Chapter 419: Xi Ren Sheng: I Even Gave My Hair a New Codename

The fashion show venue was set up in an old building in the east district of the Dome, the red carpet stretched from the entrance down to the steps, both sides were packed with reporters, and flashbulbs flickered one after another.

Qi Ran stood in the shadows at the entrance, waiting for the highly anticipated up‑and‑coming designer to come find her.

The mermaid‑style dress clung to her skin with a cool, silky feel; she was a bit unaccustomed to the cut, but it was indeed novel and beautiful, no wonder the aristocracy coveted it.

She turned her head to look at herself in the mirror; her green short hair was neatly styled, the ends slightly tucked inward, and two tiny emerald earrings dangled from her earlobes.

Her makeup, which the artist spent two hours creating, featured upward‑swept eyeliner and a cool‑toned lip, appearing more mature than the stage makeup she was used to.

When she was still vaguely uneasy, during the discussion of cooperation details, Hua Jian Lei had told her that this up‑and‑coming designer had some quirks and hoped she could be more tolerant.

Qi Ran still nodded decisively, putting aside whatever quirks the designer might have; at least the money part was absolutely settled.

A young man was walking toward her; Qi Ran instantly perked up. Everyone else had already paired off and entered early, leaving only this makeshift "partner" pair to meet outside first.

His black hair was meticulously styled, his stride neither fast nor slow, his features quite handsome, yet his brows and eyes carried a somewhat unserious air.

The man stopped in front of her, gave her a quick up‑and‑down glance, then shifted his attention back to the communicator in his hand.

Qi Ran found his behavior a bit inexplicable, but she still wore a smile.

"You are Mr. Cao Mu Shen, aren't you?" she asked.

The man nodded, his gaze lingered on her hair for a moment, and the curve of his mouth seemed to widen a bit, presumably pleased with the color.

After confirming his identity, Qi Ran naturally slipped her arm around his.

When her arm brushed his suit fabric, she noticed his fingers were long, with a thin callus on the pads; her heart skipped a beat, yet she showed no expression.

The two walked toward the entrance together; as flashbulbs burst ahead, Qi Ran instinctively squinted, but her practiced smile remained perfectly on cue.

Xi Ren Sheng walked beside her, his gait still languid.

After entering the venue, Xi Ren Sheng hardly spoke to anyone.

He only gave Qi Ran a nod; Qi Ran watched him walk away, found a sofa in a corner, sat down, pulled out her communicator and began sending messages.

He looked just like a teenager forced by parents to go socialize.

So the quirk was actually this?

Qi Ran stood nearby, her mouth twitching; she had even prepared herself to possibly compromise a bit of modesty, only to discover the up‑and‑coming designer's quirk was autism?

Fine, this works too.

She lifted a glass of wine and blended naturally into the crowd; when someone struck up conversation, she exchanged a couple of lines, and the topic shifted to her dress.

Mermaid dress, strapless bodice—the designer's mind was indeed clever.

She smiled in agreement, saying Mr. Cao Mu Shen was indeed imaginative, that the dress felt comfortable on her, and that the designer himself was rather introverted and unaccustomed to such settings.

She was still adept at handling such scenes, and besides helping Xi Ren Sheng socialize, she could use the chance to expand her own network.

Xi Ren Sheng sat on the corner sofa, and the chat bubbles across from him were all in Ying Guang Lu font, all messages sent by Ying Duo.

【Ying Duo: Cao Mu Shen?】

【Xi Ren Sheng: I originally dyed my hair planning to change my name, but who made Xi Ren Sheng's identity end up on the wanted list… Partner, you don't know, while you were gone those people kept bullying me!】

Ying Duo had no intention of sparring with Xi Ren Sheng; he was continuously initiating 【Teleport】 and embedding it in the communicator as a Data Stream.

Although his Blue Bar was already long, there were still many places that would need energy later, so saving a bit was still a bit.

Xi Ren Sheng knew this was the signal to act; his gaze swept around, the crowd clustered near the champagne tower and the runway, and no one would notice this corner.

He slipped his hand under the table and gently placed the communicator on the carpet beneath.

The screen flickered, and Ying Guang Lu light spilled from its edges, turning into several thin Data Streams that seeped under the red‑cloth‑covered table.

The Data Stream coalesced back into a humanoid shape; Ying Duo released the small robots from his backpack, each of which had just undergone Ying Duo's final 【Upgrade】, their metal shells etched with dense Rune circuits.

Ying Duo pressed a finger on their backs; their Core lit up, housing an Aberrant Species Core, the Rune circuits emitting a dim crimson glow, like miniature hearts beating.

This time he did not supply his own energy to power the robots, having prepared other energy sources for them in advance.

With the Aberrant Species Core activated, Mutation factors would silently spread throughout the banquet hall, waiting for the moment to fully ignite.

Ying Duo confirmed all the small robots were operating normally before standing; he hid in the shadow of the tablecloth, his Ying Guang Lu hair mostly concealed by the hood, with only a few tufts of hair tips faintly glowing in the darkness.

The band in the corner played a very slow piece; Qi Ran, leaning on the dress, became the crowd's focus, now talking with a woman in a silver‑gray gown, the mermaid skirt's hem gently swaying at her feet.

The small robots traversed the banquet hall, but were treated merely as cleaning bots, their cores flickering on and off.

The runway lights dimmed at that moment, and the host began announcing the official start of tonight's fashion show, drawing everyone's attention.

"Seems… a bit odd?"

Luo Jinyou, wearing garments meticulously designed by Bai Mu Yun, followed behind Bai Mu Yun; Bai Mu Yun was already a designer widely acclaimed outside, and they were noticed by many as soon as they entered.

The Co-Absorption individual was truly insane; Bai Mu Yun knew he couldn't hide, so he trained him to openly display his abnormal mental abilities in front of ordinary people.

Originally Luo Jinyou thought the earlier excuse of making him a fashion‑show model was just that—an excuse—but in fact Bai Mu Yun never intended to let him off.

Bai Mu Yun's perception of Mutation was far sharper than Luo Jinyou's; he instantly sensed what the source of the unease was.

"The Mutation factor concentration in the banquet hall is rising?"

Bai Mu Yun subconsciously furrowed his brow, sensing trouble.

Clearly someone was planning trouble at the fashion show; it was rumored that a few days earlier a new toxin linked to Aberrant Species had been discovered inside the Dome—was that group responsible?