Chapter 37: The House That Hunts (Part 10)

Chapter 37: The House That Hunts (Part 10)

An hour had passed since the containment of the contaminated spores, ensuring no spores had leaked out. All the rotting flesh and contaminated bricks were collected.

"What about the house?" Liu Niannian asked.

Zhu Ning: "I guess they'll say it was an accident caused by a gas leak."

Zhu Ning even came up with an excuse for Prometheus.

"What about the bodies?" Liu Niannian nodded and asked, "Are we really taking them away?"

Zhu Ning: "I'll contact the professionals."

Zhu Ning reached out to Song Zhizhang; since he worked in the specialized containment department, he should be able to handle the bodies.

Song Zhizhang responded like an online customer service representative waiting for orders. Perhaps Prometheus had already assigned him the task, as he only briefly listened to Zhu Ning's explanation before providing a solution.

"If it's convenient, bring the bodies over yourself. If you want me to handle it, it’s one hundred thousand per body."

"I've already sent people for the post-incident cleanup."

Song Zhizhang said on the phone, "I suggest you get out of that area soon."

Liu Niannian looked curious. Her first formal assignment from Zhu Ning turned out to be so bizarre. Was there indeed a mysterious organization behind Zhu Ning?

Zhu Ning spoke very coldly, saying only two sentences: "I understand."

The second sentence: "Can I bring outsiders along?"

Liu Niannian couldn't hear the response, then Zhu Ning hung up the phone.

"Come help," Zhu Ning called to Liu Niannian.

Liu Niannian naturally trusted Zhu Ning, possibly because she had once saved her life.

"Can't they help?" Liu Niannian asked.

"They can," Zhu Ning said, "but it's expensive."

Liu Niannian: "...?"

Do I look like someone who lacks money? For the first time, Liu Niannian clearly felt she was being used as cheap labor. But Zhu Ning was her boss, and whatever the boss says goes.

Besides... handling corpses was a novel experience for Liu Niannian.

Zhu Ning and Liu Niannian moved the bodies together, forming an odd bond through this shared task.

Liu Niannian drove a luxurious car she considered low-profile, but Zhu Ning couldn't recognize the brand. In her world, it would have been a stretched Lincoln, now loaded with five bodies.

Two women carrying five killer corpses onto the aerial highway, Prometheus controlled the cameras, ensuring no one would check. From the rearview mirror, it was clear a car was following them.

Liu Niannian: "Don't worry, it's family."

Liu Niannian couldn't shake them off; if anything happened again, she'd be under house arrest for life.

Zhu Ning was highly alert and didn't remove her helmet even in the car. Both times they met, they wore helmets, never seeing each other's true faces.

Bored while driving, Liu Niannian kept observing Zhu Ning through the rearview mirror. She asked, "Aren't you going to take off your helmet?"

She sensed Zhu Ning might be injured; normally, one would remove their helmet to clean wounds.

Zhu Ning: "I think it's better if we don't meet face-to-face."

Without removing the helmet, Liu Niannian remained a subordinate, simplifying their relationship. Zhu Ning regretted revealing her real name during their first meeting.

If she knew the trouble that would follow, she should have given a fake name. Zhu Ning glanced at the rearview mirror, seemingly pondering Liu Niannian's trustworthiness.

Liu Niannian guessed what Zhu Ning was thinking and quickly said, "I haven't checked on you."

Liu Niannian assumed Zhu Ning feared she was untrustworthy and might need to be eliminated. She spoke hastily, fearing a slow response could mean death, "Moreover, getting the Cleaning Center's internal list isn't easy; I can't do it alone."

As an uneducated heiress, obtaining information about a Cleaning Center employee was extremely difficult for Liu Niannian.

She only knew Zhu Ning's name, that she came from the Cleaning Center, and wore the cleaner's uniform. She couldn't tell if Zhu Ning was truly a cleaner or a demon hunter in disguise.

Zhu Ning hummed in acknowledgment, and Liu Niannian sighed in relief, asking, "Aren't you going to ask about my identity?"

Zhu Ning had never asked which family Liu Niannian belonged to.

Zhu Ning: "It's not necessary."

As long as Liu Niannian was useful, her status as a heiress was irrelevant. Knowing more could lead to complications, and deeper involvement with Liu Niannian's family might bring another set of troubles.

Liu Niannian felt relieved. Sometimes she feared Zhu Ning might change her attitude upon learning her identity. Whether becoming distant or closer, any change would make Liu Niannian uncomfortable. Zhu Ning's current reaction was perfect.

Zhu Ning asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Liu Niannian, uncertain herself, said, "Because you pay me?"

Zhu Ning: "..."

What a simple wish.

Liu Niannian: "I've always been interested in pollutants, but my family doesn't let me get involved."

As a heiress, she couldn't become a demon hunter, but her family tolerated her small "hobbies." Following Zhu Ning on adventures aligned perfectly with Liu Niannian's interests.

Zhu Ning fell silent. She truly didn't understand how the rich sought thrills.

But it seems Liu Niannian is very handy to work with, and she's highly cooperative. Perhaps they can really have a long-term collaboration in the future.

She was too tired to think about what would happen next.

The dazzling lights from the high-speed skyway reflected in the car window. Zhu Ning leaned against the window, lost in thought. From this angle, she could overlook part of Zone 103. The Rome City District had already been left behind, and the people in the city were completely unaware of what had just happened.

Zhu Ning had asked Fang Ying when she joined the job if her role was that of a cleanup crew. This was the first time she felt like it really was.

The address Zhu Ning gave was "Queen's Honor," a shop near the Rome City District which also had a containment department. The latter was closer and more convenient, but Zhu Ning preferred dealing with acquaintances; the fewer people who knew, the safer it was.

When Liu Niannian parked the car in front of "Queen's Honor," she fell silent, staring at the flashing pink sign.

Liu Niannian was clearly shocked and took a while to speak, "Do you usually come to places like this?"

Zhu Ning: "..."

Let me explain.

Song Zhizhang had received Zhu Ning's message long ago and was waiting at the entrance of the store.

After Liu Niannian rolled down her window, she saw a man leaning against the railing. He was wearing a purple turtleneck sweater and waved at Zhu Ning, "Honey, you're here?"

Zhu Ning still wasn't used to his joking style and stiffly raised her hand to greet Song Zhizhang, saying stiffly, "I'm here."

Liu Niannian glanced at her.

Zhu Ning: "..."

Alright, she couldn't explain it.

Although "Queen's Honor" looked somewhat scandalous, its location was excellent. There were few people around, and only three shops lined the entire street.

Due to the low foot traffic and remote location, it was perfect for some gray operations. Song Zhizhang, a professional containment officer, called his colleagues to handle the body in the car.

Liu Niannian couldn't stay away for too long. She dropped Zhu Ning off at the entrance of "Queen's Honor" and watched curiously as Song Zhizhang led his team to move the body.

Song Zhizhang leaned against the car window and greeted Liu Niannian, "Hey~"

Liu Niannian: "...Hey?"

Song Zhizhang smiled at Liu Niannian, "Are you her friend?"

Liu Niannian was silent for a moment, hesitant to say, "Sort of?"

Song Zhizhang: "Got time to drop by the store sometime?"

People in his line of work could tell at a glance who were genuine rich women. Judging by the car Liu Niannian drove, she wasn't just any rich woman but a super-rich one.

Liu Niannian was stunned. Honestly, she had never learned anything substantial growing up, but she had never been to a host club. She didn't need to; she could easily hire a celebrity if she wanted handsome men around.

"Don't bother her; she's not your client," Zhu Ning suddenly spoke up.

Song Zhizhang was a bit disappointed. He told Liu Niannian, "This place is confidential, okay?"

Of all the things Song Zhizhang said to Liu Niannian, this was the most serious, without a hint of joking. Liu Niannian nodded blankly.

Zhu Ning trusted her enough to bring her to "Queen's Honor." If she went around talking about it, it wouldn't be good. Liu Niannian checked the time; she had been out for too long and needed to get back before her family noticed.

Liu Niannian: "I'll head home now. I'll contact you later."

Zhu Ning looked extremely tired and simply nodded, watching Liu Niannian drive away from "Queen's Honor."

Pei Shu was waiting at the street corner for his young mistress. He opened the passenger door and got into Liu Niannian's car. Pei Shu had been ordered to protect Liu Niannian closely, and he had been away for too long.

After Pei Shu got in the car, Liu Niannian drove off, leaving "Queen's Honor" behind. They got on the skyway and headed back to the Lu residence, which would take forty minutes.

Pei Shu: "I wondered who saved you last time. Turns out there's a master."

They were too close to the hotpot restaurant where Liu Niannian had an incident, making it easy to connect it to the previous accident at Hao Zaicai Hotpot. Liu Niannian didn't explain; she didn't need to justify herself to her bodyguard.

Pei Shu paused and then said, "But I suggest you stay away from that place."

Liu Niannian asked, "You know?"

How did Pei Shu know about a host club?

Pei Shu: "Their boss isn't a good person. Whatever you do, the Lu family won't interfere, but don't get yourself involved."

Before becoming a bodyguard for the Lu family, Pei Shu was a demon hunter at the Cleaning Center. Liu Niannian had insisted on becoming a demon hunter when she was young, so her family hired a demon hunter as her teacher at a high salary.

Pei Shu was more like her mentor than a bodyguard. It seemed he knew Song Zhizhang, indicating the store owner was quite well-known, though not a good person.

Did Zhu Ning know?

...

Zhu Ning entered Song Zhizhang's office.

She didn't need to worry about the aftermath; Song Zhizhang would take care of it. Zhu Ning was very cautious, removing her helmet only after entering the office. Her lower face was covered in blood.

Half her face bathed in blood, she looked like a female demon.

Song Zhizhang frowned when he saw Zhu Ning remove her helmet and threw her a towel, saying like her mother, "Go wash your face in the bathroom. You look like a mess."

Zhu Ning held the towel with disdain, seemingly finding it dirty.

Song Zhizhang saw what she was thinking and said irritably, "It's clean, no worries! Our hosts are disposable; rich women don't like second-hand goods."

Zhu Ning: "..."

There's no need to explain it in such detail. How can ducks do it all at once? Zhu Ning made an acknowledging sound and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

After spending a night in that eerie house, Zhu Ning could only wash her helmet before. Now, she felt incredibly fortunate to be able to wash her real face.

Zhu Ning was still bleeding from her nose. She washed several times but couldn't stop the bleeding, so she eventually stuffed two cotton balls into her nostrils.

Song Zhizhang leaned against the door, watching. When Zhu Ning came out, he frowned and handed her a bottle of mental healing agent. "Lie down on the sofa for a while."

No matter whether it's a wasteland or a zombie world, the old remedy for nosebleeds is the same.

With two cotton balls stuffed in her nostrils and a bottle of mental healing agent in her mouth, Zhu Ning lay on the sofa like a corpse.

Song Zhizhang sorted through Zhu Ning's contaminated spores nearby. They had only met twice, yet Zhu Ning was almost treating this place like her own home. Perhaps Song Zhizhang just didn't seem threatening enough.

Zhu Ning asked in a muffled voice, "You're actually willing to let me bring outsiders here?"

Song Zhizhang: "Honey, I run a business here. Everyone in this line knows what this shop does."

It's not some top-secret organization; anyone who deals with contaminants knows about the side business of the Noble Queen Shop.

Apart from demon hunters and cleaners, many civilians also participate in purifying contaminated areas. They bring their collected spores to Song Zhizhang to exchange for money, and he always welcomes customers openly.

Zhu Ning: "Where will they be taken?"

She was referring to the bodies.

Song Zhizhang didn't turn his head. "For autopsy."

It turns out there's a professional team that conducts autopsies.

Zhu Ning asked, "Can their identities be traced?"

Song Zhizhang tapped away on his small calculator. "I doubt it. It's hard to trace people in this line. I advise you not to get your hopes up too high."

Zhu Ning made another acknowledging sound. She hadn't really expected much anyway. She then asked, "Do you know about Yongsheng Pharmaceutical?"

Tap—

The sound of Song Zhizhang's calculator abruptly stopped. He suddenly paused. Zhu Ning turned her head slightly and saw him looking down, his expression hidden.

After a moment, Song Zhizhang said nonchalantly, "Hard to say."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Hard to say? During their first meeting, when Song Zhizhang asked what Zhu Ning was doing at the hotpot restaurant, she had replied the same way. Was he now using her own words against her?

Song Zhizhang clearly didn't want to talk about it further, so Zhu Ning didn't press the issue.

Zhu Ning: "You keep calculating. I'll take a nap here."

She curled up, finally relaxing completely, feeling drowsy.

She exhibited symptoms similar to Li Nianchuan's—the more relaxed she became, the more the side effects of her mental damage began to show.

Although her system panel showed her mental value had returned to 100, the side effects seemed to persist. It was like a computer running at full capacity, almost overheating its CPU, and now the entire machine was still hot.

Her mind wasn't functioning well, and she desperately needed rest. Her eyelids were heavy.

Song Zhizhang: "Don't sleep here. Go back to your place if you want to sleep."

Zhu Ning had already closed her eyes. "Just for one night."

Song Zhizhang: "This is at least a duck shop. Can you show some respect?"

What kind of situation was it for a woman to sleep in a duck shop?

Zhu Ning buried her head in the inner side of the sofa. "Aren't I your honey?"

Song Zhizhang: "..."

He was paying the price for his own joke for the first time.

Zhu Ning fell silent after speaking, truly asleep. Was she that trusting?

Song Zhizhang stopped calculating and walked over to Zhu Ning's side.

Song Zhizhang was a man, yet Zhu Ning didn't fear him at all. She must have been mentally drained, as she slept with a frown, completely defenseless, more like an ordinary person.

Song Zhizhang's shadow fell heavily on Zhu Ning. With his somewhat feminine appearance, he usually smiled warmly, but without any expression, he looked somewhat cold and detached.

But he usually smiled pleasantly, and few people at the Noble Queen Shop had seen him look so cold.

Song Zhizhang reached out toward Zhu Ning, almost touching her face, but she didn't react at all.

Zhu Ning would eventually be taken advantage of, Song Zhizhang thought, as he covered her with a blanket and turned off the light.

"Goodnight," Song Zhizhang whispered, "honey."