Card Room

Ye Qi came out after taking a shower and found a warm light from the study on the second floor. He dried his hair while walking over and found Shao Qingge sitting at the desk. Shao Qingge was looking at the information on the screen with an extremely serious expression on his face.

In Ye Qi's impression, Shao Qingge usually wasn't very serious. He liked to squint and tease others. He was a 'frivolous' rich second generation. It was rare to see his face have such a serious expression. Maybe Chief Shao was like this at work? A serious man was more pleasing to the eye.

Ye Qi entered the room and asked softly, "Chief Shao, what clues have you found?"

The next moment, the seriousness disappeared from Shao Qingge's face. It was replaced by the familiar smile as he raised an eyebrow to look at Ye Qi. "What did you call me?"

Ye Qi was stunned. "Chief Shao?"

Shao Qingge stood up and walked to Ye Qi in two or three steps. He reached out his slender fingers and lifted the young man's chin, eyes slightly squinting. "Think about it. What should you call me?"

Ye Qi's mind returned and his ears turned slightly red. "Father?"

Shao Qingge smiled. "Now you remember that I am your adoptive father?"

The red color at the tip of Ye Qi's ears spread rapidly and even his cheeks started to turn red as he answered, "We don't have to care about the name in private, right? This was all arranged by the keepers. It feels strange calling you Father…"

He thought that Shao Qingge was joking but the man suddenly squeezed Ye Qi's jaws, his eyes squinted as they lingered thoughtfully on Ye Qi's facial features. This scrutinizing gaze made Ye Qi's heartbeat accelerate. The two of them were so close to each other that he could almost feel Shao Qingge's warm breathing.

Ye Qi's tongue was knotted and uncontrollable. "Y-You, why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face…?"

Shao Qingge's voice was low and deep. "The keepers blindly arranged it? No, they will never set an identity at will. Why am I your father?"

Ye Qi's brain was a mess as he blurted out, "Didn't you adopt me?"

Shao Qingge was still staring at Ye Qi's face. "Why should I adopt you?"

Ye Qi, "……"

He was troubled by Shao Qingge's consecutive questions. Then suddenly, a thought flashed through Ye Qi's mind and he stared at Shao Qingge with wide eyes. "Can it be that my background isn't simple?"

Shao Qingge finally let go of Ye Qi's chin. He folded his arms across his chest and paced back and forth in the study. "According to my memories, I went to the orphanage to do charity more than 10 years ago and adopted you. At that time, you were only five years old and both your parents were killed at the front lines… did they really die?"

Ye Qi's heart became more uneasy. "What are you trying to say?"

Shao Qingge stopped and looked back at Ye Qi. "I am the only heir to the Shao family. I am young and unmarried. Why would I adopt a five year old child? I wouldn't adopt you unless you are special."

He turned the holographic screen of his communicator to Ye Qi. “I checked the investment records of the Shao family over the years and found the Noah’s Ark project 20 years ago. This project wasn’t the first genetic experiment but a plan to &#k2018;restart’ it. This shows that the first research happened much earlier than our expectations. I saw a man with the last name &#k2018;Ye’ in the signature list of this project and checked it. He looks very similar to you.”

Ye Qi stared at the photo on the communicator. "Am I also a clone?"

"The timing isn't right. In addition, you just look similar to him. You aren't identical like Xiao Lou and the clones." Shao Qingge paused and stared at Ye Qi. "This person called Ye Wenbo should be your biological father. I checked his information. He was a senior officer in the southern military region."

Ye Qi was confused. "Didn't my father die on the front lines?"

A hint of sharpness flashed in Shao Qingge's eyes. "It is possible that he was 'killed'."

There was a fundamental difference between 'died' and 'killed'. The former was an accident while the latter was man-made.

Ye Qi didn't have many feelings toward the man in the photo. He was sent to the orphanage when he was very young. Then when he was five years old, he was adopted by Shao Qingge. The one closest to him in this world was Shao Qingge. He had no memories of his biological father or mother.

However, Shao Qingge had found the name of Ye Qi's biological father in the project 20 years ago. This proved that Ye Qi's father also participated in the project and his death might not be that simple.

Ye Qi reflected on this and immediately said, "This is an important clue. We must tell Professor Xiao as soon as possible."

Shao Qingge nodded. "Yes, I have sent a message to Group Leader Yu. Tomorrow, we will go to the bank early and open the safe left by my father."

***

At this time, inside the palace.

Xiao Lou's neck was pinched by a hand but the expression on his face was calm.

Logically speaking, most people would definitely be panicked and afraid if they were grabbed by the neck and had a gun pressed against their body. However, Xiao Lou didn't show any agitated reaction except for stiffening for two seconds at the beginning.

His face was as calm as usual and his breathing had no disturbance. He stood there steadily without a frown.

The assassin perceived his calmness and couldn't help asking coldly, "Your Highness, aren't you afraid of me killing you?"

Xiao Lou chuckled. "Will you?"

The cold fingers pinching his neck tightened slightly. Xiao Lou's breathing became more difficult but he didn't feel panicked. He and Yu Hanjiang were connected and through this mind connection he knew that Yu Hanjiang was currently waiting for an opportunity in the bathroom next to him. He believed that Yu Hanjiang definitely wouldn't let him die at the assassin's hands. Moreover, he didn't think the assassin would kill him immediately.

Xiao Lou spoke quietly, "Haven't you been hiding in my bedroom for a long time? I don't know what special power you used to hide your figure but I had no awareness of your existence. You have a gun in your hand. If you really came here just to kill me, there would have been countless opportunities to attack and kill me with a single shot. Instead, you waited for Yu Hanjiang to enter the bathroom before making a move."

Xiao Lou stood motionless, his voice not wavering at all. "Just now, if you wanted to kill me then you could just pull the trigger when you held the gun against my back and I would be a corpse. Yet you didn't do so. That means that there is some value to keeping me alive, right?"

The assassin paused for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice. "You're really smart."

Xiao Lou asked, "Who sent you here? What do you want to do?"

The assassin was just about to answer when a strong wind struck the back of his head. Before he could react, there was a sharp pain from his arm. Click! This was the sound of his wrist bone being broken abruptly!

Yu Hanjiang's eyes were full of hostility. It wasn't known when, but he had quietly come around the assassin's back.

Then the man acted as quick as lightning in a neat manner! There was a sharp capture and he accurately controlled the wrist that the assassin was using to hold Xiao Lou. He twisted it in the opposite direction and the wrist was directly broken by a strong force.

The other hand protruded like lightning and snatched the gun from the assassin's hand. At the same time, his right foot slammed into the opponent's fragile hollow at the back of the knee, kicking the opponent to the ground. He folded the assassin's hands behind him for control and held the gun against the assassin's head.

Yu Hanjiang's voice was low and dangerous. "Don't move."

Xiao Lou noticed the looseness of his neck and immediately came to Yu Hanjiang's side. He knew that Yu Hanjiang would come to rescue him so he deliberately chatted with the assassin to delay time.

Yu Hanjiang deserved to have received professional training. Although the assassin was invisible, the cold fingers on Xiao Lou's neck and the gun at his waist clearly revealed the location of the assassin.

The assassin had obviously underestimated the enemy. When Yu Hanjiang placed the gun against his head, he stiffened slightly. Yu Hanjiang moved the gun in his right hand forward while continuing to use his left hand fiercely. A burst of pain came from the assassin's broken wrist like his flesh had been hardened and separated! He gritted his teeth without screaming, almost crushing his teeth.

Yu Hanjiang's voice was cold. "Who sent you? Didn't you hear His Highness asking you something?"

The assassin might be invisible but the black barrel behind Xiao Lou gave away the location of the assassin's hand. Xiao Lou's bathroom actually had another exit and Yu Hanjiang cooperated with Xiao Lou to subdue the assassin.

It took him only three seconds to subdue a person. It was too quick for the assassin to react.

The assassin sneered. "No wonder why the old emperor entrusted His Highness to you for protection. Captain Yu is really extraordinary. I can be caught by you even though I am invisible."

Yu Hanjiang frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. Who sent you? I won't ask a third time."

The assassin said, "Master asked me to bring a few words to His Highness."

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged looks before Xiao Lou instructed, "You say it. I will listen."

The assassin let out a low laugh. "Master said that when necessary, Your Highness should protect yourself and leave the Capital Star as soon as possible. Remember, the one who can live to the end is the winner."

The moment he finished speaking, Yu Hanjiang felt his hands loosening.

The arms that were tightly controlled just now obviously felt like human arms but at this moment, the arms seemed devoid of flesh and bones as they slipped from his hands. It felt like he was holding a… slippery loach?

Yu Hanjiang was startled and wanted to chase. However, a black shadow appeared by the window and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Silence was restored in the room.

Yu Hanjiang frowned and stared at his hands. Human arms had bones, flesh and blood yet when the man transformed just now, he was just like a cartilage creature?

Xiao Lou was worried. "Who is he? Who is his so-called master?"

Yu Hanjiang was silent for a moment. "If he was a hunter, he would've done something to us a long time ago. Perhaps he was sent by some force in this world to warn you. Also, he shouldn't be human."

Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang in a puzzled manner. "Not human?"

Yu Hanjiang thought about it. "This secret room has an interstellar background and there should be alien creatures. So perhaps the assassin's invisibility ability doesn't come from a card but from the talent of this alien race. When he ran away just now, my hands seemed to be touching a slippery loach."

Xiao Lou felt numb. "Alien creatures… like the bugs we met in 8 of Spades?"

Just then, messages popped up on Yu Hanjiang's phone.

The first two were from Lu Jiuchuan. "Xiao Tang's legs were cured and even his toes have grown out. I'm so happy that I can't sleep tonight. Thank you. I won't say much. I will note this down!"

"By the way, when Ye Qi used the Bug King card to heal Xiao Tang just now, Xiao Tang and I both remembered some things. We must've seen the bugs in this world. We have decided to go investigate the Hilt No Man's Land but the military department definitely won't approve my application. I am currently the leader of the Arrow Corps and I can't leave Capital Star. What should I do? Let's discuss it tomorrow."

Then there were the messages from Shao Qingge. "The investment records of 20 years ago have been found. This is a photo of the plan with the signatures of some people. These people participated in the Noah's Ark Restart plan that year and they require investigation. The thing that puzzles me is that Ye Wenbo is probably Ye Qi's biological father. I suspect that his death isn't that simple. Ye Qi's orphan status wasn't set by the keepers at will. It is definitely a clue."

"My father left me a ring to open the safe that my family has stored in a bank. I will go to the bank early tomorrow to retrieve it and tell you if there are any clues."

Finally, there was the one from Qu Wanyue. "I am still in contact with Miss Lin. I have asked her to have afternoon tea tomorrow to talk about dance related matters. After drinking the afternoon tea, I will use the Chameleon card to sneak into her house. I will report any progress."

Their teammates were working hard and Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou were very pleased.

However, Xiao Lou's heart was still a bit uneasy. There were still no signs of Liu Qiao's group of four. Where were they?

Partially proofread: Paranoid Kitten