79: Chapter 79 Prismatic Hextech!

The matter of Chu Xiuxiu quickly became a new problem.

Her identity information had been verified; her parents died early and she had no relatives, not even a guardian who could take her in temporarily.

Sending her back to the orphanage now... wasn't very realistic. This little one still had uncleared pollution sources in her body, and if something went wrong... it would be disastrous.

In the police station lounge, as soon as the policewoman finished explaining the situation, Chu Xiuxiu gripped Lu Cheng's shirt hem even tighter.

Her little hand was terrifyingly thin, her knuckles turning white.

"I'm not leaving..."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of hoarseness from having just broken her fever, but her eyes were fixed firmly on Lu Cheng, terrified that he might hand her over to someone else the next second.

The two policewomen nearby tried to coax her.

"Xiuxiu, go to the room next door to rest with us for a bit, okay?"

"We'll be right outside, nothing will happen."

Chu Xiuxiu shook her head.

When they tried to persuade her again, she shrank behind Lu Cheng, her whole body tensed up, the panic in her eyes visible to the naked eye.

Lu Cheng stood there, looking down at the little bean, his mouth twitching.

"This... is a bit tricky..."

Chu Xiuxiu didn't speak, just looked at him.

That look was pitiful, her eye sockets red, just like a small animal that had just been rescued after being frightened.

Commander Ji Yunlan stood at the doorway, watched for a while, and suddenly spoke: "Her mental state is unstable right now; forcing her to a welfare placement center is likely to cause problems."

Instructor Qin Feng also frowned, clearly trying to think of a solution.

But after thinking it over, there really wasn't a more suitable candidate at the moment.

Commander Ji Yunlan turned to look at Lu Cheng, her tone quite direct: "Is it convenient at your place?"

Lu Cheng was stunned: "Huh?"

"Take care of this child temporarily," Commander Ji Yunlan said. "The military can arrange for people to protect her in secret, and we will go through the formal procedures as soon as possible. She only recognizes you right now; if someone else takes her, she probably won't be able to sleep tonight."

Lu Cheng felt his scalp go numb for a second.

"Commander Ji, that's easy for you to say. I'm just a high school student. If I suddenly bring a child home, won't my mom think I went out for two days and became a father?"

A young police officer nearby almost lost it and quickly lowered his head to stifle a laugh.

He lowered his head and met Chu Xiuxiu's eyes again.

The little girl looked at him longingly, her lips pursed, her face still a bit pale, and her hand hadn't let go. Seeing that, Lu Cheng felt that if he dared to say the word "no", she would be crying on the spot the next second.

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Cheng sighed.

"Fine, but let's be clear, it's only temporary."

Chu Xiuxiu's eyes lit up instantly.

She nodded very quickly, afraid that Lu Cheng would change his mind.

"Mm!"

Her voice sounded a bit more energetic than before.

Seeing this, Commander Ji Yunlan also breathed a sigh of relief: "I will coordinate the follow-up procedures, and protection forces will follow. The military laboratory will also continue to investigate the issues with her body."

Lu Cheng waved his hand: "Got it, got it. Let's get her home first."

...

Over an hour later, Lu Cheng brought Chu Xiuxiu home.

When opening the door, he actually felt a bit nervous.

As soon as the door opened, Chu Mu looked up from the living room. She saw Lu Cheng first, then the thin, tiny little girl hiding behind his legs, and she paused for a moment.

"Who is this?"

Lu Cheng gave a dry cough and gave a rough explanation of what happened. From the underground stronghold, to Chu Xiuxiu being an orphan, to the temporary placement. He kept it as brief as possible, but Chu Mu became quieter and quieter as she listened.

By the time Lu Cheng finished speaking, Chu Mu had already walked over, crouched down, and looked at Chu Xiuxiu.

She usually had a cold demeanor, but right now her voice was very soft.

"Is your name Chu Xiuxiu?"

Chu Xiuxiu was a bit nervous; she glanced at Lu Cheng first, and seeing Lu Cheng nod at her, she whispered: "Mm..."

Chu Mu reached out and gently brushed the messy hair from her forehead, her movements very tender.

"Are you hungry?"

Chu Xiuxiu was startled, then nodded. "A little..."

The coldness in Chu Mu's eyes vanished instantly, and she even revealed a faint smile. "Come in first, Auntie will heat up some food for you."

Lu Cheng stood by and watched, stunned. His mom's acceptance speed was quite fast.

Less than ten minutes later, Chu Xiuxiu was arranged to sit at the dining table, with a bowl of steaming hot noodles in front of her and a fried egg on the side.

Chu Mu sat next to her, watching her eat in small bites, her eyes softening quite a bit.

"Slow down, no one is rushing you."

"This is too hot, blow on it before eating."

"Tell Auntie if you want to eat anything else."

...

That night. The Zhou Family mansion was brightly lit.

The atmosphere in the hall was suffocating. A pile of the latest reports sat on the table, and the faces of several core members of the Zhou Family were uglier than the last.

Zhou Tingyue sat in the main seat, his eyes bloodshot.

"How much has been seized?"

Someone below whispered: "What can be saved on the surface is already being transferred. There are a few more lines that can be cut off on the pharmaceutical company side, and the storage and transport channels... can last at most one more day."

"Last one more day?" Zhou Tingyue looked up sharply, his voice cold.

Sweat immediately appeared on that person's forehead, and he dared not make another sound.

The hall was silent for a few seconds. Zhou Tingyue let out a slow breath, tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes extremely gloomy.

"We can't stay in Rong City anymore."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hearts of the few people below sank.

Someone couldn't help but speak: "Family Head, if we leave now, won't it be too conspicuous?"

"Even if it's conspicuous, we have to leave." Zhou Tingyue said coldly, "If we drag it out any longer, by the time the Supervisory Committee and the military seal off the exits completely, no one will be able to leave."

He looked up at a middle-aged man standing in the corner. "Clear the assets. Take everything that can be taken, and burn whatever can't be taken. Evacuate the people on the list in batches."

"And..." Zhou Tingyue paused, his voice dropping lower. "Contact the Black Seed."

The breathing of the few people in the hall hitched.

The middle-aged man also looked up, a hint of alarm in his eyes: "Now?"

"Yes, now." Zhou Tingyue's eyes were icy. "Tell them they can go all out here in Rong City."

Since the Zhou Family was about to be finished, this city shouldn't expect to be safe and sound either. He was leaving, but before he left, he had to muddy the waters. The more chaotic it was, the easier it would be for them to escape.

...

Over the next two days, Rong City was superficially much quieter. However, the vigilance inside and outside the city was much stricter. There were more patrol cars, more temporary checkpoints at intersections, and even shopping malls and subway entrances had fully armed guards standing there. After 10 PM, many neighborhoods were directly restricted; the lights were still on, but the people were more than half gone.

Lu Cheng hadn't been idle these two days either, forced to moonlight as a nanny and tour guide.

"This is the kitchen, don't touch the knives."

"This is the balcony, you can dry clothes here, but don't climb over the railing, although you wouldn't be able to anyway."

"This is my room, knock before entering, especially when I'm changing clothes."

Chu Xiuxiu followed behind, nodding obediently. "Oh..."

She recovered very quickly. After being cleaned up, her little face was actually quite delicate, and her eyes were big, but she was just too thin; her arms were as thin as firewood sticks.

The next afternoon, Chu Mu even specially bought her two new outfits.

Lu Cheng took her and Chu Mu for a stroll nearby to buy some daily necessities and get some fresh air.

On the way, Chu Xiuxiu held Chu Mu's hand with one hand and tugged at the hem of Lu Cheng's shirt with the other, like a pendant, refusing to let go wherever they went.

Lu Cheng looked down at her: "How am I supposed to carry things like this?"

Chu Xiuxiu looked up, thought about it seriously, and changed to grabbing his sleeve. "How about this?"

Lu Cheng: "Mm... fine."

On Sunday night, Chu Xiuxiu finally slept a bit more soundly. Chu Mu also went back to her room to rest early.

Only Lu Cheng was left sitting on the sofa in the living room, his phone screen lit up, the time ticking away minute by minute. 11:58. 11:59.

Lu Cheng put down his water glass and straightened up. It was here. The most exciting blind box opening time of the week.

As soon as twelve o'clock arrived, the familiar system notification sound exploded in his mind right on time. [Ding! Weekly Hextech refreshing...]

Lu Cheng's breathing lightened. The next second, the illusory panel before his eyes lit up violently, and a light more brilliant than any previous time spread out directly. Golden-pink light currents surged in layers, filling the air with a sense of oppression.

Lu Cheng's eyelids twitched. "Prismatic?!"

[This week's Hextech quality: Prismatic]

His heart gave a heavy thump!! This was only the fourth Hextech, and he actually hit the 0.01% probability?!

Soon, the new Hextech name slowly emerged. [Nine Lives: You have nine lives. Every time you die, you obtain a reward. The fewer lives you have remaining, the more generous the rewards!]

Lu Cheng stared at this line of text for a full three seconds. Then he was completely energized. "Holy crap."

This time, it really was "holy crap." Not to mention the rewards later, just these nine lives alone were enough to make it Prismatic!

The path of martial arts cultivation was full of endless crises: exotic beasts, ruins... and even people! Countless geniuses became bleached bones on the road to the summit, but with this thing, Lu Cheng could at least become bones nine times!

As for the reward for dying once, Lu Cheng didn't expect much, as this resurrection was already terrifying enough.

On the other side... Su Wan, who was hunting exotic beasts alone around the ruins in the southern Wasteland Zone, inexplicably felt a chill down her spine...

Her gaze sharpened as she looked around... "An illusion? ... Why do I have a bad premonition..."