CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 37: THE BREATH OF EVERYDAY LIFE

The lingering scent of shower gel still faintly wafted in the air, Xu Xiaoyou’s gaze was calm.

The personality of this young investigator girl really exceeded her expectations.

A stark contrast to the impression she had left earlier.

Was the other’s mad side a facade, or was it what she showed before?

In this city, only the prey caught in the net would be blinded by the surface of others.

On the red woolen carpet, full-length mirrors were embedded on the corridor walls. Among the shattered mirrors, the girl’s figure was divided into countless fragments, and from a certain angle, her calm expression appeared weird on the refracted mirror.

"Who is so lacking in public morality, drunk, and damaged public property?"

Xu Xiaoyou shook her head, turning around, and casually reported the matter to the apartment property management.

Since she returned, Anya had been moping silently in the corner of the room.

"What’s up with this kid?" Xu Xiaoyou asked.

Lin Ran shrugged: "She’s been like this ever since you and that girl went to the bathroom."

Seeming to make a great decision, Anya pouted and rushed to Xu Xiaoyou, then put the girl’s hands on her own ears.

Xu Xiaoyou tilted her head, puzzled.

Seeing this, coupled with the pleasant touch of the little girl’s fluffy head, Xu Xiaoyou began to stroke it following her wish.

Anya’s head swayed side to side under the strokes, a look of ease on her face.

At night, Xu Xiaoyou did not train Anya anymore; the day’s exhaustion almost put her to sleep as soon as she touched the bed.

Accompanied by her eyes slowly closing.

She dreamed of past scenes, the days of apprehension in the city, on cold rainy nights, with every figure passing by on the street made her body instinctively tremble in fear.

There were dead bodies everywhere with tragic deaths.

In the stinking piles of garbage, she fought with the homeless and hyenas over moldy food.

Laying atop discarded metal parts, her skin was slashed by the sharp edges of scrap iron, and at one point, she nearly lost her life due to a persistent high fever from an infected wound.

On the overcast days of acid rain, she wandered in a daze on the edge of consciousness and coma, the rainwater mixed with the taste of rusty heavy metal suffocating her to the point of nausea numerous times.

That day, after she dealt with three First Tier Cleaners, she ran desperately on the road back to the city, for the first time in her life running so fast, so exhilarated, like a canary freed from its cage, with wings drenched by the pouring rain.

Something seemed to always be chasing her from behind, she dared not look back, fearing those hands would throttle her throat, snapping her wings.

This nightmare startled her awake, she sat on the bed, drenched in cold sweat, pupils dilated.

Xu Xiaoyou got out of bed, not bothering to wear slippers, her loose sleepwear accentuating her frail figure.

It was raining outside, the dark clouds looming, under the dim and obscure sky, the outline of the neon city blurred amidst the rain and mist, hues of blue and purple intertwining.

She stood by the window, palms pressed against the cold glass, as though connecting with the reflection of herself in the mirror.

The reflection was cold.

She took a deep breath, the battered city was replaced by her own reflection, it became clear.

She had only just left that place, whoever wanted to drag her back into the abyss, she vowed to make them pay the price.

.......

In the following two days, during the day Xu Xiaoyou would gather intelligence on Mr. Hao, and at night she would have the substitute train Anya.

After two days, Anya’s Power and Agility Attributes had increased by 3 points, reaching 28 and 43, respectively. Although the Basic Attributes were still some distance from a Two Tier Cleaner, with the activation of Moon Madness, she could fully contend with a Two Tier Cleaner.

It’s not entirely a bad thing that Bai Youyou moved to her vicinity, perhaps because the ’Mind Judge’ had no effect on her that day.

That girl completely lowered her guard and treated her as a confidant, sharing each day’s encounters with her before bed, whether happy or not, interactions with people at the security office, work complaints, and even the progress of cases.

Through her, she actually learned more details about the case investigation.

Under her intentional guidance, the other party gradually deviated from the original investigation route.

"Good morning~ You, heading out so early again today?"

In the apartment corridor, Bai Youyou waved and greeted.

"Good morning, Youyou."

Xu Xiaoyou’s smile was just right, practicing in front of the mirror every day, leaving no clue.

Anya, holding Xu Xiaoyou’s hand, watched cautiously at the black-haired girl walking by her side.

Her long-term hunting experience on the snow plains made her instincts very sharp.

Whenever this guy named Bai Youyou appeared, she felt like ’Xu Xiaoyou was about to be taken away.’

This feeling made her very uncomfortable, to the point of somewhat resenting the other party.

This rain had lasted a full two days, making the entire city like a reflective mirror. The air, laden with acidic substances, was far from fresh.

Floating ships hovered above the city, sometimes broadcasting advertisements, sometimes broadcasting officials’ campaign messages. Starting from the city’s center, the Triumphal Gate, they drifted over the tall buildings, from the prosperous commercial street, the subway station’s airspace, to near a European-style church, and finally over a dense area of old-style urban buildings.

Looking up here, the sky wasn’t visible, only dense buildings and a complex network of overlapping pipelines.

Xu Xiaoyou walked through the dark alleys between illegal structures, mice scurrying beside her feet.

In the not-so-wide alley, people of all kinds walked, most with numb expressions, letting their bodies be drenched by rain, moving forward aimlessly.

The raindrops pounded on the rusty rooftops, making thumping sounds, the air humid and oppressive.

Occasionally, someone glanced at the blonde girl, her shoulders draped in a suit, holding a black umbrella, unassuming in the crowd, but her eyes unlike those accustomed to living in this area.

"Damn... corporate slave," someone cursed.

Xu Xiaoyou paid no attention to such voices, continuing to walk forward.

Whether it was her illusion or not, the scene before her grew livelier as she delved deeper.

From the initial scattered figures, to having her view filled with the backs of those in front.

Looking ahead, beneath the neon signs, crowds bustled.

Rushing footsteps mixed with the yells of hawkers, beneath red advertising signs with Chinese characters, were snack shops and restaurants.

As she stepped inside, Xu Xiaoyou looked at the red ribbons hanging between the alleys, and the red lanterns floating in mid-air, standing there for a long time, her eyes subtly moved.

"Candied hawthorn~ would you like a stick of candied hawthorn?"

"Char siu buns, pork trotters rice, take a look, have a taste, rice rolls!"

Seeing the girl lingering there, an old lady from a teahouse ran out into the rain:

"Young lady, what’s wrong, what brought you to such a place?"

"Looking at your clothes, recently unemployed? Laid off by the company?"

"No money on you, hungry, want to come in and have some snacks to fill your belly?"

Gently shaking her head, watching the children playing under the bridge by the red lantern, that warm flame seemed to flicker in her eyes, glimmering.

For the first time, in this cold city, Xu Xiaoyou felt the presence of human warmth.