Chapter 82

Chapter 82

When Ye Mo woke up the next day, Faceless was already up and sitting on the sofa. As Ye Mo began to rouse from a deep sleep, not yet fully opening his eyes, Faceless turned towards him.

Faceless stood up. "Your clothes are next to you. The room upstairs is ready."

After saying that, he walked to the coat rack and began putting on his gloves and the rest of his attire.

That's when Ye Mo noticed the personal items in the room had been packed away. A black bag and a suitcase were placed beside the sofa.

He looked at the clothes Faceless had prepared for him. They were black and in a style popular with young people, similar to the hoodie Ye Mo had worn before, but the fabric was much softer and more comfortable; you could tell it was expensive just by touching it.

Faceless finished dressing quickly, returned to his usual appearance with almost no skin exposed, and stood quietly by the door, waiting for Ye Mo.

Ye Mo sped up his movements and got dressed in a few quick motions. Then he noticed the boots by the bed were also new.

They seemed familiar. A glance at Faceless's boots confirmed they were the same.

He slipped his feet in; they fit perfectly.

Ye Mo's previous shoes had been borrowed temporarily from Katia and were slightly too big.

Faceless also held a smaller cloak. He handed it to Ye Mo, then picked up the suitcase. "The black bag beside it holds the clothes you changed out of yesterday."

He paused, then added, "They've been washed, checked, and folded."

Ye Mo glanced quickly at Faceless, murmured 'Mm-hm,' put on the cloak, and picked up the bag. Faceless had already grasped the door handle but stopped again to pull up the hood of Ye Mo's cloak so that it covered his face.

"Remember, don't let anyone see your face when we go out."

They went up to the suite. It had a living room, and each room had its own private bathroom, much more convenient than before.

Faceless placed the suitcase on the table in the living room. "Choose a room and put your luggage inside."

Faceless looked at Ye Mo. Ye Mo's belongings amounted to just that black bag.

Ye Mo carefully opened and looked into each room, then finally chose the second room he had checked. After putting his things on the bed, he poked his head out to speak to Faceless. "The balcony here overlooks the garden."

As soon as Ye Mo made his choice, Faceless immediately selected the room closest to Ye Mo's.

When he came out again, Faceless had taken off his outer layers, revealing his face, but he was still wearing long sleeves, pants, and practical tactical boots.

Faceless opened the suitcase on the living room table.

Ye Mo couldn't help but stare at Faceless, slowly moving closer. Faceless's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he didn't stop him. Before long, they were both crowded around the suitcase.

Ye Mo looked inside. On top were a photo frame and several tightly wrapped boxes, followed by several daggers, various firearms, and other weapons.

Hoping to find new clues, Ye Mo was a bit disappointed. His gaze swept over the boxes and finally returned to the photo frame.

Faceless paused, took out the photo frame, and handed it to Ye Mo. Ye Mo sat down cross-legged, placing the frame in front of him.

Faceless neatly arranged the knives and firearms on the table, cleaning and maintaining each one meticulously before putting them back.

Then he placed a dagger beside Ye Mo. Ye Mo looked up at him.

"A gift."

Faceless said briefly. He put his cloak back on, pushed the door open, and went out.

The door made a series of clicks as Faceless locked it from the outside.

Ye Mo withdrew his gaze and picked up the dagger. It had no sheath. He carefully held the hilt, turning it over in his hands. His movements gradually slowed until, for some reason, he gripped the hilt, flipped it, and lightly pressed it against his own chest.

The dagger slipped from Ye Mo's hand, falling silently onto the carpet. Ye Mo stared at it for a moment, then bent down to pick it up again.

...

Faceless walked some distance away before stopping in a corner. He waited a while, and a person in uniform approached.

The man wore a cap pulled low over his eyes and said quietly, "The laboratory couldn't evacuate in time back then, and most of the data was destroyed. There aren't many clues we can find now. The list I sent you yesterday is a complete inventory of the remaining items. If you need anything, I can apply for it. If things move quickly, we could have it in about three days."

Faceless nodded. He had seen the list. Four doses of the neutralizing agent remained. Neutralizing agents were usually produced in excess, which might explain why four doses were left. There were also various other instruments, reagents, and data.

"I want everything on the list. As soon as possible."

The man in the cap quickly nodded. "I'll apply to headquarters immediately. I'll go personally and bring the items for you next time I come in."

The safety protocol was injected into the bone marrow as a serum after Ye Mo was fully formed.

This technology was originally developed by a giant corporation with diverse interests, initially used for a human experiment. Later, a researcher tormented by his conscience exposed the experiment's contents. He made them public and then committed suicide.

Because the experiments were so inhumane, and some of the subjects were outstanding soldiers who had been kept in the dark, it once sparked public outrage.

It, along with the human experimentation technology, had been banned long ago, but it was already a very mature technology before the ban.

Routine checks wouldn't detect it; only a detailed examination through bone marrow extraction could reveal it.

Each serum had a corresponding neutralizing agent. The original corresponding serum had to be found and injected in three doses to completely neutralize it.

Faceless hadn't known when Ye Mo was injected with the safety protocol. He wasn't a researcher and didn't know many details. He only visited Ye Mo in his spare time each day, engaging in interactions only they understood.

This led to several arguments in the lab. Most personnel believed Ye Mo was their only successful result and needed careful handling. A small mistake could halt development, let alone injecting a safety protocol into the bone marrow.

Faceless remembered clearly—there had been three injection sites back then. Both legs and the spine.

Those wounds were too deep for Ye Mo at that time. Faceless observed for a long time. Even when Ye Mo was sent away, those wounds were still on his body.

When Faceless returned, Ye Mo was still in the same spot. He had taken off his shoes by the door and was sitting cross-legged on the carpet. The photo frame and the dagger were in front of him, and he had turned on the room's radio.

An entertainment program was just ending. The host was telling very dry jokes. Even without the visuals, only the audio, Ye Mo listened intently. Soon the program ended.

The radio began broadcasting the next program, which sounded like a news channel from some country.

Ye Mo wasn't interested and lowered his head again to fiddle with the photo frame.

Faceless sat down beside him and checked the messages received on his terminal. As a high-ranking member of the organization, he received all intelligence from the department.

He swiped through the intelligence reports one by one, his finger pausing over one piece of information.

"Parts of the Clay Empire's military have begun preliminary contact with the outposts of various countries in the Drift Star Zone."

A few seconds later, Faceless swiped it away.

The location of the Insect Tide shifts slightly each time. The Clay Empire was fortunate this time to be on the edge of the tide, which explained why they had the extra resources to search for their exiled family member.

Most inhabited planets in the Drift Star Zone are essentially junk planets. It seems the new Young King plans to start with these places.

The news channel began its routine report on the Insect Tide. "...This Insect Tide is much more difficult than previous ones. The number of King Insects encountered so far is several times the usual. It's believed that countries at the center of other Insect Tides are facing even greater hardship. Once again, we thank Grath for holding the front line at the Rift. This time, no King Insect has broken through the Rift's defenses. Long live Grath..."

Faceless reached over and turned off the radio.

It was only then that Ye Mo looked up. "What do we do next? Go home? And how did I end up here? I have no idea about any of that."

"No, there are still some matters to handle. For now, you’ll stay with me."

Faceless paused briefly, then tilted his head, fixing his gaze on the wall to the right. He started making up a story based on his own guess. "It was an accident. You were attacked back then."

Ye Mo scooted closer to Faceless, following his line of sight toward the wall.

"Why are you looking over there? Does my dad know I’m here? You said earlier that he’s still around."

"Just looking around. He doesn’t know yet, and I can’t let him find out for now."

Ye Mo didn’t press further. "Alright, I’ll ask you again after you're done."

He then sat back down, but after a moment, he looked up again. "I want to go find Chris and the others."

Faceless closed his optical computer. "They already went back."

"I can go find them. I remember the way, just like when I came here."

"Outside isn't safe."

He couldn’t let Ye Mo go out there. Even within this building alone, there were plenty of people who would recognize Ye Mo’s face.

Ye Mo went quiet, lowering his head to stare at the photo again.

Faceless glanced at Ye Mo once, then again after a moment. Finally, he spoke up. "I can go with you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a knock at the door. Faceless stood up to answer it. The person outside lowered their voice. "Something's come up. We need you to come take a look..."

Faceless turned back to look at Ye Mo, but Ye Mo looked away, avoiding his eyes.

He turned back. "Hand it off to someone else for now."

"But this is a serious matter—it concerns whether to open the port. The District Chief is already waiting."

Hungry Wolf was also part of the organization.

By the rules, major decisions were to be made by the highest-ranking personnel present.

Faceless had no choice but to agree. "Send some food, and—skip it, that's all."

He'd originally thought about asking for an optical computer or a gaming pod, but those could connect to the Star Network and might let Ye Mo get other information.

The other person acknowledged and went to prepare.

Faceless closed the door again. "After you finish eating, I’ll take you."

Ye Mo hummed in agreement, this time in a noticeably brighter tone.

After the food cart was delivered, Faceless left to attend the meeting, locking up from the outside as usual.

The meeting was already halfway through. The District Chief sat in his regular seat and gestured for Faceless to take a seat.

Several others were also seated around the table, obviously split into two groups. One group wore military uniforms, while the other wore suits with ID badges on their chests.

The District Chief turned to the others. "The other half of the port’s authority belongs to them. If you want to enter, you’ll need their approval. I have no objections—your requests are all reasonable, and I’ve agreed on my end. Now it’s up to you to convince them. The locals’ opinions matter a lot here. If they don’t agree, you won't have an easy time."

Someone handed Faceless two applications. The person in military uniform spoke first. "On behalf of the Clay Empire, I submit this application. Our purpose is to search for someone, and we may also require search permits. In exchange, we can offer compensation and assist in clearing King Insects—though only partially. If you agree, we can discuss the specifics later."

The other side quickly added, "We’re journalists. We’d like to conduct an in-depth filming project here, reporting on the Insect Tide situation in the Drift Star Region. Your side can send personnel to accompany us—we absolutely won’t film anything we shouldn’t. And there’s also a live broadcast. For the broadcast, we’d like to pilot a starship and film from an aerial perspective."

"As you know, this year’s Insect Tide is very different from previous years. We want to document it and provide the data for research purposes. This would benefit your side as well. Once it attracts attention, I believe aid from various parties will surely follow, and the Insect Tide issue will likely be resolved."

Faceless understood why they were so nervous and kept emphasizing they wouldn’t film anything inappropriate. In the past, a bold media outlet had used a different pretext to report on the conditions of a certain planet in the Drift Star Region. After attracting attention, the entire planet was overhauled by international organizations.

This completely disrupted the local ecosystem. Although the unchecked growth of pirates and other forces was eliminated, the already impoverished planet lost its sources of supplies and fell into chaos. Fortunately, the international organizations that intervened didn’t abandon the project, but it took considerable effort to stabilize the situation again. Even now, that planet continues to consume vast amounts of resources while struggling to improve its unsustainable situation.

Since then, both the Drift Star Region and outsiders had become extremely cautious about such matters.

Filming could be monitored with accompanying personnel, but live broadcasts were uncontrollable.

Faceless quickly made his judgment: the second application could harm the organization’s interests.

But Faceless didn’t care. He remained in the organization only because he had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do—not out of any particular loyalty to the organization.

He casually approved both applications.