Chapter 933 New Residence
"What the hell? Can it really be this much of a coincidence?" Franca blurted out after extracting the key points from the news article.
Yesterday afternoon, Lumian made his first contact with the dream manifestation of Mr. Fool, Zhou Mingrui, and last night, during a thunderstorm, the Intis Group's security department suddenly lost four people?
Was this a chain reaction caused by the contact, or was someone pulling the strings behind the scenes?
"I wonder if this is a good sign or a bad one…" Jenna whispered worriedly after reading the news.
Lumian was quite composed. "Whether it's good or bad, becoming employees of the Intis Group and Zhou Mingrui's colleagues is something we have to do. If there's no problem, we go; if there is, we still go!"
Since the interview with the Intis Group was imminent, Lumian and the others went out after lunch to find a real estate agent and started looking for a new place to stay.
According to their plan, the next steps would involve working individually or in pairs to avoid interference and minimize risk. That way, if one of them was compromised, the others wouldn't be dragged down.
During the observation phase, the risks were minimal, so they could act together. However, once they entered the contact and probing stages, every move could draw the Celestial Worthy's attention.
This time, Lumian and his team chose Dechuang Garden, a community district three bus stops away from their current location. Only five years old, the complex had new facilities, and the area boasted a mix of well-known brands and trendy stores.
They picked this place because the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders indicated that Luo Shan, an employee in the Intis Group's administrative department with a real-world counterpart, lived here.
She was also a target for contact and probing.
The lobby of the community district had a clean, bright, and slightly luxurious feel, with sunlight reflecting off the marble floor and a few gray sofas arranged tastefully.
"A one-bedroom apartment costs two thousand a month," Jenna grumbled, heart aching, after the real estate agent and landlord left.
That's nearly as much as what they were paying for their current three-bedroom unit.
The rent differences between various locations and building ages were staggering!
"It's expensive, but we have to rent it!" Franca gritted her teeth.
Tomorrow, we must claim that lottery prize!
This will be another six thousand in expenses!
Although both the landlord and the real estate agent were men, Jenna hadn't used Charm during negotiations. Instead, she relied on Lie and makeup to make herself appear more ordinary. With only a bit of help from her Instigation ability, she managed to negotiate two hundred off the rent and a prepayment of one month.
Lumian nodded slightly, agreeing with Franca's attitude.
In his view, as long as it was within their abilities, any necessary expenses should be made. No matter how much it hurt, they couldn't be stingy!
As his gaze swept the lobby, he noticed a vending machine in the corner. The bottles inside had a particularly sleek design.
Recalling the hints in their information, Lumian walked over and saw that aside from a few displayed bottles, the rest of the items were in gacha boxes.
And the names of these new drinks were all too familiar:
Seer, Assassin, Bard, Sleepless…
"They're all potion names…" Franca followed him over, inhaling sharply. "Do you think they're the real thing?"
She also recalled the dossier's mention of the Fully Automated Vending Machine and Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.
Lumian studied the vending machine for a few seconds, then chuckled.
"The highest is only Sequence 7, and the selection isn't vast. If there were something like War Bishop or Demoness of Unaging, I'd be tempted to empty this machine for a few thousand."
"Even if they were available, you couldn't digest them." Franca pulled out her phone, ready to scan the QR code on the screen.
She eagerly said, "Let's see what I get."
"Based on the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence, you'll probably get something related to Demoness or Hunter." Jenna calmly reminded her.
Franca laughed. "The point isn't what I get but pulling one out to test on a rat to see if it's a real potion."
As she spoke, Franca completed the scan and paid five yuan.
With a click, a gacha box was ejected into the pickup slot.
Franca retrieved and opened it, revealing a bottle with a deep black surface and raised areas outlining a snarling wolf's face: "Sleepless!"
"Huh, one from the Evernight pathway?" Franca was surprised. "It's neither Hunter nor Demoness?"
She quickly figured out the reason.
"My Sequence isn't high enough, nor do I possess godhood. The convergence effect isn't that strong."
After storing the Sleepless drink in her Traveler's Bag, Franca suddenly burst into laughter.
"You know, a Sleepless drink could probably be made with enough caffeine and theophylline!"
The group didn't linger by the vending machine. They crossed the lobby and headed towards Building 5—where their new apartment was located.
Before leaving the lobby, Lumian had a sudden impulse and instinctively glanced back at the vending machine.
The corner it occupied was now empty.
The vending machine that sold potion beverages had vanished!
"As expected…" He wasn't surprised at all.
Franca and the others followed his gaze and shared the feeling that the inevitable conclusion had finally arrived.
…
In the evening, after settling into Dechang Garden, Jenna sat in the lobby of Building 5, patiently waiting for their target to appear.
She didn't know how long it took, but eventually, through the glass entrance, she spotted the figure she'd been observing earlier.
Jenna stood up naturally, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
She paced back and forth until a twenty-plus girl walked in. She had brown hair and a pleasant face, wearing a light green dress and carrying a white handbag.
Jenna "coincidentally" found herself face-to-face with her and asked, feigning a shy and surprised expression, "Hello, do you know how to get to the activity room in this district?"
The girl in the green dress was indeed Luo Shan, Zhou Mingrui's colleague and an employee of the Intis Group's administrative department. She kindly pointed in a direction. "Go out the East Gate, and it's on the left."
"Thank you." Jenna expressed her gratitude sincerely with a slight smile.
She had removed her previous makeup and used Charm, suppressed to a Sequence 7 level, to enhance her appearance.
The smile, like a bloom of flowers, caught Luo Shan's eye.
Luo Shan blinked, showing an expression of admiration. "You're so beautiful…"
Before Jenna could modestly decline, Luo Shan asked enthusiastically, "Would you model for me?
"I'm learning to paint in my spare time, and I'm pretty good at it. I especially love painting beautiful people and landscapes.
"I'll pay you!"
Painting… Jenna's temples throbbed, stirring unpleasant memories.
To her, a "painter" was a terrifying occupation.
She had once killed her painted self in a painting world.
Has Luo Shan in this dream been corrupted or influenced by that evil god of the Fantasy Association? Jenna instinctively shook her head.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in modeling at the moment."
"That's such a shame. I'm pretty good, you know. I'll show you my work sometime, and maybe you'll change your mind." Luo Shan pulled out her phone, smiling as she asked, "You just moved in, right? I've lived here for years and never met anyone as beautiful as you. Can I add you on WeChat?"
Jenna had planned to find an excuse to add Luo Shan on WeChat, but not this quickly. Moving this fast seemed off!
After a few seconds of deliberation, she said with hesitation, "I'm just a tenant."
"So what? I was a tenant too." Luo Shan didn't mind.
"Alright." Jenna deliberately made herself appear a bit meek, someone who wasn't good at rejecting others' kindness or enthusiasm.
When adding her on WeChat, Jenna selected the "Chat Only" option.
This was to make it seem like she wasn't too willing to add strangers, avoiding giving the impression that she was actively seeking out Luo Shan.
After taking a walk around the activity room outside the East Gate and grabbing a meal at a nearby restaurant, Jenna noticed that it had grown dark.
She returned to the 23rd-floor apartment and locked the door.
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For the next day or two, she would be staying there alone.
After turning on the star-shaped main light, Jenna's gaze swept over the gray and orange sofa, the minimalist yet stylish decor, the metallic sheen of the window frames, and the bed with light-colored sheets, just visible through the bedroom door.
Compared to the three-bedroom unit Lumian and the others were renting, this one-bedroom apartment was obviously newer, better furnished, and simpler in design yet still elegant.
Jenna walked towards the window, her fingers brushing over the white dining table, the textured wallpaper on the walls, the artistic table lamp, the tall vase with plastic flowers, and the cold edge of the window. She gazed outside.
Buildings of varying heights dotted the crisscrossing roads, with most windows glowing warmly, blending with the lights from the endless stream of cars on the streets below.
"How beautiful…" Jenna admired the view from above with heartfelt appreciation.
She returned to the sofa area, her steps a little lighter.
When we have more money, let's rent a place like this for Lumian, Franca, and the others!
Jenna sat down, peacefully waiting for any anomalies that might arise from her contact with Luo Shan.
Time ticked by as she scrolled through her phone.
She came across a review of the movie The Great Pirate 3: "Three beautiful female pirates surrounding him, each with some history of flirtation, yet he only took the dumb sailor with him? What the hell! I want my money back!"
Jenna was momentarily puzzled by the comment.
She didn't see anything wrong with that scene.
From the start, she knew how it would end: Gehrman Sparrow was an incarnation of Mr. Fool, his Oracle, who naturally met up with Mr. Fool's other Oracle, Danitz, before leaving together. Wasn't that the logical conclusion?
Besides, in reality, Gehrman Sparrow didn't end up with any of the three female Pirate Admirals!
Jenna felt the real flaw in that scene was how Danitz, the Oracle, didn't play a significant role, as if he were a mere side character.
After spending nearly two hours on her phone with no sign of anything unusual, Jenna checked the time and stood up, heading towards the bathroom to freshen up.
As soon as she switched on the bathroom light, a buzzing sound suddenly filled the room.
The entire apartment was plunged into darkness.
All the lights went out.
