In the courtyard, three males surrounded a semi-transparent temperature-controlled cabinet whose base had been cut off. None of them spoke.
Chiron tapped a few times on his optical computer, pulling up several sets of data. His gray eyes narrowed slightly. "A thirty-six-digit dynamic password, plus biometric recognition. If we force the glass, the micro-high-explosive liquid in the cabinet's interlayer will release instantly. The crown will be corroded into nothing."
"I need to go back to the Academy of Sciences to get a quantum solver. It'll take about three hours to crack it."
Tianyan rubbed his chin, a glint of interest flickering in his green eyes. "Actually, there's a strong acid on the black market that can precisely dissolve the surface of this kind of bulletproof glass. But mixing it takes some time—about two hours."
Tianque didn't speak. He silently slid a short blade out of his sleeve and stared at the cabinet, as if calculating from which angle to cut in without triggering the high explosive.
Jiang Lijin sat on the swing in the yard, holding the black tea Chiron had just brewed for her. She watched these three interstellar top-tier fighters stumped by a single cabinet.
She sighed and was about to set down her cup and walk over.
"Sister?" Rowan looked up at her.
The little one was short, standing among the crowd of adults, with her line of sight level with the bottom of the display cabinet. She blinked her golden eyes, looked at the serious-faced adults, then at the cabinet, and toddled around to its side.
Tianque had cut the cabinet's base off at the root to pull it out entirely, but due to the angle, a fair-sized irregular hole had been left on the lower side. The adults stood tall, their focus all on the front panel's password lock and bulletproof glass—none of them noticed the gap below.
Curious, Rowan crouched down, pressed her little face to the opening to peek inside, then slipped her small arm through the hole, feeling around.
"Ah, it's heavy." She wrinkled her little nose, changed positions, reached both hands in, and tugged hard.
The next second, under the stunned gazes of the grown-ups, Rowan pulled the thorny crown, studded with a pigeon-blood red ruby, out of the hole. Holding it with both hands, she lifted it up to Jiang Lijin. "Sister, is this the broken hat?"
The living room fell silent for three seconds.
Tianyan's hand froze mid-air as it rubbed his chin.
Chiron's optical screen was still stuck on the complex calculation formula, his fingertip hovering before it.
Tianque silently slid the short blade back into his sleeve.
[HAHAHAHA!] In her mind, Xiao Yi's mechanical voice laughed, rolling on the floor. [So this is the IQ of interstellar big shots? They cut a giant hole in the base and still fussed over the lock!]
Jiang Lijin couldn't hold back a smile.
She bent down, took the crown, weighed its solid heft in her hands, then freed one arm to scoop Rowan up into her embrace and planted a kiss on the little one's cheek. "Our little Rowan is the best."
Rowan giggled, small arms wrapping around Jiang Lijin's neck, kicking her little legs proudly.
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow at Chiron. "Three hours?"
Chiron let out a soft cough and nonchalantly turned off his optical computer. "It was a fixed mindset on my part."
Tianyan burst out laughing, clapping Tianque on the shoulder. "Bro, that 'uproot the whole thing' way of cutting is pretty unique. You didn't drop it on the way back?"
Tianque kept a straight face, said nothing, and silently retreated to the corner.
Jiang Lijin had just set Rowan down.
"Sister!"
The door slammed open, and a golden figure swept in with the warm air from outside.
Tinia vaulted across the yard in three quick strides, his blue eyes blazing brightly, heading straight for Jiang Lijin.
Jiang Lijin instinctively reached out to catch him. The boy smelled of sun-dried cleanness, his fluffy golden hair rubbing against her neck as he pressed close, practically sticking to her.
"I got it done!" Tinia pulled an electronic document stamped with the military's red wax seal from his chest and handed it to Jiang Lijin.
Jiang Lijin took the document, glanced over it, and nodded with satisfaction. "Good work."
Tinia's eyes brightened further. He pressed his chin onto her shoulder, pushing his luck. "Then does Sister have a reward? I didn't even have a sip of water rushing back to see you."
A cup of warm lemon water was promptly offered to Tinia's hand.
Chiron stood nearby, his voice warm and irreproachable. "You've worked hard. Have a drink to soothe your throat."
Tinia's movements paused, his brows knitting tightly. He shot Chiron a fierce glare.
"I'm not thirsty." Tinia didn't take the cup, instead hugging Jiang Lijin tighter, his voice softening with a hint of grievance. "Sister, my wrist is so sore from signing documents."
Chiron's gray eyes darkened slightly, but the curve of his lips didn't change. "Need me to take a look? The orthopedics department at the Central Hospital is well-equipped, and I happen to have no shift this afternoon."
"No need for your trouble, Dean Chiron." Tinia gnashed his teeth, his voice rising half a pitch.
Jiang Lijin sighed, reached out, and ruffled Tinia's golden hair, smoothing it down like a tangly mane. "Alright, I'll credit you for this. Whatever reward you want, we'll talk about it after the coronation ceremony."
Tinia was instantly soothed, casting a smug glance at Chiron. He let go and obediently stood straight.
Chiron took back the cup, lowering his eyelids, his lashes hiding the look in his eyes. Jiang Lijin was soft in the face of straightforwardness, and Tinia's unguarded coaxing worked. But it didn't matter—Chiron had plenty of patience.
...
Three days later, the coronation ceremony.
Prince Darren had replayed the scene in his mind countless times. Jiang Lijin stood on the crowning stage before a multitude but couldn't produce the crown. What a splendid spectacle.
A half-glass of top-grade red wine in hand, he stepped out of the elevator in good spirits. Hall limped behind him with his walking cane. The two were heading to the Central Vault for an inspection, planning to savor the crown that would choke Jiang Lijin's legitimacy.
"Your Highness." The guards from the garrison battalion stationed outside the corridor saluted in unison.
Darren waved them off, walked to the heavy alloy security door, entered the password, and verified his iris.
The air valve gave a dull hiss, and the metal door slid open on both sides.
Darren walked in, wine glass in hand, and the smile on his face froze the moment he saw the inside of the vault.
The spot where the temperature-controlled display case had been? Completely empty.
No crown, no bulletproof glass cabinet.
Only a half-severed metal base remained on the ground, its cut as smooth as a mirror, gleaming under the vault's cold white light.
"Crack!"
Darren's wine glass hit the floor, red wine splashing everywhere.
"What happened?!" He whirled around, grabbing Hall by the collar, his eyes bulging. "Where is it?! Where's the crown?!"
Hall was dumbfounded too. His black wooden cane clattered to the ground.
He scrambled to the cut, reaching out to touch the smooth metal surface, his voice trembling. "This... this is impossible! The alarms didn't go off. The heat sensors weren't triggered. The soldiers outside didn't even see a fly slip in! A cabinet that big—how could it just vanish?!"
Darren shoved Hall aside, rushed to the monitoring console, and slammed his palms against the control panel.
In the surveillance footage, apart from the lights flickering twice three days ago, there was nothing unusual. No intruders, no signs of tampering—as if the safe had sprouted legs and walked away on its own.
“Jiang Li Hen…” Darren ground out the name between clenched teeth, his face twitching uncontrollably. “It has to be her! Who else has the skill to pull this off?”
“Your Highness, what do we do now?” Hall’s face was pale. “Should I sound the alarm and order a planet-wide manhunt?”
“Sound it my ass!” Darren slapped Hall across the face. “How the hell are we supposed to search? Should I tell the whole galaxy that the Cabinet lost the royal crown? Or that I, Darren, can’t even guard my own vault, and someone cut the mount off without anyone noticing?!”
Hall covered his face, not daring to utter a word.
They had seized that crown on their own authority. Now that it was gone, they had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill themselves.
Darren took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the urge to demolish the entire vault. He stared at the empty mount, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
“Fine. She wants to play dirty.” Darren straightened his rumpled tie. “Since she dared to steal it, it means she doesn’t dare to take it by force. In a few hours, at the coronation, let’s see how she produces the crown without getting caught.
“If she dares to wear it at the ceremony, I’ll dare to ask her, right there in front of the whole galaxy: ‘Crown, where did you get this crown?’”
