Chapter 210: I Have a Backup

"Brother...?"

Ying Duo seemed to repeat the word unconsciously; I had originally thought the clue to this mission would end at that bartender.

"Do you know where my brother is? Who is he?"

Ying Duo's reaction was completely beyond Bai Mu Yun's expectation.

His golden horizontal pupils narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the boy before him.

Ying Duo's face still bore no exaggerated expression, but from his demeanor it seemed he was genuinely curious about having a brother.

So it's not just perception that's faulty, memory is messed up too, right?

"You don't remember your brother?" Bai Mu Yun's voice deepened, "You were the one who took the initiative back then..."

"Clang—!"

A harsh sound of shattering glass cut off his words.

It was the bartender.

The glass cup in his hand slipped suddenly, fell straight onto the hard floor, and instantly exploded into countless fragments that flickered with pale blue specks.

The bartender flinched at the sound, hurriedly bent over, his voice betraying unmistakable panic.

"Sorry! My hand slipped, I'll clean it up right away!"

He immediately crouched, clumsily gathering the glass shards into a pile; his finger even got nicked, but he simply used his other hand to collect all the broken glass on the floor and toss it into the trash can.

Bai Mu Yun's gaze shifted from the flustered bartender back to Ying Duo's face.

The boy kept looking at him, his golden eyes clearly reflecting his own image.

It's not a disguise.

At least not entirely.

The scrutiny on Bai Mu Yun's face was replaced by a more troublesome solemnity.

He had originally thought Ying Duo was just playing dumb, but it turned out the kid was genuinely insane and foolish.

"Heh..." Bai Mu Yun let out a sudden low chuckle.

"It seems your brain has truly been messed up; even your memories are a tangled mess."

He stopped looking at Ying Duo and merely patted the non‑existent dust off his clothes.

"Stay here."

His gaze swept over Ying Duo, then glanced at the bartender who was wiping the floor with a rag.

"Don't go anywhere; if you're truly bored, turn on the TV yourself and watch a children's educational program."

Having said that, Bai Mu Yun lingered no longer, turning toward the private room.

He wasn't going to waste time with Ying Duo here; he'd take a shower, change clothes, then come out to discuss matters with Ying Duo at a slower pace.

After all, he's a designer; his skill points aren't in research, so he still needs a professional to examine the kid's mind, lest the undercover mission end prematurely with him being taken out by that kid.

After Bai Mu Yun's figure entered the private room, the bar temporarily returned to its surface calm.

The bartender swiftly finished cleaning the floor, glanced up at the quiet Ying Duo leaning against the wall, hesitated briefly, then immediately walked to the corner and turned on the old television set.

The TV screen flickered a few times, displaying a slightly distorted color picture; it was broadcasting an educational cartoon aimed at very young children, with brightly colored cartoon animals singing simple nursery rhymes.

The bartender adjusted the volume, letting the cheerful music fill the entire bar.

"Tsk." A completely unabashed scoff came from the private room.

Lu Mu had already taken a shower, changed into the clean shirt and trousers the bartender provided, though his hair was still dripping wet.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw a neatly placed "Bloody Mary" on the bar; his complexion barely improved before the childish song from the TV and the bartender's "kind" expression made him feel nauseous.

Lu Mu raised his glass and took a big gulp; when the spicy liquid slid down his throat, he felt the stifling pressure in his chest, as if it had been buried under earth, become a little smoother.

"You showed him that?" Lu Mu gave the bartender a sideways glance, "You've got a good eye for selection."

The bartender remained silent, keeping his head down as he continued wiping the bar.

Lu Mu didn't expect an answer, drank his liquor at his own pace, occasionally glancing at Ying Duo with his peripheral vision; the boy still stood idly against the wall, utterly uninterested in the cartoon on the TV.

After a while longer, Bai Mu Yun finally emerged from the private room.

He had already changed into a comfortable khaki‑colored leisure outfit; the soft fabric gave his demeanor a slightly gentler air, yet his golden horizontal pupils and the horns atop his head showed no sign of being retracted.

The damp white curls at the ends of his hair were still dripping; he held a dry towel in his hand, wiping intermittently.

His gaze first landed on the TV screen; after discerning what was being shown, he raised an eyebrow.

"It's rare to see you so obedient."

Bai Mu Yun said something ambiguous, walked to the bar, the bartender instantly handed him a glass of water in silence; after taking a sip and setting the cup down, he got straight to the point.

"Where's the design draft?"

Ying Duo lifted his gaze toward him and replied matter‑of‑factly, "It's been handed over to the Supervision Bureau."

Upon hearing that, Lu Mu's mouth twitched sharply, the knuckles of his fingers gripping the glass turning white.

He turned to Bai Mu Yun, his tone laced with murderous intent, "I think we shouldn't wait for anyone to inspect; just report to the higher-ups that this kid has rebelled, keeping him is a disaster!"

Bai Mu Yun didn't answer immediately, rubbing his temples; the situation on their side had been favorable, he had guessed Ying Duo was unreliable, but he hadn't expected it to take both of them out.

"The higher-ups already know about his 'memory' issue and have said they'll send someone."

He said calmly, shelving Lu Mu's suggestion to act directly, then turned to the core of the issue.

"The design draft is with the Supervision Bureau... Do we have a chance to 'retrieve' it?"

Lu Mu frowned, thinking quickly.

"Steal it out? Not impossible, but the risk is too great; if the responsible person slips and gets exposed, the trail we've buried for so long would be ruined outright."

He looked at Bai Mu Yun, "But without that, we can't carry out our next plan."

Bai Mu Yun fell into contemplation: sacrifice an undercover agent to obtain a document that might not be successfully stolen?

The cost and benefit are not proportional.

But without that design draft, the subsequent plan cannot be carried out; we have to abandon it.

"What mission are you going to undertake?"

A calm voice suddenly interjected, and Ying Duo looked up at them.

Lu Mu couldn't help rolling his eyes, waving his hand as if shooing flies.

"None of your business! Get lost and cool off! If I keep looking at that face of yours, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself........" He swallowed the latter part of the threat, because Bai Mu Yun raised a hand to stop him.

Gold Horizontal Pupil examined Ying Duo, "Are you interested in the mission?"

"Hmm," Ying Duo nodded, "After all, I was the one who found the item."

Bai Mu Yun raised an eyebrow; he had indeed considered letting Ying Duo also take part in this operation. With the Special Ability Practitioners in Tianmian City stretched thin, a tool that is "cognitively flawed" but still capable is not unusable.

"The item was handed over to the Supervision Bureau," Ying Duo continued, his tone flat, "but I have a backup."