Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 384 The Performance Plan

The Nolan Street Office branch is located at the intersection of East Street and Best Street in Nolan Street.

The building's exterior resembles a simple and elegant white palace; it's a truly classic white house that stands out prominently among the surrounding buildings.

The night lights illuminate its pristine white surface, making it stand out prominently in the cityscape.

It's amazing how well a "supernatural police station" is run. In comparison, it makes me think back to the Xixi Keke Police Station...

Oh, Zheng Fan hasn't been to Xixi Keke's branch office, then it's alright.

When the four people and the "robot" arrived, although the team members at the door looked at Zheng Fan, the bald-headed robot, with suspicion, they still let them in after checking that there were no problems with the outsiders' entry.

Then they were led to the back of the building, which was not visible from the outside.

A recreational area for the members of the processing bureau.

It's a large open-air courtyard with complete fitness and sports facilities, as well as a small supermarket, coffee shop, and fast food restaurant. There's no bar, so I haven't had a chance to experience that yet.

"This is the first time I've known that the people in the processing bureau are treated so well." Mora looked at the backyard with genuine envy.

“After all, we’re in charge of dealing with the supernatural. If we’re not happy with all the small perks, who would want to do this?” Gao Song wasn’t surprised. “Even if we disregard the numbers from the earthquake, the casualties among all the personnel in the Dadu Bureau during the three months of continuous deployment after the disaster are still enormous, with a very high casualty rate. The number is even greater when you include those from the disaster itself, especially in Jiangwen Street.”

Gao Song glanced at Doris, who nodded slightly.

Regardless of their stance or the internal management issues of the Jiangwen Street Office, at least at that time she saw many office staff members who fought to the end against flesh-and-blood monsters and visitors from multiple worlds.

At least among that group, there is no doubt that they were determined to protect their homes and defend their communities.

Zheng Fan, shrouded in a hallucination, walked through the backyard of a large branch of a law enforcement agency. Although this attracted some attention, his presence here was a sign of safety to the locals.

After all, the idea that a mere illusion could allow someone to infiltrate the rear of the police station is akin to fantasizing in the real world that a criminal can simply put on a black hood and swagger into the police station's tea room to pour tea for you.

They were all about the same absurdity.

The meeting place was in that coffee shop.

Upon entering, Zheng Fan immediately spotted Hong Yiyi sitting in a corner. Surprisingly, besides Hong Yiyi, her husband, the super-inspired writer Zhong Zuo, was also present.

When Hong Yiyi and Zhong Zuo saw a robot approaching, they knew it must be Zheng Fan, and their expressions were somewhat strange.

Does it have to be this way?
"Huan..." Zhong Zuo was about to subconsciously address her when Hong Yiyi pinched his thigh.

"Call me Gundam," Zheng Fan said seriously in his electronic voice, then added sarcastically, "Do you dare call me by that title in this place because you want your wife to be laid off so she can go on her honeymoon with you?"

Zhong Zuo was a little embarrassed: "Sorry, it was subconscious."

"Actually, it doesn't matter. There are illusions in the Bureau, too. Relax. Illusions are not hostile, but rather a force we can draw upon. They just need some control, even if it's difficult." Hong Yiyi maintained her smile. Marriage hadn't brought any particular impact or change to this woman.

Perhaps because they had just gotten married when the major earthquake struck, they were probably too busy to build up any honeymoon atmosphere before they were all set to work.

Hong Yiyi quickly glanced at the other four people present and gestured, "Please don't stand, sit down. You guys are the hottest star band right now, I really like your songs."

You said last time that you liked Harry Potter.

Although it was Hong Yijia who pulled her out, the woman was still very cunning. Zheng had absolutely no trust in what she was saying at this time.

"Hello, Ms. Hong Yiyi. Thank you for your help just now, but I'm just wondering if this will have any impact on your work." After Doris sat down, she was very polite. At the same time, she seemed to realize something and took the initiative to start a conversation. Instead of directly asking what the other party wanted to see them about, she first considered the other party's needs.

This is an angel.

"There's no problem. Didn't I already say on the phone? The issues that were more troublesome on Nolan Street that required my frequent intervention have been basically resolved, and the remaining matters no longer require a large number of people. And this joint performance is indeed necessary for Dadu. Although it sounds a bit funny, the people of Dadu need a shot in the arm right now, and music can fire the first shot in cultural development. Under the guidance of the authorities, various other spiritual and cultural projects will likely emerge soon. So my assistance to you is entirely reasonable, besides being a request from a friend."

Hong Yiyi explained the matter in detail, and the four members of the monastery band nodded in agreement, as if they were listening to a leader speak.

Zheng Fan watched from the side and felt that the two sisters from the Hong family were indeed equally capable in conversation and in making people lower their guard.

"Let's get straight to the point. You're really not being polite about repaying a favor, and you even dare to owe me one more in return." Zheng Fan still chose to get straight to the point.

“I didn’t remember some things from the past very clearly. Yi Jia always remembered the fairy who accompanied her when she was a child, but her family tried everything but couldn’t find the fairy, and her memory gradually became blurred. But recently I vaguely remembered some things. Although I can’t see it, I think I saw some scenes of the fairy helping Yi Jia in the past.” Hong Yiyi suddenly said softly, her eyebrows slightly curved.

Zheng was speechless for a moment: "At the time, I just wanted to use her as a stepping stone to find Lin Yilin."

“I don’t care what you think, but you helped her and gave her support when we had such strict family discipline and when Yijia was burdened with a value that she couldn’t bear because of the Pure White Factor. As her older sister, I didn’t know how to help her at the time because I don’t have the Pure White Factor, and I can’t understand how much expectation she was carrying.”

Hong Yiyi's expression remained unchanged, but her tone was gentle and earnest, causing the others to listen attentively.

However, Doris would occasionally glance at Zheng Fan with a gleam in her eyes.

"You are Yi Jia's great benefactor, and I must thank you. My father and mother feel the same way. As long as you do not do anything that directly harms Dadu, the Hong family promises not to do anything harmful to you or anything related to you." Hong Yi Yi's tone became serious towards the end. The weight of this promise was evident. The Hong family parents truly valued their child, as evidenced by the fact that they didn't force Hong Yi Jia to become the lamplighter.

However, given that they had already roughly deduced the existence of Zheng Fan, it's hard to imagine that he, in his high position, could still make such a promise, which shows a high level of sincerity.

The phrase "direct harm" implies that they clearly know Zheng Fan (a figure from the Zheng regime) is unlikely to be well-behaved, even though he is actually quite docile. To those who only have a superficial understanding, he is practically a walking nuclear bomb. They still provided hints.

Of course, it's also possible that they deduced Zheng Fan's general character from the deeds of Hong Yijia and Hong Yiyi, which is why they dared to make such a promise.

Overall, Zheng Fan was quite surprised and satisfied.

It was definitely worth the effort to get Zhong Zuo a premarital checkup.

"Oh. So what does this have to do with you suddenly wanting my help again?" But he remained expressionless—the Eggshell robot's shell didn't have a face to begin with.

“Isn’t this just an excuse to see each other more often and strengthen our relationship? Although it’s probably going to be very difficult for Yi Jia to see you normally again in this lifetime, what if there’s another chance in the future?” Hong Yi Yi immediately relaxed and waved her hands.

"Shall we go?" Gao Song raised his little hand.

"Ah, wait, there's another important matter I need to tell you." Hong Yiyi then put away her bright smile and snapped her fingers.

Zhong's left eye twitched slightly, and he handed over the documents like a secretary.

“The charity joint performance has been promoted beforehand. Now that you’ve finalized the details today, Shengmu Town no longer needs to hold back and will directly mobilize all its current resources to help you generate buzz. However, such a huge amount of buzz and an unprecedentedly large-scale performance will also attract many people with ulterior motives,” Zhong Zuo explained.

Tao Zhi took the documents and, after receiving permission, opened them. He saw a stack of lists of dangerous individuals, and his expression changed slightly.

“We’ve never encountered this many before.”

"Because our previous schedules were quite fast and unpredictable, the people who came to us were just minor troublemakers." Mora reached out understandingly and lifted Tao Zhi's drooping jaw back to its original position.

"Now that the location is clear, the hype is huge, and there are even a bunch of celebrity singers... in the eyes of people with dirty minds, it's a huge opportunity. Once the news gets out that the performance venue will still be in the gray area, most of the people who are watching will probably be ready to make a move," Gao Song analyzed.

"So, the production company in Shengmu Town isn't entirely without reason in their concerns. Although they are worried about the potential losses," Hong Yiyi said, raising her shoulder slightly.

Tao Zhi continued flipping through the files.

Religious groups, antisocial elements, other types of extremists, psychic hunters...

“These are all people and groups that the Bureau is keeping an eye on, and there’s a high chance they’ll come.” Hong Yiyi clapped her hands with a smile. “That’s why I said this is a performance of great significance to the capital.”

"Just say it," Zheng Fan thought to himself. "This woman is really cunning."

However, Doris responded with a bright smile.

Hong Yiyi was somewhat surprised, though her expression remained unchanged. Needless to say, the Bureau's plan, to put it bluntly, was to use these musicians as bait to lure out dangerous individuals who were usually difficult to deal with, thus drawing them out of their hiding places.

It's likely that when rumors of the project first surfaced, someone in the Bureau of Investigation was already considering it. They simply took this opportunity to communicate directly with Doris and the others through Hong Yiyi.

When told about such a thing, the person involved will be angry and find it hard to accept, which Hong Yiyi thinks is normal.

But laughing out loud is definitely not normal. Apart from Doris, everyone else was also unusually calm.

"I think it's good." Doris smiled with that unfairly charming face, a sweet smile that was so captivating that even Hong Yi felt a little dazzled.

“As musicians, we should be happy to have so many ‘fans’ willing to come for us.” Doris’s blue eyes were fixed on Hong Yiyi. “If we know the approximate scale, we can prepare in advance. It seems that the performance arrangements need to be scrapped and started over to make the scene more exciting.”

As Doris spoke, she stood up and leaned forward: "If the Bureau of Disposal has made this plan, then you should be wholeheartedly fighting for this performance, right? If a normal audience member gets injured in the end, it will be a huge stain on the performance and on the capital."

These words even sounded somewhat provocative.

If a plan you've created isn't executed perfectly, it only highlights the bureau's incompetence. Of course, Doris might not have meant that; she simply believed it would be a very valuable and meaningful performance.

Hong Yiyi was slightly taken aback by the almost manic and fanatical emotions emanating from Doris before she could pause for a moment before nodding: "Of course."

“That solves the problem. It’s been a pleasure working together. Let’s work hard together to make the performance perfect, Ms. Hong Yiyi.” Doris extended her hand with unusually quick acceptance.

Hong Yiyi glanced at her, then stood up and shook her hand: "Miss Doris, the difference between your impression of me and mine is quite significant. I imagine your fans must be quite shocked by this side of you."

“Perhaps,” Doris tilted her head cutely, “but my music exists to leave behind such a distinct meaning.”

After she finished speaking, her gaze still fell on Zheng Fan, who was standing to the side.

Zheng Fan chuckled lightly and said nothing more.

(End of this chapter)