Chapter 125: The Stationmaster’s Moment of Social Death

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: The Stationmaster’s Moment of Social Death

In Soros’s impression, Liang He always dressed casually. She constantly wore a high ponytail because it was the most convenient. Today, however, she wore a formal two-piece outfit. The slightly form-fitting suit perfectly showcased the curves she usually kept hidden.

Furthermore, the makeup artist’s masterful, subtle touches made Liang He’s already beautiful face look even more exquisite and flawless. Coupled with her elegantly pinned-up hair, it was no wonder he was stunned speechless.

"Hey, haven’t you stared enough?"

Hoder forcefully elbowed Soros in the ribs, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Hiss... Man, isn’t that a bit too ruthless?" Soros gasped, clutching the spot where Hoder had elbowed him and rubbing it incessantly to ease the pain.

"Is it really that bad? I didn’t even use any force," Hoder said. Seeing Soros’s reaction, he actually felt a little worried that he might have hit too hard.

But when he noticed Soros’s gaze still glued to Liang He, he immediately stepped between them and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You’re purposely playing the victim in front of Liang He, aren’t you?"

"I’m innocent! You really almost knocked the wind out of me."

With his line of sight blocked, Soros couldn’t continue staring at Liang He. He had to turn his attention back to Hoder and focus on dealing with him. By the time he wanted to strike up a conversation with Liang He again, she was already nowhere to be seen.

Only then did Soros realize that Hoder had done it on purpose.

Meanwhile, under the guidance of the staff, Liang He had successfully arrived at the conference room and taken her seat.

"Miss Liang He, what would you like to drink?" asked a conference attendant, holding a beverage menu.

Looking at the brand-new menu, she figured it was something newly learned from Blue Star.

"Pomegranate juice, thank you."

Having recently fallen in love with fresh fruit juice, Liang He selected pomegranate juice before she began observing the room. Judging by the size of the conference room, there weren’t many attendees. She remembered Huo An telling her that this meeting was for the management of the Animal Protection Zones across various planets.

However, as a stationmaster, Liang He was likely the lowest-ranking attendee present.

"Miss Liang He, your pomegranate juice."

Just as Liang He was pondering how to make herself invisible, the attendant placed her drink on the table.

Staring at the dark red juice served in a goblet, she felt an inexplicable sense of eeriness. It reminded her of the blood-drinking vampires in movies. When all the attendees took their seats, she looked at the modest teacups in front of them and felt she stood out even more like a sore thumb.

Lifting the goblet before the meeting officially started, Liang He downed the juice in one gulp. Then, she discreetly waved, hoping the attendant would take the goblet away.

"Miss Liang He, do you need any help?" the confused attendant asked thoughtfully, looking at Liang He with her cheeks puffed out from the juice.

Unexpectedly, the name "Liang He" instantly attracted everyone’s attention. A person beside her even patted her back, wanting to greet her.

PFFT!

Not having fully swallowed the juice, the pat on her back caused a streak of red liquid to leak from the corner of her mouth. This terrified the person sitting on her other side, who happened to be facing her, making them jump straight up.

"Miss Liang He, you’re coughing up blood?!"

With that exclamation, the others could no longer sit still. Those nearby immediately crowded around Liang He, unable to hide the worry on their faces.

They were all high-ranking executives of various Animal Protection Zones, so they were naturally well aware of Liang He’s affairs. If something actually happened to Liang He, it would be a massive crisis!

"Miss Liang He, are you all right? Quick, call a doctor!"

"Oh no! She’s vomiting blood, how could she be all right?"

"Where are the hotel’s medics? Hurry up and get someone!"

The rising chorus of panicked voices in her ears successfully granted Liang He a new achievement: social death.

Throwing caution to the wind, she quickly covered her mouth and swallowed the rest of the juice before immediately asking the attendant for a tissue. After wiping the corner of her mouth clean and ensuring her clothes weren’t stained, she slowly looked up and glanced at the surrounding crowd.

"Um... thank you for your concern, but I just accidentally spurted out my pomegranate juice. It’s not blood."

Her face grew redder as she spoke. Feeling like she had wasted everyone’s concern and delayed the meeting, she stood up awkwardly and apologized to the room.

Seeing this, not only did the group refrain from blaming her, but they also chimed in to comfort her and told her not to worry about it.

"It’s perfectly normal for a young girl to be nervous attending such a formal meeting for the first time. It’s quite all right."

Most of the attendees were executives of various Animal Protection Zones and were naturally older than Liang He. Looking at her exquisite face and petite, adorable frame, they treated her more like elders caring for a junior’s feelings.

"All right, since Liang He is fine, everyone return to your seats. Let her catch her breath," spoke an elderly man who looked highly authoritative, successfully rescuing Liang He from her toe-curling embarrassment.

However, perhaps because she had already embarrassed herself, Liang He no longer felt as constrained as before. She could sense that everyone here harbored nothing but goodwill toward her.

"Miss Liang He, here is some warm water for you."

The attendant thoughtfully took the goblet away and brought her a cup of warm water and a wet wipe. After all, pomegranate juice was a bit sticky, and using just a dry tissue wouldn’t feel comfortable.

"Thank you," Liang He thanked them in a low voice. She took the wet wipe, covered the lower half of her face with her hand, and gently wiped the area where the juice had spilled.

Fortunately, she had naturally good skin, so the makeup artist hadn’t applied a thick base. Wiping a bit off wasn’t noticeable at all.

"The main agenda for today’s meeting is to brainstorm targeted solutions based on the progress and challenges faced by each Animal Protection Zone."

Before the meeting, each Animal Protection Zone would submit their reports. The person in charge of the meeting would then organize them, addressing problems of the same nature uniformly. Any good innovations or solutions would be published for everyone to learn from and reference.

"In recent years, missing animals have become a recurring issue across all Animal Protection Zones. Aside from a small fraction caused by poachers, the main culprit is the Rebel Army. This problem has yet to be resolved."

Since the Rebel Army needed enough animals as experimental subjects to expand its Fierce Beast Army, the Animal Protection Zones naturally became their supply channel. Of course, the Animal Protection Zones hadn’t just been sitting on their hands, but unfortunately, no amount of strict guarding could fend off an inside job.

"Regarding this point, relevant departments have already begun researching a biological internal tracking device. It can locate the animals in real-time without harming them."

This way, the moment an animal leaves the jurisdiction of an Animal Protection Zone, an alarm would trigger, and the zone would be notified immediately. Whether it meant recovering the animal in time or following the trail to destroy a Rebel Army stronghold, it would be highly beneficial.

"Sigh... Who knows when that will be developed? And implanting them into the animals will be a massive undertaking when the time comes."

Bringing up such a distant prospect was as good as saying nothing at all, and the people present were not very interested. Still, they were well aware that unless the Rebel Army was completely eradicated, the current situation couldn’t be changed overnight.

"Miss Liang He, I heard that you engaged in a major battle with the Rebel Army previously and even wiped out their stronghold on Sky Shining Star. Could you share some of your experiences in dealing with the Rebel Army and the Fierce Beasts?"