Chapter 119

She then turned her head, as if Stargazy Pie, casting her gaze upon the deep night sky, as if she were watching something.

After a long pause, she spoke.

"I said, to what extent do you intend to go?"

"What... level...?"

"Is it just a gang? Or just one Londinium, or does it extend to the whole of Victoria? Or... the entire Terra?"

The Doctor turned his head and asked in a scrutinizing manner.

"... If possible, I hope I can do the best I can."

"A very old-fashioned answer, but I don't dislike it; at least it's much better than those self-deprecating and blindly arrogant guys."

The Doctor lowered his head, picked up his coffee cup, and took a small sip.

He then frowned and looked towards the Zuo Jian.

"The coffee was too bitter. If you come back next time, remember to add milk and half sugar."

"Ah... okay..."

Zuo Jian nodded subconsciously and asked.

"Also, besides this, I need Sanity Mixture... never mind, it's okay if I can't handle that stuff. Besides half-sweet coffee, you also need to prepare some espresso... If all else fails, a couple of mint leaves will do. Anyway, I need a quiet room when I'm working, and all of the above-mentioned energizing items, and preferably some more..."

The Doctor sat to one side, issuing various requests to Zuo Jian in an orderly manner, as if directing his subordinates.

Her words seemed to possess a certain magic, causing Zuo Jian to subconsciously stand aside and begin to obey her various instructions.

It seems that this is how she was supposed to be.

"Wait... Doctor, what do you mean?"

Finally, after listening to a series of demands, Zuo Jian suddenly realized what was going on.

"I'm glad you realize that, and I'm glad we don't need to have pointless communication."

"By the way, I don't plan to quit the job I found, whether it's to ensure basic personal survival or anything else, so if possible, please plan a reasonable schedule instead of wasting time on meaningless things in a chaotic way."

"I... I understand, but you really agreed, even though you were just saying..."

"As I said, we don't need any meaningless communication between us. Like you just asked, the process isn't important, the result is, isn't it?"

The Doctor calmly put down his coffee, and then, in a daze, it seemed as if someone was shouting something in his head.

[Aaaaaaah! What are you doing?! Why did you agree?!]

"I changed my mind, Doctor. Escaping the vortex is something you could never do in your life, besides... you saw it yourself, what he showed, even..."

The ability to replace others is a value that cannot be measured in just a few words.

'Instead of turning a blind eye and regretting it later, it's better to seize the opportunity now.'

'Besides... don't you think this is an opportunity for you too?'

[Opportunity, what... what opportunity...]

'Bonds are a very special kind of substance. If possible, wouldn't it be a very worthwhile trade to completely bind them to our side?'

"Besides, I quite like that guy, so you... you probably won't dislike him, right?"

The voice of the Wraith, like a sealed ghost, lingered in the Doctor's ears, arousing a slight desire within her...

Chapter 75, The Solution and the Doctor's... Old Friend

"Phew, it's getting late. Sorry, Doctor, I have some things to take care of later, so I'll have to leave now."

Zuo Jian glanced at the time on his wristwatch, then stood up and spoke to the Doctor.

"Huh? What... are you... leaving?"

The Doctor suddenly shuddered, then looked around blankly before quickly stating his position.

"Yeah, I'm in a hurry to get back to sleep."

As if remembering something, Zuo Jian shook his head helplessly and gave a wry smile.

"Oh, go back to sleep... Huh?! Wait, what?! Sleep?!"

Realizing what was happening, the Doctor let out an incredulous scream, his eyes widening as he stared at the man before him.

She raised her hand, her fingers trembling slightly, and said, "You... you... you... who did you sleep with?! Laurentina?! You haven't already—"

The Doctor could hardly believe it; Zuo Jian had actually made a move? Unbelievable!

Thump!

Then, Zuo Jian gently slapped the Doctor's head with a chop, interrupting her reverie that had begun to extend to her tentacles and the sheets.

"What are you thinking about? Don't let your thoughts wander so wildly."

"But you said sleep... sleep... you don't look like someone who needs to go to bed on time."

The Doctor rubbed his head, looking somewhat aggrieved, and then looked at Zuo Jian.

"Mainly because I need to be with the little girl in Feline lives far away in Columbia..."

"Feline Little Girl?!!"

Zuo Jian's words caused the Doctor's voice to suddenly rise several octaves.

"Stop imagining all sorts of weird things..."

Zuo Jian felt somewhat helpless Zuo Jian the other person's startled appearance, but he didn't know what to say. However, the Doctor suddenly calmed down and moved right up to him.

However, due to his short stature, the other person simply raised his hand, grabbed the red tie on the suit of the body on the Zuo Jian, and pulled him down to bend over, face to face with him.

At this moment, Zuo Jian realized that the Doctor's expression and demeanor had reverted to the same state as a few minutes ago.

The previously somewhat melancholic and occasionally eccentric temperament seemed to have never existed.

At this moment, the Doctor gives off an impression of mystery, intellect, and... coldness.

It was unusual for Zuo Jian to feel slightly uncomfortable being stared at like that.

The former slowly rubbed his Zuo Jian tie with his thumb while using his other hand to remove the non-prescription glasses he was using to disguise his face.

"Since we're going to cooperate, I hope you can inform me in advance of any possibility that could cause you to leave midway. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that future plans won't run into problems."

Is this necessary?

"It depends on how things develop."

Although it wasn't a statement of fact, the Doctor's tone was unusually firm at that moment.

"Okay, okay, I'll try to keep it short."

Zuo Jian sighed, then began to organize the various events that had occurred since his contact with Narcissa, and then condensed them into a short summary for the Doctor.

At first, the more the latter listened, the more his brows furrowed, and a few times he even seemed unable to control his expression and exclaimed.

However, the Doctor quickly regained control of her expression and fell silent. Faced with Zuo Jian's surprised gaze, she simply waved her hand, signaling him to continue.

Finally, after listening to almost the entire process, the Doctor's tightly furrowed brows relaxed as if he had remembered something.

However, when she looked at Zuo Jian, she still had that indifferent expression.

"Listen, Zuo Jian, I don't think your current situation allows you to waste your energy on such meaningless things."

"Wait a minute, saying it's meaningless is too..."

"Really? Let's do the math. First, there's Laurentina. You need to help her find companions, right? Maybe you'll involve her in what you want to do later, but definitely not now."

"Secondly, you'll need to dedicate some energy to controlling this gangster's body. Perhaps a part of it can perform some simple actions autonomously without your direct control, but you can't completely ignore it."

"Then, you'll have to discuss and resolve issues with me, and get involved in the current situation in Londinium. The various events that will occur will likely be much more troublesome than anticipated."

Her words were clear and concise, with each sentence structured precisely.

"And now, you're even taking time out of your schedule to babysit a little girl."

Playing house? Listen, Zuo Jian, you're very capable, but you're not omnipotent. At least your energy is indeed limited.

"Trying to have it all means you can't do anything well. You get distracted by all sorts of things, and in the end, every problem you have to deal with turns into a mess."

The Doctor sat in his seat and crossed his legs again, just like the young homeroom teacher in Zuo Jian's memory lecturing his students.

He scratched his head subconsciously, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"But I have no other choice right now. I can't just leave it like this..."

"Oh? Perhaps I can offer my dear partner the first solution."

The Doctor gently tapped the table, revealing a unique allure that Zuo Jian had never seen before.

"Solution...?"

"Yes, I can handle it..."

'Huh? What? How can I solve this? When can I do it...?'

"... Shut up."

'No, no! It's not good to make empty promises like that! How could you do this?--'

Ignoring the shouts in his head, the Doctor revealed an emotionless smile and slowly spoke.

"However, this doesn't fall within the scope of our cooperation, so perhaps I should take some extra compensation?"

"Extra compensation? That's no problem, as long as the problem is solved. How much money does the Doctor want..."

"No need~"

The Doctor stepped forward and touched Zuo Jian's chin.

Sometimes, personal relationships are far more valuable than money. After all, what's free is often the most expensive, isn't it?

"Hiss, Doctor, you mean..."

"I will help you solve that Feline Girl problem, but in doing so, you will owe me a favor. I imagine that for someone like you, this favor will play a greater role in the future, right?"

Looking at the Doctor's expression, Zuo Jian hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Doctor, to be honest, I don't think personal relationships are that important."

"If you really need anything, just tell me, and I'll try my best to help you."

The other person's words left her stunned. After a long while, as if extremely satisfied with the answer, a smile appeared on her lips.

A strange feeling.

Perhaps I was influenced by another person, and I actually experienced some... emotional fluctuations.

I initially thought it stemmed from the strategic value this guy could generate...

Tsk.

However, I'm a little annoyed.

The thought that Zuo Jian would always return to Laurentina's side filled her with a deep sense of displeasure.

He clearly said he would definitely help her if she spoke up... but why is there still a lingering resentment in her heart?

(A favorite operator, but with someone else's support tag above their head. jpg)

"Huh?! Zuo Jian's gone?"

Once the footsteps outside the door disappeared, the Doctor seemed to wake from a dream, shaking his head left and right to look around.

'He's gone.'

"Damn it! You bastard! I barely even exchanged a few words with him, and you've already stolen my time! You thief, give me back my time!"

The thought that she had basically been "watching" her and Zuo Jian's conversation for the rest of the time, and that she would only manage to chime in a few words only to be contradicted, made her feel annoyed! Extremely annoyed!

That Wraith spirit is really annoying!

'Alright, instead of complaining, why don't you learn to be a proper thief and figure out a way to steal him away from that annoying Shark?'

"Stop! What are you talking about?! Laurentina may be annoying, but... but she knew Zuo Jian first, and Zuo Jian also..."

'This land has never cared about first come, first served or any other ridiculous order. Shouldn't you know that better than anyone?'

The voice of the Wraith began to surround her again, tempting the Doctor to do things she dared not even think about.