224: An unfamiliar ceiling

[The Real World]

Shen Mingyuan's eyes snapped open. His vision was filled with a soft, creamy-white ceiling. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, cutting neat patches of light onto the wall.

"An unfamiliar ceiling..." he murmured subconsciously, his head still somewhat foggy as he propped himself up slowly.

"Lawyer Shen! You're awake!" A voice tinged with pleasant surprise came from beside him immediately. Wei Ziqing had been keeping vigil on a chair by the bed and visibly relaxed upon seeing him wake.

Shen Mingyuan rubbed the space between his brows, his memories fragmented. "I... where is this? What exactly happened?"

Wei Ziqing hurriedly stood up, poured him a glass of water, and began recounting the events after his collapse—from being guided by "The Forger," transforming and storming the laboratory, to the fierce battle with Zhu Zicong and the mechanical war chariot, then to Lu Jianchuan forcibly returning to join forces and defeat the enemy, and finally being evacuated with GUPA's assistance.

After listening, Shen Mingyuan leaned back against the headboard, remained silent for a few seconds, then let out a long sigh. "So that's how it was... Thank you. Thank you all so much. And thank the authorities for their timely aid." He paused, looking at Wei Ziqing. "My phone..."

"It's here, already charged." Wei Ziqing retrieved the phone from the bedside table and handed it to him. "Mr. Golden Bone said you could first contact your family to let them know you're safe."

Shen Mingyuan nodded, took the phone, walked to the window, and began making a call. Wei Ziqing sat back in the chair, gazing somewhat absently at the unfamiliar cityscape outside the window. The events of the past few days had been more bizarre than anything he'd experienced in the last ten-odd years combined.

After a while, the door to the hospital room was pushed open gently. Lu Jianchuan walked in, surprisingly cradling a rabbit in his arms. The rabbit was snow-white all over, with eyes as clear as rubies. It rested quietly in the crook of his arm, appearing very docile.

"Senior Lu." Wei Ziqing promptly rose to his feet.

Lu Jianchuan waved a hand, indicating there was no need for formality. He walked to the bedside, glanced at Shen Mingyuan who was still on the phone, and said quietly to Wei Ziqing, "Looks like he's recovering alright." Then, as if tilting his head to listen to something, he added to Wei Ziqing, "The Rabbit King also sends his regards."

Wei Ziqing was taken aback for a moment, looking at the white rabbit. Then he nodded.

"I still have a 'scene' to shoot, so I can't stay long," Lu Jianchuan said, his tone carrying a hint of wry humor.

"As for Lawyer Shen, and you, rest and recuperate here for now. If you need anything, you can contact the staff here directly."

Wei Ziqing nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Senior Lu."

Without another word, Lu Jianchuan turned and left the room, still holding the Rabbit King.

Almost immediately, the tall figure of Golden Bone appeared in the doorway. He held a tablet in his hand, seeming to have just finished handling some matters.

"Wei Ziqing." Golden Bone walked in, his voice as steady and direct as ever. "We have already communicated with your master, Wei Qingyuan. We informed him that you are assisting the police with an urgent case due to a righteous act and will need to cooperate with the investigation for a period. He told you to focus on your tasks; he has the martial arts school under control."

"We have also made the necessary reports and arrangements with your school. It won't affect your studies."

Wei Ziqing listened, somewhat dazed. He hadn't expected the authorities to arrange things so meticulously and thoroughly. He quickly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Golden Bone."

"Part of the job." Golden Bone put away the tablet. "Your actions this time provided crucial intelligence. We may need your further cooperation for some documentation and assessments later. Once Lawyer Shen is fully awake, we will communicate the relevant matters with him as well."

He glanced at Shen Mingyuan, who had just hung up the phone by the window and seemed slightly more at ease, then said to Wei Ziqing, "I have another meeting. You two rest for now."

With that, Golden Bone turned and left, his steps crisp and decisive.

Wei Ziqing saw him to the door. Turning back, he found Shen Mingyuan had finished his call and was leaning against the window, looking outside as if digesting information and organizing his thoughts. The room fell temporarily quiet.

Wei Ziqing also walked out into the corridor for some fresh air. This facility had a serene environment with excellent greenery, resembling a tasteful sanatorium.

As he gazed aimlessly at the scenery in the courtyard, he suddenly noticed a young man, who looked only a few years older than himself and was dressed in simple casual clothes, strolling leisurely along a small path not far away.

What caught Wei Ziqing's attention was the "cat" following closely at the young man's heels.

The creature was larger than an average house cat. Its entire body was covered in non-reflective, pitch-black skin. Under the sunlight, one could vaguely see that the surface wasn't fur, but something smooth with a subtle texture, even refracting a scale-like sheen in some places.

Its steps were so light they were almost soundless.

The young man also noticed Wei Ziqing on the corridor. He smiled amiably and walked over.

The black-skinned cat lifted its head, glanced at Wei Ziqing with its golden pupils, then seemed to lose interest and lowered its head to sniff the grass by the path.

"Hello, new here? Haven't seen you before." The young man initiated the greeting, his voice gentle. "I'm Li Zhe. This is my... well, Big Orange." He pointed at the black-skinned cat at his feet, the name forming a stark contrast with its appearance.

"Ah, hello. I'm Wei Ziqing." Wei Ziqing hurriedly responded, unable to resist another glance at the peculiar creature called "Big Orange." "It's... very special."

"Yeah, its temper is a bit special too, but it's quite well-behaved."

Li Zhe smiled, seemingly accustomed to others' curiosity about his pet. "I'm usually elsewhere. On holiday recently, came back to see it, bringing it out for some air and sun." As he spoke, he gently nudged Big Orange with the tip of his shoe. Big Orange rubbed its head against his pant leg in return, showing great affection.

[A Confidential GUPA Meeting Room]

Golden Bone sat alone in the spacious meeting room. The enormous holographic screen before him was split into several encrypted windows. Each window displayed only the shadowy outlines representing different clearance levels and processed voiceprint waveforms—no specific images.

An online meeting was in progress.

"...In summary, based on cross-analysis of recent operational leaks, abnormal material flows, and traces of prior partial clean-up at the two strongholds, 'Wild Fox Ridge' and the 'Southern Capital Laboratory,'"

Golden Bone's voice was steady and stern, echoing in the soundproofed room, "the possibility of a 'mole' within our Ranks has escalated from speculation to a high-probability event. Currently, several clues vaguely point in the same direction, toward the same individual."

Silence hung over the several windows on the holographic screen, only the faint glow indicating connection lines flickered, as if the high-ranking officials hidden behind the shadows were digesting this unpleasant news.

"The chain of evidence is not yet complete, preventing final confirmation, but the 'directionality' is already very clear."

Golden Bone added, pushing a highly summarized, key-details-redacted analysis brief through an encrypted channel to each window.

A few seconds later, a voice that had been altered but still carried the weight of an older, serious man emanated from one of the windows: "In that case, adjust the priority. Find him. Confirm him. Before greater damage is done."

Another, slightly deeper female voice chimed in, carrying suppressed anger:

"Such an organization should never have been tolerated from the start. Betrayal from within is even more unforgivable. It must be purged, regardless of his position."

"Understood." Golden Bone nodded. "Based on the recent movements of some peripheral personnel we have intentionally 'let go,' and feedback from some shaken individuals willing to provide limited cooperation as informants, I will strive to narrow the scope and lock onto the target."

"But this requires time, and also a... 'bait' or 'hunter' less likely to alert the target."

At this point, a third window, which had remained silent until now, transmitted an electronically synthesized voice that sounded relatively young but exceptionally calm and flat: "Let her come."

Golden Bone's gaze sharpened. "'Her'? You mean... Cynthia?"

"Yes."

The synthetic voice explained: "Her volatility and extreme hostility toward that organization are public knowledge. Deploying her to participate in the investigation is logical and won't arouse suspicion from our real target. The key is to have her operate alongside those three 'armor users.'"

"Have the four of them form a seemingly overt team focused on tracking 'Prometheus,'" Golden Bone immediately grasped the tactical intent, interjecting,

"This combination is conspicuous enough to attract the attention of all relevant parties—whether remnants of 'Prometheus' or the potential 'mole' within our Ranks, all eyes will be focused on them."

"Correct." The synthetic voice confirmed. "When everyone's gaze is drawn to this high-profile, powerful penetration-capable 'spear,' you can lead another completely covert team,"

"To conduct substantive internal vetting and evidence locking along the clues we already have, from the truly undisturbed shadows. This requires deceiving everyone, including Cynthia and the three users themselves."

"The more focused they are on their 'real mission,' the more successful our 'diversion' will be."

The serious male voice from earlier pondered for a moment: "The risk lies in Cynthia's inherent uncontrollability, and those three are not formal team members either."

"Precisely for that reason, they are the most suitable to play this 'attention-drawing' role."

The deep female voice seemed convinced. "Their actions themselves also have practical strike effectiveness; it's not pure deception. Let's proceed this way."

"Agreed." The serious male voice responded first. "Approved." The deep female voice also indicated her approval.

"Arrangements will be conveyed." The calm synthetic voice concluded the proposal.

Golden Bone was silent for a moment, conducting a final assessment, then nodded:

"Agreed. I will arrange for Cynthia to 'naturally' join their investigation line. The overt directive is to fully pursue the core laboratory and high-ranking members of 'Prometheus.' The covert work will be my responsibility."

"Agreed."

"Execute."

"Meeting adjourned." Golden Bone severed the encrypted connection. The holographic screen darkened. The meeting room was left with only him and the cold, artificial light filtering in from outside the window.