Chapter 50

A few minutes later, Bo Ting wrapped up the flowers and added a card with a heart symbol. In a great mood, he walked out of the flower shop.

He wasn’t sure if it was the excitement of leaving the neighborhood for the first time.

He could even hear his own heartbeat thumping “dong dong dong,” almost jumping out of his chest.

After lightly pressing his hand to his chest, Bo Ting took a deep breath.

He glanced at the nearby security booth and stepped out of the gates of Taiping Luxury Garden.

Outside the neighborhood, the sunlight shone brightly, no different from inside.

Bo Ting let out a slight sigh of relief. Looking at the sparse cars on the road and the convenience store, he even felt a familiar sense of returning to the human world.

“Nice.”

With a slight sigh, he smiled, pulled out the navigation app he’d downloaded in the neighborhood, and carefully typed “Tianxin Cinema” into his phone.

—The familiar route appeared before his eyes.

It was only half an hour from their neighborhood!

Satisfied, Bo Ting hugged the pink roses, casually slipped the shark plush hood over his head, and walked toward the road with ease.

Across from the traffic light, in a parking spot.

Xue Hengfu was eating a sandwich while checking the group chat reports.

Hm?

The captain had made a wasted trip?

The branches of that Tree of Defiled Soil were no longer at the hospital?

Xue Hengfu shook his head slightly, bit into his sandwich, and refreshed the group feed.

Lu Jingshan had a bit of a headache:

“Tch, stop looking, little fatty.”

“Your captain will definitely get reassigned to Tianxin Cinema soon.”

Xue Hengfu: “How do you know?”

Lu Jingshan: “I got some internal intel.”

“They just detected that the newly released movie The Bud is connected to the Tree of Defiled Soil.”

“Anyway, don’t ask too much. Just keep watching Taiping Luxury Garden.”

At this point, Lu Jingshan felt like he was talking nonsense himself.

Taiping Luxury Garden had been quiet for so long, and today’s data was all normal. What could possibly happen?

After a couple more exchanges, someone knocked on the car window.

“Captain, time to go.”

Wang Dong stood outside, reminding him.

If they didn’t leave soon, Captain He would start cursing.

Lu Jingshan opened the car door and checked the time.

“Let’s go.”

“But I just have a feeling that kid isn’t reliable.”

He muttered to himself subconsciously, then turned to look across the road.

The familiar Taiping Luxury Garden sign was still there, just like countless times before.

He had just relaxed.

The next second, he saw a handsome young man in a black hoodie, walking out of Taiping Luxury Garden with a cheerful posture!

Lu Jingshan: ???

Wait, was he hallucinating?

The weary middle-aged man instinctively widened his eyes, convinced he’d seen wrong.

But on the second look, that human-like figure was still across the street.

A slender shadow appeared alive outside the security booth. After pulling out what looked like a phone and fiddling with it, he slipped the shark plush over his head.

He then walked toward the crosswalk.

Seeing the figure about to cross, Lu Jingshan’s breath caught in his throat. He jolted fully awake.

“Level one alert!”

“Someone came out of Taiping Luxury Garden!”

His hoarse voice barely sounded when the Third Esper Squad members froze.

Even Xue Hengfu didn’t react at first.

What? Someone came out from across the street?

Wait—Taiping Luxury Garden!

Realizing what the captain meant, everyone stiffly turned to look across the road.

They saw a young man holding flowers in one hand, fiddling with something as he prepared to cross.

Their eyes met, and both sides were stunned for a moment.

Bo Ting only saw a group of neatly dressed people getting out of a car under the red light.

He even nodded friendly to these new faces from the outside world.

The next second, he saw the group across the street react as if facing a great enemy.

Their expressions suddenly turned grave.

One minute later.

Before the light changed, the bewildered Bo Ting found himself surrounded. He was a bit puzzled.

Wait, what had he done wrong?

…

The Resurgence Management Office never imagined that the Tree of Defiled Soil’s “feigning death” issue wasn’t resolved yet. If they’d just told the Third Esper Squad to cancel the level one alert and recheck Taiping Luxury Garden, this wouldn’t have happened.

Taiping Luxury Garden had activity!

And it had come straight out?!

Zheng Shangyun felt like he was dreaming when he got the call. But Lu Jingshan wouldn’t joke about something like this.

And they were right across from…”that one.”

Neither side made a move.

On the phone, he could only hear heavy breathing.

Zheng Shangyun’s mind went blank for a moment. Just from the breathing, he knew how tense they were.

He cursed inwardly—this was bad!

Gripping his phone: “What’s their attitude across the street?”

An existence beyond SSS had suddenly stepped out of its residence.

Why?

Hearing Captain Zheng speak so softly for the first time, Lu Jingshan didn’t even have time to marvel at the hothead’s whisper.

He sneaked a glance at the young man just a meter away.

“Can’t tell.”

He really couldn’t tell.

The fleeting glimpse of a handsome, aloof face was quickly replaced by the hood.

If he hadn’t spotted it early, he’d have thought “that one” had always looked like this “shark.”

Separated by the fluffy plush hood.

Lu Jingshan truly couldn’t read the emotions across from him.

After all, he couldn’t expect ups and downs on a shark plush face, right?

Silence fell over the air.

Cold sweat dripped down everyone’s foreheads.

It wasn’t hot weather, but it felt like a steam room.

Bo Ting watched the group surrounding him sweating profusely, looking like they were about to suffer heatstroke. He grew even more puzzled.

Was the weather really that extreme?

The tension that had just risen eased a bit.

Bo Ting calmed down and felt he needed to respond.

So when the “shark head” turned to look at him—the one sweating the most—Wang Dong swallowed hard, nearly fainting.

Lu Jingshan stiffened, noticing the phone signal vanish in an instant.

He slowly released his grip, forced a deep breath, and put on a “friendly” smile.

Survival instinct fully activated under the heavy gaze.

A spark in his mind—he recalled the tone “that one” used when posting on the Citizens Exchange Forum. Inspiration struck, and Lu Jingshan spoke:

“Hello.”

Bo Ting paused: …

“Hello?”

So they were this worked up just to say hi?

Both sides probed cautiously.

Hearing the clear, cold voice from the plush hood, Lu Jingshan nearly exploded.

It was like hearing something everyone thought couldn’t speak suddenly do so.

His face twitched imperceptibly.

“You’re blocking me… what do you want?”

Bo Ting pondered and decided to ask.

The air grew even quieter with a “boom.”

Facing the shark plush head-on, thinking fast, Lu Jingshan blurted nonsense: “We’re doing a census.”

Ah?

Now Bo Ting was the confused one.

Wait, he steps out and immediately runs into a census?

This was trouble.

What to do?

Would they discover he was an unregistered resident?

Not just unregistered—he wasn’t even human, just an unidentified air conditioner model!

Bo Ting’s face under the shark plush tightened, his expression serious.

Too bad no one saw it.

What to do?

How to bluff through?

Still, facing Mengjia City staff doing the “census,” Bo Ting felt he should be polite.

He spoke: “I lost my ID card.”

He tried to sound calm.

Lu Jingshan worked to keep his voice steady.

“We can issue a free replacement.”

“Just take a photo in the lobby, and it’ll be quick.”

Wait.

What was the captain saying?!

Census? Photos?

What did that have to do with them?

Wang Dong was dumbfounded listening nearby. What kind of nonsense was this?

Even in this grave, terrifying situation.

The Third Esper Squad members wanted to shake some sense into their captain’s unreliable head.

But unexpectedly, “that one” seemed interested in the captain’s “novel” idea.

The terrifying existence actually agreed.

Agreed…?

Wang Dong’s breath caught, disbelieving.

He suspected mental intrusion.

Xue Hengfu was equally baffled.

He obediently drove the car over, letting the human-like existence… get in.

Things were growing more unpredictable.

Gripping the wheel, Xue Hengfu gave up thinking and stiffly opened the door.

Bo Ting hesitated a second between the back seat and passenger seat.

Looking at the burly men behind him, he decisively chose the passenger seat.

Mm, the staff looked a bit overheated. Let them sit in back; they could fan each other.

Bo Ting politely leaned in, closed the door after sitting, and turned to ask: “Do I need to buckle up?”

In his pre-transmigration world, the passenger seat required it. He didn’t know the rules here.

Xue Hengfu was stunned, stammering.

“Uh, y-yeah, better buckle up.”

Lu Jingshan glared at him.

Bo Ting nodded and fastened his seatbelt.

“Let’s go.”

He wondered how far the office was.

He’d left early today. If it was quick, he wouldn’t be late for his date with Mr. Xu.

Thinking this, Bo Ting frowned.

“How long will it take?”

Xue Hengfu: …

He couldn’t answer that.

He had no idea where to take him.

The Resurgence Management Office wasn’t a place for Federation ID issuance!

Through the rearview mirror, Xue Hengfu kept sneaking glances, clueless.

Lu Jingshan eyed the pink roses that seemed like eerie plants in his hand and said: “Not far, about forty minutes.”

“You’ll have the ID in two hours.”

“What?”

“Two hours?”

Bo Ting was shocked. He had a date!

What now?

The shark head seemed to ponder.

Seizing the moment, Lu Jingshan quickly reconnected to the network. Once the signal returned, he immediately asked his superior for Federation authorization.

To open an ID replacement window in the Resurgence Management Office lobby.

Credit where due—the superior was reliable in a pinch. Upon receiving Lu Jingshan’s message, he replied without wasting time.

“Okay.”

The two words eased Lu Jingshan’s brows.

Meanwhile, Bo Ting in the passenger seat was still fretting.

Round trip two hours—that would clash with his movie date with Mr. Xu. What if he was late?

But he’d already gotten in the census car…

And these were Mengjia City staff.

He’d just claimed his ID was lost to dodge the census.

If he backed out now, wouldn’t it raise suspicion?

His heart sank. The more he thought, the more hesitant he grew.

Yin Liao seemed to sense his dissatisfaction and spoke: “If you’re in a hurry, you can leave after the photo.”

“The Federation ID can be mailed, faster by half an hour than I said.”

Hearing this, Bo Ting relaxed. He subconsciously reached for his mask, then remembered the hood and calmly said: “Alright then.”

The air eased slightly.

After the temperature from the neighbor had suddenly dropped, nearly scaring Xue Hengfu to death, he finally caught his breath and stared straight ahead.

The car passed the red light outside Yunhe Convenience Store, then drove through Wenhua District.

Bo Ting peered through the plush at the map outside, mentally orienting himself.

Mm.

It looked completely different from the car versus the map.

Mengjia City was even more prosperous than he had imagined, and the misty shadows in the air were indeed still present.

Bo Ting glanced at the driver in the neighboring lane with his peripheral vision but saw no surprise on the man’s face. So, just as he had anticipated earlier.

The people of Mengjia City had grown accustomed to these floaters-like mist clusters.

Calm.

As a misty shadow passed in front of him, Bo Ting ignored it and continued observing the road conditions.

After assessing for a while, Lu Jingshan tentatively asked in a normal tone.

“What are you looking at?”

Bo Ting hadn’t expected the staff member to suddenly strike up a conversation, so he felt a bit surprised but still replied, “The road conditions are good.”

It was Monday—were there really no traffic jams?

But Lu Jingshan misunderstood.

“The road conditions are good”—what did that mean?

He subconsciously looked outside, suspecting that this entity from Taiping Luxury Garden had some hidden meaning.

But he couldn’t figure it out for the moment, so he could only jot down the phrase mentally.

However, just a few minutes later, his phone rang.

He Chengfeng’s call came in irritably.

Lu Jingshan glanced at it and quickly hung up.

He Chengfeng: …

What the hell?

They were supposed to come to Ling Mountain District for support, but it had been half a day with no sign of them.

Was Old Lu messing with him?

After being hung up on twice, He Chengfeng couldn’t hold back and sent messages.

“Did you get lost on the road?”

“Where are you guys?”

Lu Jingshan twitched his mouth.

“Don’t wait for me.”

“I’ve run into trouble here too.”

He paused, then gritted his teeth and sent: “Something happened at Taiping Luxury Garden.”

“That one inside… came out.”

After quickly explaining via messages, Lu Jingshan had just put away his phone when he suddenly looked up and saw in the rearview mirror that the “eerie” figure who had been gazing at the scenery outside was now staring right at him, expression unreadable.

The ridiculous shark head created a dense, uncanny valley horror effect in the blurry rearview mirror, nearly making Lu Jingshan blurt out “Holy shit.”

Wait, when did the one in the passenger seat turn to look?

He probably hadn’t seen the text on his phone screen, right?

Lu Jingshan thought uncertainly.

Bo Ting indeed hadn’t seen the text on that captain’s phone screen in the back.

He was just a bit curious about these people, so he had sneaked a glance.

That wasn’t illegal, was it?

Awkwardly turning his head back, Bo Ting adjusted his head, feeling his social anxiety kicking in after being caught peeking.

He forced himself to calm down and racked his brain for a topic change.

What to say?

Right.

When you had nothing to say to strangers, you could always chat about the latest movies.

Back when he was lurking on forums, this had been the best icebreaker.

Bo Ting recalled the tickets he had booked and tried to find a topic:

“The new release The Bud is pretty good.”

“Have you guys seen it?”

The air grew even more silent, carrying a strange awkwardness.

Lu Jingshan’s expression sharpened as his eyes widened instantly, exchanging a glance with the deputy captain beside him.

The Bud?

Wait, could the one from Taiping Luxury Garden coming out today be related to the Tree of Defiled Soil?

Having just told Xue Hengfu about the new movie’s connection to the Tree of Defiled Soil, Lu Jingshan’s voice grew hoarse.

“Not yet had a chance to see it.”

Through the rearview mirror, he carefully observed the shark head’s attitude in the passenger seat and chose his words:

“But some colleagues went to check it out.”

Hm?

They had colleagues going to the movies too?

This movie really was popular!

Bo Ting was a bit surprised; he had thought it was a sci-fi flick with a niche audience.

So he had misunderstood.

Thinking of the info Mr. Xu had shared with him, Bo Ting pondered.

“You”

“Are you interested in it?”

Xue Hengfu suddenly asked, subconsciously changing the form of address.

Remembering their captain who had been assigned to Tianxin Cinema, he mustered some rare courage.

Lu Jingshan gave the kid an appreciative look—unexpectedly reliable at the key moment.

If he kept asking alone, it might seem like interrogation, and what if it pissed this one off?

Taking turns like casual curiosity made the atmosphere seem a tad more normal.

Bo Ting nodded, not overthinking it:

“I heard it has some horror elements.”

“Should be pretty good.”

Horror elements…

Hiss—Xue Hengfu instantly recalled the terrifying scene of the Tree of Defiled Soil’s seeds sprouting from the screen, nearly freezing up.

What was good about it?

It was scary as hell!

Bo Ting was actually a bit scared too.

But thinking of Mr. Xu being there, he felt he had to hold it together.

“I’ve watched quite a few horror movies.”

Of course, 99.9% of them were just hearsay from forum lurkers.

No need to mention that now.

Bo Ting feigned calm: “This one should be okay.”

Xue Hengfu let out a dry chuckle.

“Is that so.”

“So after you finish with the documents, you’re planning to go see the movie?”

Bo Ting affirmed.

Xue Hengfu turned the steering wheel for a bend and probed further.

“Which cinema?”

“If it’s on the way, I can drop you off.”

The car fell deathly silent at those words, even Lu Jingshan looking at the chubby guy with the gaze of a warrior.

Wait, what did he just say?

Xue Hengfu’s mouth had run ahead, and he realized the horrifying words he had uttered.

He was dumbfounded.

Bo Ting hadn’t expected people in Mengjia City to be so friendly and was somewhat surprised.

A smile that couldn’t be seen through the plush toy crept onto his face, and he gratefully said:

“Really? I’m planning to go to Tianxin Cinema.”

“You’ll drop me off too?”