My game, Orange Flavor, is great!

Hmm, it's even more high-tech than she imagined.

She stood in the middle of the conference room, watching Tian Mu wiping the fog off his glasses as he sat in front of the eleven 3D projectors, and felt a strange sense of amusement.

"Gentlemen, may I begin my report?" she cleared her throat and asked in a raised voice.

One of the female projections spoke up: "It seems you need to be calmer than I thought."

She slightly curved her lips: "Isn't maintaining rationality at all times what we special envoys should do?"

"Even after we knew the meteorite had disappeared?" another middle-aged male voice asked.

Lu Zhao turned his head to look at the projection, and pursed his lips helplessly: "That's right, I know that the meteorite has disappeared without a trace, which is why I had Minister Chi post that announcement on the official account."

"What about Chi Ying? Does she know about this?" Tian Mu asked urgently.

"Of course I don't know," she shrugged, casually found a chair and sat down. "Now that I know the two most crucial points, are you all patient enough to listen to my report?"

Everyone fell silent. Finally, Tian Mu spoke up: "Alright, report everything that has happened from yesterday until now."

Whether it was because this body was too strong or because her mental fortitude had improved significantly over the past month, Lu Zhao originally thought she would be so nervous in front of such a group of big shots that she wouldn't even be able to speak. But when she was actually there, she found that she wasn't nervous at all.

They were even...excited.

She couldn't help but clench her fingers, which trembled slightly with excitement, and began to report everything in detail to everyone in the conference room...

It wasn't until two hours later.

After drinking some warm water to relieve her dry mouth, she finally let out a long sigh and calmly looked at the eleven projections and Tian Mu in front of her: "I'm done speaking."

They remained silent for a long time, exchanging glances several times, before an older male voice spoke up, scolding, "Lu Zhao! Do you know how big of a mistake you made this time because of your recklessness! Not only did you fail to defuse the bomb in time, but you were also completely fooled, putting your colleagues in danger as well. Now you have no clue about the criminal. Are you willing to admit these mistakes?"

She paused for a moment, then raised her head, her bright black eyes appearing incredibly calm at this moment: "Yes, these are all my faults, but don't you have any faults at all? If you hadn't secretly transported the meteorite away without informing the entire Bureau of Spirits, how could the research institute have been invaded when it was completely undefended?"

“Lu Zhao, you…”

She interrupted him sharply: "If you had been willing to tell me the details beforehand, I wouldn't have been led by the nose by a prisoner. I even learned about the meteorite being taken away from her!"

"If I hadn't chosen to tell the public everything after learning the truth, how would the aftermath of the explosion have been handled? How long could the Bureau of Superintendents have held out under such public outrage? Don't you have any idea?"

Her voice wasn't loud, just loud enough for people outside to hear clearly through the door to the general planning office.

Chi Ying frowned as she stood outside the door, wondering why there had been a sudden commotion inside. She knew that if she went in rashly, it might escalate the conflict.

Looking at the door that was just a step away, she bit her lip hard, suppressing the urge to push it open and rush in, waiting anxiously.

"From this day forward, Lu Zhao, the captain of the first team of the Sky Dome's Operations Department, is suspended from duty pending investigation due to poor performance!"

As a heavy verdict was handed down, Lu Zhao finally pushed open the door and stepped out. He glanced at the people waiting outside with a gloomy expression and sneered.

Chi Ying stepped forward to grab her, but was easily shaken off.

Lu Zhao turned around and looked at her with an icy expression. The unfamiliarity and coldness in his eyes made Chi Ying feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Chapter 61 Can I stay at home?

"Suspended? Are you serious?"

Xia Zhifei sat up abruptly, her doe eyes wide with shock. "Why did they suspend you?! I'm going to settle accounts with those people in the General Strategy Office right now!"

Lu Zhao quickly pulled her back: "Alright, alright, Miss! Please don't go and cause trouble."

"How can this be considered causing trouble!" Xia Zhifei said, hands on her hips in dissatisfaction. "Ah Zhao, you worked so hard and found the bomb's location in time, you just didn't have time to stop it. Let them try! Let's see if they can find it!"

She couldn't help but chuckle, and quickly pressed the young lady down to sit: "Alright, keep your voice down, Xiao Ruo is still here."

Only then did Xia Zhifei remember that she was still in a hospital ward. She turned around and met Wen Ruo's pale face on the hospital bed. Feeling a little embarrassed, she sat down and said gently, "Xiao Wenzi, did I disturb you just now?"

"It's alright, Sister Xia." Wenruo obediently shook her head and looked at Lu Zhao beside her.

She quickly explained, "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. I can take this time to rest. I've been so busy lately... no, I've been so busy all year. It's rare to have some free time at the end of the year."

"They're just using you and then discarding you!" Xia Zhifei was still unconvinced. "So, if you leave, who will take over the bombing case? Team Two?"

She nodded: "Yes, Captain Li has recently cleared out his backlog of tasks, so I can take over now. Also, Chi Ying has made a great contribution this time, and I estimate that she will receive further rewards later this year."

"Honestly, she didn't even try to speak up for you back then. All she knew was how to do a good job. You were colleagues, after all..."

Lu Zhao smiled upon hearing this. Fortunately, she did not reveal the reason why Chi Ying had made a contribution, otherwise, given Xia Zhifei's temper, she would definitely have gone to settle accounts with Chi Ying.

"They have no obligation to plead for me." She chuckled softly, reached out and ruffled the young lady's hair, then turned to Wenruo, "How are you? I haven't had time to come see you these past two days. Are you alright?"

Wenruo shook her head slightly: "It's okay, the doctor said I can be discharged in a week at most."

No wonder he has the physique of an A-level spirit race.

"Little Wenzi is such a good girl, she kept urging me to help you investigate, and now look what's happened, we've both ended up here." Xia Zhifei said with a hint of resentment, handing over a peeled and chopped apple, which Wenruo ate in small bites.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao couldn't help but lean closer, staring at her pitifully: "Where's mine!"

"Peel it yourself if you want to eat it!" The young lady rolled her eyes at her and threw the fruit knife on the table to her.

Good grief, you only spent two days with the female lead and you're already dumping her?

Lu Zhao caught the fruit knife with a wry smile, and then slowly began to peel the fruit.

"So what are your plans for the near future?" Xia Zhifei asked again.

She stopped what she was doing, thought about it seriously for a moment, and replied, "You guys keep going to work, I'll stay home."

Xia Zhifei: ? ? ?

"Are you serious?" The young lady frowned, staring at her with displeasure. "Those old fogies in the General Planning Office treated you like that, and they still haven't found the culprit in the bombing. Are you just going to stay at home like this?"

Lu Zhao shrugged innocently, "What can I do? They said I'm suspended from duty for investigation. The bureau will definitely keep an eye on me during this time. If I make any further moves, I'll lose my job."

That makes sense.

Xia Zhifei immediately deflated, propping his chin up with one hand and leaning against the bed: "What are we going to do? You're not here, and the new recruits haven't joined yet. There are only three of us in the team. We not only have to maintain the mission completion rate, but we also have to keep an eye on the second team's movements. We're so busy we're going to die!"

Speaking of newcomers, Lu Zhao suddenly remembered this matter.

That's right. Now that she's not here, the team's morale must be low. Song Lingge is alright; even if I leave her alone, she won't cause any trouble. But it's different for Miss and Messiah. I need to find them some work to keep them in line.

Thinking this, she unconsciously looked at Wenruo, who had been lying obediently on the hospital bed without saying much.

"Ah Zhao—" Xia Zhifei noticed her gaze, drew out his words, and stared at her suspiciously, "Are you thinking about something very impolite?"

Lu Zhao's face twitched, and he explained speechlessly, "I was just thinking about how to invite Xiao Ruo to join our team, so that we would have more people on the team and you guys wouldn't be so busy."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other two people present changed slightly.

The difference was that Xia Zhifei stood up in disapproval: "How can this be? Xiao Wenzi has just suffered such a serious injury, and she's still a student. How can she join our team? It's too dangerous!"

“No,” Wenruo slowly sat up from the bed. Although her face was still pale, her eyes revealed an unwavering determination. “Sister Xia, I am very willing to join.”

Xia Zhifei was taken aback, then said hesitantly, "But your health..."

“I’m fine,” Wenruo shook her head. “The doctor said that I only suffered superficial injuries, which means it looks scary on the outside. I can be discharged from the hospital in a week, and then I can go through the procedures to join the team.”

Lu Zhao shrugged innocently beside him: "See? This wasn't just me encouraging it."

"Don't even mention it!" Xia Zhifei glared at her unhappily, immediately silencing the usually imposing Captain Lu.

She sat worriedly on the edge of the bed, reaching out to take Wenruo's slightly cool hand. "Are you really sure? Joining our team will be tough."

"Yes, I've made up my mind." Wenruo smiled faintly and squeezed her hand tightly.

Now that things had come to this, Xia Zhifei couldn't say anything more, so he could only sigh, "A-Zhao, what about the other newcomer? When will they arrive?"

“Ah…” Lu Zhao paused for a moment, then, thinking of Si Ling whom he had refused to follow this morning, he guiltily looked away. “I have a candidate in mind… Hmm, don’t worry, I will talk to her.”

"Perfect timing. You've been suspended and have nothing to do, so I'll assign you the task of training new recruits as well." Xia Zhifei waved his hand and gave the task to him.

Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment. He was about to refuse, but when he met the young lady's threatening gaze, he swallowed the words he wanted to say.

If it's just simple training to prepare for the departmental competition, then it shouldn't be a big problem, especially since Wenruo is there, and it's not like she's alone with Siling or anything...

Just as she was lost in thought, Xia Zhifei's voice rang out again: "Azhao, why is your face red?"

"I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!" She suddenly looked up and immediately denied everything in one go. Her strong reaction stunned the two people present, who then burst into laughter.

Oh no, this is incredibly embarrassing.

Lu Zhao couldn't help but cover his face.

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Appearance of an Alien

In fact, Lu Zhao understood Xia Zhifei's thoughts very well. She was afraid that if she was suspended from her job and stayed at home alone, she would become depressed and fall into a state of isolation.

So even though she wanted to be a little lazy, she eventually accepted Xia Zhifei's suggestion to teach the two new recruits some basic knowledge about the Bureau of Spirituality after Wen Ruo was discharged from the hospital, and also give them some training.

Anyway, she learned how to take a beating and dodge in the martial arts school, so teaching others with those two skills wouldn't be considered misleading them.

"By the way, when are you going to contact the other newcomer?" Xia Zhifei asked, glancing at her.

Lu Zhao stiffened, gave an awkward laugh, and picked up the apple he had just peeled: "Want some more?"

"Don't give me that," the young lady said, taking a couple of bites of the apple, still grumbling, "There are less than five days until Christmas. Who was it that said they'd bring someone to me within a week?"

She said helplessly, "Fine, fine, but Miss Xia, I just finished my work and I'm still emotionally hurt. Aren't you going to let me rest for a couple of days before I go looking for someone?"

Xia Zhifei snorted: "Then you should rest for a couple more days and get some proper rest!"

I always feel a strange grinding sensation in the last few words.

Lu Zhao scratched his face. Considering his rest time during this period, he could only sigh and surrender, saying, "Okay, I'll bring the person over tomorrow, alright?"

"Not bad, Comrade Lu Zhao is very conscientious. Here's a reward for you... no, half an apple!" The young lady finally smiled, cut the half-eaten apple in her hand slightly, and handed over the remaining half.

Lu Zhao: "...Thank you for your generous gift, Miss!"

The two of them, talking like they were performing a comedy routine, made Wenruo, who was lying on the hospital bed, laugh so hard that her wound almost reopened, causing Captain Lu to get another glare from her childhood sweetheart.

Lu Zhao, looking aggrieved: Then I'll leave?

And so, she really left.

Well! The truth is, Wenruo, the little angel, understood that she had been too busy and tired lately, so she offered to let her go back and rest for one night before coming back.

Finally able to rest, Lu Zhao escaped the clutches of the young lady and leisurely returned home.

The leftover iced milk from this morning hadn't been cleaned up yet, and it was scattered haphazardly on the table, making it impossible to ignore.

Lu Zhao walked into the restaurant and casually threw it into the trash can, but couldn't help but recall the hot breakfast he had this morning. The feeling of warming his stomach was indeed very nice.