My game, Orange Flavor, is great!

Seeing the police officers still busy evacuating the crowd, Lu Zhao sighed and joined them.

It was unclear how much time had passed, so long that even Xia Zhifei, who had come to provide support, had arrived before the crowd gathered there was finally dispersed.

"Ah Zhao, let the monitoring department come and investigate." Seeing that she had been standing in front of the pile of rubble for a long time without moving, the young lady couldn't help but tug at her sleeve. "It's too late today, and your injuries have only just healed. You should go back and rest early."

According to procedure, if there are bombs or similar items controlled by the Eldar, the monitoring department should be responsible for dismantling them.

Lu Zhao was silent for a while, glanced at Xia Zhifei who was full of worry, and finally nodded in compromise: "Okay, you call and inform Chi Ying, I still need to go to the hospital."

Wenruo is still in the hospital. The important matters are temporarily settled. If she doesn't go to see her, she will go home and won't be able to sleep at night.

Knowing her childhood sweetheart's temperament well, Xia Zhifei didn't stop her this time. After making the call, she got into a taxi with Lu Zhao.

"Send me Si Ling's phone number."

As soon as he got in the car, Lu Zhao couldn't wait to send a message to Li Manqiu.

The other party immediately replied with a question mark. Just as she was about to call back to explain, the other party sent a string of numbers.

She only had time to reply with "thank you" before she hurriedly opened the number and dialed it without even caring that Xia Zhifei was still in the car.

"Hello?" The other end answered in less than three seconds.

Upon hearing the voice from the other end, Lu Zhao's restless heart finally calmed down. He glanced cautiously at the young lady beside him, turned his back, and asked softly, "Are you... alright?"

It would be a lie for Lu Zhao not to worry about leaving her alone in that situation; it's just that she really had no other choice at the time.

Chapter 42 A Sudden Battlefield

In the opening scene of the game, the female protagonist, after awakening, comes to an arcade with her friends, only to encounter people sent by the villainous organization and get caught up in a vicious incident.

During this time, players can choose to leave with the villain or be rescued by the special agent sent by the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, thus starting the storyline of the protagonist and antagonist.

However, when Lu Zhao stood outside the ward and looked at the girl who was still unconscious inside, he even began to doubt his own memory.

Was this a choice made by the protagonist himself?

If she had arrived any later, Wenruo would have been killed by that woman!

Even though they heard the other party say that they wanted to take Wenruo away, given the situation at the time, if the woman who was exploding were to be careless on the way back to Wenruo, she would kill her!

She breathed heavily, trying desperately to stop thinking about the possibility that Wenruo might die, in order to calm herself down.

On the other side, Xia Zhifei had just returned from consulting the doctor. Seeing that her face was extremely gloomy, she cautiously said, "The doctor just said that she is no longer in danger of death. She just needs to rest for a while and she will get better."

After a long while, she heard her childhood sweetheart speak in a low, hoarse voice: "Take good care of her for me."

"Where are you going?" Xia Zhifei called out in surprise to the person who had turned to leave. "A-Zhao, you're still injured. You should get it bandaged up..."

"I'm fine!" Lu Zhao glanced at the back of his left hand, which he had accidentally scraped when he escaped from the mall, and clenched his fist tightly. "I'll go check that person's identity. Please stay here and watch over Xiao Ruo."

After saying that, he left the hospital without looking back.

From the moment she arrived, she had been thinking about what would have happened to Wenruo if she hadn't accidentally come to this shopping mall that she rarely visited.

If it's not me, then who should be the special envoy in the game?

Or is it that there will never be another person like that?

If that's the case, then Wenruo only has two paths left: death or being forced to join the villainous organization.

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became, until her fingernails turned a deep white.

Although I haven't known Wenruo for very long, from the few times I've met her, she seems to be a very, very good child—understanding, sensible, and polite.

What would happen if such a kind and gentle child were to enter a monstrous place like a villainous organization?

She dared not think.

"Lu Zhao".

Only after stepping out of the hospital did she slowly raise her head when a gentle female voice rang out from not far away. Upon seeing the person's face, she nervously put her hands behind her back.

"Miss Si... Miss Si." She called out weakly, and the moment she met the person's deep eyes, she felt her ears turn red again.

Si Ling stood at the hospital entrance, his gaze fixed on her. After a while, he stepped forward, took her hand, and slowly asked, "Why didn't you call me by my name?"

"I..." She was speechless, unsure how to explain her guilty conscience.

But Si Ling was looking down seriously. Her cool fingers easily pried open her tightly clenched fingers, revealing the crescent-shaped marks left by her fingernails.

The pale white fingers gently caressed the spots that were almost bleeding. Lu Zhao couldn't help but shiver and wanted to pull his hand back, but the other person held on firmly and refused to let go.

"Si Ling!" she called out in a low voice, somewhat annoyed.

At that moment, the person raised their head, a hint of a smile in their eyes, "Now you know to call me by my name?"

A burning sensation shot from his heart to the top of his head. Lu Zhao's face turned bright red, and his voice stammered, "You...you shouldn't hold me like that. I have...I have things to do!"

This is where the story begins. The woman who caused the explosion couldn't have died so easily. She needs to investigate the woman's escape route and also check the scene for any remaining clues.

The explosion happened recently, and many people are still injured and hospitalized. Fortunately, there have been no fatalities so far, which is a stroke of good luck amidst the misfortune.

“But I’m hungry.” Si Ling held onto her hand persistently, her voice as gentle as ever, making it impossible for Lu Zhao to refuse. “Didn’t I just say on the phone that I don’t mind you leaving me, but you have to make up for that dinner?”

Ah this...

Although she said she would make up for that meal, she didn't say it would be now!

Lu Zhao looked at her helplessly, wanting to explain, but found that Si Ling was smiling, her bright eyes meeting his gaze without flinching, as if she were probing his reaction.

For no apparent reason, the words of refusal she had finally mustered to say vanished before they even reached her lips, leaving only a stammering reply: "Well... okay then, let's grab something to eat before we go... um, I mean I'll go alone..."

"It's so late, are you just going to let me go home alone?" Si Ling tightened her grip on her hand.

Ah...that makes sense. It's already 11 p.m., and it's not good to let such a delicate girl go home alone.

She completely forgot that Si Ling was also a member of the Spirit Clan, and all her attention was focused on the soft hand holding her right hand.

Mmm...it's so soft.

His gaze involuntarily fell on their clasped hands. When he looked up, he saw a pair of smiling eyes staring at him. Lu Zhao blushed and quickly covered his mouth, coughing lightly. "Let's go have dinner first... oh no, let's go have a late-night snack!"

Si Ling's eyes lingered for a moment on the scratch on the back of her left hand before she smiled gently, "Okay."

To finish quickly, the late-night snack wasn't as elaborate as dinner. Lu Zhao casually found a noodle shop in a small alley near the hospital, sat down, and ordered two bowls of beef noodles.

Finally, feeling embarrassed and helpless, he explained to Si Ling, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry, so..."

“It’s alright,” Si Ling said, sitting opposite her without any hesitation, just like when they sat in an elegant Western restaurant for dinner. “What we eat doesn’t matter.”

For some reason, Lu Zhao felt that she hadn't finished her sentence, perhaps something like, "What we eat doesn't matter, what matters is the person sitting in front of me"...

cough!

Judging from Si Ling's appearance, she probably wouldn't say such cheesy love lines. Besides, the two of them aren't actually that close, and it's not to the point where they would say something like that.

She was a little embarrassed by her own inexplicable thought, and quickly laughed it off, "Then I'll treat you to this meal, as a reward for helping me evacuate the crowd tonight."

Speaking of evacuating the crowd, Lu Zhao suddenly remembered the tense situation tonight and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, you weren't injured today, were you?"

With so many people crammed together, it was easy to get injured if you weren't careful. Moreover, evacuating the crowd was extremely tiring and strained on the voice. If she hadn't had to go up there at the time, she wouldn't have left Si Ling there alone.

"It's alright. Once I join the first team, these are things I'll have to do, won't they?"

The more she said that, the more Lu Zhao felt it was wrong of her to abandon the person without permission. Although she would do the same thing again, but...

"Wait a minute!" She got up and went out, but after a while, she came back with something and sat down. "This is for you."

Si Ling glanced at the throat lozenges she was offered, and smiled slightly. "No need, didn't you already treat me to dinner?"

Lu Zhao hurriedly said, "That's just payment, but this is my token of appreciation!"

As soon as she finished speaking, not only Si Ling, but even she herself was stunned by these reckless words.

This...this is even cornier than the cheesy pickup lines she had just thought of!

How did she suddenly come up with the idea to say something like that!

Just as she was on the verge of social death, wishing she could bury her head in the ground and never see anyone again, a fair hand reached out and took the throat lozenge from her hand.

"Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness."

Thank you, she was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into the ground and run away.

Just then, the beef noodles were served. Lu Zhao glanced gratefully at the owner, quickly withdrew his hand, and buried his head in his food, as if he wanted to swallow the embarrassment from just now.

……

After finally finishing dinner, while the two were still on their way back, Lu Zhao received a call from Tian Mu.

Minister Tian warmly greeted Lu Zhao, who had been fighting on the front lines, and then gave a firm order, demanding that the team work with the police to bring the bomber back within a week.

Keep in mind that this place is near the city center, with a high volume of people, not some remote suburb.

But right here, a bustling shopping mall was bombed in full view of everyone, and countless people were injured and sent to the hospital. No matter where this happened, it would be a major heinous incident.

In other words, there haven't been any deaths yet, and Tian Mu still has influence among the higher-ups at the Spirit Management Bureau, so they can still buy themselves this week. Otherwise, if this matter is suppressed, it will be difficult for anyone to bear.

Lu Zhao knew very well that Tian Mu was doing his best to buy them time, so even when the other party's tone was a little too anxious, she didn't mind and could only nod and agree to the task.

After finally hanging up the phone, Si Ling asked, "Did they come looking for trouble?"

"It wouldn't be considered causing trouble..." She couldn't help but smile wryly, secretly gripping her phone tighter, and turned to look at her, asking, "If I asked you to join the team right now, would you think that was an unreasonable request?"

Si Ling looked at her quietly for a while before slightly curving her lips and gently placing her hand in hers. "It seems we really are short-handed."

Lu Zhao smiled helplessly, raised his hand and grabbed her wrist, saying in an unyielding tone, "I'll help you with the registration procedures later, but right now I need your help."

She stared at Si Ling without blinking, repeating her words clearly: "Si Ling, I need you right now."

The person in front of him was silent for a moment, then his eyes gleamed. "Alright, Captain Lu."

Only after hearing her answer did the weight on Lu Zhao's heart suddenly ease. She unconsciously smiled and was about to speak when she heard the driver in front say, "Gentlemen, we've arrived."

Oh, I forgot there were other people here.

Her face flushed, and she secretly rejoiced that it was already late at night and the other party should not be able to see her expression. She quickly paid the money and pulled Si Ling out of the car together.

At that time, the ruins of the shopping mall had been heavily surrounded by police, and no one other than those in charge was allowed to enter. Even Lu Zhao, who brought Si Ling, who had just joined the team, spent a lot of time getting through the numerous interrogations.

"Stay close to me for a bit, or you'll be taken away as a suspicious person." Having finally reached the ruins, Lu Zhao, without even wiping the sweat from his brow, quickly turned to her and gave her this instruction.

"Captain, you should wipe your sweat first. There's still a lot to do tonight." Si Ling chuckled and took out a handkerchief. When Lu Zhao wasn't looking, she reached out and touched her forehead.

Lu Zhao, somewhat embarrassed, hurriedly grabbed his handkerchief: "This... I can drive it myself..."