Chapter 481: Old Classmate

Ah! Xie Jingyan is really handsome! Though he looked so miserable in the livestream, I feel like I've completely become a fan of him!

A girl in a school uniform urgently grabbed her companion beside her, her face full of eager excitement.

To be honest, she used to feel nothing for those idols at all, at most just thinking a certain song was nice.

But this sudden livestream completely changed her impression of her—who wouldn't like a cool older sister with superb skills who can fight Aberrant Species toe‑to‑toe?

Although I heard she's about the same age as them, she's really handsome!

As soon as she said that, the surrounding people chimed in agreement; a few girls gathered there, chatting nonstop about that livestream.

"Speaking of which, who would have thought that handsome designer would actually be an Aberrant Species? I used to love his designs."

The topic suddenly shifted to Bai Mu Yun—actually, his designs are far more famous than he himself is, and he rarely shows up publicly in a high‑profile way, but after this incident his headshot was viewed by most people in a very short time.

Actually, becoming an Aberrant Species added a touch of wild handsomeness to him, but no one mentions that—compared to that, the potential lethal danger is definitely what deserves attention.

"Speaking of which, why are Church people showing up here?"

Someone suddenly asked that, and the conversation naturally shifted to Min Tianyou.

"Is it to track down the Aberrant Species? I heard that person is called a 'detective'; in novels, detectives always pursue a clue to the end, no matter what."

A detective is definitely not a respectable profession; rather, it's an existence that often deals with gray zones.

Perhaps it's exactly because such a detective image is deeply ingrained in people's minds that just thinking of Min Tianyou being called a "detective" makes even a total stranger suddenly seem to have a rough outline.

"After all, the author said the detective character has a real‑life prototype, but that person is far away in the Church......"

After that voice spoke up, several people fell into an eerie silence.

As for why Mei Wei Si died in such a deformed state, the internet is now in an uproar over it.

Some suspect Mei Wei Si was originally a member of Co‑Absorption; others suspect she was forced to come into contact with Mutation, and after becoming an Aberrant Species she was eliminated.

No matter what, they just need to wait for the Dome's investigation results.

That's the Dome, after all—the Dome will get to the bottom of everything.

Just then, the slowly advancing public transport vehicle gradually came to a stop.

Not far from here stands the Dome Headquarters building, located at the exact center of Heavenly Dome City, soaring high and piercing the clouds.

For the children living in Heavenly Dome City, studying hard and someday becoming a member of Dome Corporation is their best path forward.

The Dome Headquarters is to them a mainstay; although I've heard that due to improper internal operations part of the building exploded, and some unsightly protective sheeting has been put up on its once‑glorious exterior, this in no way diminishes the Dome's standing in their hearts.

In the future they will surely be able to work at the Dome.

The girls made up their minds, and the topic shifted to what kind of person they wanted to become in the future and what they wanted to do.

They were chatting animatedly, while the two boys who had been standing silently beside them all along got off the vehicle at this stop.

"Song Fei, what are you looking at?"

The girl tapped the shoulder of the person beside her, asked curiously, but realized her friend's gaze was stubbornly following the two boys who had just walked past them from behind, gradually drifting away.

As if she had just thought of something, the girl jokingly jabbed her with her elbow.

"So you like younger guys? You've got your eye on someone?"

Song Fei laughed and started messing around with her, beginning to wonder if she really had misseen things.

"Nothing much, really—I just thought I saw an old classmate from before."

"But I guess she must have mistaken someone."

"Turns out Yang Yixie still has a very ordinary face?"

"After all, there was someone on a wanted notice who looked a bit like him before, but if you look closely you'll see it's definitely not the same person."

Song Fei seemed amused by her own thought, the vehicle slowly started moving, and she continued to horseplay with the person beside her.

——————————————

The main gate of the Dome Headquarters was open; Ying Duo casually pulled his scarf up, covering most of his face.

There were hardly any people at the entrance security checkpoint; Ying Duo led Luo Jinyou through the exclusive passage, and seeing the clearance level verified on their ID cards, they could walk in without any inspection.

The two walked through the lobby and entered the elevator; their casual attire made them stand out among the surrounding sharp‑dressed staff, drawing plenty of attention, but once they stepped into the elevator they were cut off from the outside.

That hint of green really looked familiar, but this is the Dome Headquarters—how could a wanted criminal possibly just walk right in?

Ying Duo brought Luo Jinyou straight to Fang Zhiyan's place.

When they arrived, Fang Zhiyan stood at the operating table holding a test tube; the liquid inside was amber‑colored and glimmered faintly in the light.

He heard the door but didn't look up; he simply put the test tube back on its rack, picked up a soft cloth from the side to wipe his hands, and slipped both hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

Turning around, he saw Ying Duo and Luo Jinyou barging in like that, and he wasn't the least bit surprised.

Via the squad's shared mini‑map, he had already long noticed the news of Ying Duo's return to the Dome Headquarters.

"When can Mei Wei Si's corpse be delivered?"

Faced with Ying Duo's blunt, straight‑to‑the‑point opening, Fang Zhiyan merely gave him a few curious glances.

Hmm......

His strength has increased a bit? Others might be stuck at a certain level for life, unable to advance, but for Ying Duo he can always pile up progress using other people's lives.

"Did you not get a chance to touch the corpse? Or did you not absorb Mei Wei Si's experience?"

Luo Jinyou stood half a step behind Ying Duo, and upon hearing that his face instantly turned pale.

Although he dared to boast to Ying Duo's face that he would help, Fang Zhiyan directly exposed the secret he thought he kept, still startling him.

Luo Jinyou instinctively shot Ying Duo a worried glance, but Ying Duo was utterly unaffected, simply opening his mouth to spout Hua Jian Lei's line.

"After all, Mei Wei Si is from the Mutation Department—we can't just let her corpse lie out in the wild."

If those words had carried a bit more feeling and weren't spoken from Ying Duo's stiff mouth, Luo Jinyou might actually have thought he possessed a semblance of humanitarianism.

Would Fang Zhiyan get angry? After all, Mei Wei Si was his subordinate.