Ni Ji sat in his secret room.
In a dimly lit room with closed doors and windows, a sentry sat in front of an operating table, polishing a pair of small metal rings.
The screens of both personal terminals were lit up, and the one that belonged to the adjutant of the Royal Guard was constantly sending various work forms.
The one who was secretly contacting his partner, voice messages were scrolling on the screen.
"After so many years of preparation, it's time to act."
"Weapons and ammunition are in sufficient supply. My brothers here are willing to fight to the death at any time."
"Our outpost just took over a new contaminated area. Haha, this time I took all the plasma cannons. I only handed in one that was unusable."
"The receiving officer sent by the White Tower has no objection?"
"That so-called high-ranking official of the empire was easily dismissed with a few imperial coins. You know, those people don't care about the empire's military at all, they only care about their own pockets."
"It's the same here. We have collected a lot of treatment chambers. We also have sufficient reserves of treatment fluids. But in order to keep these things, I emptied my pants. The guy who came to our outpost was really greedy."
"Anyway, everything is ready. Damn it!"
Everyone gritted their teeth as they spoke, and some people couldn't help laughing excitedly.
Having been suppressed for too long, the blood has already been ignited.
Others were busy uploading various materials and intelligence, about the White Tower, about the Queen, and about the entire superstructure of the empire.
"The latest internal structure diagram of the White Tower. All possible escape routes are marked. Many of the sentries on duty are our own people."
"The patrol schedule in Kyoto can also be adjusted at any time."
“It’s time to act.”
“It’s time to act.”
"Brothers are getting impatient waiting."
"We have endured so much hardship over the years, and no one can take it anymore."
Everybody was talking.
The conversation on the screen kept scrolling, and those who joined the group chat were all core figures in various underground organizations.
Ni Ji heard several familiar voices, such as Dajian who was far away at the border, and Ji Xuan who was lurking back to Kyoto.
He even heard the voices of Du Yuanyuan and Yun Luo from the Royal Guard.
Although they used software to hide their appearance and voices, Ni Ji was still able to identify them from some of their tone and habits.
The team is growing like a snowball.
Even nobles like Yun Luo joined in.
Everyone's blood is hot, and the years of suffering have turned into magma surging underground. Too much hatred, too unfair a world. The bones and flesh of countless relatives and friends have gathered into a torrent.
The anger has been suppressed to the extreme point and can no longer be suppressed, and is about to explode at any time and place.
Ni Ji blew away some debris from the motor vehicle and held the small ring on his finger in front of his eyes to take a look.
The light from the personal terminal screen shone on his eyebrows and on the small metal ring on his finger.
It looked like a pair of rings. They were not yet completely finished, but the edges were finely polished and inlaid with gemstones.
"You and this love-brained guy, it's already this late, and you still have time to mess around with this kind of stuff."
The red knife he carried with him kept making noises while he was working.
"Let him do it, let him do it. I love to watch."
The black knife on the knife rack opened one of its strange eyes as it spoke, and the eye moved back and forth on the blade.
Ni Ji lowered his head, looking for a suitable position and gesturing. He was ready to find a suitable position on the inner circle of the ring to engrave his name.
"I gave her very little." The sentinel fiddled with the pair of unfinished rings in his hands. "She is no longer a qualified boyfriend. At least this should be prepared by me."
Heidao's eyes wandered from the handle to the tip, and then from the tip to the handle, trying to find an angle that could see more clearly.
"What's the point of doing this? Can you muster up the courage to propose? I always feel that it will be the Kraken who will take your hand and put the ring on your finger first. All you have to do is blush and nod shyly."
In the dim light of the screen, the sentry at the console paused for a moment, a sign of impending rage.
Hong Ren snorted, "You are both the adjutant of the Royal Guard and an undercover agent of the underground organization. Isn't it busy enough to have two identities? You can't find time to do this kind of thing. Let her wait for two years, and then accompany her after you are done with your work, right?"
"If you have someone you like very much, what would you give her?" Ni Ji asked them.
Someone I like? What a joke. How can I have someone I like
But it liked the sentinel chatting with it, so it decided to give him some face and think about it seriously.
"That's probably to give her delicious blood. The best thing in the world is delicious blood." Hong Dao said.
"Maybe I'll share my little reed with her, hehe." Black Knife on the knife rack laughed.
"So, everyone will give the most precious thing to the one they love." The busy sentinel said, "What I lack most now is time, so I should spend some of my most precious time on her."
"Wow, this fish is actually quite good at saying sweet words. I am really touched by what it said."
"You must take me with you next time you go on a date. Why do you always bring that idiot who only knows how to drink blood? Have you been on a date yet?"
"Why should I take you with me? I am the best on the battlefield."
"You don't like romance scenes, don't you just like to see him do big things?"
"Who doesn't like it? Who doesn't like bound tentacles and that?"
"Sister, stop arguing. In fact, a sentinel can carry two knives when going out, right?"
In the dim secret room, all kinds of cold weapons were flashing coldly in the corners.
In front of the operating table, the sentry had a focused look on his face, and the instruments in his hands were clanging non-stop.
The screens of the two personal terminals lit up alternately, and the ding-dong sound of reminders continued to ring.
The demon swordsmen were talking nonsense to each other.
In the small secret room, there was a lot of noise and confusion.
Amidst the noise, Ni Ji suddenly heard someone calling his name.
The voice was not loud but gentle, coming from the street below the building, blending in with the conversations of the people passing by.
Just shouted once,
Ni Ji's fingers paused, and the next moment, the figure beside the workbench disappeared. The sentry appeared on the balcony of the upstairs bedroom, stuck his head out, and leaned over to look down.
The building where he lived was about twenty to thirty meters above the ground.
But the sentry still saw his guide at a glance among the crowd coming and going on the high building.
She stood on the side of the road, looked up, and smiled when she saw herself.
Ni Ji's heart softened at that moment.
When we first met, I took a quick glance at Lin Yuan in the crowd. Walking through the corridor, he looked like an expressionless guide, as if he was wearing an exquisite ceramic mask all the time.
At that time, she didn't like to laugh, didn't care much about life and death, and even didn't care about her own life.
But now she would give him such a beautiful smile, with a bright gleam in her eyes, which made his heart beat fast.
Ni Ji jumped down from a tall building, cleverly dissipating most of the impact when landing, and stood up in front of Lin Yuan with a nimble posture.
It only scared an old man who was dusty and tired nearby.
Instead of walking up the stairs, he jumped from such a high building. It's so scary.
"Are you free tonight? I want to date you." Lin Yuan said. She spoke as directly as before, never beating around the bush.
"It seems we haven't even dated yet."
The dagger on Ni Ji's waist made a strange sound, "Dating is good, dating is great, just now when we were talking about dating... mmmmm"
Ni Ji put his hands behind his back and gripped the handle of the knife to prevent it from saying anything nonsense.
"Of course. I have time wherever you want to go."
Lin Yuan was wearing casual clothes today. The soft gauze skirt just covered her knees, revealing her slender and straight calves, and she wore a beige sleeveless short T-shirt. Her long black hair was tucked behind her ears, and she wore a small hairpin, and she wore a pair of sneakers suitable for walking.
It looks like she dressed up specially to meet me.
Ni Ji kept one hand behind his back, and his fingers repeatedly rubbed the pair of rings in his palm.
It hadn’t been polished yet, it was too rough, and the name hadn’t been completely carved. I hadn’t prepared myself mentally, I hadn’t memorized the lines, and the environment wasn’t right.
I shouldn't have taken it out so hastily, kneeling in front of her and saying those words. Ni Ji curled his fingers and carefully put the pair of rings into his pocket.
Even just thinking about it, my heart started beating violently in my chest.
Among the crowd, the tall, steady-footed sentry had his neck reddened without him noticing.
"I don't have any particular place I want to go, I just want to walk with you."
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and raised a finger, "Well, if possible, let's find something delicious."
Ni Ji took her to a busy night market.
The capital of the empire is probably the safest place in the world. Countless people continue to pour in, clustered in small circles, living in close proximity.
Away from the tranquility and peace of the aristocratic circle around the White Tower, the night market in the civilian area is bustling with people.
People selling snacks, trading goods, and looking for jobs crowded on both sides of the road.
Some people are also secretly selling contraband items found in polluted areas.
Some ragged children were running around in the crowd.
Be extra careful with them, as many of them are petty thieves who are forced to steal due to financial difficulties.
In the slums here, most people are too poor to have enough food to eat. There are not many snack stalls and the prices are not too expensive. Most of them are handmade traditional snacks.
But Ni Ji seemed to have been there before and knew every specialty sweet shop by heart, leading Lin Yuan through the streets and alleys.
Soon, Lin Yuan held a paper bag filled with various sweets in his arms.
Lin Yuan puffed out his cheeks all the way, his mouth made crunching sounds, and his face was full of joy at the satisfaction of the sweets.
The two of them sat down at a dessert stall.
"The sweet soup here is the best in Kyoto. You should try it." Ni Ji washed a bowl and a spoon and placed them in front of Lin Yuan.
"But I can't eat anymore." Lin Yuan touched his full stomach.
The stall owner was a middle-aged lady who enthusiastically brought two servings of sweet soup.
One bowl is white and tender lotus seeds mixed with red beans, topped with sweet smoothie and a few soft and glutinous taro balls.
There is also a bowl of golden fried mochi drizzled with caramel.
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. He felt that if he pressed the space with his stomach, he could barely squeeze in some food.
I scooped a large spoonful of cold sugar water into my mouth, squinted my eyes and enjoyed the sweetness on my tongue.
Swallow it, feel so happy.
In the distance, near the White Tower, someone was setting off fireworks. It seemed like there was a banquet for the nobility tonight.
Today, Lin Yuan is able to get rid of those cumbersome invitations that he had to attend in the past.
But it was still pleasant to watch the beautiful fireworks.
The rising Mars exploded with a bang in the night, and fireworks fell like rain from thousands of trees.
Everyone couldn't help but look up and look at the scene of blooming flowers.
Amid the sound of fireworks, Lin Yuan leaned closer and kissed Ni Ji.
The smoothie made the sentinel's lips and teeth cool, and both of them had the sweet taste of red bean paste in their mouths.
This is a kiss with the flavor of red bean paste.
The crackling golden fireworks were slowly falling down, and there were many exclamations.
There is only this one kiss in the world of two people.
Until the fireworks stopped and the colorful flowers faded in the night, the people on the street withdrew their gazes and the streets became lively again.
At an inconspicuous dessert stall on the roadside, two young lovers who were huddled together reluctantly moved a little further apart.
Dating is great, it's a sweet thing.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to the White Pagoda." Lin Yuan took a spoon and scooped out the taro balls from the ice bowl, saying casually, "Your Majesty summoned me."
The smile on Ni Ji's face froze.
"White Tower?" He hesitated for a moment and lowered his voice, "Can you find a reason not to go? Recently... His Majesty's situation in the White Tower seems to be a little strange."
"It is said that she has not allowed anyone to go up to the palace on the top of the tower for a long time. Even Commander Luther cannot see her. Her temper has also become very strange."
Lin Yuan puffed up his cheeks and ate slowly, his words unclear, "I go there often, it's okay."
She did go to the White Tower often to stay with Her Majesty.
Ni Ji thought about it, and then made a cryptic sign language to avoid being seen, and said in a very low voice,
"The interior of the White Tower has been in chaos lately and is not very safe... There are some plans."
Lin Yuan pressed a finger on his lips, blocking the words he was about to say.
"Don't say it." She looked at the sentry in front of her with bright eyes, "I know you want to do something. If you want to do something, don't say it in front of me."
Her eyes became sharp, clear and calm at that moment.
She is a guide, going to meet His Majesty at the top of the White Tower.
If she clashed with that emperor, what Ni Ji said in front of her revealed even a corner of the secret.
It is possible that her information was read by His Majesty when she was unconscious.
So don't say anything. Don't say anything.
She must go to the White Tower, which is the only glimpse of hope for the future.
With a bang, new fireworks exploded in the night sky behind the two of them.
Lin Yuan pressed his fingers on Ni Ji's lips and said nothing more.
What she wanted to say and the emotions she wanted to express were all transmitted into the sentinel's mind through the skin touched by her fingertips amid the brilliant fireworks.
(End of this chapter)