Zhong Lele was momentarily taken aback when she saw Wan Tong. “You actually made it out?”
She had assumed that little wolf cub M01 would have killed her by now. Yet, against all odds, she had left the Paradise unscathed.
“Give back my Ling Wu.”
Hearing Wan Tong’s words, Zhong Lele’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Ling Wu already belonged to her—there was no reason to return it.
She glanced at Wan Tong, then at the surging crowd around them, her tone carrying an ambiguous meaning. “Shen Wantong, your timing today is just perfect.”
Shen Wantong was going to die anyway, and she had willingly delivered herself to the doorstep, Zhong Lele saw no reason to hold back.
“Ling Wu…”
Before Zhong Lele could order Ling Wu to act, Wan Tong suddenly spoke up, “Sister, can we talk somewhere else?”
Her voice was soft and delicate, unmistakably feminine.
Shen Ting was startled by her sudden words and immediately moved to shield her, but it was already too late.
The surrounding pedestrians paused, their gazes locking onto them like hungry beasts.
Even Zhong Lele, whom Wan Tong had just called ‘Sister,’ found herself trapped under the weight of those stares.
Realizing the situation, Zhong Lele cursed internally and hurriedly whispered to Ling Wu, “Ling Wu, we’re going home. Now.”
Was Shen Wantong out of her mind? Exposing her identity in public, was she not afraid of being torn apart? Hadn’t she seen the news about riots breaking out time and time again over natural females?
“Tongtong, we need to leave,” Shen Ting said, his entire demeanor radiating a cold and unapproachable aura. For a fleeting moment, he exuded the same intimidating presence as M01.
“A girl?”
“She doesn’t look like a robot… is she a natural female?”
“I think so. Companion robots don’t have this model…”
“Transformed females wouldn’t be this young either. She must be a natural female!”
“There are two of them!”
…
The crowd, previously indifferent and lifeless, suddenly came alive with murmurs and whispers. Before they knew it, the four of them were completely surrounded, making escape nearly impossible.
In the chaos, Wan Tong’s hat was inadvertently pulled off, allowing her thick, dark hair to cascade down. For a brief moment, the crowd fell silent.
Although Shen Ting was no match for M01, years of training had made him a formidable fighter among ordinary people.
Meanwhile, Ling Wu, bound by his directive to avoid harming others, was unable to protect Zhong Lele effectively.
As she was jostled by the crowd, Wan Tong seized the opportunity to approach her.
Zhong Lele let out a muffled grunt, and Ling Wu immediately turned to shield her. However, when pushing Wan Tong away, he hesitated for a split second, holding back some of his strength.
Wan Tong staggered but was soon swallowed by the crowd. Hands reached out to grab her, only for others to tear them away. In the next moment, chaos erupted as the surrounding men started brawling.
“Tongtong!”
Amidst the turmoil, Shen Ting’s panicked voice rang out.
Wan Tong, however, remained composed. Yet, with the crowd turning into a violent frenzy, she found herself momentarily trapped. When she looked up, she met Ling Wu’s gaze.
His deep green eyes, usually devoid of emotion, reflected her slender figure amidst the chaos. Zhong Lele’s commands rang loudly beside him, yet he seemed to filter them out entirely. Suddenly, he stepped forward, his gaze locked onto her.
“Ling Wu…” Wan Tong was surprised. Her earlier contact with Zhong Lele had been brief, and her backup plan hadn’t even had time to activate.
But why was Ling Wu ignoring Zhong Lele’s orders and choosing to help her?
Ling Wu wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the crowd, placing her safely beside Shen Ting before silently returning to Zhong Lele’s side.
Zhong Lele stared at him in disbelief. “Xiao Wu, what the hell was that? Did you not hear me? Did I tell you to save her? That was your own decision! I want you to delete every memory from the past thirty seconds right now!”
She wouldn’t allow him to remember anything about Shen Wantong. Any trace of her presence could compromise his loyalty.
“Tongtong, are you okay? I contacted the family. Just hold on a little longer…” Shen Ting held Wan Tong’s hand tightly, trying to reassure her.
Wan Tong absentmindedly nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on Ling Wu. Upon hearing Zhong Lele’s command, she frowned slightly, then strode toward them.
Rolling her shoulders, she seized the moment while Lingwu was processing commands, lunging at Zhong Lele and successfully pinning Zhong Lele to the ground.
Zhong Lele’s hat tumbled to the pavement, and she let out a pained grunt from the impact. Glaring fiercely at Wan Tong, she snapped, “Are you looking for death?!”
Straddling her, Wan Tong took the upper hand and retorted just as fiercely, “You’re the one looking for death!”
She pressed down on Zhong Lele’s forehead, holding her struggling body in place.
Under countless watchful eyes, Zhong Lele dared not retaliate too harshly. She could only grit her teeth and struggle against Wan Tong’s hold.
Wan Tong was flipped over by her, but still clung to her tightly. The two of them rolled on the ground twice like that.
The crowd instantly fell silent again. The previously aggressive and hostile atmosphere suddenly shifted…
“Damn, that’s adorable!”
“What game are they playing? Aww~”
“Pinching cheeks is so cute~”
“Rolling around together looks so fun~”
…
Wan Tong : “!!!” Were they being treated like monkeys for entertainment?
“You’re not getting away with this!” At this moment, Zhong Lele, who had just flung Wan Tong away, was so furious that her eyes turned red.
Just as she was about to make a serious move, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head and a brief wave of dizziness.
Then, the system notified her that Ling Wu’s favorability toward her had dropped to zero.
Wan Tong got up, patted the dust off her clothes, and flashed a bright smile at the people around her. “I’ll stop fighting, getting hurt really hurts.”
As soon as she spoke, she distinctly heard the sound of people swallowing nervously. Too many people were eager to squeeze in for a better look, causing the crowd to press inward toward the four of them.
Shen Ting snapped back to his senses and was about to pull Wan Tong back to his side, but someone beat him to it.
Ling Wu pulled Wan Tong in front of him, lowered his head, and whispered in her ear, “Tongtong, I’m sorry.”
His voice was hoarse, but the tone was one Wan Tong was familiar with.
Wan Tong suddenly turned her head. “Ling Wu!”
At this moment, Zhong Lele also regained her composure. Holding her forehead, she stared at Ling Wu in disbelief. “How could this be… Didn’t you already—”
Before she could finish her dazed sentence, a squad of uniformed guards arrived, dispersing the crowd and escorting the four of them away.
From a distant high platform, M01 and 017 stood with their arms crossed, watching the guards take the four away, their expressions remaining unchanged.
“This proves that individual strength is secondary, power is what truly matters,” 017 said.
It was unclear if M01 was listening. His gaze remained fixed on a particular spot until the area once again returned to the usual flow of quiet, numb people walking aimlessly.
The news quickly reported on the disturbance.
Wan Tong and Zhong Lele were soon recognized as the girls who had appeared in the Paradise live broadcast. After the Paradise rebellion, it turned out they had escaped.
The most crucial detail was that they were about to come of age.
Wan Tong and Zhong Lele were taken for brief questioning before being escorted home by their respective families.
The Shen and Zhong families became famous overnight.
In the short half-hour after Wan Tong was brought home, her parents had already received three waves of visitors. Their communicator kept flashing nonstop, forcing them to switch it to Do Not Disturb mode.
Natural-born females were already rare. Most of the younger ones had been sent to Paradise, their fates now uncertain. So as soon as Wan Tong appeared on the news, she was immediately targeted.
Families proactively reaching out to the Shen family were all from good backgrounds, with outstanding abilities, and, most notably, none of them owned companion robots.
Several screenshots of Wan Tong spread widely across the internet. Someone even revealed her Paradise identification number, 001, explaining that she had been the most exceptional natural-born female in Paradise, hence the number.
The girl in the photos had long, flowing hair, delicate features, fair and soft skin, and misty black eyes that seemed like obsidian submerged in water.
Companion robots’ eyes could shine, but they would never be as lively as hers. Transformed women could be stunningly beautiful and alluring, but none possessed that unique, irresistible aura she had.
While Wan Tong was being propelled to the center of public discussion, Zhong Lele, who had been taken home and placed under house arrest, was growing more and more frustrated.
Her family wasn’t as progressive as the Shen family. Although she had been pampered since childhood, her parents had always viewed her as a bargaining chip for forging alliances with other families to secure a better future.
Now, they were eagerly selecting potential husbands for her, possibly more than one.
But that wasn’t even what infuriated Zhong Lele the most.
What truly angered her was that even though she and Shen Wantong had appeared on screen together, all the attention was on Shen Wantong!
The adorable one was her. The beautiful one was her. The pure one was her. And yet, the one everyone wanted to marry was still Shen Wantong!
Zhong Lele stared at the endless stream of compliments directed at Shen Wantong on the screen. Adding to her frustration, the system had suddenly lost control over Ling Wu. Her heart felt even more stifled.
The system, that idiot, was just like Ling Wu had been when he was under her control, it had missing and corrupted memory files. She still didn’t even know what had happened.
But no matter what, she had to eliminate this unexpected variable called Shen Wantong.
When the time comes to regain control of Ling Wu, there will be no need to worry about favorability anymore.
While Zhong Lele was discussing plans with the system to kill Wan Tong, Shishi relayed every single detail to Wan Tong without omission.
At that moment, Wan Tong was hiding in her room. Shen Ting was examining Ling Wu’s ‘body,’ but after a long while, he still couldn’t figure anything out. In the end, he shook his head in frustration. “Ling Wu’s physical functions are all intact, and there are no signs of his chip being tampered with…”
Lingwu tilted his head slightly, then got up and walked back to Wan Tong’s side, lowering his voice. “003 is suspicious. She has a powerful system within her.”
Wan Tong’s eyes lit up. “How do you know?”
“It’s the only possibility,” Ling Wu said with certainty.
Even the main system of Ladbrokes Technology couldn’t control him, yet 003 could completely take over him. That meant she must possess an extremely powerful system.
“But she’s human. How could she have a system? Could she have been modified?” Shen Ting asked.
Ling Wu blinked seriously. “Scan shows no abnormalities. She is human.”
“Then if she controls you again next time, won’t you just obediently return to her side?” Shen Ting stroked his chin, scrutinizing Ling Wu up and down. “Tsk, you really do seem like a scumbag.”
Ling Wu understood that ‘scumbag’ wasn’t a good term, so he immediately refuted it with a serious expression. “I am not a scumbag.”
After saying that, his ghostly green eyes even glanced toward Wan Tong, as if seeking her opinion.
“…” Wan Tong let out a soft huff and responded, “You are a scumbag.”
“…” Ling Wu lowered his gaze, pressing his lips together. For the first time, he actually looked a little aggrieved.