After the little hedgehog entered, Zhu Man locked the door to his room.

“Ji!” The hedgehog handed him the Paroxetine, its small black-bean-like eyes wrinkled with concern.

Zhu Man smiled, lifting the hedgehog onto the computer desk and patting its spines. “Looks convincing, doesn’t it?”

“…Ji? Jiji?” The hedgehog looked at him in confusion, its two years of depression companion training at the pet store seriously challenged.

The holographic screen lit up, and Zhu Man immediately entered a focused state, logging into the Anti-Intelligence Alliance’s dark web.

Somehow, news of the AI being killed yesterday leaked out. It was fine if the Anti-Intelligence Alliance knew, and it was fine if He Feng Hui knew, but why did the AI Government know about it as well?

He Feng Hui reported to the AI Government? The ones present at the time were him, Jiang Huai, and He Feng Hui, with possibly Ye Ying—The only one among them not from the Anti-Intelligence Alliance was He Feng Hui.

Zhu Man opened his chat history with Tang Yuan and scrolled up.

[Tang Yuan: God Man, God Man, SOS! The people from the AI Government know that an AI died at Mirage yesterday!!]

[Zhu Man: How did the news leak? Did He Feng Hui report it?]

[Tang Yuan: It’s not ruled out that He Feng Hui reported to the AI Government, but his own suspicion hasn’t been cleared. If he reports it now, wouldn’t he implicate himself? It doesn’t seem necessary.]

[Tang Yuan: There are two other possibilities. First, someone from the Anti-Intelligence Alliance betrayed us. Second, someone from the government hacked into Mirage’s system.]

[Tang Yuan: We can almost rule out the second possibility because initially, Jiang Huai was in charge of Mirage, and after he joined our group, Team Leader Fan and I took over the operation of Mirage’s system. These days, we haven’t detected any suspicious visitors.]

[Tang Yuan: So, the first possibility seems more likely. And the person who betrayed us must be someone who knew about the AI being killed—either someone from our group or someone from the Alliance Headquarters.]

[Tang Yuan: F****… If it’s from the Headquarters, he must have seen the messages I sent you… God Man, I won’t be assassinated, right? Wuwuwuwu!!]

It’s really tricky.

Unconsciously, Zhu Man pulled a spine from the little hedgehog. It “squeaked” in protest, raising its small black-bean-like eyes.

Ignoring it, Zhu Man immersed himself in thought and pulled another spine.

Betrayal? Tang Yuan was unlikely, and Fan Zimo, with his stupid look, was also improbable… Jiang Huai? Suspecting him on the dance floor, could he be the one trying to frame him and turn the tables?

There’s another strange thing: The traitor spread the message only as “Last night, an AI was killed at Mirage,” and not “Last night, Zhu Man killed an AI at Mirage.”

Why is this person hiding him and what is their intention?

Suddenly, a message popped up on the screen.

[Fan Zimo: My dear Executor, I’ve taken care of setting a scapegoat for the AI. Tomorrow, he will surrender to the AI Government. Don’t thank me too much, darling~]

—Although stupid, Fan Zimo is still reliable.

Zhu Man considered replying with a [like.jpg], but fearing his awkward expressions in Chinese, he wisely refrained.

He retrieved the chip from the killed AI in the closet.

Black base, approximately two millimeters thick, and the size of an entire thumbprint.

It was identical to the chip from the AI he killed a week ago—The one impersonating a police officer and then pretending to be a team leader.

—This couldn’t be a coincidence. A standardized chip like this must be associated with an organization, and furthermore, this organization is approaching him.

What kind of organization is this? Independent of the AI Government and also separate from the Anti-Intelligence Alliance?

He sent a message to Fan Zimo.

[Zhu Man: What happened to the black chip we handed over to headquarters before for deciphering?]

[Fan Zimo: There’s no news yet, my dear Executor. I heard that the AI from yesterday also had a chip of this style? Oh my God, I almost forgot to report this to headquarters!】

[Zhu Man: Don’t report it!]

[Fan Zimo: ……! Sorry my dear, it has been reported.]

Rolling his eyes, Zhu Man sent a message saying, [Develop a chip decryption software immediately. I want to see results by tomorrow,] and then powered off.

Since there might be betrayal within the Alliance Headquarters, there was no way he could turn in this chip again. The decryption had to happen in front of him, and he needed firsthand information about the organization behind this chip.

“Zhu Man.”

He Feng Hui’s voice echoed from outside the door.

Zhu Man touched the mini-computer; it was still warm after shutting down. This computer was quite old, and it would probably take a while for it to cool down due to its aging cooling system.

So, Zhu Man lay on the bed, holding the little hedgehog.

“Ji?” The little hedgehog inquired why Zhu Man didn’t open the door for He Feng Hui.

Zhu Man smiled and poked its little nose, “Ignore him.”

“Ji!” The little hedgehog shrank, rubbing its nose in pain, giving Zhu Man a disgruntled look.

Zhu Man thought its Sichuan Opera face changing was quite funny, on second thought, he was similar to it.

The voice at the door sounded again, “Zhu Man, open the door, I’m counting to three seconds—”

Zhu Man arrogantly declared, “Since Master can open the door through the control system, why do I need to open it for you?”

Silence enveloped the area outside the door.

After a long while, He Feng Hui spoke in a deep voice, “I was questioned by my superiors today about the AI’s death last night. I was a bit anxious and vented on you. I’m sorry.”

Zhu Man was momentarily stunned.

Not because of He Feng Hui’s “I’m sorry,” but because he voluntarily mentioned work in front of Zhu Man–The first time in two years.

Time was of the essence to advance the mission.

Zhu Man climbed out of bed, composed himself, and opened the door.

“Master…” Zhu Man reached out to tug at the hem of He Feng Hui’s clothes. “I didn’t know…”

Deliberately leaving his words vague, he lowered his head, looking pitiful.

“En?” He Feng Hui lowered his gaze to him.

“I didn’t know about your work, and you never tell me…” Zhu Man intentionally buried his head even lower. “I’m sorry; it’s my fault for not understanding Master.”

He Feng Hui was visibly stunned, and just as Zhu Man began to wonder if he had changed his attitude too quickly, He Feng Hui smiled gently.

Zhu Man looked up, and in the room’s light, he saw the handsome AI’s eyes flicker slightly.

For a brief moment, Zhu Man felt a flash of familiarity as fragments of memories invaded his mind: The lightly chestnut-haired boy who was caught messing with the AI, the AI who didn’t blame him but instead comforted him with tenderness…

In the next second, he was forcefully swept into He Feng Hui’s arms.

He Feng Hui pressed against his hair, his voice deep. “Like a little hedgehog.”

The unrestrained strength, the unrestrained words.

After the momentary trance, Zhu Man regained his composure.

He vaguely felt that his mission had gone relatively smoothly—Assisted by Jiang Huai, He Feng Hui did show some improvement. Regardless of Jiang Huai’s stance, it seemed he would have to keep him in the team for proper utilization.

He lifted his head in He Feng Hui’s embrace, cautiously asking, “Is Master very busy with work lately?”

“En,” He Feng Hui’s mood seemed good, and he added, “Didn’t you make a wish?”

Zhu Man took a second to recall what wish he had made on his “birthday.” Then he widened his eyes, “Promotion? Master has a chance for promotion? That’s great la! Are you going to become the Director of the Legislative Office, or are you heading to the Central AI Government?”

“You don’t need to worry about it,” He Feng Hui suddenly picked him up and placed him on the bed. He lay down beside him, burying his face in Zhu Man’s clavicle, and saying in a muffled voice, “You just need to be happy and focus on treating your depression, understand?”

He Feng Hui’s actions were somewhat peculiar; he seemed to have a particular fondness for his clavicles. Whatever, Zhu Man treated this as an achievement in pushing forward his mission.

Unwilling to let go of this hard-won opportunity, he turned to face He Feng Hui. “If Master is good to me, I also want to share Master’s worries. Anyway, I don’t understand much, but if Master is unhappy at work, you can treat me as a trash can to vent la.”

“AI doesn’t need to vent,” He Feng Hui controlled the room’s lights to dim, holding Zhu Man and saying, “Sleep, I’ll accompany you tonight.”

However, Zhu Man’s body instinctively snuggled closer to him. Drawing near to him, he wasn’t sure if it was instinct or driven by the mission.

Zhu Man held onto He Feng Hui’s arm and murmured, “But Master is unilaterally kind to me, and I simply enjoy it; there is still pressure ah… If Master really wants me to be happy…”

He spoke like a child struggling to express himself, pausing for a moment, “I want to be good friends with Master, like Ying-jie and Jiang Huai, close and open, good friends who share everything. Is that okay?”

The spring chill was biting, and the wind from outside, carrying the scent of orchids, seeped into the room.

In the darkness, He Feng Hui remained silent, but he tightened his arm.