The Nanny Squad

"See you then."

Luo Qiusheng waved his hand and turned to walk out of the internet cafe that stayed open all night. Behind him, Lu Mingfei was still slumped in his computer chair, rubbing his bloodshot eyes while vaguely urging him to team up for another round of gaming next time.

What seemed like a mindless night spent wasting time on games had, in reality, smoothed over the awkward distance between the two.

From now on, when discussing personal matters or the secrets involving Kassel College and the Dragon Tribe, neither would need to be overly cautious or probe one another.

The problem that remained at the bottom of his heart was Chu Zihang. Dealing with a "loser kid" like Lu Mingfei, who was deeply mired in self-abasement, was easy—a mix of carrot and stick, a little coaxing and a little scaring, and he could be easily managed. But Chu Zihang was different; he was a genius who had been a taut, unyielding thorn for over a decade.

The inner demon that had haunted him for half his life was always that one rainy night: the stalled black Maybach on the elevated highway, Chu Tianjiao fighting the horse-riding monster alone, and Odin holding Gungnir.

"We are all loser kids, it's just that my growing phase passed long ago..."

The blinding morning sun slanted down, and Luo Qiusheng raised a hand to his brow, his fingertips filtering the fragmented golden light. A faint sense of melancholy spread in his eyes. "Helping you—isn't that just helping that past version of myself?"

He took the elevator to the twelfth floor of a downtown office building. Floor-to-ceiling windows spanned the entire wall, and the height of over ten stories was enough to overlook half the city.

Pedestrians on the street below were as small as scattered sesame seeds, and the traffic flowed like thin silver threads. Luo Qiusheng stood before the window, his pupils quietly blooming with a ceaseless, flowing brilliant gold, and the dragon might hidden in his bloodline spread silently.

A strange matter had been circling in his mind.

Yesterday, someone had hacked into his old, offline Nokia. The screen displayed only a minimalist line of text: Yi Zi Building rooftop. You should be looking for us too.

This old-fashioned feature phone had never connected to any wireless network, yet the other party had managed to invade it with precision and lock onto his whereabouts. The method was nothing short of unfathomable.

Luo Qiusheng had felt a chill at first, but after thinking it over calmly, he found it rather intriguing.

To be able to bypass both the top-tier monitoring systems of the college, Noma and EVA, and precisely investigate his identity and movements—looking across the entire Hybrid world, only the "nanny" under Lu Mingze could do it.

It was just that the other party taking the initiative to extend an invitation was truly beyond his expectations. Luo Qiusheng secretly speculated: could this be another trap laid by Lu Mingze's mysterious boss?

The elevator doors slid open slowly, and a woman stepped inside.

Her waist-length, jet-black hair was tied into a high, sharp ponytail, revealing a smooth, fair neck with elegant lines. She carried a cold, sharp aura honed from practicing ancient martial arts. A thin, neat fringe rested on her forehead, with fine strands of hair clinging to her temples. If she let her hair down, the ink-colored locks would cascade over her shoulders like a waterfall.

A vague sense of familiarity flashed through Luo Qiusheng's mind, but he had no intention of striking up a conversation. He stepped aside to avoid her and pulled out the dedicated communication phone issued by Kassel College.

A receipt message from EVA popped up on the screen, confirming that Raymond had returned safely to the college headquarters. The stone that had been hanging in his heart finally fell.

This incident convinced him that the established trajectory of fate in the original story was not unchangeable; many endings could be reversed by human effort.

The elevator car was so quiet that only the slight sliding sound of the steel cables remained. The woman's footsteps were as silent as a cat's, and suddenly, she leaned in, her fingertips reaching toward Luo Qiusheng's chin with a hint of playfulness.

In the next instant, Luo Qiusheng raised his hand, his broad palm locking onto her wrist with a grip that left no room for escape.

"You... a Hybrid?"

Pure golden dragon pupils suddenly exploded in Luo Qiusheng's eyes. The Constantine dragon bone bloodline sleeping within his body surged violently, and the innate, superior dragon might poured out instantly, forming an instinctive perception and suppression over the inferior Hybrid.

The woman let out a muffled groan of pain, deliberately putting on a soft, aggrieved tone to try and bluff her way through: "You're hurting me."

But the restless dragon blood in her body could not withstand the suppression of a superior bloodline; it boiled uncontrollably, and her dark purple pupils were completely dyed with molten gold, making it impossible to hide her identity as a Hybrid.

Luo Qiusheng curled his lips into a smile that saw through everything: "Heh, it really is you, Jiu De Mai."

A playful rumor he had heard in passing flashed through his mind—that if all the boyfriends Jiu De Mai had ever dated were gathered together, they could reenact the 300 Spartans. Regardless of whether it was true or not, it was enough to show that this person was usually flamboyant and unrestrained in her actions.

"Did that boss of yours send you to probe me?"

Before the words had even faded, a pale, ink-like black mist suddenly rose around Jiu De Mai.

[Spirit Word: Underworld Reflection]

Definition: Even if a candle were lit in the deepest depths of the underworld, it would be completely swallowed by the boundless darkness.

The black mist enveloped her figure, and the light was completely distorted. She used the invisibility effect to lunge sideways, attempting to break free from his restraint and launch a surprise attack on Luo Qiusheng.

But the omnidirectional perception granted by the dragon bone bloodline had already seen through all her blind spots. Luo Qiusheng tilted slightly and precisely clamped his hand onto her slender neck. The dark domain formed by Underworld Reflection shattered upon impact, and the black mist dissipated into the air.

"Your strength is top-tier among the new generation of Hybrids, but your mind is too impatient." Luo Qiusheng slowly loosened his grip on her neck, his tone flat yet carrying an unquestionable sense of oppression. "Being eager to resist is your nature, but it is also your greatest flaw. You took the initiative to ask me to meet; your intention is definitely not to completely burn bridges with me, right?"

Jiu De Mai stumbled back a few steps, leaning against the cold elevator wall and coughing violently, a faint red mark left on her neck. She looked up to re-examine the young man before her, her eyes filled with shock and suspicion.

"Your mind is terrifyingly meticulous. I don't know what you relied on to see through my identity at a glance, let alone guess the source of this aura that suppresses dragon blood."

"Who exactly are you?"

Luo Qiusheng did not answer directly; he simply reached out and pressed the button for the top-floor rooftop. The metallic number "28" slowly lit up.

"If you want to know my background, you might as well come up to the rooftop with me. Your other companion should have been waiting there for a long time."

Jiu De Mai's heart jolted. Su Enxi had deliberately arrived at the rooftop early—a detail she had never revealed to anyone. That he had calculated every arrangement so early made her vigilance deepen, but she also knew there was no way out now, so she could only nod in silence.

The elevator climbed steadily, the atmosphere in the space stagnant.

Luo Qiusheng lowered his eyes to fiddle with his phone, appearing nonchalant while secretly keeping an eye on the ninja sword hidden at Jiu De Mai's waist. At the same time, a doubt took root in his mind: if Lu Mingze held the power to rewrite fate, why would he take the initiative to win him over? If he was looking for him, could it be that something had happened with Renata?

Meanwhile, Jiu De Mai calmly observed the golden pupils that refused to fade in Luo Qiusheng's eyes. She vaguely sensed that his bloodline level far exceeded that of an ordinary pureblood, even faintly carrying the aura of an ancient fire dragon. She secretly pondered the boss's specific instruction to ensure this person was kept steady—could it be that he possessed the bloodline of a First Generation?

The iron door to the twenty-eighth-floor rooftop was left ajar. Pushing it open revealed an open-air platform, and the evening breeze rushed in, carrying the dust of the city.

Su Enxi was leaning against the rooftop railing in a lazy, casual outfit, an iced cocktail by her side. Seeing the two walk over side-by-side, her red lips curled into a composed smile.

"You finally arrived. Mai, have you finished probing our mysterious new friend?"

Jiu De Mai walked to Su Enxi's side and gave a brief, low-voiced account of the confrontation in the elevator. After listening, Su Enxi's gaze fell on Luo Qiusheng, and she put away her nonchalant demeanor.

"Let's get straight to the point. Since you know our boss, you should also know that he has traces of some First Generation dragons, and we hold a large number of top-secret Dragon Tribe files that even your college cannot access. Correspondingly, the unique energy you possess is also the assistance we need."

Luo Qiusheng leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant skyline, his dragon pupils flickering with dim light: "Cooperation is fine, but I have my bottom line. I will not let you manipulate me, and I will certainly not become a weapon for your dragon-slaying. I want sufficient freedom."

Su Enxi and Jiu De Mai exchanged a glance. They had exchanged a brief look, having already anticipated this.

"Fine. We can promise you that."