Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 79: The Gears of Fate

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: The Gears of Fate

In the following half month, Yunlong City underwent tremendous changes.

The number of evil spirits decreased sharply. Led by the newly appointed King of Evil Spirits, the remnants established their first base in an abandoned construction site.

It was said that this place was once a battlefield for warriors and demons. As time changed, many areas still retained traces of that battle, evidence of how intense the fight had been.

The evil spirits became aware of their natural enemies, those humans who called themselves hunters, existing before the arrival of the Extraterrestrials.

But in this darkest era, the evil spirits also welcomed a savior for the wicked.

With a bounty of over a billion Bei, regarded as the most vicious criminal in history, along with his underlings—the Red-eyed Demons and the sole heir of the lost Congyun Hotel—brought them a glimpse of hope.

The internal struggles within Universe Company intensified, and the thorough internal investigation quickly hit a dead end.

Everyone seemed like the murderer of Bai Kou, yet at the same time appeared not to be; the missing "Long Branch" member Western Wind remained untraceable, and they had to find this betrayer and pry the truth of the incident from his lips.

"Tch, the company has entered the stage of pointing fingers at each other,"

In the cafe below the Yunlong City branch office of Universe Company, Fu Ling cradled a mourning dove in her left hand while stirring the hot coffee in her cup with her right.

Duan Mingyuan sat opposite her, listening to her complaints about the company’s troubles.

"The transfer order has come through, I’m heading back to headquarters tonight. Really, the reason I asked for a transfer to the branch in the first place was to avoid these troubles."

Fu Ling was downcast; returning to heaven didn’t seem to hold any appeal for her.

Duan Mingyuan comforted her, "Look at the bright side; you’re getting promoted."

"Factional struggles,"

Fu Ling sighed deeply.

All this talk about valuing her Ability, not wanting her to waste her talents in Yunlong City, was just polite conversation. The real reason was that she was both personally promoted by Bai Kou and his student. According to the public opinion manufactured by Bai Kou’s faction, she was undoubtedly the most suitable successor, especially since her position was just one level away from becoming the head of the entire project team.

However, because she stayed on Blue Star for a long time and was unfamiliar with the internal affairs of the department, the faction could easily "assist" her in fulfilling her responsibilities after supporting her promotion.

Their meetings had become frequent lately because, after her transfer back to headquarters, the new director taking over her position would rely on Duan Mingyuan’s support. She was actively facilitating cooperation between the two; Yunlong City was fraught with dangers, and the Star Zone’s top wanted criminal still roamed the city unrestrained, seemingly having recruited all the city’s evil spirits under his command.

Over time, she had become well-acquainted with Duan Mingyuan.

Fu Ling didn’t know why she was sharing all this with him; she steadied her mind, perhaps because once she was transferred back to headquarters, she would no longer be able to talk casually with others.

"I can only say this to you."

She suddenly lowered her voice. "The Council is furious, but I’m actually quite glad the factory was destroyed; otherwise, Wangxu would have caused who knows how many more problems. The person taking over my position is a newcomer recently transferred from the headquarters academy, sort of my junior. She has a high academic background and has achieved a bit in this Domain, but she’s a bit... too scholarly. Please look after her in the future."

"Alright,"

Duan Mingyuan nodded. His recent meetings with Fu Ling naturally had a reason, "About the Batch 67 goods."

"Leave it to me,"

Fu Ling said, "If the promotion goes smoothly, even if I don’t want to know, I’ll have to take over all of the teacher’s projects."

"Then, thanks in advance."

Messages came through Fu Ling’s earpiece; her break times were never more than fifteen minutes.

Just enough time to come downstairs to the cafe for a cup of coffee.

"Another new task to handle."

"Then let’s part ways for now."

Duan Mingyuan stood up, having received Fu Ling’s promise, his purpose for this visit was accomplished.

"Mr. Mingyuan."

Fu Ling suddenly called out to him, saying, "You’re right, one should always look on the bright side. Next time we meet, I might just be the head of the Life Evaluation Department."

....................

"The gears of destiny have once again begun to turn..."

An immortal crane elegantly alighted atop the tallest building in the city, its ruby-like pupils surveyed the cityscape with a cool female voice emanating from its beak.

Yunlong City.

The crane repeated in its heart, recalling that its last visit here was many years ago, "Tang Qianqian, Yang Ping, Jiuyue, and Duan Mingyuan."

She repeated all the names once more, ensuring they were correct, then spread her pristine wings and left a pure white silhouette in front of the company building’s windows.

Her first stop was an old residential area.

Descending in front of a window, the crane scrutinized the layout inside the apartment with an evaluative gaze. Though the owner had yet to be seen, she already felt a favorable impression forming.

The home was organized and orderly, indicative of someone who regularly cleaned—a diligent, reliable image manifested before her. The occupant was listed as a single male in the data, and she’d been skeptical about the apartment’s state, wondering if it would be littered with refuse like a student dormitory, where a glance beneath the bed might reveal moldy, stinking socks.

Duan Mingyuan.

Though they had never met, the crane had already developed enough of a favorable impression of him.

As she was lost in thought, the sound of the door opening drifted from inside the apartment, footsteps light and approaching from a distance.

The newcomer was a fox demon who appeared to be under 20 years old, likely one of those playful and mischievous types.

The fox demon moved with silent steps, hands clasped behind her back, trying hard to present an innocent and harmless demeanor before her.

The crane remembered the Dean’s mention of symbiotic monsters, speaking of a world outside where a group calling themselves hunters existed. Among them, some viewed monsters as companions and others as slaves—a dangerous bunch indeed.

Watching the fox demon’s carefree and cheerful antics, it was clear to imagine that Duan Mingyuan had never resorted to violence against her. This spoke volumes, indicating that the person the crane was about to deal with was kind-hearted and respectful toward monsters.

With this thought, her evaluation of Duan Mingyuan climbed another step.

The window opened.

The crane cleared her throat politely and began to speak, "Excuse me, is this the residence of Mr. Duan Mingyuan—"

Her words were cut short.

The fox demon stretched out her hands, and the crane, following the motion, now saw what the fox demon was holding.

It was a net.

Realization seemed to come too late; as she acknowledged something was amiss, the net had already ensnared the crane’s wings with an irresistible force, pulling her into the room and dropping her heavily onto the bed.

"A Bai Yu chicken!"

The fox demon’s eyes shone with excitement, "Such a big Bai Yu chicken!"