Chapter 193: Queue Torture

Multiple Ultimate and Mega Digimon descended into reality to battle, and their battlefield was even inside a building.

Even if the system that opened an interdimensional space saved the company building, the earliest employees and customers to escape the danger would still spread the disaster everywhere.

Then, as expected, those who would arrive even faster than the police are the reporters.

This bunch still restrains themselves on the surface, but in the exotic realm they drop the act completely.

Space jumps, body-strengthening source energy, mechanical prostheses—though different in form, they all point to one goal: to break the big news earlier and faster!

Thus Aomo was able to see on the light screen photos of Battle Greymon and Gold Armor Dracomon facing off against Infinite Dragonmon, Lance Dragonmon, and Metal Garurumon.

It also carried the distinctive granular texture of Reconstruction Magic.

Exactly, among this group of reporters, some even studied Reconstruction Magic just to fabricate news!

Being able to recreate spacetime images requires not only advanced skill but also a strong physique and magic reserve to withstand spacetime pressure—so damn impressive, why are you still a reporter? Wouldn't it be better to apply as an honorary assistant to the Special Cases Unit?

Seeing this kind of person for the first time makes it hard to hold back the urge to complain, but for the residents of Jiemen District, anything worth being surprised about has already surprised them long ago.

Right now, Aomo only watches the freshest reports, his solemn gaze sweeping around.

Even when seeing phrases like 'Ugeer Company under investigation,' 'Rising Star Mercenary Corps announces dissolution,' 'Exposing Ugeer Company's secret industry,' he remained tense, only relaxing slightly after reaching the end.

Ugeer Company's operations were completely frozen and it entered investigation; Gray Crow Agency made the news, and Gold Armor Dracomon's fame occupied considerable space, while Aya Ame Xiangyu, who had some popularity in the Digimon circle, also managed to stand out in the real world.

It didn't mention Aomo and Zhouri Ningjing's covert maneuver, but a few minutes later the URA Association issued a statement.

It mentioned the situation of the Digital Horse Girls, acknowledged Ugeer Company's legal procedures, but also expressed the dissatisfaction of the Horse Girl Families, issuing to Ugeer Company a 'advice' that 'it is not recommended to continue like this'.

Next, Ugeer Company will also have to face public opinion pressure from the fans of Racing Horse Girls; although lacking any G1-grade horse girls among them results in slightly insufficient fame, once the momentum builds it's still enough to drink a pot of tea.

A few minutes, several billion up or down—isn't that exactly it? Aomo wasn't wrong when he told that chairman earlier; he can make the company lose several billion in just a few minutes.

And if it continues, the losses will only grow.

"We haven't been mentioned yet, but that's only a matter of time."

Aomo looked away from the light screen, glanced at the wooden ceiling above, then turned his gaze to Zhouri Ningjing brewing coffee at the counter.

He was in a coffee shop in the southern part of the Exotic Realm, and it was indeed a very good coffee shop.

Wooden decor, rattan accents—under the warm tones lies the rich aroma of coffee, and… a pricing that makes Aomo feel uneasy all over.

A wallet is an inanimate object; it won't scream.

But Aomo's heart will tremble.

Looking at the customers seated at tables and chairs made from sunshades outside, from their attire and speech one could infer they were either rich or noble, giving Aomo the feeling that he had mistakenly entered a high-society gathering.

Compared to the coffee itself, this place seems to offer more of a platform.

A platform that lets big shots briefly relax—in this remote area, there are no cameras, no records, no relentless gaze; only their special vehicles prove their specialness.

Not discussing business seems to be the unspoken rule here.

They chat here, read newspapers, watch videos, even play games, with excellent coffee as a harmonizer, enjoying tranquil stability and rare interpersonal care.

And that black-haired horse girl said this shop is hers, and she also has similar shops in many other places.

This inevitably led Aomo to reconsider her economic strength and social influence in certain fields.

Thus he felt even more uneasy.

After all, the commission was already completed, yet he had been invited here by her.

Indeed, at that time more than one person invited him—the director of Gray Crow Agency, as well as Xiangyu Yamei, both intended to chat with him.

The former might still have been for business, but the latter could only be for catching up.

Huh? Catching up? Is there any past to catch up on?

Aomo, who completely denied that such a thing existed, gave a perfunctory response, but he did have some thoughts about the invitation from Gray Crow Agency.

Being both a transmigrator and a colleague, having a communication opportunity is always good, but when Zhouri Ningjing also sent him an address to come over, Aomo still weighed it and decided to keep her appointment.

Although the commission was finished, the matter wasn't over. Gray Crow Agency could visit later, but Zhouri Ningjing's invitation was the first.

As long as we don't count that initial classroom meeting.

Aomo was very curious about what she would reveal and what trouble she would bring.

Having become mercenaries who started their own business, their perspective on trouble should also change somewhat.

After all, trouble might also be an opportunity, right?

While thinking that, he obviously hadn't expected the location to be such a coffee shop.

Among the row of cool vehicles and mounts, half mechanical and half marvelous, parked at the entrance, the Beta Motorcycle that Aomo summoned didn't look particularly special.

Is this some kind of intimidation, or what?

Aomo, trying to stay calm, stepped into the coffee shop and saw Zhouri Ningjing washing cups, realizing he might have been overthinking.

She looked very relaxed, relaxed enough to hum something softly while washing cups, and even a few seconds after he sat down, the attendant noticed him before she did.

Just treat him as another customer; this coffee house also has plenty of patrons, who prefer the interior's lazy tones and cool air conditioning over the outside air.

Everyone here is very relaxed; such an atmosphere makes it hard to grow any inclination to scrutinize others, so the so-called intimidation has no follow‑up moves, and Aomo also activated his terminal, checking the news while calculating the time.

The afternoon was almost over, but there was still some time before mealtime; going from the Exotic Realm to the surface was ample, so he was planning the time to go home, buy groceries and cook, as well as the appointment to meet Dazhenhan's current trainer.

Pretty good—sending the former trainer to the precinct in the afternoon and meeting the current trainer in the evening, Aomo's actions were very efficient.

As for buying groceries and cooking… he had prepared for a fierce battle, but ended up bypassing the strong opponent, with no combat involved, so he wasn't very hungry and there was no need to hit a buffet.

Saving expenses is good news, but when he saw the drink prices here, he thought he'd just have some iced lemon water.

But when he turned around and saw Zhouri Ningjing arrive, she still brewed him a coffee.

"Bringing it up wouldn't change anything; only you would be bothered by this, right?"

She showed no displeasure at his arrival without a greeting, and Zhouri Ningjing was busy at the counter together with several staff members of the shop.

The staff members were all horse girls as well, but Aomo couldn't tell from their coffee‑making motions whether they had competed on the track; the only thing certain was their professional competence when preparing drinks.

Moreover, they didn't mind the boss working alongside them, nor did they care about customers chatting with the boss.

"I've prepared myself for being sought out by reporters, but I can't always be doing it in front of someone else's company."

"Is it okay if it's just at the entrance of Tresen?" Zhouri Ningjing asked, placing the two cups of coffee on the table.

Her movements were gentle and steady.

Aomo felt that this coffee shop might have some kind of halo effect, rather than just being due to its decoration.

Even the shop owner couldn't escape this place's atmospheric halo, no longer being so impatient and not wearing a sour face.

"As long as it's not a crime scene, that's fine," Aomo said, lowering his gaze to look at the coffee before him, then glancing at the menu hologram hanging on the table's edge nearby, "I have some doubts that this cup of coffee could bankrupt my wallet."

"Is that something a young master who just bought a downtown storefront and immediately contacted a renovation crew would say?"

Alright, I'm back, everything is back again; the familiar sharpness let Aomo relax a little, and he examined the latte art of a horseshoe that the other person had personally made in the coffee.

"Having come this far, you shouldn't still have the illusion of being a young master, right?" he said without looking up, "Just a worker; opening an office is merely fortunate enough to work for oneself."

"Alright, stop staring, please have yours, consider it a tip for the commission." Zhouri Ningjing said helplessly.

Although she had no doubts about her own skill, being stared at for so long by the other person inevitably made her feel a bit uneasy.

She had heard from her younger sister that this guy was obsessed with black coffee, and she also knew that he somewhat had the eye of a connoisseur.

But she wasn't here to seek approval of her skill, so she brewed not even black coffee, but rather her stronger forte, concentrated latte art; now she only hopes the other person won't keep staring at that coffee, or better yet, just drink it quickly.

So she heard the other person say: "Then I shall not refuse."

Then that guy picked up the spoon nearby and stirred the coffee.

"?" Zhouri Ningjing frowned, "Do you have OCD?"

"Yes, slightly," she picked up the spoon, set it aside, lifted the coffee and drank it; Aomo did not hold back praise: "Not bad flavor, enough for me to post a dynamic praising and promoting it, but considering the consumption level here, I'll still have to let it go."

"Cut it out, you really came here just to drink coffee?" Though she said that, Zhouri Ningjing still didn't quite hide the upturned corners of her mouth.

"If we're talking about the real matter, then I should ask you what your intention was in inviting me."

"The intention… I actually didn't want to tell you either."

"That counts as being frank, because the commission is over; the people sitting here are no longer client and mercenary, just two acquaintances."

"Or perhaps two people who have some connection because of Manchester City Chazuo."

"From start to finish, they couldn't even be called friends."

"So Aomo could therefore speak frankly without having to think too much:"

"Understood, you have quite a few reservations about me."

"I won't say that knowing less is for your own good; I simply feel our positions are different," Zhouri Ningjing lifted her coffee, its latte art a little cat, just like the Chazuo classmates' coffee cup pattern, "Even if you're a mercenary, you're also a Tresen trainer, aren't you? And moreover, a central one."

"Your younger sister is also a student of the central Tresen."

"That's the point—you wonder why I'm hiding certain things from her?"

"So what now?" Aomo skipped over the two sisters' disagreement.

"They were drinking coffee, not alcohol, but perhaps alcohol couldn't numb a spirit caught between life and death."

"Now? Now there's an old guy who thinks highly of you, but I hope you can continue to stand by Chazuo as a Tresen trainer."

"She said this, then finished her coffee."

"As a mercenary, it doesn't matter what you encounter or create, but don't get involved in their affairs, and don't change your view of the horse girls."

"Aomo looked at the little white left in the cup, lifted his head to look at her: 'I thought you didn't have much fondness for the existence of trainers.'"

"Indeed not, but Chazuo and Ailisuzhi—they're different from me."

"Not the same… I wouldn't even think that…"

"Aomo nodded: 'Perhaps so.'"

"'It doesn't matter if you don't believe it,' hearing Aomo's indisputable tone, Zhouri Ningjing's infinite patience, 'but I hope you can keep this advice in mind.'"

"You are indeed efficient and proactive, but such reckless development will also mire you in a quagmire, like today's operation—I don't want you to end up like Dongzi Zhenren."

"Aomo listened to his words, picked up the cup, finished what was left, and said: 'Is this something to say as Chazuo's older sister?'"

"Yes." Meeting his hazel-brown gaze, Zhouri Ningjing's gold eyes were as tranquil as her name.

"This was her rare sincerity and earnestness; her approval wasn't just for her client, but also because she herself felt there should be someone like that by Chazuo's side."

"But Aomo would have preferred her to say it herself; oh well, he hadn't really expected her to have any self‑rescue intention anyway."

"People who often stay in the mire are probably used to it and never think of getting out."

"I'll keep it in mind, then… anything else?" Aomo stood up.

"None."

"Rushing to leave made it seem like the talk had broken down, but Zhouri Ningjing, watching his demeanor, also didn't notice any dissatisfaction or disappointment."

"Then I should thank the host for seeing me off to buy groceries," he said, waving his hand, "See you later."

"You're not going to ask who that old guy is?" Indeed there was something left unsaid; it wasn't the main point, but if the conversation were unpleasant she would use it as a weight to add force to her words.

"Now it's not needed, but the other party seems to have forgotten it entirely, not mentioning it at all, which makes her unable to resist reminding the teacher not to forget to assign homework."

"These days, there are many big shots who can comment on horse‑girl related matters, but the one who could stand behind you is probably just that one—I guess."

"Aomo said, shaking his head: 'I also really didn't plan to make contact this early, so I'll say, keep it in mind, see you later.'"

"He smiled, waved his hand, picked up his briefcase, and walked out the shop door."

"Then he brushed past a woman wearing a large round hat, also wearing a mask and sunglasses."

"……" He stopped and turned back, gazing at the brown long hair that the large round hat of the person stepping into the shop could not fully conceal; Aomo burst out laughing, then turned again toward his motorcycle.

"And Zhouri Ningjing, who was just tidying up the two coffee cups, hadn't taken two steps before hearing a remark: 'If you'd come two minutes earlier like me and listened to his talk with Dongzi Zhenren, you wouldn't be making those meaningless admonishments, little Ningjing.'"

"Seeing the person take off their sunglasses and hat, Zhouri Ningjing's face showed her usual displeasure: 'Uninvited, eavesdropping on the conversation—get out!'"

"Eh eh eh, what's this about uninvited? When it was Yugeer, everyone present got a share!"

"Your cheek is really thicker than the lawn of the mansion, Qianming representative."