Music from a rehearsal was playing in the banquet hall, its notes muffled behind the tightly closed doors.
Jiang Nuan’s heart began to race. The palms she had finally managed to warm in the storage room had gone cold again.
What had he discovered?
The ice lake and the silver crescent blades above the barbecue shop—or had he realized that she had been to the laboratory district?
Or perhaps he wasn’t asking about her current ability at all, but about Number Zero in the laboratory, the other being who possessed silver energy.
“I’m a psychic-type ability user.” Jiang Nuan kept her expression calm. “What’s the matter, Captain Lu?”
There was nothing particularly aggressive about his gaze. In fact, it was almost relaxed as it rested on her face.
But Jiang Nuan didn’t dare let down her guard. The man before her had led the Lighthouse to the pinnacle of the entire age. She couldn’t answer his questions carelessly.
“Psychic-type?” Lu Zhaoming smiled. “I thought it might be some other, rarer category.”
“Because of the color?”
He shook his head. “Psychic abilities excel at perception, interference, and control. It’s uncommon for someone to condense one directly into a physical form for attacks, the way you do.”
“Uncommon doesn’t mean impossible.”
“True.”
“I was just curious. You seem rather nervous.”
“If the Lighthouse Captain stopped someone in a hallway to question them about their ability classification, anyone would be nervous, wouldn’t they?”
Jiang Nuan complained half-seriously, half-playfully.
“You just helped me out of trouble with security. I can’t turn around and give you the cold shoulder.”
This time, Lu Zhaoming laughed for real. “Are you saying this is already me being given special treatment?”
“Yes.” Jiang Nuan nodded decisively and smiled. “Otherwise, I would have asked whether Captain Lu planned to show me an investigation warrant before checking my background.”
Jiang Nuan waited for his reaction.
She had forced herself to hold on to that trace of irritation. She had just been stopped by security, only to be questioned again moments later. If she showed no temper at all, that would be even more suspicious.
Lu Zhaoming let out a low laugh. “My apologies. I was too direct.”
He took half a step back, clearing the path in front of her. “Occupational habit. I tend to pay a little more attention to unusual abilities.”
There was nothing wrong with that answer.
She recalled the argument outside the storage room, and the things Lu Zhaoming had said. A chill crept up the back of her neck.
But she couldn’t keep pressing him. If she asked any more questions, she would be telling Lu Zhaoming herself that she cared about the silver ability—and about the experimental subject she shouldn’t have known existed.
Jiang Nuan curved her lips instead. “Then should I thank Captain Lu for your attention?”
“No need for thanks.” Lu Zhaoming shook his head with a smile. “I’ve run into you several times at the barbecue shop and the ice lake, and you also possess impressive combat ability. It’s only natural that I’d pay attention to you.”
Jiang Nuan smoothly steered the conversation in another direction. “I only helped out a little, really. My teammates are the capable ones.”
“Speaking of that night…” Lu Zhaoming seemed to remember only because she had mentioned it. “The Governor Lu who handled the rift at the ice lake with you is also a spatial-type ability user, isn’t he?”
“His control of his spatial ability is extremely mature. He has an excellent grasp of placement, range, and timing.”
Lu Zhaoming turned his face slightly, his gaze settling on the end of the hallway. “To possess that level of control at such a young age is truly impressive.”
…Another word of approval from his father—one Lu Shiyan would never hear.
“Of course he’s strong.” Jiang Nuan nodded without hesitation. “Lu Shiyan is incredibly quick at assessing the situation on the battlefield. He doesn’t rely solely on overwhelming people with the strength of his ability.”
Lu Zhaoming turned to look at her, his voice gentle. “You know him well?”
Only then did Jiang Nuan realize she had answered too quickly. She paused briefly. “We’re both in the Investigation Department, and I’m his subordinate. Of course I need to understand the Governor’s combat habits.”
Lu Zhaoming nodded. “I see.”
“He doesn’t praise people easily, and his standards are high. Before making any decision, he always takes everyone’s abilities and the risks involved into account,” she added.
“Sounds like a strict superior.”
“He is.”
Thinking of Lu Shiyan’s uncompromising orders, Jiang Nuan couldn’t help muttering, “Sometimes he’s especially domineering. He wants to control everything!”
Lu Zhaoming raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have quite a few complaints about him.”
“Complaints and admiration aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Jiang Nuan pressed her lips together. “I don’t like the way he always makes decisions for other people, but as a team leader, there’s very little you can fault him for.”
Lu Zhaoming listened quietly, the smile on his face deepening.
After a moment, he suddenly asked, “Does he treat you well?”
Jiang Nuan froze. “What?”
“I mean, in the Investigation Department.”
Lu Zhaoming’s clarification sounded natural enough. “Young commanders are often eager to prove themselves, and that can make them overly harsh with their subordinates. I was only asking in passing.”
But as Jiang Nuan looked at him, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this question had not been as casual as he made it sound.
“The assignments are reasonable. He never makes his team take unnecessary risks…” She hesitated, then added, “And during combat, he’s quite protective of people.”
As soon as she finished speaking, several images flashed through her mind…the desk, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sofa…
She immediately forced them away.
Lu Shiyan did protect her. She couldn’t deny that.
The sense of security Lu Shiyan gave her had always come with clear boundaries. He could shield her from danger outside, but he would also personally close the door behind her.
Even now, she still didn’t know how to face such a heavy, complicated feeling.
“He treats me well,” Jiang Nuan answered at last.
Lu Zhaoming smiled lightly. “That’s good. Come on, we should go to the rehearsal. Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”
