Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Gu Si returned to his room. He lay down in bed and flipped around. The fury in his heart wouldn’t subside. He got up and went to the computer. Soon, green code could be seen reflected on his cold and youthful face as he tapped the keyboard rapidly.

  …


  Red Flame’s technical team.

  The technical team was coming up with a new system. Suddenly, a red alarm sounded in the base.

  “Oh damn! What the f*ck is going on?!” This was their first time being hacked in a while. The entire technical team was shocked and they flew into a panick……

  Who could possibly hack Red Flame’s system?!

  …


  At the same time.

  Lin Shuang came out from the shower dressed in a spare bathrobe. She looked down and tightened the strap.

  Gu Mang was reading a medical book while leaning against the bed.

  Seeing that she had not fallen asleep, Lin Shuang had a casual chat with her. “Tell me, what’s with the bet with the Elders’ Association? It’s not as simple as it seems, right?”


  “There is another agreement.” Gu Mang did not conceal it from her. “If I fail the assessment, I will go to Base 102 and be their guinea pig. If I pass, all of the Gu family’s assets that are in the hands of the Elders’ Association will be mine.”


  “So they are here to give you money.” Lin Shuang laughed. “I thought the people on Jijing Island would be smarter. Aren’t they supposed to be geniuses?”


  She had seen how extraordinary Gu Mang was. Her healing ability was beyond that of an ordinary person. Although she only had 15 days, as long as she used some special medication, it wouldn’t be a big problem to get her arm back to its normal state.

  Lin Shuang went to the table and grabbed a box of cigarettes. Then, she walked in front of Gu Mang and handed her one out of habit. “Do you want one?”


  Gu Mang looked up and answered, “I’ve quit.”


  Lin Shuang squinted and gave her a look of disbelief. “Q-Quit… Can you say that again?”


  “I’ve quit smoking,” Gu Mang repeated and added, “If you want to smoke, go to the balcony.”


  “No.” Lin Shuang laughed. “If you want to quit, so be it. Why do you care about where I’m going to smoke?”


  “If you want to, go outside. Otherwise, don’t smoke.” Gu Mang’s voice was cold.

  Gu Mang knew that Lin Shuang wouldn’t step into the cold just to smoke a cigarette.

  But when she looked at Gu Mang, she couldn’t help but answer, “Tsk, it’s true, the longer you live, the more you see. I can’t believe that you actually quit smoking. I guess an old dog can learn new tricks after all.”


  Gu Mang said nothing in response.

  Lin Shuang pushed the cigarette back into the box and casually threw it to the bedside cabinet. As she sat at the side of the bed, her body stiffened suddenly. Others may not know about Gu Mang’s skills, but how could she not know?

  Gu Mang getting injured was an anomaly. There were many things that only required an instance to understand. Also, Lin Shuang and Gu Mang were ride or die friends. The bond they shared was strong.

  She turned to look at Gu Mang. “Are you not letting me smoke around you because you are afraid that I might affect someone?”


  Gu Mang briefly paused as she flipped through the pages, but Lin Shuang saw it.

  The room was quiet for a few seconds.

  Lin Shuang shut her eyes and sighed. “When did you find out?”


  Gu Mang was looking at the book and her eyes were drooping. “I wasn’t sure earlier, I only found out a few days ago.”


  Lin Shuang didn’t know what expression she should put on now, so she stared at her for a long time, and said, “You’re so courageous.”


  Gu Mang smiled. It seemed like she didn’t really care. “I never would have returned to Jijing Island if I were a coward.”


  “Can I make a suggestion?” Lin Shuang said.

  Gu Mang lifted her head.

  “Gu Mang, stop putting on a tough front. Go to Lu Chengzhou. No matter how you solve this matter, you shouldn’t bet two lives on it.” Lu Chengzhou was very calm but also very serious.

  Lin Shuang did not launch into a frenzy like Gu Si and Yu Mufeng did. Perhaps she knew that getting angry or feeling any other form of emotion was pointless now.

  Gu Mang could not consume any medication now so it was unknown if her arm would be fully healed in time for the assessment.

  Gu Mang looked at her. “Lin Shuang, do you know how it feels to walk down a dark road with no one around you but cold darkness? Like an abyss, you cannot see the end. When you look up, there is no hope.”


  Lin Shuang seemed to know what she was trying to say. She moved towards her, “You have us now.”


  “It’s different,” Gu Mang said clearly. “All of you are different from him.”


  Lin Shuang bit her lip.

  Gu Mang was also very calm. She bent one leg and stretched her arms over her knees, then she said slowly, “I never expect anyone to feel sorry for me. I climbed my way to the top. When the sky is falling, I bear it on my own shoulders. If, someday, I am really unable to deal with it any longer, I’ll just die.”


  “Little Sister Gu…”


  Gu Mang’s dark eyes met hers and her voice was very soft. “But now it’s different. Lu Chengzhou raised the bet. He risked his life and he stood taller than me. He’s bearing the weight of the world for me.”


  Lin Shuang frowned.

  After Gu Mang finished talking, her eyes became droopy again. She yawned faintly and said, “I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.”


  Lin Shuang looked at her calm face. Two seconds later, she smiled too. “Okay, I understand.”


  She finally understood why she had hypnotized Lu Chengzhou. Gu Mang put the book back on the bedside table and lay down.

  “Right.” Lin Shuang remembered her other reason for coming to Jijing Island and she turned to Gu Mang. “The Bi family seems to have some interest in getting close with Shadow League lately. I think they want to become allies.”


  The girl squinted. “The Bi family?”


  Lin Shuang said, “Yeah, in the past Shadow League seldom dealt with the families from Jijing Island. I don’t know why they suddenly came knocking at our door and they even held out an olive branch.”


  As she spoke, she smirked as if she were mocking something.

  The people of Jijing Island still did not have what it took to figure out that Arctic Fox was Gu Mang. They probably wanted to form an alliance with Shadow League because they wanted to win over some back up for later.

  Gu Mang looked down and thought deeply. After a few seconds, she said, “Let Yun Ling decide.”


  “Alright,” Lin Shuang replied. Then she looked at Gu Mang and suddenly said, “Are there any requirements to be a godmother? I’ll prepare in advance. I only have money to give. I have so much money that I have nothing to spend it on.”


  Gu Mang said nothing in response.