Chapter 56: Day Off

The upper echelons of the Svarog Agency were currently deliberating on how to handle the United Nations expert panel. Why had the permanent members suddenly become so proactive this time?

However, Shakya was completely unaware of this development at the moment. This was her first time hanging out with friends, going out for a lavish dinner, hitting the karaoke bar, and letting loose.

That’s right, even in the past memories of the persona known as Qin Yun, there was no such experience.

Enjoying life—that was still a rather unfamiliar concept to Shakya.

Although the meal she had cooked for Bruce and Longsheng at noon wasn't particularly large, the two boys had eaten with immense joy and absolute satisfaction.

It seemed that Ripple Cuisine was truly extraordinary. She would definitely drag Jingci and her disciple to open a restaurant in the future; it was bound to become an internet-famous hotspot.

Shakya’s principle for cooking was health and nutritional balance, which was why she almost never ate late-night snacks or overate.

This was likely one of the lifestyle habits that Director Qin, acting as a "father," had integrated when shaping the persona of "Qin Yun."

At least, this made Shakya’s new identity feel more like someone from a military family.

Therefore, when Bruce suggested that he would treat them to barbecue that evening, Shakya felt a bit resistant.

The reason was simple: eating too much at night was unhealthy.

"Oh, come on, once in a while won't hurt! Let's just have a blast today!"

Bruce had already made the happy decision. This meal could also be considered a celebration for Shakya regaining her spirits.

They had unified their stance: in front of Li Jiayi, they would still address Shakya as Qin Yun.

Sooner or later, there would be an opportunity to explain things to Li Jiayi; everyone had this premonition.

In the evening, they gathered at the commercial complex near Li Jiayi’s home, where there were plenty of places to eat and play.

This time, Shakya finally understood one thing: cutting loose and going wild once in a while wasn't a bad thing.

Occasionally having barbecue at night, enjoying the stimulation of delicious flavors on one's taste buds.

Occasionally going to a karaoke lounge to sing with friends, even though she couldn't sing a single note and could only watch Li Jiayi, Longsheng, and Bruce perform.

Occasionally joining everyone in entertainment felt like it helped dispel some of the inner gloom.

Her mood didn't seem as depressed as before; this peculiar feeling was reviving within Shakya’s heart.

Surely the former Shakya must have had friends of her own.

What kind of experiences had she and her friends been through, exactly?

Shakya looked at the three people singing together before her, sitting quietly in a corner and silently taking a sip of her iced red tea.

At that time, inside the alien space within the Symbiote's body—that space where it felt as though even her consciousness was about to be swallowed—what on earth were those chaotic, blurred visions she had seen?

That immense, overwhelming black shadow pressing down from the boundless sky...

Countless steel bodies and gigantic flying objects resembling aerial battleships plummeting one after another amidst explosions of fire.

This was identical to the scenes she had dreamed of before. Could these be fragments of Shakya’s past?

Accompanying those tragic scenes was a sense of powerlessness welling up from the depths of her soul. This was undeniably an ache born of lived experience.

Shakya, what on earth have you been through?

This was the query posed by the persona of "Qin Yun" toward these unfamiliar memories.

"It's okay if you don't know how to sing, Qin Yun. We'll teach you."

Li Jiayi, whom she hadn't seen in a while, seemed much more cheerful now.

"I..."

Shakya was still hesitant, but the microphone had already been handed over.

"Remember our deal from earlier? You've taught me so much, so it's only fair that I teach you."

Seeing Li Jiayi push the microphone into her hands, while Longsheng and Bruce looked on with eager anticipation, it seemed she had no choice but to try and learn.

"Singing..."

This was the first time Shakya had ever attempted such an activity.

"Here, just read along with the lyrics on the screen."

To be honest, asking Shakya to sing was even more nerve-wracking than when she first hooked up with Traum.

Over at the Svarog Agency, the high-level meeting had concluded.

Regarding the subsequent strategy, Director Qin had already discussed a general outline with the various executives and sent out notifications to branch offices in other regions of the world.

Next came the reply to the United Nations expert panel.

This reply was not about approval or denial, but rather negotiations regarding specific reception and cooperation details.

"The contact person from the United Nations..."

The Director sat quietly alone in his office, gazing at the personal profile and email address provided by the other party on his monitor.

"Dr. Streiff Clark..."

Looking at the personal profile of the expert panel leader on the screen, this was the person the Director would need to contact and cooperate with.

The man in the photo had silver hair, but he didn't appear older than the Director.

His slightly long hair was parted in the middle, but styled so meticulously that it didn't look old-fashioned at all.

His gaze revealed a trace of laziness, and he had stubble on his face, yet one could still discern his competence as a scientist.

Dr. Clark in the photo was seated next to what appeared to be a fighter jet engine, seemingly engaged in some kind of weapon development.

The Director hesitated briefly at his desk. It was already past ten o'clock.

Of course, across the ocean in the United States, the workday might have just been beginning.

Perhaps the Doctor was currently sipping coffee in his office.

Let's hope this Dr. Clark was a partner who wasn't too difficult to communicate with.

He had suffered enough torment from those old pedantic experts in the past, which always ended on bad terms. It seemed the UN side had also realized this issue and sent a new leader.

The Director gave a bitter smile and shut down his computer; whatever it was, it could wait until tomorrow.

Once the expert panel arrived, a portion of their personnel would inevitably have to be assigned to assist them.

Things were going to get busy then.

The members of the Svarog Agency always worked until late before resting.

In the clear night sky, the neon lights of the New Chunqiu City commercial center were still radiating vitality.

However, Bruce, Longsheng, and Li Jiayi were ultimately just high school students; staying out too late wasn't a good idea either.

Even though Bruce could afford to pay for Shakya and Longsheng's taxi fares, Li Jiayi couldn't stay out indefinitely.

She still spent her evenings with her family.

"Ah~ I haven't had this much fun in so long... I'm a little tired..."

Li Jiayi had also thoroughly enjoyed herself today.

They decided to walk Li Jiayi home first, with Shakya pushing the wheelchair as usual.

"Hey, but... I won't ever dare to forcefully make Qin Yun sing again."

Faced with Li Jiayi's teasing, Shakya felt her face burning hot.

"I-I told you so! You guys insisted that I sing..."

"I don't mind..."

Longsheng offered an awkward, bitter smile.

"It's fine, you'll get better with more practice!"

Bruce remained as positive as ever, flashing a brilliant smile and giving a thumbs-up.

Along the way, the four of them radiated a cheerful atmosphere.

Late autumn nights were already quite chilly, and there weren't many pedestrians on the streets. Under these circumstances, letting Li Jiayi, who had limited mobility, return home alone would indeed be highly inappropriate.

Fortunately, it was only a fifteen-minute walk from the commercial street to the temporary housing estate where Li Jiayi lived. Accompanied by the three of them, Li Jiayi successfully entered her home.

Next came parting ways to head home.

Longsheng and Bruce were heading in one direction, while Shakya was going another; they decided to hail a taxi near Li Jiayi's home.

The three of them walked out of the residential area for displaced citizens and prepared to head to the main road to flag down a car.

A wind had picked up at night, and the scattered pedestrians on the road, including the three of them, wrapped their coats tightly around themselves as they walked.

Just as they reached the intersection, a figure wearing a white knee-length cloak and holding a white hood came walking toward them from the opposite direction.

However, the three of them were engrossed in conversation and didn't notice the newcomer.

The sidewalk was relatively narrow, and Shakya, walking on the side closer to the street, happened to bump shoulders with the oncoming person.

"Oh! Sorry..."

Shakya started to apologize for her clumsiness, only to find that the person's hood had slipped off from the impact, blown back by the cold wind.

The newcomer was a woman, her long white hair fluttering in the chilly breeze.

She brushed past Shakya and quickly pulled her hood back up to continue on her way.

Longsheng and Bruce didn't seem to have seen clearly, so they didn't pay attention.

However, Shakya, being the closest, clearly saw a familiar face beneath the hood.

"Huh?"

It was her own face!

And this person had even shot her a direct, lingering look.

It was a face that she had seen countless times in the mirror, identical in every way except for the hair color!