Welcome to Ability Store

Chapter 229 - 228: A Visitor Arrives

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"Ah!" Zheng Yuhang suddenly sprang up from the bed, clutching his forehead and panting heavily, as if there was still a faint smell of blood lingering in his nostrils.

Thankfully... There’s nothing on his forehead. For a moment there, he really thought he was killed.

"What, did you have a nightmare?" someone nearby asked, "You’re all shocked over there."

He picked up his phone to check the time and found it was 4:30 PM. It’s his turn to work the night shift these days, so he catches up on sleep in the staff dorm during the day.

"Oh..." Realizing it was just a dream, Zheng Yuhang languidly lay back down on the bed, "Sorry, Engineer Zhang, I didn’t disturb you, did I?"

"It’s fine, I woke up half an hour ago." Engineer Zhang was tidying up his bed, "What kind of dream was it?"

Thinking of the dream just now, Zheng Yuhang felt a bit embarrassed. What was all that about anyway? A pretty girl in gothic attire wanting to destroy the reactor, and he stood up to stop her with righteousness, but got shot in the head by her instead. It would be pure comedic fodder if he said it out loud. "Nothing much... Just dreamt that... something went wrong at the nuclear power plant."

"Something went wrong?" Unexpectedly, Engineer Zhang’s tone became serious, "What went wrong?"

"Uh... I don’t remember."

"You better think carefully." Engineer Zhang stopped what he was doing, turned, and looked at him, "There’s an old saying: what you think about during the day is what you dream at night. Is there anything you’ve overlooked in your work? In our line of work, even the smallest mistake cannot be tolerated."

Zheng Yuhang was speechless; he would never reveal the cause of the accident, but he couldn’t argue against the veteran’s words, "Mm, I’ll check through all the projects when I hand over the shift."

Engineer Zhang nodded in satisfaction.

"Damn, Brother Yuhang, you dreamt about something going wrong at the nuclear power plant too?" Another colleague’s loud voice came from the opposite upper bunk.

This colleague was also a newly recruited graduate, named Liu Hao, nicknamed Mouse.

"What do you mean I also?" Zheng Yuhang got up again, "What did you dream about?"

"The same as you! A huge problem at our power plant, a giant spider took over the nuclear power plant and summoned a bunch of white ghosts that killed on sight, scared me to death!" the other mumbled.

"Nonsense, who said it’s the same as mine?" He snorted, "How could a spider take over the nuclear power plant? We have an armed security team stationed here."

"I know, but dreams don’t listen to reason." Mouse said enthusiastically, "That spider was like a freaking alien creature, with its body bigger than our factory area, then somehow, the nuclear power plant was about to explode, and I had just escaped outside when the dream ended."

He looked at Engineer Zhang after he finished speaking, "Master Zhang, what do you think this dream means? Have some bugs crawled into the cables?"

Engineer Zhang rolled his eyes, "It means you’re childish!"

"Huh? Why is Brother Yuhang’s dream not childish then?" Liu Hao protested.

It seems that even nightmares have distinctions, Zheng Yuhang thought to himself. Giant spiders? He hadn’t had nightmares starring mutated animals since graduating elementary school.

But speaking of which, that girl was indeed quite evil. With such an alluring face, she committed world-destroying crimes nonchalantly. Especially when the alarms in the control hall screamed crazily, the red light illuminated her blood-red lips, making him feel as if his heart stopped.

Even the way she killed him looked so smooth and graceful.

Since waking up from the dream, his memory had already started to fade, except for her face and the posture of her palm turning into a blade, which were etched vividly in his mind.

Zheng Yuhang smacked his lips in unsatisfied memories.

Such a nightmare... doesn’t seem too bad to have a few more times, does it?

"Since we’re all awake, let’s report to the engine room early." Engineer Zhang suggested, "And check the reactor on the way to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes~ Understood." Both of them answered simultaneously.

...

...

Two days later, Gu Zhaoning and Su Xingwan were bidding farewell to Chen Xuan at the entrance of the White Swan Hotel.

"It’s such a pity, I originally wanted to stay a bit longer." Gu Zhaoning said with a face full of reluctance, "Thank you for your hospitality these past two days, I had a great time!"

"Ah haha... Hospitality is too much to say, as long as you’re happy, it’s good." Chen Xuan replied with a bit of embarrassment. Wherever they went or whatever they ate in the past two days, the expenses were always paid for by the other side first. It’s not that he didn’t want to treat them, but he couldn’t beat Gu Zhaoning to it, for example, when they ate dinner together, the dishes had just been served, and the bodyguard had quietly settled the bill. As a local of Yue City, in the last two days, rather than accompanying them to play, it was more like they dragged him around everywhere.

"She’s just that kind of person, easily satisfied with anything, so it feels particularly fulfilling to play with her." Su Xingwan laughed beside them.

Compared to when they arrived, she seemed like a completely different person, her complexion radiantly glowing, as if her skin was lit from within. Chen Xuan could only marvel at the vigor of youth; a whole year of insomnia and sleep deprivation could recover to eighty percent in just two days.

Of course, shedding the burden that had plagued her for so long was the most important thing for her.

"What, you’re not happy?" Gu Zhaoning asked, "You were just asking me yesterday when we’d invite Dr. Chen to Shen City!"

Su Xingwan’s face reddened, "I, of course, also want to thank him formally!"

"Did you hear that?" She covered her mouth and said.

"Alright, alright, if there’s a chance after the New Year." Chen Xuan replied politely.

He certainly wouldn’t take their words to heart. In his view, they wouldn’t graduate high school until next year and are basically just kids.

After sending off the chattering duo, he suddenly felt much quieter around him.

Just as Chen Xuan was about to hail a cab to go home, his phone rang.

The number displayed was actually Liu Shuyue.

This was the phone Chen Xuan specifically bought for her after the Five Rings Mechanical Garden incident, but since she only had network access in the store, she hadn’t used it much.

This was his first time receiving an incoming call from her.

Chen Xuan couldn’t help but smile, "Hello, it’s me."

"Are you available to return to the store for a bit?" Liu Shuyue asked, "Your guest has come looking for you."

Guest? Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, "Who would that be?"

"It’s me, Mr. Store Owner!" came a familiar voice from the other side, "Elorie!"

"I originally wanted to go to the store to clean, only to find her locked inside the shop." Liu Shuyue continued, "She says she has urgent matters to discuss with you but didn’t know how to contact you."

"Ah..." Chen Xuan suddenly understood the issue. He temporarily closed the shop, which also cut off contact with the guests. Unable to call him, Elorie decided to try finding him through the back entrance of the guest rooms. However, she didn’t have a room card, making it easy to get out but difficult to return, and since she wasn’t staff, she couldn’t open the shop’s roller shutter, effectively trapping her on the ground floor.

If not for Liu Shuyue returning to the shop at just the right time, Elorie would have been locked up for the entire Spring Festival.

"Got it, I’m coming right over." Chen Xuan said.

The rental side he acquired earlier soon came in handy. He hailed a cab to the rental location and activated it as a branch store. After entering and closing the door, he could directly access the main shop via the elevator system.

Exiting the elevator doors, he immediately saw the still shaken Elorie.

"Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?"

Elorie pursed her lips at him, showing just how much resentment she had built up inside, "How dare you say that, I almost thought you had quit the business!"

Chen Xuan laughed it off, remembering he had also turned off the water and electricity before leaving, making the entire shop pitch black, locking someone in a place like that could definitely cause fear, "How many days were you trapped?"

"A day and a half!" she said with grievance, "Thankfully, Miss Liu came, or else everything would have been a disaster!"

Liu Shuyue smiled, "I got quite a shock too when I came back, hearing noises on the ground floor, I thought a rat had gotten in."

Returned...

Chen Xuan felt an inexplicable joy in his heart.

"Ahem... There’s food and drink here; you wouldn’t starve. You, as an angel, surely aren’t afraid of the dark, right?"

"I’m fine with it, but my people back home can’t wait!" Elorie said urgently, "Did you forget? The demon is about to attack the Secret Sanctum!"

Oh right... He almost forgot about that.

But given she was a VIP client, Chen Xuan certainly couldn’t let this oversight show, "How could I forget? In fact, I was planning a client follow-up, even if you hadn’t come, I’d have reached out to get an update. So, how’s it going? With half a month’s advance warning, the Angel Alliance should have prepared plenty, right?"

Upon hearing that, Elorie immediately wilted, her tone a mix of reluctance and frustration, "I tried my best, but not many believe me. The alliance leadership didn’t even approve my meeting request!"