Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability
chapter-1012

Intis Group, Administrative Department.

Zhou Mingrui, wearing a black T-shirt, walked in and casually scanned the room before saying to Luo Shan, "It's really hot this year. School has started and there's still no sign of cooling down."

Luo Shan nodded repeatedly in agreement and praised the effectiveness of the company's air conditioning.

Zhou Mingrui glanced to the side and back, asking, "Luo Fu didn't come today?"

He had been planning to approach Luo Fu today to ask why she appeared in the underground area of Mushu Hospital last night. However, it was almost an hour into the workday and she still hadn't shown up.

Luo Shan looked around and said in a hushed voice, "Luo Fu is going to resign."

"Hasn't she been working for less than a month? She's resigning before even passing the probation period?" Zhou Mingrui was somewhat surprised, but then felt it was also normal.

For a mysterious person like Luo Fu, working at the company was definitely not for the salary, but for some other purpose. Once that purpose was achieved, or if she felt it couldn't be completed and she might be in danger, she would undoubtedly resign without hesitation.

"Yes, there's something going on at home. Otherwise, who would give up such a good job?" Luo Shan spoke sincerely. "Luo Fu has already submitted her letter and will come tomorrow to go through the procedures."

Luo Fu's resignation made Luo Shan feel that she herself probably wouldn't be fired in the short term.

"She'll come tomorrow?" Zhou Mingrui nodded thoughtfully.

He could foresee that Luo Fu's resignation wouldn't go smoothly. Someone who had just been hired leaving before completing even a month—wasn't that a slap in the face for the recruiters?

Moreover, it would affect the HR department's performance evaluation.

Zhou Mingrui then turned to Luo Shan and asked, "How is Luo Fu doing now? Why did she go to Mushu Hospital last night?"

He spoke with a tone of concern for a colleague.

"She's doing fine now, just hasn't fully recovered emotionally." Without receiving any "instructions," Luo Shan didn't dare reveal too much.

She directly skipped over the latter question.

Seeing this, Zhou Mingrui politely smiled and said, "Slacking time is over, I'm going back to work."

"Bye-bye." Luo Shan waved habitually.

Zhou Mingrui turned and walked towards the exit of the Administrative Department.

Luo Fu's resignation made him more acutely aware of the undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.

This female colleague seemed to have joined the company specifically for him. She hadn't even fully familiarized herself with the Administrative Department's affairs, yet had already had two meals with him, made some hints, and mysteriously appeared in the underground area of Mushu Hospital when he was investigating it.

Did last night's events cause Luo Fu to resign?

What exactly is hidden in the underground area of Mushu Hospital, and why did Luo Fu and Luo Shan go there?

What specifically did Luo Fu encounter?

Are mystical methods now being used in workplace competition?

Amidst his lampooning, Zhou Mingrui increasingly wanted to find Luo Fu and ask her face-to-face.

He felt that the things around him were getting stranger and stranger!

Luo Fu and Luo Shan too, they clearly showed goodwill and provided effective hints, so why don't they just tell me the truth about what's going on?

We're all people with supernatural powers, what can't be said?

We could be completely open and honest about everything, and discuss things together. Even if I wouldn't believe everything, I certainly wouldn't ignore it completely. I'd remember the key points and verify them one by one in subsequent developments.

If they don't explain anything clearly, how am I supposed to help them?

Are we filming a TV drama here, where one misunderstanding can be dragged out for twenty episodes?

Is there a reason they only hint at things instead of speaking directly?

Is some force preventing them from telling the truth about what's happening?

Are there others monitoring me?

Zhou Mingrui unconsciously raised his head and looked around, but didn't notice anything unusual.

Does the monitoring power come from a supernatural level? Can it even listen in on my private conversations with Luo Fu and Luo Shan?

The first time Luo Fu showed something was wrong, Luo Shan hinted for me to wait two days before talking to her again. That was the day after my first meal with her, during which Luo Fu had hinted at the existence of supernatural powers and the hidden dangers of beverages after Assassin…

Was it because she hinted at these things to me that it led to her subsequent problems?

Zhou Mingrui returned to his own workstation and sat down, staring at the screen in front of him, seriously considering how to determine if there was monitoring around him, and if so, how to avoid it afterwards, how to meet with Luo Fu and Luo Shan discreetly, and how to communicate in a safe environment.

In the Administrative Department, Luo Shan picked up her phone and sent a message to True Hidden Blade: "Zhou Mingrui came to ask about your situation. He's not unfazed by last night's events, he's just waiting for an opportunity to inquire."

…

In the open parking lot below the Tech Building housing Intis Group's headquarters.

Franca, her hair tied in a ponytail, read the WeChat message sent by Luo Shan.

She had originally planned to take Ludwig and wait around the Hall Film Company, ready to help cover up immediately if Dreamscape Jenna made any mistakes. But after much consideration, she decided to come near the company instead.

Dreamscape Jenna was "professionally trained," with acting skills no worse than the real Jenna. She had also inherited Jenna's memories of applying to the Hall Film Company and signing the contract, and her own dream was to be a good actress. So, as long as there were no accidents like last night, she shouldn't have any problems.

Moreover, the Hall Film Company had a good boss who managed things strictly, and the internal atmosphere was quite good. As long as Dreamscape Jenna didn't go to outside film crews for auditions, she was unlikely to encounter the casting couch.

Of course, even if she did, Franca wasn't worried that Dreamscape Jenna would accept. More than that, she was concerned that Dreamscape Jenna might overreact, use excessive self-defense, and get arrested by the police—she had probed Dreamscape Jenna's personality and style this morning and felt that if Dreamscape Jenna encountered something dirty, she would grab all the sharp objects she could find at the scene and make the other party see red.

Comparatively, Luo Shan's situation was more dangerous.

The forces that caused last night's incident had clearly targeted Luo Shan, and if one attempt failed, there would be another. Franca didn't want to be careless and have Luo Shan encounter an "accident," die on the spot, or become a puppet of the Celestial Worthy!

After reading the message from Luo Shan and listening to the sound of Ludwig eating, Franca pondered for a moment before typing out a response:

"You can recommend that Zhou Mingrui watch the 'Terminator' series of films."

Luo Shan was suddenly stunned when she received the reply.

She finally understood why the story Luo Fu had initially made up sounded so familiar to her!

Most of it was from a movie plot!

Essentially, it really is a bit similar… Luo Shan pondered for a few seconds, then opened her chat with Zhou Mingrui: "We've been watching old movies lately, the 'Terminator' series. They're much better than current Hollywood blockbusters. You should rewatch them too."

Zhou Mingrui, receiving this seemingly random message, fell into deep thought.

He had long forgotten the details of the Terminator series, but still remembered a bit of the core story.

After a moment, he silently said to himself, Are they trying to tell me that I'm the savior?

Downstairs, in the open parking lot.

Franca alternated between checking her phone and observing the situation, patiently waiting for the lunch break.

Her biggest worry now wasn't Luo Shan's problem, nor where she should go to make people despair, but that running the air conditioning in a gasoline car while waiting wasn't a good thing.

Suddenly, someone opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.

Franca's spiritual perception had already sensed it was Lumian who had arrived.

Lumian had changed back to his male form and was in disguise, so he wouldn't be recognized as security guard Li Ming at first glance.

"How did you know I was here?" Franca asked, both puzzled and curious.

They hadn't even replenished the Mirror Substitutions they had placed with each other yet!

Lumian smiled, raised his right hand, and pointed to his head. "It's a simple deduction."

Franca rolled her eyes at him. "I just didn't feel like thinking about it."

Lumian didn't continue to tease her. He summarized the key points of what he and the others had discussed with the Major Arcana card holders, as well as Mr. Fool's past experiences.

"That's truly legendary…" Franca sighed sincerely.

Lumian nodded. "There's another detail. At the time, I was the one who told Jenna and Luo Shan to ask Zhou Mingrui for help, to make a trip to the underground area of Mushu Hospital. On the way, Jenna remembered it was late at night and worried that directly contacting Zhou Mingrui might cause worse things to happen, so she let Luo Shan go alone.

"Zhou Mingrui agreed to help, and after he ran out of the emergency center, Jenna was immediately kicked out of the dream. But she hadn't actually appeared in Zhou Mingrui's sight, and Zhou Mingrui didn't even know such a person existed."

Franca understood what Lumian was trying to express.

"The Celestial Worthy's gaze can lock onto indirect reminders?

"Then when we have Luo Shan tell Zhou Mingrui the truth, we need to be prepared for the relevant people to be kicked out of the dream…"

"I was the one who told Luo Shan and Jenna to go, I was the mastermind, but I wasn't kicked out of the dream," Lumian added.

"Either there's a range or some other limitation on locking onto indirect reminders, or it's because you were already at B2 of Mushu Hospital at the time… Can that place affect or interfere with the Celestial Worthy's gaze?" Franca proposed two possibilities.

Lumian smiled. "If the underground area of Mushu Hospital can indeed interfere with the Celestial Worthy's gaze to some extent, we might be able to use that at a critical moment."

This was a collection of details. They might be useful, or they might have no effect at all, but without collecting them, there wouldn't even be a chance to test them!

Franca tersely agreed and picked up her phone again, saying, "I should let Queen Mystic know about the mirrored Emperor Roselle, and remind her to pay attention to Mr. Huang's contradictory behavior."

After opening the WeChat contact "Bernadette," Franca adjusted her mood and sent an energetic emoji: "Pop quiz!

"Please answer which five seas are referred to by the Five Seas!"

She wasn't sure if the person on the other end of WeChat was currently Queen Mystic Bernadette or Miss Bernie Huang, so she first sent a question whose answer only an outsider would know to verify the other party's identity.

After a moment, Bernadette responded: "The Sonia Sea, the Fog Sea, do I need to continue?"

"Congratulations, you're got it correct!" Only then did Franca briefly mention last night's events and the possible role played by the mirrored Emperor Roselle, as well as the reasons they had speculated.

After some time, Bernadette replied: "I'd like to discuss this matter in detail. Let's meet at 2 pm at the book warehouse at 15 Jinhua Street."