“Oh! Luo, Luo, Luo, fine, fine, fine, whatever you say.” Shen Ge’s tone was clearly perfunctory as he nodded helplessly.
“……”
Luo Chenguang was speechless. Yep, even after all this time, he still wanted to punch that face that made it so hard to breathe!
Luo Chenguang didn’t want to keep talking about this with Shen Ge, afraid he’d just get even more pissed off. So he changed the subject. “I thought you wouldn’t like this kind of occasion.”
Shen Ge was also helpless. “You think I want to be at something like this? But as the face of our Great Celestial Dynasty, both in terms of looks and strength, if I don’t show up at an event like this, won’t people say I’m being a diva?”
“……”
Damn!
Can you not be so full of yourself?
Fine, being number one in strength is a fact, no argument there. But you’re the “face” in terms of looks too? That’s just inhuman!
And “being a diva”? Does he think he’s a movie star?
Luo Chenguang’s fists clenched. If he hadn’t matured over the past two years, he probably would have crushed his wine glass by now.
Only his remaining shred of sanity stopped him from spitting out every complaint that came to mind. Forget the fact that this infuriating guy was his “guiding light,” he couldn’t do such a thing just because Shen Ge had saved his life during the Yu Zhou paranormal disaster.
“Speaking of you, I heard from Fang Mingyue that you got transferred to the border for support?” Shen Ge remembered chatting with Fang Mingyue over a meal, and she happened to mention Luo Chenguang.
Luo Chenguang answered honestly, “The higher-ups really value this Asian Paranormal Research Conference, so they called back all the team leaders who were out supporting other regions. I’ll probably be sent back after the conference.”
Shen Ge nodded in understanding. “I see. But I didn’t expect a spoiled rich kid like you to handle being sent to the border. You’ve really grown. Looks like I underestimated you before… Wait, what did you say? They called back the team leaders? You’re a team leader now?”
“……” Luo Chenguang really wanted to know if this guy did it on purpose or by accident, but every single thing he said managed to hit him right in the lungs.
“Is headquarters that short-staffed?” Shen Ge asked, surprised.
Luo Chenguang said, deadpan, “That’s going too far. Sure, I might have crossed you back during the Yu Zhou disaster, but you don’t need to hold a grudge for this long, do you?”
“Haha!”
Shen Ge laughed and patted Luo Chenguang on the shoulder, finally stopping his teasing. “Just kidding, don’t take it so seriously. But you really have changed a lot. At least you’re very different from how you were back in Yu Zhou.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Luo Chenguang said, his face still expressionless.
Shen Ge turned to look at the “privileged kid squad” chatting effortlessly with representatives from various countries and asked curiously, “Are these all your friends? Or colleagues?”
“We grew up together in the same compound. They’re friends, all groomed to be successors of their families. Quite a few of them also worked in the Special Tactics Department, but they’ve all been transferred out now.” Although Luo Chenguang didn’t spell it out, Shen Ge understood immediately. Just like Luo Chenguang back in the day, these people were only placed in the Special Tactics Department by their families to “gild their resumes.”
The Special Tactics Department was too dangerous, so most people just used it for that “gilding.” After they’d gotten their resume boost, those due for promotion got promoted, and those destined to inherit the family business went back to do that. People like Luo Chenguang, who stayed in the department long-term and even worked their way up to team leader, were few and far between.
“So why haven’t you been transferred out? Instead, you got sent to the border?” Shen Ge asked.
Luo Chenguang took a sip of his wine and said calmly, “It’s only been two or three years since the paranormal was exposed, and the world has already changed so much. Life is only a few decades long. I don’t want to have lived for nothing. I want to be like you. Not necessarily to the point that people recognize my name instantly, but at least they won’t forget my surname.”
“……” Okay, he really has grown. He’s even learned to throw shade when he gets the chance.
Shen Ge didn’t mind. It had been a long time. Thinking back to the scenes from the Yu Zhou disaster felt like another lifetime, which was why he’d started off being playfully rude, like friends do. Now that Luo Chenguang had shot back, Shen Ge didn’t care. He took the initiative to talk about how the paranormal had changed over the years.
While the “privileged kid squad” kept the politicians busy, the two of them slipped around to the other side of the banquet hall. More representatives kept arriving. Although many noticed Shen Ge and wanted to come talk, they were quickly pulled away by the “rescuers” Deng Yuqi had brought in, using various excuses to give Shen Ge some peace.
Just as Shen Ge and Luo Chenguang were chatting, a familiar voice sounded beside them. “Agent Shen? I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Fang Mingyue, Hu Tinglan, and their group of friends.
It was Hu Tinglan who had spoken. She was so surprised to see Shen Ge because on the way here, she’d specifically asked Fang Mingyue if Shen Ge would be at the banquet. Fang Mingyue hadn’t known, which had disappointed Hu Tinglan and her friends.
Given Shen Ge’s current status in the Great Celestial Dynasty, just knowing him had become something of an honor. Hu Tinglan had even been through a life-or-death situation with him, which had become a great “talking point” among her friends. She had wanted to use this chance to properly thank Shen Ge, but Fang Mingyue had told her he probably wouldn’t attend.
Honestly, Fang Mingyue was also surprised to see Shen Ge. Knowing him as she did, she knew he hated these kinds of events.
And given his status and position, if he didn’t want to attend, no one would dare force him. That’s why Fang Mingyue had told Hu Tinglan that Shen Ge “probably wouldn’t” be at the conference.
“Agent Shen.” Fang Mingyue smiled and greeted him.
Shen Ge smiled back, then asked curiously, “Where’s the dead weight? I thought he’d definitely want to come to something like this for the excitement.”
The “dead weight” Shen Ge mentioned was, of course, Fang Mingyue’s younger brother, Fang Yaori. Because of the previous incident on Commercial Street, Fang Mingyue had been keeping a close eye on him, taking him everywhere. Partly because she was worried he’d cause trouble again, and partly because she was afraid Director Chen might try something.
Fang Mingyue was now one of the most capable team leaders in Da Jing. With her personally watching him, Fang Yaori was definitely safer.
Fang Mingyue replied, “The Asian Paranormal Research Conference is starting in a few days. They’ve assigned a lot of work for us, so I had him stay home and rest.”
Even though Fang Mingyue didn’t say it directly, Shen Ge understood that she must have made arrangements for Fang Yaori’s safety before daring to come to the dinner banquet.
Watching the two of them talk as if in code, Hu Tinglan looked at Shen Ge, then at Fang Mingyue, feeling like there was some “chemistry” between them. Just as she was about to say something, the friend group behind her couldn’t hold back anymore and started greeting Shen Ge.
Hu Tinglan saw this and thought, No way. She, who had a “life-or-death bond” with Shen Ge, hadn’t even had her turn to talk yet. No way she was letting these latecomers cut in line. So she immediately jumped into the conversation too.
The gaggle of beautifully dressed socialites surrounded Shen Ge, chattering away. The noise was giving him a massive headache. Even Luo Chenguang, standing nearby, started to feel “sympathy” for Shen Ge.
Out of gratitude for saving his life, even though the “sparrow squad” had completely ignored his existence, Luo Chenguang still tried to think of a way to rescue Shen Ge.
“Ladies, the banquet is about to start. Shouldn’t you find your seats?” Luo Chenguang said politely to the “sparrow squad.”
Only then did Hu Tinglan notice Luo Chenguang. She looked slightly surprised and said, “Old Luo, you’re here too? I heard you got transferred to the border?”
Ever since entering the venue, Fang Mingyue’s mind had been preoccupied with the issue of Director Chen. She hadn’t even noticed Shen Ge until Hu Tinglan pointed him out.
After seeing Shen Ge, her attention had been entirely on him, and she hadn’t noticed Luo Chenguang hidden behind the “sparrow squad.” So she also looked a bit surprised and said, “Huh? Captain Luo, you’re here too?”
“……” Ouch. That hurt.
Being ignored by the “sparrow squad” was one thing, but being ignored by Fang Mingyue made Luo Chenguang’s heart feel a few degrees colder.
Thankfully, after all these years, he was used to it. He exchanged a few polite words with the “sparrow squad,” using the excuse that the banquet was about to start and they should find their seats, and that he and Shen Ge were seated in the center, to shoo them away.
Since Fang Mingyue was also an anti-paranormal agent and a “team leader” like them, she stayed.
Hu Tinglan was one of the people responsible for setting up the venue for the Asian Paranormal Research Conference, but she wasn’t qualified to sit with the team leaders. So she had no choice but to leave with the “sparrow squad.”
Seeing Hu Tinglan’s disappointed expression, her friends tried to comfort her. “Comrade Xiao Hu, I feel like something’s off with you?”
“Yeah, yeah, didn’t you say that Agent Shen has a girlfriend? But the way you look at him, your intentions seem a bit impure?”
“Tsk tsk, regretting choosing a desk job now, huh? If you’d joined the operations department like Mingyue, you might be a team leader by now and qualified to stand next to Agent Shen.”
“Hey, hey, hey, he has a girlfriend.”
“So what if he has a girlfriend? He doesn’t have a wife. As the saying goes, as long as you swing the hoe well, no corner is safe from being dug up. Lanlan, I support you!”
“I support you too!”
Listening to the “sparrow squad” chatter, Hu Tinglan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What are you all talking about? I just want to properly thank Agent Shen. If he hadn’t risked his life to enter that paranormal space to save me at the Ping An Hotel, you guys probably wouldn’t have even found my remains.”
“Tsk tsk, what’s that saying again? Oh, oh, right, I remember… If the guy is handsome, a life-saving grace means you marry him. If he’s average-looking, you say you can’t repay it. If he’s ugly, you say you’ll serve him as an ox or horse in the next life. Sisters, which category do you think Agent Shen falls into?”
“Hee hee, definitely the first one!”
“Tsk tsk tsk, I didn’t expect our ice maiden to finally have feelings for someone!”
“Comrade Xiao Hu, I really must criticize you here. What happened to our pact, sisters, to sit together in the big forest and never let a single leaf touch us?”
“Right, you’re betraying the organization!”
“You guys are going too far. Our Lanlan isn’t bad looking. Sure, she doesn’t have the background like Mingyue, but she’s now a senior official with real power in the Special Tactics Department. Isn’t she good enough for an agent?”
“Exactly! There’s nothing wrong with Lanlan finding a boyfriend. I support you too!”
“……”
Hu Tinglan rolled her eyes, looking like she couldn’t stand these sparrows anymore. She bypassed the central area and went to their assigned seats, suddenly understanding exactly how Shen Ge must have felt. She just wanted to get as far away from these sparrows as possible.
“Hey, Lanlan, don’t be shy, let’s chat some more!”
“Yeah, come on. If you don’t make a move, then we will!”
“When it comes to swinging the hoe, I’m pretty good at it!”
……
……
……
After the “sparrow squad” chattered their way off, Shen Ge, Fang Mingyue, and Luo Chenguang found an empty spot and sat down.
As the “team” that had perfectly resolved the Yu Zhou paranormal disaster, they were only missing Old He, who was now retired.
Their conversation ranged from the Yu Zhou disaster to their current situations. But with Luo Chenguang as an “outsider” present, Shen Ge and Fang Mingyue couldn’t really discuss the issue of Director Chen. So they had to find an excuse to “shoo Luo Chenguang away,” which made the mournful look in his eyes even more pronounced. He looked like a bride who’d been abandoned.
But since both of them were determined, he couldn’t really say anything.
After Luo Chenguang left, Fang Mingyue finally spoke. “Agent Shen, I sent my recent investigation results to Seventh Sister. Is that why you came to the dinner banquet?”
Shen Ge nodded. “Yeah. But I didn’t expect so many people at this banquet. With all the foreign dignitaries’ bodyguards and even international anti-paranormal organizations, it’s not going to be simple to pick out the suspicious ones from this many people.”
Honestly, while Shen Ge was “wandering around” the venue with Luo Chenguang, he had already been using the system to search for traces of the Strange Beings. But strangely, the system hadn’t found any at all. That was really puzzling.
Although the system often had that “delayed alarm” issue that could get you killed, at least its “scanning” function hadn’t had any major problems before.
And this time, Shen Ge wasn’t even trying to “save system points.” He had been scanning constantly since entering the venue. Finding nothing actually put him more on edge. It felt like the calm before the storm.
Ever since the Paranormal Plane incident, the emergence of Strange Beings that could evade the scans of both the system and Xiao Qi had become a huge worry for Shen Ge.
Although lowering their attributes to dodge scans also significantly lowered these Strange Beings’ combat abilities, the fact that they couldn’t be distinguished from normal people meant that everyone around him could be a “Strange Being.”
That’s why Shen Ge had been on high alert. He knew that the Strange Being Organization would never miss a good opportunity to cause trouble at this banquet and the following conference. He also wanted to use this chance to flush out key figures like Director Chen, follow the trail, and wipe out all these guys once and for all.
Because as his status in the anti-paranormal field grew, more and more people had their eyes on him. Even with Deng Yuqi covering for him, being watched all the time wasn’t comfortable.
It was hard for Shen Ge to guarantee that his identity as a “Strange Being” wouldn’t be exposed with all these foreign anti-paranormal organizations watching. It was even possible that the higher-ups were already fully aware of his situation.
Especially with the appearance of Director Chen, Shen Ge felt the “danger.” He felt like, ever since that accident when he was ten, his life’s path had been manipulated by the Strange Being Organization. This feeling only made him want to uproot the entire organization as quickly as possible.
Even if the Strange Being Organization’s reach had extended to positions he couldn’t even touch, he wouldn’t hesitate for a second to wipe them all out!
