The Final Choice

"Her physique is somewhat unusual. The needle might genuinely be unable to pierce her!" Lin Xiaosu chose his words carefully. "There's no need to give her an injection. Based on your experience, determine whether she's in any danger."

Judging from her vital signs, Hu Ya's life force was vigorous beyond measure.

The breathalyzer showed that her alcohol level was actually not high enough to pose a danger.

She seemed to be in a strange state of mutation—something doctors would not have been able to detect in the past, because it overturned the normal laws of life. But now, genetic mutation had begun to gain acceptance in the medical world. Even if doctors had never encountered an actual case, they had seen all kinds of mutations beyond comprehension in the database.

Genetic mutation was a great revolution within the body.

Her metabolism was accelerating rapidly.

Amid such drastic changes, the brain activated its protective mechanisms. Falling into a coma was normal.

Lin Xiaosu was already relieved.

Hu Ya was not in danger.

She had merely come into contact with that faint glimmer of light, and her body had begun another round of mutation.

There were signs that this was not a bad thing. It might even be a good thing!

The ambulance arrived at the hospital, and she was admitted to the emergency ward. Yet the emergency measures consisted of nothing more than external examinations; injections that had to break through the skin simply had no room to operate.

When the nurses heard of such a strange occurrence, every last trace of sleep vanished from them. One after another, they found excuses to stroll through the ward, then gathered in every corner to whisper among themselves.

Second Uncle and Second Aunt rushed over overnight, worried sick.

But Lin Xiaosu pulled Second Uncle aside and quietly explained the whole story. The clouds on Second Uncle's face instantly cleared...

Turning around, Second Uncle whispered in Second Aunt's ear for a while as well. Her expression shifted between light and shadow...

After examinations, discussions, worry, and relief, time flew by.

After all the commotion in the ward, dawn broke outside.

Lin Xiaosu went outside the hospital to buy breakfast. When he returned to the ward carrying a heap of plastic bags, he was startled to find the hospital bed empty. Second Uncle stood by the window, gazing into the sky. Second Aunt sat motionless in a corner, while a beautiful woman in a police uniform comforted her.

That woman was Zhou Mei.

"Where is she?" Lin Xiaosu asked.

"Changye came," Zhou Mei said. "She said Hu Ya's condition was very unusual and took her to the provincial department for treatment."

Lin Xiaosu was slightly taken aback...

"Xiao Su... do you think... is this really okay?" Second Aunt sprang up and hurried over to him.

Her daughter was ill, with a very strange illness. Then people from the provincial public security department had suddenly arrived and taken her daughter away for treatment. She did not know any of them, and she truly could not set her mind at ease. Her husband could not give her confidence, so she sought it from Lin Xiaosu.

"It's fine!" Lin Xiaosu said. "For Hu Ya, this isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing!"

"A good thing?"

"Yes. Second Aunt, don't worry. Once she gets better, she'll come back."

Second Uncle turned around. "You believe it now, right? I said it was a good thing too, but this woman just wouldn't believe me."

"You stinking Taoist, always talking like some mystic lunatic. Who would believe you?" Second Aunt said. "But I believe Xiao Su! Other than us, Xiao Su is the only one who truly cares about her! If Xiao Su says she's fine, then she's truly fine!"

Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. "All right, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, eat and then head home. I'll go settle the hospital bill."

As he walked out of the hospital billing office, waves churned in Lin Xiaosu's heart.

He connected all the pieces...

Last night, Hu Ya had suddenly fallen ill.

This condition could not be kept under wraps at the hospital. As countless nurses passed the story from mouth to mouth, it reached the police station. The police were sensitive to such matters and reported it to their superiors at once, so Changye learned of it.

Changye belonged to Qianlong, and she possessed an almost obsessive passion for recruiting talent.

When Hu Ya had kicked apart the Gene Human's balls earlier, she might already have entered Changye's field of observation. Changye had come personally tonight; taking Hu Ya away for treatment was obviously just a pretext.

What she truly wanted was to see whether Hu Ya had the potential to serve Qianlong.

If Hu Ya really joined Qianlong one day, Lin Xiaosu personally felt it would be something worth looking forward to.

Didn't she always say she was unlike a normal woman?

To tell the truth, being an abnormal oddity was lonely.

But in Qianlong, was being abnormal a problem?

"Abnormal" was the shared label of every Qianlong member, all right?

There were no normal women among those people!

Wouldn't she have found her own kind?

She had also complained that she had been born in the wrong era. If she had been born in ancient times, Hua Mulan would probably have been replaced by Li Diandian.

And now, hadn't the opportunity arrived?

If she joined Qianlong, kicking people in the balls would be nothing but peanuts!

What Qianlong did transcended worldly conventions. Hurting and killing people were as commonplace to them as eating and drinking.

All things considered, Hu Ya had found her organization. Or rather, this lone sapling of an oddity had found a special stage suited to her talents...

At the hospital entrance, a familiar car was waiting for him.

The window slid down, revealing two faces.

Zhou Mei was driving, and Changye sat in the back seat.

"Get in. I'll treat you to tea," Changye said.

With one stomp on the accelerator, the car reached the east side of the city. Prosperity Teahouse there had only just opened as well.

On the side near the Yishui River, green bamboo formed the railings and purple clay made the teapots. The spring breeze, catching the tail end of spring, swept past and sent a coolness through their bodies.

Tea poured from the pot in a stream, carrying a unique beauty in the early morning.

The tea entered the cup, faintly jade-green.

This was Tashan Qingming Tea.

Qingming had just passed, and the new tea was on the market. Savoring a cup amid the bustling city—that was more or less the ease of life...

"Your childhood sweetheart won't have any problems." Changye lifted her hand lightly and gave him the answer to one question.

"'Childhood sweetheart' isn't quite accurate." Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. "But that isn't important. What matters is whether you've found another business opportunity?"

"A business opportunity?"

"The business world is like a battlefield, and the battlefield is like the business world. When competition and games of strategy unfold, everything under heaven becomes a piece on the board. Adding one more piece to your side is a business opportunity." Lin Xiaosu raised his teacup and took a light sip.

"Young man, I've noticed that you've changed." Changye slowly leaned forward.

"How have I changed?"

Changye said, "In the past, although you had a skill under your belt, you still seemed somewhat immature. But after hearing you speak today, I suddenly feel you have gained a touch of scholarly elegance. You're a little like Xin Yue's father."

"Xin Yue's father... is that some meme? Do you mean my bearing rivals the sun and moon?"

Changye burst out laughing. "Why would there be so many memes? Bearing that rivals the sun and moon—you're really narcissistic enough. Xin Yue's father is simply her father, Qianlong's former strategist."

"My bearing rivals that of Qianlong's strategist. Don't I have the right to be narcissistic? If you keep flattering me like that, I'll really get carried away!" Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. "Let's talk about something I care about. Hu Ya... what will happen to her in the future?"

What would happen to her in the future?

That was indeed what Lin Xiaosu cared about.

"What will happen to her... rather than ask me, why don't you keep an eye on her yourself?" A mysterious glint flashed through Changye's eyes.

"I understand! After circling around and around, we're back on the track from the night before last!" Lin Xiaosu said.

Outsiders would not know what would happen to Hu Ya in the future, nor were outsiders qualified to keep watch over her.

To keep watch over her, the prerequisite was for Lin Xiaosu to join Qianlong.

Only within an organization could one speak of keeping watch...

This was the choice Changye had mentioned to him the night before last...

"Smart and sensitive—you fit the requirements more and more." Changye said, "So, what is your answer? I don't think you necessarily have to wait until the civil service exam begins."

"All right, I'll join!" With those five words, Lin Xiaosu set down his teacup.

Changye smiled. "Why are you being so straightforward today?"

Lin Xiaosu stretched lazily. "I suddenly realized that I'm actually the same kind as her. In this muddy mortal world, there's nowhere to place her invulnerable body, and probably nowhere to place my peerless bearing that rivals the sun and moon either."

"Ah, a little wild and unrestrained, aren't you? I can only guarantee that I'll lead you through the door. Whether you can stand firm inside, whether the prodigies from every road will grind you down until you doubt your life—I guarantee none of that!"

"When does the grinding begin?" Lin Xiaosu leaned slightly forward.

"It can begin right now!" Changye stood. "Do you want to say goodbye to your mother? Because once you leave, you might not return for a long time."

"Will it take that long?"

"Yes. You won't enter the organization directly. You'll first need to undergo a series of training courses and learn the relevant knowledge. With the learning ability that makes even passing a civil service exam difficult for you, this won't take a short time."

Lin Xiaosu took out his phone and called his mother...

"Mom, I'm staying with a classmate in the county town these next few days, so I won't be coming home. After the exam, we're planning to go out and have some fun too."

His mother was silent for about ten seconds. "Which classmate? Is it the one who came to our house last time?"

"Yes!"

His mother immediately grew excited. "Mom will send you some money. Don't be stingy when you're out having fun..."

With one phone call to ask for leave, not only did his mother readily grant it, she insisted on giving him ten thousand yuan so he could eat well, drink well, have fun, and properly handle the "three accompaniments." After much persuasion, Lin Xiaosu only managed to reduce her financial support to three thousand.

Three minutes later, his phone notified him that five thousand yuan had arrived.

His mother had still forcibly added another two thousand on top of his figure.

Changye watched curiously from the side. "I couldn't tell. Your mother is pretty generous. You don't want it, yet she insists on giving it to you."

"Do you know why she's so generous? Because whether it's five thousand or ten thousand, compared with finding a wife, it's small money!" Lin Xiaosu said. "So no matter how frugal elders usually are, when their sons go out with girls, they become incredibly generous. This is actually an abnormal social phenomenon that directly fuels the simp economy..."

Changye giggled. "Then after you finish training, do I have to put on a full act for you? Buy a box of mooncakes and come visit her?"

"Forget it! If you take the act that far, she'll really give you a red envelope, and it'll very likely contain ten thousand and one yuan!"

Changye looked full of anticipation. "Wouldn't that be perfect? Last time, I gave out ten thousand yuan on a whim and felt bad about it for more than a month. Getting it back would be only right..."

Lin Xiaosu looked at her with contempt. "You said Qianlong paid well. Now I seriously suspect that was just a huge lie. If the pay were really that high, would you feel bad over bait thrown out while fishing?"

What did she mean, bait thrown out while fishing?

Was she fishing?

How remarkable did he think he was, that she needed to fish for him?

She was extending an olive branch because she thought highly of him!

This brat simply could not tell good from bad...

A whole pile of words churned in Changye's stomach, but in the end, she merely rolled her eyes...

At midnight, atop the county police station building, a patch of dark cloud covered the moon. A gust of wind swept past, and a maglev flying car appeared as if out of thin air, without making a single sound.

Lin Xiaosu and Changye stepped into the flying car.

They vanished into the night.