Chapter 3101: After the divorce, I was forced to compete with my ex-husband for 31

After leaving the hotel, Jin Chen and the four of them walked along the dusty street deeper inside.

On both sides of the street were low buildings, their outer walls covered in rust-colored stains, some of the wall paint already peeled off, as if the whole planet were slowly oxidizing.

Jin Chen walked in front, carrying a backpack that looked sizable, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding dusty environment; he wore a gray windbreaker with the collar neatly fastened, appearing refined and clean, like a traveler who had inadvertently stepped into this place.

The wandering vagrants on the road lingered their gaze on him, then even longer on his backpack, openly covetous, but when their eyes swept over the icy-cold man beside him, they all tactfully looked away— they couldn't beat him, and it was obvious they stood no chance.

Chenshu walked slightly half a step behind Jin Chen's side, maintaining readiness to strike at any moment, causing those restless gazes to retreat automatically before they could reach him.

Jin Chen turned into an inconspicuous alley.

The alley was much narrower than the main street, with buildings on either side even older, but after walking a few dozen meters, the surroundings were actually cleaner than outside— the walls had fewer rust stains, and the occasional passersby wore clothes that weren't ragged, lacking the wariness and hostility of the street's vagrants. Even the roadside hosted a few small shops: a clinic, a repair stall, and a food cart selling simple snacks, resembling a self-contained community.

: How does Jin Chen know this place so well? Had he been to Rust Bone Star before?

: He wouldn't be selling out his companions, would he? Hahaha.

: Chenshu too— following Jin Chen without even looking at the path or asking where they're going, that's too much trust!

: Has anyone seen the post on Star Net? Why did Chenshu leave the frontline battlefield for months without reason, and why hasn't the military given an explanation?

: I don't get it… the timing of this being dug up is too convenient, especially leaking during the show's broadcast.

But Chenshu's usual active commenters, who are always lively in the bullet comments, all stayed silent on this matter, leaving only the bullet comments arguing with each other.

Jin Chen stopped at the entrance of a clinic.

The shopfront was small, the sign read 'Aurora Clinic'; just as Jin Chen stood at the doorway, the curtain was lifted from inside, and a short‑haired girl poked her head out.

She looked about twenty‑five or twenty‑six, with clear features, her short hair neatly tucked behind her ears, wearing a work uniform washed to a pale white; when she saw Jin Chen, her eyes lit up instantly, and she was almost jumping with joy.

But she had obviously also gotten the news from Jeffrey, forcing down her excitement, replacing it with a feigned solemn expression, she nodded at Jin Chen, struggling to suppress but still revealing a hint of delight, "Guest has arrived, please come in."

When Jin Chen entered, she still couldn't help reaching out to hold the curtain for him, her enthusiasm matching that of Jeffrey from the previous night.

Yun Wu and Steve followed behind, witnessed this scene, and looked at Jin Chen in astonishment.

Jin Chen pretended not to notice, walking straight into the clinic without glancing sideways, thinking that Aurora and Jeffrey were truly a perfect pair— neither could hide anything.

Aurora led them to the inner room, where a few inconspicuous metal plates were attached to the walls— insulating crystals that could effectively shield most signal detection and tracking.

Chenshu naturally had no objections— wherever Jin Chen went, he went; when Jin Chen sat down, Chenshu sat beside him, as naturally as if they were at home.

Steve, however, looked around the empty room with some doubt and asked, "Aren't we here to find the Star Core? Do you sense it's in this room?"

Jin Chen had them sit down, hands relaxed in his lap, appearing completely unconcerned about not finding the Star Core.

"Finding the Star Core isn't urgent, after all there's someone with a cheat who's even more desperate than we are."

He tapped the table, his expression turning a bit more serious, "I need to get more information from you."

Yun Wu and Steve exchanged glances.

Yun Wu blinked blankly, seeming to lose his usual sharp decisiveness during experiments; Steve inexplicably thought that, unconsciously chuckled, and Yun Wu, seeing his smile, grew more puzzled, using his expression to ask what was funny.

Chenshu seemed to sense something, and indeed saw Jin Chen take out four palm‑sized portable patch‑link devices from his backpack.

This resembled the helmets he and Chenshu had used before, but instead of sharing memories, it allowed consciousness to communicate— equivalent to entering a brief‑stay cerebral‑electric space where conversations aren't recorded by any external device.

Jin Chen said, "I've designed a game— come try the beta version."

Chenshu took the patch, put it on himself first, then picked up Jin Chen's patch and carefully applied it for him; when Chenshu touched Jin Chen's brow, Jin Chen slightly narrowed his eyes, then reached out to grasp Chenshu's fingers, holding them in his palm, and sighed inwardly.

Really helpless— Chenshu has become even more clingy than before.

Yun Wu and Steve, though unsure why, still cooperated by applying the patches, and all four closed their eyes at the same time.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a pure white space, soft white in every direction, as if standing on an endless blank canvas.

"Hey, where's Jin Chen?" Steve turned around, didn't see Jin Chen's figure, then turned to ask Chenshu.

Chenshu lowered his gaze; Steve followed his line of sight and indeed saw Jin Chen sitting cross‑legged on the ground at their feet, head tilted back looking at them. Chenshu chuckled, sat down cross‑legged on the floor, and couldn't resist ruffling Jin Chen's hair.

Jin Chen grabbed his fingers, squeezing them in his palm, and called for Yun Wu and Steve to sit down as well, "Time is pressing— I didn't have time for extra decorations; I want to talk with you about Chi Mu."

Yun Wu's gaze first went to Chenshu. Chenshu nodded, and Xiao Chen realized… no, to be precise, he too had been dragged into this by Chi Mu.

Steve looked left and right, "Why talk about Chi Mu? You'd better stay away from him."

After saying that, he suddenly turned his head, stared seriously at Yun Wu, and added, "Especially you."

"Why." As Jin Chen sat, he began to slump sideways, leaning his shoulder on Chenshu, and eagerly asked Steve, "Why say that? Please tell your story."

Steve hesitated, then gazed toward the empty white void ahead, as if looking at something he wasn't even sure was a real memory.

Steve said he first met Chi Mu at a charity banquet for the new mining district, where Chi Mu approached him proactively, looking pitiful and saying he lacked funds to aid interstellar refugees and was being exploited by his agency, his situation dire.

"I didn't know what came over me," Steve said, his brows furrowing as he spoke, his fingers tapping slowly on his knee, "I actually ended up signing a check for him, paying off his external debt, and even gave him half a valuable mine."

Saying this, Steve still couldn't hold back, his tone indignant, "It's so strange, you know! I'm a businessman. I actually gave him all that just because he said he needed money… it would have been less embarrassing to be robbed."

The three of them fell silent for a moment.

Jin Chen sympathized and comforted him, "At least you gained emotional value."