Chapter 23: Lord of the Sea Abyss × Researcher (23)

"Ah, Mr. Shen, hello." Shen Rongyu's voice was pleasant, not the kind of mainstream magnetic voice, but with a bit of a captivating charm in its tail. So when he spoke, the editor from the news department recognized his voice.

"Regarding the abnormalities in the Nightwave Sea, Miss Ji has already conducted research on it," Shen Rongyu glanced at Ji Qingzhuo beside him.

Ji Qingzhuo covered her face with both hands. She definitely didn't research such terrible things.

"Uh, well, can Mr. Shen allow Miss Ji to receive our interview? We just want to ask about the cause of the abnormalities in the Nightwave Sea, absolutely no personal questions," the editor asked.

"She's not in a convenient position, as you know, she doesn't really enjoy socializing," Shen Rongyu chuckled softly.

"I apologize," the news department on the other end realized they were being intrusive.

"Let's talk about the Nightwave Sea," Shen Rongyu's tone was casual, and he had already come up with the perfect excuse.

"Okay, go ahead, Mr. Shen," the news department on the other end began to prepare to record the information.

"According to Miss Ji's research, the abnormal waves in the Nightwave Sea are related to the tidal forces generated by extraterrestrial satellites. Combined with the movement of tectonic plates just crossing the threshold, it has led to increased underground activity in the Nightwave Sea, resulting in abnormal waves in the shallow seas," Shen Rongyu spouted a bunch of nonsense.

Ji Qingzhuo felt that he was not being rigorous in his explanation. She wanted to take back the electronic device to stop him, but Shen Rongyu stood up and held her shoulders, continuing to talk nonsense with his eyes wide open.

"That's right, because the changes have already occurred, so these abnormal waves will still occur tonight... Haha, of course, I know, when a phenomenon occurs frequently, it is no longer abnormal," Shen Rongyu smiled and said, "In the shallow sea area of the Nightwave Sea, only we live there. If nearby residents are worried, I will personally fund the reinforcement of the coastal embankments."

"Well, no need to worry, this is a normal phenomenon, perhaps it will become even more frequent in the future," Shen Rongyu said without changing his expression.

Ji Qingzhuo slapped her forehead. She knew exactly what would happen when she let Shen Rongyu answer the phone.

What does he mean by "they will still occur tonight" and "become even more frequent in the future"? What is he even saying?

Only Ji Qingzhuo knows exactly what Shen Rongyu is talking about, so she becomes even more embarrassed.

By the end of the call, Shen Rongyu had deceived the other party completely, even making the people from the news department promise not to report on this matter.

He hung up the phone and sat back beside Ji Qingzhuo, encircling her with his dragon tail.

"Jiujiu, are you satisfied with this answer?" Shen Rongyu cupped her flushed cheek, making her look up at him.

Ji Qingzhuo avoided his gaze, feeling shy. "The gravitational force from extraterrestrial satellites is not enough to cause such large waves. However, tectonic plate movement and resulting changes in the landscape could potentially trigger them... But within such a short time frame, it's not possible for such changes to occur."

She was always precise, so she subconsciously corrected the nonsense Shen Rongyu had spouted to the news department personnel.

"Is that so?" Shen Rongyu raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised. "Jiujiu, didn't you feel my 'plate movement' last night?"

Ji Qingzhuo couldn't stand such talk. The more she listened, the more those images that had happened before floated in her mind. She raised her hand and covered Shen Rongyu's mouth. "Xiaoyu, please stop."

She said rationally, stating the fundamental reason for this embarrassing situation: "You can control yourself a bit."

"Sorry, there really is no way," Shen Rongyu tapped her waist with his dragon tail. This was indeed the truth. If he could control and hide his emotions, then he wouldn't be facing Ji Qingzhuo.

It was difficult for him to conceal anything in front of her. Even if it was his self-proclaimed "deception" or "temptation," it was something he genuinely wanted to do from the bottom of his heart.

Yes, once Shen Rongyu realized this and faced his inner thoughts, he became more confident.

Ji Qingzhuo rested her chin on the top of his dragon tail, the sensation of the tail was excellent, and she couldn't help but rub against it a few more times.

She said, "I want to redesign this house, and most importantly... change the building materials."

"I still have to pay off the mortgage." She began to calculate her expenses.

"Perhaps after some time, you won't have to worry about that anymore," Shen Rongyu's dragon tail underneath him tightened slowly.

"What do you mean?" Ji Qingzhuo asked. She wasn't worried about what Shen Rongyu would do now; she felt that a large part of his energy was devoted to her.

"You'll find out soon enough, Zhuzhu," Shen Rongyu said, gazing into her eyes. "But... when you have money, don't think about getting rid of me."

"I know, but that would be giving you freedom. It wouldn't feel good to be tied down," Ji Qingzhu still insisted on her reasons.

"No, it feels amazing," Shen Rongyu was definitely not a normal person.

"Besides, we've already had this kind of relationship. Do you want to abandon me?" Shen Rongyu sounded genuinely hurt.

"It was clearly you!" Ji Qingzhu thought to herself. He was the one who couldn't move his limbs.

"I remember you pulling my clothes last night, and you were quite aggressive," Shen Rongyu winked at her.

Ji Qingzhu lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry."

Even though it was his own doing, Ji Qingzhu felt guilty when she realized he actually believed her. Shen Rongyu felt a pang of sympathy for her sincere nature.

"With such a smart brain, how can you be so silly?" Shen Rongyu's breath approached her, his voice gentle.

"A silly researcher like Miss Ji, deserves to be fooled," he embraced her.

Ji Qingzhu heard his heartbeat and felt a surge of joy. She said, "I remember now."

"You secretly tore your clothes before," she realized the truth.

"So soon?" His lips brushed against her ear.

Ji Qingzhu was held in his arms, unsure of what to do. She didn't struggle free, just lowered her head and bit his shoulder.

"Alright," Shen Rongyu patted her back. "Rest for a while. I told the editors in the news department that there will be more strange waves like last night."

"You don't want me to leak fake news, do you?" His lips curled up, still smiling.

Since she was an honest person and Shen Rongyu spoke right in front of her, Ji Qingzhu eventually made this prediction come true.

In the following period of time, their lives didn't change much. Shen Rongyu seemed to enjoy playing a new game with humans. Since becoming a member of Parliament, his reputation soared.

As a member of Parliament, he appeared suave and was the type that attracted young girls. But his private life was surprisingly simple. Ji Qingzhu, the former chief researcher of the Independent Research Institute of the Lanhai Corporation, was his girlfriend. They were of similar status and even looked great together. They were truly a perfect match.

Shen Rongyu seemed to possess a special kind of charm. Whenever he wanted people to follow him, there would always be those who became fanatical and adored him like they were possessed. The demon who once played with people's hearts seemed to have found a new career path, and he even enjoyed it – because he had permission from Ji Qingzhu.

In the election one year later, he was indeed elected as the Speaker with a high number of votes, wielding great power over the independent city. Achieving this level of success wasn't difficult for him, but after taking office, several major events occurred.

The first was a major shuffle of the management in the independent city. Shen Rongyu rooted out all the corrupt officials in each department with his eagle-like eyes. The entire network of collusion with corporations was uprooted.

Unless it was a saint who appeared once in several hundred years, almost everyone had desires. Since they had desires, they could be tempted. There were people who thought about buying off the new Speaker, but unfortunately, they didn't know that Shen Rongyu wasn't human. His desires couldn't be satisfied like those of ordinary humans.

The stack of money piled up in front of him, almost forming a small mountain. Shen Rongyu smiled as he looked at the person in front of him and said, "So much money, enough to pay off my girlfriend's loans for thousands of years."

At this moment, he still didn't forget to show off his relationship with Ji Qingzhu – yes, the only flaw on the almost perfect new Speaker was that he seemed a bit love-struck. He would mention his relationship with Ji Qingzhu in any situation.

"If the Speaker needs more, there is plenty more, tenfold... hundredfold..." The person sitting across from him licked their lips, convinced that Shen Rongyu was wavering.

"Money is a wonderful thing, just like power," Shen Rongyu blew away the stack of bills in front of him. "In the ancient times, thousands of years ago... before I was sealed away, humans followed a vulgar tradition. They would burn paper money for the deceased, believing that these offerings would provide them with a good life in the afterworld called the underworld. It was a way to seek protection from the departed or express their care and longing."

"You see, even after death, people still want money," Shen Rongyu chuckled.

He stood up, his perfectly tailored suit highlighting his tall and imposing figure. "Unfortunately, I am not human."

In the next instant, the high-denomination bills flew straight towards the person in front of his eyes, enveloped in an eerie red light. They instantly hardened like metal, and even though the person who came to bribe him had special protective devices, the bills broke through the defenses and severed the arteries in their neck.

"A soul that doesn't taste good, I don't want to eat it," Shen Rongyu muttered to himself.

Since awakening from the abyss, he hadn't been hungry anymore. Being connected to the Nightlan Sea, that ocean could provide him with energy. He no longer needed to feed on human souls for sustenance.

Shen Rongyu pushed open the door to the conference room, and the security guards stationed outside quickly surrounded him. They had heard a scream from the high-level conference room and were worried that something had happened to Shen Rongyu.

When he pushed open the door, a gust of wind caused the paper money inside to fly out, scattering throughout the corridor of the governing center.

Standing in the midst of the vast wealth, Shen Rongyu smiled at his security guards and said, "Remember the new regulation I passed yesterday that hasn't been made public yet? He was the first one. I executed it personally. I hope no one has any objections."

Some of the security guards looked terrified as their eyes met Shen Rongyu's smiling gaze. They instantly felt guilty.

Shen Rongyu patted the shoulder of one of his subordinates gently, knowing what he was feeling. Many people couldn't resist such temptation. "Prepare to turn yourselves in. I'll arrange for... a more comfortable way to die. But not today, I'm going home to be with my girlfriend. She doesn't like it when I do things like this. Let's follow proper procedures."

Yes, he mentioned Ji Qingzhu again. Whenever he found a suitable opportunity, he would bring it up.

As Shen Rongyu headed home, Ji Qingzhu was sitting on the carpet, looking at the electronic screen in front of her. She also saw what Shen Rongyu had done.

—This was not something a human could do. She wasn't insulting him, because a normal person would never be so "noble."

But only Ji Qingzhu herself knew that Shen Rongyu wasn't really noble or carefree. He was simply... bad to a degree where it became boring to do the things his predecessors would do.

She picked up the peach juice from the coffee table. It was made by Shen Rongyu before he left. She took a sip.

Ji Qingzhu pondered, so this is what he meant by a more roundabout approach?

It sounded quite interesting.

With that thought, Ji Qingzhu heard the sound of the door opening behind her. She turned her head, knowing that Shen Rongyu had returned.