Chapter 90 Date One

Chapter 90: The First Date

“We were at the nightclub all night… for our date.”

Bull Warrior’s sudden return stunned everyone.

*She left and came back—was she just out for a stroll?*

There was no time to ponder. The military district immediately scrambled, dispatching personnel to pursue Bull Warrior. Simultaneously, they focused on monitoring the area, determined to find her.

Shen Tanrong had been waiting near the slums. The moment he saw Bull Warrior descend from the sky and land in the impoverished district, he dashed inside.

By the time he found Yu Xing, she had already shed her Bull Warrior attire.

Shen Tanrong’s first words were, “The military district might already be suspicious. I heard that after Bull Warrior appeared, they started investigating everyone who entered the city in the past four days, including us. To avoid suspicion, I said…”

He hesitated here.

As Yu Xing walked out of the slums, she asked, “What did you say?”

Shen Tanrong’s tone was a little unnatural as he replied, “…I said I was out on a date.”

He finished speaking and stared at Yu Xing, unblinking.

Yu Xing nodded and said, “You did well.”

For a moment, Shen Tanrong’s emotions churned. Following behind Yu Xing, he asked, “What do we do next? Go back to the military district?”

They definitely had to go back, but not right away. If they returned immediately after Bull Warrior’s reappearance, wouldn’t that be too obvious?

Having watched countless spy dramas, Yu Xing was well-versed in such matters. She told Shen Tanrong, “Come on, let’s go on a date.”

Dating at night was tricky in this world, as there were no night markets and few entertainment venues.

In the end, they could only go clubbing, as it was one of the few nighttime entertainment options available.

After a few visits to the Ladies’ Joy House, Yu Xing was quite familiar with such places. But Shen Tanrong was different; this was his first time. The deafening music and blinding lights made him very uncomfortable.

Yu Xing had to take his hand and lead him to a corner, saying, “Just bear with it. We’ll have a drink and leave soon!”

Shen Tanrong nodded, clenching his jaw and enduring.

Then he noticed the strange looks people were giving them. *Could it be because they were just standing there instead of dancing?* he wondered.

He glanced at Yu Xing, who was looking down at her terminal.

He opened his mouth but suddenly realized he didn’t know how to address her.

He couldn’t call her Bull Warrior, and calling her by her full name felt disrespectful. But their relationship was too casual for him to call her “Xingxing” like her friends did.

After a moment of internal debate, Shen Tanrong poked Yu Xing’s shoulder with his index finger.

Yu Xing looked up blankly, and Shen Tanrong said, “Should we dance too?”

Yu Xing: “?”

*Was his wild side awakening? Wanting to dance on his first visit to such a place?*

Yu Xing didn’t mind. She nodded and said, “Sure.”

So the two of them started dancing in the middle of the crowd. Everyone was just moving randomly—jumping, grinding, and shaking their bodies.

The slums had no surveillance. When the military personnel arrived, they were dumbfounded. *How were they supposed to search? Go door-to-door and ask if anyone had seen Bull Warrior?*

Suddenly, Di Shensi had an idea. He ordered surveillance to track Shen Tanrong and Yu Xing’s movements.

And there they were—holding hands and entering a nightclub together.

*They really were together.* Di Shensi pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh. *He really had to stop overthinking things.*

After dancing for a while, the two shared a bottle of wine. As dawn approached, they finally left the nightclub arm in arm, heading back to the military district.

Stepping outside, it was already early morning. The cool breeze felt refreshing against their skin.

Yu Xing yawned. She hadn’t slept in ages; she was genuinely exhausted.

“I’ll have to sleep on the train. I’m leaving in two hours,” Yu Xing whispered as she and Shen Tanrong ambled down the street like a couple of vagrants. “After I’m gone, don’t you dare expose me.”

“Don’t worry,” Shen Tanrong promised solemnly.

When they returned to the military district, the guards at the gate gave them knowing looks, their faces practically twitching with amusement.

They walked back to the dormitory area together, but their rooms were in opposite directions. Yu Xing waved goodbye—working with Shen Tanrong had been surprisingly pleasant.

But as she turned around, she looked up and saw three heads poking out of a window, staring right at her.

“…”

Yu Xing hurried upstairs to her dorm, putting on a strained smile. “Heh, everyone’s up early! Not sleeping in?”

Zhao Lan said sweetly, “We’d love to sleep, but the military district’s sudden investigation last night was so noisy, we all woke up.”

“I didn’t wake up,” Miao Yuanjin said, bags under her eyes. “I never even fell asleep.”

Yu Xing: “…”

“Xingxing,” Da Ya walked over and patted Yu Xing’s shoulder. “If you want to go on a date, just go. No need to be so secretive. We won’t tell Bishop Lance.”

Yu Xing: “…”

Zhao Lan suddenly leaned in and sniffed, then frowned. “You reek of alcohol! That Shen Tanrong is really no good—getting you drunk on your first date.”

Yu Xing: “…”

Yu Xing broke out in a cold sweat. She couldn’t utter a single word, mentally apologizing to Shen Tanrong for ruining his reputation—in the eyes of at least three people, he was now a shady character.

“I…” Yu Xing just wanted to escape. “I’m going to shower.”

She rushed toward the bathroom, only to hear Da Ya exclaim behind her, “Huh? You came back without showering?”

Yu Xing’s foot slipped, almost making her face-plant.

Meanwhile, as soon as Shen Tanrong reached his dormitory, he ran into Di Shensi.

Di Shensi stood motionless, his face like carved stone. Shen Tanrong’s stomach dropped, slowing his steps as he approached. He saluted. “Good morning, sir!”

Di Shensi, who had been leaning against the wall, lifted his eyelids. His piercing green eyes locked onto Shen Tanrong as he said, “This is no way for a model soldier to act.”

Shen Tanrong’s heart sank. He immediately bowed his head. “I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Di Shensi didn't say much, only adding, "Don't let it happen again."

Before leaving, he asked, "Did you see anything strange last night?"

"No," Shen Tanrong replied. "I was... just at the club all night."

After he spoke, Di Shensi showed no reaction. Shen Tanrong kept his head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze, but he could feel the scrutinizing eyes on him.

"Go," Di Shensi said.

Shen Tanrong felt like he’d been granted a great pardon and immediately turned to leave.

But then Di Shensi called out, "The four of them will be leaving by train in just over two hours. Aren’t you going to see them off?"

Watching Shen Tanrong’s retreating figure until it disappeared, Di Shensi stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away in silence.

Something wasn’t right. He couldn’t shake the feeling—Shen Tanrong and Yu Xing had only gone to the nightclub just before dawn, so why did Shen Tanrong say he was there all night?

Yet he had no reason to doubt them.

Yu Xing was the Divine Chosen of the God of Misfortune, and Shen Tanrong wasn’t even a Divine Chosen. He didn’t believe Shen Tanrong would hide being a Divine Chosen; he had been a soldier for years—what reason would he have to conceal it?

Still, he couldn’t help wondering—didn’t the Bull Warrior’s movements overlap with Yu Xing’s?

When Yu Xing was in Seven City, the Bull Warrior was there too. When Yu Xing was outside the Wall, so was the Bull Warrior. Yu Xing in Eight City, the Bull Warrior in Eight City.

Was it really just a coincidence?

The four of them arrived at the station again to wait for the train. Yu Xing was yawning nonstop, and soon had the others yawning too.

"I hope nothing goes wrong with this train," Da Ya fretted. "Otherwise, I won’t dare sleep on board."

"Ugh!" Miao Yuanjin frowned. "Don’t jinx us!"

"Rain God, watch over me," Da Ya quickly clasped her hands in prayer.

Zhao Lan shook her head. "This attitude of only praying when in trouble and forgetting the gods otherwise is unacceptable. It won’t help you level up."

Da Ya winced at the criticism. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Should I make it rain?"

The four stumbled onto the train, half-asleep, got blankets from the conductor, and got comfortable in their seats, ready to catch up on lost sleep. Suddenly, Yu Xing noticed someone sit across the aisle in the adjacent seat. She automatically looked over—and saw a familiar face.

Di Shensi was seated there, asking the conductor for a drink.

Yu Xing: "..."

Yu Xing froze. *What’s he doing here?*

After the conductor left, Di Shensi straightened his collar, then abruptly turned his head. Caught off guard, Yu Xing met his piercing green eyes.

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment before Yu Xing averted her gaze. She turned toward the window, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep. *Damn it, is this guy stalking me because he’s obsessed?*

She really couldn’t stand obsessive stalkers...

As she kept up the sleeping act, Zhao Lan and the others soon noticed Di Shensi too.

The three looked at each other. Miao Yuanjin, who had always disliked Di Shensi, let out a disdainful snort before turning away to fake sleep like Yu Xing.

Zhao Lan, ever the adult in the group, greeted him. "You’re on this train too, sir?"

"Hm." Di Shensi gave a reserved nod.

"Uh... what a coincidence," Da Ya was a little nervous around him.

As the train started moving, Da Ya and Zhao Lan pulled their blankets up, ready to sleep.

Then Di Shensi suddenly spoke. "About the train contamination incident five days ago, I’d like to ask you some more questions."

Zhao Lan had a bad feeling but couldn’t put her finger on it.

Di Shensi beckoned her. "Zhao Lan, come sit across from me."

Zhao Lan: "..."

Miao Yuanjin and Da Ya couldn’t help but stare at her, while Yu Xing stubbornly kept up her act.

Hesitantly, Zhao Lan sat opposite Di Shensi. He fixed his gaze on her and said, "Walk me through what happened after the train incident."

Zhao Lan glanced around. "There are other passengers here. Should we really talk about this here?"

"You can keep your voice down," Di Shensi said.

In truth, First Class passengers who could afford to leave the city knew about contamination.

They only kept it from the public—for the privileged, some things were never secrets to begin with.

After a pause, Zhao Lan began relaying what happened from the moment the train derailed. Di Shensi listened intently, searching for inconsistencies in their stories.

When Zhao Lan mentioned the appearance of the Bull Warrior, Di Shensi suddenly asked, "Were all four of you together at the time?"

"Yes," Zhao Lan confirmed firmly.

"Really?" Di Shensi abruptly turned his gaze to Yu Xing. "Then why did your classmate claim she didn’t see anything strange the entire time?"