loss for words, wanting to speak yet hesitating, staring in disbelief at that face—a face that, in terms of sheer attractiveness, seemed to have steamrolled right over his own. He also noticed the little stars twinkling in the eyes of the female clerks from the branch nearby...

To put it simply, his expression twitched and a chill ran down his spine; he desperately wanted to rush over and break Huai Shi's damn legs. But then he remembered Huai Shi's off-the-charts combat prowess from the livestream and the high probability that he'd be the one ending up with broken legs. The thought only deepened his despair.

Amidst all the strange glances, Huai Shi appeared calm, but on the inside, he was actually quite nervous, fearing that these bastards would suddenly leap up and hack him to death with a knife—just like they did not long ago—branding him the Astronomical Society's most embarrassing agent.

But soon, Chen Yan with the Mohican hairstyle stood out from the crowd, patted him on his shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, Old Xiao has explained it to us... anyway, sorry, and well done."

"Well done." Luo Ming also patted him on the shoulder, sighing involuntarily. "Anyway, you're much stronger than me... I'll buy you drinks to make amends next time."

"Count me in; I gave him a kick, sorry, sorry..."

"I kicked him too... Wait, can minors drink?"

"Does that mean we can't go to a bar either?"

"And if we go to a bar, who do you think the girls will be looking at? Don't you have any sense?"

"Eating should be fine, right? I know a top-notch barbecue place, generous portions, the sauce is killer."

...

They didn't hold a grudge against Huai Shi for getting them punished, nor did they plan to make it even. The agents were all quite forthright, and not a single one jumped out to embarrass Huai Shi. Instead, they took the initiative to apologize and promised to treat him to a meal on another day, then cleared a space for him.

The welcoming was warmer than Huai Shi had anticipated.

Soon, Huai Shi saw the 'package' Green Day had left for him—a black suitcase with a simple Source lock and a name tag with his name on it, clearly a gift for Huai Shi.

When he approached, an agent who had been waiting a long time helped him put on layers of thick bomb-disposal gear, a ceramic bulletproof vest, and a helmet. They even set up a surrounding plastic chemical isolation chamber, clearly prepared for the worst.

"You really want me to open it?" Huai Shi said nervously. "How about we start with an X-ray scan?"

"Don't worry, I'm with you." An agent wearing a mahjong-tile mask, codenamed Nine Lotus Lamp, patted Huai Shi on the shoulder, picked up a large shield, and told him in Latin, "Even if the suitcase is full of Alchemy Explosive, it won't hurt a single hair on your head."

"The more you say that, the more nervous I get." Huai Shi's expression twitched. "I haven't even brushed my teeth yet. Can I at least take a shower first?"

"Don't worry, I bought you life insurance. Kid, don't be a wuss, just do it!" An agent wearing a sparrow mask gave him a shove on the shoulders, pushing him forward. Huai Shi looked back at him suspiciously until he guiltily averted his gaze.

Strange, why does this guy look so punchable? I kind of want to beat him up...

Huai Shi slowly turned away his eyes and finally looked at the suitcase in front of him. After hesitating for a long time and under Sparrow's urging and ridicule, he finally made up his mind.

Biting the bullet, he thought, "Whether it's a blessing or a curse, what's coming will come. What could Green Day possibly do to me here in the Astronomical Society's Jinling Branch?"

Completely forgetting that he had been kidnapped right in this branch, Huai Shi stretched out his hand and unlocked the Source lock.

The lock, designed specifically for his Source Substance, opened at his touch.

In the next instant, as if an explosion occurred, a vast amount of pale gas burst out from the cracks, instantly enveloping the entire plastic chemical isolation chamber.

"Be careful of poison gas!" Someone shouted.

The surrounding agents instantly drew their guns, unsheathed their swords, and the four machine gun emplacements began to warm up.

In the first moment, Huai Shi was shielded behind Nine Lotus Lamp, only seeing countless vague shadows emerging from the thick white fog. In an instant, the area was sealed off, completely surrounding them.

A chill to the bone.

Ah, that's cold air.

Huai Shi reached out skeptically and touched it—the sensation was unmistakably the mist from dry ice sublimating!

Following this, one of the first shadows to emerge bounded up, leapt into the air, and raised the creepy weapon in its hands. With the movement of its five fingers... a soft guitar sound spread out.

Myriad colors burst from the fog, shattering all it touched, forming a bizarre light pollution like that of a disco, scattering wildly in every direction.

Under the watchful eyes of many, several dozen Dwarfs appeared out of the fog, each about the size of a child.

These Dwarfs, faces creased and folded, wearing strange Flower Rings and pure White Clothes, stood orderly like kindergarten kids.

Then, amidst the warm and harmonious guitar, they solemnly and seriously began to sing in unison around Huai Shi.

"Forever unchanging, until eternity, let's remain friends for life..."

What the hell? Not just Huai Shi; everyone was dumbfounded.

However, Huai Shi had a hunch; that tune was so familiar to him, it was the nursery rhyme he had sung after being kidnapped. Only... ah, it was about a hundred thousand times better than the version he sang.

Though the Dwarfs looked strange and ugly, when they sang, their voices were heavenly. Whether it was the Astronomical Society's restraint equipment or any other attacks, all seemed like a gentle breeze, turning into Phantoms before them.

They were Phantoms themselves.

Mayflies existing within a dream in a box.

In this unprecedented awkward atmosphere, as the melodious tune spread, dozens of Dwarfs finished singing the nursery rhyme together. Then, the short one bearing the guitar ran up to Huai Shi, pulled a paper from the guitar's case, and handed it to him:

"Hello, Mr. Huai Shi, this song requested by Mr. Feng Ping has been performed for you. Please mark a check here. Ah, rest assured, he has already paid in advance. Yes, right here, thank you."

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