Chapter 186 - 185: Height

Chapter 186: Chapter 185: Height

[Pei Xianjue: The Hunter Alliance initiative is a strategic partnership that is inextricably linked with the inspection system. The principle for signing new talent should be based primarily on Card potential, with physical fitness as a secondary consideration. Gender should not be a barrier. I hope that when Hunting Star International is signing contracts, they don’t get hung up on immediate profits, but rather broaden their perspective and give more opportunities to women.]

Da Xiong: "..."

That took an abrupt turn.

She might as well have pointed a finger and called them money-grubbing capitalists.

Sensing Da Xiong’s gaze, Pei Xianjue looked up.

Da Xiong jumped in fright and quickly straightened his posture.

Pei Xianjue smiled. She didn’t mind Da Xiong peeking; this content would be posted online eventually for everyone to see anyway.

She scheduled her second social media post to be published at 6 PM.

People scroll through their social feeds more frequently during their evening commute. If they find an interesting post, they’re quick to share it, so viewership is much higher after 6 PM.

Besides, her first post could ride the wave of Ye Zheng’s popularity, which was sure to gain her a lot of followers. Once the second post was out, her image as an advocate for women would be solidified.

Then, she’d have some marketing accounts help promote it in the evening, and there was no way the topic wouldn’t blow up.

"Do you know what I’m doing?" Pei Xianjue asked Da Xiong lightly, putting her phone away.

Da Xiong replied with a goofy grin, "I don’t know."

"I’m maintaining my integrity," Pei Xianjue said, looking at Da Xiong with a half-smile. "Just follow me, Da Xiong. The heights we can reach are limitless."

......

...

Feng Ling also saw the news of Ye Zheng’s death.

The news reported that humanity’s first exploratory mission into the Maze had yielded significant scientific breakthroughs. During the operation, Inspectors had engaged in a life-or-death battle with Pollution Bodies to ensure the mission’s success. Three Inspectors had died, and four were injured.

The nation would award the three fallen Inspectors a medal of honor and hold a state funeral for them in three days.

The entire nation mourned.

Countless people left two words in the news comments: "Silent mourning."

Others posted more panicked content, things like humanity facing its final days, or how no one could save the world.

However, the Supervision Bureau’s official account quickly released a statement, claiming that Ye Zheng had killed the Maze Master and seized a rare High-level Card. This Card possessed an exceptionally powerful ability that would greatly enhance the entire inspection team’s strength.

And so, the public was once again placated, filled with hope for the future of humanity.

When Feng Ling saw this news, she thought, ’The Card is stored in her phone. Since the Supervision Bureau already found the Card on Ye Zheng’s phone, they must have seen the video of her being ambushed, right?’

Feng Ling was sure there were no fools in the Supervision Bureau. Anyone who watched that video would suspect a mole within the Inspection Bureau or the research institute.

After all, the only people who knew exactly which Cards Ye Zheng possessed were her superiors and the researchers who had planned her development track.

’I wonder how the Inspection Bureau will respond...’

As she was lost in thought, she heard the sound of a vehicle outside.

The kind of noise only a large truck would make.

Feng Ling glanced through the glass and saw Su Yuqing pull the corrugated metal door halfway open. He stood at the entrance, waving to her, but didn’t come inside.

Finding this odd, Feng Ling went out and asked, "What is it?"

Compared to yesterday, Su Yuqing was clearly much calmer. The two deep, dark circles under his eyes were impossible to hide, but the aura of grief around him had lessened considerably.

Su Yuqing stood at the entrance and said politely, "I had some wood delivered. I’d like to decorate the first floor a little. Could you have the Pollution Body move upstairs for a bit, so she doesn’t scare the workers?"

Feng Ling thought, ’Is that really necessary?’

’It’s just an abandoned building. As long as it’s big, tall, and spacious, it should be fine. Making it too fancy will just get in the way of the Pollution Body’s movements.’

But the materials had already been delivered by a large truck. It would be rude to ask him to have it all hauled away again.

Besides, she was curious to see what Su Yuqing had planned. So she nodded and said, "Alright, give me a minute."

Feng Ling turned and walked toward the building.

After a boost from Baozi’s spiritual power, Ye Zheng was calm and clear-headed. When she learned that workers were coming to set up the first floor, she crawled out of a glassless window and scaled the exterior wall to another level.

The Cat Spider and Cat Owl also prudently made their way upstairs.

The skyscraper had over a hundred floors, so there was plenty of space.

Seeing that Ye Zheng and the two Pets had gone up, Feng Ling couldn’t be bothered to walk back outside. Instead, she called Su Yuqing from the first floor and told him he could bring the workers right in.

A few moments later, Su Yuqing arrived with the workers—

Some carried bundles of tree bark on their backs, others hauled heavy burlap sacks, and several more worked together to hoist a thick, gnarled, decaying log!

Feng Ling was a little stunned.

’What in the world is Su Yuqing trying to do?’

She watched, dumbfounded, as the workers took measurements, cut the tree bark, and then nailed it to every wall on the first floor.

The floor was covered with a substrate mixed from coconut fiber and rainforest soil, then sprinkled with olive leaves. Next, the decaying log was brought in, and workers planted moss around it to simulate the ground cover of a tropical forest.

Plants like parlor palms, Black Swan alocasia, Japanese pepper trees, Boston ferns, and staghorn ferns were also planted one by one!

Su Yuqing even had the workers install a sprinkler system in the ceiling to maintain the rainforest humidity.

Perhaps sensing Feng Ling’s bewilderment, Su Yuqing turned back to explain. "I researched the patterns on her wings last night. They belong to a lepidopteran insect called the Imperial Moth, the largest species of moth in the world. This kind of moth is best adapted to life in a tropical rainforest."

Feng Ling: "..."

She was speechless.

’This love is so intense... he’s starting to seem like a freak.’

"Actually..." Feng Ling said, hesitating, "She won’t be staying here for more than a few days."

’So there’s no need to go to all this trouble.’

Su Yuqing’s expression tightened. In a restrained voice, he asked, "Oh? And where are you planning to take her?"

Feng Ling said, "Her Pollution Value is at 48%. We’re taking her to find a Divine Statue, of course, and as quickly as possible. A Card is like a chip plugged into a computer. The wrong Card will make the computer overheat and the system crash. Once the chip fries and shatters, you can’t pull it out even if you want to. We’re in a race against time to pull these chips out before they’re destroyed inside the system."

—This was her third metaphor, following the pit and the ball, and the washing machine and the bag of paint.

Su Yuqing listened with a taut expression. After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice, "When do you leave?"

"In three days, at the latest," Feng Ling replied.

If it were up to her, she’d leave tomorrow, but Li Qing wasn’t ready.

Li Qing wanted to buy a few days to collect information on local folklore and culture.

After their experiences in the Mazes at Sanqing Mountain and Daling Forest, Feng Ling had to agree that knowledge was power, so she’d acquiesced.

"Can you tell me the exact location?" Su Yuqing asked her.

"Of course." Feng Ling pulled out her phone. "Oh, right. There’s also a Maze where the pollution is spreading. I’ll send you that location as well."