Chapter 912: First Encounter

In observing this matter, although Lu Mi was a half-god, all his abilities were suppressed to Sequence 7 level, and he felt inferior to the “Audience” in professionalism, so he yielded the rear seat facing the target building to Anthony, while relying on the hawk-like vision granted by the “Witch” and the “Hunter”’s sensitivity to visual clues to observe from afar.

Front-row driver Fleurka had just barely completed parallel parking; she leaned her elbow on the car door, watching the target area with quiet satisfaction, while Jian Na turned around, leaned forward, and pressed her head above Fleurka’s shoulder, staring just as intently.

As time ticked away, Fleurka suddenly caught the scent of meat braised with spices until tender.

She turned her head and found Ludwig, alone in the farthest corner of the back seat, quietly eating a roujiamo.

“Hasn’t even been two hours since breakfast?” Fleurka blurted out.

Why is he eating again?

Lu Mi replied simply:

“Not yet.”

“I’m starting to think he eats at this frequency and quantity even in reality…” Fleurka muttered to herself.

She had no direct sense of how much Ludwig could eat—only a theoretical grasp of the cost—but in the days before entering the dream, she often helped Jian Na supervise Ludwig’s homework and exams; the two “Witches” had witnessed firsthand what a glutton truly was, and the impression had left a deep mark.

Fleurka continued:

“In the dream, aren’t all special abilities restricted to Sequence 7? Yet he hasn’t eaten less…”

Hearing this, Lu Mi, Jian Na, and Anthony all turned their gazes sharply toward Ludwig.

Ludwig quickly shoved the entire roujiamo into his mouth and mumbled:

“Because it’s delicious!”

“Even if it makes you bloated, you’ll still eat?” Lu Mi raised an eyebrow.

“Mm.” Ludwig nodded firmly.

Seeing Ludwig like this, Jian Na couldn’t help but laugh:

“It really is delicious.”

Lu Mi thought for a moment and decided to indulge Ludwig for two days—he himself had been eating more than usual.

“Isn’t it delicious?” Fleurka beamed again. “What I can’t figure out is, none of you got diarrhea—even Jian Na and Anthony were eating and yelling about how spicy it was!”

“My digestive system has endured flame-burning; the ‘Penitent’ has strong resistance to extreme conditions,” Lu Mi replied, implying that spiciness posed no challenge to a “Hunter” who enjoyed self-harm.

“Swallowing a ball of fire” was an exaggeration to others, but for him, it was an occasional objective description.

Anthony continued observing the building’s entrances and exits, calmly saying:

“The mythic form of the ‘Audience’ is the Mind Dragon.”

Although his combat abilities hadn’t improved much, his physical strength had risen significantly.

Jian Na was about to describe her own experience when Anthony and Lu Mi spoke in unison:

“The ‘Fool’ has arrived.”

Jian Na quickly returned to her previous posture, turning her gaze toward the car window coated with dark film.

She saw a young man wearing a black short-sleeved polo, light casual pants, and brownish athletic shoes, holding a cup of soy milk and a bag of baozi, stepping up the stairs toward the building.

His black hair was short and neatly combed; before his dark brown eyes sat a pair of non-prescription flat lenses; his face, thinner than in the dossier’s portrait, had soft contours and an unexpectedly refined beauty.

He was their target: the dream form of the “Fool,” Zhou Mingrui!

Once Zhou Mingrui’s figure vanished into the building’s lobby, Fleurka drew a breath and said:

“Compared to the original sketch, the ‘Fool’ has lost a lot of weight and looks better…”

“Could the Major Arcana’s theory be right—that the Celestial Sovereign tricked him into drinking the ‘Assassin’s’ Elixir?”

“Is the Celestial Sovereign trying to cause cognitive dissonance in the ‘Fool’ by altering his gender to gain victory?”

The Major Arcana’s dossier stated that Lu Mi’s team’s most critical Jieduanxing goal was to prevent Zhou Mingrui, suspected of having consumed the “Assassin’s” Elixir, from truly becoming the “Witch”!

“Does the ‘Assassin’s’ Elixir also improve appearance?” Lu Mi asked Fleurka and Jian Na.

He had shifted from the “Hunter” path to the “Witch” path and had never thoroughly experienced the “Assassin” Sequence.

“Primarily adjusts body shape to make the consumer more suitable for assassination—this brings minor changes to appearance, but rarely,” Fleurka recalled. “The ‘Fool,’ uh, Zhou Mingrui, likely achieved passive weight loss; his improved looks are mostly due to slimming down, with only slight enhancement from the ‘Assassin’s’ Elixir.”

She felt it better to still refer to the target as Zhou Mingrui—calling him “the Fool” made her too nervous to even discuss him.

Lu Mi nodded and asked Anthony:

“Have you noticed anything?”

Anthony said:

“The ‘Fool’s’ steps up the stairs are light—consistent with descriptions of the ‘Assassin’s’ Elixir…”

“The ‘Fool’ wears non-prescription glasses to conceal his eyes no longer needing correction, indicating he doesn’t intend to change his daily life and will continue working…”

“The ‘Fool’ is in good emotional condition—he hasn’t experienced any major events yet…”

“No signs yet of having consumed the ‘Seducer’s’ Elixir…”

After hearing Anthony’s observations, Lu Mi mused:

“Continue observing and documenting people mentioned in the dossier and anyone showing abnormal behavior…”

“Understood,” Jian Na replied first, then pointed across the street. “That’s Rosan—real-world, a clerical worker for the Church of Night, married with children; in the dream, she’s Zhou Mingrui’s colleague; her abnormality is still uncertain…”

Fleurka added:

“That man in his thirties, wearing a white tailcoat and bowtie despite the thirty-degree heat, with long silver hair, is Wu, the vice-president of Zhou Mingrui’s neighboring company—suspected to be…”

Here, Fleurka glanced at Lu Mi and noticed his expression remained calm, his gaze unchanged.

Only then did she continue:

“Suspected to be Ulothios, the ‘Angel of Fate’ of the Aurora Order, a king from ancient times.”

According to the dossier, the neighboring company should be the dream’s reflection of the Aurora Order.

By ten a.m., Lu Mi’s team completed their first round of observation, matching many individuals to dossier entries, but found no true suspect.

“Lord Rosel, uh, Huang Zong didn’t show up,” Fleurka said with regret.

In the dream, Lord Rosel was the CEO of the “Industries of Intis,” the business magnate and tyrannical boss of Zhou Mingrui’s company.

Before Lu Mi could respond, Fleurka chuckled to herself:

“Probably still in bed with some actor, streamer, or singer.”

Lu Mi also felt a pang of regret, but there would be more chances later.

He, who had never attended university, was preparing to apply for a security position at the Industries of Intis.

“Then let’s go buy clothes,” Lu Mi said, glancing down at his still-normal shirt and pants, then at Jian Na’s classical blue waist-cinched long dress.

At that moment, Ludwig asked:

“What are we eating for lunch?”

Fleurka, who currently managed the entire team’s budget, immediately replied:

“Can we eat out every day?”

“We’ll go to a big supermarket, buy dozens of pounds of noodles and some side dishes—I’ll cook you noodles, and you’ll be full!”

No sooner had she finished than Fleurka saw Ludwig’s face lose its smile and anticipation, looking slightly wounded.

Instead of feeling sympathy or guilt, she quietly patted her thigh:

Damn, those two lines should’ve been said by Jian Na! What a perfect chance to digest the “Pain” Elixir!

After finalizing the plan, Fleurka carefully drove the car out onto the wide road.

…………

Inside a large shopping mall.

Lu Mi and the others, now dressed in entirely new attire, took the elevator from the underground parking lot to the first floor.

Fleurka looked at Jian Na again and felt that the simple combination of a white patterned T-shirt, light blue jeans, white sneakers, and ankle-length matching socks somehow gave her a fresh, clean aura—retaining youthful student energy while radiating natural allure, drawing glances from passersby.

She was exactly the type I used to like—no, I still like her! And Jian Na in heavy makeup is an entirely different kind of charm… Fleurka made no effort to hide her admiration.

Her tall stature and striking features made even her plain black T-shirt and women’s wide-leg pants look mature and confident, causing many to dare only steal glances.

Lu Mi still wore shirt and black pants, but now with more casual ease; walking beside the two “Witches,” he looked like a painting.

Their clothes were all cheap—Fleurka had abandoned the bulk-priced ones and chose the ten-yuan items, buying piles of them.

Lu Mi scanned every corner of the mall, feeling it spacious, bright, and clean—more astonishing than the most luxurious department store in Trill.

Fleurka had no intention of taking Lu Mi, Jian Na, Anthony, or Ludwig shopping here; she headed straight for the escalator down to the basement level, aiming for the supermarket.

Money must be saved!

As Lu Mi, Jian Na, and Anthony reached the supermarket entrance, they were blinded by the dazzling array of goods, the artistic displays, and the soft yet bright lighting.

Fleurka suddenly froze, instinctively turning to look at Ludwig—and found the boy’s gaze frozen, his eyes blazing with hunger.

“Let’s go back!” Fleurka blurted. “I’ll buy everything online and have it delivered!”

Children simply couldn’t resist places like supermarkets!

Hearing Fleurka’s words, Ludwig’s expression collapsed.

After learning the reason, Lu Mi and Jian Na both agreed with Fleurka’s decision.

Turning around and taking a few steps, Lu Mi’s peripheral vision suddenly caught a shadow.

The figure lowered her head, dark hair falling, revealing a small, delicate ear.

She hurried away into the depths of the supermarket.

Lu Mi stopped instantly and said in a low voice to Fleurka, Jian Na, and Anthony:

“I may have seen that resurrected female corpse.”

(End of Chapter)