Todd looked at Pei Guang in confusion. With Luofu's advanced technology, trash cans were practically obsolete.
Why were there any here?
Pei Guang: "Historical remnants. Luofu used to need them too, you know. Later on, when they weren't necessary anymore, the Vidyadhara just left them as memorials."
"Garbage bins… as memorials? First I've heard of it. Once this is over, if I get the chance, I'll definitely research this…"
While Todd muttered his complaints, inside one of the trash cans at the Waterscape, Bailu was peeking through a crack and spotted Todd descending after finishing his chat with Pei Guang.
She got excited and whispered, "Look! That's Ah Guang's amazing trash bin! As long as you're hiding in the bin, no one will notice you, even if the bin makes no sense!"
Elysia wanted to say something too, but since Bailu had already said all the sarcastic lines she had in mind, she didn't get the chance.
Todd entered the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Watching him go in, Pei Guang looked at the familiar trash bins and containers, waved his hand, and calmly stayed where he was to watch the fun unfold.
Being an active participant as a player was enjoyable, but after enough involvement, players also liked sitting back and watching fun cutscenes—or letting other players put on a show.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Todd made his way down. He was quite clever, choosing a spot out of Pei Guang's line of sight and away from any trash bins, targeting a large-scale Vidyadhara egg nestled between two others.
Before making a move, he looked around to ensure no one was watching. Once certain, he pulled out a syringe, ready to extract the egg white. But just as he was about to proceed, the sudden sound of a camera shutter startled him, and he dropped the syringe onto the ground.
He turned toward the source of the sound: no one was there. Only two garbage bins and a trash can.
Those bins and the trash can seemed to be staring at the syringe on the ground. They didn't speak, but Todd could hear their furious cries—cries of condemnation toward anyone who littered.
Faced with this judgment, Todd, who was about to break the laws of the Xianzhou, suddenly felt compelled to do something morally upright: pick up his litter.
"Damn it! This isn't garbage!"
Todd snapped out of it. That syringe wasn't trash: it was high-tech equipment capable of piercing a Vidyadhara egg to extract egg white without, theoretically, harming the egg.
Though in truth, he wasn't entirely sure.
Thinking back to that strange train of thought, Todd muttered to himself, "Weird. Maybe I'm just too nervous... Still, regaining my youth is the priority…"
What he didn't notice was the faint, eerie glow flashing through the gaps of the two bins and the trash can.
Todd picked up the syringe, took a deep breath, and prepared to try again. This time, he swore that no matter what happened, he would accomplish his goal.
He aimed the syringe at the Vidyadhara egg once more. But before he even moved, the shutter sound came again. This time, he chose to ignore it, chalking it up to nerves, and prepared to push forward and finish the task quickly.
But as soon as he started moving, the shutter sounds increased in frequency. A series of snaps made his body tremble slightly.
He turned to look again: nothing but the trash bins and can nearby.
"Maybe I really am just too nervous…"
Todd took a deep breath again. But as he muttered to himself, he suddenly noticed something strange: why was one of the garbage bins slightly open, and why was there a flickering light inside?
Curious, he leaned closer to the dark crack. It was like staring into an abyss. Todd felt as if he weren't looking at a gap in a garbage bin, but into something bottomless.
The abyss seemed to say to him: "Don't litter. I'm watching you!"
Under the abyss's watchful gaze, Todd felt a pang of guilt. He shouldn't have dropped that syringe. His heart was full of remorse and pain… but then he snapped out of it again.
Why the hell was he repenting to a trash can?
Meanwhile, inside that "abyss," March 7th and Stelle were holding back laughter. Through the crack, they could clearly see Todd's confused and curious expression as he leaned in to peek.
The only thing they regretted was that Pei Guang wasn't there to see this glorious moment.
Facing Todd's probing gaze, the garbage bin gave off an air of disdain through its crack. As a trash can, it was duty-bound to contain all garbage and never let a trace of it spill out.
Letting someone peek inside through a crack? That would be an insult to its dignity.
While the trash bin stood on principle, Todd wasn't thinking about dignity at all. What popped into his mind at that moment was a quote: "When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
Todd didn't understand why this thought crossed his mind: to him, it felt like a philosophical riddle.
And as he thought about it, he couldn't help but say it out loud. His voice wasn't loud, but those hiding inside the bin and boxes heard it loud and clear.
Just as he said those words, Bailu, young and not exactly experienced, couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed from inside another trash bin.
"Hahaha… quack quack~" Bailu, realizing she'd blown her cover, immediately tried to imitate a duck to cover it up.
Todd might've been old, but he wasn't senile. Even so, the sound of a laughing trash can still gave him a scare.
He tried to reason it out: was it a sentient trash can? A machine with a voice module? But before he could figure it out, the others inside reacted.
"Bailu! You gave us away!"
A few voices followed in quick succession, and suddenly the scene fell into silence. Not just the people hidden inside, ready to act, went quiet, but even Todd froze.
He was still trying to process why a trash can was talking.
Could it be that the bins in the Scalegorge Waterscape had been affected by Vidyadhara powers and gained sentience? Could they talk now?
Suddenly, it all made sense: there were people inside the bins. That explained it!
Feeling proud of having figured it out, Todd smiled—until his expression froze.
"People? A person?"
But the next second, he realized he was wrong. Because two garbage bins and one trash can simultaneously burst open: five people jumped out.
Bailu, standing righteously in a bin, pointed and shouted: "You wicked villain! Trying to use Vidyadhara eggs to gain immortality and regain your youth?! You've committed one of the Ten Great Offenses of the Xianzhou! He's the enemy, get him!"
Since Pei Guang wasn't present, everyone had trouble coordinating the timing, but as long as they moved before Todd reacted, it would still count as a success.
At that moment, Stelle pulled out a bat. "You're not being forceful enough. Ah Guang told me, when you're beating someone up, the simpler your lines, the better. Hey! Enemy! Hit him!"
Bailu: "You're right! Hit him!"
Bailu was the first to strike. After all, Todd was old: if they all attacked at once and accidentally killed him, that'd be a problem.
Their principle was to give him a good beating before handing him over to the Luofu, but not kill him: that's why Bailu made the first move, to ensure his life was protected.
However, just after Bailu acted, and before Stelle or March 7th could do anything, Dan Heng jabbed him with a soft bunny butt. Dan Heng's move served as a signal, and after that, everyone present jumped into action.
With a flurry of crackling sounds from inside Scalegorge Waterscape, people from the Ten-Lords Commission arrived on the scene. When Xueyi and Hanya reached the area, they saw Pei Guang standing at the entrance, blocking others from entering.
Xueyi: "Where is the criminal…"
Pei Guang pointed toward Todd, who was being mobbed. "There, over there! But I can't let you go in just yet."
Xueyi: "?"
Pei Guang: "It's part of the plan. Just wait here for a bit!"
Hearing Pei Guang's words, Hanya was secretly delighted. She remembered the Ten-Lords' instructions clearly: on this matter, they were to follow Pei Guang's lead.
That meant if Pei Guang told them to wait, they could wait, and any delays wouldn't be blamed on them. Which also meant she could take this opportunity to chat with her sister?
With that in mind, Hanya looked over at Xueyi. "Sister, since he said so, let's wait a little. This involves the company, so acting on our own wouldn't be appropriate."
Xueyi: "…"
Since her younger sister had spoken up like this, Xueyi silently agreed. After all, this operation was led by her sister Hanya: she was only following orders to come and catch the criminal.
Whatever the higher-ups arranged, she would follow. Besides, she truly did want to spend more time with her little sister, even if it was during work.