The jet was efficient; in less than two hours, the plane landed on the rooftop of Las Vegas. Malaya put on the blouse Li Haojun had prepared for her—a white linen, semi-transparent, fitted, ruffled hem that nicely concealed her hips without making her look bulky.
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After unloading the suitcases and equipment cases from the plane, Li Haojun strapped the equipment to the suitcases. Malaya didn't lead the way. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Malaya spoke,
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"You go first, I'll follow behind. The elevator doors are ahead," she said, pointing with her hand.
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"Oh," Li Haojun turned and walked ahead. He completely trusted Malaya and never overthought things, but this time it felt like the same procedure he used to follow with John on missions. Was she protecting this equipment? Was it really necessary?
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The elevator was empty of other passengers and went directly to the destination floor, where there were guards. Li Haojun glanced back at Maria.
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"Keep going forward, room 1721," she simply indicated the direction without explanation.
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The room wasn't open; a workbench and some pre-installed equipment were already there. Upon entering, Li Haojun received an equipment installation guide.
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As he connected and calibrated the equipment according to the instructions, he pondered its intended purpose. He had brought his company's testing equipment, used to detect the presence of formulations based on their technological approach, and their derivative applications in aesthetic medicine or human bio-enhancement technologies.
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After successful testing and completing the report, the new terminal command was to follow Maria away.
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Only after they reached the first floor, stepped out the door, and glanced back at the name of the place they had been standing in did Maria speak.
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"Okay, come back to the hotel with me. We're going to the exhibition tomorrow."
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Only then did Li Haojun feel the familiar Maria he knew. He couldn't help but ask,
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"Do you really like this kind of work?"
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"What's wrong?"
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"I don't think this cold and dangerous work suits you. I feel like this job has changed your personality."
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"Really? Do you really think you understand my personality? Besides, people always have to grow up."
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Here we go again. Li Haojun didn't want to argue with her or discuss life at this moment, so he remained silent.
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"Don't you want to go on an adventure with me?" After asking this, Maria chuckled to herself.
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Her laughter was like a warm breeze, blowing into Li Haojun's heart, somewhat dispelling the coldness brought from that building. He knew Maria was repeating what she had said to him a year ago, but he had never quite understood it.
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They returned to the hotel in silence. Li Haojun glanced at the room he had booked; it had two beds.
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"I'm responsible for your itinerary and safety, so I'll share a room with you," Maria explained.
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"Are you also responsible for escorting me to that testing lab at any time?"
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"Yes, in case the equipment malfunctions, other personnel will handle the operation."
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"Okay," Li Haojun agreed, suddenly feeling a growing distance between them. She was no longer the young girl who planned her own itinerary. Back then, she didn't need to follow anyone's orders; she simply used her own ingenuity to thoughtfully arrange her schedule. Now, she seemed merely an executor of another source of instructions.
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Li Haojun felt inexplicably sad and walked deeper into the room alone. Suddenly remembering something, he turned around and asked,
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"Do you also take care of other people's schedules?"
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"No, I only take care of yours."
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"Oh," Li Haojun replied, looking at Maria, his expression frozen.
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"Do you trust my sister?" Maria asked, walking closer to him and looking into his eyes for a moment before saying,
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"You can trust me as much as you trust her."
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"Oh," he answered somewhat blankly.
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Seeing his expression, Maria paced back and forth in front of Li Haojun, then suddenly turned to him and asked,
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"Would you go on an adventure with someone you don't trust?"
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"I wouldn't,"
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"Neither would I, but now I'm with you," Maria said, then stood in front of Li Haojun again, looking into his eyes.
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Li Haojun gently hugged her. He put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug.
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“Let’s sit down and talk. I just don’t understand. Your sister is with me because she wants to be loved, while you want to go on adventures with me. What kind of adventure do you want?”
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“In a way, right now,”
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“But if it were someone you care about, like me and your sister, I wouldn’t take her on an adventure. I want to be with her safely. But you want to go on an adventure, and drag someone else along with you. What’s the point if something happens?”
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“If something happens, only your body dies, not your soul,”
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“Oh, okay, you’re right, but I’ve never died. I can’t make that kind of life decision.” Li Haojun answered according to his own logic, but he truly couldn’t understand Malaya’s world.
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“I like taking people who haven’t died on adventures; that’s what makes it worthwhile,” Maria said with a smile, looking into Li Haojun’s eyes.
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“Oh,” Li Haojun replied, seemingly understanding her meaning, and emphasized,
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“But that’s too radical, isn’t it?”
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“Hmph,” Maria laughed, getting up and changing the subject.
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Li Haojun watched her walk away, secretly sensing that this girl might desperately need care or attention. So he tentatively asked her an extreme question,
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“If you received orders to detain me or kill me, would you carry them out?”
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“I wouldn’t receive orders of that level,”
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“What if?”
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“I wouldn’t! Perfect, we can play a life-or-death adventure together, just you and me.” She laughed heartily.
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Her voice was clear and slightly magnetic. Li Haojun stared at her, comparing her to the Maria he knew before, unable to imagine what she had gone through in the past six months.
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Facing Li Haojun's gaze, Maria didn't seem to care or explain. She simply walked to the window, lowered the curtains, took a button from her belt, placed it there, and then, still under his gaze, placed another one on the wall by the door. Turning back, she sat down beside Li Haojun, looked at him, and after a moment spoke,
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"That little girl was harmless back then, wasn't she? Now she's grown up, and has been trained by some unknown force, and you know nothing about what happened during that training."
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"Yes, haha," Li Haojun knew that she and her sister were capable of understanding his thoughts, and simply replied,
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"This trip here is indeed not simply..." "Attending the exhibition might mean other things are happening in other parts of the city simultaneously, requiring the equipment we bring. But I don't know the full picture. You and I are just a small part of the mission, so you don't need to worry too much," Maria explained to him, then added,
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"After all, I'm just a regular field operative, and you're just regular business technical support. There's no need for us to be specifically targeted."
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"Oh, and also, be careful not to get tricked, like by mission orders that conceal the truth," Li Haojun suddenly thought of this possibility and reminded her,
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"Yes, I'll be careful. It's just a job, and it's somewhat interesting, so I chose it." Maria smiled slightly as she finished speaking. Seeing that Li Haojun didn't react, Maria's smile faded.
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"Can you still protect that little girl?" she asked, taking his arm.
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"Ha, of course," Li Haojun replied with a smile, but looking at the changed Maria, a strange sense of estrangement filled him.
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"I know why you can't treat me like before," Maria said softly.
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"Oh? Why do you think I am?" Li Haojun pressed, eager to hear Maria's perspective on this unspoken turmoil.
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"I just want to tell you, I am still not controlled by anyone, not possessed by anyone, and have never been possessed by anyone."
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"Oh," Li Haojun agreed, nodding. Could it really be this subconscious resentment within him?
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and then Add to home screen.