had just spoken and walked toward the white door.
A man and a cat exchanged looks and followed behind him.
walked at the very back, like a bailiff escorting a prisoner.
It was only when they were about two hundred meters from the white door that Liu Zheng realized it was not standing alone.
Next to the door, there was a desk with another uniformed person seated behind it.
The seal and cap badge were the same, except his face had no features but a pitch-black key.
Liu Zheng’s expression was slightly odd, not because of the man with a key for a face, but because of the coffee maker on the desk.
He could not fathom how this City Hall employee managed to drink coffee—perhaps he opened his top and poured it straight in?
reached the desk and handed over the documents to the Key Man.
The Key Man took the documents, checked them, and then filed them away in a drawer.
Next, he picked up something resembling a barcode scanner from the table and stood before Liu Zheng and San Huamao.
"This is a security check before leaving the country to ensure you’re not carrying anything prohibited,"
Liu Zheng calmly raised his appendage.
Most of his possessions were stored away in the system space; he would accept it if anything were detected during the scan.
Fortunately, whether it was because he had no prohibited items on him or the system space’s shielding was effective, the scanner detected no anomalies.
If Liu Zheng was clear, San Huamao certainly had no issues either.
The Key Man nodded, put down the scanner, and took out two chips from his pocket.
"These are memory chips. Once implanted in your minds, they will suppress most of your memories related to the Metropolis, retaining only a minimal amount of necessary memories."
"They also provide some mental protection. However, if this protection is breached, the memory chips will burn out along with your minds."
"If you are afraid, you can apply to leave now. But once you leave, you will never be able to leave the country again. And once the memory chips are implanted, you also cannot leave,"
introduced once again.
Liu Zheng merely asked.
"Just insert it into your brain."
He nodded, took the chip and shoved it against his temple.
There wasn’t the expected pain, just a sensation of coolness before the chip disappeared into his head.
Seeing Liu Zheng so decisive, San Huamao also took the chip and inserted it into his own cat head.
Perhaps it’s the inherent boldness of cats. Since leaving the restaurant, the normally lively and talkative San Huamao had become silent, adopting a stance that seemed to be led by Liu Zheng.
"Why haven’t I lost my memory?"
He tried recalling his eperiences since entering the Metropolis and said.
"It will take effect once you cross the border,"
explained. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"Moreover, although you are representing Bloody Restaurant in this procurement mission abroad, City Hall has some requirements as well,"
came over holding a thick journal.
"You will need to document as much as you can in this journal. The more detailed and valuable the content, the better,"
"Also, anything you find interesting or characteristic, feel free to bring back."
"If you perform your task well enough, you won’t have to worry about any issues when you return,"
he said with an implied meaning.
"Name: Border Control Bureau Official Journal"
"Type: Miscellaneous"
"Effect: Record experiences, suppress perception."
"Note: I’ll emphasize this once again, do not write everything in the diary. No one wants to know how many times you defecate in a day!"
"Can it be taken out of the instance: No"
Liu Zheng took the diary, deep in thought.
It was normal for City Hall to know about his dealings with Peacock and indeed they had the capability to prevent Peacock from making further moves against him.
The prerequisite, however, was that Liu Zheng had to demonstrate sufficient value, meaning he had to bring back enough successful results from his tasks.
It seemed this time he had to play the role of a folklorist and collector well.
"Alright, it’s getting late, open the door."
Key Man nodded, took the key off his face, and inserted it into the lock of the white door.
The door, smooth and delicate like jade, swung open automatically, revealing a continuously swirling misty vortex inside.
No sooner had 8848 finished speaking than a sudden change occurred inside the door.
A tentacle covered in eyeballs suddenly stretched out from the vortex and rolled towards the closest Key Man.
Facing the unexpected attack, Key Man did not react at all, as if he were petrified.
Just as the tentacle ensnared Key Man and was about to retract, 4399 moved.
He raised his right hand, which now inexplicably held a police baton.
Then he swung the baton, and a dragon of electricity, thicker than a human body, roared out, striking the tentacle instantly.
The eyes on the tentacle were immediately charred by the high-voltage current, filling the air with the smell of burning.
Key Man casually slapped his hand, and the tentacle turned into countless black ashes, dispersing with the wind.
The misty vortex fluctuated, and although there was no sound, Liu Zheng sensed a powerful will raging on the other side.
"What a nerve, daring to cause trouble here?"
sneered, then pulled out his pistol from his waist and fired a shot.
There was no flash, no gunshot, as a bullet smooth as mercury silently ejected and shot into the vortex.
A terrifying scream Liu Zheng couldn’t comprehend emanated from within the vortex, and then, the inside of the door returned to its calm state.
"That startled you, didn’t it?"
holstered his gun and smiled at Liu Zheng.
He responded graciously.
"That was just a minor scene. The last time, the disturbance was so big that a third of the Border Control Bureau’s workforce was here. Of course, due to confidentiality regulations, I can’t tell you."
"However, if you join the Border Control Bureau, I could explain it to you in detail."
"I appreciate the leader’s favor, but I’m doing quite well at the Bloody Restaurant, and I’m not considering a job change at the moment."
Liu Zheng decisively refused.
Compared to the straightforward Bloody Restaurant, it was City Hall that devoured people without spitting out the bones.
Besides, even if he really wanted to switch jobs, wouldn’t going to the Writers’ Association be a better choice?
With novelists and Fools as his backing, it surely would be much better than those two men with unclear objectives and the anti-favor faction behind them.
"No worries, here’s my contact details, just take note. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me."
wasn’t upset; instead, he recited a string of numbers.
Liu Zheng quietly noted them down.
Though he doubted he would call, having an additional connection was always good.
"Stop dawdling, it’s time to go."
"Liu Zheng, Salmon is scared meow."
San Huamao finally spoke up, clutching Liu Zheng’s leg pitifully.
"It’s okay, I’m here."
Liu Zheng lowered his tentacles to stroke its head, then placed it on his shoulder, and stepped into the mist.