ATL | Chapter 7

“Kane, on the line of internal and external collusion, take people to investigate deeply.”
“Hopper, go and negotiate with the Southwest District police force, send more investigation personnel, and sort out all the affiliations of the hovercars, the complete routes, and the nodes where they disappeared into the private domain.” Hetawaisi said, “As for Xiao Xun, come with me.”

The various sides immediately sprang into action. The serval got into the hovercar with Heta, and quickly moved far away from Alpha Node, taking a winding route, first driving into a maze-like artificial garden, then descending to the parking lot area, and then out along a narrow road blocked by the Rain Drops system, toward some underground area.

Darkness quickly swallowed the hovercar. The car kept descending, and after about the depth of five underground floors, a hundred meters farther down was Huizhi District’s artificial sky curtain.

“Boss, are you suspecting that there’s a mole in the police bureau system?”

“Not necessarily in Southwest District 2.” Heta said, “But definitely within the police bureaus of the three major southwest districts. You arrange for people to be transferred to assist in time, just make sure Arthur can circulate at the the lower ranks.”

“No problem,” Xiao Xun said, twitching his ears, “the excuse that the old man called me home was just used up last time. This time I’ll just say you’re temporarily carrying out a confidential mission.”

“Whatever.” Hetawaisi pulled open the car door. Outside was a small parking lot within the private domain, and he walked toward a narrow door.

As for Xiao Xun, he had already started contacting Shuguang Southwest District 2. The officer on the other end seemed very lively, and the communicator’s faint glow flashed rapidly.

“As it should be, little Chinese greyhound,” Xiao Xun said with a smile, “borrowed Arthur for so long, it’s time to give him back to you. Don’t worry, don’t worry, SEC is still fairly satisfied with him, it’s just a pity, if his companion gene wasn’t toxic, he should have been promoted long ago... mm, his personality also has a bit of influence. But I’ll personally send him back later, and still count this as a merit for him. I’m hanging up first.”

After Xiao Xun hung up and looked up, he saw Heta push the door open and walk out.

No, at this point he should be called Arthur.

He was already a few centimeters shorter than before, and his appearance had also changed, seeming a little younger and also becoming closer to an Eastern person from the old world.

Besides that, he had also changed into a camel-colored sweater and a light gray long coat. At first glance, both were ordinary styles with no built-in chip, very much in line with the way people dressed in the lower and middle levels of Shuguang District.

“Boss, with your gene and mimicry technology together, this is completely a bug.” Xiao Xun was already in the driver’s seat of another ordinary hovercar, waving to him, “Get in, Officer Arthur. Oh right, the extra night patrol task in Southwest District 2 tonight, are you going there right away?”

The disguised Hetawaisi stood where he was, nodded, then closed his eyes and was silent for a moment. When he opened them again, the coldness in his eyes had already completely disappeared, revealing a somewhat immature, slightly awkward smile.

This was a smile of switching states, adjusting identity.

It wholly belonged to Arthur, not Hetawaisi.

Half an hour later, Third-Rank Police Officer Arthur finally returned to the Shuguang Southwest District 2 police bureau that belonged to him. When the special envoy with code name X quietly sent him back, the district leader went through a perfunctory welcoming formality. The one most concerned about Officer Arthur, however, was a young Police Officer with a whippet companion gene, named Chen Xing.

“Arthur,” Chen Xing asked, “how was it, are the SEC officers easy to get along with?”

“Actually, I didn’t stay at the SEC headquarters for very long.” Arthur lowered his eyes to look at him and said hesitantly, “Maybe Southwest District 2 still suits me the best.”

Chen Xing froze for a moment, then wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“It’s okay!” The whippet raised its tail and smiled, “If it doesn’t work this time, wait for the next one! Anyway, you’re capable, wherever people are needed, they’ll think of you. Someday you’ll be promoted! Just don’t forget me then.”

“Let’s go, let’s eat something good together... speaking of which, the Captain is really something too, as soon as you came back, he’s already arranging for you to join the temporary night patrol too, he really isn’t giving you any time to rest? But luckily, we can team up again.”

“Mm.” Arthur also smiled, “Chen Xing, you have to work two shifts today. At night I’ll drive the hunter patrol car, and you can still doze off in the passenger seat.”

“Wow, then I’ll gladly accept!”

The sky was already gradually growing dim. Under the evening glow, everything in Shuguang District was shrouded in dusk mixed with gold and red. The silver-white outer walls of the Southwest District 2 police bureau were dyed through and through, and the original color could no longer be seen; the Floating Gold Opera House, however, lived up to its name, glimmering with mottled light from the sky.

In Yujing, where technology was advanced and virtual idols were popular, classical opera performed by real people had already become one kind of elegant art for high society, full of imaginings and tracing back to the popular art of the “classical era.” The Golden Flow Opera House was one of them. The theater was shaped like butterfly wings, with its body serving as the stage. Every performance seemed like a swan song of breaking out of a cocoon and being reborn.

It was also the most elegant opera house in Yujing, and the one most able to accommodate inventive stage concepts.

The fleet from Star Rainbow Stage Technology came from Huizhi District and could only take the lowest level of Yujing’s vehicle lanes. By the time they arrived at Flowlight Opera House, it was nearly dusk. Ganlin followed the temporary workers out and saw Duyu waiting not far away.

He was dressed in formal wear today. Seeing that the team had arrived, and also witnessing Lin Bai’s unexpected situation.

But Duyu said nothing. His narrow eyes swept over quickly, as if he didn’t recognize Lin Bai at all. The latter also cooperated well, and after their brief eye contact, calmly looked away.

Duyu straightened his tie and opened his mouth in a businesslike manner.

“Listen up,” he said, “the stage play of The Prayer of Ruins Abyss that our company is taking on this time, starring the new star Lingsheng, will officially open at Golden Flow Opera House five days from now.”

“The company attaches great importance to this collaboration and absolutely does not allow any mistakes. Do you understand?”

Most of the temporary workers were sturdy in build, and their answers were full of breath. The weak argali was mixed among them, like a flake of snow mixed into sand, and was quickly swallowed up. No one paid much attention to his weakness, and everyone quickly poured into the Golden Flow Opera House.

Lin Bai was also given work. He hugged a box of light props and moved through the front and back of the stage.

Unfortunately, he accidentally fell off the shelving before the end of the shift, causing his ankle bone to dislocate. There was no medical staff accompanying the company. Lin Bai explained the situation to Duyu and planned to go to the hospital at night.

Duyu reluctantly agreed, warning him to be sure to get back before dawn and work started.

Lin Bai was so grateful he was in tears.

After the limping little argali walked out of the opera house, he turned back into the brisk and decisive Ganlin. After getting off the Light Crossing near the hospital, he quickly disappeared into the darkness of the narrow street. This was already close to the edge of the city, and the Rain Drops system worked intermittently here.

Ganlin nimbly vaulted over the railing, as if the pain in his ankle had already vanished. He was very familiar with the southwest corner of Shuguang District. Aside from the Flowlight Opera House at the border with Alpha Node, there was also Canus’s private residence in Qianfeng Apartments, and the black-hearted clinic of underground Doctor Lu Mingzhe.

After finding that tracker, Ganlin pasted one of his own on it, then tossed it high into the air, letting it fall onto the passing Light Crossing, carried by wind and dust toward an unknown place.

The second psychological duel with Qize began in earnest.

Neon intertwined across Shuguang District, and a faint glint also reflected in Ganlin’s eyes. That pitiful air that made people too easy to look down on disappeared bit by bit, and in its place was a deep gaze.

Although it was still covered by amber fake pupils, he still burst with a vigorous life force, as if nothing could break him or make him yield.

These were a pair of ambitious, desire-filled eyes.

What he had never shown in front of others, Ganlin gave all of it to himself.

He rubbed the pads of his fingers together, turned toward Lu Mingzhe’s clinic, but did not stay too close. Instead, he climbed onto the abandoned second floor opposite and took down a small object that looked like a Raindrop.

This was the result of Cizhu’s research after deconstructing the Raindrop. The true “Morning Dew” of Morning Dew Flower Shop was never sold externally.

This surveillance device was quite practical, and equally hidden, even reaching the point of being able to pass for the real thing. Even if Lu Mingzhe really discovered it, the Rust Belt would only become more wary of Yujing government surveillance, and not suspect Ganlin.

Much less, the facts showed that Lu Mingzhe had not discovered it, and his movements with the people coming and going had already all been recorded in it.

Ganlin hummed a tune almost imperceptibly, in quite a good mood. He lowered his eyelashes, held the crystalline “Morning Dew” in his palm, and after reading the data, directly sent it to Cizhu, then hid the monitoring device back in its original place and turned to leave.

The security here was too low. Ganlin did not plan to stay any longer.

The whole process was clean and crisp. He still skillfully avoided the Rain Drops and left the chaotic abandoned building area, finally turning to the matter of his ankle dislocation.

Although Ganlin could handle it himself, he needed the hospital’s treatment records to ensure nothing went wrong. The operation had gone very smoothly up to this point, but trouble arose just as he was about to reach the hospital.

A hook net came down from the sky and covered him headfirst. It was already the city proper near the hospital, and even though there was no one on the street in the middle of the night, the Rain Drops system was still operating normally. Ganlin forcibly extinguished the thought of breaking out on the spot, and only helplessly grabbed the net, raised his eyes to look around, scanning in panic and fear.

Very quickly, something shot over and stabbed into his left arm. Ganlin obediently fell down, and was swallowed by the narrow, enclosed trunk of the hovercar.

The anesthetic needle could not affect electronic flesh and blood. He lay hidden in the darkness, vaguely able to hear voices coming from the front.

One stammered, “B-Boss, th-this really works?”

Another, with a sharp voice, said, “Who cares, they’re all caprinae, and I think they’re about the same age too... just grab one at random and hand it in to the boss! If we get it wrong, we’ll just say our eyes are too damn bad.”

“That still won’t do. The horns, the horns and eye color were all seen wrong,” the stammerer said, “the boss wants a red-eyed sheep.”

“You idiot!” The sharp voice immediately grew angrier, “The police couldn’t even find it, and you think we can really count on the two of us? We’re just putting on a show and handing in an assignment.”

“Didn’t see this argali wearing filthy work clothes? At a glance, it’s clearly some black labor runner from the lower two districts. If we kidnap it, we kidnap it. No one would ever look for it at all.”

Ganlin lay quietly, fingers slightly curled, and waited calmly. His soft ear pressed against the bottom of the car, distinguishing the engine’s operation and the wind at all times, preparing to act after they drove out of the dense surveillance zone.

When the car’s speed became obviously too fast, and the wind noise grew louder and louder, about to reach its peak.

It suddenly changed tone.

The hovercar, which had originally been driving steadily, suddenly veered, and the two people in the front row both cursed.

“Fuck! It’s almost three already, why is there still a hunter patrol unit!”

The hunter patrol unit belonged to the Yujing Police Bureau. It was responsible for routine nighttime area patrols, and also handled sudden situations within its jurisdiction. The stammerer and the sharp voice were unlucky enough to be rushing to speed back and turn in their assignment, only to run straight into the muzzle of a gun.

The sharp voice unleashed a stream of curses, driving the car in a crooked zigzag to dodge the hunter patrol car that was tightly biting behind them. Faced with this sudden situation, the stammerer immediately panicked.

“Why don’t we just throw thi-this person out!” the stammerer said, “A-anyway, we caught the wrong one, just... just right to draw attention?”

“You fucking idiot!” the sharp voice immediately cursed, “If we run now, at most it’s traffic violation and fleeing. If we throw a person out, that’s a nailed-down kidnapping case! If we get caught and locked up for a few years, are we coming out to drink northwest wind?”

As they spoke, the hovercar suddenly turned and dived without warning, trying to burrow into a narrow, cramped maintenance passage filled with abandoned cables, using its advantage to shake off the pursuit. During the rush forward, bumps were unavoidable.

At another violent jolt, Ganlin quietly lifted a finger and, using the leverage, flicked off the latch.

The trunk lid sprang up weightlessly, then quickly fell again, although only for an instant, the one following right behind, sitting in the driver’s seat, Hetawaisi saw it very clearly.

In the trunk, several pale, helplessly curled fingers were revealed.

He suddenly pushed the power lever, instantly driving the hunter patrol car into overload, nearly throwing Chen Xing from the passenger seat, then slammed hard forward again, pressing tight to the hovercar’s tail and forcibly squeezing into the passage.

“Clang!”

After the loud crash of the two cars colliding, the hovercar was pressed against the inner wall of the passage, scraping out a string of grating metallic noises, and finally completely stalled, forced to stop.

The hunter patrol car quickly pulled up. Chen Xing shot out and timely cuffed the stammerer and the sharp voice, who were trying to run. But Heta took three steps as two and used force to pry open the trunk.

Inside was a person curled up.

To be precise, a very young male. He was covered by the net, and silver-white curly hair clung to his temples and forehead. As soon as the trunk was opened, he raised his eyes in response to the approach, his damp gaze revealing confusion, and even his eyelashes were trembling, as if he was frightened to the extreme.

It was also, in fact, familiar to the extreme.

It was Lin Bai.

“Officer.” Lin Bai opened his mouth mournfully, “I...”

The next instant, the voice cut off.

...He saw the vertical pupils of a snake species again.

Just beyond arm’s reach was a pair of deep black eyes, looking down at him. Ganlin immediately remembered the silver-gray eyes that he had seen in the morning, belonging to Heta.

Ganlin subconsciously shut his mouth.

Their gazes met. Almost in an instant, Lin Bai’s soft timidity merged with Arthur’s considerate youthfulness.

An inexplicable flavor surged out from each of their hearts, making this stare seem like an ordinary glance, yet also seem fated, to collide with each other in silence and meet again with hidden intentions.