Luo Feisi’s gossip fire burned fiercely, "Hmph, the gossip about Captain Shen has been all over the guilds. Your relationship is just one step away from being officially registered."
Lu Zhi’s face went numb when he saw the guild gossip post Luo Feisi shared. Upon seeing the content of the hottest post, he couldn’t help but curse, "Damn, what kind of nonsense is this? They're saying Shen Qi and I already have a child? Who gave birth? Shen Qi?"
Luo Feisi, who enjoyed stirring the pot, burst out laughing, "Hahaha, exactly, it must be Captain Shen who gave birth."
Shen Qi smiled faintly, his fingers brushing against Lu Zhi’s angrily flushed earlobe, "Oh? Then what's our child’s name?"
Lu Zhi: ...
Lu Zhi rolled his eyes impatiently, "It’s Lu Qi! Isn't the name nice?"
Shen Qi chuckled, "Then why don’t we seize the day and go back to ‘make a baby’ right now?"
Lu Zhi: ...You’re the one who’s bold, I can just hide, can’t I?
"I saw Qin Huai looking unwell earlier, did something happen?" Lu Zhi changed the subject.
Luo Feisi’s smiling face, which was watching the drama, instantly collapsed, "Alas, Young Qin is still too green. He needs more tempering."
Lu Zhi became more curious, "You tell me then."
Luo Feisi was concise, "Some time ago, we entered a cage with him, and quite a few people died. He blames himself for their deaths."
"But speaking of which, that A-grade cage is quite eerie, especially with an NPC calling himself Shao Banxian inside. I always feel that person gives me a strange feeling, and yet I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before..."
Lu Zhi’s expression shifted slightly, "Shao Banxian? Is he around thirty years old, with a mole on the corner of his lip, and always has a half-smile on his face?"
Luo Feisi nodded vigorously, "Yes, exactly. You’ve seen him too? Young Qin was taken down by him, he’s cunning as a fox... Wait, I know! Cages have been appearing frequently recently, and it seems this Shao Banxian has also appeared in an A-grade cage. They say it hasn’t been breached yet, and many people have already died."
Once an A-grade cage is formed, if no one enters or successfully finds the exit within a month, the anomalies within the cage will appear in the real world, causing even more incalculable casualties.
Therefore, members of the Special Department enter the cages every month, but so far, none have successfully passed. In fact, an A-grade cage randomly selects ten people to enter forcefully within a month. According to statistics, this A-grade cage has claimed the lives of nearly three hundred people.
"I wanted to go in, but the cage can only accept a maximum of twenty people each time. Young Qin and I came out too late and missed it." Luo Feisi glanced at Shen Qi, "If we encountered this situation before, Captain Shen would be the fastest to resolve it."
Shen Qi glanced at Luo Feisi with a cool expression.
Luo Feisi shivered, "Uh, I’ll go and counsel Young Qin. See you."
Lu Zhi was stunned; Luo Feisi had already vanished.
"Let’s go." Shen Qi, as if nothing had happened, led Lu Zhi to Xue Jinhuai’s office.
As soon as they entered, they saw Xue Jinhuai on the phone with Shen Lu. He waved his hand, signaling them to sit down, and then ended the call with Shen Lu before getting straight to the point, "Do you know why I asked you to come here?"
Shen Qi raised an eyebrow but didn't answer.
Lu Zhi subtly kicked him.
Shen Qi’s tone was indifferent, "Was it you who intercepted my application?" This application, naturally, referred to leaving the Special Unit.
Xue Jinhuai did not deny it, "I asked you to come because I want you to go to the cage."
Lu Zhi glanced at Shen Qi, whose expression was calm, and said, "Is it that A-grade cage Luo Feisi mentioned? Can I go with you?"
Xue Jinhuai nodded and brought up the file, "We suspect that the level of this cage is not A-grade, but S-grade."
Lu Zhi was surprised, S-grade, where the boss inside is almost at the level of a demigod, capable of emerging from the cage at any moment!
"I have already sent the information to you. As for your application you mentioned..." Xue Jinhuai tapped his fingertips on the table, "We’ll discuss it when you get back."
Lu Zhi knew that with Shen Qi’s status, he wouldn’t bother with these formalities. The fact that he was willing to go through these procedures indicated that Shen Qi had feelings for Shen Lu and Xue Jinhuai.
"We’ll go." Lu Zhi readily agreed on behalf of Shen Qi, then bid farewell to Xue Jinhuai. He pulled Shen Qi out of the office before asking, "Do you know Shao Banxian?"
For some reason, Lu Zhi was very concerned about this Shao Banxian. Although he had only seen the other party a few times in the memory of the makeup artist, the impression remained vivid.
Shen Qi: "No."
Lu Zhi was suspicious but felt there was no reason for Shen Qi to lie to him. However, upon thinking about it, he had seen Shao Banxian in the makeup artist's memory, and Shen Qi should not know about it.
Lu Zhi prepared to enter the cage and informed Lu Chengxuan before arriving at the location of the cage that evening.
Within the concentric boundary lines, the black curtain was thicker than the night.
Outside the boundary lines, members of the Special Forces, with worried expressions, were closely monitoring the changes in the cage. Upon learning that Shen Qi was about to enter, they showed excitement and anticipation.
Lu Zhi didn't expect the leader to be an acquaintance; it was Captain Wang Bin, whom he had met when he first entered a cage. The only difference was a scar on the captain's left cheek, which made Lu Zhi almost not recognize him.
"Captain Shen." Wang Bin saluted Shen Qi and said, "A total of over three hundred people have entered. The cage's area is also constantly expanding, and its size has increased by three meters since it first descended."
Shen Qi glanced at the cage, and his previously indifferent gaze suddenly showed a hint of amusement, "Oh? If a few more people die, a demigod will be born."
Lu Zhi was shocked, "Like Di Meila?"
"Di Meila is considered a lesser deity. A demigod is relatively much weaker than Di Meila, so it can serve as target practice for you." Shen Qi’s words made Wang Bin sweat profusely.
According to Shen Qi, if they waited for the demigod to descend into the real world, wouldn't that mean more people would die?
"Don't scare people." Lu Zhi glared at Shen Qi, then politely asked Wang Bin, "How many more people are needed to enter the cage?"
"Two." The other members behind Wang Bin couldn't help but want to volunteer.
Before Lu Zhi could speak, a familiar voice came from behind, "Pick me, pick me, pick me—"
The person with the red ponytail was none other than Jiang Yue herself, someone he knew all too well.
"Senior Sister, why are you here too?" What surprised Lu Zhi even more was the person behind Jiang Yue, "Senior Brother Yan Shao."
Yan Shao smiled warmly, "Do you mind if I join as well?"
Lu Zhi was pleasantly surprised, "Of course not."
Thus, Jiang Yue and Yan Shao joined the group entering the cage, seemingly having been notified by Shen Lu.
The four of them walked into the cage together. Lu Zhi clearly felt that it was different from his last entry, as if his body was undergoing changes as he entered.
When Lu Zhi came to his senses, he found his hands tied with ropes, and several children, about six years old, were also tied behind him.
Wait a minute. Lu Zhi stared at his hands for a moment; he had shrunk too.