Chapter 120: Neurotic

She spoke while quickly reviewing her every move in her mind, making sure she hadn't revealed any obvious flaw.

Mei Bi Wu Si looked at Pa Duo's appearance, about to burst into tears, her snake pupils narrowing slightly, just as Pa Duo thought she would press further, even preparing to activate the emergency plan——

Huh…

Mei Bi Wu Si suddenly let out a light laugh, her smile carrying a hint of teasing… and satisfaction?

She turned back to face the Light Screen, her tone returning to its earlier laziness, 'Just teasing you. Look how you got scared—your courage is still this small.'

She casually drew a line on the Light Screen, summoning Ke Lai Yin, who had been on standby: 'Ke Lai Yin, pull up the real-time energy fluctuation data from Zone Three for me.'

Command confirmed.

Ke Lai Yin's voice, without a ripple, sounded as he began executing the order.

Pa Duo only then, as if having survived a catastrophe, quietly let out a breath, feeling her back almost soaked in cold sweat.

She patted her chest, muttering in a tone mixed with lingering fear and a hint of complaint:

'Shejie! You always scare us like this! Even though you know we've been timid since childhood and can't take a fright… I almost thought you really wanted to take us for an experiment…'

Mei Bi Wu Si didn't turn her head, her fingers tapping quickly on the Light Screen, as if asking casually: 'Oh? Really? Then I'll ask you—was that crystal you 'borrowed' from me last time still handy to use?'

Pa Duo's heart tightened again!

In the flash of lightning and flint, Heimu made the judgment—this was extremely likely another trap.

She immediately put on a clueless expression, scratched her head: 'Crystal? Shejie, did you misremember? When did I ever borrow that from you? It's so precious—I wouldn't dare mess with it……'

She said while cautiously watching Mei Bi Wu Si's reaction.

Mei Bi Wu Si's finger on the Light Screen paused almost imperceptibly, then returned to normal, her tone still flat: 'Really? Maybe I misremembered. After all… there's too much experimental data.'

She didn't pursue it further, as if it had been just an offhand remark.

The perspective shifted.

Kesi Mo walked silently down the corridor where light and shadow intertwined.

According to the plan, Kevin should now be bringing Ying over.

However, when he turned a corner, what he saw was a scene that caused his brain to short‑circuit momentarily——

Not far off, Kevin stood to the side with his arms crossed, expressionless.

And Ying stood before a……spotless, like‑new metal trash can, one hand even reaching inside, as if feeling around for something.

Kevin just watched silently, neither stopping nor asking.

(……?)

Kesi Mo's steps halted.

He was never good with words, and now he pressed all his doubts deep into his heart.

(……Is this Kevin's arrangement?)

Based on absolute trust in Kevin, Kesi Mo didn't speak up to disturb him; he simply walked forward silently, imitating Kevin's stance, took position on the other side, arms crossed, observing, as if guarding some important ritual.

On his usually expressionless face now appeared the words: 'Although I don't understand, I believe Boss Kevin surely has a deeper meaning.'

At the same time, on the edge of a scorched black land where the sky hung in an ominous dull yellow, Qianjie paced irritably.

The heat radiating from his body made the air slightly warp.

'That Kesi Mo kid…… Kevin too…… wasn't it agreed we'd meet here?' Qianjie's brows knotted tight beneath his mask, and he impatiently punched the scorched black rock beside him, reducing it to powder.

'Dragging our feet…… nothing serious could have happened, right?'

He let out a low growl at the empty scorched earth: 'I'll go check!'

Before his words faded, he had already turned into a stream of scorching fire, racing back along the way he came.

Qianjie's speed was extreme; before long, he followed the scent to that corridor and saw the three figures gathered together.

Then he saw exactly what Kesi Mo had seen—Kevin and Kesi Mo stood left and right like two Gate Gods, while Ying slowly pulled her hand out of a trash can, even casually replacing the lid, her motion so natural it seemed she had just finished a precise operation.

Qianjie lacked Kesi Mo's 'patience' and 'trust'; he strode forward directly, a wave of scorching heat rolling off him, his voice like muffled thunder: 'Hey! You three! What are you doing here?!'

Ying rose expressionlessly, patted nonexistent dust from her hands, and answered in her cold voice: 'Nothing.'

Kevin also shook his head, turning his gaze from the trash can to Qianjie: 'Nothing's going on.'

Qianjie was practically laughing from anger, pointing at the trash can: 'A busted trash can! You've been standing here half a day telling me 'nothing's going on'? Kevin, when did you start pulling jokes like this?!'

He felt his intelligence had been insulted.

Kevin frowned slightly, seemingly re‑examining that slightly odd moment because of Qianjie's questioning; a hint of doubt flickered in his icy‑blue eyes, but hadn't yet formed.

Ying spoke up timely, shifting the topic, looking at Kevin: 'Where to next?'

Kevin fell silent for a moment, as if temporarily filing away that interruption, then returned to his usual decisiveness: 'Let's go.'

He stepped forward first, no longer glancing at the trash can.

Qianjie watched their backs, let out a heavy 'hum', and squeezed three words from between his teeth: 'Neurotic!'

Then he turned and followed, fuming, his steps unusually large—clearly his anger hadn't faded.

Bringing up the rear, Kesi Mo glanced at the trash can restored to its original state, then at Kevin's back ahead, followed silently, thinking to himself:

(Kevin's plan…… truly unfathomable.)

Mei Bi Wu Si Laboratory

In the laboratory, the verdant data stream continued to roll silently.

Pa Duo, who was pretending to tidy the equipment, suddenly felt something was off.

An inexplicable sense of dry heat seeped from the surrounding space, not the heat emitted by the instruments, but rather a……'scorching sensation'.

'Ah…… why did it suddenly get a bit hot?'

She couldn't help but fan herself with her hand, muttering softly.

Ke Lai Yin, who had been on standby (not a puppet), glided over silently, his mechanical arm presenting a cup of liquid bubbling with fine bubbles.

Pa Duo stared for a moment, then took the cup: 'Thanks, Ke Lai Yin.'

She happened to feel a bit "dry mouth and tongue," so she took a sip.

The liquid felt cool, with a faint sweet taste, seeming to slightly ease that inexplicable heat.

(It's actually quite tasty… what kind of new energy drink is this?)

But the "heat" enveloping the surroundings did not subside; instead it seemed to intensify, as if the entire laboratory were being placed into an invisible furnace.

She couldn't help but look at Mei Bi Wu Si, who was still turned away from her, apparently concentrating on data: "She Jie… do you feel it's getting hotter?"

Mei Bi Wu Si did not turn around; her voice rang through the laboratory, clearly reaching Pa Duo's ears:

"Yeah… it's hot. So hot… it's abnormal."

Those words were like a switch!