It’s a pity that in the Misty Dreamscape, I cannot see No. 2’s true appearance.

  I can only describe her behavior, her mannerisms, and her general build.

  Even so, Ma Zao could only grow more convinced by what I said.

  After all, Ma Zao had never described any of No. 2's characteristics to me before—only that she was a ten-year-old girl.

  Whether No. 2 was introverted or extroverted, whether she spoke politely and cautiously or casually and freely, whether her retionship with Ma Zao was warm or distant—all these were unknown to outsiders.

  One mistake in my description would have exposed me immediately.

  Moreover, even knowing she was ten years old, the height, weight, and build of children at that age can vary greatly.

  Yet, I was able to paint a picture with words, and that in itself served as evidence.

  However, there were still parts I couldn’t expin—like why, despite having interacted with No. 2, I couldn’t describe her true appearance.

  Any attempt to expin would inevitably involve the Misty Dreamscape, which was connected to the Divine Seal Fragment.

  At the moment, I couldn’t think of a good excuse to crify this to Ma Zao with Zhu Shi listening in.

  Though I felt guilty toward No. 2, I still added one more piece of evidence in a rather tactful manner to strengthen my credibility:

  “Ma Zao, there’s one more thing… Sometimes, when you think your friend is asleep, she’s actually still awake.”

  No. 2 had once told me that Ma Zao would sometimes cry quietly when she thought No. 2 was asleep.

  This was a secret that an outsider like me had no reason to know.

  Zhu Shi was utterly confused, and at first, Ma Zao also didn’t seem to understand the meaning behind my words.

  But she quickly realized, standing there as if struck by lightning.

  After a moment, Ma Zao spoke with difficulty, “You… you’ve really met her?”

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  “Where is she?” She grabbed my shoulders excitedly.

  “Did she also time-travel to this era like me? Did you take her in too? Is she okay? Is she hurt? I… I thought she must have died, that I’d never see her again…”

  “Calm down,” I soothed her emotions.

  “I’ll tell you everything about how I met her, but I can’t expin it right now.”

  “Why can’t you say it now…”

  She stopped halfway through her sentence, suddenly realizing that others were present.

  I think she must have understood my meaning—that what came next was not something others should hear.

  She forced herself to remain silent, but her eyes still lingered on me, full of longing.

  No. 2 had said that Ma Zao treated her very well.

  Those words weren’t empty; Ma Zao genuinely cared deeply about her friend.

  At this point, I was finally certain—Ma Zao wouldn’t be leaving my side so easily from now on.

  My greatest concern wasn’t whether I could find a reason to keep her by my side, but that she might lose patience before I could finish expining and suddenly use spatial teleportation to leave.

  If that happened, it would be like trying to cook without any ingredients—no matter how eloquent I was, there would be no chance to put my words into action.

  But words alone aren’t enough.

  No matter how much I said just now, unless I could provide tangible evidence, Ma Zao would always harbor some degree of doubt about me deep down.

  Still, this result was already good enough.

  I wasn’t hoping for her to fully believe me at this stage—just making her think that I might be telling the truth was sufficient.

  Out of nowhere, Zhu Shi said, “Zhuang Cheng, can we have a private conversation next?”

  “Should I leave first?” Ma Zao asked.

  “No, we’ll just talk over there,” Zhu Shi shook her head.

  She pulled me about ten meters away and then made a few gestures in the air with her fingers.

  It was probably some kind of spell, as it felt like an invisible barrier had been erected around us.

  The sounds from outside disappeared, and our conversation likely couldn’t be heard either.

  I had a bad feeling about where this was going, and the pressure in my chest grew heavier.

  “Senior Brother Zhuang…” She looked at me with a sharp, dangerous gaze.

  “Aren’t you pnning to expin yourself to me?”

  Even though I had already prepared an emergency script in my mind, when the moment came, my stomach still felt unbearably heavy.

  If it had been about anything else, I might not have felt such pressure—but this matter was my fault.

  It wasn’t just about being caught in a lie.

  Even the GPS wristband had been exposed.

  And I hadn’t deceived an enemy or a stranger, but an ally—someone on my side.

  Don’t be fooled by how I’ve been weaving lie after lie tely, acting like some seasoned master of deception.

  In truth, I’d never told so many lies in my life before this.

  I always considered myself a straightforward person.

  People around me used to dismiss my obsession with investigating urban legends as childish, and I never cared to sugarcoat myself—I simply focused on doing what I thought was right.

  To be confronted face-to-face by a friend because of lies and underhanded actions…

  This was truly the first time something like this had ever happened to me.

  “These things all have their reasons…”

  “What reasons?” she pressed.

  “First of all, the reason I kept Ma Zao’s situation from you wasn’t because I didn’t trust you, but because I didn’t trust Mount Luo.” I racked my brain to organize my words.

  “At the beginning, I didn’t know there were different factions within Mout Luo. All

  I knew was that Mount Luo was an organization that pursued Ma Zao using questionable methods, and you were a member of that organization.

  So, I couldn’t just tell you the truth directly.”

  Because Zhu Shi has the ability to see through lies, I tried to be as truthful as possible.

  Strictly speaking, that wasn’t the only reason.

  As I spoke, I was also examining my own word.

  Indeed, on the surface, Ma Zao is a criminal who infiltrated public security to steal firearms and ammunition.

  In the eyes of some factions within Mount Luo, she’s an asset they would do anything to obtain.

  So I had legitimate reasons to keep things secret.

  But on a personal level, there was also a possessive desire to keep Ma Zao to myself.

  Driven by this possessiveness, even without those legitimate reasons, I wouldn’t have proactively revealed Ma Zao’s existence to anyone.

  “That part, I understand. I’ve already come to terms with it,” Zhu Shi said in a subtle tone.

  “What I want to ask about now is something else.”

  She paused briefly, then continued.

  “My profession sometimes requires me to fight humans as targets, so I have a basic understanding of certain tools.

  Not just magical tools, but technological ones as well.

  “So, even if other people might not recognize something at first gnce, I can usually tell immediately… You know what I’m talking about, right?”

  “I suppose…” I said cautiously.

  “So, what’s the deal with that GPS wristband?” she asked.

  “That girl said you gave her the GPS wristband as a gift.

  It seems she doesn’t know its true function, and she even seemed pretty happy about it…”

  She hesitated for a moment, as if uncertain whether to continue, but eventually went on:

  “Also, while she’s still quite young and her body is still developing, her face is undeniably cute. I often see certain… disturbing discussions online about people with ‘loli’ preferences—comments about voyeurism, stalking, kidnapping, and other perverse things…

  “So let me confirm something first, Senior Brother Zhuang—you didn’t give her that GPS wristband because you have those kinds of inappropriate interests in her, did you?”

  “Absolutely not!” I straightened my back and decred firmly, “How could I ever stoop to something so vile—peeping, stalking, or imprisoning someone for such depraved reasons? I understand why you might think that way, but I swear, I gave her that GPS wristband for reasons that have nothing to do with what you’re imagining.”

  “Really?” she asked, still skeptical.

  “I know you have the ability to see through lies. How could I knowingly lie to you under such circumstances?”

  As I spoke, I took out the Bck Rope Heart-Locking Ring.

  “If you still don’t believe me, you can wear this ring, grip my heart, and make me swear again…”

  “Alright, alright! I get it, I believe you!”

  She hurriedly stopped my actions, then couldn’t help but compin.

  “Also, what’s with suddenly pulling out a ring and talking about ‘gripping hearts’ and ‘swearing’? Is that something appropriate to say in this kind of situation!?”

  “As long as you believe me, that’s fine.” I put the ring away.

  “But don’t think you can just change the subject like that! If it wasn’t for that kind of reason, then why did you give her the GPS wristband?” she pressed on relentlessly.

  “And more importantly—why did you take her in to begin with? She said it was because you were worried about leaving a young girl like her wandering around outside, but…”

  “You think I’m not the kind of person who would do something good like that?” I asked.

  “…No.”

  She thought for a moment before answering.

  “You are the kind of person who would do good things.

  When my brother was in danger, you stepped in to help him without hesitation; and when you discovered he was doing something wrong, you corrected his behavior… Beyond that, you’ve done many other things to help people.

  So… if a blood-soaked girl colpsed in front of you in the dead of night, I can’t imagine you’d just turn away, No, that’s absolutely impossible.”

  “Oh, so you actually think so highly of me.” I said.

  “But… you’re also an incredibly awkward person, aren’t you?” she continued.

  “At the very least, if you really did do a good deed, you’d never earnestly cim it was because you had some grand sense of justice or conscience.

  I bet you’re the kind of guy who prefers movie vilins, and even if you saved someone, you’d just brush it off with something like, ‘Don’t get the wrong idea, I was just acting on a whim.’”

  “I can’t agree with this bizarre filter you have over me,” I retorted.

  “It’s just an analogy,” she said.

  “The point is, whenever you cim you’re acting out of pure goodwill, it’s probably to cover up some other motive.

  That’s what I want to know now. What exactly is your motive regarding that girl?”

  Hearing this, I weighed my options carefully in my heart.

  In the end, I made an important decision.

  I decided to tell her the truth and reveal my real motive.

  “Ma Zao has a physique that attracts supernatural,” I said.

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