Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 6 – Hua Qingling
As Hua Qiling finished her conversation with Old Nie, Luo Yan approached.
“How did it go?”
It wasn’t that Luo Yan had eavesdropped; she knew that would be rude.
She had simply noticed the subtle changes in Hua Qiling’s expression and realized their conversation was over.
“Mm… nothing much,” Hua Qiling suppressed her emotions. Looking at the somewhat naive Luo Yan, her expression softened involuntarily. “Miss Luo Yan…”
“Just call me Luo Yan,” Luo Yan interrupted, her voice calm. “Constantly adding ‘Miss’ is too formal.”
“Ah! Okay… Luo Yan.”
For some reason, Hua Qiling felt flattered.
It seemed almost disrespectful to address such an ethereal, otherworldly girl by her first name.
Just then, Old Nie interjected.
“Ladies, would you mind continuing your conversation outside? We’re rather busy here…”
It wasn’t that they were actually busy. It was just that being near Luo Yan for too long gave Old Nie the unsettling feeling that his spirit was being drained.
Grifres had noticed this in Ghost Town, marveling at Hua Qiling’s ability to withstand the invisible drain.
Even Old Nie, a “Ruin” level ability user, felt it, let alone the other staff members.
Old Nie could already see several of his underlings becoming dazed, their minds wandering.
This could explain why “Calamity Infected” often had trouble controlling their abilities; leakage of esper energy was quite common.
Fortunately, with Luo Yan’s ability level, as long as they didn’t get too close or stay near her for too long, it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Mm, Luo Yan… let’s go.”
Hua Qiling caught Old Nie’s frantic hints and swallowed the word “Miss.”
Hearing this, the corners of Luo Yan’s lips seemed to twitch upwards slightly, but she quickly smoothed her expression.
She glanced at the clear blue sky outside, seemingly seeing the townspeople she had spent so much time with.
However, these memories, both false and real, slowly dissipated under the real sky, gently buried deep within Luo Yan’s heart.
“It seems… everything is beginning anew…”
But was it really?
…
“I’m sorry, although we’ve done our best to search, we haven’t found him. For now, we can only classify him as missing…”
An Zaipao sat behind his desk, a dozen burly men standing before him, crowding his small office.
A few days ago, a mercenary from the team clearing the rubble in District Two had mysteriously disappeared.
Based on the last witness’s account, the Anomaly Management Bureau had only found some scraps of the mercenary’s clothing amidst the rubble.
There wasn’t even any blood.
“Missing?” The leader of the burly men slammed his fist on the desk and roared. “Just missing? Is this the Anomaly Management Bureau’s attitude?”
“He was my best brother! He died inexplicably in the ruins of District Two for Yan City, for your mission, and all you can say is ‘missing’?”
An Zaipao sighed and straightened the documents the man had scattered.
Although cowardly when dealing with disaster events, he was a competent administrator, accustomed to such situations.
“I apologize, sir, but without a body, we can’t definitively declare the mercenary deceased…”
An Zaipao said patiently.
“Bullshit! I think you’re just trying to cover this up!” the man roared. “He was my best brother! You have to give me an explanation today, or… or I’m not leaving!”
The man had initially wanted to threaten to tear the place down, but realizing he was on the ability users’ turf and probably couldn’t win a fight, he changed his mind.
The other burly men echoed his sentiment.
“That’s right! You can’t just brush this aside!”
“You have to give us an explanation for our brother!”
“Is this how the Anomaly Management Bureau operates? Bullying honest people?!”
The office became incredibly noisy, giving An Zaipao a headache, but he couldn’t do anything about these mercenaries.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded from the doorway.
“Best brother? Tell me, what was this missing mercenary’s name?”
The previously boisterous mercenaries fell silent, turning to look at the newcomer.
A petite woman, about 1.6 meters tall, with princess-cut hair reaching her waist, stood at the doorway, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
Although her physique was like a young girl’s, she exuded a mature aura.
An Zaipao’s jaw dropped.
But before he could speak, the woman placed a finger to her lips, shushing him.
“Who’s this little girl?!”
The leader of the burly men felt mocked, his face flushing red with anger as he approached the petite woman.
“Get lost! You have no right to speak here!”
An Zaipao’s face paled, but the woman remained calm and composed.
“So, tell me his name?”
The woman smiled, a hint of mockery in her voice.
The burly man wanted to continue yelling, but seeing An Zaipao’s questioning look, he stammered,
“He… his name is… Er Dan… that’s his nickname!”
Then, as if to justify himself, he added,
“Of course, we call our best brothers by their nicknames!”
“What a wonderful name. If this poor fellow knew, he would surely be delighted that his ‘good brothers’ gave him such a fine name.”
The woman said with a smile, walking towards the desk.
For some reason, the previously aggressive men involuntarily parted to make way for her.
“Liu Qing, confirmed deceased.” The woman’s expression turned serious. She took out a report and placed it before An Zaipao, lowering her voice. “Have the Disaster Response Department handle this. His situation… isn’t just a simple murder.”
An Zaipao nodded seriously.
“As for his compensation—”
The woman deliberately raised her voice.
Hearing this, the mercenaries’ faces lit up.
“I’ve contacted his wife and children in ‘Jade City’,” the woman turned slightly, her previously narrowed eyes opening slightly. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but the right to inherit the compensation… goes to his wife and children, not his ‘good brothers’.”
“Damn it! Who… who are you…?”
The burly man trembled with rage, pointing a shaking finger at her.
“I am but a humble servant, surnamed Hua,” the woman chuckled softly and whispered, “named—Qingling.”
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