CHAPTER 266: CHAPTER 266: AWARENESS AND PURE-HEARTED VIRGIN

Once it involved his own salary and Spirit Stones, Ren Suo started to take things more seriously.

Naturally, he couldn’t directly publish a paper claiming that he had discovered the Snow Maiden, the Crow Tengu, or the Zashiki-warashi. Instead, he had to look for news about Flourishing Sakura and see if he could contrive a paper out of it.

This approach was low-risk. Ren Suo had already seen many similar papers on the internal network. For example, some people even mentioned discovering Zeus because they found a bull that became amorous around beautiful young women.

Most of these papers attracted little attention, but if one hit the mark, it could bring in a considerable fortune. Of course, purely speculative papers like this naturally lacked much direct evidence. If there were evidence, they would have already started a discussion or even uploaded the data.

However, writing such papers was undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack, and one needed to back up their theories with references to inflate the word count. Ordinary Researchers, unless they had paper requirements or stumbled upon some indirect evidence, generally couldn’t be bothered to write them, as it was a waste of time with a low return on investment.

Ren Suo used keywords to search and found that there were currently no papers on the internal network about Flourishing Sakura’s special monsters, so he set to work with peace of mind.

It was then that he realized that Flourishing Sakura’s setting for Cultivator realms was very similar to that of the Mysterious Country, but with some differences—they called them Onmyoji or Samurai.

In Flourishing Sakura, Qi Cyclones were considered to be the condensation of Yin and Yang qi, and they used ’Cloud’ as the Level of differentiation, like First Cloud Onmyoji and Second Cloud Onmyoji. Paired with the season’s popular anime, the Onmyoji profession quickly made its way into thousands of Flourishing Sakura households.

By the way, the names for Transcendents in the Federation were also very distinctive. However, because they used English rather than Chinese characters like Flourishing Sakura, they were directly translated as ’Transcendents.’ The Level differentiation was ABCDEF; six Levels were pre-set, with more to be added if needed.

Originally, Ren Suo also planned to use the internal network’s advanced search to look for Flourishing Sakura’s secret data to support his paper. Not all Researchers on the internal network merely churned out papers. Some aimed to write papers that would be officially recognized, which naturally required finding a lot of data. The internal network’s advanced search was their best tool for this.

But advanced searches took as short as a day or as long as five or six days. And if it was the secret history of a nation, the information would be abundant. Just going through it would take Ren Suo a lot of time, so he decided to just cobble together a few pieces of Flourishing Sakura news.

"It can be easily seen..."

"By the same token..."

"It is clearly evident..."

While writing his paper, Ren Suo naturally sent his clone to buy midnight snacks. After instructing on what to buy, he naturally added, "If you meet someone you know, just stop and smile at them, then leave their sight as quickly as possible."

Although Ren Suo didn’t really think his clone would encounter any acquaintances in the dead of night, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The clone nodded, got dressed, took the money, and left, while Ren Suo turned off the lights and worked on his paper all night.

The clone moved at a brisk pace, almost as if he were race walking, and in no time he had left Heavenly Lotus Academy’s area and arrived at the Midnight Snack Street by the Lianjiang to buy barbecue.

"Bro Yu, a dozen lamb skewers, a dozen beef skewers, two eggplants, a dozen chicken kidneys!"

"You got it!"

Directly opposite Fat Brother BBQ was a Ghost Stall barbecue run by a young man with rolled-up sleeves. He casually picked up skewers and placed them on the grill. Then, the charcoal flames danced, making the food look wonderfully appetizing and causing customers to shout:

"Awesome!"

"666!"

"Old Qin really struck gold this time with a son-in-law whose skills are this good!"

The girl responsible for serving the food blushed and huffed as she placed a dozen beers down, "Watch what you say, I’m not of age yet!"

"Oh, so does that mean you’re going to get married and go to college when you’re of age?" The customers immediately retorted.

"Hmph!" The girl ignored them and turned to serve other customers.

The young man, with a lollipop in his mouth, continued to grill skewers, but his eyes kept following the decisive and youthful figure of the girl. Unintentionally, he caught sight of a customer at Fat Brother BBQ.

Huh? That person looks familiar...

Seemingly noticing his gaze, the person across from him, holding a bunch of takeout barbecue, turned his head and gave him a smile.

In the haze of the flame, that smile seemed so eerie and comical.

The lollipop the young man held in his mouth fell, and he quickly wiped his hands and went over, "Ren—"

Then, as soon as he moved, the person across from him also started moving, almost running away from Midnight Snack Street. However, while running, he still looked back at the young man with a smile, one that sent shivers down the young man’s spine.

"Don’t run! Why are you running?"

In just an instant, before the young man had even stepped out, the person had left the Midnight Snack Street as if afraid of being chased.

"What’s with Bro Yu?" The girl came over and asked.

The young man stopped, clicked his tongue, shook his head, and turned back, "It’s nothing, just saw someone who looks like my friend."

"Bro Yu’s friend?" The girl asked, "Is he in the catering industry too?"

The young man laughed it off, "No, he’s a veterinarian."

On the other side, Ren Suo saw his clone come home, nodded at him, and had him start on a thorough cleaning and laundry—ever since he had acquired the ability "Struggle Warrior (Damaged)," Ren Suo no longer cleaned himself. Although he could hire a cleaning lady, Ren Suo had secrets aplenty. Now that he had the Cloning ability, usable once a day to create a clone that could only exist for two hours, it was like having a robot that came free of charge.

Receiving his next order, the clone quietly nodded slightly and began to work.

***

The next day, Ren Suo received a call from Li Dan, who asked him to come over for a Sleep Healing session.

However, upon arriving at the Tactical Bureau, Li Dan informed him that Deputy Director Yu needed to see him.

"If he needed me, why didn’t he just call me directly?" Ren Suo wondered.

Li Dan shrugged, indicating that he was also in the dark.

When they were both in Yu Kuangtu’s office, Yu Kuangtu signaled for Li Dan to leave first, asked Ren Suo to sit down, and quietly inquired, "How was your rest last night?"

"’Hm?... It was okay, I guess,’ Ren Suo replied."

"I hear you’ve been going out to buy midnight snacks these past few nights?"

"Yes!" Ren Suo quickly nodded, although he hadn’t personally done so lately, he took pictures of the midnight snacks every day.

At that moment, Yu Kuangtu let out a long sigh, "So it was you... Well, that’s good. You haven’t told anyone else, have you?"

"Told others what?" Ren Suo was completely bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

However, Yu Kuangtu’s eyes lit up at that moment. "Right, you didn’t see anything, very good! Comrade Ren, your attitude is very correct!"

Yu Kuangtu tapped the glass on his office desk with his index finger and said, "As long as you don’t talk about it, that’s fine. After all, I am the Deputy Director of the Tactical Bureau, and if people found out... I don’t mind, but I had told her I was just an ordinary restaurant worker."

"Sigh... I went for a midnight snack after work one night a month ago and stumbled upon her struggling alone to run her stall and not making very tasty food, so I just, out of fun, went to help, and somehow ended up helping till now..."

Yu Kuangtu rubbed his forehead. "Her father had a stroke from drinking, and there was no other source of income at home, so she had to take over her father’s stall. Making BBQ seems easy but is hard in practice, and since she is just a student who had finished her college entrance exam, she knows nothing... I just happened to come across her on her first day at the stall. It’s only three times a week, but I didn’t expect to run into you."

Yu Kuangtu seemed to have been holding back for a long time and poured out his secrets to Ren Suo, who was in the know. By now, Ren Suo had almost understood—Yu Kuangtu seemed to mistakenly think that he had seen something, so he let Li Dan call him over and then tested him.

And since Ren Suo displayed a ’Secret Keeper’s’ attitude, Yu Kuangtu rambled and explained the ins and outs to Ren Suo.

The gist was that he had encountered a girl running a BBQ stall. He had inadvertently flirted with her, or perhaps she had flirted with him. Consequently, he began secretly helping her with the stall at night, only to be seen by Ren Suo’s clone the previous night.

"You don’t want to expose your identity? But couldn’t you just give her money directly?" Ren Suo couldn’t help asking.

"I offered to lend her some money, saying I had some savings," Yu Kuangtu scratched his head. "But her family doesn’t actually lack a large sum of money; it’s the lack of a steady income. After helping at the stall for a few days, I earned enough for her and her father’s living expenses, even enough to pay me a salary. So, she refused to borrow money from me."

"’Oh? So how much is your hourly wage?’ Ren Suo asked."

"About the same as the Tactical Bureau."

"...You have good skills?"

"In the Tactical Bureau’s BBQ team building, I was the head chef."

Ren Suo glanced at him. "But what’s the point of hiding your identity? You’re not some Young Master of a prominent family, nor a billionaire, and while you’re a deputy director, that’s just a government job after all. What, do you find this secret identity game fun?"

Yu Kuangtu was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I just haven’t... decided yet."

"’Haven’t decided what?’ Ren Suo asked."

Yu Kuangtu tapped the glass again and suddenly changed the subject. "At the Tactical Bureau, we do frontline, dangerous work. Although you may not have noticed, the frequency of Demons and Ghosts appearing has been on the rise these days, and casualties among our team members have begun as well."

"It’s not just Lianjiang, the Mysterious Country, but globally as well."

Leaning back in his chair, Yu Kuangtu sighed. "I’m not from a military background; I just happened to be one of the first Awakeners discovered. I really was just a chef before. It’s because my family has been clean for three generations—my grandfather was a decorated soldier, and my father a skilled worker—that I was able to rise to this position..."

"I’m already very strong," Yu Kuangtu lowered his eyelids, "but I know that I’m not strong enough. The Fairy Palace, the World Tree, or whatever other chaotic forces may appear to cause destruction—when they show up, it will be our time to give our lives."

"Fighting against Extraordinary Creatures who can withstand hot weapons in urban terrain is exactly the mission of the Tactical Bureau."

"The Demons and Ghosts we face now are still very weak, but if one day Lianjiang encounters a monster that the Tactical Cultivators cannot handle..." Yu Kuangtu said softly, "I will go to my death alongside my comrades."

Ren Suo understood and, while drinking water, asked, "So you’re afraid of leaving her a widow?"

"Of course not," Yu Kuangtu said, "I’m just judging whether she’s worthy of me."

PFFT!

Yu Kuangtu’s expression didn’t change as he pulled out a tissue to wipe his face. Ren Suo waved his hand. "Sorry, it’s my first time hearing a man say that, and it caught me by surprise..."

"You think I’m going to say it’s okay?" Yu Kuangtu raised an eyebrow. "No, I’m going to deduct your salary."

"Ah, just chatting with Qiao Muyi about what midnight snack we had last night..."

"I’m joking," said Yu Kuangtu. "But I’m serious."

He cleared his throat and said, "’For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, joyful or sorrowful, you shall love her unreservedly and be loyal to her forever.’"

Ren Suo blinked. "Isn’t that a wedding vow? Don’t tell me...?"

"Right, I believe in this saying, and my grandparents, as well as my parents, set an excellent example for me."

"As a member of the Tactical Bureau, I’m always busy and might even die in battle. If someone becomes my partner, she will definitely face more pressure than me. I need to assess whether she can handle this pressure in her heart," Yu Kuangtu explained.

"Then why don’t you just date her and find out? If it’s not suitable, you can break up right away," Ren Suo criticized.

"I don’t want another unforgettable passerby in my life," Yu Kuangtu said with a smile. "I’m very fond of the phrase ’faithful from beginning to end.’"

"’What if she’s not interested in you?’ Ren Suo asked."

"Then I can focus on work and cultivate diligently," Yu Kuangtu stated nonchalantly, exuding a strong man’s demeanor.

Ren Suo gave his assessment: "...Hopelessly romantic virgin."

Yu Kuangtu glared at him. "Sounds like... aren’t you one too?"

"No." Ren Suo nodded. "I’m not romantic."

Yu Kuangtu was speechless for a moment before slowly saying, "Starting this month, I’m going to enter ascetic training and attempt the third turn. I was planning to hand over all my work to Li Dan, and the paper review work he is responsible for would be reassigned to others..."

"But you seem pretty familiar with Li Dan, right?" Yu Kuangtu continued. "Ask Li Dan. If he’s willing, he can continue to handle the thesis reviews."

This was a favor. If Li Dan, who was familiar with Ren Suo, continued to hold the position of thesis reviewer at the Tactical Bureau, then the papers Ren Suo wrote for the Bureau would almost always receive the highest level of bonuses and Points.

Ren Suo nodded and asked, "You’re aiming for the Third-stage Realm?"

"Yeah," Yu Kuangtu massaged his temples. "I feel like I’ve hit a bottleneck, and it’s time to put work aside and concentrate on Cultivation for a while."

"’Are you sure you’re not just taking time off to chase girls?’ Ren Suo asked."

"Scram, scram, scram."

At this moment, the voice of the Bond System sounded.

Ren Suo’s heart stirred, and he knew that his relationship with Yu Kuangtu must be pretty good by now – at least recognized by the Bond System.

"Wait a sec." Ren Suo raised his hands and asked with a smile, "Didn’t get much sleep last night, did you?"

Yu Kuangtu scrutinized him suspiciously. "Yeah."

"So, how about you try my skills?" Ren Suo’s fingers danced in an enchanting path. "I’ll help you sleep less, rest more efficiently, and provide expert techniques. I guarantee it will be soul-stirring and earn a Five-Star rating."