Chapter 364 - 364: To Relieve Boredom Whenever She Wasn't Around?

"If it had been an HSOS 6 assignment, she would've come to see me herself. Is this... a gift for me? Miyabi? Giving gifts?!"

Zhu Yuan seemed pleasantly surprised and eagerly opened the box.

Unfortunately, she used a little too much force.

The lid sprang open, and a hand suddenly reached out from inside.

Both of them were startled, but Wise reacted quickly and immediately recognized who the hand and body belonged to.

"It's Qingyi, but why is she like this?"

As he spoke, he reached out and touched her face, but there was no response.

Then he placed a hand against her chest. There was no movement within, making it clear she wasn't activated.

"It's... Qingyi's body... but she's unconscious... And there doesn't seem to be any signal at all. How could this happen...? Miyabi was the one who delivered this box, right? Then what's going on? If Qingyi was harmed, why would she casually leave the box at Public Security and walk away?"

Zhu Yuan was visibly flustered by the sudden situation.

Seeing this, Wise gently patted her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her.

"Don't worry. Qingyi isn't in danger right now. How about we ask Miyabi first?"

"Mm, you're right. I believe Miyabi must have her reasons... Wise, can you help me contact her? I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from getting angry with her..."

Wise nodded in understanding. However, when he called, an automated message answered instead.

| Sorry, I'm currently training my gaming skills. Please leave a message if it's urgent. |

Miyabi didn't pick up, but if she was supposedly training her gaming skills, there was only one place she was likely to be.

Godfinger.

Not long afterward, Zhu Yuan and Wise found Miyabi at the arcade.

Unfortunately, she remained completely focused on her "training." No matter how many times Zhu Yuan called her name, she showed no reaction whatsoever.

Just as Zhu Yuan was about to lose her temper, Wise quickly stepped in.

"Zhu Yuan, calm down. This isn't the right place."

"...You're right. But Senior's whereabouts are currently unknown, and I'm worried sick! Yet she's sitting there calmly playing games... It's really hard not to get angry. Besides, aren't you and Senior also... Wise, why don't you seem worried?"

Zhu Yuan couldn't help but feel suspicious. She even suspected that Wise knew something.

Which, admittedly, wasn't entirely wrong.

Wise's innate ability hadn't warned him of any danger, meaning Qingyi was most likely safe.

Unfortunately, there was no practical way to explain that.

"You wait outside for a moment. I'll wake Miyabi up."

Hearing that, Zhu Yuan obediently headed toward the arcade entrance.

Meanwhile, Wise sat down and joined the game, quickly helping Miyabi complete her gaming training.

"Wise, you're truly amazing. Thank you very much for helping me complete my training on schedule. Also, would you like to come to my place..."

"You finally came out! Miyabi, tell me quickly, what happened to Qingyi?!"

The moment Miyabi stepped out of the arcade, Zhu Yuan interrupted her before she could finish.

Miyabi blinked in surprise.

"Zhu Yuan? Why are you here? Did I not pack the box properly?"

"So it really was you who delivered Qingyi's... body to Public Security?"

"Precisely."

Her answer was as flat as ever.

"...Could you please explain what happened?"

By now, Zhu Yuan was already accustomed to Miyabi's robotic style of communication.

Even though she felt somewhat speechless, she still had to ask.

"I was preparing to begin my gaming training when I found Miss Qingyi resting inside the arcade. After waking her up, she said, 'Great, you're here. Nothing could be better.'"

"That does sound like something she'd say," Zhu Yuan replied helplessly.

"Then she asked me to help her 'repair her body,' but I refused. I wouldn't know how to perform such a repair."

"What?"

"She told me that in ancient times, people treated video games very seriously. Before touching a controller, they had to bathe, change clothes, and perform good deeds."

A brief silence followed.

"I woke up this morning, bathed, changed clothes, and found no one in need of help except Miss Qingyi. She then informed me that all I needed to do was help her 'lightly cut the joints' with a knife."

"And you believed that?"

"Why wouldn't I? Miss Qingyi possesses extensive historical knowledge. I have no reason to doubt her expertise."

'That was obviously a joke...'

Zhu Yuan felt a headache coming on.

Where would ancient people have even gotten video games?

Then again, considering Miyabi's personality, perhaps believing it was perfectly normal.

"What happened after that?"

"I was about to begin when Miss Qingyi told me to wait. She then produced a brand-new body and asked me to 'repair' that one instead. Afterward, she entrusted me with delivering the old body to the video store, saying it was intended for Wise to relieve boredom whenever she wasn't around."

Hearing that, Wise was genuinely shocked. Even by Qingyi's standards, that joke had gone far beyond reasonable limits.

"I refused. Please do not ask why. After that, Miss Qingyi said delivering it to Public Security would also be acceptable."

Miyabi finally finished her explanation.

"...That's it?"

"That is all I know. However, judging from your reactions, has something happened to Miss Qingyi?"

Only then did Miyabi realize there might actually be a problem.

As a result, she temporarily set aside whatever she had wanted to mention earlier and joined the search.

At that moment, Wise suddenly remembered that he had previously connected to Qingyi's communication module.

After reactivating the connection, he quickly traced her signal to the Brant Street Construction Site.

The moment he saw the location, Wise immediately had a good idea of who the culprit was.

Not long afterward, with the combined authority of a PubSec Officer and an HSOS 6 Sector Chief, the prime suspect was quickly located.

Grace.

"Please hand over Qingyi. All current evidence points to you. Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be," Zhu Yuan demanded in an authoritative tone.

"No."

Grace's refusal was immediate.

"Sorry, but if you continue refusing to cooperate, I'll have to resort to force."

Miyabi rested a hand on the hilt of her blade.

"That poor girl was lying unconscious in the street! I'm not handing her over that easily!"

Grace remained completely unfazed by the threats. Instead, she looked positively righteous.

"You people failed to take proper care of her. I'm the one who rescued her. And now you're barging in here demanding I hand her over? Where's the logic in that?"

Then her expression became increasingly animated.

"Besides, her parts are incredibly precise, her design is unbelievably advanced, and her materials are extraordinarily rare! No one's taking her away until I've finished my research!"

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. To Grace, Qingyi was practically a walking miracle of engineering.

There was no way she would willingly let such a treasure leave before thoroughly studying it.

'Well, it seems her true motives have already been revealed,' Wise thought.

Naturally, Qingyi couldn't remain in Grace's custody.

So he stepped forward and negotiated with her, agreeing to several conditions in exchange for Qingyi's release.

Thankfully, the matter was resolved without anyone needing to use force.

Even then, Grace remained visibly reluctant to part with Qingyi, looking very much like someone standing at the edge of temptation before painfully choosing to let go out of love.

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