Chapter 48

Forty-seven: Preview (Two-in-one)

Li Jiahong didn't even have time to resist in the slightest before signing an unknown contract without even finishing reading a single line; Lin Ling said it was an employment contract, but Li Jiahong had clearly seen the characters "body" and "contract" appear in the top-most line of the document's title.

That was definitely a slave contract, wasn't it!

Li Jiahong also knew he had no choice and could only resign himself to his fate. Afterwards, led by the gentle Wei Jiang, Li Jiahong went to the staff office to collect his one-of-a-kind work uniform.

After Li Jiahong left, Yu Lianyun glanced at Haimofen, only to see Haimofen politely deferring: "Ladies first; if you have something to say, please go ahead."

Yu Lianyun smiled slightly and nodded, not standing on ceremony with this great musician, then gathered her courage to step forward and asked Lin Ling with a respectful attitude: "Boss, I would like to ask, Yao Zhenzhen and my father... are they alright?"

"You want to ask about those two Avatars of Blessing, right?" A strange smile appeared on Lin Ling's face. "They won't die; they have only had their bodies scattered for the time being. They will return one day."

Upon hearing Lin Ling's words, Yu Lianyun breathed a slight sigh of relief. "I see..."

"It seems you are very fond of them now?" Lin Ling asked with a smile.

Yu Lianyun smiled somewhat unnaturally, neither denying nor admitting it, only saying: "I have already grown very accustomed to their presence. If they weren't by my side, I wouldn't be used to it, and besides... they can help me investigate cases and guard against danger."

"Rest assured, they like you too—like you so much they want to eat you." Lin Ling winked at her, and seeing her shudder at his words, he felt instantly satisfied and laughed even more happily. Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, he said, "Hiss, I remembered; I almost forgot to feed the new little cutie. Otherwise, it will starve to death..."

Lin Ling stretched his arms and walked toward the counter. Yu Lianyun gritted her teeth and followed; she was also very curious about what this "new little cutie" was, as it sounded like a pet.

But she remembered that Lin Ling already kept a cat, and Lin Ling seemed to like that cat very much, often keeping it in his hands, so she felt Lin Ling was a cat lover. Thus, the first thing she could think of for a new pet was also a cat.

However, after following him, Yu Lianyun discovered that a large section of the display cabinet behind the shop counter had been cleared out at some point. In its place was a huge, square fish tank. The water inside was clear and clean, and a model of a black city ruin was submerged at the bottom of the tank, with a strange octopus the size of an adult's fist floating in the center.

The reason that octopus was strange was because it did not look like the ones everyone was familiar with. Its tentacles were denser, and one tentacle even had more small feelers growing densely on it like soaked seaweed. Some of the tentacles were intertwined, appearing like the limb structure of a quadrupedal reptile.

Of course, the tentacles were only one part of what was strange about this octopus. The most eye-catching feature was its huge head. Its head was not completely smooth and plump like a common octopus, but covered in lumps and bumps, with crack-like wrinkles on the protrusions. Just looking at it made one's heart crawl.

Yu Lianyun felt that the appearance of this octopus and the ecological environment set up in the fish tank were overly familiar, to the point that she began to have thoughts of backing out before even seeing the octopus's full appearance. But the curiosity of the ignorant, which ignores life and death, made her unable to resist her strong desire, and she still followed behind Lin Ling to take a closer look.

She saw the octopus floating quietly in the water with a dull look in its eyes. When it saw someone approaching, especially Lin Ling's gentle and sunny smiling face, its dazed eyes slowly released an emotion of fear. It twisted its body excitedly, constantly spitting bubbles and squeezing frantically toward the edge of the tank, as if terrified by the arrival of a natural predator.

After seeing the appearance of the frightened octopus clearly, Yu Lianyun also became emotionally agitated, just like the octopus. She stepped back in a panic and accidentally bumped into the counter, her elbow hitting a potted plant. She hurriedly steadied the plant, but when she saw that the plant she was holding was the Other Shore Flower that had brought her countless nightmares, her heart collapsed even further.

She saw that Other Shore Flower suddenly sprout rings of tiny, fleshy strips from its roots to its bloom. A bright black eye suddenly opened in the dark center of the flower. Yu Lianyun instantly forgot to breathe, covered her choked throat, and swayed unsteadily. Fortunately, Haimofen stepped forward to support her.

"Are you alright?" Haimofen asked with a smile, his cold blade-gloves reflecting a chill, the grim back of the blades gently brushing the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Yu Lianyun revealed an ugly smile; by comparison, Haimofen, with his image of an elegant serial killer, felt more reassuring.

Look, he even knew to use the back of the blade when wiping tears for a frightened girl, fearing he might hurt her. He was truly too gentle and too much of a gentleman. He really... Yu Lianyun wanted to cry to death.

"Kusuen..." After Li Jiahong came out of the staff office and saw everyone gathered in front of a fish tank, his expression changed when he noticed the living thing inside.

Although the scene of Zeng Jiangjun "subduing demons" like a divine soldier descending from heaven was impressive, this did not mean that Kusuen had not left him with any severe psychological trauma.

"Sigh, don't be afraid. Just pretend this is a mutant octopus fished out of the Eastern Ocean nuclear wastewater area; it's nothing." Lin Ling comforted them nonchalantly. He even used tweezers to take a pile of black, regular, flake-like objects from a collection box next to the tank and said, "I even took off its wings; it can't fly out of the tank."

"... Boss, you are truly thoughtful," Li Jiahong said with a stiff smile.

Lin Ling said naturally: "My neighbor Old Liu used to say I was a gentle and sunny big boy. That you can tell shows you are just like Old Liu—you have a discerning eye for people."

Everyone: "..."

After finishing, Lin Ling threw the pair of wings into the fish tank, then picked up the collection box and poured the distinct, ball-shaped objects that emitted an unknown stench into the tank.

Seeing one ferocious eyeball after another sink a distance into the water tank before immediately floating up like balloons, Yu Lianyun suffered a mental breakdown and her figure vanished from the spot instantly.

"Eh?" Haimofen was stunned. He had thought he might have a chance to have a good conversation with the beautiful forensic doctor lady tonight, but he hadn't expected her to just disappear.

Seeing this, Lin Ling couldn't help but sigh: "Sigh, scared away just like that? It seems her training in the Xuanmi Group is still not enough."

Then he looked smilingly at the frowning Li Jiahong and remarked: "Our shop's Xiaoli still performs well. He is worthy of being the shop assistant I took a fancy to; this psychological quality is indeed solid."

Hearing Lin Laoban's praise, Li Jiahong's smile became even more twisted. His gaze then flicked toward the fish tank, discovering that Kusuen, having turned into a small octopus, was frantically tearing at the things Lin Laoban had just poured into the tank, whether they were eyeballs or wings.

If the wings were Kusuen's own, then the eyeball feed was likely also self-supplied by Kusuen.

Noticing Kusuen's wrinkled head again, he could almost confirm that those shriveled, sunken wrinkles were where the eyeballs had been lost.

Thinking of that Dimensional Demon Beast that had once destroyed an entire dimensional civilization city, now reduced to such a mindless, low-level beast, Li Jiahong did not feel that Lin Laoban's methods were cruel; instead, he felt more and more that Lin Laoban's abilities were heaven-defying, and his respect in his heart grew even deeper.

Lin Ling looked Li Jiahong up and down. The man's original white hair had been specially dyed black, and after resting and recuperating during this time, his complexion was ruddy and his forehead was much fuller. Health had brought him more vitality in appearance, making him look much younger. Now, paired with this brown long gown and a dark blue vest, he even had the air of a promising merchant from the modern era.

"It looks quite good. This is your future staff uniform. How does it feel to wear it? Are you satisfied?" Lin Ling asked with a smile.

Li Jiahong withdrew his gaze from the fish tank and said sincerely: "It's very fitting and very satisfying, as if it were tailor-made for me." He couldn't help but touch the clothes; although they looked like cloth material, the texture felt smoother than a woman's skin, and they were so light it felt as if he weren't wearing anything at all.

"That's good. From now on, wear this every night and be on duty to watch the shop here," Lin Ling smiled.

Li Jiahong nodded in agreement.

Finally finding a chance to speak, Haimofen stepped forward and said: "Lin Laoban, hearing you say that, does it mean you will have time to come out and move around in the future?"

"That's right. It's quite uncomfortable to always be holed up in one place. I've had enough of being a shut-in," Lin Ling let out a light sigh, as if recalling his own past. "The places I stayed were either black or dark. I want to come out and see things occasionally, too."

Hearing this, Haimofen's eyes lit up. He placed his left hand on his right shoulder, bowed, and said: "In that case, if you don't mind, I hope you can come to listen to my concert. My humble work may not be as pleasant as the heavenly music you have heard, but it is also a work of my heart's blood. I ask that you give me some pointers after listening."

"A concert?" Lin Ling blinked, then smiled. "Alright, but are you holding a midnight concert?"

"Yes, this will be a concert I have prepared specifically for you, and the time has naturally been carefully selected," Haimofen said earnestly. "Next time I visit the shop during the day, I will bring the tickets. Oh, by the way, may I ask when you plan to go out, so I can have my driver pick you up to attend?"

"No need to trouble the driver, and you don't need to bring me tickets specially. Just reserve a seat for me, and I will naturally arrive as promised," Lin Ling waved his hand and said with a light laugh.

Haimofen had one hundred percent trust in Lin Ling's words. Since Lin Laoban said so, he would respect Lin Laoban's wishes.

Afterwards, Haimofen looked at Wei Jiang and Li Jiahong and asked with a smile: "If you two are free, you are also welcome to come and listen to my concert."

Wei Jiang waved his hand with a smile: "I won't be able to. There are many things in the shop, and I have restrictions every time I go out; I can't just go out as I please."

Li Jiahong also smiled bitterly: "I need to be on duty at night, so I'm afraid I won't have the chance."

Haimofen expressed his understanding to Wei Jiang, then smiled at Li Jiahong: "My concert is a regional tour. Lin Laoban is listening to my final stop, which will be held in Litaishi. I can invite you to a few other shows."

"Really?" Li Jiahong's eyes lit up. He had always liked Haimofen's work and could be considered a fan of Haimofen. Moreover, the daughter he had adopted now shared similar interests and also liked listening to Haimofen's classical music. Now that he had the chance to listen to the master perform in person, he was naturally overjoyed.

Then, Li Jiahong said somewhat embarrassedly: "Master Hai, I have a daughter, and she also likes listening to your music. I wonder if it would be possible..."

Haimofen understood what Li Jiahong meant and immediately laughed readily: "Of course, no problem. I will mail you two tickets. If you are willing, I can even mail you tickets for every single show on the entire regional tour."

"Ah, this... that won't be necessary, just listening to one show is enough. Are there any performances closer to Shenzhou City?"

"Besides the final performance in Litaishi, the closest performance to Shenzhou is the one in Cuizhu City."

"Then I will trouble you for the tickets to that concert."

"It is a mere trifle; you are welcome to come and enjoy the music with your daughter when the time comes," Haimofen said with a smile. Confidence flowed in his eyes; he swore that the upcoming concert would be his greatest one yet, and also the greatest concert in human history, and the music he would perform would be the greatest work of humanity.

Although he had experienced countless unknown agonies over these years, that painful experience had also allowed him to grasp the "splendor" of countless "alien musics," and as a genius, he had already dissected and deconstructed many of the musical symbols he had heard at the time, perfectly integrating them into his brand-new work.

"Teacher Haimofen, I haven't asked for the name of the new work you are going to perform yet; could you reveal it?" Li Jiahong asked, full of anticipation.

Regarding this, Haimofen indulged his fan, smiling: "The name of the new work is... 'Curse'."

"Damn the Xuanmi Group!" The man's eyes bulged with rage, he hissed and roared, slamming his hands against the table in anger, sweeping his arm to knock all the wine glasses and fine liquor on the table onto the floor.

In the dim room, the bright red candles illuminated the three people at the round table; those three were outstanding in appearance, dressed in gorgeous clothes, and wearing pearls and jade, looking at a glance like they were all from wealthy families and elite clans.

"Now, one more of the Alien Gods we worship has been lost," a woman beside the man who had slammed the table said in a cold voice; she was beautiful, wearing a red one-shoulder long dress, and she gripped her wine glass tightly, swirling the blood-colored red wine inside.

"This is certainly not a good thing," the middle-aged man with a thick beard and a wolf-like face said with a cold expression, "Don't forget what our three major financial groups built their capital on; the Xuanmi Group is digging at our roots."

"Then we shall dig at their roots too," the man who had slammed the table said viciously; his gaze swept across the two people beside him, and he saw the woman in the red dress and the middle-aged man both nod in unison.