"Who's there?!"
Perhaps the two Black men had been speaking a little too loudly, because the bald-headed "Burke" suddenly whipped his head around, as if he had sensed something.
Thud!
He threw down the files he was holding and strode forward menacingly, like an enraged gorilla, panting heavily and scanning his surroundings. After all, who could be in a good mood after pulling an all-nighter at work?
But after a long search that revealed nothing suspicious, Burke scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Am I just too tired? Am I hallucinating?"
With that, he turned and went back to his office, resuming his frantic rummaging through the boxes.
Unbeknownst to Burke, shortly after he left, a pair of eyes and a wide grin full of gleaming white teeth materialized in the darkness.
"Huff... huff..."
The man barely dared to breathe, keeping his breaths shallow and infrequent, clearly intimidated by the menacing aura radiating from the bald-headed "Burke." We're done for. This guy looks like trouble. What should we do? Maybe we should retreat now!
After all, their mission was simply to gather intelligence. Engaging in conflict with someone of unknown strength and affiliations would be a disastrous move.
"Hmm?" The man glanced around, noticing his teammates were missing. He whispered, "Hey, guys? Where'd you go?"
The next instant, another pair of eyes and a wide, gleaming smile materialized less than five centimeters from his face.
"!"
Fortunately, the man possessed exceptional mental fortitude; otherwise, he might have screamed outright in terror.
-
The perspective shifts back to Elysia. After clearing her mind, resting briefly, and regaining some energy, she began tidying up the house. If all went according to plan, she would be staying here for a while, until the identities of the White Eagle Eight were fully confirmed.
It's worth noting that Carolina wasn't particularly wealthy. As an Evolver, her salary was naturally higher than average, and housing in White Eagle was very affordable, allowing her to own several vacant properties.
After a quick tour, Elysia noticed that while the place was new and meticulously organized, there were subtle signs of recent habitation, such as an opened toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom. Carolina likely rotated between these residences based on work proximity.
Hmm, so she bought multiple houses just to save an hour on her commute? As a native of the Dragon Nation, Elysia found this logic utterly baffling.
While wandering through the house, Elysia suddenly spotted a height and weight scale. After a moment's hesitation, curiosity piqued, she stepped onto it.
Notably, she deliberately removed her jacket, shoes, and socks, standing barefoot on the cold metal.
"Eek~"
The icy sensation made her shiver involuntarily, her toes curling inward. The measurements flashed across the screen almost instantly:
Height: 163 centimeters. Weight: 54.8 kilograms.
Despite stripping down to the bare minimum, this weight—it was no exaggeration to say—made her the heaviest among Robin, Firefly Sparkle, and the others!
No wonder she's nicknamed "Pink Fatty," Elysia thought wryly.
Compared to Robin, who was roughly the same height but weighed only around 43 kilograms, Elysia certainly seemed overweight.
Yet, compared to the average person, her height and weight hardly qualified as "fat." There were her adorable baby-fat cheeks, her pleasantly rounded thighs, and the generous proportions of her chest.
Elysia bent down and pinched her thigh, musing, "Actually, Robin's just too light—so light it makes you wonder if she's malnourished."
It's worth noting that another reason Elysia earned the nickname "Pink Fatty" was her role as a boss in the game, where her health bar was notoriously thick.
Afterward, Elysia took a shower, further acquainting herself with her new body. Her exceptionally long hair made washing and drying a time-consuming process. By the time she finally settled into bed, an hour and a half had passed.
Moreover, the length of her hair created the odd sensation of lying on her hair rather than simply on the bed. Fortunately, her hair's soft texture prevented any itchiness; instead, the intimate contact with her back felt surprisingly comfortable.
She'd never particularly cared about hair length before, but now, there was no doubt she'd unwittingly cultivated herself into a full-blown long-hair aficionado.
In any case, a peaceful night passed, and morning arrived. At a crossroads, Elysia spotted Carolina approaching and waved with a cheerful smile. "Hi~ Good morning, lovely Carolina~ What a delightful way to start the day with a wonderful encounter~"
Carolina's cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment, but she retorted, "What 'wonderful encounter'? Didn't we agree to meet here yesterday to go to the White Tower together?"
Elysia tilted her head, tapping her cheek with a finger. "Hmm~ Does planning a meeting in advance mean it can't still be a lovely encounter? But that's not the point~ The real joy is seeing cute Carolina first thing this morning~ It makes me so happy~"
Carolina opened her mouth as if to speak, but then hesitated, unsure what to say.
The truth was, after returning home yesterday, she had worried that Elysia's new status as one of the White Eagle Eight, with the growing disparity in their positions, might mean they could no longer be friends.
But after meeting Elysia today, she instantly realized she had been overthinking things. She genuinely couldn't imagine Elysia coldly rejecting anyone anymore.
Soon, they arrived at the White Tower, chatting idly. As they entered, Elysia immediately spotted Burke, the bald man with bloodshot eyes and a perpetually grim expression.
Hearing the door open, Burke whipped his head around and stared intently at them. The sight should have been somewhat unnerving, but in the next moment, the bald man charged forward, slid to his knees before Elysia, and rasped, "After scouring files all night, I've finally devised the most suitable and quickest plan to legally make you one of the White Eagle Eight!"