Chapter 192: – But Aomo

Language is one of the efficient media for humans to carry emotions; it can be constrained by emotions and cannot guarantee symmetrical information between the two parties.

Once emotions set the precedent, pretending information is symmetrical will render that information cheap.

These messages might not be considered secrets in the eyes of such big shots, but for Aomo and Li, they are ultimately unfamiliar.

Especially for the former, maintaining his calm tone is no easy feat.

Secret Key

This special term, he truly hasn't heard in a long time.

Since returning from Heaven Gate City, he has been continuously following the subsequent developments of that case.

Although he wouldn't actively make an interstellar call to inquire about the investigation, he would, when opening his email each day, instinctively check the category of the Two Worlds Safety Bureau of Heaven Gate City.

But that incident truly ended, and news about that secret key sank like a stone in the sea, with no further movement.

When heard again, it was merely the Heaven Gate's secret key, the secret key of confidential logistics work, and suchlike—things that seemed but weren't.

But in the mouth of a senior executive of a company that has achieved some success in researching and creating monsters, upon hearing the term 'secret key,' the fiery glow in his eye sockets became even more intense.

He was very excited, and both Mori An and Dongzi Zhenren could see it.

Unfortunately, this communication was not a video call.

The exalted chairman is unwilling to look at any monster research or possible flesh-and-blood footage—although Dongzi Zhenren once promised there would be none, because negative-energy monsters are not living beings in the conventional sense; they only acquire the concept of carbon-based life after taking form.

Before that, it was merely a shapeless black mass, and the research and cultivation footage would not contain the distorted, bloody, or otherwise unpleasant elements that ordinary people imagine.

But the boss just doesn't want to watch—what can you do?

You can only, when he falls into an information imbalance, secretly hope he suffers further humiliation, preferably being pointed at with a gun just like yourself.

Such a thing is not very realistic, and she knows that too.

Even if that guy rushes down to the eighth basement level, takes hostages of this group, and even brings in accomplices, killing up to a hundred floors is another matter entirely.

This building contains not only one monster breeding facility, but also an additional space that needs constant stabilization for a breeding farm, where the digitally shaped monsters of Youge'er Company are placed.

Unfortunately, none have yet been registered.

Even the Red King Star, which has appeared in the news, is reported as an experimental specimen rather than a product.

This company certainly won't be entirely lawful.

Rather, large companies always have some illegal aspects; the difference is merely the scale and quantity.

So Aomo can use this as a conversation starter without any worry.

Of course, the big boss doesn't care about such minor issues that can be smoothed over with connections, so this is merely a prelude.

The other party doesn't even care about the 'subordinate with divided loyalties' mentioned in the preamble, so Aomo realizes the other party's psychological expectations are unexpectedly high.

Able to knock out something good.

Of course, even the 'subordinate with divided loyalties' is Aomo's uncertain bluff, naturally aimed at Dongzi Zhenren as a sowing‑of‑discord foreshadowing; yet when he spoke those words, Dongzi Zhenren's micro‑expression genuinely surprised him a little.

Perhaps… he had unintentionally touched on something…… Aomo thought so, yet he could still smoothly continue the conversation all the way to the end——

Secret key… secret key……

That is a device capable of condensing monster power—powerful yet dangerous, but also with a subtle usage threshold.

First, one must have a monster; second, its definition of a monster isn't that fixed, but… this company is indeed creating monsters.

Setting aside biological nature, negative‑energy monsters can be called the most authentic monsters, possessing both eeriness and animality, but this too is setting aside biological nature—the image of a monster usually possesses a living quality.

This is therefore hard to confirm.

But he doesn't need to confirm it, for he has heard again of the so‑called 'monster exhibition.'

If this exhibition truly lives up to its name, then it must be the stage where that secret key perfectly exerts itself——

——That's enough！

He who understands this has already gained a harvest far greater than expected.

【Mission accomplished, I've sent you the experimental data; Dongzi Zhenren is also with me—do you want to deal with her?】

He tapped the keys on the light screen, sent a message to the client; as a mercenary, his work was declared finished, but the secret key is another matter.

Zhouri Ningjing: 【Deal with her? Forget it, I'm in a bad mood】

Because I'm in a bad mood I won't do anything to people—Ren really is bringing evil upon himself…… Aomo felt speechless, and then saw the other party's follow‑up message.

Zhouri Ningjing: 【With this data that's enough; take away those horses that underwent the experiment and it's done—move quickly, before the cops arrive！】

Yuehuanshe: 【Then why aren't you coming down to help? Zhouri Committee】

Zhouri Ningjing: 【Wait till I deal with this damned flying dragon before I come down！】

Damned flying dragon… maybe a million dragon beast, Aomo sighed.

This matter is about to end, but he still hasn't seen through Zhouri Ningjing's private motives.

Not coming as a member of the URA Association, but rather handling it with the pitch‑black Sunday plan; only at the cleanup stage does she put on the act of a Zhouri Committee member who 'happens upon' a lost horse maiden and rescues her… she must have some ulterior motive, which may relate to that 'friend's' commission, or may simply be her own idea.

But no matter how, he hasn't figured it out.

Of course, this actually isn't much; he bears no ill will toward Zhouri Ningjing, a mercenary shouldn't probe the client too much, but his persistent curiosity remains unsatisfied, leaving him feeling the conclusion isn't perfect.

"Have you finished contacting?"

"Mm, how about your side?"

He turned his head; Mori An, clad in a high‑degree cybernetic outfit, was showing him the floppy disk in his hand.

"Same, confirmed—now the mission is complete."

"Completed smoothly! Happy cooperation!" As the captain's concluding remark, it had to be said by the Spring Water Commander.

"Happy cooperation." Aomo said, glancing at the former trainer who had been knocked out by the prosthetic, now a researcher.

"Are you hesitating about whether to make her public? This lady used to be a trainer too."

From the very start, that commander had received Aomo's investigative data from that side; through Li's gaze, the commander watched Aomo's actions and seemed to guess what he was thinking.

After all……

Isn't Mr. Lindun also a trainer?

Using Miss Dazhenhan's past shadow to construct monsters is undoubtedly wrong and should also be judged by law.

Even outside the company, looking up Aomo Lindun online is not difficult; Aomo isn't surprised the other party can state his side job, rather he's already accustomed to people knowing his situation.

He looked at the woman who very cooperatively told him the information he sought, fell silent for a moment, then extended a sharp finger tinged with a bit of electric current, placing it on her brow.

After a slight tremor, she gradually came to.

Li was obviously urged by the director to leave, while the demon, recovering human form amidst dissipating magic, looked down from above, waiting for their eyes to meet.

"I thought it was a dream," Dongzi Zhenren said calmly.

A mental-system ascendant should also have such calm; they are accustomed to controlling others' mindsets and can adjust their own.

"Then what should your reality be? Does it have a place for Miss Dazhenhan?"

Aomo said, turning to walk to the lab's water dispenser, scooping out two disposable paper cups to fetch water there, not at all afraid of what Dongzi Zhenren might do.

He indeed wasn't afraid.

Even before initially seizing the opponent, Dongzi Zhenren tried to hit the demon before her with a heavy mental strike, but unfortunately she underestimated the opponent's mental resilience.

For anyone else, that would be the pain level of having their head blown apart, practically instant shock; but for the demon, it just shook its head, then retaliated with the aura of two monster powers.

Now, Aomo brought over the cup holding cool white water and placed it on the table before her.

He and Li aren't bandits; although they borrowed this lab to look up data, they didn't mess up the desks and chairs, but around a pillar over a dozen people sat, all tied up in a coma.

Later, police will come to untie them; maybe Zhouri Ningjing will even come over and kick them a few times 'carefully'.

But before that, he still wanted to say a few words to Dongzi Zhenren, for the not-so-familiar Miss Dazhenhan.

「It's been a long time since I heard the name deep from anyone else; Lin Dun trainer, did you know deep before? 」 Dongzi Zhenren picked up the water cup without hesitation and took a sip.

She recognizes herself; that's not strange.

She could even recognize herself in Aomo's demonic form, and had once tried to say something to turn the tide, but it had no effect.

What's stranger now is what the other party wants to say, after Aomo mentioned Dazhenhan.

What she says might be true; she really hasn't heard any news about Dazhenhan from anyone for a long time, so if that's the case, it's natural for her to have bottled up many words.

「We know each other, just met a few days ago, and it's because of you all, 」 Aomo said, pointing his index finger with the hand holding the water cup toward the opposite side of the lab; the anti-peeping glass is one-way, so from here we can clearly see the horse girls lying in the culture tanks. 「Someone will come to take them away later; you need to help, otherwise, given that person's level of violence, something unpleasant will probably happen. 」

「At this point we can only cooperate, 」 Dongzi Zhenren gave a helpless smile, smiling with extreme fatigue, 「Does that mean we're reaping what we sowed? Are you acting because of the horse girls' report or someone else's tip-off? 」

「Because the gang used monsters. 」

「…I see, those guys sold off the failed products, 」 realizing this, Dongzi Zhenren's smile grew more helpless, 「It's a pity; now we're only a few steps away from success. 」

「From a trainer's perspective, I'd only say there's nothing to pity. 」

「Using children's past loneliness to shape monsters is not something adults should do. 」

「But what if I am also a child? 」 Dongzi Zhenren, holding the water cup, looked at him, his gaze shifting to his back then back again, speaking observantly, 「The yearning for pure spirit has been a trait of mine since childhood. 」

Aomo didn't care about her sudden observation, nor the slight sound outside; compared to chasing that possible someone, he preferred to finish speaking here.

After all, that stalker hasn't done anything yet.

「You mean you shape monsters to preserve that purity? 」

「For ordinary people I'd have to spend more words, 」 Dongzi Zhenren smiled as if realizing something, 「but you can actually understand, right? 」

「Deriving understanding from putting oneself in another's shoes doesn't count as real comprehension, 」 Aomo said coolly, 「I've read your files; your indulgent attitude toward Dazhenhan left a deep impression on me, and even more so is that so-called demise. 」

「Since then, have you lost your passion for her? 」

「Yeah, she changed. 」

「People change, let alone a teenage girl. 」

Aomo raised his hand, pointing at the paper cup in front of Dongzi Zhenren; beneath the pale blue magic circle, water gathered from within the cup.

「Do you think racing horse girls are the same as humans? 」 Dongzi Zhenren then lifted that cup of water and drank.

「Isn't that not the same? 」 Aomo gazed at the water cup before his hand.

「Pure speed, pure victory, and the arrogance that victory brings—no human school can cultivate the spiritual traits of that group of horse girls from Treresen; indeed, the moment they lie in infant beds as racing horse girls, they are already set apart from humans. 」

「One thing needs correcting: there are plenty of oddballs among humans, and」 Aomo said, 「the difference in mental shaping is still far from reaching the level of racial discrimination. 」

「I'm not advocating racial discrimination either, 」 Dongzi Zhenren laughed helplessly, 「I just feel that such elves will also change, which disappoints me a bit. 」

「I'd rather call that growth. 」

Aomo said, seeing the denial in Dongzi Zhenren's eyes: 「But you'll think she lost her most important trait. 」

The latter said seriously: 「The true nature of racing horse girls is the key to their brilliance. 」

「I couldn't agree more…」 Aomo said, glancing at the brightening light screen; Zhouri Ningjing had cleared a space.

He turned his eyes back to Dongzi Zhenren: 「But isn't that lonely, sorrowful appearance because she got lost? 」

「……」

Dongzi Zhenren lowered his eyes, saying nothing.

And Aomo did not stay silent with her:

「Many horse girls accustomed to short distances, when they reach medium- or long-distance tracks, feel the track is too big, too empty, and even somewhat panicky. 」

「Guiding lost horse girls onto the track is also part of a trainer's job. 」

「That isn't true nature; it's just that she stepped onto a track unsuitable for her, and you understand that as well. 」

「At the Satsuki Sho, you brought her onto the track. 」

「Yes, so I also said goodbye to her, 」 Dongzi Zhenren suddenly said, his whole body presenting a posture of not wanting to argue, giving up, smiling and leaning back relaxed in the chair, 「She grew up, and I don't like it. 」

She indeed knew it well in her heart, so when the topic reached this point, she used this posture to hide her anxiety.

「Can that even be called a farewell? Personally, I feel it's more like leaving without saying goodbye. 」

「Do you think I should go back to see her? 」

「At the very least, making monsters from others' pasts is a serious violation of privacy, and selling those monsters around for people to gawk at……」 Aomo, with both hands propped on the table, crossed his arms and said, 「Have you ever been kicked by a horse girl? Dongzi Zhenren trainer. 」

I'm just a psychic researcher.

You can try using psychic power to defend against the horse girl's flying kick; of course, Miss Dazhenhan's psychic studies have also been going well—perhaps she's been working so hard just to break your shield, I guess.

... You're joking, right?

Naturally it's a joke; after laughing, we should get serious.

Aomo said, standing up, and this was also because he had already heard some chaotic footsteps.

In five or six seconds, the main control lights will also come on here.

You haven't brought those horse girls out yet!?

Someone's brows were furrowed, no need to say who.

Of course, the commission is over; I now have no obligation to bear it all alone—wait for your help.