About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Orson was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into a sewer to accompany Lin Yuxia. However, what he didn't know was that he was indeed once regarded as a subject of surveillance and investigation, and was later removed from the surveillance list because of the actions of the three people - the only difference was that he was not identified as a "scumbag bootlicker" but a "suspect of suspended death sentence."

"Haaaaaaaaaah...how embarrassing, but let's just keep going."

Orson sighed and calmed himself down. He had fought with members of the Sicilian Gang in Longmen, so he naturally knew very well what kind of vicious and extreme existence the other side was. He couldn't be negligent because of such a small matter.

"Kelsey—how's the situation over there?"

After confirming again that he was not being monitored, Orson took out his cell phone and called Kal'tsit.

"Surrounded by mountain debris and Originium worms, I'm collecting volcanic data while thinking about what you and the two Lungmen policewomen will have for lunch."

"Ahahaha... I had a steak and egg burger for lunch."

"You guys really went to the restaurant...!?"

"?"

Kal'tsit's tone on the other end of the phone suddenly changed as if someone had stepped on her tail, while Orson blinked, wondering if Kal'tsit didn't like her lunch.

"Forget it... just continue to use the mission as an excuse to have as much fun as you can in Xiosta."

"No, although I don't know what happened... uh, actually, my goal has been achieved. I am currently separated from Ghost Sister Chen Huijie and the others."

“—I see.”

Kal'tsit's tone instantly calmed down, and it was only then that Orson realized that it would have been better if he hadn't answered honestly that they had dinner together.

But can that really be called "eating together"... Although it's not nice to say so, Orson at the time just felt like Louis XVI who knew he was about to kiss the guillotine, so what could he eat?

"It will probably take several hours to collect all the data on the volcano, but before we get more detailed intelligence, I can basically conclude that there are some anomalies around this volcano."

Kal'tsit's tone became emotionless, and Orson knew very well that this meant that the other party was serious and was in "academic Kal'tsit" mode.

"A large number of Originium Worms have appeared in locations where they theoretically shouldn't be. This can only be explained by two reasons. First, a natural disaster is approaching, which will stimulate the activity and aggressiveness of the natural disaster creatures. Second, their original habitat has been destroyed."

Orson seemed to be able to see the image of Kal'tsit wearing glasses and seriously extending two fingers in his mind.

"Environmental damage... Speaking of which, the last time I was looking for Miss Ceylon, I saw a group of people digging something in a very tricky corner. Could it be related to that?"

"I don't know. We'll have the answer after we finish collecting the data."

"I understand. Also—I suspect there might be some people near the volcano who don't want this data collected and published. Remember to protect yourself, Kal'tsit."

"Ah, if someone really comes here to cause trouble, I'll be very happy."

"...? Anyway, stay safe."

Orson didn't quite understand what Kal'tsit meant. He had no idea that the old lynx was furious because his original plan was completely disrupted, and he was hoping that some unlucky guy would come and cause trouble so that he would have a reason to openly pick on M3.

It seems that the volcano may be one of the key points of this incident... Next, we still need to exchange information with more professional people in Xiosta.

After Orson hung up the call with Kel'tsit, he immediately dialed another number that had just been added to his phone record.

"—"

Although the call was connected, there was no sound from the other end.

"Uh, Miss Black, are you listening?"

"……Um."

Orson took the initiative to greet Hei on the other end of the phone, and the latter responded briefly.

The number I exchanged yesterday to find Ceylon was used again today. Sometimes I have to sigh at the wonder of interpersonal communication.

The "trustworthy Xiosta insider" that Orson mentioned before refers to Hei. Orson intends to use Hei to collect relevant information about Xiosta's "gods", which will make it easier to reversely infer the next actions of the Sicilian Gang and the Xiosta government's insiders.

"What's the matter... Orson?"

"Well, there are things I want to talk to you about, but before that-"

Orson paused for a moment. He remembered that Hei had worked in "security" like him, and he couldn't rule out the possibility that he had been monitored. So he changed his tone and the content of the conversation:

"Is the area 'convenient for sleeping'?"

"—!"

"Convenient for sleeping" was one of the jargons used by Orsen during his intelligence work in Che City, including earlier when he was a bodyguard for Zao Lu. Its true meaning was "Is the surrounding environment safe and not being monitored?"

Orson could hear Hei's inhalation on the other end of the phone. He was probably wondering why Orson suddenly asked him to confirm whether the surroundings were quiet after hearing what he said.

"...Hmm, quite convenient?"

Hei's voice was a little unsure, but it was her voice, and it was an affirmative answer, not threatened by anything, and that was enough.

"That's good. Actually, I have some urgent matters to attend to, so - can you 'date me', Miss Hei?"

"—!!"

There was silence again on the other end of the line, and Orson could understand.

[Dating] means "exchanging information," which is a common jargon in this industry.

And it was obvious that Hei was also wondering why this boy, whom he had only known for one day, suddenly asked to exchange information with him.

Although Orson was sure that he was not being monitored, he could not be sure what was happening on the other end of the line, so he could only use this method, which could be regarded as an extra "door lock".

That being said... the other party's silence seemed a bit too long. Orson could only ask the other party cautiously with some doubts.

"…Um, Miss Hei, are you still there? Or did you say 'other plans'?"

[There are other arrangements] - This means that the current situation around you has changed and there may be risks that are still unclear.

Fortunately, the voice from the other end of the phone reappeared, but the tone seemed a little hurried.

"Please wait a moment, I'll reply later."

Click!

Hei Te hung up the phone decisively, leaving only the busy signal in the receiver.

Orson looked at the phone that showed 'Hang up' and was silent for a few seconds.

"——As expected of Miss Hei, even her reactions are so professional! Ah... Although I've learned these industry tricks before, I haven't used them seriously like this many times... It really looks very cool when used in practice~"

Orson showed a happy expression, just like shouting "The King Covers the Earth Tiger" to someone on the street, and then the other party accurately followed up with "The Pagoda Suppresses the River Monster", and he found a like-minded person.

------

At the same time, in Ceylon's room in the Dorcos family mansion—

"..."

Hei stared at the phone in his hand absentmindedly, looking like he was in a daze.

"black--"

Ceylon, who was sitting at the desk, noticed the guard's "abnormality". She closed the book on the pathology guide of mineralogy and called Hei's name softly.

"..."

"black!"

"Um...! Miss, I'm sorry, I was a little distracted just now."

Hei reacted belatedly and responded to Ceylon hurriedly.

"It's okay, but you rarely get distracted. Was there anything wrong with the phone call just now?"

Ceylon asked with a smile, while Hei looked at the number on the phone and hesitated.

However, Hei didn't dwell on it for too long. What she had just experienced wasn't something that couldn't be told. Besides... maybe she needed Ceylon's help and advice. After all, when it came to relationships, Ceylon, who had attended a formal college and had met many men her age, was at least more reliable than herself.

After hesitating for a moment, Hei decided to tell Ceylon about his troubles without reservation.

"Orson asked me out on a date, which might lead to sleeping together depending on the situation."

“Ahem…!! This is truly terrible…!”

Upon hearing this, Ceylon almost spit out the black tea she had just put into her mouth. She tried her best to remain elegant and nodded in response.

It can be seen that Xiosta's guards do not buy into Ursus's code words. Orson's "code words" are purely literal to Hei.

"I'm a little confused too..."

Hei frowned slightly, and she said frankly that she had no idea what to do with Orson's sudden and fierce attack.

"Hmm... Anyway, putting aside Orson's motives for now, the boy himself seems pretty good, right? Not only is he knowledgeable, he's also adept at aristocratic etiquette, and he's very cute, with a very authentic chivalrous demeanor—after all, Orson is a true knight, isn't he? And on top of that, he's the CEO of the recently popular security company, [Reunion Movement]... So, judging solely by his hardware, Orson is pretty impeccable in every way except his height, isn't he? And that height can actually spark some people's inherent protective instincts."

Ceylon put one hand on his chin and seriously analyzed Orson's strengths and weaknesses.

"Indeed... His character is even gentler than some so-called 'knights', and... well, he's basically not threatening."

When Hei said this, he subconsciously rubbed his hair. Under the premise of "you can do whatever you want to me", the guy who asked "let me pat my head", Hei could basically assert that this guy would always be the kind of person who would be pinned to the ground and abused.

"But having said all that, the most important point is actually to criticize your own opinion."

Ceylon put the teacup aside, gently stood up from the desk and walked in front of Hei.

"How do you truly feel about that young man? Without understanding this, nothing else can be established."

Ceylon smiled at Hei, and when Hei heard this question, he frowned slightly, with a very subtle expression. He was silent for a long time without responding.

"Haha, it seems the answer is already obvious."

"Miss...?"

Hei was stunned for a moment. He hadn't answered yet, but Ceylon already looked like he knew the answer.

"The look on your face says it all. You usually have a stern expression, but when you talked about Orson, your expression was very gentle."

"Wen... Um, really, miss?"

Hearing Ceylon say this to him, Hei's cheeks became even redder and he placed a hand on his cheek.

"Haha, that's a good thing, Hei. And this should be what those Victorian romance novels say - the princess and prince falling in love at first sight!"

“…Probably not.”

Hei became a little embarrassed. The young lady he served would occasionally suddenly fall in love like this. This was probably a kind of entertainment among the Victorian nobles.

"Anyway, Hei, just go and take a look! Maybe Orsen doesn't mean that. Maybe it's some codeword or something. But the prerequisite is that you, Hei, have to go to the meeting. Wouldn't it be nice to get along as close friends? After all... Hei, you've been with me and my father for so long, and you've never made any real friends."

Ceylon's tone became a little lower. Hei knew very well that the eldest lady probably thought that she had delayed her opportunity to make friends with other people.

"But the guards—"

"Just let someone else do the security work. There have been many times before when Hei was out working, right? Just do it the same as those times."

"...I understand, young lady."

Hei sighed and decided to accept Orson's somewhat abrupt invitation.

——This is just to prevent the young lady from being fooled by Orson... I'm just being polite, that's all.

Hei thought so and sent a text message to Orson to inform him that he would keep the appointment.

"Then I'll be leaving first, Miss."

Hei nodded to Ceylon and prepared to leave the room.

"Wait a minute, Black."

"Anything else, Missy?"

When Hei turned around, he was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, Ceylon produced a lot of clothes in his hands that he had never worn and would probably never wear in the future. He looked at him happily.

"Since we're going on a date, you can't wear this kind of clothes~"

Ceylon smiled and walked towards Hei step by step, and Hei felt the "sense of oppression" coming from Ceylon for the first time.

after a while--

"I think it might be better if she put on some lipstick, but that would be a bit too bright... Haah, anyway, now I can only hope that everything goes well for Hei."

After dressing up Hei and sending off the guard who was like a sister to her, Ceylon came to the lobby downstairs with some reluctance.

"Mr. Cronin!"

Ceylon, who was walking downstairs, noticed a Liberian man with short hair and a suit standing at the entrance of the lobby and immediately went over.

"Miss Ceylon? Are you home today?"

The man called 'Cronin' gave a standard smile.

"Well, compared to those—data about volcanoes, I hope you can retest them!"

"—"