Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chu Ya lay back down on the bed but still couldn't fall asleep. He placed his hands flat on his abdomen, listening to the distant rumble of thunder outside the window, feeling an inexplicable restlessness and unease in his heart. Deciding to gather his scattered thoughts, he entered his mental realm.

It was a world of snow, silent and cold, with snowflakes falling soundlessly, spreading across an endless expanse of snow-covered plains.

Chu Ya stood on the snowfield, walking toward the large, elliptical cocoon covered in ice and snow ahead.

He brushed away the top layer of snow on the cocoon, revealing a small section of the translucent cocoon shell beneath, and could see a vague shape inside. Placing his palm on the cocoon shell, he felt its warmth, similar to his own body temperature, and sensed something gently responding from beneath his hand.

This was his quantum beast, growing within the cocoon, connected to his mind. Even without words, it sensed his unease and mirrored his emotions.

Chu Ya sat down against the cocoon shell, his presence calming the agitated quantum beast. In turn, the quantum beast responded similarly, gradually soothing his own anxiety.

When Chu Ya exited his mental realm, the lightning outside the window continued to flash, but the raindrops hanging in the air had yet to fall.

He glanced at the wall clock; it was already eleven o'clock at night. He got up, opened the door, and peeked down the stairs, seeing his mother still sitting on the sofa knitting, while his father had not returned home.

Chu Ya stood at the doorway for two seconds before stepping back to call Chu Chengyu. After waiting for a while, he checked the screen and found that his phone had no signal. He then opened the closet, took out a black hoodie and jeans, changed quickly, and hurried downstairs.

Qin Qin was holding the sweater, lost in thought, when she noticed Chu Ya and asked, "Why are you changing your clothes?"

Chu Ya paused in the living room. "I can't sleep, so I want to go check at the military headquarters."

"You're going to the military headquarters now? It's already so late..."

Qin Qin hesitated, then suddenly tensed up, standing up and walking quickly toward the window. Chu Ya sensed something was wrong and followed her.

Standing beside his mother, Chu Ya looked down. A bolt of lightning illuminated the area outside, briefly revealing several figures and flashes of light.

His heart sank as he tried to look more closely, but the lightning faded, and darkness returned.

Boom!

Thunder echoed immediately after, and Chu Ya realized the flashes were gun barrels.

"Mom," Chu Ya called out nervously.

"It's okay, don't panic."

A faint humming sound came from the direction of the elevator, and both turned to look. The elevator was ascending from the first floor.

"Did Ah Qin go out?" Chu Ya asked.

"No, I told her to go to bed," Qin Qin replied, her voice tense.

Chu Ya's heart raced as he quietly reached for the dagger at his waist, whispering, "It must be Dad."

"Yes, it should be him," Qin Qin said, watching the elevator numbers change. "Xiaoya, it's very late. Go upstairs."

Chu Ya did not respond, only staring intently at the elevator.

"Hurry, go upstairs!" Qin Qin, usually gentle, suddenly spoke sternly.

Chu Ya remained still, and Qin Qin pushed him toward the stairs, his thigh being dragged forward by an unseen force.

"Mom—"

Just as Chu Ya was pushed up the stairs, the elevator dinged, and both froze, turning to look.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and a dozen armed Morna soldiers stormed into the house, rushing into the living room. An officer in Morna government forces uniform stepped forward, saluting Qin Qin and Chu Ya. "Mrs. Chu, Young Master Chu."

Qin Qin stopped pushing Chu Ya, standing straight on the stairs, her expression quickly becoming composed.

"Who are you? Why are you invading our home?"

The officer respectfully replied, "Captain of the Morna government forces, here on orders from Governor Meng to take care of Mrs. Chu and Young Master Chu."

"Meng Heguang? When did the government forces get so bold as to send troops into the residence of Chu Chengyu of the Morning Star Club?" Qin Qin looked down sternly. "Are you people from the Sunburn Club, Jiang Xian?"

The officer did not answer, only instructing his men, "Escort Mrs. Chu and Young Master Chu to their rooms."

Two soldiers approached, reaching for Qin Qin and Chu Ya. But before they could touch them, Chu Ya kicked one soldier in the stomach.

Despite his young age, he had trained in the military academy since childhood and was in the differentiation phase. The soldier, unable to withstand the kick, stumbled backward, crashing into the coffee table and crouching in pain.

Qin Qin also reacted, slapping the other soldier across the face and shouting, "Get out of my house right now!"

"Mrs. Chu, please calm down and return to your room," the officer remained polite.

Qin Qin's voice was stern. "You invade our home while my husband is away. Are you declaring war on the Morning Star Club? Call Jiang Xian immediately; I want to speak with him."

"Mrs.—"

"Get out now! Or call Jiang Xian and tell me what this means!"

The officer sighed, "Mrs. Chu, I'm not refusing to contact President Jiang, but the signal here has been blocked. Even my phone won't work."

Silence fell over the room as Qin Qin glared at the officer, her face full of anger. Chu Ya held her arm, feeling her body trembling.

He knew deep down that his mother was struggling to maintain composure. The fact that these people could barge into their home meant the guards downstairs were likely incapacitated, indicating a significant event involving his father.

"Qin Sister, Xiaoya," a timid voice suddenly sounded from the hallway. Ah Qin, wrapped in a cardigan, had just woken up.

Before Chu Ya and Qin Qin could respond, the officer swiftly turned, raising his gun.

Qin Qin immediately released her mental force, and the quantum beast raccoon lunged forward. But her mental force was halted mid-air, as if hitting an invisible barrier.

A mental force shield!

High-level Sentinel!

Bang! The gunshot rang out, and Ah Qin fell to the ground, her forehead marked by a bleeding black hole.

"Ah Qin!"

"Sister Qin!"

Chu Ya rushed towards Ah Qin lying on the ground. A soldier blocked his path, and he punched the soldier with all his might. The soldier raised his arm to block, but a crack was heard, and he clutched his forearm in pain.

The sound of bullets being chambered echoed as several guns were aimed at Chu Ya. He reached out to grab a gun from someone nearby when he heard the cold order of the officer and Qin Qin's shout.

"Prepare—"

"Xiaoya!"

Chu Ya froze, panting heavily, then slowly turned around. He saw Qin Qin standing on the stairs, her face as pale as paper, shaking her head slowly at him.

Seeing that Chu Ya had stopped, the officer lowered his right hand and nodded slightly at Qin Qin, still maintaining his respectful demeanor. "To avoid any accidents, please, Madam and Young Master, return to your rooms to rest."

"Xiaoya, come here." Qin Qin's voice was hoarse.

Qin Qin's raccoon was fighting an anteater, already emitting thick black smoke, so she recalled it into her mental domain.

Chu Ya's eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling uncontrollably. He looked at Ah Qin lying on the ground and then at his mother.

Qin Qin's eyes pleaded as she reached out, her voice trembling, "Xiaoya, come here."

Chu Ya finally walked step by step towards Qin Qin. As soon as he reached the stairs, Qin Qin grabbed his hand tightly. "Come, let's go upstairs."

His mother's hand was cold like ice, and Chu Ya did not resist as she led him up the stairs and into the master bedroom.

As soon as they closed the door, Qin Qin hugged Chu Ya, who buried his face in her shoulder, gritting his teeth and sobbing, "Sister Qin... I want to kill them, I want to kill them..."

Qin Qin stroked Chu Ya's thin back. "I understand, I know, but we can't act rashly now. There are so many people downstairs, and the officer is an A-level Sentinel. I'm just a B+ Guide; I can't handle it."

Chu Ya lifted his tear-streaked face, looking panicked. "I wonder how Dad is doing."

Footsteps echoed on the stairs, and someone stood guard at the door. Qin Qin pulled Chu Ya to the bedroom window and whispered, "These people haven't harmed us; they've only confined us in the room. This means Brother Zhu is still safe, and they're using us to pressure him."

She surveyed the room, her voice calm and her gaze steady. "We must find a way to leave here and find him."

The sound of heavy rain filled the air as the downpour finally began. Wind carried raindrops through the open window, sweeping away the stuffiness and bringing in coolness.

Qin Qin took off her loose housecoat and changed into a black combat suit, tying her long curly hair with a rubber band. She then opened a hidden cabinet in the wall, retrieving guns and ammunition.

In Chu Ya's mind, his mother had always been gentle, either cooking with Ah Qin in the kitchen or watching TV and knitting in the living room. Only now did he remember that she had once been his father's right-hand woman, facing countless battles and struggles together. It wasn't until his father became the president of the Morning Star Club and she gave birth to him that she put down her gun and returned home to live a peaceful life.

"There are six A-level Sentinels and three A-level Guides in Cloud Peak, making nine people in total. Among these nine, including Brother Chu himself, there are also Gu Lin and his Guide Jin Gao. Of the remaining six, only three are from the Sunburn Club. Brother Chu shouldn't be in danger," Qin Qin said while skillfully loading bullets.

"I haven't dealt with these matters for too long. Based on what Brother Chu usually tells me, the person downstairs should be Wang Lin from the Sunburn Club." Qin Qin paused. "They have fewer people than us, so why can they spare an A-level Sentinel to deal with us?"

Qin Qin looked down at the automatic rifle in her hands, and Chu Ya felt a growing sense of unease, his breathing becoming rapid.

A faint buzzing sound filled the room. Qin Qin snapped back to reality, turning to pick up her phone from the bed. Upon seeing the number, her expression suddenly became excited.

"It's Deputy Yun!" she whispered.

Chu Ya immediately understood that Deputy Yun was using military equipment to connect directly through the base station to his mother's phone.

Qin Qin pressed the answer button eagerly, and Chu Ya leaned in to listen.

No one spoke on the other end; only heavy breathing and running could be heard. Qin Qin did not urge, and Chu Ya remained silent, listening intently.

Bang, bang, bang.

Three consecutive gunshots echoed, and Chu Ya's body trembled each time. Qin Qin sat straight, but her hand suddenly grabbed his arm and squeezed tightly.

"...Sister Qin." Deputy Yun's breathless voice finally came through. Before Chu Ya could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard him say, "The high-level members of the Morning Star Club are under separate attacks and cannot contact each other. Sir may find it hard to escape. You must take Xiaoya and leave! Leave now!"

"Yun Tuo, are you okay? What's happening? Where are you? How are Brother Chu and Gu Lin?"

"Gu Lin—"

The call was suddenly cut off, leaving only continuous beeping on the line.

Chu Ya stood motionless, and Qin Qin fell back onto the bed. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the room, casting everything in a stark white light, making them look like two stiff, pale statues.

"The Sunburn Club doesn't have the ability to confine him..."

Qin Qin's voice was barely audible, but Chu Ya heard her clearly. He asked hoarsely, "Then what's happening now?"

"Only if someone close to him has betrayed him."