Chapter 34

Although the white-haired witch with the five-digit number didn't seem very reliable, the things she promised would never go wrong. Hao Ren received the activity funds allocated by the organization. Looking at the additional digits on his bank card, he felt tears welling up in his eyes: this treatment was really good. If Raven 12345 had directly slapped a string of zeros in his face, he would have signed the contract without hesitation!

Hao Ren realized something: he had to learn to break away from the mindset of an ordinary person and view the "Space-Time Administration" from a higher perspective. For this organization, money was probably just a tool for action, and it was available in unlimited quantities. Hao Ren thought about holding the bank card and asking Raven 12345 to add a few more zeros, but he didn't have the nerve to do so...

But no matter what, the activity funds were secured, and it also covered Vivi's food expenses for at least two years. Since the lazy vampire moved in, Hao Ren had been supporting her for free. He said it was like hiring a nanny to save on electricity and offset the rent, but that was mostly a joke. As an ordinary person, Hao Ren couldn't rise to such a level. He just needed a reason to make both himself and Vivi feel comfortable with this freeloading situation. Now, it was no longer a problem. The white-haired witch had allocated enough funds for three people to travel around the world, just to go to England to pick up someone...

On the way to the Capital International Airport, Vivi kept nagging, "Landlord, do you think the Space-Time Administration is still hiring? I could help them with cooling, you know!"

Even after boarding the plane, Vivi continued to nag. Hao Ren couldn't help but say, "Cut it out, this requires talent, you know. I'm at least a reserve civil servant and a candidate for a saint. Do you think it's that easy? Besides, the white-haired witch's house is warm in winter and cool in summer. As a goddess, I doubt she needs air conditioning..."

Vivi had been responsible for cooling the entire house for the past two days, and the three of them had already started treating her like an air conditioner.

The young vampire pouted, then leaned against the plane window, watching the ground crew below and muttering, "Is it okay to leave 'Roll' at home?"

"Don't worry, he's tough. Don't forget his background," Hao Ren wasn't concerned. This time, the whole family was going out, and it wasn't practical to bring the cat on the plane or arrange international shipping for it. So he left "Roll" at home, entrusting him to a neighbor. In reality, Hao Ren was sure that the clever cat would likely escape from the neighbor's house the next day and fend for himself. "Back in the day, he could dominate all the cat and dog territories in the neighborhood with his less than ten-pound body. His survival skills in the wild are better than mine. When I first got him two years ago, I was worried about leaving him alone, but now I'm not. If I leave him for a month, he comes back a pound heavier..."

"Landlord, what do you think England will be like? I've never been there," Lili, sitting across from Hao Ren, asked curiously, looking out the window with her four paws.

This time, with ample "activity funds," Hao Ren had bought first-class tickets, making the space around them spacious and separated from other passengers. Lili, who couldn't sit still, had been fidgeting for a long time before the plane took off. Of course, the reason for buying first-class tickets was partly due to the ample funds, but more importantly, it provided better privacy. Hao Ren knew he was traveling with two extremely special beings. Although these experienced superheroes wouldn't mess up, he still wanted to keep them as far away from ordinary people as possible to discuss "confidential topics" more easily.

"I don't know, I've never been there," Hao Ren shrugged and turned to Vivi, "By the way, confirm again, you really went to England, right? We'll rely on you as our guide there. You're supposed to know English, right?"

"Of course, I value my reputation and don't speak lightly," Vivi puffed out her chest, "I've traveled the world. I knew the Earth was round long before your ancestors ate raw meat. Where haven't I been? I even worked in the Vatican..."

Hao Ren quickly coughed, "Ahem, no need to bring up your days of working in the church. I wonder what your fellow vampires would think of your glorious past."

"They? I haven't seen them in centuries. Most are stubborn fools, and the few smart ones are even better at hiding than I am," Vivi shrugged, "Our clan is very loose. Even in our prime, we were a scattered bunch. That's why we've become so marginalized. Ah, let's not talk about the past. It just makes me feel depressed—how did I end up living such a muddled life?"

Hao Ren chuckled, "You know you're muddled. Alright, as long as you know English and can navigate, we won't need to find a guide. We can't ask for help from others. Raven said it's to train our new employees' ability to handle tasks, so he didn't even give us a map..."

Vivi confidently patted her chest, "Don't worry, don't worry. I've lived in England for over 130 years, and my English is like a native speaker. I've even had shouting matches with Arthur and Mordred—"

Hao Ren listened, feeling something was off, but Vivi's statement was so information-dense that he couldn't analyze it in detail. So he just nodded and didn't delve into it further.

After a while, seeing that Lili wasn't settling down, Hao Ren found a topic to distract the wolf girl, "I've always wanted to ask, how do you solve the identity issue when living in the human world? Especially you, Lili, how do you manage it?"

This question had been bothering Hao Ren for days: Vivi, being old and experienced, was one thing, but how did the scatterbrained Lili manage her identity in modern society? She claimed to have been wandering the world since the Republican era, being a famous literary woman in Shanghai during the time of the Republic. Over nearly a century, the forms of citizen identification had changed countless times, yet Lili, the scatterbrained one, managed to live comfortably in the human world—apparently even better than Vivi. This was truly intriguing.

Lili, hearing this, squatted down properly in her seat, and her ears seemed to twitch, "It's not difficult at all. I've watched your society develop from scratch. Living in human society is something I understand completely, no problem at all."

At this point, Lili suddenly looked up cleverly, her usually unreliable mind finally showing some intelligence, "Why especially me? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Hao Ren quickly shook his head, while Vivi turned away, unable to bear the sight. Lili, however, corrected him earnestly, "I know you always think I'm not very smart, but I have sharp senses. I just don't bother to argue with you. It's a matter of attitude. Landlord, let me tell you, don't think I'm not smart. I have a lot of connections, like... well, most of those people are dead, so I won't mention them. Anyway, I'm very capable!"

Hao Ren wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, sensing that Lili might have mentioned a bunch of terrifying names, many of which were forbidden topics. Fortunately, the wolf girl stopped early. Living with these two superheroes, he experienced similar surprises every day. They talked about historical figures as if they were neighbors, completely disregarding the shock it caused the listeners.

At this moment, the plane's takeoff preparations were finally complete, and the flight attendants began to instruct passengers to sit down and fasten their seatbelts. After all the fuss, Lili obediently sat down and quickly fastened her seatbelt. Then, both she and Hao Ren noticed a startling fact: Vivi seemed to be trembling...

Vivi, who usually exuded a steady and dignified aura, started to change in color as soon as she heard the announcement about the plane's takeoff. She even seemed unsure about how to use the seatbelt. After Hao Ren helped Vivi fasten it, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you afraid of flying? You have wings, you know!"

"I've never been on one of these..." Vivi said weakly.

Hao Ren was quite surprised: this vampire, who had watched the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and who had seen so much, had never been on a plane?

Vivi looked like she was about to cry, "I couldn't afford the tickets..."

Hao Ren: "..."