The air fell silent for a few seconds.
Wang Dong let out an awkward laugh. “Haha, that shouldn’t be possible, right?”
“The thing on the other side is just a weird. No matter how distinct its personality, it couldn’t be distinct enough to—mock us, could it?”
It was well known that after weirds mutated, whether it was their thought patterns or anything else, they underwent a complete transformation.
Low-grade weirds lost all reason and turned into killing machines. Only high-grade weirds above S-level retained some capacity for thought.
No one doubted that the Taiping Luxury Garden on the other side could think normally. From previous exchanges, the Resurgence Management Office had learned that while its thought patterns were strange, it followed its own internal logic.
But to say it was mocking them like a human…
Wang Dong shook his head, a bit hesitant.
Yin Liao took a deep breath. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Even if a weird gets bored, it wouldn’t send an email just to provoke us.”
“Maybe the heart means… it needs info on a weird related to hearts?”
Yin Liao ventured a guess. The last time they had deployed the Night Crying Woman, the Taiping Luxury Garden had subtly intervened.
Though they didn’t know what it had ultimately gained from the Night Crying Woman without devouring her, it was certain that the Taiping Luxury Garden had been seeking out other weirds.
So this image was probably a hint from one of its weirds.
This guess was obviously far more reasonable than the mockery theory.
Lu Jingshan rubbed his chin and had to admit Yin Liao might be entirely right. But that didn’t make things simpler—it only made them more unsettling.
The “Night Crying Woman” incident had just been a probe.
Their original intent was merely to fish, with no plan to feed weirds to the Taiping Luxury Garden.
That thing was a genuine high-grade weird, after all. Who knew what would happen if they kept feeding it one after another?!
Lu Jingshan sighed. “We can’t decide this ourselves.”
“I’ll report it to the higher-ups.”
Yin Liao nodded, and the squad members stared at the computer screen together, none of them rushing to reply right away.
…
After sending his thanks, Bo Ting figured the other side had felt his sincere gratitude. He naturally logged out.
After all, so many people emailed the Citizens Exchange Platform every day—he couldn’t keep bothering them.
They had already replied to him, which was plenty.
Bo Ting felt quite content.
“Alright.”
“Everyone can get back to normal life now!”
The group chat buzzed with lively discussion.
It had to be said that after the crossing, everyone was more proactive than before. And having just faced a death threat, the neighborhood residents were desperate for some relaxation.
“The killer’s finally caught. To celebrate everyone’s safety, let’s have an event tomorrow to unwind.”
“If we keep our nerves strung tight, it’s really uncomfortable.”
Aunt Qian, who always loved all sorts of cultural activities, stepped up with the suggestion.
Bo Ting was a bit surprised—Aunt Qian was proposing this?
But the “event” idea got an enthusiastic response in the group, with plenty of neighbors showing support.
“Auntie Qian’s suggestion is spot on this time.”
“The neighborhood’s been through so much lately. We need to catch our breath.”
Zhou Ying from Building 3, Room 803—the dessert enthusiast—made a rare appearance.
“Tomorrow’s a sunny day, perfect.”
“Let’s hold a neighborhood ‘cultural gathering.’ I’ll provide drinks for everyone!”
What?
Drinks?
Bo Ting, who had been ready to decline the cultural event, hesitated when he saw “milk tea” pop up in the chat.
Tsk, it had been so long since he’d had milk tea after the crossing.
Would there really be milk tea at tomorrow’s gathering?
And taro mash flavor, at that.
Bo Ting’s mouth watered as he recalled the sweet, fragrant taste from the milk tea shop back then. He immediately raised both hands in support.
“Miss Zhou’s right.”
“Count me in.”
With a few leaders on board, neighbors signed up one after another, chiming in enthusiastically in the group.
By the time Bo Ting finished charging his phone and checked again, there were already 99+ messages.
Everyone had been under a lot of stress lately—they needed taro mash desserts to soothe their souls.
A smile crept onto his face.
Then, seeing Boss Zhu from upstairs sign up too, he couldn’t help but worry.
Boss Zhu was joining the event?
But Boss Zhu wasn’t human anymore. What if his parts fell off during the activity and scared the other neighbors?
Would he still get his milk tea?
Bo Ting subconsciously adjusted the mask on his face. Just imagining the scene gave him chills.
He’d turned into an air conditioner, so he wouldn’t fall apart easily. Even a sweeping kick from the martial-arts-trained the calico wouldn’t faze him. But Boss Zhu? Not so sure.
His gaze drifted to the calico lounging lazily on the balcony. Thoughtfully, Bo Ting walked over and picked her up by the scruff.
the calico meowed: “Meow meow meow?”
Having been a stray, the muscular the calico lifted her head, seemingly baffled.
Bo Ting smiled and stroked her head, sighing inwardly at how her texture differed from Doudou’s for a second. Then he said, “Don’t worry. I need your help with something today.”
“Just lend me a bit of your time.”
Here, Bo Ting emphasized, “For Boss Zhu’s safety tomorrow, we have to work together on this.”
Remembering Boss Zhu’s inhuman state last time still gave him goosebumps on his arms. So he decided coordinating with Boss Zhu ultimately fell to the calico.
Boss Zhu was a total cat slave, after all. Last time the calico kicked him apart, he hadn’t even gotten mad. This time should be the same, right?
Tang Yuan: ???
A human needed her help?
the calico flicked her tail primly, feeling so smug she nearly fluffed up.
Seeing the human’s unusually good attitude today, she reluctantly modulated her voice, put on an obedient show by jumping onto Bo Ting’s shoulder, then turned to taunt the big black dog.
Doudou snorted disdainfully, ignoring her completely.
From days of observation, whenever the human flashed that self-pep-talk smile, trouble was brewing!
Doudou watched the calico with mockery, unbothered by Bo Ting’s sweet talk to the cat, just waiting for her to come back in disgrace.
A few minutes later, Bo Ting—having packed rope, super glue, and gloves into a bag—took a deep breath, overcame his fear, and boldly headed upstairs with the little cat.
“Boss Zhu, you there?”
The clear voice rang out the door, pulling Boss Zhu out of his daze in the study. He glanced at the group chat and saw Bo Ting had sent him a message not long ago… something?
Little Bo needed him?
Whatever. He was already here— he’d ask when he opened the door.
Not even bothering to check his phone, Boss Zhu shook his head. When he opened the door and saw the cat on Bo Ting’s shoulder, understanding dawned with a smile.
“You’re here to return the cat, right?”
“Has Tang Yuan been good at your place these past couple days?”
“She’s been great.”
Bo Ting let out a breath of relief and held out the calico.
Seeing the relaxed smile on Boss Zhu’s face, he felt a bit guilty.
Half an hour later…
Boss Zhu was once again kicked apart by the calico, staring blankly.
As he tried to reassemble himself, a hand pressed down on his head.
“Brother Zhu, let me help you.”
Bo Ting, who had donned gloves at some point, spoke in a friendly tone with a shy smile.
Boss Zhu dazedly thought the one who had just signaled Tang Yuan to kick him wasn’t Little Bo.
He must have seen wrong.
Little Bo wouldn’t wink at Tang Yuan like that.
Boss Zhu thought hazily.
The next second, his head was lifted. His eyes swiveled; he wanted to awkwardly turn and say “thanks,” but then he saw Little Bo pull out a tube of… super glue from the bag.
The packaging was bright, the font exaggerated—even the kind he used for rats.
Boss Zhu choked.
He stared blankly at the super glue in Bo Ting’s hand.
“Little Bo, what’s this for?”
It couldn’t be for him, right?
He was just reattaching a head—no need for that.
Their eyes met, and Bo Ting explained naturally:
“Brother Zhu, I saw your head keeps falling off. I looked it up online—might be osteoporosis.”
“This glue’s one I’ve used before. Works great.”
“I’ll glue it on, then tie rope around your whole body to secure the bones. You definitely won’t fall apart again.”
Bo Ting figured this was for Boss Zhu’s own good. No matter how strong the calico’s cat punches got, she couldn’t scatter him with one hit!
At most, knock him down.
Boss Zhu’s eyes widened as he listened, unable to believe his ears.
Gluing him together?
That wasn’t right!
But with his head fixed in place, Boss Zhu had zero chance to escape. He was flipped over, and a ring of rat-trap super glue poured onto the joint.
To avoid accidents, Bo Ting didn’t touch it with his hands. Once the glue was applied, he snapped Boss Zhu’s head back on.
Good thing he’d thought ahead and turned the neck first—almost installed it backward.
Bo Ting breathed a light sigh of relief and couldn’t help instructing:
“Brother Zhu, don’t move.”
“I need to be precise when installing.”
Boss Zhu: …
He felt his neck rigidly stuck in front of him.
Boss Zhu closed his eyes in despair.
After attaching the arms, Bo Ting froze, startled.
Wait, had he glued the eyelids too?
Would Boss Zhu’s eyes not open?
He instinctively reached to pry them open and test.
Boss Zhu immediately adjusted.
“No problem, no problem.”
“My eyes are fine.”
“Oh, good then.”
“If anything feels off, tell me, Brother Zhu.”
Bo Ting smiled politely upon hearing this.
Boss Zhu couldn’t… nod.
His neck was fixed 360 degrees, no blind spots. He could only force a stiff, miserable grin.
“Got it.”
