After wiping Kael clean from head to toe, Yelan helps him into a set of clean clothes.
Then she walks to the office area on the other side of the room.
She had been gone for quite some time, and a thick stack of documents has piled up on her desk, waiting to be dealt with.
And Yelan actually sits down at the desk and begins working through the accumulated paperwork.
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
If Yelan's feelings for him were not that deep, he could understand it.
But Kael is certain she is not completely indifferent to him either.
Otherwise, she would not have carried him into the room, stripped him naked, and carefully cleaned his body.
That cannot possibly be a rule of Yanshang Teahouse.
Yet Yelan is far too calm.
When she first discovered his death, there had still been visible emotional fluctuations in her.
Now, she looks as if nothing has happened at all.
Calm to the point of being unsettling.
Kael walks over to Yelan's side and lowers his gaze to the annotations she is making on the documents.
He watches for quite a while but finds nothing unusual.
Every decision she makes is precise and reasonable, perfectly in line with her usual cold and rational way of handling affairs.
Could it really be that he was overthinking things?
But…
Her injuries are this severe. Should she not be treating her wounds first?
Kael is completely thrown off by Yelan's behavior now.
[Host, the first possession duration is about to end. Ten minutes remain. Please decide on the next possession target.]
Even though Yelan's behavior feels strange, what Kael is more worried about is Chenxi's situation.
"The next possession target, I choose…"
Before Kael can finish speaking, a knock sounds at the door.
"Lady Yelan, Lady Ningguang just sent word. They've already located the device on Chenxi."
Yelan's hand pauses mid-annotation.
"Come in and report."
"Yes."
Yelan's subordinate steps inside, his face filled with concern.
The moment Kael sees his expression, his heart tightens.
Why does he look like that?
Did something happen to Chenxi?
"Lady Yelan, Lady Ningguang says they used instruments to locate the device on Chenxi."
"It's just that… the location is troublesome."
"Lady Ningguang suspects that when Chenxi was held at the Fatui camp, something went wrong with her food."
"The components likely entered her body through her esophagus."
"They then assembled inside her stomach and attached themselves to the stomach wall."
"With technology like this, even Lady Ningguang's people don't know how to handle it."
"They're afraid that forcibly removing it could trigger some kind of failsafe and cause harm to Chenxi's body."
Kael curses under his breath.
The Fatui are truly despicable, resorting to something like this just to monitor Chenxi.
Yelan speaks calmly.
"Alright, I understand. In that case, don't deal with it for now. Chenxi's health comes first."
"Tell Lady Ningguang to bring Chenxi back to Yanshang Teahouse."
"Understood."
The subordinate does not leave immediately after receiving the order.
He glances at the wounds on Yelan's body and asks worriedly.
"Lady Yelan, your injuries… should we get someone to help treat them?"
"And Kael's body… shouldn't it be sent to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?"
Yelan's expression remains calm at first, but the moment the last question leaves his mouth, a flash of viciousness crosses her eyes.
Before the subordinate can notice, she lowers her gaze and continues working through the documents.
As if that sudden surge of emotion had never existed.
After that brief leak of feeling, she becomes the composed intelligence agent once more.
"This has nothing to do with you. You may leave."
"…Yes."
Kael remains standing beside Yelan.
For a brief moment just now, the terrifying pressure radiating from her had made his body tense instinctively.
[Host, please choose the next possession target as soon as possible.]
"…Continue possessing Yelan."
Kael changes his mind.
Now that he knows Chenxi is not in immediate danger, there is no need to rush over.
His instincts tell him that Yelan's situation is far more serious than he initially thought.
[Received.]
The System pauses briefly, then speaks again.
[…Host, would you like to view the Pain values of the characters in this life simulation?]