Zhu Man couldn’t quite recall how last night had ended.

In the midst of it, He Feng Hui seemed to inspect his body. Upon finding no traces of intrusion, he didn’t undertake any practical actions.

But that was all it took, and Zhu Man had already ascended right there.

In a daze, he felt He Feng Hui carrying him back home, placing him in the bathtub for a shower. Then, he was placed on the bed, tightly embraced, and slept through the night.

However, upon waking up this morning, the bedside was empty.

—Of course, it was empty. He Feng Hui was too busy with his proposal, how could he spare time for a mere human?

Perhaps triggered by PTSD, a wave of melancholy swept over Zhu Man.

The night of revelry seemed like a dream. In this treacherous relationship, in this chaotic world, he wondered if he deserved any sincerity.

Zhu Man got out of bed.

After finishing his morning routine, he opened the door and the aroma of eggs wafted in from the kitchen. He looked towards the kitchen and saw the stove still aflame.

Zhu Man furrowed his brows, wondering why He Feng Hui was in such a hurry to leave. Did he forget to turn off the stove in such haste?

He commanded the intelligent kitchen cabinet system, “Turn off the stove.”

The fire didn’t go out.

Zhu Man paused for a moment, then saw He Feng Hui emerging from the kitchen’s blind spot, holding a mousse cake just taken from the refrigerator.

“Awake?” He Feng Hui asked.

Zhu Man remained stunned in place, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Wednesday, 10:00. Wasn’t He Feng Hui supposed to be at work?

Seeing the expression in Zhu Man’s eyes, He Feng Hui nonchalantly stated, “Concerned about your health, took a day off.”

Zhu Man’s heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t he not very busy with work recently? Taking a day off… was that even allowed?

He Feng Hui placed two fried eggs, a slice of mousse cake, and a glass of milk on the table and called him, “Come and have breakfast.”

With a perfect blend of sweet and savory, the meal was nutritious, and the fried eggs were Zhu Man’s favorite, with a runny yolk. Zhu Man walked over to the table, sat down, and took hold of the milk. It was hot—turns out, He Feng Hui remembered that he liked his milk hot.

The scalding milk went down, instantly warming his empty and tired stomach from the previous night. His stomach felt full, and so did his heart.

He Feng Hui sat opposite him at the table, watching him without saying anything. Though he expressed concern about Zhu Man’s health, he didn’t mention a word about the events of last night, as if nothing had happened.

The moment of emotion turned into nothingness, and Zhu Man pursed his lips, taking a bite of the mousse cake.

This thing was too sweet. He Feng Hui is really always buying these sweets. Did he think Zhu Man was some delicate, pampered male pet? The AI was so clueless, not even able to utter a word.

“Hello, Mr. Bird,” Suddenly, He Feng Hui touched his ear and began speaking to the air.

Zhu Man’s hand, gripping the fork, tightened. His sensitive sense of smell told him that the person He Feng Hui was talking to wasn’t simple. Bird, he vaguely remembered seeing that name on the AI Central News—the secretary of the AI Government Central Office.

Those awkward emotions scattered instantly. Zhu Man nonchalantly continued eating breakfast, his ears perked up.

“Yes, when I visited the Central Office last week, I mentioned the desire to expedite the proposal.”

…Expedite the proposal?

Zhu Man’s heart tightened.

“Implementation in three months, alright, I understand. I will communicate with the Legislative Bureau. Thank you.” He Feng Hui hung up the phone.

Zhu Man doubted if he had misheard. Three months? With only five months remaining, time was already short. Now it was abruptly reduced to three months?

He raised his eyes discreetly to glance at He Feng Hui, only to see a subtle curl at the corner of his lips, as if he were quite satisfied with the outcome.

Zhu Man tightened his grip on the glass, lowered his eyes, and took a sip of milk.

The milk was too hot, and he broke into a cold sweat.

Speaking of He Feng Hui, who took leave on behalf of Zhu Man, he hastily left after answering the phone.

Zhu Man sent him to the door, and as He Feng Hui was about to open the door, Zhu Man straightened his tie.

He Feng Hui’s hand on the doorknob paused.

“Didn’t Master say… he was worried about my health, why are you going to work again?” He delicately tugged at He Feng Hui’s sleeve, “Is work very busy?”

He Feng Hui looked at him for a while, lowered his eyes, gently pulled away his hand, and opened the door.

Zhu Man took a step forward, pretending to muster courage, and exclaimed, “Master said he wants to share work-related troubles with me, said we should be friends—”

“Be friends.” He Feng Hui’s steps halted, repeating those words, and turned back. “Then you go behind my back to Mirage and hang out with others.”

“But we’re just friends ah…” Zhu Man’s voice lowered. “Do friends need to report this kind of thing to each other?”

He Feng Hui opened his mouth to speak but remained silent.

Zhu Man lowered his head. “Actually, Master still treats me like a pet. I know I’m presumptuous, and demanding too much. I… can’t keep the boundaries of being a pet.”

He looked up at He Feng Hui and noticed a hint of complexity on his otherwise expressionless face.

Seizing the opportunity, he continued, “What Master did last night… it’s illegal. I don’t want to hinder your career advancement. Perhaps Master should… send me back to the Human Pool.”

He Feng Hui closed his eyes, seemingly suppressing his emotions, and exhaled slowly. Like any other anatomical structure, AI’s respiratory system was just a facade, but He Feng Hui, resembling a human, tried to use breathing to calm himself.

After a long pause, He Feng Hui said, “You can’t endure that kind of place.”

“I’ve stayed there before, and I’m still alive.” Zhu Man said quietly but stubbornly.

He Feng Hui looked at him deeply and said nothing more. Then he opened the door and left in silence.

Zhu Man quickly changed into a leather jacket and put on his combat boots. He grabbed his weapons and nimbly went out.

Kicking open the door of the base, Zhu Man headed straight for Fan Zimo. “Is the software development finished?”

Fan Zimo didn’t react with the usual panic and exclamations of “Oh my God.” Instead, he seemed deflated like a balloon losing air, and replied, “The development is complete. We’ll have the analysis results by tomorrow.”

Zhu Man scrutinized him, his hair disheveled, looking dispirited and scattered.

Zhu Man turned around and looked at Tang Yuan. The chubby guy who usually pounced on him was now slouched in a chair, staring at the computer screen with vacant eyes.

Surveying the base, he didn’t see Jiang Huai.

A sense of unease crept over him. “What’s wrong?”

Fan Zimo didn’t speak; instead, he drew a cross over his chest.

“God Man…” Tang Yuan looked up at him, “Ye Ying… Ye Ying is dead.”

“What?” Zhu Man doubted he had heard it correctly.

Tang Yuan covered his face in anguish. “Ye Ying is dead. The chip implanted by the Anti- Anti-Intelligence Alliance leaked! And Jiang Huai… Jiang Huai was captured and sent back to the Human Pool!”

At the same time, Fan Zimo projected a photo on the holographic screen—a transparent, sealed plastic bag placed at the entrance of the Anti- Anti-Intelligence Alliance Headquarters. Inside, Ye Ying’s shattered chips were in pieces.

Zhu Man’s heart felt like it had been struck heavily.

That was Ye Ying, the AI he felt a sense of familiarity with at first sight, the AI that would actively come over to nuzzle him, the AI that laughed so vibrantly…

Since the establishment of the Anti-Intelligence Alliance for two years, it has been operating smoothly in the shadows, so why were there frequent disturbances in the past two months, specifically targeting their team?

The murderer brazenly placed Ye Ying’s chip at the Alliance Headquarters. This wasn’t just a murder; it was a provocation. The murderer and the organization behind them were saying—the Anti-Intelligence Alliance has been exposed and has nowhere to hide.

Who was the murderer? Did it have anything to do with the mysterious black standard chip from before? Was it Jiang Huai? But would Jiang Huai go so far as to throw himself into the Human Pool? Was there a mole within them? Or was it that there was someone above Jiang Huai, and he was just a disposable pawn?

He pinched his tiger’s mouth to maintain composure and asked, “The murderer?”

Tang Yuan spoke, “I don’t know—”

Fan Zimo interjected, “What do you think?”

Zhu Man was startled by the hateful gaze, never having seen Fan Zimo like this before. This person had always been eccentric and wild, and Zhu Man never expected to witness this side of Fan Zimo. He had thought Fan Zimo was heartless, only to discover he was a man of strong convictions.

And the implications in Fan Zimo’s words…

“He Feng Hui?” Zhu Man shook his head gently. “It’s impossible… He was at home all night. I just left with him a moment ago—”

“Do you think he needs to personally get his hands dirty to commit murder, my dear Executor?” Fan Zimo interrupted him and then slid his chair, tapping the keyboard a few times.

Soon, a holographic projection screen displayed a video.

It was footage captured by a roadside camera, timestamped at three in the morning last night.

Zhu Man’s heart sank for a while, he knew that at this point in time, he was sleeping because of satisfaction.

The footage focused on a street sign that read “Matilda Lane”—a notorious alley in the city, known to everyone. It was a gathering place for assassins, and the illicit business of hiring killers to target AI and humans had never ceased in that alley.

In the next second, a tall and handsome figure walked into the alley.

Broad shoulders, a straight back, steady strides, and an imposing presence.

It was impossible for Zhu Man not to recognize who this was.