Free Web NovelChapter 191: Chapter 179: What Are the Conditions for Letting Us Leave?
"That’s not right."
Barto interrupted her, pointing at the scene Gu Ning was setting up.
Gu Ning, who was squatting on the floor spreading out blankets, turned her head. "What?"
Barto pulled her up. "This stuff is too plain."
Gu Ning had good aesthetic sense, but her props were lacking.
Gu Ning’s identity couldn’t be exposed yet. These props were even less convincing than the beast ears she made; anyone even slightly sharp would notice something was off.
Gu Ning said, "It’s fine, I can edit it." ’I’ll just add some pretty filters in post-production.’
Barto understood what she meant. "Don’t Level 5 accounts need to be re-verified? Even if they assume you made this with video software, they’ll still reject your video."
Seeing Gu Ning’s blank expression, Barto’s tone softened. "Females all have very nice living environments. These drab gray walls, these plainly made blankets... Is this a fake flower? Did you make it yourself?"
He set down the artificial flower and looked at Gu Ning. "No one keeps fake flowers in their room."
At least, Upper District People wouldn’t, and females certainly wouldn’t.
Gu Ning’s expression wilted for a moment. She had spent quite a bit of money on potted plants before. Zone 19 was a heavy industrial city, and there weren’t many plants to be seen anywhere. After winter set in, she couldn’t even buy real grass, let alone real flowers. The potted plants she had bought had frozen to death after it snowed.
Seeing her expression, Barto felt it was better not to speak too harshly on the matter, but he still explained it to her properly. "If you upgrade to a Level 5 account, the reviewers will probably make you change the video background to protect the ’female’ image."
"But it’s not a guarantee, just a possibility," Barto added.
Maybe they’d be blind enough not to notice the fake flower, but they could probably still tell something was off from the overall background.
Even if they let her pass the review on account of her "virtual female" persona, they would definitely make a point of mentioning it to her.
His words reminded Gu Ning that some comments on her short videos had indeed mentioned her simple background. But because they thought she was a virtual female, they just assumed the creator was some ignorant Lower District Beastman, so the comments didn’t gain much traction.
After all, for a Lower District Beastman to create such a high-quality virtual female, what more could you ask for?
Barto thought for a moment and said, "Don’t rush to film. I’ll go get you some better things."
As he spoke, he felt his pockets.
’This would be a good time to give her the gifts...’
"KNOCK, KNOCK!"
The sound of knocking on the window startled the two of them standing nearby.
Gu Ning instinctively pulled open the curtain—
A blurry figure was hanging outside their window.
"WOOF!!!" Cook, who had been sleeping by his bed, rushed over and barked furiously at the figure.
The window was coated with frost, and Gu Ning and the others couldn’t see who the person was.
The person outside continued to knock, signaling for them to open the window.
Barto ran to get his gun, pulled Gu Ning back, and loaded a bullet. He then jumped onto a stool, undid the window latch, pushed open a corner of the window, and shoved the gun’s muzzle through the gap.
A blast of cold wind rushed in, making Gu Ning shiver.
She hid cautiously beside the window, staring at the figure outside.
A slightly pale hand reached in, unafraid of the gun in Barto’s hand, and pulled the window open a little wider.
"Admiral Andrew requests your presence."
The person outside spoke.
Gu Ning was taken aback by the familiar voice and peered out the window.
A familiar, handsome face met her eyes.
"..."
She silently pulled her head back inside.
"Get lost, Birdman!" Seeing that this Bird Clan Orc was wearing a military combat uniform, Barto relaxed his finger on the trigger, jabbed the muzzle forward, and bared his teeth. "I’ll shoot if you don’t scram."
Philinos said calmly, "The Admiral said that whoever wants to leave Zone 19 must apply to him in person. Applications made by others are invalid. Everyone must abide by the Military Department’s discipline."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the room. "The Admiral is waiting for you."
Gu Ning and Barto glanced at each other and nodded.
"We’ll go."
Barto pulled his gun back and slammed the window shut with a SLAM!
Regarding the Admiral, he and Gu Ning had a tacit understanding. They both knew that if they wanted to leave, a meeting with him was unavoidable.
"Don’t worry."
Barto jumped off the stool, walked over to Gu Ning, and squeezed her hand. "We’ll be able to leave safely. I’ll handle it."
Gu Ning placed a hand on his fluffy head and smiled. "I’m not afraid. We’ll go together."
...
「East Wall, in a conference room.」
Gu Ning sat somewhat uncomfortably in the large chair, one hand resting on her knee, picking at it intermittently. Her other hand was on the back of Cook, who was sitting by her feet, stroking his fur to calm his slight anxiety.
Barto sat beside her with his arms crossed, one leg crossed over the other and shaking slightly, his eyes fixed on the Beastman in front of them who was leisurely sipping tea.
Three cups of hot tea were placed in succession in front of her and Barto.
"Are you cold?"
Gu Ning looked up and met Cyril’s concerned gaze. She shook her head; two heaters had been placed beside her, making it quite warm enough.
Cyril gave her a small smile and placed a plate filled with various snacks in front of her.
"Woof." Cook’s eyes lit up when he smelled the delicious food. He moved his head closer to the snack plate and sniffed it a couple of times before nudging Gu Ning’s hand.
"No eating," Barto chided Cook in a low voice. "Don’t be so shameless. There’s plenty for you to eat when we get back."
Cook let out a small "Awooo...", pulled his head back, and leaned gently against Gu Ning, licking his lips as he stared at the snacks.
Gu Ning: "..." ’He’s just a little dog who wants a snack.’
She picked up a piece of the jerky that was making Cook drool and held it to his mouth. "You can have one," she whispered.
Wagging his tail, Cook opened his mouth and devoured it, swallowing it down after just a couple of chews. After he finished, he went back to licking Gu Ning’s hand.
"How have you been resting these past two days?"
Gu Ning followed the deep, rich voice and saw Admiral Andrew looking at her with a smile.
"Very well," Gu Ning replied.
Andrew asked, "Does your wound still hurt?"
Gu Ning glanced down at her injured arm. "It doesn’t hurt anymore."
The topical medicine was very effective. Barto had changed her dressing again today, and the wound wasn’t red or swollen. It should heal completely in a few days.
"Cut the crap," Barto said, looking at Andrew. "What are your conditions for letting us leave?"
Andrew chuckled. "Don’t be so impatient, little fox."
Gu Ning noticed Andrew’s gaze fall on her and quietly tugged on the hem of Barto’s clothes, stopping him from saying more.
"Admiral," she said slowly. "Zone 19... can we leave?"
Andrew said, "Of course you can leave."
His tone was just as certain as when he had declared from the top of the wall that Gu Ning was not a mimic female, which inexplicably made her feel much more at ease.
"There are, however, conditions." Andrew clasped his hands on the table, sat up a little straighter, and looked at her.
Gu Ning and Barto both held their breath.
Just then, Cyril, who had left earlier, re-entered the conference room and placed three files in front of them.
