The final outcome of the conversation was an unhappy departure.

The two seemingly reached a consensus on something, but this consensus did not bring either of them any relief or joy. To call it a consensus would be less accurate than to call it a compromise.

That very evening, the Xuanwu Lake Hotel in Jinling once again welcomed a group of uninvited guests.

In the presidential suite.

"Champagne or whiskey?"

"Water, just give us some boiled water," the rugged man sitting on the sofa said.

"Alright, boiled water it is." The middle-aged man with golden hair helplessly shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the eight people standing behind the rugged man, his mouth twitching before he gathered all the cups he could find in the room and placed them in front of them, all filled with boiled water.

"Professor, I understand your concerns, but they are unnecessary," the rugged man said. "We are professionals."

"Forgive me for being blunt." The Professor shrugged. "I don't see the experts I reserved; instead, these few of you have arrived... Sublimators who, at best, barely make the cut."

It was evident that he was quite polite; even if disappointed, he maintained restraint in his choice of words.

Nine Sublimators—three at the Third Stage and six at the Second Stage. In Current Circumstances, this was already a force to be reckoned with, but to the Professor, it was still not sufficient to achieve his goal.

"I've spent a lot of money, a lot, do you understand? To acquire this item, I've overspent twenty years' salary," the Professor said with suppressed dissatisfaction. "What I need is a foolproof plan."

"Quality over quantity in troops," the rugged man said calmly. "The Astronomical Society and the Social Security Bureau have been scrutinizing Sublimators in Jinling with exceptional rigor lately, making it difficult for High Stage Sublimators to arrive. But rest assured, we of the Ghoul Team are well-known elites from the Cemetery of the Dead."

"I hope you understand that what I want is not a mercenary bringing me a corpse and saying the mission is complete," the Professor asserted, raising a finger solemnly. "I want it alive, understood? Alive."

"Perhaps you misunderstand the nature of kidnapping. It is not merely an act of violence but requires a highly skilled professional," the rugged man said, proudly lifting his head. "And as I've said, we are professionals. Do you know about the Elvis incident? That was our handiwork, and to this day, they still think aliens took him away…"

"Oh, that's one of the Museum Director's favorite items!" The Professor's eyes lit up, and he stood up, full of enthusiasm, shaking the rugged man's hand. "That puts my mind at ease. So, what's the plan? Tell me about it."

He picked up the bottle of whiskey, gulped down most of it in one go, and sat on the sofa, all ears. "How do we transfer my precious item from Jinling to the Border's Human Exhibition Hall?"

"It's a meticulous plan." The leader of the Ghoul Team took out a thick stack of plans from his backpack and laid it in front of him. "We have been preparing different capture plans these days, and tomorrow is the best opportunity for action. The preparations are already complete—we have bought off the necessary personnel from ABRSM; we will all enter as staff. Based on your additional request, we have arranged an identity for you. Once the target arrives, we can officially start the kidnapping."

"Mm-hmm." The Professor became even more focused, nodding. "So tell me, how will the kidnapping be executed? As far as I know, that item has a considerable combat value. After all, it's a Legendary Investigator we are talking about. How can we capture him smoothly? Merely relying on force might be insufficient, right?"

"Please be assured," said the bespectacled man behind the leader, pushing his glasses up with pride. "We've grasped his most significant weakness—his only best friend."

As he spoke, he took a photo out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

In the picture was Fu Yi, a Teenage Girl in the prime of her youth.

"According to our eavesdropping and investigation, she plans to attend the event in person to cheer for her friend," the bespectacled man explained. "By then, we will disguise ourselves as members of Green Day, capture her friend first, and declare it a retaliation against the Astronomical Society. Profiler analysis suggests an over ninety percent chance that he will agree to exchange places with Fu Yi to become the hostage. Then, we can quickly capture him and make a swift retreat…"

After the bespectacled man finished speaking, he proudly lifted his head, waiting for praise.

But the Professor was puzzled and asked curiously, "Is that it? Is there more?" he asked. "Just this plan? Well, the part about putting the blame on Green Day is quite clever, but what about the rest? There must be other preparations, right?"

The bespectacled man raised an eyebrow slightly.

A client who absolutely does not want to take any risks, huh?

No matter; such clients are easier to deal with than those who have a little money and like to give uninformed directives.

So, he laid out stack after stack of contingency plans on the table.

"Please look, these are the measures we will use to disturb the Astronomical Society's surveillance; this is the plan to mislead the Social Security Bureau's investigation; and this one is part of ensuring the capture plan goes smoothly…" He introduced them in detail: "To be extra cautious, we've replaced all indoor plants with Lilacs from the Border, which will paralyze his Source Substance within ten minutes, preventing him from using his Stigma. Additionally, two extra armed teams will launch an assault if the situation worsens. Moreover, there are six backup plans and seventeen escape strategies, ensuring that you and your item will be safely evacuated from Current Circumstances."

Having said this, he smiled. "By this time tomorrow, you'll be able to admire your new item in the exhibition hall."

"Excellent!" The Professor's eyes gleamed at the envisioned scenario. "Let's proceed with this!"

At that, the team leader and the Professor shook hands. Both wore standard business-like, cordial smiles.

"Please remember to give us a five-star rating on the Group of Thousands of Evils after the mission is complete!" the team leader asked humbly. "We're just short of the last bit of performance to meet our target for this year."

The Professor nodded, downed his whiskey in one go, and wiped his mouth boldly. "No problem!"

So, a professor from a human exhibition hall, a group of mercenaries from the Border... their plan began just like that.

.

.

「The next morning, at dawn.」

Huai Shi, with his panda eyes, stood in front of the hotel, seeing Ai Qing in the car outside.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way," she said. "Jinling Music and Art Museum, right? I can take you there."

"Ah, thanks a lot." Huai Shi, clutching a sandwich he had just gotten from the kitchen and carrying his cello case, squeezed into the car. After wolfing down a few bites, he guzzled down a large bottle of cold coffee.

Breakfast was resolved.

"What's with the look of someone who was almost struck by lightning and died?"

"Well, it's a long story..."

He couldn't very well say he got so carried away learning to fight that he completely forgot to review, and had spent the entire previous night poring over the scores in the Book of Fate and practicing the cello, could he?

This craft really is like rowing against the current; either forge ahead or fall behind. There's an adage that says if you don't practice for a day, only you know; if you don't practice for two, your teacher rages... Once your hands are out of shape, getting them back into form requires a tremendous amount of effort.

He reached up to rub his face, using the Mountain Ghost Stigma's vitality to forcibly erase the swelling around his eyes and carelessly tied up his hair.

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, a bit nervous. After all, I've been preparing for over half a year." Huai Shi smiled, patting the cello case beside him. "But now, it seems like I'm in good shape and definitely going to pass."

"...You don't need to promise me anything." Ai Qing glanced at his confident demeanor, silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Do you really love the cello that much?"

"I don't know," Huai Shi replied succinctly.

"..." Ai Qing's eyebrows furrowed, seemingly displeased.

"I mean I literally don't know." Huai Shi scratched his head, looking helpless. "Actually, I can't even remember why I started learning the cello. I have this impression that my mom liked it... Probably because she thought it prestigious for her son to learn an instrument. As for liking it, I might not have been a fan before. But later, when I was dirt poor and could only make a living by playing the cello to buy noodles, I gradually grew fond of it. It might be that feeling of dependent survival; without it, I would have starved to death long ago."

As he spoke, he cradled the cello case, showing it to Ai Qing. "Don't look at its age; the sound quality is still top-notch. After many repairs, I just can't bear to part with it. If you have time, I'll play for you."

"No need." Ai Qing looked at the cello case beside Huai Shi for a long moment, then withdrew her gaze. "Since that's the case, you should take good care of it."

Throughout the ride, Ai Qing didn't say much else, just quietly rested with her eyes closed.

The car drove exceptionally smoothly, even leaving Huai Shi with the luxury of reviewing his scores for a while longer. After avoiding the rush hour traffic, the car passed high-rise buildings and finally stopped at the entrance of the Jinling Music and Art Museum.

With the examination time drawing near, many young people carrying instrument cases with their teachers or parents were already visible at the entrance. Although professional-level exams required appointments, the range of ABRSM examinations wasn't limited to the cello but covered almost all mainstream instruments. The number of candidates was large, as expected.

After all, it was a grading exam recognized by central metropolises like London and had considerable public credibility. Having an eighth grade was almost equivalent to having a university diploma.

However, the car didn't stop at the main entrance and kept going forward.

"You've passed it, you've passed it," Huai Shi reminded.

"We haven't passed it; from the main entrance, it's a long walk," Ai Qing briefly looked out the window. "Enter through the back door, and turn right. There's an elevator that goes straight to the sixth floor."

"Hmm?" Huai Shi blinked. "Have you been there before?"

Ai Qing did not reply.

The car stopped.

"It's time for your exam, Huai Shi," she said. "I wish you can achieve your dream."

"Thank you." Huai Shi smiled gratefully, hoisted his cello case, and waved goodbye to her.

As if deliberately avoiding Huai Shi's gaze until the end, Ai Qing never looked up at him. She just silently gazed at the side profile of the building.

Gradually, she lowered her eyes.

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