Homecoming

Inside a special Investigation Bureau vehicle.

Luo Di and Wu Wen had just settled into the spacious back seats when the heating and massage functions automatically activated. It felt as though two soft arms were drifting over their bodies, instantly doubling their already overwhelming fatigue.

The driver's voice came from the front. "I'll take you to the home address listed in your personal records."

"Wait... let's discuss it."

The class monitor used one finger to force her eyelids as wide open as possible and turned toward Luo Di beside her.

"How about I keep staying at your place? Then I'll go back a little later... Dad will definitely be happy that I safely made it through the Anomaly Event and received a reward from the Investigation Bureau. He'll loosen his supervision over me a little.

Even if I go back late today, he'll assume I was discussing work at the Investigation Bureau.

Mostly, I still want to watch a movie, and my clothes are still at your place."

Luo Di hesitated when he heard the word "movie." Watching one together did seem rather nice, and besides, the class monitor had already been to his home. In the end, he nodded in agreement.

"Driver, driver~ Just take us to his place!"

The driver had intended to refuse on the grounds of Investigation Bureau regulations, but when he looked through the rearview mirror, the two young people were already squeezed together in the back seat, asleep.

The sight seemed to remind him of his own youth. Shaking his head, he helplessly pressed down on the accelerator.

By the time they woke up, four hours had passed. The official vehicle was parked in the outer lot of Residential Zone 13.

The car was in sleep mode, with both the temperature and humidity just right.

As for the driver's seat, the driver was nowhere to be seen.

As they gradually woke up, they noticed the driver sitting on a stone bench in the residential complex some distance away, scrolling through videos on his wristband. An empty noodle container sat beside him.

Click~ The car door opened.

Seeing that the two young people had gotten out, the driver unhurriedly returned to the driver's seat.

"Thank you." The class monitor politely thanked him.

The driver merely made an OK gesture before driving away.

"Brr~ It's so cold! Let's hurry home!"

The class monitor was still wearing the T-shirt and shorts Luo Di had lent her last night. She had either been in the Investigation Bureau or inside the car before, so she had not felt the cold.

The residential complex had already been fully unsealed.

As the two ran toward the building deepest within the complex, they encountered quite a few residents along the way.

Every one of them hurried along with large bags and armfuls of luggage. Residents who had once hesitated over moving away had decisively chosen to leave after last night's incident.

Luo Di did not care about any of that. He only wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

Once again climbing the familiar stairwell, he saw that the wall beside the number three floor marker, with its peeling paint, was covered in Investigation Bureau seals. Cleanup personnel inside were collecting residual Pheromone.

The two continued upward until they reached the door of the top-floor apartment.

Unexpectedly, Luo Di had not even taken out his key when the door opened from inside.

Three staff members in protective suits were also collecting traces of Pseudo-Human activities from Luo Di's home. They had even helped clean the place thoroughly and had just finished their work.

After both sides verified their identities, Luo Di and the class monitor finally returned to the warmth of the heated apartment. Everything was normal, and none of the furniture had been damaged.

Seeing that his home remained unchanged, Luo Di finally let out a breath of relief.

Half an hour later.

The class monitor emerged from the bathroom, still wearing Luo Di's T-shirt.

Compared with before her shower, the whole home was now filled with a rich, fragrant smell, immediately stirring the class monitor's appetite.

Luo Di pointed at the fried egg noodles that had just come out of the pan on the dining table. "Let's make do with this for lunch. You probably don't want to go out to eat either."

"That's great! We can eat while watching a movie again! Here's to surviving—cheers!"

The class monitor raised her bowl of noodles and clinked it against Luo Di's.

She showed none of the discomfort from being possessed or the psychological strain of surviving a disaster. She was just as she had been before yesterday's incident, her face brimming with joy.

It seemed that, in the class monitor's eyes, nothing was happier than eating while watching a movie.

Luo Di had originally wanted to talk to the class monitor about last night, but seeing how eager she was, he changed his mind. They could watch the movie first and talk afterward.

Watching a movie with someone else felt pretty good. At certain moments, it was even more interesting than watching alone.

A movie's length passed quickly.

Like a diligent student who had just finished class, the class monitor immediately began asking about details from the film. This interaction gave Luo Di a kind of joy called "sharing."

But once the sharing ended, the topic gradually shifted.

"Class monitor, you actually woke up in time last night."

"Isn't that obvious? I happened to meet the suspect from the third floor during the day, and I also happened to fit the victim profile.

Besides, you suddenly changed your mind in the middle of the night about sleeping on the sofa and had me sleep in your bedroom instead. I guessed you must have sensed some kind of danger.

With all those factors combined, how could I possibly sleep peacefully?

And anyway, this class monitor has received sleep training~ Even the slightest disturbance in the middle of the night wakes me automatically. I was already awake when you got out of bed.

You, on the other hand, just happened to need the bathroom... What was that about, Luo Di?"

Faced with the class monitor's question, Luo Di had no intention of hiding it and told her about the nightmare caused by Hell Tongue.

"That tongue you encountered during practical training?

Logically speaking, your Demon Possession was completely removed. It could still warn you of danger? Be careful~ The Corner's encroachment is everywhere. If anything feels off, remember to contact the Research Bureau immediately."

"Mm." Luo Di nodded, seemingly unconcerned.

The class monitor's tightly furrowed brows soon relaxed again. "Maybe it isn't a big problem~ It's already been half a year, and you go to the Research Bureau for testing every month.

You yourself haven't been affected. Maybe it's simply an inborn danger warning.

Whew~ It really wasn't easy surviving this time, but our gains weren't small either.

We faced a real Pseudo-Human ahead of schedule, even one that had existed for a year. This experience will help with our university applications again.

Most importantly,

the Investigation Bureau is actually willing to give me one of their internal combat uniforms~ Just thinking about it makes me excited."

"Is there anything special about it?" Luo Di did not know this sort of knowledge beyond textbooks.

"I only heard my tutor mention it. Investigators' uniforms use a special technology. It isn't purely human technology; it may be related to anomalous technology from inside the Corner.

Even if it's only a simplified version, the basic functions should still be there.

How about this! In a few days, when I receive the uniform, I'll accompany you to the Research Bureau to collect your reward. I also want to see what your knife will become if it absorbs Spider Woman's intracranial blood."

"Contact me then."

The class monitor hugged a cushion with one arm and raised her other hand high. "There's not much time left~ Let's keep watching movies!"

Evening arrived.

Luo Di would continue his night-running training tonight, so he escorted the class monitor downstairs as well.

The light bulb the class monitor had removed at the corner yesterday had already been replaced with a new one.

Claw marks could still occasionally be seen on the handrails, steps, and ceiling.

As they neared the third floor, Wu Wen took the lead. Her hands were folded behind her back and swayed slightly, the movement more obvious than yesterday.

Yet even after they passed the third floor, nothing approached them. Her hand was simply stirring the air.

Tsk~ The class monitor clicked her tongue and stopped.

When Luo Di stepped onto the same stair as her, she did as she had last night, reaching out and slipping her hand into his rough palm, one that did not seem like a high school student's hand at all, and gently clasping it.

Though she wanted to complain about something, in the end, only two words squeezed out through her teeth.

"Thank you..."