Mentor

"Do you usually jerk off?"

"Pfft..."

This time, Zhou Ze, who had been chugging cola, couldn't hold it in.

At the next table, Shi Yaming had been wolfing down his food with his ears pricked up, and his expression was even more exaggerated.

"Ahem..." His scalp tingling, Zhou Ze gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that..."

"No, you heard me perfectly..." The woman gazed deep into Zhou Ze's eyes and chuckled behind one hand. "Your eyes told me the answer."

"..."

The blonde spoke casually, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather.

He paused, his lips curving into an elegant smile.

Zhou Ze stared, dumbfounded.

Thank you, mentor...

But...

"Why?" Zhou Ze forced a strained smile.

"Why what?" The woman blinked, looking puzzled.

"Why are you suddenly telling me all this..."

We barely know each other. Why would you say something that catches me so completely off guard?

"I just wanted to see your reaction..." The woman shrugged innocently. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zhou Ze."

With that, the woman swept back the blonde hair spilling over his shoulders, rose, and swept away like the wind with elegant strides.

Only Zhou Ze and Shi Yaming remained at their tables, staring at each other.

"Ahem..." Zhou Ze cleared his throat and spoke as though nothing had happened. "Are you done eating? Didn't you say we were going to check out the recreation area in a bit?"

"Heh." Shi Yaming said dryly, "Why don't you just go back and jerk off instead?"

"..."

Knock, knock, knock...

The knocking jolted Dai Yong'an out of his thoughts.

He glanced down at the mechanical watch on his wrist, curled his lip impatiently, then rose from behind his desk and walked slowly toward the door.

If someone was bothering him at a time like this for some trivial reason, he was certain he would fly into a rage.

He pulled open the office door, his brow furrowed, and scrutinized the visitor. His sharp eyes swept up and down, as though trying to see right through the person before him.

An unfamiliar blonde woman stood outside. At least, Dai Yong'an had no recollection of this person.

"Who are you?" Dai Yong'an asked expressionlessly.

"Have you forgotten me already, Dr. Dai..." The woman first struck a coquettish pose, then adopted a pitiful expression. "That really hurts..."

Dai Yong'an frowned. "I'm just face-blind, not..."

His voice cut off abruptly. As though realizing something, he narrowed his eyes and examined the uninvited guest again, his gaze flicking across the red mark on the woman's pale neck.

Then his expression darkened, and he forced the words through clenched teeth, almost one syllable at a time:

"Jack Bright?!"

"Busted..." The blonde's expression fell, and he spread his hands and shook his head in disappointment. "Maybe I should wear a scarf next time."

Before he had even finished speaking, he brazenly pushed aside Dai Yong'an, who was blocking the doorway, and strolled into the office. He flopped onto the sofa, draped his long legs over the armrest, and swung them without the slightest concern for appearances.

"I don't remember inviting you to visit Site-17..."

Looking disgusted, Dai Yong'an brushed off the spot on his chest where he had been touched, slammed the door shut, and turned around to say coldly:

"And you're using a woman's body, too..."

"Oh? Sounds like Site-17 is practically your personal kingdom now..."

Jack's voice dripped with sarcasm before he changed tack:

"As for which body I use, that's naturally a matter of personal interest... Exploring how different physiological structures affect cognitive patterns is quite a valuable avenue of research..."

"So what are you doing here?"

"My arch nemesis~ Why would you think I'd willingly tell you my plans?"

"You're wasting my time, you fucking idiot, Bright." Dai Yong'an sat down in his office chair and stared coldly at the "woman" on the sofa. "I don't have time for your stupid role-playing games."

"As you can see, I've got all the time in the world..."

"Did that woman Wang Lei send you?" Dai Yong'an's gaze suddenly sharpened. "You know my patience has limits."

"Ah~ I haven't really done much..."

Jack sighed lazily from the sofa:

"You three left me out of the fun again this time, so I had to find my own way in..."

At that, Dai Yong'an closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his expression had returned to its usual indifference.

"You've met him?"

"Yes. I've tested him. Under intense emotional fluctuations, the Hume levels within and around Mr. Zhou Ze's body remained stable, with deviations of no more than 0.3%. That means he isn't a reality bender, so your interest in him..."

Bang...

A sudden gunshot cut Jack off.

The bullet pierced straight through the center of his forehead. Blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere, staining the sofa dark red.

The mocking light instantly vanished from Jack's eyes, and his body slumped limply onto the sofa.

Dai Yong'an slowly lowered the smoking handgun, took a white handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wiped down the gun.

His gaze never once fell on the corpse on the sofa, as though he had merely swatted a mosquito.

Knock, knock, knock...

Just then, another knock came at the door.

Dai Yong'an paused in wiping his gun and gave a cold laugh:

"My office certainly is busy today..."

A tall man stood outside.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a neat crew cut, his features as sharply defined as a sculpture. A thick document envelope was tucked beneath his arm, and he exuded a serious, composed air.

"Dr. Gears... What a rare visitor." Dai Yong'an greeted him coolly.

Dr. Gears first noticed the gun in Dai Yong'an's hand, then tilted his head to glance at the female corpse on the sofa inside the office.

He adjusted his glasses, his face expressionless, and spoke without a trace of emotion, his voice as dry as rusty gears:

"Jack?"

"You knew he was coming?" Dai Yong'an's expression turned cold.

"No, but he's the only person who could make you angry enough to shoot him right here in your office."

Gears looked at his colleague's rather grim expression and asked, "Shall we talk inside?"

Dai Yong'an raised his eyebrows and stepped aside to clear the doorway.

"Dr. Dai, I've come to see you about just one matter."

Gears entered the office and sat beside the female corpse on the sofa without a care. He took a stack of documents from his folder, adjusted his glasses, and said:

"Regarding your application for D-87465 to participate in an Extreme Hazard Class experiment, the Ethics Committee has several concerns that require clarification..."