Chapter 643: Who Wouldn't Like a Giant Robot

"It's really lively today."

Zhiruo and Yang Yixie had just arrived outside the mall when they saw the bustling scene at the entrance.

"Xiao Xie, do you also like these a lot?" Zhiruo turned to look at Yang Yixie.

"I saw online that many of you young people like to wear flashy clothes and take photos. Xiao Xie, are you interested in that?"

Yang Yixie's gaze had originally been on a person in a full-body skin suit taking a photo with a child; hearing that, his expression turned somewhat subtle.

"... I might not be good at this," he said, "and there's no role that fits me."

"You don't have to worry about suitability; as long as you like it, that's enough, right?"

In this regard, Zhiruo was unusually perceptive.

"No, I once thought about playing those tokusatsu roles, but I gave up after hearing how hard it is."

Yang Yixie just shook his head; at most it was an excuse—who didn't imagine controlling a giant robot or becoming an armored hero when they were kids?

But a skin suit costs at least several thousand, up to tens of thousands; his family's finances were poor before, and now it's even more impossible.

Given his current Modification level, even if he didn't make one that looks identical, he could spend some time to create something functionally similar.

Yang Yixie's eyes were drawn to a garbage truck parade in the distance; his mother's expression was also a bit surprised when she saw it.

"Young people really have energy..."

When Yang Yixie withdrew his gaze, his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure.

Meng Kexin seemed to be on vacation; she wasn't wearing her usual strong-woman work attire, but a casual hoodie with her hair down.

The issue was the few people beside her...

A blond with green eyes, a head of black hair dyed with a streak of red, a gloomy fellow, and finally... a Little Ghost who showed no shame about its Aberrant Species traits and even seemed eager to pull out its own tail.

Such a combination made their identities almost guessable at a glance.

"Mom, let's go straight to the second floor; the first floor is too crowded."

Yang Yixie calmly shifted the conversation; clothing stores were already on the second floor. As he and his mother rode the elevator upward, he could see the crowd on the first floor through the glass.

In the central large area, many stalls were set up, surrounded by a crowd; a person with big wings was handing out flyers, and someone in an Ultraman skin suit clumsily high-fived a child.

There were fewer people on the second floor; Zhiruo's steps slowed as her eyes were drawn to a light-colored cardigan displayed in a shop window, and she naturally moved toward it.

Yang Yixie followed beside her, like a shadow with little presence.

In the opposite direction of the corridor, beside a women's-clothing fitting room, Hong Ling stood somewhat stiffly.

In front of her was a woman in her fifties, sporting stylish short curls, holding two garments—a light-blue sweater paired with a cream-colored thin coat—gesturing toward her.

The woman's voice wasn't small and was especially enthusiastic.

"Look, this one matches your complexion, and that red cape is torn like that—can't wear it! Young lady, why don't you take better care of yourself?"

Since she found this lost, rain-soaked girl last night, she couldn't worry about that much and immediately took the little girl to report to the police.

But she seemed stunned, clutching the red cape tightly; after much persuasion she finally changed into an ill-fitting outfit, and the red cape was still intact.

It seemed something very important to her.

The woman took Hong Ling to file a report, but the girl remained dazed and silent throughout; the police couldn't obtain useful information, only collected her identity data for database matching, with no results yet.

Originally the woman intended to leave after delivering Hong Ling to the police station, but the girl clung to her like an insecure cub.

Helplessly, the woman could only wait for the investigation's outcome while taking the girl to buy a few suitable outfits.

Seeing Hong Ling's tightly pressed lips, the woman sensed her displeasure and patiently coaxed her a few times.

The water-stained and muddy spots on Hong Ling's face were roughly wiped away, revealing a youthful face that still looked like a student's, though her gaze was a bit vacant, with delicate brows and eyes carrying a stubborn spark.

There was no way; the child looked pitiful, and being about the same age as her own daughter, the woman, as a mother, couldn't just abandon her.

"Alright, alright, we'll look for a tailor later to mend your red cloak."

The woman draped the coat on her to try, then turned to look at another outfit.

Hong Ling stood before the mirror beside the fitting room, hesitantly looking at herself in the cream-colored coat.

At the corner at the end of the second-floor corridor, Min Tianyou was leaning against a pillar, holding a drink he'd bought from the tea shop downstairs.

His gaze passed through the bustling passage and landed on the figure at the women's-clothing store entrance.

Min Tianyou stared at Hong Ling's silhouette, deep in thought; last night, under an umbrella in the rain, he had searched the surrounding area with the group pursuing Hong Ling, but found no trace.

Just as he was about to slack off and go to the third floor for a drink to refresh himself, seeking a new lead, he looked up and saw Hong Ling.

Otherwise, he'd say fate is playing tricks...

"... found you," he whispered, drinking the drink in his cup in one gulp, about to walk that way, when his steps suddenly halted.

"Yes... the target has already been found... in the nearby mall."

Not far away, a person in black clothing with the hood pulled low over the face was furtively making a phone call.

He kept glancing into the women's-clothing store; his voyeuristic skill was worrisome, and his sneaky demeanor had already drawn many eyes.

Hong Ling stood before the mirror, looking down at the warm but ill-fitting coat on her, her fingers lightly twirling the edge of the wooden button.

From afar, the woman was still calling to her:

"Try this one too!"

On the opposite side of the corridor, Yang Yixie's steps also suddenly stopped.

It wasn't because he had clairvoyance; even from that distance he sensed the Undercurrent's surge, but what he saw was a System Prompt popup he hadn't seen in a long time.