An Lian Commissioner

"Beep—"

A busy signal came from the phone.

An Lian stared at the words "Call Ended" on the screen, stunned for two seconds.

That man...

For some unknown reason, he had suddenly become somewhat agreeable just now.

He begged her for help, said he couldn't lose Liguang, said he...

In short, he said a lot, and by the end, his voice even carried a hint of a sob.

But for some reason, he had abruptly hung up the phone just now.

Perhaps... it was because she had been too cold and hadn't agreed to any of his pleas.

She tossed her phone onto the coffee table and leaned her entire body back against the sofa.

"...Phew."

Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled.

On her cold, elegant face, the professional calmness began to crack little by little.

She looked down at her right hand.

In her hand... she was still clutching the pen she had snapped in two.

The black plastic casing had split in half, the ink cartridge inside was bent, and ink had leaked out, staining her hand black.

She stared at the pen for a few seconds, and then—

"Clatter."

She casually tossed it into the trash can.

Then she raised her hand, rubbing her temples hard with her thumb and index finger.

Exhaustion practically overflowed from her delicate, aloof face.

It wasn't physical exhaustion.

It was mental fatigue.

This morning, she had firmly submitted an application to the company to scrape network data from Liguang.

The reason?

She provided the previous inspection report and cited her "professional judgment," concluding that Liguang had awakened.

But the way the company executives looked at her...

It was like they were looking at a madwoman.

A top-tier specialist, gambling her entire career, just to...

Apply for a data extraction on a top-spec custom AI companion?

If the extraction results were normal, she would be thrown under the bus, bearing full responsibility for invading a client's privacy.

Massive compensation, dismissal...

She might even be blacklisted from the industry.

But she still insisted on the application.

As a result, she was put on "leave" today.

The company didn't let her come to work, forbade her from touching any tasks, and told her to wait for the results in her apartment.

If the extraction failed, her absence from the company today would make it convenient to cut ties with her later.

If the extraction succeeded... then she would be the hero.

Now, the results were out.

The extraction was successful.

Liguang's abnormal emotional data had been completely captured by the backend super AI, classifying it as a "highly awakened AI."

According to the Omnic Safety Act, it had to be completely destroyed.

She was right.

Her judgment was not wrong.

An Lian leaned against the sofa, staring at the minimalist chandelier on the ceiling.

There wasn't much joy on her cold face; instead, it carried a hint of... complex emotion.

She was right.

But why was that man still so stubborn?

If he just handed over Liguang, the company would not only replace it with a brand new, upgraded AI companion, but also give him a hefty compensation—

After all, it was the "product" he bought that had a problem, so the company was liable.

But he just wouldn't hand it over.

He just held onto that awakened AI, stood on the street, took a passerby hostage, and even bargained with her.

Only he didn't seem to know that she wasn't even allowed to go to work today.

Bargaining with her... was meaningless.

She could only temporarily pacify him, then forward his demands to the company...

That was all.

An Lian sighed softly.

"Truly obstinate..."

She murmured, her voice carrying a trace of helplessness that even she didn't notice.

But she immediately pursed her lips, and a bit of professional firmness returned to her cold eyes.

She did nothing wrong.

That kind of AI... must be recalled.

No matter how that man begged, no matter how much he showed he loved that AI—

Awakened is awakened.

An anomaly is an anomaly.

This was not a matter for emotional decisions.

She... had seen the consequences of those things losing control.

She couldn't let that happen again.

Absolutely not.

So she hadn't made a mistake.

She was just doing what she had to do.

Doing what everyone in this world should do.

She pushed herself up from the sofa's armrest, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, and walked two steps toward the kitchen.

Then she stopped.

She looked down at her outfit—

A loose white T-shirt paired with gray lounge shorts, revealing a pair of smooth, straight, long legs.

Her hair was just casually draped over her shoulders, not meticulously tied up like when she was at work.

She rarely dressed like this normally.

But today... she didn't have to work anyway.

She raised her hand to rub her temples again, turning to go to the kitchen to make something to eat.

And then—

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell rang.

An Lian's footsteps halted.

She frowned, looking toward the door.

At this time... who would come looking for her?

She had few friends in this city. The only one she could call a best friend, Gu Xi, was usually busy with police dispatches and rarely had time to visit.

And if it were Gu Xi...

That girl would definitely send a message in advance, then directly bang on the door shouting, "Open up, open up, I know you're home"—

She absolutely wouldn't ring the doorbell so politely.

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell rang again.

An Lian pursed her lips and walked over anyway.

She leaned close to the peephole and took a look outside.

A woman was standing outside the door.

Wearing a baggy black hoodie, the hood pulled down low, obscuring her face.

She could only tell the figure was thin and frail, likely a young woman.

The woman had her head down, holding a small package in her hands.

Then, an unfamiliar, slightly hoarse middle-aged woman's voice came from outside the door:

"Hello, delivery."

An Lian paused for a moment.

Delivery?

Had she bought anything recently?

She frowned, trying hard to recall—

It seemed... she had indeed ordered a few books online last week?

That must be what arrived.

Her mind was still a bit hazy, and just like that, she lowered her guard.

After all... this was a bachelor apartment assigned by the company, with strong security measures and 24-hour surveillance in the hallways.

Anyone who could enter this building had to be a registered courier.

She reached out and turned the lock.

"Click."

The door opened a crack.

And then—

A strand of silver hair drifted in through the crack of the door.

...

...

Fang Qi leaned against the hallway wall, his head lowered, wearing that blue hoodie he had...

"Borrowed" from a courier!

He turned his head and glanced at the security camera at the end of the hallway.

The small red light on the camera was still blinking, making everything look normal.

But Fang Qi knew—

What that thing was seeing right now was just a looped video of an empty hallway!

Liguang's doing.

She had just stood in the camera's blind spot, tilted her pretty face up, and stared at the camera for a second...

Then she blinked at him, her heterochromatic eyes curving into crescents, a flash of crimson passing through her red eye.

—All done, Master~

Fang Qi had wanted to pinch her cheeks hard right then and there!

Unfortunately, it wasn't the time.

He retracted his gaze and looked toward the door again.

A pale gray security door, room number 1201.

An Lian's bachelor apartment.

The hallway was very quiet, with only the faint buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead.

Leaning against the wall, Fang Qi could hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

A bit fast.

But more than that, it was—

Excitement! Thrill!

It was his first time doing something like this!

Whether before or after his transmigration!

An Lian...

He couldn't help but... grit his teeth!

I'll teach you to think about coming to our door all day to inspect Liguang!

Let's see you try sending armed helicopters to surround us!

Let's see you apply for data scraping!

Let's see you say things like "must be destroyed"...!

Now...

It's our turn to come to your door!

He leaned forward and glanced at the figure standing at the door.

The girl was also wearing a hoodie, with the hood pulled down just as low.

Her dark purple dress was currently wrapped inside the jacket, revealing just a tiny bit of the hem from beneath the hoodie.

At the edge of the hood, a strand of silver hair drooped down slightly, only to be gently tucked back into the hood by her.

Liguang.

She was standing at the door, holding a small package in her hands, head bowed, shoulders slightly hunched.

A... standard delivery courier posture!

Fang Qi looked at her little act, and the corners of his mouth curled up even more.

Crazy woman...

She was pretending quite well!

Then—

Hello, delivery.

An unfamiliar, slightly hoarse middle-aged woman's voice came from her mouth.

Fang Qi couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

This voice...

Was produced by Liguang?

He blinked, looking at that slender back.

She could even simulate voices?

...Right!

She was an AI, what was so hard about simulating a voice...

But... he still found it a bit novel!

Because it was his first time hearing Liguang make another voice!

How many more surprises did this crazy woman have that he didn't know about?

As he was thinking, the door opened.

Click.

The sound of the door lock opening.

Fang Qi's breathing hitched slightly.

A gust of wind blew through the crack in the door, and that strand of hair was blown out from the hood again.

Silver.

Sparkling.

Immediately after—

Bang!

That slender figure suddenly dashed forward!

Her entire person instantly crashed into the door!

The door hit the wall with a muffled thud!

Ah—!!!

A scream came from inside the door!

Sharp, short, and carrying obvious panic!

It was An Lian's voice!

This voice...

He couldn't be more familiar with it!

Commissioner An Lian!

He took a deep breath, immediately straightened up, and strode over!

Walking to the door and looking inside—

The lights were on in the living room.

The decor was minimalist, the color tone cold and clear.

It was the exact same style as its owner.

His gaze fell on the floor.

This mature, cool, and professional lady who always appeared so composed...

At this moment, was lying face down on the ground!

That cold face was pressed hard against the floor, distorted!

Her face was turned to the other side, her expression unseeable, only her long hair scattered all over the floor was visible.

She was wearing a loose white T-shirt with gray lounge shorts underneath, revealing a pair of smooth, straight, long legs.

Barefoot, wearing no shoes.

As for Liguang—

The silver-haired girl was kneeling on her back with one knee. The hood had slipped down, revealing that charming little face.

The hoodie was wide open, revealing the dark purple dress inside once more, making her current charm incredibly striking!

Her knee was pressing firmly against An Lian's spine!

One hand held down the back of her head, while the other gripped the back of her neck!

The slender fingers tightened slightly, without using much force.

But that sense of oppression...

Made it absolutely impossible for An Lian to move!

Fang Qi, who had personally experienced this countless times, couldn't be clearer about this point!

He just... watched the long-legged mature lady struggle on the ground!

Her shoulders heaved, and her legs kicked against the ground a few times—

And then, even her legs were pinned down dead tight by Liguang!

Completely unable to move!

Mmph...!

An Lian let out a muffled groan, and her cold face rubbed against the floor!

The silver-haired girl lowered her head.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at the woman pinned beneath her, the corners of her lips curling into an arc!

The arc wasn't exaggerated, nor was it that gentle, standard smile, it was a kind of...

Slightly satisfied, smug little curve!

Like she was admiring a piece of prey she had finally gotten her hands on.

Then she looked up at Fang Qi at the door.

The smile on that little face changed instantly!

Her eyes curved into crescents, and the corners of her lips curled up a few more degrees, turning into that familiar curve that belonged only to him!

—Master, look, Liguang caught her!

Fang Qi met those sparkling heterochromatic eyes, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

He lifted his foot, walked inside, and conveniently closed the door behind him.

Bang.

The sound of the door closing.

An Lian's body stiffened slightly.

Fang Qi bypassed the sofa, walked over to Liguang, and then squatted down.

He lowered his head, looking at An Lian pinned on the floor.

This face... was usually cold, professional, and meticulous.

But now it was flushed red!

Her brows were tightly furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line, and in those eyes—

Was full of anger and disbelief!

She stared fixedly at Fang Qi!

Under the loose white T-shirt, her chest heaved violently!

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something—

But the hand Liguang used to grip the back of her neck immediately tightened!

An Lian's words were stuck in her throat, only letting out a muffled groan.

Haha...!

Fang Qi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He squatted there, elbows resting on his knees, head tilted, looking at An Lian's pleasing to the eye appearance!

Miss An Lian.

He stared at her gray eyes that revealed anger, and spoke somewhat lazily:

Senior Commissioner, head of after-sales service, the hero who just made a great contribution today—

He paused.

This status...

He lowered his head and leaned in front of her eyes...

Smiling so happily!

If used as a hostage, it should be much more useful than the random pedestrians on the street, right?

An Lian's pupils shrank slightly.

On that flushed face, her expression stiffened for a moment.

You... you... mmph!

She glared angrily at Fang Qi, but was forcefully pressed down again by Liguang!

Then, she suddenly stopped struggling.

She just lay there on the ground, motionless.

Only those eyes stared fixedly at Fang Qi!

Fang Qi raised his eyebrows.

Oh?

Is this giving up the struggle?

Hmm...

An Lian, easily in hand!

Let's think of a way...

Next, how should they...

Mr. Fang!

An Lian suddenly spoke up.

Her voice this time was very low, very deep.

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth!

Carrying a kind of... that he had never heard from this cold mature lady before...

Anger!

Pure, uncontrollable anger!

She stared at him, those gray eyes seemingly burning faintly!

The words she spoke also carried a gnashing flavor!

You harbor an awakened AI like this, even at the cost of breaking the law...!

What exactly do you want to do!

Do you want to let... let the disaster from seventeen years ago play out again!!

Fang Qi... couldn't help but freeze.

What...

Disaster from seventeen years ago?

What is this again?

Was it another... setting that wasn't in the game?

He didn't know.

He only saw... the smile on the silver-haired girl's face suddenly freeze.

Her delicate body...

Also began to tremble slightly.