The living room fell silent for a few seconds. Tian Que's eyes snapped open, his crimson irises glaringly vivid under the light. Tian Yan set down his teacup, his fingers circling the rim once.
He didn't deny it.
"What did the boss find out?" Tian Yan asked, his tone still carrying that familiar lilt, laced with a smile—but the smile had lost its usual slickness.
Jiang Lijin leaned back against her chair. "Operation Withering, Strangler Vines, the Source Core... and the list."
When the first few words were spoken, Tian Yan's smile only stiffened on his face. But the last word made his smile vanish completely.
On the sofa, Tian Que sat up straight, turning to stare at the dining table, something burning in his crimson eyes.
"You've been searching for that file all along," Jiang Lijin said. "Building an intelligence network, infiltrating the Empire and the Federation—setting up such a massive scheme—just to find the ones who pulled the trigger back then."
Tian Yan was silent for a long time.
Then he set his teacup down on the table and leaned back into his chair. That careless, flippant shell of his peeled away, piece by piece, revealing a darker, heavier Tian Yan beneath.
"Can't hide it from the boss," he said. "We really are from Blue Star."
Tian Que rose from the sofa and walked over, standing behind his brother. The two brothers—black-haired with green pupils, white-haired with crimson pupils—wore the same face but exuded completely different auras.
"When that catastrophe happened," Tian Yan closed his eyes, his voice forcibly steady despite the tremor, "we were only thirteen."
Thirteen years old—old enough to remember. Old enough to see and remember, clearly, how the world had shattered.
The fist at Tian Que's side slowly clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hand. He rarely spoke, but this time he opened his mouth, his voice low: "The day the Strangler Vines fell from the sky, the weather was beautiful. We were still catching fish by the river..."
Jiang Lijin didn't interrupt. She just sat there quietly, playing the part of the perfect listener.
"That thing bred so fast, it was like hellish demons..." Tian Que paused, his breathing ragged, the pain in his crimson eyes almost overflowing. "Three days. In just three days, that mutated greenery covered half the continent. It was as if it had a mind of its own—it wrapped around anything alive, its thorns piercing straight through skin, burrowing into blood vessels, devouring people from the inside out—bones and all. There were screams everywhere, corpses turned into dried husks..."
Tian Yan took a deep breath, picking up where his brother left off: "Within half a month, seventy to eighty percent of the planet's population was gone."
He said it calmly, like reciting a cold piece of historical data.
Seeming to notice Jiang Lijin's gaze, Tian Yan let out a self-deprecating chuckle: "Boss, don't look at us like that. It's been ten years—the pain has long gone numb. It's just... those screams echo in our dreams every night. We can't forget them. We mustn't forget them."
Jiang Lijin said nothing in response. She knew too well—this kind of hatred, born of genocide and destruction, would never have a day when it stopped hurting.
"What happened next? How did you... survive?"
Tian Yan and Tian Que exchanged a glance, a flicker of complex emotion passing through their eyes.
"In the end, someone stepped in," Tian Yan said, a note of respect creeping into his voice. "That person saved the survivors. Amid that chaotic, violent magnetic field, they forcibly carved out an isolated space—hiding Blue Star, or at least the last patch of unpolluted land on Blue Star, completely away."
"The current Guixu?"
"Something like that," Tian Yan's gaze grew distant. "Half of the outer area of Guixu was built later by the survivors, using garbage and asteroids. But the deepest part of Guixu—the forbidden zone no one can enter—that's where Blue Star's remaining homeland lies. That's our real home."
"Who was the person who did that?"
Tian Yan shook his head. "I don't know. But he... or she... is still in Guixu."
As he said this, Tian Que's crimson pupils flicked briefly toward Karon, who was nearby.
Just a split second—their gazes met in midair, fleeting and brief.
Karon's expression didn't change, calm as still water.
Jiang Lijin didn't miss that detail, but she didn't call it out. Some things could wait.
"Most of Guixu's residents are the survivors and their descendants," Tian Yan continued. "We spent ten years building the black market and the intelligence network, all to find that operation order from back then. To know who gave the order isn't just about revenge—it's also so the residents of Guixu can reappear on the star maps."
"Boss, you promised before. You'd clear Guixu's name. Does that offer still stand?" Tian Yan stared at Jiang Lijin without blinking, his gaze certain she wouldn't refuse.
"Of course. And you should have guessed—I'm from Blue Star too." Jiang Lijin's voice was calm.
"We did suspect. After the catastrophe, a few hundred people managed to escape the ruins of Blue Star." A glimmer of understanding appeared in Tian Yan's eyes.
"The list includes the old emperor," Jiang Lijin dropped the most sensitive bombshell. "Did you know that?"
Tian Yan and Tian Que looked at each other.
"Yes," Tian Yan said. "But she's dead. Debts of the dead..."
"...don't fall on Rowan," Jiang Lijin finished for him.
Tian Yan looked at her, the corner of his mouth curling. "Don't worry, boss. We know where the line is."
Those words were spoken with frankness. Jiang Lijin nodded. Rowan was Rowan, Vira was Vira—one thing at a time.
"Who's still alive on the list?" Tian Yan asked.
"Five imperial nobles—two dead, three alive. Three Federation councilors—all alive." Jiang Lijin gave the numbers.
Tian Yan's green eyes darken.
"What's the rush?" Jiang Lijin shot him a glance. "If we act now, we'll alert the enemy. Darren's mess isn't cleaned up yet, and you want to stir up trouble?"
Tian Yan spread his hands. "You're the boss."
"I'll handle the list. We will take revenge, but we strike so hard they can never get back up." Jiang Lijin stood. "What you need to do is compile a report on Guixu's situation for me—population, resources, infrastructure. The more detailed, the better."
Tian Yan replied, "Got it."
Tian Que stood behind him, the fire in his crimson pupils slowly receding. He watched Jiang Lijin's back, his lips parting briefly before he said nothing in the end.
Jiang Lijin walked toward the stairs. Halfway there, she paused.
"Oh, and one more thing," she said without turning around. "Next time, don't keep things from me. We all live under the same roof now—the whole underground spy routine is pointless."
Tian Yan let out a laugh. "Yes, ma'am."
Jiang Lijin went upstairs. Karon followed, the two entering the bedroom one after the other.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" she asked.
