Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Beyond the Celestial Realm, White Night City.

On the highest floor of the White Night Tower, a window stood ajar, allowing the faint light from outside to caress a man’s pale, bloodless face. His smooth black hair clung to his forehead, giving him an exceptionally docile appearance. A closer look would reveal his unfocused eyes as he sat quietly and obediently in a wheelchair, resembling a delicate porcelain doll.

Just then, Sheng Lin emerged from the shadows, walked over to the wheelchair, and knelt before him, his gaze fixed intently on the man’s features.

“Still unwilling to awaken?”

He grasped the man’s hand, which was a shade smaller than his own, then quickly released it, fearing he might cause pain.

“Knock, knock, knock—” A rhythmic sound echoed from beyond the door. A messenger robot announced, “Executive, Lord Yeli Baiqiu has arrived downstairs.”

The tenderness on Sheng Lin’s face receded, replaced by an inscrutable expression hidden in the shadows. “Tell him to wait for me in the conference hall.”

“Understood.”

Sheng Lin gently adjusted the blanket that was about to slip to the floor and carefully kissed the man’s forehead. As he rose, his calf trembled slightly but quickly steadied itself.

He glanced down, his voice barely a whisper.

“Wait for me.”

-

In the conference hall, Yeli Baiqiu regarded Sheng Lin with amusement, saying teasingly, “Executive, taking so long to see me—should I interpret this as you forgetting your friends once you have a partner?”

Sheng Lin shot him a cold, impatient glance. “If you’re not here on official business, you may leave.”

Hearing this, Yeli Baiqiu’s lips curled almost imperceptibly. He signaled to his subordinate, who promptly produced an audio recorder.

Yeli Baiqiu made a “wait” gesture and said with a smile, “You’re going to be very surprised.”

He pressed play, and a cacophony of background noise immediately filled the quiet conference hall. The sound of wind whistled for a moment, followed by the distinct noise of a gun muzzle pressing against a surface. Then, a familiar voice spoke:

—“Finally found you, A001.”

…

Yeli Baiqiu studied Sheng Lin’s reaction for a moment before turning off the recorder.

“A001, rescued three years ago, whereabouts still unknown,” he stated calmly. “Executive, let’s be frank. I know you intend to save A002, but the person ‘he’ desires—you cannot refuse to hand him over.”

“The person was lost under your watch. You’d better provide ‘him’ with an explanation.”

After Yeli Baiqiu departed, Sheng Lin slumped into his chair, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

A man in a suit entered. “Executive, did you need something?”

Sheng Lin rubbed his temples as if steeling himself for a difficult decision. “Send someone to Stellar City…”

“Ensure A001’s safety.”

-

Below the White Night Tower, Yeli Baiqiu adjusted his black suit hat, reminiscent of old-European style from a century ago. He leisurely straightened his trench coat and remarked casually, “Stellar City’s triennial Technology Conference is about to begin. Find a way to get our people involved.”

He added, “Remember, A001 must participate.”

After speaking, he glanced up at the clear blue sky and chuckled softly. “Meeting an old friend should be delightful, just like the life-and-death separation ten years ago. Lin Youhan, you truly made quite a friend.”

“It’s just a pity that even the cleverest people can’t escape death.”

-

After Zhang Yuanhang was discharged from the hospital, Lin Youhan took him home.

“Make yourself at home,” Lin Youhan said, handing him a glass of water. “Don’t be shy. This is my cousin’s place. He’ll be back soon, so you’ll be sharing the space with him for now.”

Noticing Zhang Yuanhang still standing awkwardly, Lin Youhan firmly guided him to the sofa. “Why so formal? Sit when you’re told. Treat this place like your own home.”

“Okay, okay,” Zhang Yuanhang repeated, seemingly trying to mask his nervousness.

Lin Youhan sighed inwardly. Why is this kid so tense?

To break the ice, he instructed Migu to turn on the TV. Migu complied and returned to Lin Youhan’s side, only to notice a gaze fixed on it. Looking up, it saw Zhang Yuanhang staring with intense focus, his eyes filled with profound curiosity.

“Dr. Lin, is this your robot?” Zhang Yuanhang swallowed, holding his breath as he stared unblinkingly at Migu as if beholding a rare treasure.

Lin Youhan was using voice commands to change the channel and didn’t notice Zhang Yuanhang’s expression. He nodded absently in response.

He assumed it was just a casual question and paid it no mind.

The next moment, Zhang Yuanhang said enthusiastically, “Dr. Lin, if this robot were to enter the Technology Conference, it would definitely take first place.”

“Huh?” Lin Youhan turned and swiftly pulled Migu away from Zhang Yuanhang’s eager grasp. “What are you thinking? This is just an ordinary robot, not competition material.”

Zhang Yuanhang, still immersed in the thrill of seeing such an exquisitely designed robot, said almost breathlessly, “Dr. Lin, how is this robot ordinary? Look at its components and materials—it’s made from high-tech nano-seam composite materials no longer produced on the market in Stellar City. Its toughness, sealing, and plasticity all rank among the top five on Stellar City’s Hundred Materials list.”

“And from what I can see, this is just the core part. The construction difficulty of its other form—the mecha body—is no less challenging than the core.” His eyes sparkled as he looked at Lin Youhan. “Dr. Lin, could I take a look at its mecha body?”

Afraid Lin Youhan might refuse, he immediately raised three fingers and vowed, “Dr. Lin, I promise I’ll only look once.”

Lin Youhan glanced at Migu and said apologetically, “I’m afraid not. Its mecha is damaged and hasn’t been repaired yet.”

Zhang Yuanhang’s face fell with disappointment. “How could that be?”

“Why couldn’t it be? Nothing lasts forever. Everything, like human life, eventually reaches its end.” Lin Youhan lightly nudged Migu with his foot, signaling it to move away.

Migu: “…”

No need to be so dismissive of me.

Zhang Yuanhang fell silent but continued stealing glances at Migu, his expression wistful and regretful.

Lin Youhan: “…”

I can see you really like my robot.

-

Before long, the sound of a fingerprint scanner beeped at the door. A blond teenager wearing Star Institute’s custom dark blue uniform walked in. The school’s emblem—a hollowed-out golden five-pointed star—was pinned above his chest. A headset hung around his neck, and he tossed his backpack onto the shoe cabinet as he entered. Pausing at the sight of the people on the sofa, he finally called out, “…Brother?”

Then he noticed the other teenager sitting beside Lin Youhan, who appeared around his age but with slightly sunken cheeks and sallow skin. The boy immediately lowered his head upon meeting his gaze.

The blond teen ruffled his fluffy hair, feeling an odd sense of familiarity but unable to place where he’d seen him before.

He turned to Lin Youhan. “Brother, what brings you here?”

“I need to borrow a uniform and student ID from you,” Lin Youhan said bluntly.

“What for?”

Lin Youhan glanced at him. “I need to visit your school soon.”

The boy changed his shoes and said in surprise, "Bro, just because you can't get a date doesn't mean you're so desperate you're hitting on students, right? If I remember correctly, you're already 30 this year. This kind of behavior is totally 'an old cow eating tender grass'."

He pointed his chin toward Zhang Yuanhang. "This is the backup I brought for you, Zhang Yuanhang. He's been learning tech skills for a few years but hasn't improved much. Have him upgrade your home security system. This matter is pretty serious, so you'd better not go out unless necessary. With that player face of yours, don’t go messing with some young girl. Why not learn some skills from him sometime? Then you wouldn’t fail every mech exam."

"This is my cousin, Jiang Yu."

Zhang Yuanhang stood up and greeted, "Hello, Zhang Yuanhang."

"Jiang Yu."

Seeing the two kids getting along well, Lin Youhan slouched back onto the sofa.

Jiang Yu found an extra uniform and shoved it into his arms. "Bro, my clothes might be a bit too big for you."

Lin Youhan waved his hand. "It's fine."

Once he got what he wanted, he immediately stood up and left. Before going, he said, "I'm heading out. If anything comes up, ask Migu for help. If that doesn’t work, go to the police station for assistance."

With a "bang—", the door closed, the gust of wind it brought ruffling both their hair.

Jiang Yu thought of Lin Youhan’s departing figure without looking back and cursed under his breath.

He turned to Zhang Yuanhang and said slowly, "Well, Zhang, you heard what my brother said. You’d better hurry up and upgrade that security system or whatever."

Zhang Yuanhang lowered his eyes. "Mm."

-

After leaving the residential area, Lin Youhan received a call from Si Muyun, who asked him to go to Liu Wenwen's place.

Since a corpse was found hidden in the records room, all staff working there had been investigated by Song Chenglei and his team, except for one named Liu Wenwen. According to Wang Xiao, around the time the corpse appeared, Liu Wenwen’s child happened to have a fever, and she hadn’t been seen since.

Not only that, Si Muyun had the records room searched again and found a nylon woven bag under the desk where the corpse was discovered. The bag contained a lot of foul, soggy hair stuck to its inside. Wang Xiao, who saw the bag, couldn’t eat for three days afterward. He also mentioned that on the night after the incident at Yuehu Jiangxinzhou, Liu Wenwen had dragged that very bag, soaking wet, into the police station from outside.

When they arrived at Liu Wenwen’s place, as soon as he got out of the car, he saw Wang Xiao waving at him from the balcony. "Dr. Lin, come up quick!"

Lin Youhan nodded to him, got out of the car without hesitation, and took the stairs two or three steps at a time. He was so focused on climbing that he didn’t notice someone was there and bumped right into someone’s chest.

"?"

Lin Youhan’s head hurt from the impact. He reached up to rub it and looked up to hear the person who’d blocked him say, "Sorry."

"Si Muyun, what are you doing standing in the stairwell with nothing to do? Playing security guard?" Lin Youhan glanced back to confirm there were steps behind him and that Si Muyun was standing right where he could block his path.

Before Si Muyun could respond, Wang Xiao, hearing the noise, rushed out and called to him, "Dr. Lin, our captain rushed out as soon as he heard you were here."

Wang Xiao’s words left Lin Youhan confused. He looked at Si Muyun. "Do I need to declare that I’m an adult?"

Si Muyun glanced at Wang Xiao without expression and uttered two words flatly.

"No need."

"Then what are you standing here for?"

"Enjoying the view."

Hearing this answer, Lin Youhan was completely speechless.

He pulled Wang Xiao along. "Then enjoy it slowly here."

After taking two steps, he suddenly noticed that Si Muyun, who’d just claimed to be enjoying the view, was following behind him. He immediately said sarcastically, "Captain Si, weren’t you enjoying the view? Why come inside?"

Si Muyun ignored the sarcasm in his words and said casually, "The view left."

Lin Youhan: "..."

Speechless.

-

Once inside the room, Lin Youhan released Wang Xiao and looked around. "Any clues?"

"Nothing yet," Wang Xiao replied.

"I remember you were on pretty good terms with her."

It was obvious who "she" referred to.

Realizing what Lin Youhan meant, Wang Xiao immediately jumped to deny it. "Dr. Lin, everyone at our station was on good terms with her."

"Then tell me, why would she drag a corpse and hide it in the police station?" Lin Youhan led gently, observing Wang Xiao’s expression.

"How should I know?" Wang Xiao scratched his head, feeling like Lin Youhan was fishing for information. But then he thought that Dr. Lin was just trying to solve the case and relaxed. "Sister Wen usually left work by 6 p.m. to pick up her kid and rarely returned to the station at night. It was raining that night too—I should’ve been more alert."

He couldn’t help but regret it. That night, there were so many oddities, yet he hadn’t noticed a thing. He’d even found Liu Wenwen’s words and actions excessively reasonable.

Just as Lin Youhan was about to ask about the child’s whereabouts, Si Muyun spoke up at that moment. "Song Chenglei had someone look into it these past few days. Her child was adopted from an orphanage. A few days ago, the child was sent back."

"What about Chen Wen?"

It had been two days since Chen Wen stabbed someone in the middle of the night. Lin Youhan had been at the hospital during that time and hadn’t gone to the station, so he didn’t know how Chen Wen was doing.

Hearing the name, Si Muyun frowned slightly. "After waking up, he was just like when he was rescued from drowning—he didn't know anything no matter how they asked."

Chen Wen’s situation was very strange. They’d tried many methods but couldn’t get anything out of him. If they pressed too much, he’d complain of headaches, dizziness, and a blank mind. It was hard to tell whether he was faking amnesia or really had it, yet his actions suggested he knew something.

Si Muyun’s tone was neutral. "If we can’t get anything out of him, we’ll have to let him go and have someone tail him. Those two haven’t gone anywhere; their routines are no different from usual."

"You’re waiting for him to slip up?"

"Exactly," Si Muyun nodded.

Chen Wen was too peculiar. Actively questioning him yielded little results, but at certain moments, he would reveal himself. For instance, right after they found Zhang Yuanhang, Chen Wen showed up as if drawn by the scent.

Lin Youhan nodded. Aside from this approach, almost nothing else worked on Chen Wen.

He circled the suite once more but found nothing, then returned to the living room. At that moment, a faint sound came from overhead. Lin Youhan focused on listening—the sound of gears grinding and colliding became louder.

Wang Xiao emerged from another bedroom and, noticing Lin Youhan frozen still, asked what was wrong.

"Did you hear that?" Lin Youhan placed his index finger to his lips, signaling for silence, and asked.

Wang Xiao grew nervous from his actions and stammered, "D-did I?"

"This sound—" Lin Youhan didn’t know how to explain. He scanned the room and finally fixed his gaze on the electronic watch on Wang Xiao’s wrist. He immediately gestured for Wang Xiao to listen to his own watch. "Listen for yourself."

Wang Xiao raised his watch to his ear and exclaimed in surprise, "You can even hear the sound of a watch?"

Lin Youhan didn’t answer him. He looked up at the ceiling, seemed to realize something, and his expression changed.

"Get out, now!" Lin Youhan quickly pushed Wang Xiao out the door, ran into the master bedroom, and came face to face with Si Muyun.

Seeing him in such a hurry, Si Muyun wanted to ask, but Lin Youhan, without a word, scooped him up, slamming through the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window.

He panted, "Your criminal investigation work is really dangerous."

At the same moment, the suite exploded.

As Wang Xiao tumbled down the stairs, before he'd even processed the explosion, the first thing he saw was their strong, capable captain, who could take on five men at once, cradled in the arms of the slender Dr. Lin!

Dr. Lin knelt on the ground littered with broken glass, with a sea of flames behind him, while the person in front of him remained safe and sound.

Instantly, a rush of emotion surged through him, and only one thought filled his mind.

—Captain, just marry him already!