The Card Apprentice

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The huge activity at the Central Island Firm didn't only greatly surprise Butchie and her people; it had surprised nearly the entire Heavenly Federation.

On the same day at the same time—prime time, when everyone had just gotten off work at dinner time—90 percent of the influential communications platforms were broadcasting the same advertisement! At the same time as that, in the big cities, especially where the most people congregated in the six flourishing districts and the capital city, they erected the exact same fantasy card billboards.

Once the new terminology for technology to communicate in the jungle showed up, it rocked the federation! Its inventor, the Central Island Firm, had entered everyone's field of view.

Quite a few people had scoffed at the ad at the time, considering it nothing more than the Central Island Firm's hype. There had been plenty of large firms researching jungle communications, but no one had heard of any results so far. How could that unknown Central Island Firm be more powerful than those large firms and corporations?

Most of the Heavenly Federation masses felt the same way; they didn't quite believe it.

Then, on the mainstream platforms, part of the Central Island Firm's announcement gave related experimental data. Those data were naturally hard for laypeople to sort out, and they were stunning in the eyes of experts.

The data were enough to demonstrate the Central Island Firm wasn't just spouting nonsense.

On that seemingly ordinary evening, countless family enterprises and corporate firms organized working groups right away. With stunning efficiency, they analyzed the data overnight. When dawn overtook the night, they had the initial results of the analysis. No matter which family organization or corporation, they all surprisingly got the same results—the Central Island Firm had made a breakthrough with jungle communications!

There were endless analytical institutions that verified the data. The Central Island Firm had really rocked the federation! The huge sensation quickly became a frenzy.

Nearly all of the firms with any standing had related experimental programs and were well aware of how valuable such technology was.

In every district and city, all of the shuttle car tickets to Pomelo were immediately sold out. The big, powerful firms all dispatched specialized project teams right away. Within a short time, countless people were thronging there.

With such big news coming out, everyone in Pomelo was filled with pride. When people met, what they talked about was bound to be jungle communications technology and the Central Island Firm. People were talking excitedly and speculating about who would partner with the Central Island Firm in the end. The Big Six? The government? Or would it be some other large-scale firm? It was as though they were employees of the Central Island Firm.

Thanks to that marvelous move, the Central Island Firm underwent a tremendous transformation in their circumstances. First was the number-one person of the local government personally rushing over to congratulate them, along with a bunch of VIPs. They didn't say a thing about their having to pay the huge reparations but were rather desperate to praise the firm's contributions to Pomelo those last few years.

Right after that, all the other powers that had been lined up against the Central Island Firm now all sent their own important people to send their respects. Everyone understood the recently formed alliance had already run its course.

The employees at the Central Island Firm, who had been panicked, immediately calmed down. Entering the Central Island Firm building, there wasn't one of them who wasn't holding their head high and their chest out with a face full of pride. Those who had been planning to change jobs secretly wiped off their cold sweat and rushed to tear up their letters of resignation.

The busiest were the Central Island Firm's clients. Nearly all the communications cards of the customers had been zapped, and none of the customer service girls had a moment's rest, starting at midnight. All had parched voices, though they didn't look at all tired. They looked more excited than ever!

The advertisement wasn't only good for the Central Island Firm. The one who'd made the advertisement, Heaven's Wings, had undoubtedly made a deep impression as well. Some interested companies started to inquire about that fantasy card advertising firm they'd never heard of either. There was a flurry whenever people in Pomelo saw the special Heaven's Wings logo on a fantasy card advertisement.

Of course, it was extraordinary that Heaven's Wings had undertaken the project.

The fame of Heaven's Wings in Pomelo overshadowed all the other firms by that time as the first in command among the true denizens. Not only that, most of the outside firms were calling on them, which nearly drove Bu Qiangdong crazy.

His voice was smoked. Starting in the morning, those calling for him never stopped. Who knows where they got the contact information for Heaven's Wings, but the thing he found the most incomprehensible was that the calls were exclusively made into his communications card.

His communications card was nearly fried.

The rest of the employees were jealous and helplessly wanted to do something. Bu Qiangdong complained incessantly. By that time, he was the only head of the two heads, and he was in a bad place. The consulting companies were all ones he'd previously had to look up to. While others could freely complain and pluck hairs that were all thicker than his thigh by their roots, he had been careful always to plod straight along—lest anything go wrong.

Afterward, he became completely numb to those earth-shaking large firms when he heard them in his ear.

What flustered him most was that he hadn't found the boss! Every bit of business there required the boss's final decision. He certainly didn't dare to make decisions. But, not only couldn't the boss be found, his bodyguard couldn't be found either, or even that pretty secretary who'd just arrived.

At that time, Chen Mu and Lu Xiaoru were with Sue Lochiro.

Lu Xiaoru was playing with the little girl she'd risked her life to save before. Under her every possible kind of coaxing, the little girl's gloomy face finally resumed its sunny, warm smile.

"This young lady isn't only beautiful; she's also a good angel!" Sue Lochiro walked over beside Chen Mu, her voice showing a note of respect.

Angel! Chen Mu felt a weird feeling welling up. He didn't know how much blood or how many lives she had on her hands to be called an angel! But, seeing what was going on in front of him and the joy coming from the depths of Lu Xiaoru's heart, as well as the innocence and happiness on the little girl's face, Chen Mu found he had nothing to say.

He just kept silent.

Sue Lochiro turned around naughtily and smiled lightly. "Tell me, what I can do for you?" The blue and white medical card artisan uniform made Chen Mu think of the word "scent."

Chen Mu was a little surprised. "How do you know I want something from you?"

Sue Lochiro shrugged and spread her hands apart, saying, "If such a taciturn person as you didn't need something, then why would you come here?" Her motions were light and casual, which, combined with the warm smile, increased the intimacy as the two of them came closer together.

Chen Mu didn't mind that she'd called him indifferent. But, the initial feeling of strangeness had dissipated. He felt a lot more relaxed as he nodded his head to admit, "I certainly do need something from you. I'm having some health issues and would like to ask for your help to do an examination."

"Oh. What's the trouble?" The casual look on Sue Lochiro's face quickly disappeared, replaced by a serious, conscientious look.

Her attitude probably affected Chen Mu; his originally relaxed expression abruptly turned serious.

After a moment's thought, Sue Lochiro chuckled despite herself. This made Chen Mu wonder, giving him a questioning expression.

"When your face stiffens, it brings to mind the green paving stones in my old home town." There was the hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth as the plain but elegant intellectual showed something of the innocent playfulness of a little girl.

Chen Mu suddenly smiled. That sort of look was pretty rare on his face, and Sue Lochiro's eyes rolled a little more as the smile on her lips broadened.

"I'm just kidding. Ok, let's get back on track. Um, where is the trouble?" Sue Lochiro pulled back her smile and resumed her serious expression.

Chen Mu wasn't bothered by that. His temperament remained obscure, not being so good at contact with strangers. But, once she got used to him and became his friend, he was pretty good tempered. That's the way it had been when he was together with Copper, and there had been some respect added with Uncle Hua.

However, in this later encounter when he was on guard and alert—and with his constant companion Wei-ah even colder than him—he unwittingly looked still more obscure.

He felt relaxed with Sue Lochiro and certainly wouldn't be bothered by a joke.

Chen Mu used hand gestures for a long time, never being able to find suitable words to describe what was wrong. He furrowed his brow as he kept gesturing with his hands, which made him look very funny. Sue Lochiro didn't smile and kept looking at him seriously.

After a while, Chen Mu found it was really a problem for him. He could only helplessly say, "I think if you do an exam, you should find out."

"Mmmm, come with me." Without any teasing, Sue Lochiro took Chen Mu to a specialized examination section. No one was there, and it was piled with all sorts of strange devices Chen Mu had never seen.

"This is the examining room, and all of the instruments here are rather advanced for the Ming Zheng District." As she explained, she pointed to a bed in the middle of the examining room. "Lie down on that."

Chen Mu did what she asked. There were various instruments placed all around the bed.

Sue Lochiro had a solemn expression. Her movements were lively as she started them up in a practiced manner, charging Chen Mu, "Don't be nervous, and try to keep your breathing even and calm."

All of the instruments lit up one after the other, and all kinds of screens could be seen around the room. The colorful screens were crammed with data Chen Mu couldn't understand.

Taking in a deep breath without any agitation, his breathing became perfectly even.

A look of praise flashed through Sue Lochiro's eyes. That had demonstrated how perfect that Cao Dong's psychological qualities really were!