INHA Chapter 88

Since it was the General Director who proposed this idea, it wasn’t just a casual suggestion; the local branch would certainly do everything possible to carry it out effectively.

Moreover, since this was a reward requested by Xu Dongyou and it concerned the future development of the Anomaly Handling Bureau, after discussions and consulting with Xu Dongyou—who was now somewhat connected to the entertainment industry—a plan was finally agreed upon.

It just so happened that it was currently the registration period for a talent show. The show’s process involved selecting qualified candidates from among the registered boys, who would then compete in a series of elimination rounds. In the end, ten contestants would be chosen. These ten could either sign with the entertainment company sponsoring the show or choose not to sign.

Regardless of his final ranking, Xu Dongyou would automatically become the spokesperson for the Anomaly Handling Bureau after the show. However, Xu Dongyou didn’t want to be criticized for gaining fame without merit, so he was determined to achieve a good result in this talent show.

Meanwhile, on another front, the Research Department took only a week to develop an internet-connected device specifically for Zhulong’s entertainment. The device allowed Zhulong to interact with the screen by simply tapping it with its tail.

The device was perfectly suited to Zhulong’s size.

However, since Zhulong was still in the early stages of developing its consciousness, the department implemented some filtering measures within the device, primarily blocking certain content that might be detrimental to Zhulong.

For example, some bored individuals enjoyed ranking the power of mythical creatures, and many believed that the ancient Zhulong’s abilities were exaggerated. They thought it was absurd that Zhulong could supposedly make the day bright by opening its eyes and make it dark by closing them.

These unfavorable opinions were filtered out, along with any comments that were negative toward demons. Additionally, certain information about humanity that might highlight negative aspects was also screened.

The intention wasn’t to create a utopia to deceive Zhulong into liking humans, but rather to shield it from content that would be difficult for it to process and discern at its current stage.

Much like a child, while Zhulong might understand basic right and wrong, it could still be easily influenced by online opinions.

Once Zhulong fully regains its reasoning abilities, it will have its own discernment and can naturally see what the real human world is like.

The device wasn’t very large, and after learning how to set it up with the research department, Xu Dongyou went to the sealing array to install the projection device and teach Zhulong how to use the internet.

A fascinating world opened up to Zhulong, who watched the projection with amazement and quickly learned how to operate it. Zhulong even went a step further, asking if it could add Xu Dongyou as a friend.

Although the device primarily relied on spiritual energy, they hadn’t yet been able to create other internet-connected devices, so there was some anxiety about whether Zhulong would be able to use it.

To their surprise, even though Zhulong wasn’t human, it could still control the device. The research department offered a reasonable explanation and hypothesis for this.

Though Zhulong wasn’t human, it also wasn’t exactly a demon. The energy it used remained a mystery, or from another perspective, Zhulong’s power might be perfectly compatible with both human spiritual energy and demon energy.

As a higher-level life form, the research department continued to ponder what exactly the ancient Zhulong was and just how terrifying its true power could be.

They also wondered what role it played in ancient times.

Based on current rumors, it’s believed that Zhulong and Zhu Jiuyin are possibly the same entity, controlling both night and day, as well as the wind.

More importantly, although the records about this are now lost, some information about Zhu Jiuyin can still be found.

For instance, there are claims that it was actually one of the three great gods of creation.

This idea seems especially unbelievable, which is why the research department and the Anomaly Handling Bureau have taken a skeptical approach to this information and haven’t fully accepted it as true.

Xu Dongyou thought that since the device was created by the research department, perhaps he could add Zhulong as a friend.

He gave it a try but, unexpectedly, it failed.

Zhulong didn’t go berserk or get angry, but Xu Dongyou could sense its disappointment. He quickly patted his chest and promised that he would visit Zhulong often.

Only then did Zhulong perk up, cherishing every moment it spent with Xu Dongyou. Xu Dongyou, too, was affected by the atmosphere. When it was time to leave, a strong sense of reluctance and sadness surged in his heart, and he found himself not wanting to go.

The thought of Zhulong staying there all alone, even with a device to connect to the outside world, made Xu Dongyou feel that Zhulong was still lonely.

Zhulong watched Xu Dongyou quietly, just as it always did, seeing him off each time in the same way.

Xu Dongyou sniffled and hugged Zhulong’s tail. “I’ll come to see you earlier next time. And I’ll bring you something delicious.”

“Okay—I’ll be waiting for you,” Zhulong’s voice rumbled deeply, though it was clear it was trying to lower its tone.

Zhulong had truly changed. In just a few short months, it had gone from being a frenzied, irrational creature to what it was now.

Although its blood-red eyes still occasionally flashed with madness, for the most part, it was extraordinarily calm and even thoughtful at times.

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