CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: CONVERSATION

"I can roughly understand," Sun Hang replied.

"By the way, regarding the Celestial City Management Committee... If they come to find you, just tell them you’re feeling unwell and refuse to see guests. They shouldn’t dare to force their way into the Hunter’s sanctuary. If those people really push it, just take refuge in the research institute; with a teacher present, they absolutely won’t dare to touch you," Yang Qi emphasized.

"Is there really no need for my help on the south side of the city? I feel like the Blood Moon doesn’t seem to affect me much. If necessary, let Wang Xiyi stay at the institute, and I’ll come over myself."

Sun Hang felt a bit of goodwill towards Yang Qi, the direct person in charge—he could sense that the other genuinely cared about him and did not see him merely as a "tool" for combating mysterious creatures.

The Management Committee might not use coercive means on the Mysterious Creature Hunter, but they will definitely exert pressure on Yang Qi repeatedly. Sun Hang was very clear that the reason he can leisurely wander about now is entirely because Yang Qi has shouldered all the pressure for him.

He didn’t truly want to go searching for those missing people; he simply couldn’t stand incompetents using their power to pressure a woman.

The origin of the issue was the ceremonial flower offering, which was more about show than actual significance. Now, after accidents happened, they needed even more lives to clean up the mess.

They’re not considering the potential damage and influence caused by the mysterious phenomena but how to handle this issue—to minimize its impact on their career paths.

"No, the risk is too great," Yang Qi firmly refused. "You’ve just consumed ’Tai Sui’, and you’re still in the ’digestion period’... If you are affected by the Blood Moon during this time, the consequences are hard to predict..."

"Digestion period? There’s such a concept?"

"You’ve consumed the meme of ’Tai Sui’, but until you fully integrate these memes with yourself, they could theoretically backlash at any time. In other words, Tai Sui could ’revive’ within you," Yang Qi communicated via message. "Alright, don’t bring this up again. When the Blood Moon disappears, I’ll naturally notify you to return for the task; what you need to do now is be ready at any time."

...

...

The taxi stopped at the north gate of the Celestial City Mysterious Creature Research Institute. Before getting out, Sun Hang saw a group of people unloading the container holding an alien long knife from the all-terrain transport vehicle, with the one-eyed female researcher nearby, clutching her tablet tightly.

"I should’ve hitched a ride..." Sun Hang mumbled quietly, paid the fare, and jumped off the taxi.

However, before Sun Hang reached the parking lot, two professional bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses blocked him.

"Mr. Sun Hang, someone wants to talk to you," one of the bodyguards said politely.

"Talk to me? Who?" Sun Hang glanced at the two, "If it’s not a beautiful girl, excuse me, I refuse."

"It’s Mr. Lu Hongming from the Celestial City Management Committee," the other bodyguard gestured with an open palm, indicating "please."

Nearby, a black sedan parked discreetly with its rear door half-open, vaguely revealing a person sitting in the back.

"If I’m not mistaken, the Celestial City Management Committee has no authority to issue orders to Mysterious Creature Hunters, right?" Sun Hang squinted.

"We’re not here to issue any orders; Mr. Lu just wants to chat with you, just a chat."

With the bodyguards being very respectful, Sun Hang adhered to the principle of not attacking kind faces, so he could only coldly say, "Sorry, I’m in a hurry, could you let me pass?—As for a chat, if it’s just a talk, it can be scheduled for any time, right?"

"We’ve already contacted the institute," the bodyguard said.

"So, is this the intention of that old guy in the wheelchair?" Sun Hang asked.

"The institute director has given us ten minutes," the bodyguard gestured "please" again.

"Alright, ten minutes it is," Sun Hang quickly walked toward the black sedan. The bodyguards immediately opened the half-closed car door for him.

It was only then that Sun Hang noticed the person in the backseat was a fully armed soldier, and the person planning to talk to him was in the front passenger seat.

"Mr. Sun Hang, hello, this is our first meeting. Let me introduce myself; I’m Lu Hongming, a committee member of the Celestial City Management Committee," a middle-aged man with thinning hair in a gray suit turned from the passenger seat, speaking amiably.

"You afraid of me?" Sun Hang pointed to the armed soldier beside him, smiling.

"It’s just a necessary safety measure, no need to worry," Lu Hongming remained composed. "I’ve invited you here this time..."

"Is it about the cemetery in the south of the city?" Sun Hang interrupted him bluntly.

"Exactly, since you already understand my intention, you must also know the seriousness of this matter, right?" Lu Hongming responded.

"Seriousness? To be honest, I don’t quite understand... Without those people, will Celestial City descend into chaos?"

"The city’s order can still be maintained for now, but as time progresses, the situation will worsen... If the missing were only one or two people, we could remedy it. But this time, we’ve lost so many key personnel at once; our management institutions are currently in an overloaded operational state, on the verge of collapse."

"Isn’t there an emergency plan? If necessary, have the federation air-drop some people to stabilize things? Can’t let alive people suffocate for a lack of action, can you?" Sun Hang feigned perplexity.

"Not having participated in city management operations, it’s normal for you not to understand the nuances... A large Celestial City is like a intricate machine, where everyone is an indispensable gear within it, and if one day, most gears suddenly disappear, what do you think would happen?"

"Replace them with a new set of gears, wouldn’t that work?"

"Not every job transition can be accomplished with a simple decree, and the longer time passes, the more work accumulates, making transitions increasingly difficult... We’re already deeply stuck now."

"Oh, so you plan to send me back to the anomaly zone?"

"Compared to ’Night Slayer’, you’re more important—after all, the one resonating with ’mysterious creatures’ is you."

"But, the instructions I received were to stay put."

"No, I need to correct that, it’s ’free standby’, not ’stay put’. You have complete autonomy to decide whether or not to go to the southern cemetery area for investigation."

"What if I refuse?"