[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-164":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2286000,4472,"Chapter 164: 163 Heartbeat Moment","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-164",164,"\u003Cp>“Puff.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the comical expression on her younger brother’s swollen face—two parts shock, three parts confusion, five parts disbelief—Princess Wang Nuwei clenched her lips so tightly her face turned red, yet a faint sound still slipped from the corner of her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demeanor! Mind your demeanor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if hearing the mental whisper of some middle-aged noblewoman, the princess who had nearly laughed out loud pinched her own thigh hard, using the pain to suppress her mirth, then raised her hand again, eyes soft with reproach as she whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Prince~ How much longer must I wait here for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Princess Wang Nuwei below—the flushed cheeks from suppressed laughter, the sultry gaze from holding back her smile, the dazzling white expanse of her chest (truly dazzling)—Li Ang hesitated, then finally bowed slightly and took her hand in his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not that I crave power or am seduced by beauty, but... this is the Golden Badge!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she is the first heir to the throne. As long as I maintain this surface marriage, once the old king passes, the Golden Badge will directly upgrade to a colored one—how could anyone possibly refuse this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Done!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grasping Li Ang’s hand—along with the Lai’en family’s inheritance and the entire kingdom’s future—Veronika felt her entire body relax, as if some heavy chain that had crushed her for years had just been shattered in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stepping onto the main stage, fingers locked tightly with Li Ang’s, standing beside him, Princess Veronika’s lovely face flushed again with excited crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this unparalleled opportunity, I can fully absorb the Lai’en family’s legacy, seize control of the Road Administration and Military Ministry, and finally push forward the reforms I’ve long dreamed of!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, eliminate years of entrenched corruption, mend the treasury’s deficit, rebuild the Military Ministry nearly hollowed out by the Lai’en family—this kingdom will rise again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the future, this kingdom will never again collapse as it did six years ago—crumbling at the first battlefield strike, allowing enemy forces to march straight in, forcing half the province’s people from their homes, leaving nearly a million homeless...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump-thump!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang’s contamination level had long exceeded three points. Though insufficient training meant he hadn’t yet achieved fully non-human physicality, his perception abilities had already strengthened significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the princess stepped beside him, besides her increasingly rapid breathing, Li Ang faintly heard her heartbeat quickening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump-thump! Thump-thump!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the princess’s eyes grow distant, her cheeks redder and redder, feeling the faint dampness seeping from her soft palm and her rising body temperature, Li Ang frowned slightly and asked softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness? Are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just call me Veronika. Or Vini is fine too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her decade-long hope on the verge of fulfillment, her beloved kingdom finally seeing dawn, the ecstatic princess gripped Li Ang’s hand tightly and replied with radiant joy:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine! Truly fine! I’ve never felt better in my life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prince... no! Li Ang! I truly thank you—and I thank you on behalf of the entire kingdom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I don’t yet know why you proposed to me, I swear to you: your choice will prove right! I... I think I’m getting too excited...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though her grip on Li Ang’s hand remained firm, as her heartbeat grew even more violent, the princess’s body unconsciously leaned toward him, finally wrapping her arm around his and resting her head gently on his shoulder, her face flushed as she whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold me, Li Ang... please hold me? Maybe... maybe I’m too happy—I’m feeling a little dizzy... my heartbeat’s racing...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether intentional or not, as the princess leaned in, her smooth, plump lips brushed lightly against Li Ang’s earlobe—the searing heat seemed contagious, spreading from her rosy lips straight to his ear, turning it crimson too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her soft, whispering breath tickled his ear, making it itch—and his own heartbeat quickened in response. Li Ang felt his heart pounding like a war drum, violently slamming against his chest, faster and louder with every beat...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And her soft, whispering breath tickled Leon’s ears, making them itch, causing his heartbeat to quicken as well—he felt his heart pounding like a drum, frantically slamming against his chest, faster and louder with each beat…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without warning, the entire hall fell silent. Whether whispering guests or the resentful Prince, all instinctively held their breath—and even more strangely, each unconsciously pressed a hand to their chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, the entire hall had fallen silent again; whether the murmuring guests or the prince brimming with resentment, all instinctively held their hearts and ceased making a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling her cheeks burn hot from blood rushing upward, the Prime Minister’s Lady, standing in the front row beside the freckled prince, nervously touched her strangely flushed face, then turned to her attendant, hoping he’d help her leave the increasingly stifling hall for some cool air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she could speak, her attendant’s legs buckled—he stumbled forward two steps, then collapsed face-first onto the main stage, writhing helplessly without rising again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That collapse triggered something strange: one by one, thuds echoed through the hall as guests fell to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a crowd drunk on wine, every guest’s face flushed with unnatural crimson, swaying unsteadily before collapsing sideways in all directions...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a crowd drunk on wine, the guests in the hall all flushed with an eerie redness, staggered a few steps, then toppled sideways in all directions…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Poison! Someone poisoned us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, someone realized something was wrong. The freckled prince, sprawled on the ground, rolled over and glared at Li Ang on the stage like a starving wolf, screaming hoarsely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s you! You’re the one who poisoned us, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fool! It has nothing to do with poison—it’s clearly an anomaly attack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the freckled prince’s wild guess, Li Ang listened to the chorus of thumping heartbeats filling the hall, felt his own blood rushing faster, and, despite his own discomfort, took a deep breath. He guided the princess, whose eyes were already glazed, to the side, then pulled a small mirror from his robe and held it up to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the freckled prince’s wild guesses, Leon listened to the continuous drumming of heartbeats echoing through the hall, felt his own blood rushing faster, and, equally pained, took a deep breath, steadied the princess whose eyes had grown hazy, then pulled a small mirror from his robe and held it up to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the puppy’s understanding yip, the shopping bag with the goat’s head and the black broom with cat-paw prints on the handle instantly appeared in Li Ang’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kid, we thought about it—you’ve got terrible luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the holes in the shopping bag, the black goat glanced at the chaotic scene of fallen guests and grumbled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like that detective guy you mentioned, you’re a magnet for trouble. Wherever you go, something goes wrong. Nothing ever goes smoothly for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just like that Conan demon you mentioned—you’re really a trouble magnet. Wherever you go, something always goes wrong. No matter what you plan, nothing ever goes smoothly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gripping the goat’s horns, Li Ang swiftly checked the soul states of everyone in the hall—and found them all “normal.” His brow furrowed deeply. He sent a mental message directly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspect this is an assassination attempt by rebels targeting the princess, but I can’t locate the one using the anomaly. Their range might exceed my sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they might also have learned of my abilities and deliberately avoided detection—keep watch for me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But apart from that, it's also possible that after obtaining my information, they deliberately used some method to evade soul perception—try your best to keep an eye on them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[55] But apart from that, it’s also possible that, after obtaining my information, they deliberately found a way to evade soul perception—do your best to keep an eye out for them!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1308,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f06912bff2bf61dc0eeb7a684825912cbced82247c59ba1b66daefbc1253562e","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-165","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-163",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]