The Invitation from the Two-Hundredth Black Goat (Five Thousand Words)

Walking through the bar, which was filled with countless customers, felt like passing through the gates of hell where demons danced wildly. The elevator going up felt like sinking into the cycle of reincarnation in the underworld. After exiting the elevator, the long corridor leading to the office felt like walking through the desolate and deserted road to the underworld. Finally, when he pushed open the office door, the Suit Man felt like he was facing the demon king of hell.

The soft office lighting shone on his face, but the Suit Man felt a chill run through his body.

A chilling mental field, as if scraping one's bones, instantly engulfed him, stripping him of all the warmth of being alive.

He struggled to lift his head and saw Xiao Xiao sitting on the sofa in the office, with Yang Jia beside him.

Both men were extremely handsome, holding wine glasses in their hands, their expressions indifferent, their eyes sharp, as if they could see through all secrets at a glance. The moment the Suit Man met their gaze, he felt a moment of mental confusion, as if he saw an evil god at the end of the eerie world and the witch who had always accompanied him in legends. He felt endless illusions and babbling appeared before his eyes.

It was a superior gaze, looking down upon a lowly life form like itself.

He tried his best to guard his mind, but felt that he was losing control; his will and pretense had vanished.

"So it really was you..."

Just as his mind went completely blank, Xiao Xiao, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly smiled and spoke:

"Haven't seen you for a long time!"

"..."

"Does he remember me?"

The Suit Man was suddenly startled, his mind filled with boundless fear.

Does remembering himself mean he intentionally wants to corrupt himself?

Earlier, because of an ambiguous joke made by his female boss, the Suit Man was so worried that he couldn't sleep for months. He tested himself two or three times a day, deeply afraid that one day the company would actually send him over to be corrupted by this guy.

Unexpectedly, after surviving that ordeal and becoming a subordinate of the new boss, he was immediately sent to deliver a message.

It's not a good thing that the recipient of the letter remembers you...

Xiao Xiao certainly remembered the Suit Man. When his mother had suffered a heart attack from anger, and he saw his father in the hospital, his father, who had been threatened, immediately called this man over. He was also the first person to bring the indigenous perspective to him, so he had a pretty deep impression of him. Now that he saw him again, he had to wear a polite smile...

Of course, whether or not that smile scared the other person was none of my concern.

I was just being polite; if you were scared, that's your own problem.

"Mr. Xiao..."

The Suit Man tried his best to keep his voice steady and said in a low voice, "I'm here to deliver an invitation."

"On behalf of Mr. Shepherds, I would like to invite you to a party."

"..."

Xiao Xiao nodded, not in a hurry to take it, but looking at him, trying to put himself in the perspective of the native, and smiled:

"Are you from the Black Forest or the Black Goat Club?"

"..."

From the perspective of a stranger in a foreign land, one would generally not have this thought.

In their view, the indigenous people are just that—indigenous people. They are a large category, puppets controlled by the city.

Given this, what's the point of further classifying the puppet into different types?

But Xiao Xiao was different. He had begun to try to accept the natives' perspective. So, analyzing from the natives' point of view, he realized that the Black Forest Biological Laboratory and the Black Goat Club were different. According to the information he got from Rabbit Boss, the Black Forest Biological Laboratory was the origin of everything and was equivalent to the official organization, while the Black Goat Club was a private organization.

Asking questions clearly makes one appear polite and shows that one is not completely ignorant about them.

"I..."

The Suit Man hadn't expected Xiao Xiao to ask this, and his throat tightened slightly.

After a moment of silence, he answered in a slightly hoarse voice, "I was originally an investigator in the Black Forest."

"But now, he has been transferred to work under Mr. Shepherds."

"..."

"Oh?"

Xiao Xiao laughed and said, "Does this mean that the Black Forest and the Black Goat Club have merged?"

"Oh my god, he guessed it! How can he seem to know everything, like he can read my mind..."

The Suit Man shuddered, cold sweat pouring down his face.

How could someone see through so many secrets just from a casual remark I made?

Xiao Xiao could sense the tension emanating from the Suit Man, but he didn't have any other thoughts in his mind. In fact, anyone could tell that the Suit Man had been transferred to the Shepherds's command, which meant it was an order from the upper echelons of the Black Forest organization.

The fact that the Black Forest is transferring people to the Shepherds' ranks naturally indicates that they are now united.

At the very least, it's an alliance.

This is originally a very trivial matter, but whenever people face someone in a high position or someone they care about, they often feel extremely insecure. They imagine a lot about the smallest things and dare not guess what the person in a high position is thinking. This makes them appear cowardly and see the person in a high position as unfathomable.

This is an innate human instinct to lower one's intelligence, and it's not just Suit Man this behavior.

Xiao Xiao was quite relaxed. He didn't ask these questions with any particular purpose; they were just casual inquiries.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"..."

The Suit Man was already extremely nervous, and upon hearing this, he almost collapsed.

Does he ask his own name because he wants to pollute himself?

Do these monsters need to know someone's name before they can corrupt them?

He instinctively resisted and absolutely did not want to answer the question.

Just like all those high-ranking officials, they all desperately tried to conceal their identities.

But he dared not not answer, or even lie, because he knew that the man in front of him was the most insane monster in Black Gate City. He was powerful, mysterious, and neurotic. When he first met him, he Mingming just an innocent-looking high school student, yet he killed an innocent civilian without blinking an eye, without any normal pity or fear.

Later, he heard that his father had been killed by his own hands...

Would someone like that mind killing themselves?

Perhaps if I reveal my name, he will corrupt me, but if I don't, he might just kill me.

Perhaps he has a way of knowing whether he has lied?

With this thought in mind, he went through extreme fear and torment before finally coming up with an answer.

That wasn't his name, but his code name.

Or was it just a mocking code name given to him when he was Class D investigator sent to his death as cannon fodder?

He never wanted to hear that code name again, but now he was willing to say it aloud:

"Wild Dog".

He replied in a low voice, "My code name is Wild Dog, you can call me that."

"Wild Dog?"

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but pause for a moment, then laughed and said, "This name is quite interesting..."

He could actually sense the Suit Man's nervousness. He had originally wanted to chat a bit more amicably, but he was worried that the guy might wet himself if they talked too much. After all, this was his office, and he was about to meet the Shepherds, so he wasn't in a hurry to ask the messenger anything. He just smiled, accepted the invitation, and said, "I will go."

"...yes!"

The Suit Man, or rather, Mr. Wild Dog, responded in a trembling voice, his head bowed.

"Um..."

Xiao Xiao glanced at the invitation, then at him. Seeing that he didn't move, he asked curiously, "Stay for dinner?"

"...Um?"

Mr. Wild Dog paused for a moment before suddenly realizing that he could leave.

He shook his head hastily and then quickly left.

As I walked out of the room, I tried my best to keep a steady pace, but by the time I got into the elevator, my legs were already weak.

When I got down to the first floor, I rushed out of the bar as if I were escaping.

"Are the indigenous people all so afraid of us?"

Xiao Xiao didn't turn to Yang Jia until Mr. Wild Dog left the bar, then smiled and waved the invitation in his hand.

"In their eyes, we are a bunch of madmen living in a fantasy world, who kill people or pollute them at the drop of a hat."

Yang Jia said, "How could I not be afraid? What does this invitation say?"

"It really is an invitation to a party."

Xiao Xiao smiled and handed her the invitation, having already read its contents.

It was a formal and respectful invitation to a party, signed by the Black Goat Club, and it looked quite high-end.

Yang Jia was delighted by Xiao Xiao's trust in her. After glancing at the invitation, she nodded slightly, her expression seemingly somewhat surprised. "You went to find the Unquenched Heart to investigate some secrets of Black Gate City, but I didn't expect that before you even started the investigation, the key figures of these secrets would come to you on their own initiative. Why does this feel so strange?"

Xiao Xiao knew why she said that.

In the eyes of Yang Jia and other outsiders, the Shepherds posed a greater threat than the Black Forest Biological Laboratory.

Yang Jia must have once thought that the Shepherds was the biggest Aberrant Creature in the city. He had transcended the realm of ordinary natives, possessed power strong enough to fight against the Branders, and was not bound by the City Will, but was single-mindedly focused on dealing with outsiders.

From any perspective, the Shepherds is indeed at the heart of all the secrets, or at least plays a significant role.

He nodded and said, "You'll know when you see it."

"Be very careful."

Yang Jia looked at Xiao Xiao and said seriously, "First, you have completed the fourth stage of enhancement, but Black Gate City has not shown any rejection towards you, and is even welcoming you. Second, the core figures of this city actually took the initiative to invite you, which is all puzzling."

"I think there must be some deeper reasons."

"..."

Xiao Xiao sensed something in her words and raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're not going?"

"Yes."

Yang Jia said, "I think it would be best if you went to meet the Shepherds yourself."

"There are some secrets I cannot hear, after all, I am the Branders."

"But don't worry, I'll be free tomorrow. If you need anything, I'll come over and help you."

"..."

"Why does Yang Jia seem a little strange?"

Xiao Xiao glanced at Yang Jia, thought silently, and then nodded slightly.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and seeing that it was getting late, they parted ways. Xiao Xiao glanced around and saw Lin Bo and his teammates drinking fake liquor with great enjoyment. It seemed they would probably be sleeping at the bar tonight. Since Little Four was with them, he didn't need to worry about any problems. So he left the bar and took a taxi home, thinking about these things along the way.

He got the Unquenched Heart, and the Black Goat Club members even contacted him...

... Is it really time to unravel all the mysteries?

But is all of this due to the Unquenched Heart, or was it simply that the Shepherds's time to connect with himself had come?

The same event can have two very different outcomes depending on whether it is seen by the indigenous people or the outsiders. The outsiders may think that they have really obtained a heart that can influence the City Will, while the indigenous people may see it as just the time to make contact.

Even now, I can't give a precise explanation.

Well, we'll probably just have to wait and see.

The key question is, what abilities can this Unquenched Heart bring him?

Thinking about all this, Xiao Xiao turned his head from the taxi and glanced at the still bustling and extravagant city. He felt that every street, every building, and every neon light in the city seemed to be much closer to him. The sense of familiarity and closeness he felt when he first returned to the city had not disappeared; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, as if he had returned home.

Surely this is Unquenched Heart?

How to bridge the gap between yourself and the city?

With these questions in mind, he returned to the alley near his home and walked in slowly, feeling a sense of peace and gentleness.

The three Thorn Hound, as usual, watched themselves wag their tails.

Only the Erha, seeing that it had nothing in its hands, simply stood up, looked around, and then lay down again.

At the end of the alley, in front of the Butcher's meat shop, a light was surprisingly lit.

This made the dark alleyway seem less oppressive and hopeless, and it made people feel much more at ease.

What Xiao Xiao the most was the Record Player Miss.

While at the bar, seeing how diligently the Record Player Miss was working, Xiao Xiao didn't disturb her. Then, looking up at the second floor, he immediately sensed a mental connection, and at the same time, a message appeared in his mind:

Special Item: Enchanting Record Player

[Rank: Class B]

[Second Enhancement Score: 33 points]

[Note: When you wander aimlessly, struggling amidst your own flesh and blood, the beautiful young woman is still waiting for you in the city.]

[...]

33 points?

Xiao Xiao was taken aback; five thousand points would be enough for Record Player Miss to complete her second enhancement.

Now, there are only 33 points left?

How did she earn 4967 points in such a short time?

Shocked, Xiao Xiao quickly straightened his face. "Didn't you promise that the enhancement would be completed by the time I got back?"

"Why are so many still missing?"

"... Last time it only required me to spend one point on you, this time it's going too far!"

"..."

Although I currently have tens of thousands of points, thirty-three points isn't much, I still need to maintain a certain attitude. These tens of thousands of points are very important. In this world, what can you do without points?

The Noah Project alone requires millions of points!

Therefore, it is still necessary to give them a few words of reprimand.

But when Xiao Xiao expressed his dissatisfaction, the second floor, with its white curtains fluttering, fell silent.

Faintly, I seemed to hear a soft "ah"...

Xiao Xiao couldn't see the Record Player Miss's face, but he could sense her dissatisfaction from that uncertain, cold laugh.

You can't be too nice to these employees.

I painstakingly helped them strengthen themselves and grow stronger, and now they're talking back...

Keep up the good work.

He didn't know what else to say, so he just silently gave a word of advice and went home.

The sound of the iron gate being pushed open was a bit loud. Before Xiao Xiao even entered the living room, the light in his mother's bedroom turned on. No, his mother came out wearing a coat, her hair disheveled from sleep. She looked at Xiao Xiao reproachfully and said, "You were just on a business trip, why are you back so late? I don't sleep well to begin with, and you woke me up all of a sudden... Are you hungry? I'll cook you a bowl of noodles."

Xiao Xiao almost couldn't hold back anymore.

You're blaming me one minute and showing concern the next, so should I be hungry or not?

Fortunately, his mother didn't care about his answer at all. She walked towards the kitchen while grumbling.

Xiao Xiao had no choice but to sit down and wait.

To be honest, I haven't eaten anything. Since I got off the train, I've only had one drink with Yang Jia.

Watching his mother clattering around in the kitchen, Xiao Xiao silently breathed a sigh of relief. If he ignored the strange and indescribable things he had experienced outside, his current life was exactly what he had been looking forward to for those four years: being able to go out like a normal person, having a job that wasn't tiring but paid well, and his mother no longer having to look at him with such hatred every day.

Now it seems I've gotten what I've always wanted, but in this very way.

Thinking about all this, he suddenly realized something. "What would happen if Mom found out about Dad's death?"

Will she be able to accept the fact that her father died in front of her?

Will she believe that her father's death had nothing to do with her?

This worry made his heart skip a beat, and he thought of many things he was concerned about.

But even he didn't expect that just as his heart skipped a beat, some kind of strange flame suddenly flashed past him. This flame could not be seen with the naked eye, and even the spiritual perception of a stranger could hardly detect it. But on some level, it instantly ignited the city where Xiao Xiao had lived for a long time, and thus, the entire city was affected.

A certain logic quietly took shape in the ocean of human-based spiritual interweaving.

A secret began to be buried, but it was a secret meant only for Xiao's Mom.

She will begin to be forever cut off from this news.

It's as if, since Xiao Xiao doesn't want his mother to know about this, then she will never know.