Chapter 199
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Chapter 199: Unfriendly Arrival
Lin Qingliu picked up the notebook placed at the front desk, quickly calculated the bill, and then pushed it in front of the Shadow Master.
He glanced at the paper, and his expression immediately darkened.
"Why is it three thousand seven hundred and fifty?"
Lin Qingliu, appearing nonchalant, began to explain:
"I provided all three with in-depth treatment, and this package isn’t cheap. The price for a single session is one thousand information coins."
He shrugged and added:
"Besides, it’s not regular Business Hours now, so charging a little extra for overtime is quite reasonable, don’t you think?
"Overtime pay is two hundred and fifty per person, which totals one thousand two hundred and fifty information coins per person. This is clearly priced, nothing wrong with it."
The Shadow Master fell silent for a few seconds; the price wasn’t exorbitant but hovered between affordable and expensive, just enough to make him feel slightly irritated.
After some thought, he decided to pay for his own recklessness, obediently taking out his wallet to settle the bill.
Of course, the Shadow Master had already planned to apply for reimbursement upon his return, ensuring he didn’t suffer any loss.
"Okay, receipt confirmed. Everyone, take care."
Feeling somewhat deceived, the Shadow Master and his group left the clinic under Lin Qingliu’s wave of goodbye.
Meanwhile, many spectators who had witnessed the payment process began to discuss whether they should find an opportunity to try it themselves.
Once the customers were sent off, Lin Qingliu did not appear as relaxed as he seemed.
His focus was divided between controlling his own body and maintaining the three second-generation Dummies.
Turning off the outside lights, Lin Qingliu returned to the innermost examination room.
At that moment, the most conspicuous items in the room were three stacks of seemingly unchanged books.
Lin Qingliu stepped forward and casually opened one, finding dry yellow grass leaves subtly wriggling inside.
"Snap."
He snapped his fingers, and with the other hand sweeping across the three stacks of books, the books seemed to lose their support and began to sink into the ground, disappearing in just a second or two.
Lin Qingliu also quickly descended into the underground chamber, lying down on a prepared bed with his eyes tightly closed, using all of his rationality to control the three Dummies.
Fourth Commercial Street was not far from the research institutes, but reaching the headquarters of the superpowered individuals still took some time, especially with everyone walking.
Under the Shadow Master’s orders, soldiers and three superhero teams surrounded the three heroes, protecting each other with their lives from attacks that could come from anywhere.
The group moved forward, most were constantly alert to their surroundings, but only the Shadow Master was closely watching the three men encircled in the middle.
His curiosity was ignited, hoping to find some evidence to support his own suspicions through the subtle actions of the three.
However, he ultimately did not see what he was looking for.
Perhaps due to the large audience, the three men in front exhibited no noteworthy actions worth deep contemplation; if one had to say something, it was that they walked with an inexplicable sense of synchronization, like well-trained soldiers.
Yet this wasn’t strange; many members of superhero teams had training experience in the military, so exhibiting such behavior was quite reasonable.
What the Shadow Master didn’t know was that the reason the three men tried to keep their movements in sync was that Lin Qingliu couldn’t perform overly precise multitasking operations. Thus, he had to let these individuals move in the same rhythm to lessen his mental pressure.
Time passed slowly, and finally, at midnight, the group successfully arrived at the headquarters of the superpowered individuals.
After completing the identity verification as per the rules, the Shadow Master led three superhero teams into the courtyard, while issuing corresponding commands to the subordinate officers in charge of the soldiers.
Watching the three men, who served as a publicity asset, return to the lounge exclusive to the sixth squad, the Shadow Master let out a long sigh of relief.
It had grown quite late, and others could go to sleep, but not him.
Even though he hadn’t found any trace of the “Believers” today, the fact that those three superpowered individuals received external medical treatment was also worth reporting. He had to finish writing the relevant report before he could rest.
On the other side, the second-generation Dummies “Nian,” “Flowing Sand,” and “Gecko” had just entered their team’s lounge and began to nervously look around.
After confirming that this was a private area, unlike the training grounds and cells, which were under surveillance, the three Dummies quickly dropped their disguises.
They stood in a row beside the sofa, heads down, their bodies completely still, resembling robots that had lost power.
A few blocks away, Lin Qingliu, manipulating the Dummies in the basement, suddenly opened his eyes widely.
He smiled slightly and slowly stepped forward into the underground world made entirely of dirt…
—
The next morning, three hours before the medal ceremony, the returning “Vine” spotted the also visiting “Bomb Man” at a nearby intersection.
The two exchanged a glance, and then both revealed ambiguous smiles.
After greeting each other like normal humans, they naturally walked side by side.
The mutual contact and friction as they walked synced the images from the previous night in their minds.
“Vine” enjoyed dinner with Councilman Bordeaux, during which the councilman praised his bravery and expressed clear intentions to recruit him.
However, in reality, “Vine” had long been Councilman Bordeaux’s specially appointed assistant for two years, at least on paper.
Thus, the enticing offer from the councilman puzzled the Dummy “Vine,” who could only evade with some habitual responses.
This was a downside of not understanding humans well; if “Vine” were present, even El would have grasped that the councilman’s intention was to have “Vine” diminish future explorations and, with this accomplishment and his essential superpowers, take over the councilman’s seat in a decade or two.
Meanwhile, “Bomb Man’s” visit home didn’t go as smoothly either. Conversations with family often left him confused, and the atmosphere during dinner felt a bit awkward.
Before bed, his sister asked him to read a bedtime story, which was also refused by the understanding-challenged “Bomb Man.”
Neither of them realized that their behavior differed from that of real people and still thought they were doing well as they smiled and returned to headquarters.
Once back in the surveillance area, their movements appeared exceptionally organized, every action resembling that of true humans.
"I’m really looking forward to the medal ceremony later."
As “Vine” said this, he pushed open the lounge door, planning to enter this blind spot of surveillance with his teammates.
After closing the door, both were suddenly stirred.
They turned their heads in unison to find a strange man sitting on their sofa, smiling at them.
Surrounding this man, “Nian” was diligently massaging his shoulders, while “Flowing Sand” and “Gecko” were half-kneeling on the ground, pounding his legs.
