SIATOWITF Chapter 58
by VolareChapter 58: An Unpleasant Meeting with the Parents; Grandpa Who Loves Me, Interested in Making a…?
Faster than a response was a sharp gust of wind.
“…” Ji Mo An turned around and found the cloaked snake staring intently at his fingers.
So he looked down as well.
The snake was holding a piece of black fabric, and it was obvious who this piece of fabric belonged to.
“It’s all because you’re too grabby.” Ji Mo An snatched his suit fragment from the snake’s hand.
He’d specially worn this suit for meeting an important client, and it was ruined before anything even started.
“It wasn’t me~” Xuan Bai pouted, refusing to admit he was the one at fault.
“What do you want to do!” Before Ji Mo An could speak, an anxious voice suddenly cut in.
A white-haired old man grabbed Ji Mo An and pushed him behind himself, a group of people quickly forming a protective barrier in front of them.
Why is this old geezer here too… The snake stopped pouting, he needed to maintain his dignified image.
“He did it, not me.” Xuan Bai pointed to a young man in tight clothing.
“Old Lin, mind the public setting.” Mu Nanyuan and Jing Junze came around from behind the group, looking at Ji Mo Lin, who was acting like a mother hen, with a bit of a headache.
There were just too many people here.
And it was at a comic convention; even if the strange snake did something outrageous, the public would just see it as performance art.
What’s more…
[Your ancestor is already in cahoots with the snake! He’s sided all the way to Paris!]
Yang Ji’s wails of despair when he collapsed into a noodle were still vivid in his mind.
Mu Nanyuan warily eyed the man standing less than two meters away from him.
The other man was taller than him, his face hidden under a cloak, but he exuded an extremely strong sense of oppression.
[The Strange Snake]
Just a few hours ago, they received a call from Lin Mo in Cangzhou.
The Strange Snake wanted to meet with the Seventh Bureau, with no more than seven people.
And the source of this information was Ji Mo An, who even admitted that he had been in contact with the Strange Snake all along.
Ji Mo Lin was furious.
He spent two whole hours in the car cursing the Strange Snake.
“At your request, we brought seven people.” Mu Nanyuan waved slightly, signaling Jing Junze to take a step back.
“I am Ji Mo An’s grandfather. If there is anything, you can communicate with me and the Director.”
Grandfather… Xuan Bai tilted his head slightly, looking past Mu Nanyuan’s shoulder.
The twitchy one should be Ji Mo An’s grandpa.
Annoying!
Xuan Bai coldly glanced at the crowd, then turned away, the hem of his cloak making a cool arc.
“Follow me.” He walked toward the second floor of the comic convention.
The group passed through the dense crowd, and they could hear the surrounding whispers.
“That’s so cool, a lot of military enthusiasts.”
“Do you think those two are wearing makeup or are they just old?”
“What a handsome lady, my legs are weak! I want to collect their autographs, but I’m a little socially awkward…”
“…”
This was what they were afraid of… Jing Junze carefully released her ability, ready to react to the Strange Snake’s movements at any time.
Her Mental Ability could leave irreparable damage to the human brain, and she didn’t want to use her ability to disperse the crowd unless absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, no one came up to take pictures along the way.
Suddenly, the Strange Snake stopped in front of a stall.
Everyone became more alert, and Ji Mo Lin grabbed Ji Mo An’s arm, holding him down tightly.
“…” Ji Mo An, whose arm was being pinched painfully, felt that his grandfather might be even more harmful to him than Xuan Bai.
But knowing the snake, Xuan Bai stopping probably wasn’t for anything serious.
Sure enough…
“I smashed three golden eggs, Strange Snake-ge, do you want to smash one?” Fourteen held a figurine, his eyes completely starry as he looked at Xuan Bai.
“…” Xuan Bai silently looked at the small hammer in Fourteen’s hand.
The snake wanted to smash, but the snake resisted.
So he gently raised his chin, signaling Fourteen to look behind him.
The young man grinned foolishly and looked back, seeing a bunch of familiar faces.
He was so scared that he didn’t even want his figurine anymore, and he let out a cry and hid behind Xuan Bai.
“…” You’re making our momentum instantly weaker. The snake ruthlessly grabbed Fourteen by the collar and continued forward.
“People from the NHE Association, they’re colluding together.” Jing Junze said softly.
“I see it.” Mu Nanyuan sighed.
This was the result they least wanted to see, especially since the NHE Association members seemed to be very obedient to the Strange Snake.
The group walked up to the second floor, where the crowd was noticeably thinner.
Besides a few professional cosplayers taking pictures, there were only a few scattered people talking and laughing.
They turned left and right, entering a room filled with junk, and the Strange Snake stopped at the end of the corridor.
“It’ll be here.” Xuan Bai released Fourteen’s collar, leaning leisurely against the wall.
Trying hard to strike a cool pose to tease Ji Mo An.
“Here?” Ji Mo Lin couldn’t help but ask; this place looked so run-down that there wasn’t even a chair.
Xuan Bai didn’t answer; he lowered his hood, revealing a pair of eerie golden vertical pupils.
*Clap*…
A crisp sound rang in the air, and a few figures instantly appeared in the empty space beside the snake.
It was Su Nai bringing the other experimental subjects, teleporting directly over.
As the Number One experimental subject of the Association, many people in the Seventh Bureau had crossed paths with her.
Wearing an evening gown, Su Nai ignored their wary gazes and elegantly lifted her skirt and stomped on the ground.
A long rectangular conference table and two chairs appeared out of thin air.
“Seven for one, how’s that sound?” Xuan Bai curled his lips slightly, raising his hand and making a gesture.
“What do you mean?” Mu Nanyuan was deadly serious.
“Sit.” The snake brought his fingers together and pointed them towards the chairs.
Mu Nanyuan sat down, and the NHE Association members suddenly walked around the table towards the Seventh Bureau.
“Swish!” Sandball Fifteen jumped on the ground, merging into the floor, and then jumping out from under Ji Mo An’s feet, drawing a circle around him.
“Seven for one.” Su Nai spread her hands.
“No way!” Ji Mo Lin grabbed Ji Mo An and pulled him out of the circle.
“Why so many no’s?” Fourteen said nonchalantly, picking at his ear. “We seven came all the way here, one-for-one, what’s the problem?”
Before the other side could speak, Su Nai snapped her fingers.
Ji Mo An suddenly felt light all over, and a sensation of weightlessness like an airplane taking off suddenly came over him.
The scenery in front of him blurred for a moment, and the next second, those familiar faces were already in front of him.
“Brother, be careful.” The snake’s voice was very soft, carrying a smile as it rang in his ear.
Cold fingertips brushed his wrist, and Ji Mo An felt the fine scales covering Xuan Bai’s fingertips.
“Hug~” The snake cooed in his mind.
‘What’s going on? Aren’t we supposed to be companions? Why are you with the NHE Association people?’ Ji Mo An tried to speak in his heart.
He was a bit confused. When did the snake, who had been with him all along, get involved with the NHE Association?
Especially…
Ji Mo An looked at the bird-man with white feathers on the other side.
This was the person who had captured the snake.
Xuan Bai didn’t reply; he pressed on Ji Mo An’s shoulder, pushing him into the chair, while he stood behind Ji Mo An, leaning slightly over him.
His long hair, which had grown back to his waist, slid from his shoulder, brushing against Ji Mo An’s cheek, a cold and smooth sensation like his scales.
The snake curled his lips, provocatively looking at the old man sitting across from him.
And from Mu Nanyuan’s perspective, his grandson was sitting in the chair, completely enveloped by the snake’s figure.
“What exactly do you want?” He looked at the snake’s fingers on Ji Mo An’s neck, trying to appear calm. At this time… he absolutely couldn’t anger the other party…
“First of all, I’m not calling you that.” Xuan Bai leisurely stroked the skin on Ji Mo An’s neck.
Ji Mo An looked at his grandfather and great-grandfather’s darkening faces, and silently reached down to pinch Xuan Bai’s leg.
It looked like the snake would never have a peaceful relationship with the two old men.
“Secondly, my name isn’t Strange Snake. Making up nicknames isn’t polite.” Xuan Bai froze, obediently retracting his hand.
*Clap clap*… Sandball Fifteen stretched out his little claws to hit Fourteen on the head.
Talking about you, you’re the only one in the Association still calling him Strange Snake-ge.
“Xuan Bai.” Mu Nanyuan called Xuan Bai’s name for the first time.
“That’s right.” The snake smiled lightly, and his golden vertical pupils trembled slightly.
‘Brother, look ahead. The one with two wings is a companion; his name is Reis. The rest aren’t companions.’ He replied to Ji Mo An in his spare time.
After a brief silence, Old Master Mu spoke first.
“I am Mu Nanyuan, retired from the military, currently serving as a supervisor at the Seventh Bureau.”
“Xuan Bai.” The snake tilted his head slightly, looking at Tang Lin standing behind him.
“Affiliation, Starry Sky.”
He reached out and pulled off his cloak, unbuttoning the first button of his shirt, revealing the silvery-white totem.
“Did you hear that, Little Assistant? Don’t make up names casually.”
“Sorry.” Tang Lin stepped forward, taking out a tablet and quickly typing a few lines.
“We will correct Star Moon to Starry Sky as soon as possible…”
“No need to correct it.” The snake interrupted him. “It’s just an announcement.”
It was harmless to let humans know some things, because after the snake’s companions arrived, they would erase all traces of their home left on Earth.
But…
Ji Mo An was very close to the snake and could smell the blood wafting from the snake’s body.
“Great-grandfather, grandfather.” Ji Mo An finally spoke. “He won’t hurt me, I guarantee it.”
He raised his hand, and the snake obediently placed his fingers in his palm.
“I hid some things from you, and it was indeed my fault.”
“Xiao An, what do you mean?” Ji Mo Lin rushed to the table.
“He wasn’t taken away after you drugged him; he’s been by my side all along. Mr. Yang Ji, when you rushed into my bathroom and lost consciousness for the first time, it wasn’t because you slipped; it was because Xuan Bai thought you would be a threat to me, so he used suggestion.”
“I’m already an adult, and I’m entitled to my own judgment. So, after leaving the Seventh Bureau that night, I immediately verified it with Xuan Bai.”
Ji Mo An turned back and winked at the snake.
The snake reluctantly unbuttoned his shirt and turned around. Across his shoulder and neck was a bloodstain, the overflowing blood already staining his shirt red.
“Ah? Did Strange… Xuan Bai-ge not come to the base? Then we…” Fourteen looked up at Su Nai in confusion.
“What?” Ji Mo An immediately looked at Fourteen.
Fourteen looked at Xuan Bai’s expression and silently covered his mouth.
So chaotic, Fourteen’s brain couldn’t handle it.
“Just a scale-shard clone.” Xuan Bai was tempted to smack Fourteen. He reluctantly tore off a black scale from the corner of his eye and threw it down.
The scale fell on the table and quickly turned into a small black snake, swimming around twice before turning back into a scale.
“…” You damned snake, you even hid it from me.
He’d deal with the snake when they got back. Ji Mo An suppressed his displeasure and continued the previous topic.
“Director Jing, as you can see. This wound of his was also formed because he said something he shouldn’t have.”
“There must be some misunderstandings between Starry Sky and the Seventh Bureau, but Xuan Bai, who’s the only one who knows, can’t say it. I’ve seen what he looks like when he tries to say it; he bleeds profusely. Judging by the amount of bleeding, he might die from blood loss before he finishes asking, so I didn’t press him.”
“So what do you want?” Jing Junze took over the conversation.
“I think that as long as I recover my memories, I’ll be able to explain everything.” Ji Mo An pursed his lips.
“I hope you can return my lost soul and memories to me.”
“But I can’t sew them back into your soul.” Jing Junze shook her head. “And those souls will bring you endless pain; that’s what Starry Sky gave you.”
“That’s not true.” The snake muttered softly.
*Pfft*… A small stream of blood spurted from his face, leaving a row of blood spots on the table.
“Since I want them, I naturally have a way to fuse them again. Director Jing, whether it’s pain or joy, you have to taste it to know, right?” Ji Mo An was used to it. He reached into his pocket and took out a hemostatic cotton pad, pressing it against the snake’s face.
“…” Jing Junze looked at Mu Nanyuan.
Old Master Mu nodded slightly.
“Then, as you wish. I’ll submit an application as soon as possible to send an ability user to send your soul to the branch bureau, or… the safest approach is for you to come to Sichuan-Tibet.”
“That place is too high.” Ji Mo An shook his head. The snake couldn’t handle it, and the snake’s companions couldn’t handle it either.
“Okay.” Jing Junze agreed.
“I’m done with my business.” Ji Mo An only had this one thing to do. “What are you dawdling about?” He looked at the silent snake.
First this, then that, but never getting to the main point.
“Ugh…” Xuan Bai leaned down and reached into Ji Mo An’s pocket, taking all the hemostatic cotton pads away.
“Of course I’m stalling for time, isn’t that obvious?”
“Stalling for time?” This time, not only the Seventh Bureau, but even the NHE Association members looked confused.
“I’m… waiting for a result.” Xuan Bai put his hand back on Ji Mo An’s shoulder, tapping his finger rhythmically.
“A… result that concerns whether or not to sign a follow-up deal…”
Before he could finish, Xuan Bai suddenly took a step back.
A large mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth, and the hemostatic cotton pads were completely soaked in an instant.
But the snake was still smiling, even as tears of blood dripped from the corners of his eyes.
“Unfortunately, I got it, a very bad result.”
“Well then, dear great-grandfather, are you interested in making a deal? Or… making a wish with the snake?” Xuan Bai leaned on the table, his golden eyes fixed on the old man opposite him.