In the conference hall, Pei Yan was surrounded like a star encircled by the moon. Facing rounds of questions from Elder Lin and Gu Shenghui, he gradually showed signs of impatience, having to confirm once again, "Yes, I sensed the call of her imminent awakening. Just now, on the rooftop, she told in my mind that she will awaken two days later and, as agreed, occupy my body for two days."
"Can’t you reject or suppress her?" i Simiao, who could already walk after more than two months of recuperation, asked from her seat.
Pei Yan leaned back in his chair, picked up the water cup on the table, and said self-deprecatingly, "I wish I could. Being able to secure a lifeline and sign an equal agreent with her is already good enough for , let alone rejecting or suppressing her! I’ve said in advance, please don’t do anything too extre to her or else what this madwoman might do, I can’t say. She only promised not to harm or my family and friends. As for how she defines these boundaries, it depends on her understanding. In the period she controls my body, I’ll try my best to interfere and prevent her from doing anything too outrageous, which is all I can do."
Hearing Pei Yan’s words, the room fell into silence again. After a long while, Pei Yan placed his empty cup back on the table and sighed, "You all should co up with a solution soon. Either you find a safe way or person to subdue this woman or figure out sothing quickly, or just don’t provoke her. I don’t want to wake up to find out she used my body to wreak havoc on the Investigation Hall."
"We won’t let such a thing happen. For the next couple of days, don’t work out. Co with to a place." Cen Xiaoran, silent since the beginning of the eting, finally spoke. Then he noticed Pei Jin, who stood up at the sa ti, and apologized, "Sorry, Pei Yan will have to go alone to that place. Don’t worry, I’ll ensure his safety."
Upon hearing this, the Pei Family siblings exchanged glances. Pei Yan nodded and said, "Sis, don’t worry about . My position is quite important now; there won’t be any problems!" After comforting his sister, Pei Yan hobbled after Cen Xiaoran, making their way out of the conference room.
Cen Xiaoran walked slowly, waiting for Pei Yan whose legs were still sowhat unsteady. The elder and Pei Yan chatted intermittently as they walked.
"How has your recovery been recently? Are there any living or organizational needs from the Hall?"
Hearing this, Pei Yan’s eyes lit up, knowing this was a pri opportunity to state his conditions to the highest leader in the Hall. Quickly seizing the chance, he replied with a smile, "My recovery is going well, and the Hall has been ticulously caring for my living needs, for which I’m very grateful. As for needs, there’s indeed one thing. First, my personal belongings at the forr Investigation Hall headquarters. I haven’t had the ti to check on them since the explosion, and I’m unsure if they’re still there."
"No worries on that. Although the explosion was quite large, it didn’t affect the dormitory building. All your personal belongings have been sorted and stacked in the warehouse with labels. You can claim them whenever you wish." Cen Xiaoran replied with a smile.
"That’s good. Also, if possible, I’d like to go ho for the New Year this year!" Pei Yan cautiously probed.
Upon hearing this, Cen Xiaoran paused, glanced back at Pei Yan who was following closely, and smirked, "Sure, based on what was said when relocating your family, you’ve been credited with a special rit award which entitles you to a New Year ho visit. Just take care of the details when the ti cos to avoid leaving any trace."
"Understood!" Pei Yan sighed in relief and replied happily upon receiving the definitive answer.
"Any other requests?"
"None!" Pei Yan, knowing when to stop, imdiately responded. Both his and his sister’s inco had reached the sa level as a veteran agent like Gu Shenghui. Adding in the extra protection for his family, and knowing how much manpower and resources this would require from his experience at the Investigation Hall, he felt he didn’t have any more pressing concerns, making additional requests seem excessive.
Hearing this, Cen Xiaoran, walking ahead, nodded in satisfaction. The two continued circling around the newly constructed building dozens of tis until Pei Yan was thoroughly disoriented. Then, Cen Xiaoran casually pushed open a door on the side of a corridor and entered first.
Following closely, Pei Yan observed his surroundings in surprise. After a while, he couldn’t help but blurt out, "Cen Hall, we’ve been here before, why did we have to walk in so many circles to co back?"
"You’ve been here before but the scene is different now. To correctly enter this place, you must walk in a specific route inside the building, leaving your internal energy mark at every critical point to activate the array chanism. Only then is the space here opened." Cen Xiaoran turned back to Pei Yan and warned, "I know you’re crafty and your chanical eye can record my entire journey, but I warn you not to try to retrace my steps, because the chanisms here change every three days. If you try to follow the route I took, who knows which dinsion you might end up in, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Yan, still startled, nodded. He had indeed entertained the thought before Cen Xiaoran ntioned it, but he was glad the latter imdiately dispelled it. However, he remained puzzled about what warranted the Investigation Hall going to such lengths to hide this place. Could it be the location of that person?
Harboring such thoughts, Pei Yan followed Cen Xiaoran, passing through the room and then opening a small door at the corner. The two stooped to enter, finding themselves in a short, narrow, and dimly lit corridor. For soone tall like Pei Yan, he had to painfully crawl forward using both hands and feet.
After crawling for about five minutes, the path widened, and light and noise gradually erged from ahead. Monts later, Pei Yan followed Cen Xiaoran out of the tunnel.
Observing the bustling street ahead and then glancing back at the sewer entrance, monts before they were in the desolate headquarters of the Mountain Investigation Hall, and by taking dozens of loops in the building they arrived at a bustling market. This spatial dislocation gave Pei Yan a sense of a ti-traveling experience.
Following Cen Xiaoran woodenly, walking through the vibrant street filled with people, this sense of crossing ti deepened profoundly until he realized sothing was off. This wasn’t only spatial dislocation but also a temporal one—the attire of the pedestrians, the items being sold, and the street setup were not modern-day scenes but resembled the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Looking at Pei Yan standing dazed and perplexed, Cen Xiaoran stopped, pulled out an outdated one-dollar banknote from his pocket and bought two bottles of ice-cold White Pear soda, biting open the cap and handing one to Pei Yan.
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