Chapter 56: Two Tasks

At times like this, Ji Cheng’s patience seemed infinite. It was just like waiting for the lottery results: once you’ve made your choices, the rest is up to fate.

The outcome soon appeared.

A shimmering glow, clear as water, suddenly flooded Ji Cheng’s vision, giving the seemingly boundless indigo space an unexpected sense of depth.

Ji Cheng glanced down, then lifted his foot; immediately, ripples spread out in concentric circles.

Water?

That boded well for her temperament.

The watery brilliance grew denser, blooming in great waves like the unfurling of a flower bud.

Ji Cheng’s eyes swam with the dazzling spectacle. Light and shadow intertwined, as if he’d been plunged all at once into the heart of the sea.

He hovered now, suspended somewhere between the tranquil surface and the silent ocean floor, cradled within a soft tangle of seaweed.

Two exceedingly gentle arms wound about him from behind.

“Not bad at all,” thought Ji Cheng, quite pleased.

Those arms were so smooth, there was no sense of friction at all; Ji Cheng easily turned around, silky hair brushing against his eyelids, his cheeks, carrying the fresh fragrance of water lilies.

He looked down: delicate, arched brows; eyelids gently closed; lips as pink as a blossom.

“Open your eyes. Look at me,” Ji Cheng said.

It was part of the ritual—her ownership belonged to the first person she saw upon waking.

Her lashes quivered slightly. She opened her eyes with a soft warmth, then, a little shy, dropped her gaze.

Immediately, Ji Cheng felt a strange connection link the two of them, a bond that required no words to read each other’s thoughts.

“My name is Shana.” Her lips brushed Ji Cheng’s ear, the whisper soft as a sigh, yet it resounded clearly in his mind.

“From now on, please use me as you wish.”

No problem, there’ll be plenty of chances for you to serve me in the future.

Noticing Ji Cheng’s gaze, Shana smiled and released him. Her long hair danced in the air, her skin white as snow, smooth as satin.

She stepped back gracefully, letting him look at her fully.

Bathed in the dreamy blue light, Shana’s body glowed with a gentle radiance.

She resembled a surging, boundless sea.

Satisfied, Ji Cheng rubbed his hands together and looked toward the dialogue box that had popped up again.

“All right. Now for the second one.”

[Please select gender]

…

This time, he adjusted a few of the sliders.

Soon, Ji Cheng looked down to find a pair of long, slender legs draped across his shoulders, his eyelid twitching furiously.

“Why are you sitting on my shoulders?”

Awkwardly, he craned his neck upward, and a strikingly beautiful, cold face came into view.

Compared to Shana, her features were even more sharply defined, her exquisite beauty equally perfect.

She crossed her arms in front of her, looking down at Ji Cheng with a haughty air.

A voice colder than ice itself sounded in his mind.

“Heh, foolish human.”

Damn, what rotten luck, the worst draw possible, Ji Cheng thought, feeling a headache coming on.

This one was obviously going to be a handful.

“My name is An Chan. From now on, take good care of me. Wait on me. Do you understand?”

Ji Cheng: …

“If you understand, answer me. Did you hear?”

An Chan’s tone was imperious.

“Answer me.”

She lowered her hands, cupping Ji Cheng’s face.

The worst of the worst draws!

Ten minutes later, Ji Cheng looked at the two girls before him. “All right, let’s go.”

Shana: “Okay~”

An Chan: “Lead the way.”

Click.

The platform door slid open, and Ji Cheng led the two girls out.

Vice Dean Liu had been waiting outside all along. When he saw Ji Cheng emerge, he glanced at the two girls behind him and was momentarily taken aback.

Kids these days…

Vice Dean Liu coughed and greeted Shana and An Chan. “Good day, ladies.”

Shana replied, “Hello to you too, Grandpa.”

An Chan said, “Oh, an elderly human male.”

Ji Cheng hurriedly supported the old man. “Easy, Dean Liu, take a breath.”

Vice Dean Liu, weary, pointed to Ji Cheng’s wrist. “Master Ji, advanced intelligent life forms can access any electronic device—you can store them in your wrist computer.”

Ji Cheng had barely stored the two girls away when Zhou Ze approached.

“Come on, I need to ask you something.”

With that, Zhou Ze led Ji Cheng out and toward another room.

As luck would have it, they ran into Councilman Yao and his six ability users in the corridor.

When they saw Ji Cheng, their faces all changed.

They’ve realized I killed his son, Ji Cheng guessed instantly, noting the murderous look in Councilman Yao’s eyes.

“Come on,” Zhou Ze said, giving Ji Cheng a tug.

They entered a small room enclosed in opaque glass. Inside were just three chairs and a small table; Huang Long was already there, holding a laptop, waiting.

“Don’t be nervous,” Zhou Ze said with a smile, gently closing the door behind them.

It was clear this room was seldom used; dust rose from the floor as the door shut.

“Ji Cheng, you lied before, didn’t you?” Huang Long’s voice broke the silence.

Ji Cheng immediately looked up, startled.

Zhou Ze sat down in one of the chairs. “It’s soundproof in here, and it’s just the three of us. Since you called us brothers, just tell us the truth—no one will hold it against you.”

There were plenty of things I lied about—care to specify?

Ji Cheng sat cautiously in the last chair, testing the waters. “What do you mean…?”

“Exactly this.” Huang Long turned the laptop toward him. “How were you able to block a blade with your arm? And not just once.”

“Oh, that starts with when I was captured by the Black Island Organization and taken to their lab.”

Ji Cheng confessed everything matter-of-factly. Though he’d been hoping to approach the organization on his own terms, maybe to get more of the Tyrant Serum, now that they’d found out, it wasn’t worth risking Zhou Ze’s trust.

No matter how powerful that stuff was, it wasn’t worth offending Zhou Ze.

After his confession, Ji Cheng even activated the Tyrant Serum, flexing his muscles for the two councilmen to test.

Both Huang and Zhou were surprised by Ji Cheng’s candor, but each tried attacking his now bluish-black arm.

Finding it indeed incredibly tough and resilient, they ceased.

“All right. Knowing what Black Island is researching is enough. Since you obtained the serum yourself, you keep using it. Just hand over a small sample to the research institute later,” Zhou Ze said with a smile.

“Now for the main business. I have two tasks for you.”

So what we just discussed wasn’t the main business? Ji Cheng straightened up. “Go ahead, Brother Zhou.”

“The first is about the Black Island Organization. We’ve found some leads recently, but to learn more, we need someone to infiltrate their ranks. You’re the best candidate.”

Be a spy?

Ji Cheng frowned slightly. “Brother Zhou, may I ask why I’m the most suitable?”

Zhou Ze seemed to have anticipated the question and explained immediately:

“According to our plan, if the infiltration goes well, there’s a chance you’ll enter their headquarters. Normal people can’t withstand their brainwave scans, so it has to be an ability user. But Black Island has information on most ability users, including their appearance and records.”

He smiled and continued, “Your records, however, were sealed by me before you became an ability user. And since you awakened, because Speaker Zhang hasn’t returned, many procedures were skipped—even the staff at the Assembly Building barely know who you are.”

Ji Cheng voiced his concern. “But wasn’t I already captured by Black Island? They must recognize my face.”

“That’s exactly why you’re perfect. Originally, the city defense department’s Zeng Hang designed a plan for you to use that experience to infiltrate. But now that you’ve told us about the Tyrant Serum, there’s an even better way.”

Ji Cheng mulled it over, nodding slightly. He understood what Zhou Ze meant.

“According to the city defense’s analysis, the lab that captured you was extremely important to Black Island—they even sacrificed a transport company for cover.”

“So, if they find out that you, their test subject, survived the Tyrant Serum, they’ll definitely try to approach you, investigate you, maybe even kidnap you again.”

Zhou Ze paused, watching Ji Cheng’s expression.

“All right, I’ll take the job.”

Huang Long laughed, “Zeng Hang and his team can handle the planning, no need for you to worry.”

“If I didn’t worry, you two would’ve been sidelined long ago,” Zhou Ze retorted, then turned back to Ji Cheng.

“The second task concerns the second-tier genetic prototype.”