Chapter 284: They're a Perfect Match

The alloy door of the basement slid open silently, and Fang Zhiyan's figure appeared in the private room.

He casually threw on a white research coat over his shirt, with a few strands of silver-white hair hanging loosely over his forehead.

He pushed open the private room door and stepped out, his gaze first falling on Cai Mao, who wished he could bury himself in a crack in the ground.

"Is this the messenger of Ying Duo?"

Cai Mao felt a chill down his back under his gaze, as if some huge deep-sea creature had locked onto him, and he quickly nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, yes, sir! I'm Cai Mao, Ying Duo's........"

He didn't know for a moment how to define his relationship with Ying Duo.

Threat? Cooperation?

But Fang Zhiyan merely gave a slight nod, didn't ask further, and turned directly to Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu.

"Please recount the situation again, as detailed as possible."

What do you mean his newly accepted student just dropped out? Then he even performed a sit-up in place himself?

Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu gestured to Cai Mao—this guy wasn't just acting enthusiastically a moment ago?

Cai Mao could only brace himself and repeat Ying Duo's original words again, not daring to omit even the particles and subtle pauses this time.

Fang Zhiyan listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth wooden surface of the bar; where his fingertips occasionally brushed, faint traces of almost invisible azure slime were left, then quickly dissipated in the air.

When he heard Ying Duo say he had been "run through" by a blood crystal and "I watched myself die," his dark red eyes brightened noticeably, and he muttered under his breath.

"...... Is it the doll's body self-repairing? And the connection between the doll and the main body......"

When Cai Mao mentioned the "Flower Butterfly," Fang Zhiyan's tapping fingers on the bar stopped.

"\"Flower Butterfly\"?" He lifted his eyes to Bai Mu Yun, seeking more accurate information.

Fang Zhiyan and his student had only just met, and he really couldn't figure out the pattern behind Ying Duo's nicknames for people.

Bai Mu Yun's brow still bore a layer of lingering gloom, but he answered honestly.

"He should be a person from the Undercurrent, codename 'Butterfly Speaker.' Ying Duo saw him at the last auction, but I had disguised Ying Duo then, so they wouldn't recognize him."

He paused, his tone growing grave.

"For some rare materials hard to obtain through official channels, we occasionally also purchase from the Undercurrent."

"They used to fight the Supervision Bureau to the death, only in recent years barely maintaining a superficial 'non-aggression' stance; so even knowing the Undercurrent is untrustworthy, at least........ we have always tacitly assumed they are not allied with the Supervision Bureau."

Bai Mu Yun's eyes also turned cold; judging from last night's Undercurrent cooperating with the Supervision Bureau's operation, and now the 'Butterfly Speaker' appearing in the Slum and meeting with Supervision Bureau personnel......

"The Undercurrent is probably no longer their 'trusted trading partner'."

Lu Mu added darkly from the side: "In other words, we're not only being watched by the Church and the Supervision Bureau here; even former 'business partners' we paid for connections might stab us in the back—quite lively."

"How's your progress? When are we leaving?"

Bai Mu Yun asked Fang Zhiyan, the situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for them.

Fang Zhiyan let out a soft "heh," not surprised by this trend—the Dome's influence in Tianmian City is rapidly waning, which is also why they need to hurry and close the net.

"So far it matches my guess; we were just missing a few key steps for verification, after all the Undercurrent's secrecy work has always been solid."

He paused meaningfully, looking at Bai Mu Yun.

"I think the Field Operations Department might be very interested in this news, to clean house....... they've probably wasted a lot of time on this, right? I imagine their colleagues would be happy to provide us with 'help'."

The implication in his words made Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu's eyes both flicker slightly.

Fang Zhiyan's offhand remark was tantamount to ringing the death knell over countless heads.

"All right, that's enough of the side talk."

Fang Zhiyan clapped his hands, took off the white lab coat outside and casually tossed it onto the bar.

"Now, let's first deal with the 'minor trouble' my diligent student ran into."

He looked at Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu, noticed they looked somewhat fatigued and the battle marks on Lu Mu's clothing, and suggested in a tone of "concern."

"Your condition seems less than optimal; do you need me to provide a bit of help? A pick-me-up, or a temporary boost in certain aspects...... I have several newly formulated reagents here, their effects are very stable."

Lu Mu almost reflexively stepped back half a pace, waving his hands repeatedly, forcing a dry smile.

"No no no, not needed, Department Head! I'm in great shape, really—I could go fight ten Chi Jinan right now!"

He harbored a deep-seated shadow regarding Fang Zhiyan's "reagents"—who knows what those bottles contain, strength-giving treasures or curses worse than death.

"And then have Chi Jinan pluck all your feathers out?"

Bai Mu Yun's mouth corner also twitched involuntarily, "I don't need it either."

The effects of the medicine Fang Zhiyan provides are guaranteed, but whether it will trigger unknown "side effects"...... that's purely down to luck.

Seeing this, Fang Zhiyan shrugged with some regret.

"Well, if you insist, then let it be this way."

He prepared to go down to the basement to fetch something else, and the three watched him stride lightly back into the private room.

Bai Mu Yun watched Fang Zhiyan's retreating back and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Once we get to the Dome's headquarters, he'll definitely need to find a way to stay far away from him.

"A trouble-making nut who can't die despite his brain being full of holes, plus a research maniac who always wants to turn everything into experimental data...... the two together are literally a den of snakes and rats, a perfect match."

Lu Mu nodded in deep agreement, but then immediately his face fell.

"The key is, now the 'rat' in this 'den' is calling us to help fight........ we still have to go."

No one dares to defy Fang Zhiyan's orders; otherwise one second he might be smiling and asking "Do you need help?", the next second his limbs would be strapped to his operating table.

Bai Mu Yun merely closed his eyes wearily, hoping that once this is over he can get a decent rest.

"Let's go—finish the fight early, drag that little troublemaker back early, and then......"

"I hope our dear Department Head's research interest in his 'diligent student' can temporarily outweigh his enthusiasm for causing us trouble."