Chapter 54: A Friend’s Despair and a Revealing Truth

After the previous night’s elaborate deception and Little White’s seamless cooperation, Lin Ling finally managed to somewhat convince her younger brother. She wasn’t entirely sure if Lin Hui truly believed that everything he had witnessed was merely a dream. However, at the very least, he hadn’t pressed for further answers, leaving that last layer of pretense intact.

Life could, in theory, continue as normal. Yet, Lin Ling could no longer indulge in the carefree comfort of staying home. She was now a “successful professional” with a “good job,” which naturally meant she had to go to work. To prevent Lin Hui from growing suspicious,

Lin Ling was ultimately forced to usher herself out the door as well.

She followed in Bisika’s footsteps.

‘The Heavenly Dao truly revolves; no one escapes its cycles.’

After leaving Little White and Wangzai, two seemingly normal pets, at home, Lin Ling stealthily retrieved the myriad adorable creatures hidden under her bed, using her internal spatial ability. This included Little Pangolin, who had cried out pitifully upon realizing it would be separated from Little White, softening Lin Ling’s heart. But there was no alternative! If her younger brother saw them, explaining it would be impossible. In the end, she had no choice but to reluctantly tuck Little Pangolin into her internal space as well.

Once outside, Lin Ling directly teleported to a deserted rooftop and released all the adorable pets from within her. As she gazed at the neatly arranged line of small animals before her, her mood brightened considerably. Perhaps this was why some girls enjoyed keeping cute pets.

However, these were all Sixth-Tier behemoths; it would be a colossal waste of talent to simply let them act cute. Immediately, Lin Ling began assigning them tasks.

Some were to guard the residential complex.

Others were to protect Lin Ling’s parents.

And her grandparents.

To guard…

****

Although all these individuals had protective barriers set up by Lin Ling within their bodies, those were only meant as a last resort. If they were ever activated, others would discover their connection to Lin Ling, inevitably drawing them into unnecessary trouble. Therefore, adding an extra layer of security was entirely justifiable.

What surprised Lin Ling was that after she finished giving her commands, the little creatures actually saluted her! And quite formally, too!

They then scattered, each heading off to find the person they were responsible for protecting.

Lin Ling was left standing alone on the rooftop.

In truth, Lin Ling’s outing was not without purpose. She had an important matter to attend to, one concerning Wu Hang.

It was said that ever since the last incident, he had become utterly despondent, abandoning himself to despair and locking himself in his room all day. Lin Ling couldn’t bear to see her friend waste away like this.

But…

How should she approach him?

Though he probably already suspected.

****

At Wu Hang’s home,

Wu Hang’s mother was heartbroken. After receiving a call from Chen Xueyu, she had rushed to her son’s house to check on him.

The reality was almost unimaginable to her. Wu Hang’s self-deprecating and gloomy appearance filled her with overwhelming sorrow and bewilderment.

No one could accept their son inexplicably becoming so despondent. She simply couldn’t comprehend how a simple patrol duty could have transformed her optimistic and cheerful son into such a state. Due to Lin Ling and Little White’s interference, the truth about Wu Hang’s involvement in the secret transport mission had been concealed. As far as the government and Wu Hang’s mother knew, he had felt unwell that day and was reassigned to office duty. Thus, Wu Hang’s mother remained unaware of the hellish ordeal he had truly experienced.

Just then, the ringing of the doorbell brought a slight reprieve to the oppressive atmosphere within the house.

Wu Hang’s mother quickly rose and opened the door, a hint of surprise in her eyes at the sight of her visitor.

“Little Lin? What brings you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Oh? Hello! Auntie, why are you here?”

The visitor was, of course, Lin Ling. Still in her male disguise, she feigned surprise and countered Wu Hang’s mother’s question.

“I just came to check on Little Wu. But why are you here, Little Lin? It’s Thursday today?”

“It’s fine, I took the day off specifically to see Little Wu.” ‘Actually, that company is mine,’ Lin Ling mused inwardly.

Hearing Lin Ling’s words, Wu Hang’s mother felt a wave of relief. It seemed her son still had many good friends.

She continued, addressing Lin Ling, “Wu Hang is in his room. Just go on in. I’ll stay in the living room; I don’t want to disturb you two.” Perhaps a chat between peers would help.

Seeing that Wu Hang’s mother had no intention of entering the room with them, Lin Ling said nothing more and walked directly to Wu Hang’s room. His mother’s absence would make it easier for them to talk.

However, when Lin Ling opened the door, the scene before her was somewhat unexpected. In movies and anime, don’t depressed people who lock themselves in their rooms usually have them dark and messy?

Yet, this guy’s room was spotless and bathed in sunlight. If Lin Ling hadn’t seen Wu Hang sitting at his desk looking at his computer, she might have thought she’d entered the wrong set.

Still, she could sense that Wu Hang’s inner world was indeed extremely negative.

Wu Hang wasn’t simply playing on the computer; he was merely using the online world to distract himself. Since the incident, his heart had been consumed by pain, self-reproach, and internal conflict, leaving him with no energy for work. He had taken leave to adjust his mindset, but some things, it seemed, were not as easily forgotten as he had hoped.

His pain stemmed from the grief over his teammates’ and captain’s deaths. His self-reproach arose from his own powerlessness and cowardice. Wu Hang had always believed himself to be an excellent police officer, a