Chapter 1329

NO. 233: I'm getting tired of you, you little brat.

It's hard to imagine such a stroke of luck falling from the sky.

Aomo Lindun, who always strived to build everything step by step, never expected the sudden illness of a competitor or the unexpected aid of an assistant.

That only makes oneself weaker

When the storage device was read and the dense files filled the terminal's light screen, each clearly named and instantly recognizable, Aomo unconsciously held his breath and glanced at Hol Haiya beside him.

He saw the person sitting beside him lean forward entirely, mirroring his own gaze.

Their face was unusually close.

So close that he suddenly recalled yesterday, and instinctively raised his hand to cover his face.

「？」

No matter how small the gesture, at this distance it was obvious—let alone raising his whole palm—Hol Haiya looked surprised at this little adult who seemed to recall something "unpleasant to remember," while the tip of her tail swayed left and right behind her as she struggled to resist the urge to hug this adorable little one.

She was trying hard to suppress her desire to hug this cute little guy.

To maintain a good atmosphere, she hadn't even asked the questions she really wanted to.

Though she had pieced together specific information from Xiao Xi, Texas, and Ailisuzhi, knowing why Aomo had become so small and why his hair was so long,

this of course didn't stop her from taking advantage of the situation, asking questions she already knew the answers to just to enjoy his possible fluster and anxiety.

Moreover, there was the so-called insomnia.

Among the crowd, it wasn't just Suzi who doubted Aomo's insomnia excuse, but among those who could truly guess his reasons, aside from Chazuo, there was also Hol Haiya, the information expert.

Of course, there were differences in how accurate the guesses were.

As for Chazuo, it wasn't just guessing right—she had already confirmed it and obtained considerable testimony, while Hol Haiya still lingered on a list of suspects who might secretly seek Aomo at night for personal matters rather than business.

That list wasn't short.

It included Ling, Xi, Shu, Shi Huaiya, and even Kasheyna, who had only visited once but was someone not only Aomo would be wary of, but half of Rhodes Island would be wary of as a special individual.

By comparison, Xiangyu siblings, Bi Ze, David, Xiqifeng, and even the long-unseen Gre, Tiamat Lichang, and El-Melloi II—names Aomo Lindun had some past connection with—were also noticed by her, so even Texas's colleagues at Penguin Logistics weren't overlooked.

This is Hol Haiya's information power, encompassing all of Aomo's social connections, even his high school, middle school, and elementary records—if not for the danger posed by those big shots from the orphanage, she would undoubtedly investigate those as well.

And this material, originally gathered just to gain assistance, has now become an important advantage she still uses.

Even if Ling and Aomo knew each other and had some interactions, only Chazuo would mention it slightly, and only Zhong Yue and the annual meeting would touch on it a bit—yet it still couldn't escape the records of the information serpent.

This is the information serpent, or more accurately, the serpent.

As everyone knows, snakes lack external ear openings and aren't very sensitive to airborne sounds, but they rely on bone conduction to be exceptionally sensitive to vibrations from objects they touch.

Their cheek pits' temperature sensitivity can nearly achieve a mind-reading-like physiological state when combined with bone conduction, and simply closing their mouths can easily block pheromones, making it easy for them to accept or shut off information.

One could say every snake is a natural expert in information processing; if they aren't skilled enough, they can't survive in the cruel competition.

But without a doubt.

Snakes also communicate with each other.

Despite having a physique superior to many peers yet inferior to high school horse girl racers in that young demon's physical quality, little Aomo again failed to dodge the electric snake tail.

Of course, the purpose wasn't to crush Aomo like a python constricting prey, but merely to prevent his soon-to-open arms from falling into empty space.

The special fiber robe is of excellent quality, its outstanding insulation even making this embrace not warm.

Yet the fatiguing softness remained undistorted.

Combined with the soft whisper against his cheek, it added an irresistible pull.

But the child's voice seemed untouched by that pull, carrying its own calm: "Hol Haiya, what are you doing?"

Even calmer than when he grew up.

As for this, Hol Haiya merely maintained her usual gentle tone: "I feel so sorry for you."

"Is that so?" the little boy held in her arms, expression and tone utterly unmoved, as if perfectly synchronized with the invisible black sheep above his head.

"To be frank, I only see that you, like those horse girls from before, have an abnormal fondness for human children."

"I don't deny it either, but I want to know what's troubling this little guy," the soft gray hair brushing against his smooth black hair, words carrying the friction at the temples, indeed holding a hard-to-define kindness, "I know, in this state you're very different from the usual Mr. Aomo—had it been him, he would have activated those monster cards from the very first moment, whether child or youth, you have that judgment."

"But he can't handle that stimulation, while you seem indifferent—doesn't that feel ironic?"

"Why?"

"Most children seek help from adults, but we people do the opposite."

"We adults, having experienced things, are actually more fragile than in childhood."

"Do you really have a childhood?"

"It seems I missed a sentence: we adults are also more polite than we were as children."

"That last sentence was my mistake—please allow me to apologize and take it back."

Feeling the arms around his head and shoulders tighten uncomfortably, little Aomo had to retract his hastily spoken words.

"Okay, just as I investigated—you're a very well-behaved child," stroking his cheek and hair, making the blue feather on one side of his hair slightly bend, the information serpent continued gently, "I don't think adults needing children's help is shameful, after all, no one can say children are necessarily inferior to adults, or that adults are always more promising than children."

"What do you want to say?"

"Hear me out—I want to say that you and Mr. Aomo are ultimately both Aomo Lindun, just that after a major upheaval, your personality and thinking have become completely different."

"So what?"

"Now, being able to find past shadows through Suzi's medicine is likewise your own method, like that idiom in Dongyan language—'carving a boat to seek a sword,' right?"

"Carving a boat to seek a sword is a failed attempt."

"Yeah, but you succeeded—you succeeded in using medicine to regain your more composed self."

"You want to urge me to make a decision?"

"You figured it out?" Hol Haiya admitted openly, "Those hesitations belong to Mr. Aomo; you've only inherited the surface. With who you are now, you shouldn't have any of those worries or entanglements, so you two should switch."

"How should we switch? I handle private matters, he handles your results?"

"Would that be offensive?"

"No, it's a great idea, targeting the problem directly, very efficient." The boy said just as softly, then propped himself up, breaking the close embrace, and met her gaze.

"But I don't want this efficiency from tomorrow's me."

"He wouldn't think squeezing the past self is reasonable."

"Hmm, on the contrary, it would be rather pitiful, and I can understand that," the woman with her fingers interlaced but resting on her chin said, looking satisfied at the child, "You really are a well-behaved child, little Aomo."

"Your next line won't be that such a well-behaved child should be eaten by you, right?" The child said expressionlessly.

"Heh, you still have a sense of humor, then," Holleha ya laughed, brushing his hair tips, "But I should still have helped, shouldn't I?"

"Without a doubt." He waved the nail-polish-shaped storage device in his hand, the child smiled, smiling unexpectedly sunny.

"You need to record the achievement, but this achievement must be claimed by my future self."

"Will you give me restricted rewards?"

"But you'll always find a way around the limits, won't you, Miss Feathered Serpent?"

"Hmm, of course," the Feathered Serpent withdrew her hand, then stroked the feathers beside her ear, "I truly hope Mr. Aomo can be as easy to talk to as you."

"Being easy to talk to doesn't mean having a good relationship; all his restrictions on those around him stem precisely from his care, and while I now have memory, I lack genuine feeling."

"I merely don't mind being held in the arms of a beautiful and lovely lady."

"But I still broke free." Holleha ya said regretfully.

"He has the habit of flipping through memories; staying too long might mean never regaining that familiar sensation, do you understand what I mean?"

"Excessively high moral standards." Holleha ya sighed, not hard to understand this is saying Aomo would feel endangered upon syncing with memories while flipping through them, thus beginning to seal the 'Suzi Alternative Rejuvenation Elixir,' no longer allowing himself to rejuvenate.

"He truly doesn't seem like someone from the era I investigated, how could there be a snake living so impartially?"

Being overly principled to the point of contradicting a snake's survival way, she couldn't help but complain.

"So you want to watch him, isn't that right?"

"An existence rarely revealed even in history, you finally found someone who can display silent order and flowing history through him."

"I'm starting to find you too candid to the point of being eyesore."

"Not strange, not everyone loves looking in the mirror."