"But is this real flesh?" Chen Xuan reached out and poked the back of her hand, the texture was quite soft, and there was even a hint of warmth.

Previously, Lin Qing’s body was also very pliable, but that was a sensation created by a special epidermal material, you could still tell the difference with a gentle touch. Now he couldn’t discern at all whether it was a high-grade imitation skin or actual flesh.

"I... don’t know either." Lin Qing examined her right hand, "Its compatibility is without any issues, the system can identify it, and the subcutaneous armor shows no abnormalities. In theory, it shouldn’t have any real human tissue attached, but..."

"But what?"

Lin Qing’s fingers flew dexterously through several movements, "No, nothing... I can’t remember the feeling before my body modification, so I can’t distinguish what kind of limb it more closely resembles."

"Since that’s the case, let’s not dwell on it." Chen Xuan scanned Lin Qing again with the scanner gun. After confirming her abilities hadn’t changed, he said, "As long as it’s repaired, that’s fine. Do you have any other faulty parts?"

"Military-grade spine, neural acceleration device, and laser emitter... but these need specialized prosthetic surgery rooms to repair, I can’t take them off by myself."

"Hmm..." Chen Xuan mused.

Lin Qing’s hair stood on end, "I won’t go in there entirely!"

"Alright, let’s find a chance to repair the other parts later." Chen Xuan also felt putting a person in there was a bit terrifying— changing the appearance of a hand was one thing, but if the entire person changed too, then repairing it would be meaningless.

As the three of them approached the counter, the reception man smiled and asked, "So? Things should be fixed by now."

"Hmm, the effect is quite good." Chen Xuan said casually, "How much is it?"

"Please wait a moment..." After checking the machine-printed bill, he was stunned, "What’s going on..."

"How much?" Suddenly, he felt a bad premonition.

"21,500 Euros."

"So expensive!?" Chen Xuan exclaimed.

"Indeed, quite expensive, normally B-grade repair costs range from 5-30 Euros, A-grade is around 100, this fee... it’s the first time I’ve seen it." The receptionist also appeared quite surprised.

"What’s your charging standard?"

"There’s no fixed standard, if it’s not repaired, it’s free, if it is, priced by the artifacts. Our counter can only see the specific amount, but not the calculation method of this amount. What’s certain is that the harder it is to repair, the more expensive it is."

The artifacts are responsible for pricing? Chen Xuan was flabbergasted, "The artifacts aren’t people, right?"

Otherwise, the ATM machine having a teller inside would become true.

"How is that possible, sir, you’re joking." The counterpart hesitated, "Should I consult with the supervisor and let him check the repair process..."

"No need for that." Chen Xuan quickly stopped them, "It’s as much as it’s supposed to be, I trust the shop’s credibility."

"Of course. The main purpose of using artifacts here is not for profit but to benefit the citizens of New Paris." The other assured, "It’s absolutely impossible to manipulate the fees and deceive customers."

The government allocation is only 2000, and he spent a large part of it strolling with Liu Shuyue, impossible to cover this repair cost.

Chen Xuan pulled out all the rolls of money he found in the mall, after counting he realized he had 9600 Euros left.

Although still called Euros, the banknotes circulating here are notably different from those in Jiang City, he also couldn’t use a bank card from over there to pay for consumption in New Paris.

Chen Xuan eventually took out the wallet from the Ability Store.

He turned his back and opened the clip, inside lay 500 units...

The Euros of this world.

Indeed, he knew the wallet’s cash dispensing was adaptive.

Initially, Chen Xuan felt having his salary issued into the wallet was quite unnecessary, but later found none of the salary slips or shop-within-a-shop mentioned the currency units, all using units. There he realized there was something fishy.

It’s a wallet that could withdraw money from any world.

This effectively avoids the legendary shopkeeper being embarrassed by having no money.

With a single withdrawal of 500, then 1000 after two, he spent quite some time before he patched the remaining 11900 up. The salary balance subsequently fell from 12800 to 900.

"I never expected you’d carry such cash." The other marveled. After verifying the bills, he smiled and bowed to Chen Xuan, "Welcome to visit next time!"

Smiling so happily... the repair fee must be linked to performance.

Walking out of the shop, Lin Qing shyly said, "Um... sorry for putting you out."

"No worries, money lost can be earned again." Chen Xuan said generously, after all, isn’t the shop assistant making the money for himself? So it’s not spending, but investment.

Just when they were about to continue exploring around the mall, Chen Xuan saw Elorie and the Governor’s portraits on the plaza’s big screen.

"Isn’t she the Angel girl?" Liu Shuyue asked out of curiosity.

However, both portraits were gray.

"Our reporter on the scene has just received reliable information that all the attackers have been eliminated by the military. The casualty statistics are still ongoing, but Governor Nymph Atla and Miss Elorie, who joined Paris City two days ago, have been confirmed dead in the attack. General Hans stated that this is absolutely a huge loss for the city and might even change the fate of every citizen."

The commentator’s voice-over caused the crowd at the plaza to stop.

A massive shock permeated through the crowd.

"That Angel... did she just die like that?"

"No way, the Angel Alliance was promoting her so much earlier."

"What change in fate? Paris City has continued without an Angel and it will keep on existing in the future!"

"You’re right, we don’t need an Angel to live!"

"Is the Fusion Festival scheduled for this weekend still on?"

"It’s probably going to be canceled... After all, it was specially organized for Miss Elorie."

For a while, there were heated discussions and disputes everywhere.

Only the three of them were in the know on the scene—Elorie hadn’t died at all; she had safely returned to her hometown.

"Strange," Lin Qing muttered, "Identifying the deceased should be no big deal for them."

Chen Xuan nodded in agreement, whether the body was blown to pieces or burned to charcoal, DNA information could still be extracted. Not to mention New Paris City, even Jiang City’s technology could achieve that.

He sensed a hint of conspiracy in the air.

The host continued reporting, "There were no survivors in the attacker’s team, and it’s preliminarily estimated that 30 to 35 people were involved in this severe atrocity. Their identities are still under investigation. However, a lot of evidence on the scene suggests that these people are members of the Child of the Sun, and the cause of the riot is related to the policies currently being pursued by the Governance Council."

"...Despite the loss of His Excellency the Governor, and several high-level officials of the council are dead, thanks to the excellent mechanisms within the government, the Governance Council has not lost function. High-tier councilor Dilante claimed that the city’s order will be restored soon, and all the rioters and their supporters will be severely punished!"

"Currently, New Paris City remains on high alert; the military and the Governance Council are temporarily co-managing the Louvre Palace. We urge citizens to go out less and stay safe. If there are any updates, this station will report them at once..."

Chen Xuan didn’t continue listening.

Whether there’s a conspiracy or not, it doesn’t have much to do with him.

The core of the city was attacked, and the governor was killed—this alone suggests one thing—that beneath the seemingly splendid city, there are likely many existing conflicts. The death of a leader is not a big problem for modern society, another could be elected, but even if ten others are chosen, it might not resolve the deep-seated conflicts within the city.

On the contrary, he had better leave quickly.

If he appeared on the death or missing list, with either him or Liu Shuyue being seen by citizens on the road, the situation could become troublesome.

...

After returning to the store, Liu Shuyue planned to take a trip back to Hot Pepper Village first, then go with Chen Xuan to the Immortal Alliance to inquire about the Spiritual Energy Device. After all, if she were to be absent there for a long time, the time flow difference between both sides would increase.

Soon after the store opened, Old Uncle Qiao came in.

"Young man, give me a pack of Furongwang... hmm?" He stopped halfway through, looked around, and then retreated along the same path, "Sorry, wrong place."

Ten seconds later, the old man reappeared at the door, "No, it’s this place! You kid, how come you’ve changed it into a fruit store!?"

Chen Xuan sighed, knowing he’d eventually have to face this scene.

"Come in and talk. Don’t worry, there’s still cigarettes and alcohol!"

After getting the Furongwang, the old man eyed Chen Xuan suspiciously, "Your renovation speed... it’s a bit fast. I’ve only not come by for two or three days, right?"

"Yes, I hired skilled workers and used mature plans." He said seriously, trying to bluff.

"Why the sudden change to selling fruits?"

"Too much competition in small goods, there are several in the neighborhood. I saw no one was selling fruits, so I wanted to try."

"Oh! You were not the boss before, just working at the store?" The old man gave a sly smile.

Darn, he got tricked into revealing something.

"It’s okay, I get it." Surprisingly, the old man showed a hint of satisfaction on his face, patted Chen Xuan’s shoulder meaningfully, and said, "It’s good to keep a low profile; I won’t blurt it around."

Chen Xuan rolled his eyes inwardly, not knowing how to respond.

"When will you have time to have a meal with my daughter? She said she tried to meet with you several times but couldn’t." The old man’s ulterior motive was revealed.

"Still that thing? I already said it’s okay, who could have expected a lunatic would attack the TV station?" Chen Xuan waved it off, "I’m not putting on airs, I’ve really been busy recently, I can’t manage it."

The ticket for the program was obtained from Qiao Xi, so after the incident in the studio where there were casualties, she seemed a bit guilty, sent lots of WeChat messages that day to inquire about the situation, and later even said she wanted to treat him to a meal to compensate for his fright.

Chen Xuan’s claim of being busy wasn’t just an excuse; during that period, he had to develop informants and guard against the Dimensional Limit Mechanism, making it unsuitable for drawing attention by wandering around. It’s been over two weeks, and he didn’t expect the other side still remembered it.

"Alright then, seeing as you’ve switched to selling fruits, it’s probably not a deliberate excuse." The old man paused, then suddenly asked, "You’re not planning to leave Jiang City, are you?"

"No," he replied casually, "Why?"

"It’s almost the New Year, many have to return to their hometowns. As you know, Jiang City hasn’t been very peaceful lately, people’s hearts are on edge, nobody knows when they might encounter an accident, so many plan not to return once they leave." The old man sighed, but then looked somewhat gratified as he said, "It’s good you’re staying, otherwise I’d have to walk three hundred more meters to buy a pack of cigarettes."

Chen Xuan paused in his actions, "Many have left?"

"Yes, quite a few," the old man put away the cigarettes into his pocket, "Even someone like me, who’s not well-informed, has heard about it. I still hope Jiang City can be lively... I’m off now!"

"Take care," Chen Xuan said as he watched him leave, feeling a bit silent.

Perhaps his daughter heard something while working at the TV station, which led him to have such a sentiment.