Chapter 143-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 143 A Favor
This was Zhu Ning's second visit to the luxury residence. Pei Shu didn't escort her in this time—she went upstairs on her own.
The weather had turned cold recently. Liu Niannian's home was warm as spring. Before meeting Wang Qinqian, Zhu Ning couldn't feel this kind of disparity.
Or perhaps she had, but hadn't been able to recognize how stark the contrast truly was.
Wang Qinqian's range of warmth was forty centimeters. Liu Niannian's range of warmth was infinite.
When Zhu Ning walked in, Liu Niannian was sitting on the sofa with the Mechanical Butler standing at her side.
Liu Niannian looked even more like a princess than last time. She wore a dress that was visibly expensive, with soft, wavy hair cascading down. Under the moonlight, half her exquisite face was visible.
Liu Niannian was truly beautiful—so beautiful it bordered on unreal.
But she was real. Liu Niannian represented the current pinnacle of natural human genetics.
They looked like a painting, and Zhu Ning was stepping into it.
"Boss?" Liu Niannian noticed the movement at the door. Seeing Zhu Ning, her face lit up with delight. "You're here?"
Liu Niannian: "Sorry about that—my brother showed up out of nowhere."
Only then did Zhu Ning see the other half of her face. A dark, bruising handprint marred it. Zhu Ning froze. "He hit you?"
Liu Niannian was a tycoon's darling. The only person in the entire Lu family who could hit her was the man who'd just left.
Didn't the internet say Lu Yao adored his little sister? Wasn't she the princess he held in the palm of his hand?
Online, many people fawned over the siblings' interactions. Lu Yao had cultivated the image of a "sister-obsessed big brother." Plenty of people wanted to marry him, and just as many wished they could be his sister.
So this was how aristocrats showed their love?
Like keeping a cat—when you're in a good mood, you let it live in the prettiest house, wear the cutest little dresses. When you're in a bad mood, you hit it whenever you please.
The thought that had just formed in Zhu Ning's mind evaporated in an instant, replaced by a surge of anger.
Liu Niannian cupped her right cheek. "He apologized. He just... has a bit of a temper."
Zhu Ning's hand clenched at her side. What kind of garbage apology was that?
But it was their family business. Zhu Ning was an outsider. Liu Niannian was probably just saving face for her brother.
After all, Liu Niannian still had to navigate life within the Lu family.
Zhu Ning walked up to Liu Niannian. At closer range, the handprint was even more jarring against her fair skin. Her right lip corner was even split, and half her face was swollen.
So the Mechanical Butler had been at her side to apply medicine.
Zhu Ning asked: "Does it hurt?"
Liu Niannian: "It doesn't."
Just hearing her voice made Zhu Ning's heart ache. "What about your face?"
Liu Niannian was so beautiful. No one wanted to destroy something beautiful—the instinct upon seeing something lovely was to cherish it, not ruin it.
Liu Niannian smiled at Zhu Ning: "It's fine. Once the medicine takes effect, it won't leave a mark."
Technology was advanced enough that even serious injuries could be treated with MegaHeal. This level of damage was nothing.
The Lu family had plenty of proprietary tech. Zhu Ning had seen it firsthand. Their medicine worked faster—a couple of minutes and it would be healed. Which meant hitting someone didn't even leave evidence.
Zhu Ning had never felt this disgusted before. Technological progress had become part of the justification for abuse. Even Liu Niannian wasn't exempt.
What did these aristocrats do with their time besides figuring out how to devour people?
The powerful fed on the weak. And within the powerful's own ranks, they subdivided to find someone weaker still.
Liu Niannian, worried Zhu Ning would fret, hid her face behind her long hair. "Sit down. I'm really fine."
Zhu Ning sat beside Liu Niannian. The Mechanical Butler packed up the medical kit and slowly withdrew, leaving them their privacy.
Liu Niannian's tone dipped a little: "I'm going home."
So Lu Yao really had come to take Liu Niannian away. A tycoon's princess spending nearly two months at a garbage dump was approaching the limits of Lu Yao's patience.
Zhu Ning: "That's good."
Liu Niannian lowered her head. Long, dense lashes fell. "I don't want to go back."
Zhu Ning asked: "Need me to come rescue you? Little princess?"
Liu Niannian laughed, the shadow Lu Yao had left swept clean away. Zhu Ning hadn't condemned Liu Niannian's compliance—she'd only asked if she needed rescuing.
Liu Niannian: "Like a knight rescuing a princess from a fairy tale?"
Zhu Ning: "Exactly. A lady knight."
The bruise on Liu Niannian's face was nearly gone. Honestly, she didn't care all that much about her own face.
Liu Niannian stared at Zhu Ning without blinking. "If I needed you—would you really come?"
Zhu Ning thought about it. "First I'd need to know how much you're paying me."
Liu Niannian burst out laughing. Money was the one thing she'd never lacked. She paused, then said to Zhu Ning with genuine seriousness: "District 103 is going to be dangerous."
Zhu Ning was a bit surprised. In turbulent times, the most valuable commodity was information—and Liu Niannian had just blurted it right out.
Liu Niannian asked: "Would you come home with me? I can take you."
Wow—this was the audacity of a tycoon's heiress. Like offering a free ticket onto the lifeboat right before disaster struck.
From a different angle, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Countless people would kill for it.
Liu Niannian truly considered Zhu Ning a friend.
Zhu Ning thought about it and decided she wouldn't fit in. "I'll pass. I quite like it here."
Liu Niannian was suited to life in the Divine Kingdom. And Zhu Ning was suited to the Garbage Dump.
Liu Niannian figured Zhu Ning would be unhappy in the First District, so she dropped the subject. "Boss, what did you come to see me about?"
Liu Niannian needed something to take her mind off things. Her adventure was about to end. Any news Zhu Ning brought was welcome news.
Zhu Ning looked at Liu Niannian. Her face was already restored—had Zhu Ning not seen it with her own eyes, she'd never have known. "I feel like bringing up a request right now makes me look like a scumbag swooping in while you're vulnerable."
Liu Niannian had just been pushed around by her own brother. If Zhu Ning piled on, it'd look pretty heartless.
Liu Niannian: "Maybe what you're asking is actually easy for me?"
Zhu Ning: "Wow. That's a tycoon's heiress for you."
Pei Shu was right—if you needed something, just tell Liu Niannian directly. She'd take care of it.
Zhu Ning: "I need to kill a consciousness entity."
Liu Niannian blinked. Typical Zhu Ning—even her requests were a nightmare.
Zhu Ning didn't hold back. She told Liu Niannian about the Mechanical Oceanarium and about Lin Xiaofeng. This wasn't the first time she'd mentioned the Mechanical Oceanarium.
But this was the most detailed account she'd given anyone.
Liu Niannian listened intently from start to finish, never interrupting or asking questions.
Liu Niannian was silent for a while. This was an enormously difficult task. Creation Technology's Consciousness Cloud was called an impregnable fortress—completely standalone. Even Prometheus, who excelled at biological infiltration, couldn't touch it.
And Zhu Ning wanted to meddle with the Lu family's Consciousness Cloud? She was asking to assassinate one of their super VIP clients.
That VIP had probably purchased extensive security services—and might even have deep ties to the Lu family.
Liu Niannian: "If you're caught, things could get very dangerous for you."
That was putting it mildly. Zhu Ning might not survive the Cloud at all—and even if she somehow succeeded, she'd face relentless pursuit from Lu Yao.
What Zhu Ning was doing absolutely constituted an offense against the Lu family's interests.
Zhu Ning: "I know."
If she were still working for Prometheus, she'd have room to weigh the pros and cons. Worst case, she could refuse if it was too dangerous.
But now she was working for herself. She had to seize the initiative. Bao Ruiming could provide more answers.
This was a race against death. Zhu Ning intended to win.
"I understand," Liu Niannian nodded. "I can help you. But I have one condition."
Zhu Ning had come here to deal with a capitalist. She was ready to sell her soul. If Liu Niannian needed someone killed, she could do it.
Maybe she and Pei Shu would end up as colleagues—both working for the heiress.
Zhu Ning: "Name it."
As long as it didn't violate her principles too severely, she was game.
Liu Niannian: "I'm coming with you."
Zhu Ning thought she'd misheard. It wasn't that she feared Liu Niannian would be dead weight—Liu Niannian's sanity was surely higher than average.
But death in consciousness form meant permanent death. Not even the Lu family's vast resources could bring someone back. Liu Niannian actually wanted to go?
Liu Niannian's lovely eyes fixed on Zhu Ning. "Without me, you can't get in anyway. I'm a Lu. Only I have the key."
Liu Niannian thought Zhu Ning might refuse, so she added: "This is my last adventure. I want to go."
Liu Niannian knew she'd be locked in a cage sooner or later. So she kept pushing against the bars. This was a new boundary.
......
The Xie residence.
Xie Jiazu had just gotten off work. His job wasn't particularly demanding—the moment the clock struck six, he was gone.
Today, he had a guest. Xu Meng sat at the dining table, scanning the place. Xie Jiazu lived quite well. This apartment complex had been allocated to division heads by the Sanitation Center.
Good natural light, a large balcony, high ceilings. In a district where every inch of land was precious, this was the kind of home people spent a lifetime striving for.
Xu Meng remembered that Cheng Mofei had been looking at apartments before his final mission. He'd wanted to buy a nice place.
Xie Jiazu liked tea. He poured Xu Meng a cup. "Captain, what brings you here?"
They were all getting older—not the young hotheads they'd once been. Back in the day, Xie Jiazu hadn't cared for tea. His favorites were beer and barbecue skewers. Clearly, years of being a department head had given him a certain gravitas.
Xu Meng got straight to the point: "I need a Human-Machine Interface Device."
Xu Meng had promised Zhu Ning she'd handle this, and Xie Jiazu was the best person to ask.
Xie Jiazu frowned. Xu Meng was asking to establish a private link with Prometheus—an absolute taboo at the Sanitation Center. What was she planning?
Xie Jiazu: "Is this you asking me for a favor?"
Xu Meng saw no reason to deny it: "I suppose so."
Xie Jiazu considered. Xu Meng gave no reason—just asked for a Human-Machine Interface Device. No sane person would agree to such an outrageous request.
But Xie Jiazu said: "Give me two days."
Even at his rank, requisitioning a Human-Machine Interface Device wasn't easy. If it ended up on record and someone dug into it later, he could lose his position.
But Xie Jiazu had been in the upper echelons long enough to have connections. Handling it privately was feasible—not an impossible ask.
Xu Meng nodded. They had nothing more to say.
Xie Jiazu saw Xu Meng stand as if to leave and asked: "Are you still angry at me?"
Xu Meng paused. Xie Jiazu was sitting; Xu Meng was standing. She loomed over him—just like back in the Cheetah Squad days, when Xie Jiazu had messed up and Xu Meng came to chew him out.
The same scene, years later.
Xu Meng figured Xie Jiazu hadn't had an easy time these past years either. She sighed: "Actually, no."
Xie Jiazu looked up at her, startled. Xu Meng continued: "At first I was a little angry. But later, I genuinely wished you well. If even one of us from Cheetah Squad gets a good ending, that's enough."
Xie Jiazu was used to Xu Meng's barbs. His first reaction: "You're being sarcastic?"
Xu Meng: "Not sarcasm. I mean it. I won't bother you again after this."
Five people in Cheetah Squad. One was dead. The rest didn't exactly have bright futures. If anyone had a shot, it was Xie Jiazu alone.
Xie Jiazu hadn't done anything wrong. Ambition and desire weren't sins. Xu Meng, as captain, could understand that.
Cheng Mofei was gone. There was no reason to chain everyone to this forever. Someone had to keep moving forward.
Xie Jiazu had to live well. He had to climb to the very top. The last glory of Cheetah Squad might just rest on his shoulders.
Xie Jiazu asked: "How's Lynx?"
Xu Meng: "He's doing well. Don't worry about him."
Xie Jiazu: "And can you be okay with me?"
Xu Meng smiled: "When have I ever not been okay with you? It's just that being too close to me wouldn't be good for your career."
Xu Meng wasn't the type to throw tantrums. She'd weathered too many storms—she saw things clearly.
The path Xu Meng was walking was extremely dangerous—a path of no return. If she were ever exposed, the one hurt most would be Xie Jiazu. So the less connection between them, the better.
If possible, they should seem like enemies—at each other's throats. That would be ideal.
If things went south, Xie Jiazu could claim it was an old colleague asking for a favor he couldn't refuse. Xu Meng had already thought through how to keep him clean.
Xie Jiazu was already a department head, yet Xu Meng was still looking out for him—as though she'd never left Cheetah Squad's protection.
Xie Jiazu's eyes suddenly reddened. Others seeing this might think it laughable. His voice was rough: "I know."
He'd always known. Cheetah Squad was family. Xie Jiazu was one of them. Xu Meng was tough on the outside, soft on the inside.
Xu Meng: "Be careful."
Cheng Mofei had submitted a mission report to his superior back then. Later, his files were forcibly erased—the investigation report had never been released to this day.
That person might still be inside the Sanitation Center. The organization ran deep. Xie Jiazu couldn't afford to leave anyone leverage.
Xu Meng turned and left. She avoided every camera, dissolving into a shadow that seeped silently through crevices, leaving absolutely no trace.
After Xu Meng was gone, Xie Jiazu sat alone at the table for a while, not moving until his tea had gone cold.
He opened his bedroom door. Inside was a walk-in closet. Behind the closet was a hidden compartment.
Xie Jiazu pulled it open in one motion, revealing the wall behind it.
The wall was covered—dense with documents and photographs, connected by a web of red lines. This was how they'd always conducted investigations.
For years, Xie Jiazu had been searching for Cheng Mofei's superior.
He had never given up.
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