Chapter 190: Min Xingyao

Thanks to this road being narrow enough, Luo Jinyou and Qi Hengyu will be responsible for keeping an eye on Ying Duo.

Ying Duo is wholly focused on dismantling the cleaning robot he just got his hands on, so he shouldn't cause any trouble in the short term.

Shen Zexi can now focus entirely on his confrontation with Min Tianyou.

Min Tianyou's steps paused for a moment, then his voice, laced with a smile, came from ahead.

"Shen classmate, you're really vigilant... Well, I admit, I really do know more about this place than ordinary people."

He paused, seeming to choose his words, his voice sounding somewhat distant in the narrow passage: "This has to do with my sister."

"Sister?"

Shen Zexi raised his eyebrows slightly, his doubts deepening: "Min Tianyou's... sister?"

"Hmm, her name is Min Xingyao; you might have heard of that name."

When Min Tianyou said this, his tone was somewhat complex, and the light from the mineral lamp in his hand stretched his shadow long.

"She used to be a member of the Supervision Bureau, and moreover one of the very few individuals certified by the Church as a 'Divine Oracle,' her corresponding oracle being 'Fate'."

Fate Oracle, Min Xingyao.

Shen Zexi's pupils contracted sharply; he had heard that name.

No, it can't just be said that he "heard of" it; to some extent, if this person had not appeared, he might never have been able to leave the Dome.

He used to be an orphan as well, selected by the Dome, on whom they conducted a forbidden experiment called the "Child of Fate"; that group of Dome lunatics tried to artificially create, to obtain for themselves, a "Divine Oracle" capable of peering into and even interfering with fate.

It was precisely because the genuine "Fate Oracle" Min Xingyao appeared that this plan was temporarily shelved, and he took advantage of that period to escape the Dome's control.

It is said that later Min Xingyao accidentally sacrificed herself on a mission, after which some factions within the Dome tried to revive the abandoned experiment, but by then he had already fled to the Church's territory, and the Dome could only give up.

He never expected to hear that familiar yet unfamiliar name again in this place.

Shen Zexi momentarily lost himself, realizing: "So Min Tianyou is that person's younger brother?"

That's not surprising, after all, they both awakened Fate-type aberrant arts.

And Min Tianyou's voice continued, unaware of Shen Zexi's distraction, as he slowly recounted that unknown past.

"My sister and the core designer of the Air Train project were classmates of the same year; they were on good terms, and even after my sister's death she often provided me with some conveniences."

"Actually, this time I'm acting on a private commission from that designer to retrieve the design drafts she left behind in this old base years ago; the situation here is what she told me, I can't go into details, but I hope you understand."

Qi Hengyu frowned, digesting this information, and couldn't help but interject.

"So you came all by yourself to this creepy place?"

After all, he is a Fate Oracle; the accidental death of that person back then caused quite a stir inside Tianmian City, and I've heard that after that incident, protection for these Fate-type aberrant arts practitioners became much stricter than before, right?

Min Tianyou actually managed to come all the way down here alone.

"As for this, actually I came here under the pretense of participating in the Supervision Bureau's investigation of the Sand Island Peak smuggling route; I told my superiors I wanted to gain some experience, and they assigned me a few bodyguards to let me come."

Min Tianyou's abilities have always been unanimously recognized within the Supervision Bureau, but he's too young and lacks seniority, so his rank has never been able to rise.

So this time Min Tianyou volunteered; the distance between the Black Stone Mountain Range and Tianmian City isn't great, so the higher-ups quickly approved it.

"What about your bodyguards?"

Qi Hengyu followed up, saying that since they were bodyguards assigned to Min Tianyou, their strength shouldn't be bad; maybe they could even fight those Co-Absorption lunatics.

Min Tianyou's mouth still held a smile, but his words made Qi Hengyu clench his slightly itchy fists.

"Of course I ditched them, after all this is a private commission for me, and naturally the fewer people who know, the better."

"You also noticed the Co-Absorption people are here, didn't you? You just sneaked in alone?"

Shen Zexi also found it somewhat unbelievable; given that he had previously investigated the Sand Island Peak matter together with him and still felt Min Tianyou was quite reliable.

When he just dealt with Ying Duo using that little robot, Shen Zexi should have realized that Min Tianyou is also not someone who avoids trouble.

"Cough..."

Min Tianyou had his back to everyone, but although they couldn't see the guilt on his face, they could hear his lack of confidence.

"Actually, I only used my aberrant art after getting lost in the underground base; although I found the destination, I also discovered Co-Absorption people there, worried they might get ahead, so I rushed over, not expecting to run right into you."

"Wait."

Min Tianyou suddenly realized something was wrong; he had just been wholly focused on that bag of missing documents and gaining everyone's trust.

Just now, these few people believed his words so easily—could it be that they had already encountered the Co-Absorption folks?

Impossible; although these few are considered geniuses even at Mitra Academy, they are certainly no match for Co-Absorption now.

Shen Zexi, coming from the Dome, might have guessed from discovering traces left by those people.

Min Tianyou silently committed this discovery to memory, then suddenly stopped, his gaze sweeping over Shen Zexi behind him, his tone quite certain.

"If I'm not mistaken, that document is now in your hands, right?"

In the dim passage, a brief silence fell, only the faint sound of Ying Duo dismantling metal overriding everyone's breathing.

Shen Zexi's doubts hadn't completely dissipated, but Min Tianyou had indeed answered his questions.

But right now they need an exit, and even more need to deal with possible threats from Co-Absorption; Min Tianyou is at least on their side for now, and he possesses more information than they do.

"... The items are indeed with us." Shen Zexi finally spoke slowly, acknowledging this, but not intending to let Ying Duo hand them over.

"But for safety's sake, until we leave safely and verify what you said, it will remain in our custody."

Min Tianyou didn't seem surprised by this; instead, he acknowledged it with a nod.

"No problem, it seems our goals are now aligned; we need to first get the items out of here safely, keep them from falling into Co-Absorption's hands—move quickly, I don't know when those lunatics will catch up."

He turned around and continued leading the way.

Shen Zexi exchanged a glance with Qi Hengyu and Luo Jinyou, each seeing in the other's eyes a temporary compromise.

Chen Mo Zhi remained silent, but having gone through the previous events, he gained a new understanding of Ying Duo's trouble-making ability, occasionally glancing at Ying Duo.