Leveling up 3: Leveling up again

"What did you do to him?" Ye Jiang asked into the void. As soon as she finished speaking, a figure slowly materialized from the seat next to her. From nothing to something, a boy appeared out of thin air. The boy was lying on the dining table, idly fiddling with the decorative flowers on the table with his fingers.

"I didn't do anything, I just used a little illusion magic to make that..."

Uncle

"He thought it was a letter from his company urgently summoning him back," Dong Zhen said. "That uncle keeps chattering on and on, and you don't want to listen to his nagging, sister."

So he got rid of the person, Dong Zhen thought to herself.

Ye Jiang remained silent; though it was impolite, she tacitly approved of Dong Zhen's actions.

Only the two of them remained in the restaurant. Dong Zhen was overjoyed and said to Ye Jiang, "Congratulations, sister! You won first place in the competition! That's amazing!"

Ye Jiang nodded slightly, accepting the praise with composure, temporarily putting aside the staff of Xingyi Technology and the troublesome matter of giving a speech.

She looked at the boy and asked him, "What do you want?"

"Um?"

"You've helped me, what do you want?"

Ye Jiang has a prize of 5 million, and the boy helped her a lot in this competition but failed to even get a decent ranking. She should give him something in return.

Dong Zhen understood her meaning, and a smile played on his lips, as if Ye Jiang remembering him was the best reward he could give her. He said sweetly with his dimples, "I don't want anything, okay? I said from the beginning that I'm helping you, sister, for free~"

Ye Jiang stared at him, not understanding what he was thinking.

She was deep in thought.

A noise came from the restaurant entrance. Ye Jiang assumed the restaurant had finally remembered to serve the food and looked over expectantly. However, instead of a waiter, she saw another man in a suit and tie. He exuded an aura similar to that of the Xingyi Technology staff. As soon as he entered, he handed Ye Jiang his business card and began promoting himself with a smile, "Ms. Ye, would you be interested in signing an agent? What do you think of me? I have deep partnerships with several related companies and can help you secure a contract and promote you quickly. I..."

Ye Jiang: "..."

What is it?

According to this person, the idea behind the business is to print her face on various merchandise and sell it?

That's a bit scary.

Ye Jiang's ears were ringing. She gave Dong Zhen a suggestive glance, and Dong Zhen. She snapped her fingers, and the man's gaze froze for a moment before he left the restaurant in a daze.

The restaurant fell silent.

"Pfft." Dong Zhen laughed out loud, teasing, "Sister has become so popular, her popularity is no less than the previous ' Child of Light '."

Ye Jiang didn't take it as a compliment.

This seemingly glamorous restaurant didn't seem like a proper place; it didn't serve food, only strange patrons. Ye Jiang had initially had some expectations, wondering if the food itself was as stylish and tasteful as its decor, but now she just wanted to leave. She got up expressionlessly to leave when a commotion erupted from the restaurant entrance. "Wow, the floors here are so shiny! And what's that hanging on the wall? Is it calligraphy from Disaster Day?!"

Ye Jiang's ears were disturbed by the noise, and she subconsciously looked up. The next second, she met someone's gaze. The person's eyes lit up, and they immediately exclaimed, "Look, Captain Xiao, I told you my information source was right! Teacher Ye is right here!"

The spiky-haired boy looked excited, while the uniformed woman behind him picked at her ear. "Quiet down, you're going to deafen me."

Zhao Yi couldn't stay quiet for a second.

Xiao Pei clicked her tongue, trying to block out his noisy voice, and walked into the restaurant. Ye Jiang saw the captain of the Ability Control Bureau walking towards her. With his expressionless face, he said flatly, "Boss."

Xiao Pei responded and said, "Zhao and I were on a mission around here. Zhao said he saw you go up to this rooftop restaurant with someone, so I came up to check... to check--"

As Xiao Pei explained why she had come, she gestured towards Zhao Yi with her chin. However, when her gaze swept over, she saw their husky comrade from the Ability Control Bureau draped his thick arm over the neck of a slender boy. She was so startled that she couldn't help but let out a trembling sound.

Comrade Zhao, ever the friendly type, put his arm around the boy's shoulder and whispered, "Little brother, what's your relationship with contestant Ye? You two seem to get along really well. Contestant Ye is incredibly awesome; right now, she's the only one in the whole city who's popular."

Comrade Zhao gave a thumbs up.

The boy said, "She's my sister."

Comrade Zhao exclaimed enviously, "Wow, that's wonderful! You have such an amazing older sister!"

The boy laughed proudly, "Hehe."

Xiao Pei's mind went blank for a moment, then when she came to her senses, her eyes twitched wildly.

Some people are really something else; they rely on their ignorance to the point that they dare to befriend monsters and even put their arms around them!

Xiao Pei was horrified by what she saw. She hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, and finally steeled herself and looked away from the horrifying situation.

Xiao Pei focused on Ye Jiang and said to her, "Waiter, Yun Hua's matter is settled. You've been very helpful to the Ability Control Bureau lately. When you have some free time, go to the Ability Control Bureau to settle your labor costs."

With another payment coming in, Ye Jiang felt a little better. She asked Xiao Pei, "Why was the settlement so quick this time?"

She remembered that the Ability Control Bureau ' finances were cumbersome and the accounting process was slow.

Xiao Pei said, "That's because the Miao Family is willing to pay this money."

"I see," Ye Jiang said, having no further questions. She simply waited for the Ability Control Bureau to send the money. But when her gaze inadvertently fell on two people quietly chirping crickets, she suddenly changed her mind. She looked at Zhao Yi and Dong Zhen for a moment, then changed her words to Xiao Pei, saying, "The treatment during this period..."

I won't take the money.

Xiao Pei: "Hmm?"

Ye Jiang said, "I want to get help from someone in the Ability Control Bureau."

Xiao Pei: "?"

The award ceremony for Xingyi Technology's "Pollution-Hunting Competition" was held as scheduled two days later at the entrance of the A-S Wilderness Zone. The venue was readily available and only needed minor modifications. Although the location was remote, a large number of citizens came to watch the ceremony, most of whom came for one person. Although it was just an award ceremony, Xingyi Technology still put in a lot of effort to hold one, hoping to use the ceremony to regain some of its reputation.

Ye Jiang didn't know if Xingyi Technology had achieved its goal, but at least she didn't add any personal agenda to her award speech or say anything positive about Xingyi Technology. Her friend Yu Qingyi was very excited to learn that she would be giving a speech at the award ceremony and prepared a 10,000-word speech for her, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word. Fortunately, Yu Qingyi had work today and couldn't come to the event, otherwise, she might have been disappointed.

Facing the expectant gazes of the crowd, Ye Jiang hesitated for a moment before raising the trophy in her hand. This action instantly ignited the atmosphere. She didn't say a word, but thousands cheered.

Ye Jiang left the awards ceremony amidst the enthusiastic cheers, and no one noticed her whereabouts. Dong Zhen, as she had been instructed beforehand, cast an illusion spell on her, making it impossible for anyone to find her.

Only the caster, Dong Zhen, could see her. He saw her coming from the crowd, so he raised his hand high and waved it at her, beckoning her to come to his side.

She came toward him.

"You were so cool, sis!"

"Did you design it this way on purpose, sister?"

"Elder sister..."

The boy imitated Ye Jiang's posture of holding the trophy, excited as if he were the one who had won. Ye Jiang looked at the boy, not quite understanding what he was so happy about.

She didn't really understand the boy; she never understood him from the beginning. She didn't understand why he was so clingy to her.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, one fiery red firework after another burst into flames in the distant wilderness. Upon closer inspection, however, they were not fireworks at all, but rather exploding balls of supernatural fire. The Sky over the wilderness was illuminated.

The boy looked over in surprise, paused for a moment, and then exclaimed in astonishment, just like the rest of the crowd.

"What is this? It's so beautiful!"

The romance enthusiast was thrilled, his eyes glued to the spectacular "fireworks" display. "Oh~~~!" he exclaimed, ethereal bubbles floating around him. Beneath this lively "fireworks" spectacle, he heard a soft, yet powerful, sound—

"Like?"

"These are fireworks for you."

The boy stopped abruptly.

He looked at the person who had spoken. The human girl stared at him, her pale face as expressionless as ever, her eyes as calm as ever, as if no light could penetrate them, so calm that it made people feel indifferent.

The boy's voice was slightly hoarse.

"... A gift for me?"

"Did my sister... give this to me?"

"Um."

This is a display of supernatural fireworks unique to monsters.

Because she didn't know what reward to give the boy, she used the Bureau of the Ability Control Bureau ' reward in exchange for the help of all the fire-type ability users in the Ability Control Bureau.

juvenile. "..."

The fireworks were still blooming, but the boy was drawn to the scene seen through the eyes of humans. The human eyes were as black as ink, so dark that they seemed cold, but if you looked closely, you could see a tiny bit of tenderness flowing out from that darkness.

"Elder sister."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, my illusion can't last forever. Did you ask that earlier because you needed a long-lasting illusion effect?" the boy murmured. "Although I can't, illusionists can be hired indefinitely."

The monster looked up and said with utmost seriousness, "Sister, I'm very cheap."

The monster's right hand was burning hot, and a Blood Moon symbol was silently taking shape on the back of its hand.

Chapter 79, Upgrade 3: Another Upgrade.

Ye Jiang sat in the conference room of the Ability Control Bureau once again. This time, it was another meeting of old acquaintances. Besides her, there were other people in the conference room: Shi Tao, the director of the Bureau of the Ability Control Bureau's branch; Xiao Pei, the action captain of the Ability Control Bureau Headquarters; and two action captains from the Bureau of the Ability Control Bureau's branch. Four high-ranking figures from the Ability Control Bureau appeared at the same time. Anyone else would feel immense pressure in such a situation, but Ye Jiang... Ye Jiang was currently pondering whether there was a mistake in the expense report given to her by the Ability Control Bureau, and whether they needed to deduct a portion from the funds already transferred to her. That was why they had once again solemnly invited her here from the Xingyi Technology awards ceremony, and why their expressions were so serious when facing her.