Half an hour later.

  Ke Xiao's underground modification station—Xia Li had returned through the back door.

  Ke Xiao had been waiting there for a while. But upon seeing Xia Li's current appearance, the corner of her mouth couldn't help but twitch.

  Because Xia Li was still maintaining the appearance of that scantily-clad girl.

  "You can drop the disguise now. Also... your body language doesn't match. Forcing the disguise is worse than not disguising at all."

  "I was just creating confusion. Let me go take a shower first."

  Xia Li's voice was a coquettish female tone, which gave Ke Xiao even more goosebumps.

  Before long.

  The freshly showered Xia Li came out wearing clean clothes. The cabinet in the washroom held many men's clothes—clearly prepared by Ke Xiao.

  She'd gotten used to Xia Li treating her place as an operational base. Without his knowledge, she'd prepared all kinds of daily necessities.

  "So comfortable..."

  After finishing his shower, Xia Li stretched and directly sat on the sofa to rest. Ke Xiao didn't immediately discuss mission follow-up. Instead, she went to take a shower herself.

  She'd also sweated quite a bit while focused on the mission—after all, she'd been planning Xia Li's operations.

  But when Ke Xiao came back out, she was only wearing a thin sundress, with water droplets sliding down her fair, rosy skin.

  Xia Li normally didn't pay attention to such things, nor did he have such thoughts.

  Now, suddenly relaxing after the battle and seeing Ke Xiao like this, Xia Li suddenly realized she was also a young woman in her prime—not much older than him.

  Ke Xiao never focused on appearance. Her clothes were basically simple casual wear, and her hairstyle was careless—her bangs even covered her eyes.

  Her daily style sealed away more than half her charm—the type that killed any desire at first glance.

  Now fresh from bathing, she actually made Xia Li feel something.

  This showed just how lazy Ke Xiao normally was about her appearance.

  "Staring? Told you to strip someone else's clothes. Women in that profession spray high-concentration hormone drugs on their clothes. You fell for it, didn't you?"

  "That... actually, yeah. I was wondering why I felt strange."

  "Having a reaction? That's not surprising. My body is pure natural, no technology—nothing weird installed. Should match the aesthetics of your era."

  "If you ask me, modern aesthetics is the real problem. Some people always think natural isn't stimulating enough and like getting weird prosthetics."

  After saying this, Ke Xiao sat down beside Xia Li without any restraint.

  "Where's the stuff?"

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  "Here."

  Xia Li took out the mechanical case from his phase ring.

  The case's construction was very complex—probably this era's version of a safe. Without the right methods, extracting its contents would be very difficult.

  "Leave the stuff with me. The organization will send someone to collect it."

  "By the way Sister Ke, is this really evidence against the Democratic Government?"

  "Possibly, but we just need to complete the mission. When you need to know, you'll know."

  After saying this, Ke Xiao noticed Xia Li's sitting posture was strange—clearly hiding something. She smiled knowingly and suddenly slapped Xia Li's shoulder hard.

  "Feeling uncomfortable? Want a sedative injection?"

  "Sure, give me one."

  Xia Li nodded.

  Apparently he shouldn't underestimate this era's courtesans. They used serious stuff—just wearing her outer clothes had affected him.

  "Wait, you actually want an injection? Don't you understand why I specifically went to shower? Can't pick up on that hint?"

  "This... this..."

  Ke Xiao laid her cards on the table directly. Xia Li was instantly stunned. He was in his twenties and wasn't completely ignorant, but facing this situation he was still somewhat inexperienced.

  "Releasing pressure, understand? I'm under a lot of pressure too. Don't overthink it. In this era, nobody has time to date slowly, but bodies have needs. Meet someone who feels right and it just happens."

  "Also... since you put on those clothes, you need to take responsibility. I was affected too!"

  "I just think this is too fast..."

  "Fast is good. Like a dream in the night—wake up and it's like nothing happened. Everyone goes back to their own business. Maintaining relationships is too tiring."

  This last sentence from Ke Xiao struck deep into Xia Li's heart.

  Xia Li felt the same way about relationships.

  Maintaining feelings was exhausting. He didn't want to accommodate others, nor did he need others to accommodate him. Being like friends was enough.

  But would friends so easily cross that line?

  What were this era's views on romantic relationships between men and women?

  Xia Li didn't understand.

  Just then, suddenly...

  The lights in the modification station went out—probably turned off by Ke Xiao using Heaven Chip.

  Xia Li fell silent. For him, this wasn't such an unacceptable thing. In fact, when he was gravely ill, he'd regretted this very thing—what a shame to be dying without ever experiencing nightlife.

  Just...

  Ke Xiao was also silent, not taking the initiative.

  The atmosphere became awkward.

  "Wait, Xia Li, don't tell me this is your first time?"

  "Sister Ke, don't tell me this is your first time?"

  They asked each other simultaneously, then burst out laughing in the darkness—both waiting for the other to take the lead.

  Result: neither moved.

  But after the laughter, in the slightly relaxed atmosphere, they naturally embraced.

  The next morning.

  Xia Li woke from an unprecedented sense of comfort. The underground modification station had no bed—just a fairly spacious sofa.

  Speechless...

  Xia Li began recalling. He still hadn't processed what happened last night.

  Ke Xiao came down to the station carrying two bowls of egg noodles. After handing one bowl to Xia Li, she took out a pill from her pocket and swallowed it.

  "Sister Ke, are you sick?"

  "Not sick. Just protection. According to Heaven Chip's probability calculation, I most likely got hit last night."

  "Sorry..."

  "It's fine. I initiated it. My problem."

  Ke Xiao was quite open about it and didn't plan to let this change their relationship. What relationship could they have?

  Fellow organization members?

  Collaborators on good terms?

  Or friends?

  When it came to views on relationships, Ke Xiao might be even more detached than Xia Li.

  "Um, could you turn around? I need to put on my pants."

  "Just put them on. Not to mention we already dueled last night—even before that, when I was doing your modifications, you think I didn't see everything?"

  "That's different!"

  "So troublesome. Ancient people are so fussy."

  Ke Xiao turned away anyway. Xia Li quickly got dressed.

  "I'm done."

  "Then let's eat. This is natural eggs and natural wheat noodles—Upper City premium goods."

  Ke Xiao told Xia Li to eat. He picked up the chopsticks and tried a bite. The taste was just barely edible.

  "Sister Ke, your noodles taste..."

  "I didn't ask for your review. Eat it or don't. And don't try using last night to get close to me. How we were before is how we'll be now."

  "Alright..."

  Xia Li wisely shut up.

  "So what's your next plan? Continue pursuing Jin Xiutai?"

  "Yeah. He has clues. And personal grudges aside, I have serious beef with him."

  Jin Xiutai was the first person Xia Li saw after opening his eyes in this new era.

  Awakening from cryogenic sleep, what greeted Xia Li was immediately the most malevolent face of this new age.

  Xia Li still clearly remembered the first words that person had said.

  "Hello, Employee 327. You're awake? Good news—you're now my property. Please use everything in your life to repay me."