Knight Asylum

"Calm down Reid."

Reid took a deep breath and paced back and forth.

"I'm a man. Selvi Turia is a legitimate institution. No matter what, there won't be mixed dormitory for men and women."

Moreover, the roommate inside is not necessarily a woman. Although his first reaction to this roommate is that she is beautiful, it is not very accurate. If you think about it carefully, she should be described as handsome, and she also has the classic middle-parted wolf-tail Kimura Takuya hairstyle.

But the skin...seems quite white.

Damn it! Don't think that way!

Red raised his hand and knocked his forehead hard. At this moment, the metal door opened again. His roommate was looking at him with his eyes hanging. "Are you the roommate they were talking about?"

"That's probably me," Reid scratched his face.

Looking closely, his roommate was about the same height as him, just a little shorter, about 1.77 meters. He had a handsome appearance that was pleasing to both men and women, and his eyes looked cold and difficult to approach.

So, is it a boy or a girl?

For a moment, Red wavered.

"Did you...do something wrong?"

The roommate narrowed his eyes after noticing Red's reaction.

"Ahem..." Red coughed with emotion and gestured with his hands, "Sorry, I thought I would be arranged to live alone, but I didn't expect there would be a senior here. Hello."

"Senior - well - in terms of time, I am indeed your senior. Your name is Red, right? You can just call me Qiao."

Qiao leaned back and nodded calmly, but Reid clearly saw that the corners of Qiao's mouth turned up, and her voice was not as cold and distant as it was at the beginning.

I always feel... that it's not as difficult to get along with as I imagined.

Red relaxed a lot at once.

"Anyway, come in first. Your bag was delivered an hour ago," Qiao turned around and waved.

Reid nodded and stepped through the door frame into Dormitory 5.

The layout of the dormitory is a bit similar to that of a university dormitory, but it is much more spacious than an ordinary university dormitory. It has a separate bathroom and bathtub. Opposite the bathroom is a large wardrobe connected to the ceiling, double beds, and a space similar to a balcony but without windows. On the wall opposite the double bed is a screen that looks to be about 60 inches.

In the middle was a plain round table and two chairs, with a cross-body bag hanging on the back of the chair facing the balcony.

Apart from the remaining scent of lavender, there is no personal characteristic.

Qiao leaned over, picked up the clothes rack full of clothes on the ground, and walked to the windowless balcony. He seemed to have hit a switch with his shoulder, and two rows of clothes drying racks lowered. Red also heard the sound of a toaster.

Reid blinked, but Qiao just kept hanging clothes there, as if he was invisible, with no intention of continuing the conversation with him.

Red also saw his travel bag, hanging on the side of the bunk bed under the double bed.

After thinking for a while, Red walked quickly to his travel bag, took out the unopened disposable cup and tea from the travel bag, looked around, found the water dispenser, and asked while pouring tea, "Speaking of which, Senior Qiao, what do we usually do?"

"cough--"

Facing Red sideways, he observed Red's Qiao with his peripheral vision, coughed heavily, and shook his head gently from side to side. His shoulders were also more relaxed than before. "Well, actually, I came here a few days earlier than you. This is just a temporary dormitory. We are not formal employees yet. Ah, it's just like a part-time worker doing odd jobs. As for me, I have only delivered things a few times. Don't worry, it's not a difficult job."

“Really? You’re really reliable, Takumi-senpai.”

Red placed the steaming hot tea on the table and pushed it in Qiao's direction.

"Ahem—of course."

Qiao, who had just finished hanging up the clothes, coughed a few times and wiped her hands, then opened the cupboard and took out a plate of cookies. She pushed the cookies to the center of the table, pulled out the chair with a cross-body bag, and sat down opposite Red. She sat up straight and seemed to want to create the aura of a reliable senior. Unfortunately, Qiao didn't seem to be the type to hide her emotions, and everything she thought was reflected on her face.

Red nodded thoughtfully, picked up the hot tea and blew gently, but when he blew the third time, Red noticed that Qiao's eyes changed, and her body began to sway from side to side, as if she was itching to confirm something. Red, who was a little scared by being stared at, spoke awkwardly.

"Is there any problem?"

"Ahem - that is, ahem - are you... a cat's tongue?" Qiao coughed heavily and tested cautiously.

Red's head tilted, a big question mark appeared above his head, and he looked down at the hot tea in his hand that was still steaming.

At this temperature...if you drink it without blowing, you will die.

“I’m really afraid of heat.”

"Well, then you are the cat's tongue."

Qiao smiled happily without disguising herself and started blowing the hot tea. It was obvious that Qiao also had a cat tongue. In order to avoid having any strange thoughts again, Red turned his eyes away.

"Speaking of which, Red, what did you do before? Why did you come here?" Qiao leaned forward slightly. Perhaps because they were all cat tongues, Qiao's tone was as if he had met a fellow, full of curiosity.

"Well - to put it simply, I'm traveling, because, well, S.L. was advertised as the most exciting place in the world, so I came here, and then... I ran into all kinds of problems, so I had no choice but to come to Selvi Tulia first." Reid concealed some of the details, considering that Qiao was just an ordinary person and would be scared to death if he knew that he was a containment object that was sealed underground in some sense, so he concealed some of the details.

"Ah~ I understand, the cost of [S·L] is quite high, so I can only come here to do odd jobs," Qiao folded his hands across his chest and nodded in empathy, "Actually, I'm traveling too."

"Eh...senpai, why did you start traveling? In my case, I wanted to see how big this world is."

"I..." Qiao's eyes suddenly dimmed a little. He no longer looked directly into Red's eyes and looked down at the steaming cup in his hand. "There's nothing special I want to do, so I started traveling."

"Hmm? Ah~ Same as me." Red crossed his fingers, tapped the back of his hands lightly with his fingertips, and leaned forward slightly. "Senior Qiao, can you show me the photos you took when traveling? Maybe... we have actually met in some corner of the world."

As he spoke, Red pushed his phone to the center of the table and opened the photo album.

"Eh... that's a really interesting way of saying it." As if the past journey had gained meaning, a light suddenly appeared in Qiao's dim eyes, and his mood visibly improved.

That night, Red and Qiao were like friends who had not seen each other for a long time. They shared the world from each other's perspective and talked about what they had seen and heard. Even when they finally slept in their own beds, they were still complaining about the strange habits of people in some places, such as shaking their heads as right and nodding as wrong.

The next morning, Red, who was sleeping in the lower bunk, was awakened by a burst of rapid and tight ringing. Before Red was groping for the alarm clock in a daze, he heard a voice from above his head that sounded a little annoyed and helpless.

"This is something wrong. They do this every time. They don't even know how to change the ringtone to a nicer one."

Red, who was still a little sleepy, immediately perked up, sat up abruptly and turned his head to look over. An information symbol was jumping on the screen embedded in the wall.

Red immediately remembered Embe's warning yesterday and became alert.

With a few shakes, Qiao rolled over and got out of bed, yawning as he came to the screen. After groping around for a while, he clenched his fist and knocked on the screen directly, "Stop yelling, it's too noisy."

"Zizi-"

With clever tapping, the information icon on the screen unfolded and a cold mechanical synthesized sound rang out.

"Temporary employee 12138, temporary employee 12143, today's mission is to go to Xingxiu Station, C (55, 5) to receive the goods and bring them back to Selvi Turia. The detailed route and photos of the transaction objects have been sent to the data terminal. Please be cautious. This is related to whether you can become official D-level employees."

After saying that, the two mobile phones on the table lit up at the same time.

Qiao raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, tutted in dissatisfaction, turned his head to look at Reid, turned around and walked towards the bathroom, waving his hand as he walked, "This is pretty much how it is every day."

Reid frowned slightly, got out of bed, turned on his phone, and clicked on the document sent to his phone. This was not a very complicated task, so there was not a lot of content, and he could get a general idea at a glance.

Just as the mechanical synthesized voice said, we went to the place, picked up the things, and returned a long way along the set route. There was also a photo of the person who was handing over the goods. He was a middle-aged man with a turban on his head, who looked quite tall and dignified. Although the route took a long detour, it was normal considering Selvi Turia's characteristics.

While Red was thinking, Qiao had already finished washing up. Seeing Red staring at his phone, Qiao thought for a while and walked behind Red, raised his hand and patted him on the back, "Don't worry, we are just temporary workers, and we won't be assigned anything too exaggerated."

“That’s true…”

Red nodded, put away his phone, walked into the bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror. With mixed feelings, Red finished washing up, put on his coat, and under Qiao's guidance, he took the elevator to the first-floor lobby of Selvi Turia. In the lobby, researchers in white coats and fully armed guards wearing full-coverage helmets were walking back and forth. Red saw a familiar figure among them.

"Oh~ Red, you look much more energetic. I thought you had muscle soreness and couldn't get up today." Seeing Red, Selyu smiled and walked slowly towards Red. When he was seven steps away from Red, he quickened his pace and stretched out his hands. His slender fingers shook up and down like a snake, giving people a terrifying feeling that all their secrets from top to bottom would be touched by these hands.

Red felt a chill run down his spine and dodged Seleu's attack by moving sideways.

"Wow, you react very quickly," Selyu raised her head meaningfully, and glanced at Qiao who was staring at her vigilantly. After a moment of silence, she spread her hands and said, "Don't worry, I just came to tell you that there is no problem with this mission. This is a deal that was decided a long time ago. After all, you are just a temporary employee now, and you need certain performance to become a regular employee. Do your best."

After saying this, Seryu waved his hand and left gracefully.

Red breathed a sigh of relief. Qiao, who was standing on the side, pulled Red to the side and lowered his voice, "Are you acquainted with this woman?"

"Not really," Reid answered after a moment's consideration.

"Really? I always feel that she is a very troublesome woman," Qiao looked up in the direction where Selyu left, frowning.

Reid recalled the look in Seryu's eyes when he was touching him all over, and immediately nodded with understanding.

Just then, a rather harsh voice sounded behind them.

"Are you temporary workers 12138 and 12143?"

Red and Qiao turned their heads at the same time, and saw a man wearing a black jacket, with a scoundrel expression, who looked like he came out of a debt collection agency. He seemed to be chewing something and was looking down at Red and Qiao with a rather bored look.

Qiao pinched her nose and frowned.

The man is chewing betel nut.

"I'm Hiroshi Izawa, a formal D-class worker. You're just temporary workers, so you have to listen to me. Do you understand?"

Chapter 9 Recycling Target, Flower-Shaped Box

Qiao glared and was about to step forward when he was stopped by Red.

Reid was also unhappy, but this was the first-floor lobby of Servier Turia. In just a short while, the armed guards had stopped and were facing them.

"Now hurry up and finish your work, don't hold me back," Hiroshi Izawa snorted heavily, slid his hands into the pockets on both sides of his trousers, turned around and continued chewing betel nut vigorously, and walked out swaggeringly, as if he was just here to provoke Red and Qiao.

Red let go of Qiao's arm only after Hiroshi Izawa walked away.

He stared at the direction where Hiroshi Izawa left for a long time before slowly turning his head to look at Reid.

Red felt he had to say something.

"Okay - don't be angry, breakfast, breakfast, I haven't had breakfast yet."

Red did not choose to pull Qiao, but stuck to the side of Qiao's body and pushed Qiao forward. At first, Qiao's face was tense and she was trying hard secretly, so only her shoulders were pushed. But with Red's unremitting efforts, Qiao finally relaxed her body and was pushed out of the hall step by step by Red. After passing through many heavy doors, Red and Qiao came to the outside of the Selve Tulia Building. The blue sky and bright sunshine soothed Red and Qiao's mood.

Although it was still a little awkward, Qiao didn't dwell on it. "Do you have a car? Seville Tulia is quite far from Xingxiu Station."

"Uh—no."

"You wait a moment."

Qiao turned around and walked out. After a while, accompanied by the sound of a motorcycle engine, Qiao, who was riding a motorcycle, braked gracefully and stopped in front of Red. The rider was naturally Qiao.

"Come up—"

Qiao raised his hand and threw a helmet at Red, then tilted his head back.

“Cool—”

Even with the helmet on, Red could still detect Qiao's joyful expression.

But after climbing into the car, Red found a slightly embarrassing problem. He didn't know where to put his hands. For safety reasons, he should hold Qiao's waist, but...

Just as Red was struggling, Qiao, who had not started the car because Red did not move, turned around and asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No, nothing," Red shook his head, putting those strange thoughts behind him, and gestured slightly to grab the coat on both sides of Qiao's waist.

Feeling the pull from behind, Qiao nodded, changed gears and started the motorcycle.

Along the way, he didn't mention Hiroshi Izawa again and concentrated on driving. Red also took this rare opportunity to appreciate the scenery of [S·L]. As a human rescue organization, the pyramid-shaped building of Selvi Tulia is located in the center of [S·L]. In order to prevent monsters from going directly to the building, a park buffer zone was set up around the Selvi Tulia building. It is beautiful and will not increase the mental pressure of the people. It can also prevent monsters from rushing into the headquarters building when attacking Selvi Tulia.

Leaving the park buffer zone established by Servier Turia, the bustling streets where weirdos and humans naturally intersect came into Red's sight. The absurdity was perfectly embedded in common sense. Red couldn't help but breathe heavier, his eyes lit up, and he turned his head left and right excitedly.

At the same traffic light, both weirdos and humans would complain about the red light. Red even saw a weirdo who looked like a leopard leaning out of the passenger window to talk to a young man who was also waiting for the red light and riding an electric scooter.

Not every weirdo treats humans as food and toys.

Some experts say they are freaks rather than monsters, and the human part of them resonates with humans.

Some experts also say that monsters are not a whole race, and the differences between monster groups are even greater than the differences between human races. Monsters often fight, compete for territory, and hunt, and those weak monsters develop empathy with equally weak humans.

Of course, there are also high-level monsters whose intelligence exceeds their desire to destroy and they choose to communicate with humans in a friendly manner.

Red smacked his lips in regret. It was a pity that he encountered the Gurongi killing game, which was known as an extremely low-probability event, right at the beginning. Of course, this did not affect his expectations for [S·L] at all.

After finding a public parking area, Qiao parked his motorcycle and then strolled on the street with Red. The transaction time was at 1 p.m. and it was only 8:30 now. There was still some time before the transaction, and neither of them had breakfast yet. In order to show his reliable side, Qiao generously patted his chest and offered to treat Red. Red did not refuse and readily accepted Qiao's kindness.

Because Hiroshi Izawa never showed up again, Red and Qiao spent a pleasant morning. They were like a group of backpackers who had just arrived in [S·L] and visited the area around the most crowded Hoshisu Station in [S·L].

But Red still remembered their mission. With about ten minutes left before the transaction time, he took Qiao, who was still reluctant to leave, to find the designated coffee shop and sat at the seat marked on the file.

Red pretended to look at his phone and glanced at the passers-by around him, but did not see the man with a turban on his head in the file.

I guess I got stood up.

Just when Red was feeling a little nervous, he felt someone kicking him under the table. He looked up and found that Qiao, who was sitting opposite him, was staring at him with his chin in his hand. It was Qiao who kicked him.

"What's wrong?" Reid was a little embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Qiao rolled his eyes. "Why are you so nervous? It's really embarrassing."

"No - I'm just a little curious about what that thing is." Although Qiao spoke very directly and without any euphemism, Red could feel that Qiao was trying to comfort him, so he didn't get angry. Instead, he crossed his arms and complained.

"It can't be anything important that we temporary workers have to run errands for," Qiao waved his hand.

Reid's eyes moved slightly upwards and he thought of Number One. His hands, which were wrapped around his chest, subconsciously moved down to cover his waist.

No. 1 didn't look like a temporary worker like them at all, and the object that No. 1 was transporting was none other than the Aguru that was now in his body. As someone who had experienced that transportation, he knew the danger of that transportation best. Not to mention him, no matter how he thought about it, Servius Turia would never let a temporary worker like Qiao transport something dangerous that had not yet been targeted by the dangerous monster group.