Rong Zhen or Gu Tianming, after smelling this scent, both inexplicably felt a tightness in their chests and dizziness.
For these two men, who had always had good physical health, this was a rare occurrence.
Rong Zhen, being cleanliness-conscious, immediately thought of leaving the ward upon smelling this odor. However, upon seeing Gu Tianming, who had been eyeing her not long ago, he refused to let the rival show affection in front of him. Therefore, even though the stench almost made him faint, he still cared and asked, “Zijin, what’s wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Gu Tianming, as an actor known for his cleanliness in the circle, had his mind focused on cleanliness. Even though Tao Zijin was his goddess, under the attack of this smell, his feelings faded. Seeing Rong Zhen still trying to show affection, he stepped back, frowned, and walked towards the door, saying, “I’ll call the doctor.”
The last bit of dignity he gave to Tao Zijin was not covering his nose and mouth with his hands.
The doctor arrived quickly, but they couldn’t determine the reason for the sudden foul odor on Tao Zijin. They could only recommend a series of tests to figure it out.
Seeing the disgusted looks from everyone, especially the two men, Rong Zhen and Gu Tianming, who had claimed to like her, both breathed a sigh of relief after the doctor arrived. While maintaining the demeanor of a goddess on her face, Tao Zijin secretly gritted her teeth, filled with intense hatred.
“System, system…”
She kept calling the system’s name in her mind, wanting to know where the problem was. However, the system, which had always responded to her requests, seemed disconnected today, not producing even a sound.
If it weren’t for the visible operation panel of the system in front of her, Tao Zijin would almost think she had been abandoned.
With no results from the examinations, the doctor was puzzled, and Tao Zijin was anxious. She could guess that the sudden foul odor was not from herself but from the system. However, the system remained silent.
To avoid bad luck, she had used up all the items saved from previous tasks in recent days, making it impossible to find a solution. Obtaining new items required her to either charm men or achieve success in her career. But now, with a foul smell on her body and injuries not yet healed, she couldn’t start working. Moreover, after Gu Tianming and Rong Zhen left the hospital one after another, she realized that pursuing men was currently a dead end.
As soon as Gu Tianming left the hospital and sat in his car, he received a call from his agent. The moment the call connected, the agent asked straight away, “Did you go to see Tao Zijin?”
Sitting in the closed space of his car, he felt like the stench was everywhere. He impatiently opened the window, and said, “Yes, what’s the matter?”
“My little ancestor, can you please be a bit more careful? The media has been focusing on Tao Zijin recently. I managed to suppress the news about you two having dinner together last time. I beg you, considering the few hairs left on my head, don’t stir up trouble for me, okay? I don’t even know what’s so good about Tao Zijin. If it weren’t for the modern society where everyone believes in science, I would seriously suspect that she put a curse on you…”
The agent couldn’t help but complain. His relationship with Gu Tianming had always been good, and they had been working together since Gu Tianming’s debut. He can be credited for Gu Tianming’s success. Even though he had always been against Tao Zijin and was skeptical of the relationship between Gu Tianming and Tao Zijin, occasionally advising him to be more clear-headed, Gu Tianming never considered replacing him.
It was just a routine complaint, but unexpectedly, Gu Tianming on the other end didn’t refute him as usual. He just responded with an “I know.”
Gu Tianming sat in the car, lowering all four windows to let the air circulate, but his mind was occupied with the events of the day.
To be honest, he suddenly felt a bit puzzled today about why he liked Tao Zijin so much.
In terms of looks, Tao Zijin’s appearance was average. Gu Tianming had watched Zhao Xiaokui’s live broadcast, and even though he didn’t have much fondness for her due to Tao Zijin, he had to admit that Zhao Xiaokui had an astonishingly beautiful face. Compared to her, Tao Zijin, who barely passed the entertainment industry’s acceptable standards for looks, was in a different league.
As for temperament, fans praised Tao Zijin’s aura as being 1.8 meters tall. Gu Tianming often felt that Tao Zijin was a versatile woman, capable of being sweet and salty, always bringing him fresh surprises. However, thinking back, it was just a one-time thing. The scenes and images that had once amazed him, now, in retrospect, seemed ordinary, no longer attractive.
As for talent and effort…
The entertainment industry wasn’t lacking in those.
Plenty of people had both talent and worked hard.
He lit a cigarette, feeling somewhat agitated as if he were split into two. One part of him still felt that he liked Tao Zijin, willing to let her climb up using him and share his resources. While the other part questioned what was so good about Tao Zijin, what was worth liking? In terms of fame and status, they were in completely different worlds. Tao Zijin was currently sucking his blood, torturing his fans…
His mind was in a chaotic state, but one thing was clear: as long as Tao Zijin didn’t get rid of the odor on her body, he didn’t want to see her.
Shen Zhifei didn’t inform Zhao Xiaokui about the trouble she encountered. When the beverage machine in the pantry suddenly had an electrical leak, she calmly called the property management, asking them to send someone to fix it and inspect the entire building’s circuits. Meanwhile, she messaged the person she had sent to monitor Tao Zijin, asking if anything unusual had happened, and unexpectedly received a reply about a strange smell emanating from Tao Zijin.
Though there was no direct evidence, she connected the two incidents in her mind.
Shen Zhifei returned to her office with a bottled coffee, contemplating the events of the day.
She could escape a disaster not due to good luck but because of the extraordinary sensory perception of a superbeing.
When she entered the pantry earlier, she suddenly saw a scene where the beverage machine was covered in electric arcs. She instinctively took a step back, and then the machine experienced a short circuit.
Shen Zhifei hadn’t really paid much attention to her extraordinary abilities before, only realizing today the power of this force.
If it weren’t for that seemingly divine encounter, even as a superbeing, she probably wouldn’t have gained any advantage.
Shen Zhifei didn’t want to worry Zhao Xiaokui, but how could she hide certain things from her? Especially at such a sensitive time.
When she heard that Shen Zhifei was in trouble, Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t sit still. She wished she could teleport directly to see if Shen Zhifei was okay and hadn’t suffered even a hair’s worth of harm. Fortunately, Shen Zhifei’s skillful comforting methods calmed her down effortlessly; otherwise, she might have considered breaking out of the base. But now, she truly couldn’t escape and had no way to leave.
Tao Zijin, as the only person found to be connected with the evil god, had been under scrutiny since she entered the hospital. She thought it was due to Rong Zhen’s influence that she could stay in a luxurious private room, but in reality, it was the Nightwalker who arranged her in a separate room. The other end of the corridor on the same floor was transformed into a temporary meeting place where high-ranking superbeings sent by the Nightwalker headquarters gathered.
Outside the room, the atmosphere seemed calm, appearing no different from an ordinary room. If it weren’t for the faint leakage of extraordinary power, one might think that there were only ordinary people inside.
As the door opened, several sharp superhuman auras came rushing.
Second tier… Third tier.
Zhao Xiaokui looked towards the woman sitting in the corner of the room, her eyes widening in astonishment.
The woman with a beautiful face looked inconspicuous, dressed in casual clothes and wearing glasses. She resembled Lin Bai a bit, giving off the vibe of a researcher.
But Zhao Xiaokui could sense that she was the highest-ranking superbeing in the entire room.
A third-tier superbeing.
She swallowed nervously, feeling a bit tense.
It was like a novice player just born in a beginner’s village suddenly encountering the final boss-level boss, and even encountering a god-like player returning from the main city.
The woman noticed her gaze, and her eyes also showed surprise. Although she considered herself to have concealed her extraordinary aura well, she didn’t expect the young girl to look at her immediately upon entering.
Not bothered by being discovered, she stood up and smiled friendly, “You must be Xiaokui, right? I heard Captain Yu talk about you. You’re a formidable young girl. Although you haven’t been with the Nightwalkers for long, you’ve already made significant contributions. The stone tablet book, the eerie domain, and this recent incident—all discovered by you. Captain Yu even bragged to me, saying he picked up a lucky charm.”
She introduced herself, “I am Shi Ning, the person in charge and captain of this operation.”
Zhao Xiaokui hurriedly said, “Hello, Captain Shi.”
The others also introduced themselves.
In addition to Shi Ning, a third-tier superbeing, there were two second-tier superbeings and five first-tier superbeings.
Among the five first-tier superbeings, all were members of the headquarters research institute. Due to the low resistance of ordinary people against the evil god, and the scarcity of researchers who were superbeings in the S City Institute, they were dispatched to collaborate with the work here.
After getting acquainted, they each took their seats and began their work.
Shi Ning spoke first, “Before coming here, we have already reviewed the documents you submitted. However, I still want to hear Comrade Zhao Xiaokui repeat what happened with my own ears. Is that okay?”
“You can just call me Xiaokui.”
Zhao Xiaokui patiently recounted how she discovered something wrong with Tao Zijin, how she experienced amnesia and the unfortunate events that followed.
After listening, Shi Ning said, “This situation is very serious. If Tao Zijin is indeed like what Xiaokui described, able to parasitize within different people like a parasite, then she is more concealed and more dangerous than the previous followers of the evil god.”
She asked again, “Do you have any discernment methods now?”
It was a casual question, not expecting an immediate solution. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaokui and Yu Youmin exchanged a glance and nodded.
Zhao Xiaokui said, “There is a method, but I’m not sure if it will work.”
Shi Ning asked with interest, “What method is it?”
Zhao Xiaokui didn’t speak but went to open the small refrigerator she had brought from the car.
They had seen this box before and were curious about what was inside. When Zhao Xiaokui opened it, they all cast curious glances.
Unexpectedly, inside was a bottle of water.
A bottle of water with a white feather stuffed inside.
