The guest room at the end of the second-floor corridor.
The bathroom door was pushed open, and steam spilled out through the crack. Tianque walked out bare-chested, wearing only a pair of loose black trousers. Drops of water slid down the lines of his abdomen, disappearing into his waistband. His long snow-white hair was still dripping. He rubbed it haphazardly with a towel a couple of times before draping the towel around his neck.
On the single sofa at the other end of the room, Tianyan sat with his legs crossed, toying with a miniature detector in his hand. The green indicator light flashed rhythmically in the dim room, sweeping across the walls, the air vents, and the space under the bed.
The indicator light switched to a safe blue.
"This place is quite clean. They didn't even install the most basic listening devices," Tianyan said in a brisk tone. "I thought I'd have to spend some effort dismantling blind boxes."
Tianque walked over to the bed and sat down, casually grabbing a clean black T-shirt and pulling it on.
"The security system of this villa is directly connected to a branch of the Master Brain. Installing bugs would be redundant."
With a flip of his wrist, a silver miniature optical computer appeared in Tianyan's palm. He placed it on the desk and activated the projection. Over a dozen virtual screens popped up in mid-air, densely packed with flashing red warnings.
"We've been on the Capital Star for exactly seven days now," Tianyan said, dropping his smile as he pointed at the red code. "In these seven days, we've turned the Capital Star's peripheral public networks and a few fringe databases upside down. Progress is zero."
Tianque's gaze also fell on those virtual screens.
"The Capital Star's firewall is too hard to breach." Tianyan's slender fingers tapped rapidly on the virtual keyboard, bringing up a fragmented file. "All the data and files related to that storm back then have been classified as top secret. We put in so much effort, only for the trail to go completely cold here."
Ten years ago, the Blue Star was destroyed.
Rumor in the outside world had it that it was the triple blow of rampaging interstellar pirates, frequent Zerg wars, and a cosmic storm.
But Tianyan and Tianque had been navigating the black market for so many years and possessed dark web intelligence beyond the reach of ordinary people. They discovered that the so-called cosmic storm back then was actually an artificially induced energy collapse.
A highly secretive force had erased all traces of the Blue Star's existence.
The only ones capable of doing this were the higher-ups of the Capital Star.
"The Master Brain matching us with her was an accident, but also an opportunity," Tianque said in a flat tone. "The people in this villa have access to core secrets."
Tianyan smiled again, his eyes curving. With a swipe of his finger, he closed all the virtual screens.
"Indeed." Tianyan counted off the three of them. "Baal is a pure martial artist; the military's secret key wouldn't be in his hands. No matter how rich the Yunlan Group is, they are excluded from political power..."
Tianque chimed in, "Chiron. Only he can get the key."
"Right." Tianyan snapped his fingers. "The Academy of Sciences' database is all-encompassing and closest to the Master Brain. As long as we figure out a way to get Chiron's biological sample or obtain part of his clearance, we can at least tear an opening into the truth about the Blue Star."
Tianque remained silent, listening quietly.
"However, this dean is not to be trifled with. We need to find an entry point."
With business concluded, the atmosphere in the room relaxed.
Tianque was looking down, his white bangs covering his eyes, thinking about something unknown. In the quiet room, Tianyan suddenly let out a muffled laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Tianque asked coldly, not even lifting his head.
"Laughing at you." Tianyan stood up, walked over to the bed, and sat down next to Tianque. "Earlier in the living room downstairs, when Ms. Jiang looked over, why did you hide?"
Tianque finally raised his eyes. He turned his head and looked straight at Tianyan, his gaze completely candid.
"I am very interested in her." There was no trace of coyness.
The room fell dead silent for two seconds.
The smile on Tianyan's face froze completely.
"Are you... serious?"
"Yes." Tianque nodded solemnly. "The first time I saw her in Valoran, I thought she was very special. Females are mostly fragile, but she isn't."
Tianque paused for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He recalled the look in Jiang Lijin's eyes when she looked at Arden: nonchalant, yet fully in control.
"Besides, didn't you analyze before that she most likely already guessed our true identities? But even so, she still let us move in. She isn't afraid of us; she even... wants to use us."
Tianque's voice dropped a few registers, carrying an infatuation he himself hadn't realized. "More importantly, the mental power of a 3S-grade female is truly too strong. Even if she doesn't deliberately release it, just being in the same space as her, the invisible aura she exudes can calm the chronically volatile mental energy within my body. You absolutely couldn't find a second person in the entire galaxy with this kind of absolute soothing ability."
This evenly matched calculation, coupled with that mysterious and powerful mental energy, made Tianque's long-dormant heart beat violently a few times.
Seeing his younger brother's matter-of-fact expression, Tianyan raised a hand to clutch his chest, putting on an exaggerated look of heartbreak.
"We're doomed, utterly doomed," Tianyan wailed at the ceiling. "Can a killer who has caught real feelings still hold his knife steady?"
Tianque watched his older brother's melodramatic performance expressionlessly, completely unmoved.
"If you don't like it, you can back out," Tianque said evenly, even sounding sincere. "You can go find Ms. Jiang tomorrow and finalize the divorce procedures with her. I'll stay here alone to continue investigating the Blue Star matter, and incidentally... cultivate our relationship."
Tianyan choked on his words.
He dropped his hand from his chest and rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"For a female you haven't known for long, you're going to kick out your own brother who you've depended on for so many years? Tianque, was your conscience eaten by a mutant beast?"
Tianque stood up without giving him so much as a second glance. He first placed an alarm on the windowsill and another at the door, then walked straight to the other side of the bed.
"I'm sleeping on the left." Tianque pulled back the covers and lay down, resting his folded hands on his stomach and closing his eyes. "Be quiet. We still have to go look for clues near the Academy of Sciences tomorrow morning."
"..."
Tianyan stood where he was, grinding his molars as he looked at his brother who had already entered sleep mode.
What kind of situation was this?
They came to the Capital Star to find the truth, but ended up losing his younger brother to it first.
Tianyan sighed in resignation, turned around, and walked over to lie down on the right side of the bed.
"Hey, Tianque," Tianyan spoke to the ceiling.
The sound of steady breathing came from beside him; there was no response.
"If you've really taken a fancy to that female, your big brother will just help you snatch her away," Tianyan chuckled softly, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance. "Be it Baal or Chiron, as long as you want her, your brother will snatch both her and the villa back to the Senluo Pavilion for you."
Tianque rolled over, turning his back to him.
"Go to sleep."
Tianyan raised an eyebrow, rolled over, and closed his eyes as well.
