Chapter 255

Efnir glanced over casually, and the girl in the baseball cap and magic crystal was also looking in their direction. Efnir wasn't sure if they had made eye contact.

The girl inside the armored vehicle was wrapped up tightly, so her entire face could not be seen; only her small nose and half of her cheek were visible, and she appeared to be quite young.

Clearly, this Flying Swallow is not the former chief Flying Swallow of Xijing City, but just happened to run into an agent using the same Beacon; this situation is not uncommon.

The Flying Swallow that Efnir Nielf knew... her Beacon is still at headquarters, carefully preserved along with Qinglan's and the Agent Beacon.

Concealing the fleeting glint of sadness in her eyes, Efnir smiled gently at Majian and Violet.

"It's nice to meet you all, but this doesn't look like a good place to chat. Let's go over there."

She pointed in the direction of Hezhe Town and said.

Armored vehicles and motorcycles were parked on the eastern outskirts of the town, guarded by Flying Swallow, who remained silent throughout.

Efnir, along with Majian and Sumire, headed to the town. Before leaving, Efnir made a point of noticing Flying Swallow, who was the driver, and gave her a brief greeting.

But Flying Swallow didn't take off her sunglasses or say anything. She simply extended her gloved hand to Efnir and offered Efnir a mint.

"Sugar?"

Efnir looked at Flying Swallow, and even through the sunglasses and the scarf covering half her face, Efnir could vaguely sense that Flying Swallow was smiling at her.

Majian and Jin just stayed quietly to one side, neither of them saying a word.

Efnir put the mint in her pocket.

"Thanks."

"Senior, let's set off."

At this moment, Majian came over and said.

"Um..."

Efnir didn't say anything. She took some bullets from the motorcycle and walked into the town with Majian. After walking a few dozen steps, she glanced back casually. Flying Swallow Yan was waving at the three of them, so Efnir waved back.

Just then, Majian's voice came, "I'm sorry, Flying Swallow can't actually speak... Actually, she really wants to be with you. She was smiling at you just now, but she has albinism, so she always keeps herself completely covered up."

"Albinism, unable to speak?"

Efnir paused, taken aback.

"Yes, she's mute."

Majian gave Efnir a deep look, her eyes flashing with an ambiguous light. "The couple who adopted her... those two scumbags didn't need a talking servant, so they cut out her tongue."

Efnir stopped, realizing something.

Clearly, what Majian was referring to was Flying Swallow's past, her childhood.

Before the Human Federation formally developed a testing method to confirm "suitability," those Eligible lived in the corners of the city like ordinary people, without proper protection, and Flying Swallow suffered torment as a child.

"She is evidence of the crimes of those hypocrites, ha..."

Majian spoke in a calm voice, revealing a cold laugh that didn't seem to belong to a little girl her age.

"..."

Efnir remained silent, and Violet, who followed behind her, also kept quiet, her expression unreadable to Efnir.

Too many orphans were created during the Erosion Disaster. In order to encourage these orphans to receive care and support from families, the Human Federation established a support and relief fund to provide financial support to kind families who can take in orphans.

The original intention of this policy was to enable more families to lend a helping hand to helpless orphans, but in reality, Efnir knew that the well-intentioned invitation had become a deadly weapon, piercing the hearts of those suffering children.

Many families take in orphans simply to obtain some financial assistance.

They treated the adopted children as servants, not even pets, as objects, subjecting them to hunger and toil. The adults, wearing masks of hypocrisy, vented their apocalyptic anxieties on these defenseless children.

They will not pursue legal action as long as the child does not die.

Even if something goes wrong, can't we just blame it on the Erosion Disaster?

Such luck and loopholes in the rule of law make those demons even more unscrupulous, using children as their tools to make money. When the children grow up and cannot receive relief, they will kick them away, or they can't wait to send them to some dirty places to earn more money before they reach adulthood.

Efnir had no idea what Flying Swallow had gone through.

Perhaps they resisted, but the consequence of resistance was having their tongues cut out, thus rendering them unable to speak again, wasn't it?

"I'm sorry, I said some heavy things."

Majian smiled faintly, regaining her previous cheerfulness, and patted her meager chest. "Flying Swallow is doing very well now. Everyone in our team likes her very much, and no one will bully her anymore."

But the scars won't disappear as a result.

Efnir didn't say anything; continuing the discussion would be pointless.

The darkness shrouded in white mist lasted for twenty years. She knew all too well that this despairing darkness had Corruption far too many people, both physically and mentally. Some had become Dregs, while others had become demons.

This kind of thing is unavoidable in any city.

"Speaking of which," Efnir said, trying to break the silence, "You came here to investigate, right? Do you know how long ago this white mist dissipated?"

5. Huachao Cai's Love Story

When Yukina woke up from her dream, it was already bright outside the window.

She climbed out of her bed, which was piled high with files and documents, and frowned slightly.

A dull ache emanated from my thigh; the injury sustained in the battle with Maesakagawa hadn't fully healed, but it was noticeably better than yesterday. Perhaps it would be completely healed by tomorrow or the day after.

After quickly changing her clothes, Yukina pushed open the door to the living room.

The house was quiet, so quiet it felt unsettling. For a long time, Naoko would have already brought out breakfast from the kitchen by now. It had only been a month since Yukina and Naoko had become lovers, and Yukina felt more and more that she really couldn't live without her.

But now she lives alone in this huge house.

Yukina turned her head to look at the closed door to the side, lowering her eyelashes.

She wondered how Naoko was doing, whether she had discovered anything, or if she had encountered any danger... She longed to follow Naoko on her mission, but this wishful thinking was just a burden.

Taking a deep breath, Yukina entered the bathroom, took out her phone, thought for a moment, and found Huachao Cai's number...

Two hours later, at the shopping street of the Youcheng Girls' Academy.

The morning sun was bright, but now it has turned cloudy. A cool, damp wind is blowing into the city from the fields, and the leaden clouds on the horizon are low and heavy, looking like it's going to rain.

Yukina specially prepared an umbrella and put it in her handbag before entering the maid café.

"Shiomi, please come this way~"

Ms. Riko, whom I had met once before, seemed to have been waiting here for quite some time. She came up to greet Yukina and lead the way when she entered the store.

The music inside the store was still soft and soothing, making people feel calm. When she arrived on the second floor, Yukina immediately spotted the elegant figure sitting in the corner, Huachao Cai.

Huachao Cai savored her coffee, her gaze slowly shifted from the window to Yukina's, and she gave Yukina a faint smile from afar.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Shiomi. Please have a seat."

Yukina sat down opposite Huachao Cai. Unlike their last meeting, Huachao Cai didn't show the same enthusiasm this time, but instead scrutinized her with a critical gaze.

She smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

The atmosphere between the two was completely different from when they last met, because Yukina was not here today because of the previous invitation, but because she had taken over the work that Efnir had previously been in charge of—an investigation into the ICS Research Institute.

Of course, the investigation team in charge of this matter is not just Yukina. After all, although Yukina is the current agent of Xijing City, she is also just a 15-year-old high school student who has only been an agent for a little over a month and has no experience in many tasks. Therefore, the main person in charge is still Shinomiyami Nami.

But Yukina worked very hard. After taking on the task, she returned home with a large pile of files and spent the whole night searching for information.

It's like a form of venting.

Unable to follow Efnir and also unable to participate in combat missions due to her injuries—with Efnir absent, the defense of Xijing City was temporarily handed over to the Funeral Bird Squad and the Muse Squad. With nothing else to do, Yukina devoted all her energy to the investigation.

She quickly discovered the financial dealings between the ICS Research Institute and the Huachao Group by following the files left behind by Efnir.

There are many groups that have financial dealings with the ICS Research Institute, because the ICS Research Institute is the most important food cultivation and subtropical agriculture research institution in Xijing City, and it is also a subordinate organization of the Three Major Research Institutes of the Human Federation.

However, the relationship between Huachao Group and ICS Research Institute was too close. The frequent financial transactions, in addition to the direct link between the two, were also bridged through other companies and channels. This information was hidden in seemingly ordinary financial flows, but it was not perfectly concealed for Yukina, who was an excellent student.

That's why Yukina appeared at Huachao Cai's shop.

"Senior Hanacho, I'm sorry I kept some things from you before, but I'm here today because..."

"For the investigation of the Huachao Consortium?" Huachao Cai interrupted.

"So, my senior already knew all along..."

"After all, I am the daughter of the Huachao Group."

The Huachao Consortium wields immense power, possessing considerable influence even within the Orderkeepers Organization. As the heiress of the Huachao Group, Huachao Cai is highly well-informed.

When Huachao Cai first met Yukina, she already had a vague idea of Yukina's identity. However, this time, Huachao Cai no longer regarded Yukina as just Efnir's sister and follower, but as a complete rival in love. Since yesterday, the sisterly relationship between Efnir and Yukina had become common knowledge within the Order Organization.

After all, it concerns the romance of the most famous agent idols, and they are perfect sisters who have always been the subject of much discussion. Their forbidden love affair fermented in the rumors in an instant. Many people would treat it as gossip news in their spare time, and it had already caused a sensation in the fan Fan Club.

For Huachao Cai, who has always deeply loved Efnir, this was undoubtedly a bombshell.

The thought of Yukina specifically asking her to have an engagement ring custom-made made Huachao Cai heart tighten. Yukina and Efnir were lovers, and her purpose in preparing the engagement ring was self-evident.

However, before Huachao Cai could process the message, Yukina came knocking on her door.

"But," Huachao Cai stared at Yukina, expressing her dissatisfaction in her tone. She couldn't even tell whether she was angry because her family was embroiled in crisis or because her junior classmate, whom she considered a friend, had stolen her love interest. "The Huachao Consortium has absolutely not been involved in any dangerous research. My father is not that kind of person."

Yukina looked surprised but not entirely unexpected.

She was, of course, unaware of the turmoil raging within Huachao Cai's heart, and quickly put on a businesslike smile.

"I trust your judgment, but I can't stop the investigation just because of your explanation. Since you already know why I'm here, something must have happened within the Huachao Consortium already, right? In that case, Miss Huachao Cai," Yukina changed her address from senior to Miss, staring into Huachao Cai's eyes, her restrained aura reappearing in them, "I want to ask for your help in my investigation. This is also the best way to prove your father's innocence."

However, Huachao Cai didn't immediately refute, but merely pursed her lips and suddenly asked out of the blue, "Shouldn't the investigation... be Miss Efnir's responsibility? Why isn't she here?"

"Ah?"

Yukina didn't understand Huachao Cai's sudden look of disappointment; she simply shook her head and said nothing.

Efnir is currently on an important mission; how could she possibly tell anyone?

Huachao Cai was even more disappointed.

6. New Humans

Kanade Kotone discovered that after working day and night in the lab as an assistant for over a month, she was finally able to keep up with Ms. Nishiki's pace.

When Nishizaki Yuki is engrossed in her work at the lab table, she often forgets to eat and sleep, which also disrupts the biological Kanade of Kanade Hanakami, who originally had a very regular daily routine.

But Nishiki seemed completely oblivious, as if having huge dark circles under her eyes would make her happy.

"Sample number C-11-0477, backup dated November 21st."

"Here you go."

No sooner had Nishizaki Yuki finished speaking Kanade Kotone deftly placed the sample in front of the lab table. She also subconsciously glanced at the lab notebook to Nishizaki Yuki's right. The A4-sized paper was densely covered with Nishizaki Yuki's "flowing" notes, with strings of data and notes that looked more like abstract symbols than words.

These data points, taken individually, seem chaotic, but when squeezed together by Nishizaki Yuki's pen, they become remarkably neat and orderly. The used paper looks as if it were spit out by a printer, with each line appearing as if it had been measured with a ruler.

It's hard to imagine that Ms. Nishiki usually has a very casual attitude towards life, is a completely different person when conducting experiments. She takes her experiments very seriously, never smokes when she is focused on them, and the laboratory is always filled with a faint smell of disinfectant and alcohol, as well as a pleasant fragrance.

Kanade knew it was Miss Nishiki's fragrance.

Every time I come to the lab bench, everything is neatly arranged, which is so different from the always messy office that it's hard to believe it's being used by the same person.

Nishizaki Yuki noticed Kanade's subtle glance, so she simply pulled her hand away from the notebook, stretched her aching arm, turned around and smiled at Kanade, "Can you understand it?"

"I can only understand a little bit... there are many unfamiliar terms."

Kanade Kotone shook her head decisively.

Staring at Nishiki's notebook only makes one's head throb; even after so many days of working as an assistant, Kanade has only gradually been able to understand a small portion of it.

"These are the data from the complexation molecule experiment on the cell samples. The relevant experimental theory was in the books you took last time... but what I'm doing now is a little more complicated."

Actually, it's far more complicated than just a little bit, Kanade thought to herself.

The book had some obscure parts, but most of it was quite simple, making it perfect for Kanade, who had a weak foundation. She read it all and was absolutely certain that the book didn't contain anything that complicated.