After Zhou Boxiang revealed his identity, Zhu Shuangyao stood up nervously and immediately bowed at a 90-degree angle. "Hello, Director. I'm Zhu Shuangyao."
There's really no need for this.
Zhou Boxiang didn't expect Zhu Shuangyao to be so excited. He immediately stepped forward to help her up and said with a mixture of amusement and helplessness, "There's no need for such a grand salute. The Qing Dynasty has been long gone. This kind of formality is out of fashion now."
"I... I'm just excited," Zhu Shuangyao's eyes sparkled. This was the director of the Special Supervision Bureau. He looked so young and handsome, exactly the image of a hero she had always imagined.
On the way to the Special Supervision Bureau, Zhu Shuangyao had been briefed by Luo Jiu about what kind of organization it was. Although the Special Supervision Bureau was not well-known, it was a directly affiliated agency of the Ministry of State Security, always dedicated to maintaining social stability.
They were a sharp blade hidden in the darkness, an impenetrable shield for maintaining stability, an iron wall protecting the people, and the first line of defense when facing criminals.
They were nameless heroes, valiant warriors, and the ever-lasting red.
Zhu Shuangyao's emotions were easy to understand. How could Zhou Boxiang, the shrewd old fox, not see what was on her mind? Looking into her sparkling eyes, his heart softened.
Instead of choosing his words carefully as originally planned, he decided to get straight to the point. "I heard from Xiao Jiu about what happened to you. We'd like you to... assist in the investigation."
"I'm willing!" Zhu Shuangyao agreed without hesitation. She was willing to do anything to help them and relieve their burden.
"Yaoyao, let's first hear how the director wants us to assist in the investigation. What if we can't be of any help?" Unfortunately, while Zhu Shuangyao was easy to persuade, Huo Qizheng was not.
Zhou Boxiang looked up and met Huo Qizheng's gaze. In that instant, Zhou Boxiang realized that this man was of the same kind as him. Their auras clashed, and it seemed as if sparks were about to fly where their eyes met.
Zhou Boxiang put away the softness he had shown towards Zhu Shuangyao just now and said in a business-like tone, "Hello, I'm Zhou Boxiang."
Huo Qizheng shook his hand. "Huo Qizheng."
"It's like this," Zhou Boxiang sat down and motioned for Zhu Shuangyao to do the same, instantly taking the initiative. "We suspect that you two might also have superpowers, so we'd like to conduct a test on you. I wonder if you're willing?"
Zhu Shuangyao nodded like a chick pecking rice. "Sure, no problem."
Looking at Zhu Shuangyao's eagerness, Huo Qizheng just wanted to rub his forehead and sigh. The other party hadn't even said a word yet, and Yaoyao already seemed ready to offer herself. What else could he do? Of course, he had to spoil her.
He held Zhu Shuangyao's hand. "We can do the test, but we can't be separated."
Zhu Shuangyao glanced at him and understood Huo Qizheng's concerns. He was used to being in control of everything, so he usually didn't allow Zhu Shuangyao to be out of his sight because it would make him panic and lose control.
That's why he had equipped Zhu Shuangyao with many things that could track her movements. Although it was a bit excessive, Zhu Shuangyao was willing to accommodate him. So she said, "Yes, we want to do the test together."
Zhou Boxiang's eyes swept over their intertwined hands. He sighed softly in his heart and agreed to their request. "Okay."
He led the two of them to another corridor. There were countless rooms in this corridor, exuding a cold metallic aura everywhere. Various instruments were placed inside, and researchers in white coats walked back and forth, each with a tense expression and in a hurry.
Zhou Boxiang led them to the last room and shouted to a gray-haired scholar in a white coat with a straight back who was recording data inside. "Professor Luo, someone's here for a test."
Professor Luo heard Zhou Boxiang's voice but only nodded and then continued recording the data.
Zhou Boxiang said helplessly, "Professor Luo is like this. He values research more than anything else. He'll come over after he finishes what he's doing."
Sure enough, after recording a few lines of data and handing over the work to his assistant, Professor Luo turned around and walked towards them.
That's how Zhu Shuangyao got a clear look at Professor Luo. Although he had gray hair, he didn't look old. He had a lean face and an elegant demeanor. There were only a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes. Even at this age, one could still catch a glimpse of his charm in his youth.
Zhu Shuangyao felt a subtle sense of familiarity with Professor Luo. Maybe it was because her father was also a scholar like him, and there were similarities between them.
Professor Luo walked up to them. Without waiting for them to greet him, he smiled slightly at Zhou Boxiang. "These two kids are here for the test? They're both quite good-looking. Come with me."
Professor Luo led them to two devices that resembled escape pods. He manipulated something somewhere, and the lids of the two pods slowly opened. Professor Luo said, "Get in. These are medical pods. They can detect superpower fluctuations and physical data. I'll conduct a full-body examination on you."
Facing something unknown, Zhu Shuangyao was still a bit scared. Although she had impulsively agreed to Zhou Boxiang's request just now, at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a bit afraid.
When people are scared, they always instinctively turn to the person they trust the most for help. She unconsciously looked at Huo Qizheng.
She didn't notice that when Huo Qizheng saw Professor Luo, a subtle expression flashed across his face. When he saw these two instruments, there was a deep surprise hidden in his eyes.
So this thing already existed at this time, but looking at Professor Luo, he didn't seem to have that kind of intention.
Just as he was thinking, Zhu Shuangyao's pleading eyes looked towards him. He was so sensitive to Zhu Shuangyao's gaze that as soon as he saw her expression, he knew she was scared. So he comforted her, "You go in first. I'll watch over you from the outside, okay?"
Hearing Huo Qizheng's words, Zhu Shuangyao squeezed his hand tightly, as if this squeeze could give her the courage she needed. She nodded vigorously.
Professor Luo watched from the side, a subtle teasing look on his face. Young people～
It made him think of his own youth when he was just as inseparable from his wife.
He hadn't seen his daughter for a long time. After this project was completed, he would go home and spend more time with her. He heard that his daughter's long-distance boyfriend of several years had returned. He had to go back and take a good look at him.
Zhu Shuangyao took a deep breath, squeezed Huo Qizheng's hand again, and walked into the medical pod.
As soon as she lay down, the medical pod closed automatically, and rows of data quickly flashed on the control panel.
The more Professor Luo looked, the more solemn his expression became. Zhou Boxiang couldn't help but worry. "Is... is there a serious problem?"
Although he was not very old, he had heard a little about the incident sixteen years ago. Zhu Shuangyao was Professor Zhu's daughter. If something happened to her, Professor Zhu would skin him alive.
He had once read the file about this incident. It was said that Zhu Shuangyao was not the only one who had been kidnapped at that time. They had targeted the children of several scholars and kidnapped them all at once. The kidnappers were a domestic human trafficking organization with a perfect escape route and profit chain, making it very difficult to catch them. Foreign forces contacted them and demanded that they hand over their research results, or they would kill the children in their hands.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Shuangyao got a high fever from the shock and almost died. Fortunately, she managed to pull through. The kidnappers were afraid that they wouldn't get the money if the child died, so they went down the mountain to find a doctor for her. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Shuangyao rallied a few brave children and attacked the guards when there were fewer of them and managed to escape.
Later, they were found by the police and soldiers searching the mountain, and they were rescued. They also managed to destroy the entire organization and launched a vigorous anti-trafficking campaign.
Among the criminals who were caught at that time, one was a minor. Since the law was not perfect at that time, this minor managed to escape punishment. But how could Professor Zhu and his wife let this minor go unpunished?
They used their own scientific research results to get a chance to punish this minor. Within the scope allowed by the law, they made his life miserable. Even to this day, he was still a homeless man under the overpass, and he didn't even know who he had offended.
The ones in prison were also not having a good time. They had betrayed the country and were involved in human trafficking. They deserved to be sentenced to at least ten years in prison. They suffered a great deal in prison, neither able to live nor die.
Zhou Boxiang really didn't want to provoke Professor Zhu and his wife. He suddenly regretted why he had asked Zhu Shuangyao to assist in the investigation. Wouldn't it be better to probe indirectly?
Professor Luo glanced at Zhou Boxiang's expression and said cunningly, "There is..."
Watching Zhou Boxiang's expression become more and more tense, Professor Luo smiled and said the second half of the sentence. "...a small problem."
After the data collection was completed, he pressed a button to let Zhu Shuangyao out. Zhu Shuangyao was still a bit dazed when she came out. "Is... is it over?"
Professor Luo said, "How much longer do you want to stay inside? Even if you want to, I won't let you. Okay, next one. Get into the other pod."
Huo Qizheng first helped Zhu Shuangyao stand steady. After she came to her senses, he pinched her wrist and then walked into the other medical pod.
Professor Luo looked at the data on the display panel with a thoughtful expression on his face. Huo Qizheng was faster than Zhu Shuangyao. He came out after a while. Zhu Shuangyao stepped forward and held his hand. "How do you feel?"
Huo Qizheng affectionately stroked her head. "It's okay."
The test report came out quickly. Professor Luo walked around the two of them twice with the test report in his hand. Then he said to Zhou Boxiang, "Tell me how you found these two people."
Zhou Boxiang then told Professor Luo again what Xiao Jiu had reported. Professor Luo stared at the test report in his hand and murmured, "It shouldn't be..."
He carefully examined the report in his hand for a while. Then he looked up at the two of them and said, "Come with me."