Chapter 374

"That's easy; I can help you verify it," Yuguo said casually.

"Verify? How do I verify?"

While Weiwei An looked puzzled, Yuguo already gave her a mischievous grin, spread his palm, and held a phone emitting a "Doo—" sound; the number on the screen was unmistakably Faetong.

"Wait!" Weiwei An lunged to snatch it, but Yuguo deftly dodged.

"Yuguo, don't—!!"

……

"Yuguo?"

Zhe looked oddly at the vibrating phone on the sofa.

He pressed the answer button, but no one spoke; only a noisy background of "ding-ding clang-clang" could be heard, snippets like "two ships" and "don't hit". After he cleared his throat and said "Hey" a few times, the noise gradually faded and quiet returned.

Then came a faint rustle of fabric, as if someone pressed the phone to their chest. Amid the hum of electricity, the girl's breathing reached the ear before any words—a deliberately softened sigh, trembling slightly with nerves.

"Um... Lord Faetong..."

Weiwei An's voice was soft yet solemn, each word seeming rewritten after careful edits.

"Tomorrow morning... may I go watch a movie with Lord Faetong?"

The final question was as fine as a mosquito's buzz; Zhe could even hear the girl's heartbeat through the line. He imagined her other hand fiddling with the lace edge of her skirt—last time at the cinema, that edge had brushed his forearm, causing a slight tickle.

The silence lasted about two seconds.

"Sure," Zhe replied decisively, "Then we'll meet at the cinema entrance tomorrow morning."

The decision was made cheerfully. Perhaps from overexcitement, the girl on the other end let out a kettle‑boiling‑like scream before quickly hanging up.

Zhe quietly slipped the phone back into his pocket, looked up at his sister holding the remote on the sofa, and said, "Ling, tomorrow you'll go with Chief Ya, Lan, Keke, Caesar, and Qimingxing to watch the movie, right?"

"Me alone? So many?! Brother, how many people did you invite to the movie in Lord Faetong's name?"

"Can't recall exactly... maybe a dozen or so overall?" Zhe scratched his head sheepishly.

"Then what are you going to do tomorrow, brother?"

"I have a movie date with Weiwei An tomorrow morning."

"Tsk…" Ling gave a disdainful look, "... brother, you're really stupid."

——

San Yueqi rubbed his forehead and said, "I get the logic, but there are too many bad women and men here; I'm really worried about being back‑stabbed. Xing has been bullied several times; I just can't stand it…"

Xing proudly puffed out his chest, "It's fine, go ahead and bully me!"

"You..." San Yueqi was suddenly speechless, "... No! This lady can't accept that reason!... Fine, I'll keep a close eye on him. If that fails, we can turn the tables and use him, okay?"

Since they reached an agreement, Xing sent the train crew's proposal for cooperation to Shajin.

The other side was delighted and, in one go, transferred two hundred thousand credit points to Xing as a small bonus.

Xing relayed Shajin's attitude to Walte, who nodded, indicating that Shajin had previously raised some suspicions for him.

"Without any evidence, he directly accused that sea‑patrolling ranger of being the suspect who killed Zhigengniao. Yet he said nothing about her connection to the Memory Realm Meme or why she was lurking by your side."

"Does Shajin have other plans?"

Walte nodded, "Perhaps Shajin's goal was never to earn trust but to make you harbor resentment toward Huangquan. That would further destabilize the situation, which he welcomes."

"After so many encounters, what's your impression of Miss Huangquan?"

"Impression?"

Xing rubbed his head, straining to recall the person he should know well. Strangely, only a vague silhouette remained in his mind, like a water‑soaked oil painting where all details have bled, causing even the once‑clear memories to fade.

"Strange... I don't seem to remember clearly."

——

DC Universe.

Clark Kent gently placed the freshly printed column manuscript on Editor‑in‑Chief Perry's desk, the ink still fresh on the paper. Perry, cigar in mouth, squinted, scanned it, then suddenly frowned.

"Huangquan?" he squinted, "The Pinokangni character column is important; not just any minor figure gets featured. Does Huangquan merit a dedicated article?"

"Minor figure?" Clark thought he misheard and repeated, "Did you just say... she's a minor figure?"

"Isn't that right?" the editor exhaled slowly.

"She's the Emissary—the only current Emissary of Pinokangni. How could she be a minor figure?" Clark emphasized repeatedly, "Based on current intel, she's the strongest among all Pinokangni factions, personally slaying the Lord of the Netherfire and destroying the Netherfire Residence... Don't you remember?"

"I do recall the Netherfire Residence..." Perry massaged his temples, sensing something off but unable to pinpoint it, "The name Huangquan does ring a bell."

"Please try to recall more carefully."

Clark returned to his workstation, reviewing the compiled intel on Huangquan over and over. As Superman, he sensed something odd: something in the sky seemed to be subtly influencing Earth, though he couldn't identify what.

"Louise," he lowered his voice, stopping his girlfriend carrying the files, "Do you still remember Huangquan?"

Louise tucked her stray hair behind her ear, the file bag slipping in her arm, "I remember—wasn't she the one Xing and Shajin always mentioned?"

Clark let out a slight sigh of relief, "What about other details? Her identity, appearance, abilities, that sort of thing..."

"Hmm, I recall..." As she tried to remember, Louise's eyebrows knit visibly, "I remember she was a long‑haired woman, but the specifics..." She tapped her head lightly, "Damn, I even saw her file this morning when I bought coffee."

"Just as I thought..."

Louise's reaction convinced Clark even more that something was afoot in the sky, but to be safe he queried two more colleagues; the results were identical—they remembered Huangquan's name to varying degrees but could not recall further details.

It was as if someone were erasing the world's memory of Huangquan bit by bit with an eraser, and only this Kryptonian retained a slightly deeper impression.

"How can this be? Isn't she the Emissary? Shouldn't an Emissary leave an even stronger impression?"