Chapter 306: Mechanism Anomaly

Ying Duo sat cross-legged on a soft blanket, back against the bed edge, in front of him was the large TV prepared by the Chen Family, which was playing a colorful children's enlightenment program.

The cartoon animals on the screen were learning simple numbers and colors, and the cheerful background music kept reverberating in the room.

Ying Duo's golden pupils reflected the colorful screen, his face expressionless, as if he were watching the TV intently, but in fact he was simply in AFK state.

Ying Duo was politely invited into a guest room specially prepared by the Chen Family.

Though called a guest room, it was actually a suite with an independent living room and bedroom, fully equipped, even with a not-small wall-mounted TV.

The only "flaw" was that outside the suite a soft, pale gold energy barrier had been set up, enveloping the whole suite and separating inside from outside.

Outside, two Chen Family guards were on duty, nominally to "prevent any remaining invaders from disturbing the guests," but in practice it was a mild form of house arrest.

Of course, this barrier was meaningless to Ying Duo.

If we compare it to a firewall, then 【Transmission】 turns him into an invader code that cannot be intercepted, and at least in this world, no one has yet developed a means to defend against such intrusion.

As long as he wants, given sufficient energy consumption, he can at any time ignore this barrier and directly "jump" out.

But for now, Yang Yixie chose to lie low temporarily.

On one hand, his continuous actions and last night's big scene meant Ying Duo needed time to recover energy; on the other hand, he also wanted to see what those outside people, especially Meng Kexin, would do next.

He had used the Transmission skill in front of Meng Kexin, but at that time she had almost without hesitation helped him cover.

Shen Zexi looked at his "unworldly" demeanor and momentarily didn't know whether to be angry or laugh; Ying Duo not only had top-notch skill at causing trouble, his mindset was ridiculously good.

He opened the bedroom door and sat down on the edge of Ying Duo's bed.

"So," Shen Zexi lowered his voice, eyes locked on Ying Duo's side profile, "was it you who did it?"

Ying Duo, holding the remote, turned his head at the words, his golden pupils calmly gazing at Shen Zexi.

"At least the final treasure wasn't taken by me."

His voice was flat, yet it made Shen Zexi's heart tighten.

That statement sounded less than a complete denial.

Ying Duo paused, then, like a magic trick, produced a plate of snacks and handed it to Shen Zexi.

The snacks were completely cooled, but their shape was still exquisite.

Shen Zexi froze for a moment, but still, following Ying Duo's gesture, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

The pastry was flaky and crisp, the filling fresh and sweet; it was indeed top-notch craftsmanship.

"Alright."

Ying Duo directly took back the plate, as if afraid, and added coldly, "Now you're an accomplice."

Shen Zexi almost choked: "........ What?"

"You ate stolen goods," Ying Duo explained seriously, "theoretically, that counts as harboring or splitting the loot."

"Where did these snacks come from?!" Shen Zexi only felt a headache.

"From the kitchen."

Ying Duo answered matter-of-factly, "They didn't say not to take snacks."

Shen Zexi rubbed his forehead, about to say something, when the living room door was lightly knocked from outside.

Shen Zexi hurried over; two guards stood left and right at the door, while the two people outside were exactly Qi Hengyu and Min Tianyou, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

He let them immediately enter the living room, then Shen Zexi told them in full detail the previous night's Chen Family theft, the old butler's identification of Ying Duo as the suspect, and Meng Kexin's intervention to mediate.

"... Roughly speaking, that's the situation. The Chen Family's lost items seem important, but exactly what they are, the old butler clams up; strangely, Chen Mo Zhi himself is completely unaware."

Shen Zexi frowned.

"Now the Supervision Bureau is also preoccupied with an escaped major criminal and temporarily can't provide technical support to clear Ying Duo's suspicion."

Qi Hengyu listened, stroked his chin, and his expression turned weird.

"You mean........ the butler swore up and down that the invaders were a 'Ying Guang Lu Data Stream' that vanished? This sounds......."

He paused, glanced at the tightly closed room door.

"... It really sounds like something that kid could do; with his brain wiring, he might not even think sneaking into someone else's home to take things is wrong."

After all, that's Ying Duo.

Able to pack his own bedroll and just move into someone else's bedroom.

Shen Zexi gave a wry laugh, "This is exactly what I worry about—his ability is too special and uncontrollable; if he really...."

"No, I think you don't need to be so pessimistic."

The one who had been silently listening all along, and who, compared to Ying Duo's absurd degree, was more willing to believe in the actual situation—Min Tianyou—suddenly spoke, looking toward the door with the barrier.

"Even if Ying Duo really wanted to do that, with his ability it's impossible for him to silently breach the Chen Family's layered defenses, precisely locate the target, and make off with it."

He paused, then calmly analyzed.

Min Tianyou acknowledges these guys, especially Ying Duo's innate talent, but that cannot change the fact that Ying Duo's Aberrant Arts have awakened for less than a month.

"A more reasonable explanation is that the invader himself far exceeds estimated strength, and deliberately disguised himself as Ying Duo's energy signature to confuse everyone; the framing possibility raised by Miss Meng Kexin is much more likely."

"Who let Ying Duo's hair color be so striking? Maybe others spotted him at a glance while infiltrating."

After all, Ying Duo's already-tagged personal-label energy effect is practically the perfect disguise template.

"In any case, I'll first go investigate the scene, and meanwhile try to get from the old butler exactly what was lost."

Min Tianyou said, already turning toward the door; unlike Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu, who once inside the barrier cannot freely leave, Min Tianyou has the Supervision Bureau behind him, so coming here once can also be considered a necessary step in the investigation.

"Please."

Shen Zexi nodded, thanked him. Even though Min Tianyou promised to help investigate thoroughly, the worry in his brow did not lessen in the slightest.

Only after Min Tianyou's back disappeared outside, the barrier resealed, did he dare to voice the worry he'd been holding.

"What they say makes sense, but we've all seen how weird Ying Duo's Aberrant Arts are; though his awakening time is short, it simply cannot be measured by common sense."

"I'm worried that maybe it was just a sudden whim of his, or some unknown reason behind the scenes driving him to do this?"

Qi Hengyu pouted, thinking Shen Zexi sometimes just worries too much.

"Even if it really was his doing, can we just lock him in this small room to watch TV and solve the problem?"

He stretched out his hand and half‑heartedly pressed the flowing barrier light on the doorframe.

"If Ying Duo truly has that power, could this barrier trap him? Then that kid is a mechanistic freak."

Facing Qi Hengyu's interrogation, Shen Zexi merely stepped forward and gently opened a sliver in the room door; Ying Duo remained in that pose, intently watching a pink pig on the TV wade through a mud pit.

He showed no response to the low murmurs and spying in the living room, as if the entire world consisted only of that pig stepping in the mud pit.

Qi Hengyu saw the scene through the door crack, and his mouth twitched sharply.

"...... Alright, I'll pretend I didn't say anything."

He sulked, withdrew his gaze, and shut the door, "At least for now he's fairly 'obedient and diligent'."

Shen Zexi merely gave a wry smile. "Obedient and diligent?" That phrase, merely coupled with Ying Duo, exudes oddness at every turn.