"Wait, Captain, you mean Uncle Zhu is a 'super' too?" Ning Linglong was slow to catch on. She stared at Chu Bamboo in astonishment, looked him up and down, then asked doubtfully, "How can you look so normal... Uncle Zhu, you're not, no, that's not right."
After a moment's hesitation, Ning Linglong asked cautiously, "You... are a man, right?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Do I look like a wo—... Are you talking about muscles?" Chu Bamboo was a little uncertain. 'Come to think of it,' he mused, 'the men Li Kang brought out did seem to have abnormally developed muscles to varying degrees, but the women...'
"His situation is a bit special..." Li Kang's face twitched. He then explained to Chu Bamboo, "Most men end up looking like me. However, the lighter the contamination, the more normal their musculature... As for women, the thinner, paler, and lighter they are, the heavier the contamination! Ning Linglong looks pretty normal, right? That's because she's exceptionally talented!"
"..." Li Kang suddenly stopped and covered his forehead. "Okay, not as exceptionally talented as you... 'Exceptionally talented' doesn't even begin to describe you! A Body Refiner whose physique doesn't change at all... It was a mistake for me to even bring it up in front of you."
At that moment, the way Ning Linglong looked at Chu Bamboo changed. Chu Bamboo could sense it—a gaze mixed with confusion, disbelief, and a general questioning of reality.
'It seems,' Chu Bamboo thought, 'that zero contamination is even more incredible than I'd imagined... After all, Ning Linglong is probably just guessing I have low contamination, right? And she's already making a face like that.'
...
In the distance.
Aboard the steam car.
"Too scary!" A young, naive-looking man sucked in a sharp breath as he watched the flustered Ning Linglong in front of Chu Bamboo. "Wait, is that an expression that woman can even make? Shyness? But it doesn't quite look like it. Still, is this something I should be watching...? A-am I gonna get trained to death for this later?"
The young man shivered.
"This is why I say you're stupid!" an abnormally obese man said without looking up, his attention focused on his phone. "If you're not supposed to look, then don't look!"
"So, who the hell is that big shot, anyway? I really want to hear what they're saying... but I don't dare! Damn it." The young man ignored the fat man, completely conflicted.
However, no one else in the steam car paid him any mind.
...
After chatting for a while, Chu Bamboo casually asked, "By the way, what did those robbers steal? Didn't you say you guys don't come out for ordinary robberies?"
"..." This time, Li Kang was silent for a long, long time before finally saying, "I don't know!"
"It's a topic we can't even touch," Ning Linglong added, her expression turning serious.
"?" Chu Bamboo narrowed his eyes. 'Interesting. It seems the business with the nuclear facility... is even more terrifying than I first imagined.'
"We should be heading back too—" Halfway through his sentence, an alarm blared from the tablet in Li Kang's hand again. "Damn it, another one?"
Li Kang flew into a rage. Without even saying goodbye to Chu Bamboo, he turned and sprinted toward the distant steam car. Ning Linglong gave Chu Bamboo a hurried nod and followed close behind.
Watching the steam car drive off into the distance, Chu Bamboo stared at the bank for another long moment before turning to leave.
...
Slum Redevelopment Zone.
Chu Bamboo stopped in his tracks, staring with a strange expression at the thing blocking his front door.
It was a small tent!
A long line had formed in front of the tent.
And standing at the tent's entrance was Zhang Xu. Someone walked out of the tent, their face filled with joy and delight.
"Next!" Zhang Xu called, pressing his palms together.
"It's my turn! Host, I have committed an irreparable sin..." Another person rushed into the tent. Strangely, though his voice was loud, the moment the tent flap was drawn, not a single sound could be heard from inside.
"Master Zhang Xiao!" A man in his twenties standing next to Zhang Xu suddenly lit up, pointing toward Chu Bamboo from afar. "That's Mr. Zhu!"
Surprise flashed across Zhang Xu's face. But when he turned and saw Chu Bamboo, he froze. He looked Chu Bamboo up and down, glanced back at the man for confirmation, and then, with a tight frown, knocked on the tent flap. "Master, he's here!"
A few breaths later, the flap opened.
Zhang Hai emerged with an apologetic look on his face, repeatedly nodding to the man who had just been inside. "Something has truly come up today! You can come to the Jinghai Third District Church another day, and I will personally hold a redemption ceremony for you."
"Everyone, please come back another day! Next time for sure!" Zhang Hai then turned to the long line of people, showing none of the arrogance one would expect from the host of a grand church.
"It's alright, it's alright! Host, please, go talk with Mr. Zhu!"
"Mr. Zhu, you're back? Have you had dinner? Why not come to my noodle shop for a meal! My treat."
Among the people in line, some who saw Chu Bamboo had surprise light up in their eyes and started calling out.
Zhang Hai spoke with a placid demeanor for a while longer before gradually dispersing the crowd.
"You two?" Chu Bamboo had been watching coldly. He only spoke when the master and disciple, both named Zhang, had walked up to him.
"You may not know me! Allow me to introduce myself..."
"Zhang Zihai, what do you want with me?" Chu Bamboo interrupted Zhang Hai, his tone strange. "Don't tell me you want to come into the Slum Redevelopment Zone to spread your faith in God! So you heard I have a decent reputation here and hoped to use me to get your foot in the door?"
"Heh heh, I never interfere with the faith of the masses! Let alone..."
"I may not believe in the God Worship Sect, but if I had to choose between its two factions, I'd lean toward the local one!" Chu Bamboo's voice was calm. "Alright, is there anything else you want to say? If not, you can get lost! Otherwise... I'll report your fondness for realistic dolls and pornographic literature to Host Zhao Qian from the Second District Church, who just arrived in Jinghai City."
"?" Zhang Xu's expression froze, then he flushed with fury. 'You bastard, how dare you! How dare you slander my mas—'
But before he could spit out the curse...
"Let's talk things over nicely!" Zhang Hai's expression didn't change as he rushed forward to grab Chu Bamboo's hand, squeezing out a polite smile. "If you don't agree, you don't agree! Is it that big a deal? I'm simply trying to spread the faith of the Lord! I'm also aware that our church didn't contribute to the protection of the Slum Redevelopment Zone back then, but, that's not... And with our help, we can strengthen the city officials' focus on all the redevelopment zones! For the Slum Redevelopment Zone, for you..."
"You have the nerve to say that? Playing with dolls is one thing, but you just had to play with pretty boy do—"
"What I mean is! After my inspection, I found the order in the Slum Redevelopment Zone to be absolutely perfect!" Zhang Hai's attitude shifted again. He became earnest and serious, vigorously shaking Chu Bamboo's hand up and down. "After understanding the inside story, I've come to the profound realization that it is precisely under your guidance and tutelage that the Slum Redevelopment Zone has become what it is today. There is nothing that needs to be changed! I will be sure to emphasize and explain this to the city officials."
"Thank you so much for your reforms in the Slum Redevelopment Zone. I have always felt that your actions back then were of extremely profound and extraordinary significance for maintaining the social order of all of Jinghai City!"