Chapter 400: Snake's Tongue

"Please do not leave me……"

Maybe it was because Mikael didn't answer for a long time that Mikael felt flustered. She repeated the words again with a hint of choking. This time, Mikael didn't and had no reason to ignore it anymore.

He walked up to Mei Yi and raised his hand, as if he wanted to rub her head, but finally put his hand down.

"You silly boy, I haven't even finished speaking yet - if you don't want to, it's just your unilateral unwillingness. I'll stay by your side anyway."

Mei Yi was stunned for a moment, and thought Mikael's words were very interesting. In the first half of the sentence, he sounded like an elder, but in the second half, he became more rogue and arrogant than his peers.

But no matter what, Mikael's meaning was conveyed, and a smile finally appeared on her face.

It's strange to say that she and Mikael have only known each other for less than two days. Logically speaking, they shouldn't be so familiar with each other.

But she could feel the emotions overflowing from Mikael. Girls are inherently very sensitive animals. No matter what, she could feel that Mikael really cared about her. Even if something happened to her father, he would still care about her. Choosing to stay, and not out of compulsion, was a genuine desire to stay with her.

This was enough to move her. As for whether what Mikael said was true or false, at least it didn't matter in Mei Yi's heart, and she didn't want to think about such things.

But speaking of it this way, isn’t that idiot named Kiana the same?

In fact, Mikael also understands this, and because he understands it, he can't help but feel a little distressed.

Meiyi's thoughts are not that complicated. In fact, what she wants is for someone to stay with her after her father's accident, instead of leaving without saying hello.

She was just afraid that everyone would stay with her just because of her father. Once something happened to her father, everyone would disperse like birds and beasts, leaving only a vast expanse of white land that was really clean.

But if there are really people who can stay, even if it's just one or two, even if the reason why Mikael stays has something to do with his father, this is enough for Mei Yi now.

After all, from beginning to end, she was a silly child who thought about others.

But there is still a problem...

"I...um...raise..."

Mei Yi groaned, looking extremely troubled. Mikael didn't need the power of consciousness to guess what she was troubled with.

"Okay, just treat most of the content of the adoption agreement as a piece of waste paper. As for the title...coincidentally, I don't like being called father. Dad, adoptive father, and adoptive father don't like it, so , why don't you call me...'teacher'? Come on, please call me first."

"ah……"

Meiyi looked confused. She had some doubts about whether she heard it wrong. But after briefly looking at each other with Mikael, she might not be able to feel more, but Mikael didn't like others calling him "father". He should be serious about everything he calls him.

"Then...Mr. Mikael...forget it, I think Mr. Mikael should speak more smoothly, okay?"

The corners of Mikael's mouth twitched, then he spread his hands and shrugged.

"Please, I was just joking. Something like that happened in ME Club. As the former eldest lady of ME Club, you are naturally under the attention of the media. I don't want the whole world to know about our relationship. This is not for you. Good thing."

"That……"

"So you can't just call me Mikael? Why do you have to use the honorific? Do you have to make me look old?"

"Pfft——"

Mei Yi covered her mouth and chuckled, smiling and laughing, even tears came out.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and whispered:

"Mikael...next time, don't try so hard to make me laugh."

"..."

"Okay."

Meiyi rubbed her cheeks and forced out a bitter smile.

"You gave Kiana the noodles during lunch before. You must be hungry now. There should be some food in the refrigerator. I'll go see what other dishes there are and make some..."

She raised her eyes to look at Mikael somewhat unconfidently, and took another precaution in advance:

"Well... I haven't cooked much before. If it doesn't suit your taste later, you must tell me."

"puff!"

Mikael shook his head, sighed helplessly, and then pushed Mei Yi back down as she was about to get up.

"Okay, just stay here and rest. Kiana should be back soon. I asked her to buy a lot of delicious food."

"Ah...ah...ok."

Yayi smiled sarcastically and sat back on the edge of the bed.

Mikael's eyes stayed on her for a few seconds, and then he looked away with a guilty conscience.

Mei Yi raised her head and glanced at Mikael again with some humiliation. It was obviously fine yesterday, but today whenever the two of them were alone, she always felt an inexplicable embarrassment and alienation.

"Maybe it's because of the adoption agreement?"

The two people were indeed not familiar with each other, and their fates were bound together by the adoption agreement. Even if they didn't mean to exclude each other, embarrassment and short-term alienation were inevitable... At least, that was the case for Mei herself. I think so.

"Uh...ahem!"

Mikael put his fist in front of his lips and coughed, then took out a bank card and the corresponding bankbook from his all-purpose trouser pocket, and handed them to Meiyi's hand.

"This is……"

"The two million dollars your father has allocated will all be given to you. With this money and this villa, you don't have to go to Qianyu College anymore. Unless something major happens, this money is enough for you to use for a lifetime. If you invest properly, you may even be able to multiply it several times. Of course, the choice is yours."

Mei hesitated for a moment and handed the bank card and passbook back to Mikael.

"I'm not willing to give it up. I want to give it another try."

Mikael nodded slightly. This reluctance was not only because he was unwilling to leave Qianyu College in such a humiliated way, but also because he was unwilling to live happily alone with this money while his father was in prison.

As for what Mikael said, "unless something major happens", Mei didn't take it to heart. After all, for most people in this world, the collapse is still only a distant legend. No one would have thought that the fate of the entire world has officially begun the countdown.

Mikael put the things back into his pocket in silence, and said half-truthfully:

"Well, since you have made a decision, let's make another agreement - you have to live strong in Qianyu Academy, and I will use the money to investigate the economic fraud case of ME Society. If your father is really framed, I will definitely clear his name and let you and your daughter meet again, okay?"

As he said, Mikael extended his hand to Meiyi.

Meiyi did not hesitate any more, but she did not shake hands like an adult, but extended her little finger to Mikael.

"How can an agreement be made by shaking hands? Shouldn't it be a pinky promise?"

Although there was still some sadness in her expression, it did not prevent Meiyi from pouting in dissatisfaction.

But seeing Mikael's unprecedented serious expression, Meiyi could not help but put away all her joking mentality. No matter how stupid she was, she realized that Mikael had no intention of joking at all.

"Mei, although you are not old enough, you must become an adult after this happens. Pinky is a ritual for children to make an agreement, while handshake means that adults have reached a promise that must be fulfilled. Do you understand?"

Mei's fingertips trembled, and then she gently squeezed Mikael's four fingers with her tiger's mouth in an extremely standard posture.

"Okay, the agreement is reached. Kiana will also be back. I will go to the kitchen to prepare first. She will bring some snacks first."

He turned around as if nothing had happened, and then the muscles in his cheek twitched twice.

In fact, it doesn't matter whether it's a handshake or a pinky. He doesn't care at all. It's just... he still has an "agreement" that has not been fulfilled. If she must choose between pinky and handshake as a witness to the agreement, Mikael believes that she will definitely choose pinky.

As for the promise with Mei, Mikael actually has no intention of fulfilling it at all. Anyway, it will take at least a few weeks, at most a few months, until Cocolia completely controls the Far East Branch of Anti-Entropy, and it is time to enter the process of activating the Conquest Gem.

At that time, the third collapse broke out, and Changkong City instantly became a dead zone. Raiden Ryoma might be safer in prison. With his skills, it would not be difficult for him to escape. Besides, there was the rescue of the Anti-Entropy Headquarters, so he didn't need to intervene at all.

"Bang!"

The sound of the door closing was a little loud, as if reflecting the uneasy mood of the door closer, but Meiyi didn't notice it, because the moment Mikael turned around, the smile on her face had disappeared, and she curled up and buried her face between her knees-

Sadness is like a heavy rain that comes down, soaking people from head to toe before they react. After returning, no matter how much you wipe, it will take a long time to eliminate all the moisture on your body. Even if you use a hair dryer to dry the moisture, the moisture of the rain still remains on your body.

And even if the time is long enough, can the moisture completely disappear? Of course not, because some of it is absorbed by the skin and enters the body, but it is completely invisible on the surface.

Sadness is such a lingering thing. No matter what method is used to resolve it, it is not something that can be dispelled in a short time. Even if it is "dispelled", it will leave an indelible mark in fate.

Meiyi feels that she has a say in this now.

Mikael, who is separated by a door, feels that he has more say in this.

He walked out of the villa step by step, and the warm evening glow of early winter instantly wrapped him up, and made him unconsciously think of many past events.

Dusk, another dusk, but not just dusk.

It can also be the ice milk tea she put on his swollen cheek, or the brooch he trembled and failed to pin on her chest, or the blood mist that permeated the entire space.

All this is obviously a very long, long time ago, but it seems to have happened not long ago.

So, in order to not let down these warm or unbearable memories, even if some sins are committed and some promises are broken, what's wrong?

If a person can make the world beautiful by carrying all the sins in the world, then give all the sins to him. Unfortunately, this is just a childish fantasy.

He squinted his eyes and took a breath of the somewhat cold air. He heard Kiana's clamorous call in his ears.

"Uncle Mikael! I'm back!"

Just as Mikael was about to walk down the steps at the entrance of the villa, he stumbled and almost rolled down the steps.

…………

It gets dark very early in winter, and it was still dusk when I left school. By the time I returned to the orphanage that was my base, it was already dark, with only the western half of the sky showing an almost purple color.

Rosalia and Lilia had slept at school all day and were naturally full of energy. They opened the door of the orphanage with laughter and rushed in.

Xing looked back at the two people who were leisurely hanging at the end, stamped her feet angrily, and finally chose to catch up.

Of course, Bronya didn't mean to walk so slowly. In her own words, "The time it takes to walk from here to the orphanage gate is enough for me to strangle someone to death with my stockings."

But who asked Xier to hold her hand silently and rest his head gently on her shoulder?

Or maybe she overdid it during the day and stayed away from the classroom all morning in order to complete the task. Xier probably wanted to make up for the time that they could have spent together.

The two children kept this posture until they reached the signboard of the orphanage. Bronya turned her head. Before she could speak, Xier released her hand first, took half a step to the side, and then smiled slightly:

"Sister Bronya, Xi'er goes back to do her homework first. After sister Bronya reports her work to Cocolia's mother, remember to come and play with Xi'er."

Bronya suppressed it twice, but in the end she couldn't restrain the raised corners of her lips. She deliberately made a helpless gesture and slowly shook her head:

"There's really nothing I can do about you, but... okay."

"Thank you, Sister Bronya!"

Xi'er rushed up to him again, but only gave him a shallow hug and left with a smile.

Bronya did not go to Cocolia's mother's office immediately, but watched as Xi'er's back slowly disappeared at the end of the corridor. Unlike Natasha, who is also a teacher, a friend, and sometimes a sister, Xier is her first real friend of the same age.

It's strange to say that the book clearly says that people with common interests will become friends, but this doesn't seem to be true for the two of them.

Perhaps the emotions between people cannot be summarized by cold words and theories.

And... although there is no evidence, Bronya always feels that the relationship between her and Xier is not that "innocent". It just felt like she had some deeper connection with Xi'er, but it hadn't been revealed yet.

But when she turned around and walked towards Cocolia's office, the thought that came to her mind surprised her:

"Twenty meters away, considering that my wrist cannot fully control the recoil of the Tokarev pistol, I should aim at her left waist to make the bullet hit her heart."

Bronya suddenly covered her forehead - "Damn occupational disease."

She leaned against the wall and gasped for a few breaths, then raised her hand and knocked on Cocolia's door.

"Huh? Bronya, you are back."

Bronya glanced with her eyes and effortlessly caught the joy in Cocolia's eyebrows. Of course, the other party did not hide it.

According to her experience, this unabashed joy was certainly not because they were returning from school. It's not that Cocolia won't be happy to see their adopted daughters, but for her, this "joy" can be suppressed at any time, does not need to be shown, and can be abandoned at any time.

Then, considering the rumors in the school during the day, it is not difficult to guess the reason for her joy at this time.

"How's it going at ME Club?"

Bronya raised her eyebrows and asked unabashedly.

Cocolia smiled slightly. Bronya looked exactly like Natasha. She was obviously a mercenary who looked up to others, but she didn't feel at all self-conscious about being a lowly person. Maybe this is the self-confidence of a master...

Of course, Cocolia did not intend to hide too much about this adopted daughter whose abilities were not much worse than Natasha's, and who was more malleable (easy to fool) because she was still young. After all, properly revealing some secrets can also help to deepen the relationship between them.

"Thunder Ryoma confessed to his crime. In fact, everyone can see that he is taking the blame for the ME Society, but that is not important. Our goal has been achieved. The Anti-Entropy Extreme East Branch is leaderless. We will intervene forcefully tomorrow. After dealing with all the opponents here, we will send a message to the headquarters. As long as the leaders are not stupid, they will hold their noses and admit the fact that we have taken over the Far East Branch. "

Having said this, Cocolia paused.

"Then, we will start the previously delayed X-10 experiment as soon as possible."

Bronya's jaw opened, perhaps knowing that some words would be useless, so she finally chose to remain silent.

But if you don't say those words, it doesn't mean that the other party can't feel your attitude.

Cocolia's eyelids drooped, and her body gradually leaned on the table.

"Then, now that the mission against Raiden Ryoma has been completed, do we no longer need to monitor Raiden Mei?"

"I know what you're thinking, Bronya."

Cocolia understands Bronya's dissatisfaction - since she decided to suddenly attack Raiden Ryoma early this morning, why should she be asked to monitor Raiden Mei?

The pen swirled between Cocolia's two fingers, and then she explained:

"First, regardless of the relationship with ME Club, Raiden Mei is still our target. If you want to ask why...she has a conquest gem implanted in her body. Is this reason enough?"

"Really...really? But she looks no different from ordinary people..."

Bronya wished she could open her eyes wider, otherwise she wouldn't be able to show her surprise. She knew very well that she was one of the samples in the X-10 experiment. Although she still didn't understand what the "gem" was, she knew from the way those people in white coats looked at her that she looked like a dead person. "Gem", that's a fatal thing.

"So that's it. I understand. I will keep an eye on her."

Bronya nodded, but there was a strange feeling of sadness in her heart.

"You...I haven't said the second reason yet."

Cocolia took a sip of coffee, with a rare look of worry on her face:

"Second, in fact, when I woke up this morning, I wasn't ready to take immediate action against Thunderbolt Ryoma. I didn't even have time to confirm the specific requirements for falsifying accounts with the agent I installed."

"Huh? Huh?"

Bronya used two syllables in succession to express her doubts.

"Actually, this time, I won by lying down."

Cocolia spread her hands.

"Bronya, what I'm going to say next may seem like fantasy to you, but it's the truth - when I woke up, there was a USB flash drive next to my pillow, which was full of information about Thunder and Lightning Ryoma. The accounts of economic fraud, if I hadn’t known about my colleague, I would have thought it was true.”

"Did the USB flash drive appear suddenly? I wonder who made it?"

If that's the case, it's a bit scary, because it conveys at least two pieces of information -

For one, this person could easily take Cocolia's life without alerting anyone around her.

Secondly, since he did not leave his name, he would definitely not be asking for nothing in return. With Cocolia's behavior, it was naturally impossible for that person to repay a favor, so there was only one possibility. The other party would fight Cocolia with the thunder and lightning dragon horse. He has a panoramic view and deliberately promotes it, simply because it is in his interests. But in this way, whether it is the Thunder Dragon Horse on the surface or the Cocolia hidden in the dark, they have become the opponent's pawns.

"Yeah, actually, I still have some mercy. The files in the USB flash drive pointed directly at Raiden Ryoma. I spent an hour deleting, deleting, and modifying them, and pointed the finger at the entire ME club. This is more or less worthy of my colleagues. Already?"

Cocolia tried to change the topic, and Bronya would not be fooled. However, just when she took a step forward and wanted to ask questions, the mobile phone on Cocolia's table rang.

"Um?"

Cocolia glanced at the screen and frowned quickly. Upon seeing this, Bronya obediently held her breath and walked to Cocolia's side, trying to hear something.

"Hiss——"

There was a burst of noise in the receiver at first, which seemed to be a blurred signal, but it didn't seem to be the case.

"Hey, Natasha, what are you doing..."

"Oh? So this girl's name is Natasha."

The female voice on the other end of the phone was cold and sticky, and the ear was more like being touched by a snake's spit. In just one sentence, goosebumps spread all over Cocolia's body.

"Who are you?"

Cocolia shuddered and glanced around involuntarily. She knew clearly that there was no one else around but Bronya, but the moment she closed her eyes, a pair of green snakes appeared in her mind. Hitomi, with a hint of murderous intent and mockery, stared at her.

"It doesn't matter who I am, but I'd like to remind you that there is a girl named Natasha on the roof of the department store opposite the former ME club president's residence in Yamate Ward. You'd better send someone to take her back for treatment as soon as possible. In addition, I'd like to mention Wake up - I don't want to see anyone spying on this mansion again, and the next time it's not something I can do with a broken arm and two ribs."