Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 217 Wait a minute
Upon hearing Chen Duo's question, Liu Ke's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He deliberately cleared his throat, the cough carrying a hint of deliberate concealment, as if trying to completely suppress the strangeness that had just occurred.

In his view, no matter what happens, there is no need to involve Chen Duo anymore, or even let her know—since it is the last leg of the journey, she should be allowed to walk it in peace.

Then he shook his head, reached out and took the ice cream from the other person. When his fingertips touched the cool shell of the cone, the strawberry-flavored cream was melting slightly along the edge of the cone, glistening in the sunlight.

The strawberry ice cream cone, bathed in this light, seemed to radiate such happiness, creating a stark contrast with the girl who handed it out. Liu Ke couldn't help but sigh again, saying:
"nothing……"

His voice didn't reveal much emotion; he managed to 'suppress' it quite well. But ultimately, his 'expression' when he answered that question was far from natural.

His brows were relaxed, but the corners of his eyes were slightly furrowed, and the curve of his lips was somewhat stiff, as if it had been forcibly pulled out.

Perhaps realizing his 'performance' was somewhat clumsy, and seeing the hint of doubt in her clear eyes, Liu Ke quickly gathered his scattered thoughts, deliberately changed his tone, and interrupted, "How are you now? I mean... your health."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Chen Duo's wrist—the skin there was faintly turning crimson, just like the skin on Chen Duo's elbow, which in a sense indicated that the Gu poison was spreading and her physical condition was definitely not good.

But he still asked, and this 'knowing-it-all' question was less about concern and more about awkwardly changing the subject to avoid making Chen Duo worry about unimportant things in the last period of her life.

In particular, in Chen Duo's mind, a straightforward question like "How are you feeling?" is not really a taboo, but rather a casual chat like "Is the weather nice today?"

As Liu Ke had expected, Chen Duo closed her eyes without hesitation upon hearing this.

Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids, and her breathing became exceptionally calm, as if she were carefully listening to every subtle change in her body—the organs being devoured, the suppressed poison, and the life force being lost all became objects of her perception.

A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes again, her gaze as calm as a still lake, and said in a completely flat tone, "Not good."

Without any embellishment or complaint, she simply stated a fact in the most understated tone, as if she were not talking about her own life that was nearing its end.

Liu Ke took a deep breath, the air filled with the sweet scent of the ice cream in his hand and the faint smell of car exhaust from the street.

He nodded. This answer was exactly what he had expected, but hearing it from Chen Duo's mouth, the heaviness behind the calmness still made him feel a little suffocated, as if something was blocking his throat, making him feel 'not so comfortable'.

Then, his gaze fell on the cardboard box in Chen Duo's hand—there were still two ice cream cones inside.

One is vanilla flavored, with pure white cream piled up like a small snow mountain, its texture delicate and smooth, reminiscent of melting clouds; the other is chocolate, and it's high-purity dark chocolate, sprinkled with fine cocoa powder, exuding a rich, bittersweet flavor.

Liu Ke glanced at the two ice cream cones, then winked at a bench not far away.

There, Old Meng sat alone, his brows furrowed, his face full of bitterness, and his back hunched over, as if weighed down by some invisible burden.

"Looks like there's still one person whose ice cream you haven't given out yet. Go ahead..." Liu Ke said to Chen Duo in a softer voice.

Chen Duo followed his gaze to Lao Meng and saw him sitting on another bench, staring blankly at the street scene, as if his soul had left his body, and he didn't even react to the sunlight falling on his face.

She nodded silently, holding the cardboard box, and walked unsteadily toward Old Meng—each step was becoming unsteady, her knees occasionally trembling slightly, something that hadn't happened just a minute or two ago.
……

After Chen Duo left, Zhang Chulan, who was sitting not far away, almost immediately stood up and sat on Liu Ke's bench.

He first glanced meaningfully at Chen Duo's back, his eyes filled with complex emotions—sympathy, apology, and a hint of relief.

Then, he quickly turned to Liu Ke, leaning forward slightly and deliberately lowering his voice, just loud enough for the two of them to hear but not enough to reach anyone else: "What's wrong? Is... there's a problem at Biyou Village?"

This young man, now jokingly referred to as "the shameless one" by people in the industry, hates being the center of attention the most in his life. Ironically, when it comes to observing others, few can rival him.

Correspondingly, his eyes were too 'sharp'; Liu Ke's momentary lapse in concentration and deliberate attempt to conceal it naturally did not escape his notice.

Upon hearing his question, Liu Ke first raised his eyebrows in surprise, his brows arching high.

He was clearly surprised that Zhang Chulan could guess so quickly and accurately. After pausing for two or three seconds, he nodded decisively and said with a hint of teasing, "You are indeed smart. You were able to guess that."

Of course, there was still a hint of embarrassment in his tone. This embarrassment might stem from dissatisfaction with his "facial expression management"—he had tried so hard to hide it, but it was still seen through at a glance.

After saying this, a few breaths later, Liu Ke let out a long breath, as if to expel all the stale air accumulated in his chest.

His fingers unconsciously squeezed the ice cream cone in his hand, and the crispy cone made a soft "crack" sound under his force.

When he realized that the very 'delicious' ice cream cone had broken a little because of his own force, he quickly opened his mouth wide and took a big bite, letting the cool cream and slightly bitter chocolate shavings melt in his mouth.

Then, he licked his lips and said, "Our group had just arrived when Biyou Village was attacked by a swarm of bees, literally bees."

"Bees?" Upon hearing Liu Ke's words, Zhang Chulan immediately frowned, and fueled by curiosity, he rested his chin on his hand like a famous detective.

A moment later, 'True Man Bilian' raised his head, his eyes filled with inquiry as he asked, "Uh, we're one thing, but a bunch of little 'bees' attacking a village sounds a bit too outrageous, doesn't it? I guess... it must have been done by some supernatural being?"

In this world, anything that sounds absurd, as long as it doesn't have anything to do with conventional explanations like "approaching science," is often the most reasonable answer to be categorized as something extraordinary.

Faced with Zhang Chulan's question, Liu Ke couldn't help but shrug, his tone carrying a hint of exasperation: "Besides superhumans, who would be so idle as to go looking for trouble with Biyou Village without any cause or reason? It can't be that Fu Rong owes too much money and led the debt collection team into the deep mountains and forests, can it?"

As he said this, a helpless smile played on his lips, clearly finding his example rather amusing. Zhang Chulan laughed upon hearing this, but the smile vanished after a few moments. His expression turned serious, his eyes becoming earnest, and he asked, "Do you need any help?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke's lips twitched violently, and his eyes widened instantly, revealing an expression of disbelief, much like the classic meme of a certain actress born in the 85s in the Chinese entertainment industry.

He asked, "Are you alright?"

"They were fighting fiercely yesterday, and now you're going to help them?"

When he said this, he deliberately emphasized the words "yesterday" and "today," his tone implying that he was joking.

After all, just yesterday, Na Du Tong was fighting to the death with the people of Bi You Village, and today they claim they're going to turn around and help. This change of heart is a bit too fast.

Zhang Chulan chuckled upon hearing this, his smile widening even further. He waved his hand and explained, "Haven't you heard the saying? Work is work, life is life. Dual SIM cards, dual standby, work and life can go hand in hand."

"Besides, when we were all shopping together just now, didn't Hei Guan say that Biyou Village has been removed from the company's list of 'cults' that must be eradicated, and now it has the status of a law-abiding citizen?"

As Zhang Chulan spoke, he gestured with his finger in the air, as if to emphasize the weight of the words "good citizen".

"Since they are law-abiding citizens, shouldn't the company, as an organization that is essentially dedicated to serving people with supernatural abilities, lend a helping hand?"

After saying that, he raised his chin slightly, his tone somewhat matter-of-fact, and continued, "Besides, Village Chief Ma is my good nephew. Helping a 'relative' is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

When he said those last words, Zhang Chulan's expression was surprisingly carefree, or perhaps too carefree.

Liu Ke was taken aback by Zhang Chulan's words. After a few moments, he gave him a thumbs-up, but his tone was full of sarcasm as he said:

"But I get the feeling that you want Hei Guan'er and the others to go back and sit on the bench first, so that you and Bao'er can linger here in Biyou Village with me for a while and ruin that 'Bench Trip'?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chulan cleared his throat lightly. After a slight embarrassment, he straightened his back and put on a righteous and indignant expression, saying, "You can't say that. In the end, our entire organization is also serving the people."

"Of course, due to the special nature of our service targets, it can also be said that we... primarily serve people with disabilities."

He paused, carefully choosing his words to make them sound more precise. Finally, with a sincere tone but a somewhat unfocused gaze, he said, "In that case, what's wrong with putting 'service' before 'performance review'?"

After saying that, or perhaps feeling that these high-sounding words were too nauseating, Zhang Chulan shuddered involuntarily all over, as if he had goosebumps.

He glanced around quickly, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he shielded his face with his hand, leaned forward slightly, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"It's mainly because you have a lot of influence, Brother Ke. Since Shenji Bailian is already out of control, if we can hold out in Biyou Village for a few days, the heat will die down, and the company probably won't care too much."

Looking at him like this, Liu Ke raised an eyebrow with a strange expression and said, "Chu Lan, how about I sign you up for a place like Zhonggong or Huatu? I see you... are surprisingly knowledgeable!"

Zhang Chulan was a little smug after being praised. He chuckled twice, then waved his hand and said, "Even if I haven't eaten pork, I've still seen pigs run, right? Since it concerns me, I naturally have to think about it carefully and deeply!"

He said this with such conviction, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke nodded and stopped teasing him, instead turning his gaze to the distance.

At this moment, Chen Duo had already walked up to Lao Meng and started chatting with him. After a short while, Lao Meng covered his face, his shoulders shaking slightly, clearly crying. His sobs could be faintly heard even from a distance.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ke softened his voice, and with a hint of a sigh, said, "Let's wait a little longer. Since we're already here, we should see it through to the end."

Zhang Chulan followed his gaze and saw the scene. The slightly smug smile on his face gradually faded, and he nodded in agreement.

Then, as if remembering something, he casually asked, "What's the situation in Biyou Village? What's the current state? Surely a few bees couldn't have driven them to the brink of collapse?"

Liu Ke let out a long breath, his chest rising and falling with each breath, and said, "That's not the case. There's actually nothing seriously wrong in the village, and not many people were injured."

"The troublesome situation is that Qiu Rang is currently chasing after them with Brother Di Xingxian and the ADC surnamed Zhong."

"Right now, these three are leading a group of men and fighting fiercely against five people whose identities are unknown. And just now, they seemed to be losing ground."

Zhang Chulan nodded upon hearing this, then turned and followed Liu Ke's gaze to look at Chen Duo—she was standing in front of Lao Meng, holding a vanilla ice cream cone in her hand, motionless, as if waiting for something.

He frowned and asked, "How bad is the situation? Can it hold out until we get there?"

After a moment's thought, Liu Ke nodded, his eyes flashing with green light, and said with a more confident tone, "We can hold on. I left a Hound for Brother Qiu before I left."

Zhang Chulan turned around and glanced at Liu Ke, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was carefully considering the scene of the greyhound fighting in his mind.

But after thinking it over, I realized that while its performance wasn't bad, it wasn't exactly amazing either.

After a moment, he still asked with some unease, "Just one? Is that enough?"

(End of this chapter)