LWDC Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Going to His Source

Chapter 172: Going to His Source

Chapter 172: Going to His Source

Time-Space Administration, Collection Department, 211 time coordinates (days) after Ning Fei’s vacation ended.

Ning Fei walked out of the transfer pod, the system’s voice accompanying his footsteps: “Welcome back, Ning Fei. You have successfully executed the ‘Emergency Assistance: Ocean King Collection Task,’ mission time used: 209 time coordinates. Commencing settlement with you…”

“Huh? Ning Fei?”

A familiar colleague saw Ning Fei and was somewhat surprised: “You’re back so soon?”

“That transmigrator didn’t want to complete the mission, it was purely a lack of ability, plus indecisiveness, so it was easy to handle,” Ning Fei replied casually. “Obedient people are always easier to deal with.”

“That also requires your level of skill to ‘deal with’ it easily,” the colleague exclaimed. “A solo mission completed in less than a year, and you consistently get high scores of S or above. Why don’t you use this mission to create another example data set? If you do, I’ll definitely buy it and make my talentless, stupid student study it frame by frame.”

“… I’m not as amazing as you say,” Ning Fei didn’t want to dwell on his own mission and changed the subject. “Why are you back so early?”

“Hey, don’t even mention it. My student asked me for help, and when I went to the scene, it was all a complete mess. What’s the point of collecting? It’s better to write it off as a bad debt early and go home…”

Casually chatting while walking for a few minutes, Ning Fei parted ways with his colleague and returned to his little nest.

As soon as he entered his home, Ning Fei threw himself onto the sofa and lay down directly.

Something in his pocket poked him, and he took it out. Then, with one hand behind his head as a pillow, he held up the small object he had just taken out in the other hand, turning it over and playing with it.

——It was the brooch that Duan Yunhong had given him.

Although Duan Yunhong had guaranteed that the brooch had been protected and would not be “detected and destroyed” by the Administration and the world, Ning Fei added an extra layer of concealment just in case. He himself couldn’t figure out why he was bothering. He didn’t even need to bring this thing into the mission world—he certainly wasn’t going to suddenly look for Duan Yunhong—but he still brought it with him, as if possessed.

Moreover, this mission… was actually completed a bit hastily.

His colleague had just praised Ning Fei for always getting S-level or above ratings on his missions, but this time, Ning Fei only got an A. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have done better, but once the main part was roughly completed, Ning Fei suddenly lost his patience and couldn’t stand staying in the mission world any longer. So, he turned in the mission hastily and returned to the Administration early.

Ning Fei didn’t even find anyone to “play” with in that mission world.

It wasn’t that no one approached him, but he either found the other party too greasy, or thought that person was stupidly strong. There was also one who was good in every way, fitting Ning Fei’s usual tastes and preferences, and the thought “I don’t need to remain chaste” even flashed through Ning Fei’s mind instantly. But when the atmosphere became ambiguously close, Ning Fei smelled the other party’s deliberately chosen perfume and immediately lost interest. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he suddenly became calm.

Ning Fei didn’t want to admit that there was a “standard” in his heart, and he had been unconsciously using this “standard” to compare. But those candidates were either lacking in this aspect or that aspect.

Once he reached a conclusion, Ning Fei would quickly cool down and feel that these people were “not worthy.”

After clearly realizing this, the irritability and impatience in Ning Fei’s heart became even more obvious. He threw the brooch casually on the table next to him, turned over to face the back of the sofa, turning his back to the brooch.

“Tch…”

*

Ning Fei couldn’t stand staying at home in the Administration either.

Originally, he would always rest for at least half a month between each job, but now, whenever he was idle at home, his mind would uncontrollably wander. In his agitation, Ning Fei decided to go back to work and find something to do to fill his spare time.

He opened the system’s floating screen and began scrolling through the task list, filtering for his next job.

First, he looked at the usual high-reward lists, and then he looked at tasks with specific time nodes or that seemed like they wouldn’t take much time, which Ning Fei had always preferred. But again and again, Ning Fei was either dissatisfied with this point or that point, and couldn’t find a job that suited him.

——Am I being too picky? No way, I’m practically a model worker.

——It must be that the Administration just hasn’t had any good jobs recently…

For some inexplicable reason, he entered the coordinates of Duan Yunhong’s original world.

“…Tch, I really suspect that the Qi Luck Bandit has a mole in the Bureau. There’s actually a mission?!”

*

[Will Proposer: Cheng Lingqi

Brief introduction: War is raging, and society is in turmoil. As the adjutant to General Liu Fan in the southwest, Cheng Lingqi is busy with military affairs and has no time to care for his family. He entrusts his friend Shen Zejun to help his family move west to a safe place, and he pays a large sum of money to smooth things over. However, due to changes in the army, Liu Fan suspects Cheng Lingqi’s loyalty and deliberately arranges for him to handle dangerous affairs. Cheng Lingqi falls into a trap, suffers serious injuries, and is left with lifelong disabilities. At the same time, news of his family being killed arrives, causing a huge blow to Cheng Lingqi. He is eventually abandoned by Liu Fan, his old wounds become infected and recur, and he is unable to receive medical treatment, dying in a foreign land.

Wish: To save his life, safely bring his mother and sister to his side, and protect his family’s safety in the war.]

“The wish is simple enough, but in the midst of war, writing it off as a bad debt wouldn’t be strange…”

Ning Fei muttered, casually adjusting his cuffs. The door of the meeting room was knocked twice. Before he could answer, the door was pushed open directly, and a soldier let in a military officer.

A crisp dark green uniform, complete with epaulettes, belt, and long boots, with a holster hanging at his waist. This was a young military officer in his twenties, and as soon as he entered the door, his suspicious and wary eyes fell on Ning Fei: “You’re Ning Fei, the young master of the Southwest Chamber of Commerce? What business do you have with me?”

“Don’t be nervous, Deputy Adjutant Cheng,” Ning Fei stood up and shook his hand, then glanced at the soldier who had followed him in. “I do have something important to discuss. Is it convenient to talk alone?”

Cheng Lingqi was stunned for a moment: “We’ve only just met, Mr. Ning. I don’t even know…”

“This is your territory, Deputy Adjutant Cheng, and I was searched before I came in,” Ning Fei smiled. “As a mere small merchant, can I stir up any trouble in your base?”

“You’re not a small merchant…” Cheng Lingqi thought for a few seconds and agreed, signaling for the soldier at the door to leave.

After the meeting room door was closed again, Cheng Lingqi tilted his head and said, “Now you can speak, Mr. Ning?”

“Have a seat first.” Ning Fei’s attitude was as natural as if he were the owner of the place. He sat back in his original position and pointed to the single sofa next to him. “Sit down. We have a lot to talk about. A few words won’t make it clear.”

Cheng Lingqi’s expression became increasingly suspicious, and the doubt on his face was undisguised. However, he narrowed his eyes and sat down.

Just when he thought Ning Fei was going to say some strange words as a prelude, Ning Fei suddenly got straight to the point.

Ning Fei said: “Long story short—I know you’re a transmigrator.”

Cheng Lingqi sat up straight: !!!

“Don’t ask yet. Listen to me first.” Ning Fei interrupted him as he opened his mouth to ask. “I know you came with a mission, and you want to fulfill the original Cheng Lingqi’s wish. But the progress is too slow, and you’re likely to fail. So, the original owner entrusted a ‘debt collector’ like me to come to your side to help you fulfill his wish.”

“How can I believe what you’re saying?” Cheng Lingqi finally found an opportunity to interrupt and asked with a frown. “And how do you judge that I’m going to fail? How can you help me?”

“I don’t want to waste time on proving myself.” Ning Fei casually rested his arm on the armrest. “Tell me where Shen Zejun has taken your mother and sister, and why they’re stuck there. And has Liu Fan started to suspect you? What are the signs, and what are the reasons?”

“…Tch, you really know everything?!” Cheng Lingqi couldn’t restrain his surprised expression any longer, and his thoughts were also in a mess. “Are you really here to help me? What do you want to get from me?”

“Helping you fulfill your wish is my job. My reward comes from the original owner. If the mission fails, I’ll at most have worked for nothing. But you… even if you have no feelings for Cheng Lingqi’s mother and sister, you yourself are likely to die under Liu Fan’s hostility, aren’t you? You know for yourself whether you have any hope of succeeding on your own. I’m just telling you, if the objective assessment of your chances of success weren’t too low, I wouldn’t have been sent to help you.”

“Who made the assessment?”

Ning Fei pointed upwards.

Cheng Lingqi didn’t fully understand: “Are you saying, Heaven? Or some god?”

“You don’t need to think too much about it. In short, someone will be supervising your transaction. You can’t just take the reward and easily give up on your mission, right?” Ning Fei replied. “I’m glad you’ve learned to question. It’s a good way to guard against traps. But our conversation is clearly not within the ‘Cheng Lingqi’s Story’ framework. What else do you need to doubt? If I wanted to do something bad, why would I look for you? Wouldn’t it be easier to just go kill your mother and sister?”

“They’re not my…”

“They are now.” Ning Fei placed his fingertip on the armrest, tapping it twice. “Are you going to waste any more time, Deputy Adjutant Cheng? I’m also an outsider. I’ll leave after I help you. The benefits I gain in this world are useless to me. You need help now, you need a friend who is wholeheartedly on your side. I’m here to help you.”

As he spoke, he smiled, and his outstanding appearance amplified the impact of the smile. His words were a bit strange, but also carried an irresistible sense of closeness. More importantly, Cheng Lingqi had really fallen into a state of isolation and helplessness recently. This “isolation and helplessness” was more psychological. He had no one to confide in, no one to discuss things with. He had a bunch of things he needed to discuss and have others understand, but he couldn’t say a word to his so-called “comrades” and “friends,” and it was driving him crazy.

He felt that Ning Fei’s logic was impeccable: That’s right, this person already knows what I’m going to do. If he wants to target me, he can just do it directly. Why would he come to me and confess?

——He must be here to help me!

“Then… I’ll tell you about the current situation.”

Once Cheng Lingqi agreed with Ning Fei’s words, he couldn’t stop talking.

“—I suspect Shen Zejun is a member of the underground party, and Cheng Lingqi’s sister seems to have fallen in love with him, and has been secretly helping him all along. Perhaps it was because of this relationship that the previous Cheng Lingqi was implicated and suspected, and his family was also likely killed because of Shen Zejun!”

——————–

Happy Christmas Eve! The two will meet on Christmas!

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