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Seeing that inside were just some broken things that didn't seem to have any value, the scapegoat cursed and swore, after all, it had taken him quite a bit of time to pick the lock.

However, remembering his employers' instructions, he put the box away and prepared to take it with him.

But what the scapegoats didn't expect was that Lou Quan, fearing that people from the Central Base would harm Lou Yu, had arranged for people to keep an eye on him nearby. As soon as they heard the alarm, they rushed over.

Upon seeing someone arrive, the scapegoats' first reaction was to run away. The scapegoat responsible for searching Lou Yu's room chose to jump out of the window, but someone was already waiting for him below.

The scapegoat was so frightened that he landed unsteadily, broke his leg, and scattered the things he was carrying all over the ground...

When Lou Yu and his team returned after dealing with the mutated monsters, they heard that their house had been robbed.

Thinking of the photos in his room, Lou Yu's mind went blank.

When the group arrived at the house, Lou Quan was also inside. The table was covered with items, all of which the thieves had stolen and were preparing to take away.

Lou Quan looked at the group of people, who were covered in dust and blood, and said earnestly, "You've had a hard time. I'm sorry I couldn't protect your homes. All the thieves have been caught; none escaped. They're still being interrogated, and I'll definitely give you an explanation."

As he spoke, he looked at the table. "These are your personal belongings; they're all mixed together. You each need to claim them."

Lou Yu's box was placed in a very conspicuous place. He went over, picked it up, and opened the lid. The contents inside were messy and covered with some mud and sand.

Needless to say, it has already been opened.

Fearing the photos would be damaged during the mission, Lou Yu kept them at home, but unexpectedly, they were discovered by accident.

He closed the lid and turned to look at Lou Quan.

Lou Quan's expression was calm. He glanced back at Lou Yu indifferently, saying nothing, but Lou Yu knew he had seen it.

As someone more cunning and clever than a fox, Lou Yu didn't believe Lou Quan couldn't see what those things represented.

Lou Quan said to them, "Then I'll be leaving first. You guys pack up. If you find any missing items after you've finished taking inventory, Lou Yu can report them to me, and I'll have someone ask those thieves."

His tone and attitude made it seem as if he were usually a kind and loving person. If Chen Lin and the others hadn't seen his mercenary nature, they might have actually believed his pretense.

After Lou Quan left, Huo Lan and the others all looked at Lou Yu, Lou Yu was clutching the box, his face extremely pale.

"Captain," Liu Qi'an asked softly, "Could it be that he orchestrated this himself?"

Lou Yu pursed his lips and said, "No, although he prioritizes profit above all else, stabbing his teammates in the back is not his style. Besides, we are both in the eye of the storm right now, he won't cut off his own arm."

Chen Lin frowned. "He didn't do it, but he came here in person, so it can't just be out of kindness to comfort us who were robbed."

After saying that, Chen Lin suddenly realized something and looked at Lou Yu in surprise. "Captain, did he find out?"

Only Chen Lin and Lou Yu understood what Chen Lin meant.

Lou Yu remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Seeing this, Chen Lin frowned even more deeply.

The other three were still confused. "What did Lou Quan discover?"

Lou Yu wasn't in the mood to explain, Chen Lin quickly changed the subject. "Who knows what Lou Quan discovered? Come on, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go claim our things first, and then see if any valuables are missing."

Chen Lin pulled the people away, leaving Lou Yu alone, looking outside silently.

That evening, the group who had cleaned their messy rooms all said that nothing was missing, only some items were broken. They said it would be great if they could pay for them, but if not, it was fine, as they weren't worth much money.

Lou Yu carefully recorded his teammates' losses and went to see Lou Quan the next day.

Lou Quan looked at the detailed list Lou Yu handed him and said, "The thieves have all confessed. Their employer didn't specify what they wanted to steal, only that your room be emptied. I guess they weren't sure what you had. We'll investigate further later. The employer contacted the thieves through an intermediary, but that intermediary has run away, and we're still pursuing him."

This outcome was within Lou Yu's expectations, so he didn't react much after hearing it. He had come today for another matter.

Lou Quan continued, "As for your losses, we have seized the property of those thieves, and we will set aside a portion of it to compensate you."

After saying that, he looked at Lou Yu: "Any other questions?"

"Yes." Lou Yu looked at him, his tone decisive. "You saw the photo, didn't you?"

It wasn't a question; it was a statement of certainty.

Lou Quan readily admitted, "I saw it. Not only me, but the people in charge of catching the thief also saw it. But they all thought it was your girlfriend from the Central Base. They even said that you liked foreigners. There aren't many foreigners at our base, what a pity."

The photo was completely filled with Lou Yu and Tao Qiu's faces, making it impossible to tell when or where it was taken. Tao Qiu had white hair and green eyes, and her features were quite defined, so it wasn't surprising that she was mistaken for a foreigner.

Lou Yu said, "They all think... What about you?"

"Me?" Lou Quan smiled slightly. "The moment I saw the photo, I thought, 'No wonder you kept it from me, it really is a shocking secret.' He even gave you gifts, little stones and feathers. In the photo, you two are smiling so sweetly, your relationship must be very... okay."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lou Quan felt his hair stand on end and goosebumps rise all over his body.

My heart rate is also increasing involuntarily; is this the body's stress response when facing danger?

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he seemed to hear a crackling sound of electricity striking each other.

The air in the entire office seemed to freeze. Lou Yu's eyes were flashing with a purple light. He sat upright, his right palm facing upward, looking ready to strike.

Lou Quan, however, showed no panic. Instead, his smile deepened, "Don't worry, you don't need to kill me to silence me. I have no ill intentions towards you or him."

Lou Yu did not react, and the dangerous aura did not subside.

Lou Quan smiled helplessly, "I have your secrets, and you have mine, don't you? As long as neither of our secrets are exposed, we'll always be in the same boat. You don't need to be so wary of me."

Lou Yu said, "You don't dare to tell anyone about this, but you've always wanted to use my relationship with him to get more benefits from him. Now that you've discovered our secret, do you really think you'll just obediently do nothing?"

"At least for a very long time to come," Lou Quan said frankly. "You know me; you can tell if I'm lying or not. I learned my lesson last time, and I definitely won't be reckless again this time. I think we're better suited to cooperate than to scheme against each other. What do you think?"

Lou Yu didn't say whether it was good or bad, which means there's an opportunity.

Lou Quan continued to persuade him, "I know that no matter whether the Central Base uses threats or inducements, you don't want to go back because he's still here. We've known each other for a long time, and you know my capabilities. I guarantee that as long as I'm in this position, they can't take you away."

The suffocating atmosphere eased considerably, and Lou Yu slowly leaned back in his chair.

Lou Quan was a very observant and perceptive person. Seeing this, he continued, "Besides, you two have such a good relationship. Even if I'm demoted one day, if you don't want to go back to the Central Base, you can always go find him. With such a powerful and unique backer, you, Lou Yu, are probably the only one of your kind in all of humanity."

It must be said that Lou Yu understands Lou Quan, and Lou Quan understands Lou Yu just as well.

Seeing that Lou Yu's icy expression thawed after he finished speaking, and even a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes, he knew that he had made the right move.

"Whether we look at it from a perspective of interests or feelings, we have no reason to be enemies, so let's continue to be teammates."

As he spoke, he extended his hand.

Lou Yu leaned down and took his hand.

"Then I wish us a happy ending... Ouch!" Before he could finish the word, Lou Quan gasped in pain and quickly pulled his hand back.

He looked at Lou Yu with a reproachful expression. "Didn't we already agree on something? Why did you still shock me?"

This time, Lou Yu revealed that unfathomable smile, but his words were the opposite of his expression—playful. "I have superpowers; I can shock whenever I want."

This translates to: I have superpowers; if you misbehave, I'll still kill you.

This was both revenge for Lou Quan's bluffing yesterday and a warning to him.

Lou Quan waved his hand and rolled his eyes at him. "So stingy."

Several people saw the photo, but Lou Yu didn't specifically ask them to keep it a secret, otherwise it would seem like he was trying to hide something, and would only attract more attention.

The news did indeed get out, but the version was a little different from what Lou Yu had imagined.

The most widely circulated story is that Lou Yu had a foreign girlfriend when he was at the Central Base, but they broke up. After Lou Yu came here, he still couldn't forget her and even kept her photo. What a devoted man!

Therefore, even if Lou Yu were to find his next partner, he would likely prefer a foreigner. Young men and women of foreign descent can certainly give it a try.

So recently, some people who are quite familiar with Lou Yu, especially those who like to play matchmaker, will intentionally or unintentionally mention certain foreign relatives or friends they know when chatting with him.

As he walked along the road, he occasionally received flirtatious glances from people of foreign origin.

Lou Yu is pretending to be blind, acting as if he can't see anything.

Several teammates heard about this and came over to tease him.

Huo Lan: "Captain, you have a foreign girlfriend? How come we didn't know?"

Liu Qi'an: "Could it be? A secret relationship?"