Lu Mingfei: What? They're all real!

Lu Mingfei's heart pounded wildly.

Chapter 115 "Saw a Cute Girl"

Lu Mingfei grinned lewdly, rubbing his hands together as he leaned closer. His expression was downright sinister, and even the seasoned old principal couldn't help but instinctively lean back.

“Let’s just sit and talk.” Angers reached out to stop the boy who was about to jump over the table in front of him. “We’re probably going to talk for a long time, and standing is tiring.”

"Why do we need to talk for so long?" Lu Mingfei's mind was unusually clear when he was excited. He asked, "Is there...some difficulty?"

“Please sit down,” Angers said, taking a photograph from a drawer in the long table and placing it on the table.

Lu Mingfei pulled over a chair placed to the side of the long table, sat down quietly, and then picked up the photo to examine it.

This photo must have been printed—not a film print, nor a digital camera print, but rather a print from an image on the internet—it's so blurry, like the picture of Lu Mingfei that was mistaken for the Loch Ness Monster.

However, Lu Mingfei still looked closely. The photo showed a girl. Although it was blurry, he could see her sneaky expression. She was hunched over, as if she was hiding from someone. She had long, dark red hair that fluttered in the wind.

"Well?" Angers asked smugly. "The academy never goes back on its word, especially not to a good student like you... So, is this the person you're looking for?"

Lu Mingfei raised his head without speaking, but simply held up the photo in his hand.

He squinted and proposed in a very serious tone, "I would like to say that if the college is really short of funds and cannot even take a photo that can clearly show a person's face, then I am willing to donate Fingel's camera, or the entire property of the Department of Journalism."

Angers' expression froze, then he gave an awkward laugh.

"How would I know if this is the person I'm looking for!" Lu Mingfei retorted angrily. "I don't even know if it's a girl or not. What if it's a boy?"

"How could that be!" Angers exclaimed. "She has such long hair, and her build doesn't look like a boy's!"

"Then produce the evidence! With just one photo, nobody will believe you've found the person!"

Lu Mingfei was also anxious. He felt as if his heart was boiling oil, and his whole mind was in turmoil!

Although he said it was blurry and he couldn't see clearly, the feeling from the bottom of his heart wouldn't lie... People have an inexplicable spiritual connection with things they are familiar with, and he was certain that even if this wasn't the person he was looking for, there must be some connection between them.

He wanted more detailed intelligence information.

"Sigh... okay."

But then, Angers inexplicably began to sigh. He leaned back in his seat, and for a moment he looked like a real old man.

“That’s why I said we’re going to talk for a long time,” Angers said. “Let’s start from the beginning. Do you know why I specifically told you that Norma deliberately stopped her work for a week?”

"Isn't it about showing off your achievements?" Lu Mingfei pouted. "I heard my uncle say that if you don't do things well, you have to emphasize how hard and tiring it was. That's how everyone in his unit does it."

“It sounds like your uncle’s workplace is very corrupt…” Angers said helplessly, then added, “But we don’t have that problem… Ever since you told me about it, Norma has been instructed to compare Chen Motong’s portrait. For more than two months, she has scanned almost every connected camera and database in the world, but strangely, there is absolutely no similar data.”

"Why is it...weird?"

“Actually, human appearances are not that diverse. If we only consider the aspect of ‘resemblance,’ there would be many results, but Norma found none,” Angers said. “And do you know what’s even more surprising? We put the original template, Chen Motong, into the database and followed the same rules. Outside of her home country of the United States and China, we found no results, as if this person did not exist.”

"..."

“This is too bizarre.” Angers’ expression turned serious. “If we didn’t know that there was such a living girl living among us, and only considered the machines and the internet, we would definitely conclude that ‘Chen Motong doesn’t actually exist.’ Do you know what that means?”

“Someone… deliberately concealed this information, and with great force, even affecting Chen Motong…” Lu Mingfei stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“A very clever conclusion, Mingfei. To be honest, not only the school committee, but I also have some doubts about you. You are quite different from the observation reports of the previous eighteen years. In my impression, you should be more…” Angers tried to find a nice word.

"Even worse, even more pathetic, right?" Lu Mingfei chuckled. "Then I'm really sorry, a gentleman can change like a dragon or a snake, and a person can grow up in a day."

“Yes, yes…” Angers seemed somewhat stunned, as if he had been transported back many years. He slowly turned his head to look out the window, as if talking to himself, “That’s right… people do grow up in a day, a day, a night, a few hours is enough…”

He then turned his attention back to the boy and continued to discuss the important issue: "This conclusion is absolutely correct. The vice principal and I both believe that someone must have deliberately erased this information behind the scenes. And the girl you mentioned can be inferred from this that she must exist. We can even conclude that she does indeed look similar to Chen Motong."

Lu Mingfei breathed quietly, his eyes fixed on the photo in his hand.

"But right now, we don't know exactly who hid this information, or why. We asked Norma, and she concluded that she could do it efficiently, but the important thing is that this is not a one-time thing. It requires a long-term effort to erase the traces, which is difficult and time-consuming. It's not something that an ordinary person can do."

This was a realm beyond Lu Mingfei's comprehension, and he quietly hummed in agreement.

“Next, we chose to have Norma monitor every flow of information in the world, including social media. During this time, she completely stopped all other work to ensure that any picture uploaded online was scanned the very first second. Then, we finally got this photo.” Angers took the photo back and held it in his hand as if showing it off.

He said, "This was a photo posted on Facebook with the caption 'Saw a cute girl,' and her social media was cleared out sixteen seconds after the photo was posted, which further convinced us of this."

"But Norma should have recorded that user's information, right?" Lu Mingfei raised his hand and asked, "Do you have any reliable information?"

“No, she was just an ordinary passerby. The photo was probably taken casually by the roadside, which is why it’s so blurry,” Angers said. “The only useful information is that this user lives in Tokyo, Japan, and the photo was taken there. So we speculate that the red-haired girl is also in this area.”

Lu Mingfei felt the air go silent for two seconds.

Then, he suddenly thought of another girl who seemed unrelated... He thought to himself, the cunning and treacherous Xia Mi really wasn't lying, she really is a good girl...

Chapter 116 Is a young person still young if they're not impetuous?

"What are you laughing at?" Angers asked quietly.

"N-nothing..." Lu Mingfei shook his head, shifting the blame, "I just remembered something else. Fingel said he used my autographed photo to scam four thousand US dollars from all the female students in the school, and he wants to split the money with me when we get home tonight."

"This kind of behavior... is not good."

"I support investigating and banning the news department!" Lu Mingfei had both sides to his argument, and he suddenly became indignant. "That despicable Finger actually forged my signature. I support sending him to the tribunal."

"Then let's forget about it..."

Angers looked troubled. He didn't want the Night Watchers' discussion forum to be devoid of entertainment. Finger was a complete scoundrel during his student days, but in the journalism industry, he was an absolute star. Gossip and scandalous news were always top-notch in Kassel, and he couldn't become the scapegoat...

"So he was being protected by the school? I knew he wouldn't dare to act so recklessly!" Lu Mingfei said indignantly, pressing for answers.

"Um... let's get back to what we're talking about now." Angers wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like he was being led by the nose by Lu Mingfei...

He cleared his throat and then said, "So now, Mingfei, you have to tell me why you're looking for this girl."

“I noticed you used the word ‘must’.” Lu Mingfei sat back down in his seat.

“That’s right, it’s mandatory. Even if you suddenly change your mind and tell me you were just joking and you don’t actually want to find this girl, it won’t work. You have to give a reason.” Angers’ expression turned serious, just like the burly school committee member who grabbed Lu Mingfei’s shoulder that day and questioned him about whether he was human or a dragon.

"This girl has a special identity?" Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow.

Angers remained silent, simply gazing into Lu Mingfei's eyes, quietly awaiting an answer.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy, with a hint of grimness.

Lu Mingfei knew that things were getting a bit tricky. All sorts of news from various channels indicated that this matter involved a wide range of things, like a spider web that involved too many things. What Angers said was only one aspect, while the "Black Swan Port" that Zero mentioned earlier was another aspect.

He felt he had to praise the well-behaved Miss Zero now; if he hadn't known this information, he might have given himself away... There were too many things he didn't know, and he needed to be careful.

"It's because, hehe..." Lu Mingfei suddenly laughed shyly, then lowered his head, looking very embarrassed, "...it's something that's a bit difficult to talk about..."

The solemn atmosphere surrounding Angers was instantly dispelled. He was even somewhat shocked and couldn't help but bend down to check Lu Mingfei's expression. But the boy seemed extremely shy, with his hands covering his face.

"Could it be because... he likes her?" Angers felt that his 130-year-old worldview might need a patch; this guy was a little too shy.

Lu Mingfei grumbled and wouldn't lift his head.

“Okay…” Angers was now certain of his thoughts, but he still didn’t understand. “But why? You’ve never seen her, you don’t even know who she is.”

"Didn't I mention this before? Well, maybe I only told Guderian this..." Lu Mingfei whispered, still seeming quite shy, "It's because of the spiritual vision... She was very beautiful in the spiritual vision, captivating, oh dear, I'm too embarrassed to say it..."

Lu Mingfei wasn't actually that shy; he just thought it would make his words more credible. However, he wasn't entirely lying; his motive was to find a "wife," so it wasn't entirely wrong.

More importantly, he couldn't let Angers have any suspicions. He always felt that the old man was hiding some secrets and thoughts... Lu Mingfei felt that he needed to be careful no matter what topic he brought up.

“Spiritual vision…your spiritual vision is really strange, it sees everything…” Angers nodded thoughtfully, “But that’s not surprising…”

"No wonder?" Lu Mingfei keenly noticed this.

“It’s nothing.” Angers shook his head, skipping the topic, and raised his voice, “You’re right, this girl has a special identity—to be precise, although we don’t know her identity now, we can be sure that her identity is very special.”

"Could you... put it more concisely?"

“She’s in Tokyo, which isn’t a good place,” Angers said. “Mingfei, do you know that the academy has branches all over the world?”

"Not in Tokyo?"

“Tokyo has it, but…” Angers paused for a second, then continued, “But the situation in Tokyo is rather special. Let me put it this way… if you have already made up your mind to go, then you can only go in your personal capacity. The academy cannot provide any assistance in matters related to hybrids; we do not have a sufficiently legitimate reason.”

"It sounds like a lawless land!" Lu Mingfei exclaimed. "I always thought the United States was the victor in World War II, but you actually lost the Battle of Midway, right?"

He deliberately mocked the old man who was over 130 years old.

Angers was clearly embarrassed by this. He chuckled and said that he was actually British, then asked Lu Mingfei what his plans were.

“Of course I’m going, without a doubt.” Lu Mingfei shrugged, as if Angers had asked an unnecessary question. He said, “Although the academy can’t provide assistance, it should be able to reimburse the ticket price, right? A direct flight to Tokyo is quite expensive. Considering my contributions to the academy, the money should be enough, right?”

“That’s not a problem, but Mingfei, you still haven’t grasped the key point.” Angers frowned. “I mean, in this place, the academy can’t provide you with any support, not just in finding this person, but also in any protective measures or rescue.”

Lu Mingfei calmed down. Angers' hints were very clear, and he had even revealed a secret that couldn't be spoken—on the issue of mixed-race people, Tokyo was dangerous and not a place that the academy could control.

"That's why I'm saying your motives are very important. How much are you prepared, and what are you prepared to go?" Angers pressed on relentlessly. "This is a girl who has clearly been hidden away, and she's most likely related to mixed race. You'll need to handle everything yourself, including finding her... But are you prepared for conflict? Are you prepared for bloodshed? Also, have you considered that if things get out of control, you might kill someone?"

Angers' gaze was like a laser beam as he leaned forward: "I've already told you, the situation in Tokyo is complicated. I can't predict what the consequences of your actions will be, but I can tell you that if your motivation is just 'liking' or 'being pretty,' if something unexpected happens, if things get out of control, the academy won't clean up your mess. Have you thought about what you're going to do then?"

Lu Mingfei looked up and met the old man's worried and anxious gaze. He understood perfectly that Angers was not threatening him, but simply expressing his concern.

Lu Mingfei was even somewhat moved, as he rarely received concern from others.

“Furthermore, you are currently under observation, and the school committee has not yet reached a conclusion on you. If…” Angers paused, even holding his breath, for a long time before saying heavily, “If you encounter a truly difficult and dangerous situation in an already complicated area, and unfortunately shed blood, or to put it bluntly, kill someone, and you are defined as an ‘uncontrollable risk,’ what do you think you will have to face?”

The answer is obvious.

Angers felt he was being a bit long-winded, like the nagging old woman he hated most... He sighed softly and lowered his head, a rare occurrence for him.

"But the tickets will still be reimbursed, right?" Lu Mingfei's voice rang out.

Angers looked up and saw that Lu Mingfei had pushed back his chair and stood up.

He wore a nonchalant, even disdainful smile: "These are all minor matters. I would be very grateful if the academy would reimburse my return ticket."

The boy laughed easily. At that moment, Angers felt for the first time that he had indeed become an old man, with too many things to worry about and having lost the passion and fearlessness of youth.

Chapter 117 This is a typical example of a tsundere.

Lu Mingfei scheduled his trip to Tokyo for after his final exams.

Kassel's academic system is almost identical to that of the University of Chicago, with classes starting in late September and winter break beginning in early December—although the winter break is very short, ending in early January and lasting less than three weeks—and importantly, there are less than two weeks left in this semester.

Angers' words actually made a lot of sense and served as a wake-up call for Lu Mingfei.

If the situation in Tokyo is so complex that even extrajudicial forces like Kassel College find it difficult to navigate, then it would be unwise for him to blindly rush in... He needs to make some plans and preparations, and at least devise a reasonable route.

“Shibuya…Ginza…and Kabukicho…” Lu Mingfei marked one area after another on the map.

"You're basically just on a pilgrimage to the holy sites, aren't you?" the girl next to her snorted, arms crossed. "Why don't you go and explore Akihabara?"

"Oh right, and Akihabara too." Lu Mingfei nodded in agreement, adding that to the list.

"No, are you really planning to go?" Xia Mi felt a tickle in her heart; she had a strange sense of crisis and was getting anxious. She tried to stop her, "No, back then I said I was going to Tokyo to find someone just—"

"Speaking of which, I haven't thanked you yet!" Lu Mingfei remembered this, slapped his thigh, and then thanked him solemnly.

"No, I..." Xia Mi felt a little wronged. She was just saying it casually. Who would have thought that this guy would actually listen to her? Who would have thought that it would happen to be right there by accident? She really felt that she was being a smart aleck back then!

“Oh right, there’s also Ikebukuro. I remember this place. We didn’t need to speak Japanese back then, so let’s settle down here.” Lu Mingfei added with delight.

"Listen to me!" Xia Mi couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Lu Mingfei's hand and snatched his pen.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"Listen to me, listen to me..." The girl realized she was getting a little too emotional, and her voice became timid again. She hummed and said, "I think... maybe you shouldn't go..."

"What do you mean?" Lu Mingfei sat up straighter, looking at the girl beside him with some confusion.

"Um... um..."

Xia Mi tried her best to find a reason for herself. At this moment, she definitely needed a respectable reason. It wasn't that she was shy; it was just that she needed a more formal explanation to convince this guy.

She suddenly thought, "Aren't those guys on the school board keeping an eye on you? They're practically ready to devour you. It's not safe for you to be running around like this..."

That's a great reason! Xia Mi cheered for her cleverness.

“Yes, a little, but it doesn’t matter,” Lu Mingfei shrugged. “Anyway, I’ve already passed the bloodline test. The only thing that’s still controversial is the use of words. I’m not afraid. Let them come at me if they want to cause trouble… Oh right! Don’t worry, I deliberately tarnished your image in the report I submitted. No one will suspect you.”

Who's worried about that!

Xia Mi retorted loudly in her heart. She wasn't afraid of being exposed at all. After all, she and the idiot in front of her were going to stand together, so what difference did it make who was exposed? She just... just didn't want him to do such a thing...

The idea of ​​him looking for other girls sounds so disgusting!

"Say something." She turned around and nudged Zero's shoulder. Zero was reading a book with a cover featuring a male and female protagonist, which looked like a romance novel, and didn't care at all about what was happening here.

Xia Mi said, "Aren't you going to try to persuade him? He himself said that the situation in Tokyo is very complicated and there might be problems."