Chapter 455: You Don't Have the Key?

Ying Duo stuffs the last piece of snack into his mouth, lifts the tea cup and gulps the remaining tea, then pulls a napkin from the table to wipe his hands, moving as naturally as if he were at home.

"What help do you need?" Ying Duo looks up at Fang Zhiyan, "If it's a fight, I'll take Luo Jinyou with me."

Fang Zhiyan raises an eyebrow, "Weren't you two on bad terms before?"

Ying Duo had openly said he wanted to keep distance from Luo Jinyou, so why is he now sticking together with him?

Ying Duo looks expressionlessly at him, "Only a fool would leave such useful and obedient shield support unused."

Moreover, the last time Han Huan beat him, it really hurt.

Fang Zhiyan lets out a light laugh and begins to explain:

"Before Lu Mu disappeared, he had been negotiating with a small organization."

"They didn't know how to see through his Aberrant Species identity, guessed he was a member of Co-Absorption, and sent someone to negotiate, saying they wanted to submit to Co-Absorption."

That organization wasn't large, but it was very good at making money.

Lu Mu had been playing them, investigating the boss's background while reporting up to Fang Zhiyan.

Originally Lu Mu planned to start formal contact after returning from Tianmian City, but then…

Everyone who understands knows what that means.

Maybe Lu Mu's hair was even pulled out by a temporal vortex.

Coincidentally, Bai Mu Yun and Mei Weisi are both experts in negotiations.

However, Mei Weisi's noble status is always public; the place they arranged to meet makes her status inconvenient to attend.

Bai Mu Yun is different; although a celebrated designer in the noble circles, he is essentially still a commoner.

He has been in the shadows for a long time and knows how to deal with those people.

Fang Zhiyan's gaze falls on Ying Duo, "If you think so, Luo Jinyou can go with you, consider it a learning experience, and let Bai Mu Yun handle the negotiations."

After saying that, Fang Zhiyan finally looks at Mei Weisi.

"Remember to hand over the documents you have to Bai Mu Yun, the one Lu Mu retrieved earlier."

Mei Weisi's expression does not change; the curve of her mouth remains as graceful and elegant as before.

"I understand," she replies softly.

The investigation of that "newcomer" was first handled by Lu Mu; after his report, Mei Weisi took over.

Lu Mu only investigated the outermost members; after Mei Weisi took over, she found many clues he had missed.

Fang Zhiyan is digging a pit for Bai Mu Yun…

Little Bai, little Bai, don't lose your way.

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On the other side of the Dome, Qi Ran lies exhausted on the makeup table, face buried in her arms.

Not crying, just too tired to move.

Her hair is scattered across the table; the grass‑green strands look a bit dry under the overly bright light, probably because she hasn't had time to tend them lately.

The cosmetics on the table were pushed aside by her arm; before she could rest quietly, her communicator rang again.

She slowly lifts her head, glances at the screen, and sees a familiar number.

Qi Ran hesitates.

After a long while, she laboriously raises her arm and presses the answer button.

"Hello?" her voice is a bit hoarse.

"Greetings, Miss Qi Ran."

The voice on the other end is not the man she knows, but a gentle, intellectual female voice.

"We heard your brother recently needs urgent medical funds," the woman says, "perhaps we can help."

Qi Ran's fingers curl on the tabletop; honestly, because of the generous sum Hua Jian Lei gave earlier, she doesn't have to worry about this for now.

But because that strange disease has been spreading, many large events have been banned, and she has temporarily lost her income.

"What do you want me to do?" she asks warily.

Perhaps she had long foreseen this day.

Qi Ran doesn't know which mountain Xie Jingyan leans on, but it's certainly a big figure in the Dome; she just happened to be near Xie Jingyan and was deliberately approached by this group.

In fact she knows well that this day would inevitably arrive.

When she first received that hefty commission, which only required reporting Xie Jingyan's movements to those people, she realized the group couldn't be limited to that.

Fortunately, the wealth and connections she had accumulated before are enough to place her brother in the Dome's highest‑grade Guard Room.

That way, at least his safety is guaranteed…

"Don't be so nervous," the woman's voice remains soft and gentle, treating Qi Ran like a frightened child, "we only hope you can continue your previous work, just with a slight difference."

"We need you to arrange a meeting with that girl; of course, we'll be very careful, and to outsiders it will appear that whatever happens to her has nothing to do with you."

Qi Ran purses her lips; although she knew this day would come, can she really betray Xie Jingyan for money?

She envies Xie Jingyan's freedom to pursue her own dreams, yet always feels unwilling to be merely a supporting character by her side.

Though she usually envies and despises Xie Jingyan's background, that is also what she longs for.

Before she can agonize too long, a message pops up on the communicator screen, already making the decision for her.

Her brother lies on a hospital bed wearing a respirator, his complexion pale, lips without any color.

The photo is taken from outside the ward, through the glass, clearly showing the numbers and waveform on the monitor.

"The Dome's security is indeed solid, but with the right methods it can be broken as soon as it's touched."

"How to choose, you know very well."

She hangs up, leaving Qi Ran alone, still lying on the makeup table, silent.

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"Um... Ying Duo, are you sure your base is here?"

"Ah, this familiar suffocating feeling—he actually sensed it from other people."

"Luo Jinyou stood beside Ying Duo, who merely kept his fingers on the keyboard, constantly tweaking the parameters. On the Ying Guang Lu screen in front of him, a robot's appearance was being modified over and over again."

"And in front of the two, Xi Rensheng was holding a piece of iron wire of unknown origin, prying at a rusted lock."

"According to them, this weed‑overgrown, obviously long‑abandoned bar is their Entropy headquarters."

"Who goes back to their own organization's headquarters without first prying open the door lock?!"

"There's already a lock; no key?"