Lin Wuming was acting alone now, fully enjoying his freedom, and hadn't encountered anyone who could see through his disguise. He wandered around, eating and having a great time, feeling completely relaxed.
But in the end, he was recognized by members of the Drama Club because of the clothes he was wearing.
The girls from the Drama Club didn't expose him; they just asked Lin Wuming to take a few photos with them and then let him go.
Lin Wuming let out a sigh of relief about this and didn't want to continue wandering for the time being—who knew why else he might be recognized by others.
Checking the time, it wasn't yet time for the performance to start. So Lin Wuming quietly left the dormitory building and went to the outdoor garden to find some peace.
The garden was empty, and Lin Wuming was satisfied with this. He let out a sigh and strolled leisurely through it.
But after only a few steps, Lin Wuming knew he was wrong.
He wasn't the only one who had come here to seek peace.
He saw a Golden Retriever sitting properly on a bench by the flowerbed, leisurely puffing away.
The Golden Retriever's body was equipped with some mechanical devices. At that moment, a mechanical arm extended from its back, holding a lit cigar.
It took a puff from the cigar and, while exhaling smoke, looked at Lin Wuming.
In those dark eyes, a rational light shone.
"Because smoking indoors is prohibited," the Golden Retriever suddenly said.
It was undoubtedly human language, and the voice also came from the mechanical device on its body.
"Of course, smoking is actually prohibited out here as well. But I brought a smoke collector, so let's just pretend you didn't see it, Student Wuming," the Golden Retriever said. A second mechanical arm appeared behind it, its end resembling a mini range hood, sucking up all the surrounding smoke.
"..." Lin Wuming clicked his tongue in frustration. "At this point, I'm truly not surprised at all. So how did you recognize me?"
Lin Wuming felt his disguise today was a complete failure; it seemed like anyone could see through it.
"Hmm..." The Golden Retriever exhaled a column of smoke and said faintly, "I'm a dog, Student Wuming. Visual disguises are meaningless to me."
"This..." Lin Wuming was instantly stunned. "That actually makes sense."
The Golden Retriever chuckled softly. It seemed to enjoy the pleasure the cigar brought. It found a cigar box from the mechanical device on its body. When it opened it, there were two uncut cigars inside.
"Want one?" The Golden Retriever offered the cigar box.
"No, thank you, but no need." Lin Wuming shook his head.
"Not smoking is the right thing," the Golden Retriever nodded, putting away its collection. "Also, forget what just happened. I shouldn't be encouraging students to pick up bad habits. Don't tell anyone."
"Even if I wanted to tell someone," Lin Wuming shrugged, "no one would believe it—something like a Golden Retriever offering me a cigar."
"Heh heh," the Golden Retriever laughed. "Alright, enough small talk, Student Wuming. It seems I don't need to introduce myself—you know who I am."
"I've heard of you." Lin Wuming nodded.
Under normal circumstances, even in Academy City, suddenly encountering a large dog that could speak human language would not elicit such a calm reaction from someone like Lin Wuming.
The reaction Lin Wuming showed at this moment had only one possibility: he had long known about the existence of Kihara Gensei.
Although it was essentially a Golden Retriever, after extensive brain development, it had gained intelligence far surpassing that of ordinary humans, and even possessed the name "Kihara."
Facing such an existence, Lin Wuming had no intention of playing tricks in front of it.
He could refrain from telling the whole truth, but he absolutely could not lie.
"I am Kihara Gensei," the Golden Retriever introduced itself anyway. "No need to be so nervous. Essentially, I'm just a dog. You can relax a bit more."
"You are a Kihara," Lin Wuming said. "I am very clear about what that name signifies."
"Yes," Kihara Gensei nodded. "In fact, that's precisely why I've come—regarding the conflict between you and Kihara Gensei."
"An envoy? Who do you represent?" Lin Wuming asked.
"Chairman Aleister, of course. Naturally, it can also be seen as the collective will of the Board of Directors," Kihara Gensei said.
"I wasn't aware the Board of Directors had reached a collective will at any point," Lin Wuming shrugged.
"Because you are one of the parties involved, you were excluded when relevant decisions were made," Kihara Gensei said. "But ultimately, it is still the will of Chairman Aleister."
"Alright," Lin Wuming said. "So what does Chairman Aleister mean? Which side will he help... No, knowing him, he shouldn't help either side."
"Exactly," Kihara Gensei nodded. "The Chairman will not interfere in your dispute. Similarly, Academy City's official stance is not to support either side."
Pausing slightly, and exhaling another column of smoke, Kihara Gensei continued, "This is also the meaning of the majority of us 【Kihara】. We 【Kihara】 will not help each other simply because we share the same surname."
"I know that," Lin Wuming nodded. During their intelligence gathering, they had already learned the fact that the Kihara were not a single entity.
"Also," Kihara Gensei added, "we hope that when you clash with Kihara Gensei, you can exercise some restraint and avoid involving uninvolved citizens and public city facilities as much as possible."
This was what Kihara Gensei truly wanted to say.
The destructive power of a Level 5 is already quite terrifying. Combined with a reckless Kihara, in the worst-case scenario, it's even possible that the entire city could truly be razed to the ground!
Upon hearing this, Lin Wuming said with a cold laugh, "What's the point of telling me this? I've never thought about destroying Academy City. On the contrary, I've always been protecting this city."
"Someone will also go and speak with Kihara Gensei," Kihara Gensei said. "But ultimately, this kind of verbal warning doesn't have any substantial effect, so you can completely disregard it."
"So what's the point of doing something so unnecessary?" Lin Wuming complained.
"You have to understand, Student Wuming, even superficial work is better done than not done," Kihara Gensei said. "Especially for someone like you who has principles and a sense of justice, it is even more effective."
"Alright, I understand," Lin Wuming rolled his eyes. "Good people should have guns pointed at them... Are you saying you hope that when I clash with Kihara Gensei, I'll still remember to protect this city?"
"Exactly," Kihara Gensei chuckled. "This is the price one must pay for choosing justice."
