ATL | Chapter 4

Ganlin sized up the other person as if nothing had happened.

He had heard the name Hetawaisi a little in Nanke, but the news about him was often wrapped in romantic speculation, because no one had ever truly seen Heta in Nanke. Ganlin only vaguely remembered that he had some connection to Jingran Group, and that he was a snake-type gene companion.

Ganlin did not like snakes.

Cold, damp, slimy snakes always seemed to like lurking in the dark, then launching a surprise attack.

But it had to be admitted that Hetawaisi’s face was somewhat different from Ganlin’s past understanding of snakes. He was much younger than Ganlin had imagined, with features that carried a trace of the old world’s Caucasian bloodline, so his facial contours were more defined than other people’s, and even the silver-gray of his pupils showed depth, just like his voice, carrying a cold, aggressive sense.

Ganlin frowned almost imperceptibly.

On the matter of making people uncomfortable, snake-type gene companions were all the same.

The next second, the livestream interview screen cut out, changing back to the scene of Guidance of Dawn, with soft flowing light replacing the noisy live setting, and another friendly female voice sounded.

“Good morning, viewers, welcome to the special segment of Guidance of Dawn. I am host Vina. Today, we have specially invited Professor Cersei from Yujing University of Political Science and Law to give you an in-depth explanation of how the Yujing Code builds the foundation of the new world and protects citizens’ rights. Next, let us connect to...”

Ganlin had no interest in this at all, and calmly looked away.

He said warmly to the already dazed Boss, “Ten boxes of m4 type and twenty boxes of a3 nutrient paste.”

“Coming, coming! Wait for me three minutes!”

Only then did Boss recover, and after fumbling around for a long time, he piled everything onto the table and pushed it in front of Ganlin.

Ganlin smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

Boss wanted to speak but stopped. He was holding back a belly full of gossip, but he also knew very well that the Lin Bai Boss from next door, at Chenlu, had a mild personality, was only in his early twenties this year, yet lived at a pace so slow he seemed already a hundred and twenty or thirty.

The prosthetic limb repair shop right next door was smashed and wrecked every few days, but Lin Bai had never once gone over to join the excitement. This sort of scandal among the nobles in Dawn District this morning probably interested him even less.

Boss stole a few glances and, sure enough, Lin Bai was as calm and restrained as always, only silently putting the nutrient paste into his pocket. The movement of his left arm was slightly slow, and there was not much color on his face either.

“Do you want me to take you back?”

“No need, no need,” Ganlin hurriedly shook his head, then said hesitantly, “I just, just went through...”

Boss suddenly understood, and quickly laughed to change the subject, thinking no wonder Lin Bai bought so much in one go this time, false estrus was extremely energy-consuming.

Come to think of it, Lin Bai actually still felt shy because of this kind of thing. He was an argali, and that sheep-type wanted criminal was also very young, yet had already become the secret lover of the Golden Mane’s Eldest Son.

Both were sheep-type gene companions, yet the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

Boss forced himself to endure. Just as Lin Bai stepped out the door, he immediately called an old friend and shouted loudly.

“Wow! Did you watch this morning’s news?”

As expected, Lin Bai did exactly as he had anticipated, not only not turning back to look, but not even pausing in the slightest. His back was thin, and carrying a pile of nutrient paste, he walked unsteadily back into the shop.

He was such a tame, old-fashioned little argali.

Until he passed through the sales area and pushed open Cizhu’s bedroom door.

Cizhu was already so hungry he was nearly fainting. Ganlin supported the child as he sat up, opened a box of a3-type nutrient paste for him, and Cizhu bit the spoon, feeding himself while dizzy and disoriented.

Because of the difference in companion genes, nutrient paste was also divided very finely, able to provide energy in a highly targeted way. Different companion animal genes each had their corresponding letters, M representing mammals, A the same, meaning arthropods.

In addition, nutrient paste was also divided into grades, from seven to one, with quality and price rising correspondingly from low to high. Grade three was the highest grade openly available for purchase in Huizhi District, but the best-selling ones were grades four and five.

Below grade five, none of them were newly made nutrient paste anymore, but recycled and reused. Especially grade seven, it even carried a rotten corpse smell. Although despised by most people, in the deeper, completely underground “Lower Nest” area, there would always be people fighting over a box of grade-seven nutrient paste.

Ganlin also opened a box of m4 type to replenish the stamina he had spent running around all night. The paste was pale green, soft in the mouth, dissolving with one press of the lips. It did not taste very good, but it also did not bring back memories of corpse stench, and that was enough.

Cizhu fed down the last mouthful of nutrient paste and recovered a little strength.

“You’re wanted,” he said. “The wanted notice has already been posted on all the major light screens, spread through every street and alley in Yujing. The case handler is very sharp and judged that you have already escaped Dawn District.”

“Sharp?” Ganlin adapted to his left arm absentmindedly. “If my hand hadn’t been broken, I wouldn’t have left at all.”

“You’re not coming back?” Cizhu’s face tightened. “Getting the private domain coordinates is already enough, the previous question, now it’s time to answer it, right. Ganlin, what exactly are you still trying to do by staying in Dawn District?”

Ganlin took a magnetic card from his pocket.

“Because Qize hasn’t completely relaxed his guard.” He said briefly.

“I’m not down and out enough. Qize only wants gamblers with no way out.”

Cizhu’s expression was ugly, clearly not in agreement. He still wanted to ask more, but Ganlin bent down and stuffed the magnetic card into his palm.

“If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”

Cizhu sighed and reluctantly looked through the data. A few seconds later, he said in shock, “That’s all the authority?”

“That’s all the authority.” Ganlin nodded. “The card was even given to me as charity by Lu Mingzhe, with an initial debt of eight hundred contribution points.”

Cizhu had nothing to say.

Ganlin did not care much. He quickly brought the topic back to the right track. “How much data access authority do you have? I need more information about Hetawaisi.”

Cizhu slowly closed his eyes.

The room had not lit the lights. Small, pale blue micro-particle substances could be seen floating around him, especially around his brain and spine, and Cizhu was quietly hugging his knees, like a mayfly lost in a sea of data. At this moment, he did not look like a human, more like artificial intelligence.

Ganlin waited quietly, as if he had already grown used to the wonder before his eyes, only reaching out at one point to touch his own horn.

Not long after, Cizhu finished searching and finally spoke again.

“The retrievable information shows: Hetawaisi, twenty-nine years old, from Dawn District. His maternal grandfather was a former executive director of Jingran Group, and his mother Cersei is a Professor of jurisprudence at Yujing University of Political Science and Law.”

“After graduating from Yujing Dawn University, Heta joined the police force. He is currently a Deputy Chief in SEC, the special enforcement department of Yujing Central Police Bureau. Compared with his peers, his promotion speed is astonishingly fast.”

Ganlin then thought of that cold gaze again. Not only was he from a noble background, in the livestream screen, Heta was even taller than the others, with a vigorous build, which proved that his companion gene was also very likely to be dominant in the biological chain.

“Heta’s companion gene is Black King Snake.” Cizhu said at the right time. “In the old world, this native snake species fed on other snakes, dangerous, aloof, with extremely strong muscle power, and skilled at coiling and strangling.”

“Black King Snake... It does sound intimidating, but I remember the king snake family isn’t that ferocious.” Ganlin rested his chin on his hand and asked with interest, “Hetawaisi, does he have poison?”

“He really doesn’t.” Cizhu said, “But whether he has poison or not doesn’t matter. Not to mention that companionship greatly reduces the original animal gene toxins. Now most hospitals in Yujing’s various districts are also equipped with fairly complete serum, covering conventional companion toxins such as snakes, spiders, and scorpions.”

As he spoke, Cizhu opened his mouth and showed Ganlin the two tiny fangs on the inner wall of his upper palate, tightly pressed against his canine teeth.

“They can’t hurt anyone at all,” Cizhu said a little troubled, “but every time I accidentally bite myself, my tongue goes numb.”

Ganlin observed for a while and praised, “So cute.”

Cizhu coldly closed his mouth and no longer let him look.

“Cersei is Hetawaisi’s mother,” Ganlin curved the corners of his lips slightly. “This morning’s Guidance of Dawn aired a special report about her, find it.”

Four mechanical spikes extended rapidly, and the tips quickly wove out a small patch of projected light screen. Very soon, a middle-aged woman appeared on the screen, intellectual and dignified, and very much in line with the impression of her status.

Her beautiful silver-gray eyes were exactly the same as Heta’s, but there was no trace of the latter’s aggressiveness. Instead, they carried a bit of kindness, a glow that made people feel close.

Ganlin was expressionless, not moved in the slightest. He watched it at three times speed, froze the image on the last few frames, then went back a little and listened once more.

“Article one of Chapter One of the Yujing Code states: all citizens, regardless of their genetic lineage, are equal before the law... The 36 million citizens of Yujing, may Guidance of Dawn guide you forward.”

May Guidance of Dawn guide you forward.

Ganlin sat without moving, his gaze resting calmly on the light screen until the replay ended completely, the light screen went dark, and Cizhu withdrew the mechanical spikes.

No one spoke in the room for a while, as silent as a tomb.

After quite a while, Ganlin finally spoke, changing to a posture with his legs crossed and leaning back, and asked, “You just said Hetawaisi was promoted very quickly?”

Ganlin’s long eyelashes cast a shadow, making it impossible for Cizhu to see his expression clearly either.

“Yes.” Cizhu said, “Background is one aspect, but Jingran’s power still isn’t so great that it can cover the sky with one hand. So, his one hundred percent case-solving rate is indispensable.”

“One hundred percent...” Ganlin stood up and lowered his eyes to look at Cizhu. His voice was a little hoarse, and the end of his words was swallowed indistinctly.

Wearing Lin Bai’s face, this sentence was spoken entirely in Ganlin’s style, and so mildness turned into false tenderness, making harsh words sound like sweet temptation.

“Starting today, it isn’t anymore.”

At three in the afternoon, Lin Bai appeared on time at the entrance of the Star Rainbow Stage Technology company.

He was still wearing the linen-colored shirt from the morning, carrying a small bundle of biomorphic flowers as a gift. The front desk watched this young gentleman pace around for a long time before he finally gathered the courage to walk toward her.

“Thank you for your trouble,” the other party said, pushing over Duyu’s business card. “I have an appointment with Mr. Duyu from your company.”

The front desk understood, and smiled at Lin Bai. “Please wait a moment, I’ll verify it for you right away.”

Very quickly, Ganlin temporarily obtained permission to enter the work area, and inside the storage room in the ring-shaped corridor, he saw Duyu again.

“Lin Bai!” Duyu poked his head out from a pile of tools, stretching out his arm to wave him over. “Perfect timing, I’m inventorying the performance props, come help too.”

Ganlin walked over and listened as he introduced things while working. “Look, you’ve also seen it, our company specializes in stage effects. Our clients range from Dawn District to Lower Nest, of course, business in Lower Nest is very little.”

Ganlin nodded obediently, helping Duyu steady a retro steam mask that was about to fall.

“My job is visual prop design,” Duyu continued. “Custom biomorphic props for performances, assisting with atmosphere creation. The special performance at Dawn District’s dome opera house recently was handled by my team.”

Ganlin appropriately showed a look of admiration and praised, “You’re amazing!”

Duyu smiled until the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes curved up. He was the typical peacock type, enjoying every compliment.

“Oh, Xiao Lin,” Duyu said, “I’ve said so much, do you understand? To put it simply, I still have a little room to maneuver. Before, I already tried incorporating biomorphic flowers into the set, the stage performance effect was very good, and people came asking about these distinctive flowers too.”

“If this performance can also be a great success, biomorphic flowers could absolutely be sold as derivative merchandise, and the wives and young ladies in Dawn District like this sort of thing with a unique beauty the most.”

“Then won’t your customers increase quite a lot?” Duyu smiled. “How about it, I provide you a channel, and we split the profits eighty-twenty.”

Who was eighty and who was twenty was self-evident.

So the joy on Lin Bai’s face stiffened, and then he pressed his lips together, as if he had made a great decision. “Thank you, but...”

“I understand, you think this sales split is unreasonable, and you think two-tenths is too little, right?” Duyu restrained his smile. “But sales in Dawn District need someone to be responsible for them, and this part of the cost is also necessary expenditure. Xiao Lin, I’m not after your few contribution points.”

Ganlin’s face turned red, and he mumbled quietly, “I know, then...”

Duyu folded his arms and waited for the other party’s compromise.

He knew very well that this was by no means a fair negotiation, but a one-sided notice after the unequal division of interests had already been settled. Lin Bai’s biomorphic flower shop business was dismal, and since he had to ask him for help, he had no choice but to make concessions.

“Then forget it.”

Duyu’s eyes widened in shock.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Ganlin said with difficulty, smiling, “actually, being able to keep the flower shop open until now, Ah Ci and I are already very satisfied. Recently Ah Ci’s somatization symptoms have worsened again, my body is not that good either, and the design and production of each biomorphic flower also take time and effort, I...”

His fingers twisted helplessly at the hem of his clothes, and he said desolately.

“Although I can’t resell the nutrient paste myself, if I sell the front shop to Boss Li next door as a warehouse, I can probably hold on for a while longer.”

Hearing this, Duyu finally could not help interrupting.

“Xiao Lin,” he said, gripping Ganlin’s shoulder hard, “what are you talking about!”

Biomorphic flowers could not compare to real flowers in rarity, but if they really could start a trend, selling them to the wealthy wives and young ladies of Dawn District would bring far more profit than nutrient paste. Lin Bai was short-sighted and did not know how much was going on behind it, but Duyu understood very well.

Lin Bai no longer answered. He only silently shrank back, carrying the timidity and conservatism of someone from Lower Nest and of the sheep-type he could not change, rigidly guarding his poor body.

Carefully and with effort, he moved Duyu’s hand away, then stepped back two paces and bowed deeply.

“You’ve troubled yourself.”

“Wait!” Duyu cried out. “Half a point higher?”

Lin Bai kept his head down, awkwardly turning around and hesitantly walking out.

“Or you can sell it yourself, three-seven, even four-six is not impossible!”

Lin Bai finally paused temporarily.

“You’re really kind,” he looked back and said timidly yet sincerely, “but, I can’t buy a pass for Dawn District.”

“I’ll solve that.” Duyu said. “Lin Bai, every performance our company liaises with needs to recruit some outsourced temporary workers to help the project team... you can be one of them.”

Lin Bai’s eyes lit up, and even his soft ears lifted and twitched. But very soon, he worried again. “But then I’ll have even less time to make biomorphic flowers.”

“Why would you worry about that?” Duyu took a deep breath. “Rare things are valuable, and beauty and art are especially so.”

Lin Bai listened respectfully, nodded half-understandingly.

“Then,” Duyu asked patiently, “do you have any other questions?”

As if afraid Duyu would change his mind, Lin Bai responded quickly, his final syllable high and filled with incredulous joy.

“No more, thank you!”

The stone in Duyu’s heart finally fell. Out of social courtesy, he personally sent the person to the outside of the company gate, and when Lin Bai waved goodbye, in order to avoid later disputes, he cautiously reminded him once more.

“However, Xiao Lin, since you’re a specially hired Temporary Worker, it’s not convenient to set up a dispatch contract, so you also can’t buy any insurance, and you won’t be counted in the company personnel roster. You don’t mind these things, right?”

Lin Bai shook his head hard, his amber eyes clear. “I don’t mind!”

He bowed to Duyu again, hiding the corner of his lifted lips.

“I know, you’ve already done your best.”

After leaving the company, Ganlin did not rush back to the shop. Instead, he took the cheapest ground rail, transferred twice to the hospital, bought medicine for the pitiful “Lin Ci,” and gave himself a necessary post-estrus routine checkup. Only then did he ride the ground rail back to Chenlu.

All of this was clearly recorded by Rain Drops, even including his hesitation at the hospital entrance, and the embarrassment of repeatedly checking the contribution points on the magnetic card.

By the time Ganlin pushed the door open, the artificial sky curtain in Huizhi District had already gone completely dark, thick ink-colored darkness filled the heavens, and the night belonged to mottled, chaotic neon lights.

Ganlin tossed the medicine to Cizhu and said, “Three months’ worth, use it sparingly.”

“Without equipment assistance, it’s hard enough to extract the target elements from finished medicine in the first place,” Cizhu lowered his head and looked at the medicine box. “If you buy this much, by the time you come back, I still might not have finished.”

“Don’t hurry,” Ganlin put several bags of nutrient paste into the refrigerator. “I told Boss Li next door that I was going into business with Duyu and taking a long trip.”

“This is a month’s worth of canned food. If I still haven’t come back by then, he’ll deliver the rest to your door. The contribution points have already been prepaid, so you won’t go hungry. It’s just that you’ll have to make do with m3 type for now.”

Cizhu asked, “You’re leaving for a long time again this time?”

“Don’t know.” Ganlin blinked. “Maybe Qize is softer than the rumors say. If that’s the case, I’ll be back very soon.”

Cizhu was silent for a moment and did not answer. His mechanical limb opened the storage compartment, pulled out a lot of little things from inside, then put them back dejectedly.

“The arm space is too small,” Cizhu said troubledly. “Basically nothing can be taken.”

Though he said that, he still picked and chose, stuffing a few things to Ganlin and letting him decide for himself. Ganlin took them and rubbed Cizhu’s head.

“Don’t worry too much,” he smiled. “Lin Bai is only a biomorphic flower shop owner, no one will care.”

Cizhu closed his eyes and pushed Ganlin away with a mechanical spike, indicating that he was going to sleep. When Ganlin left the second morning, he did not see him off either, only the mechanical raven shouted at the top of its lungs.

“Thank you for your patronage, welcome next time!”

Ganlin disappeared beneath the gradually brightening artificial sky curtain.

Very soon, he completed the genetic sequence registration, changed into the Temporary Worker uniform of Star Rainbow Stage Technology company, and followed a full convoy of props to the lift checkpoint in Southwest District.

There were nine lift checkpoints leading from each district to other districts. Apart from the choke point at Central Transit Tower, each place had its own strict restrictions on passing personnel. Outside the checkpoint stood quite a few security personnel with guns, who had the authority to shoot down cross-district smugglers resisting arrest on the spot.

Perhaps because of the Canus Case, today’s checkpoint inspection process was more complicated and detailed than before, and the density of armed security was a little greater as well.

Ganlin obediently followed the team forward, not looking around, but he would flinch a little whenever gunfire sounded, quickly raising his head to scan, then immediately withdrawing his gaze.

After doing this several times, he actually did not see many police officers, and became even more certain that Heta was bluffing. The other side simply had no solid evidence, so they could not mobilize the full force of the city’s police bureaus to cooperate with a targeted search.

Ganlin was in a pretty good mood, and flicked his tail.

The security inspector who was about to check him noticed it. The other party’s companion gene was Golden Retriever, and he had already noticed the little argali’s timidity. Unable to help himself, he said to comfort him, “Don’t be afraid, it’s just routine questions and inspection.”

Ganlin said gratefully, “Thank you.”

The other party nodded, and after reviewing his file, asked a few routine questions, then checked his belongings and performed a comprehensive body search and prosthetic limb mechanization test on Ganlin.

The instrument did not sound.

The entire process went very smoothly, and even the nervousness test did not detect any abnormalities.

The Golden Retriever inspector compared it with the inspection sheet, his gaze already slowly sliding to the last line, which meant Ganlin would soon successfully pass.

“All right,” the inspector smiled at him, “Mr. Lin, now there’s only one final item left.”

As he spoke, a medical device was pushed in front of Ganlin, and the needle cap at the tip of the probe was also removed.

“We need to draw a little blood from you,” the inspector said, “for a blood genetic sequence test.”

Ganlin’s eyes widened slightly, and he looked at the pelican gene companion who had just passed nearby. “Then he...”

“Only sheep-type gene companions need to do blood tests,” the inspector said. “You know, that wanted criminal is an argali. Although the external animal traits of companion genes cannot be stripped away or mechanically augmented, disguise under the same family type can still happen.”

The Golden Retriever said considerately, “This is not aimed at you alone, it’s just to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Now, please cooperate with our work.”

Ganlin obediently nodded, avoiding the Golden Retriever inspector’s eyes, seeming still a little afraid.

The inspector felt sympathy for this.

He knew that the personalities of the vast majority of sheep-type gene companions were very gentle, and some were even timid.

These people were born with abundant emotions and strong empathy, so they were also prone to giving rise to sadness, anxiety, and unease over the slightest disturbance.

This was a trait engraved into their bones by the companion gene, just as the Golden Retriever gene made the inspector feel protective toward sheep-types, and he did not want to deliberately make things difficult for the other party.

The little argali in front of him was clearly encountering this kind of surprise inspection for the first time, his ears drooping and lifting in confusion again and again, and the little silver curls all over his head trembling slightly.

“It’s okay.” The inspector said. “It’ll only take a few minutes, don’t worry, nothing will happen to you.”

Ganlin smiled reluctantly, took a few deep breaths, and finally steadied his mind, rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, and extended his clean white forearm.

“I’m sorry to trouble you.”

However, the moment the sharp needle barely pierced the skin of his forearm, Ganlin’s face turned deathly pale at once, fine cold sweat seeping from his temples. A sound he could not suppress, along with a very strained swallowing sound, squeezed out of his throat.

Ganlin suddenly bent over and covered his mouth tightly, his whole body trembling.

“You!” The inspector was stunned by this sudden situation, instinctively taking half a step back. Only when his hand touched his gun did he steady himself and quickly ask, “What’s wrong with you?”

“S, sorry...”

Ganlin’s voice came out through his fingers, ashamed. “I... maybe... the nutrient paste I ate this morning was expired for too long, it’s already gone bad, bad...”

He spoke in broken fragments, explaining incoherently. The Golden Retriever inspector understood. The other party should have had a sudden stomach spasm, and now was so uncomfortable he wanted to vomit.

But how could things be such a coincidence?

It happened to be when drawing blood.

The inspector furrowed his brows. He had originally wanted to forcibly carry on with the blood test, but unfortunately Ganlin was shaking too hard, almost convulsing, and the needle simply could not be inserted accurately.

The inspector took a deep breath and turned his head to call out, “Go, bring the vital signs scanner.”

Very soon, a translucent tablet-like instrument was aimed at Ganlin. After multispectral sweeping, analytical data regarding changes in the flow rate of the subcutaneous capillaries, sweat gland secretion, heart rate stability, and more were all displayed.

The result showed that in just a few dozen seconds, Ganlin’s heart rate had suddenly risen, accompanied by blood pressure fluctuations, rapid breathing, and sweat secretion.

This series of real and intense physiological reactions could not possibly be a disguise.

The inspector was somewhat annoyed, temporarily setting aside his vigilance and helping Ganlin up. “Are you all right?”

“I,” Ganlin was drenched in cold sweat, trembling faintly, “I want to go to the restroom first, is that okay?”

The nearest restroom was only ten meters away, just a few steps.

“Of course that’s fine.” The inspector said. “I’ll personally help you over.”

Ganlin kept his eyes lowered, but he could still feel the gaze fixed tightly on him. And this time, he did not refuse again.

Lin Bai lifted his damp eyes and said gratefully, “Tha...”

The word of thanks stopped abruptly here, in the remaining glow of that gaze, Ganlin saw an unfamiliar yet familiar figure.

Hetawaisi.

The other party’s uniform was neat and upright, and under the escort of two people, he walked steadily toward him, soon stopping within arm’s reach. He was taller and more formidable than in the livestream screen, so much so that Ganlin had to raise his head to see him in full.

The thin light screen was pulled away, and the aggressiveness became even clearer. Silver-gray eyes looked down at him from above.

Ganlin lowered his eyes, quietly avoiding the scrutiny. But immediately after, he saw something else.

...A completely black long tail, its scales shimmering with a cold sheen, hung by Hetawaisi’s foot, contracting slowly in silence, and seemed to extend several inches toward the direction he was standing in.

Ganlin’s eyes darkened, and his throat bobbed up and down.

The next second, the enforcer’s cold voice sounded, piercing the soft shell of his ear.

“Head, lift it up.”