Chapter 3106: After Divorce, Forced to Compete with My Ex-Husband 37

Jin Chen returned to the inn, the floor grew quiet, and the oil lamp behind the counter was still lit.

Yun Wu and Steve each had a cup of cold tea in front of them, obviously having waited a while; seeing Jin Chen enter alone through the back door, Steve glanced at his back, frowned slightly, set down his cup, and asked, "How is the General?"

"He's resting." Jin Chen pulled out a chair and sat down, without further explanation, getting straight to the point: "Tonight's operation has changed; listen to me."

Steve and Yun Wu exchanged a glance, not objecting. After these days together, they knew Jin Chen had his own peculiar logic; though it sometimes seemed surprising, the results usually proved his judgment correct.

Steve tapped a few times on the light brain, turned it around and pushed it toward Jin Chen, then tapped the screen twice to expand the projected message.

"You need to know this: the Star Net is currently spreading rumors that Chenshu was once imprisoned in the Grey Realm, along with various exposés from self-proclaimed insiders, told with vivid detail; my family's messenger just sent me this photo."

It was a downward aerial shot, the image not very clear, as if it had been re-saved many times, but the content could still be made out.

The man inside the cage curled up in the small insulated area at the cage's center, his whole body soaked with blood and sweat, his hair disheveled and stuck to his forehead, covering most of his face, yet even so his face could be recognized—that of the Imperial General, seen in countless news reports and military propaganda films; now he resembled a trapped beast in the cage, and even in that electrocuted, dazed state, he was like a sword broken but still sharp.

The photo's angle conveyed a sense of superiority from above, as if someone stood outside the cage looking down at the prisoner, savoring this moment of control.

Jin Chen also read the accompanying text, several hundred words loosely written, centered on "Item No. 07," describing the item's condition within the Grey Realm auction house in a frivolous, malicious tone, as if the collector were showing off his trophies to the audience beyond the camera.

The livestream showed Jin Chen's appearance after viewing the photo; to the bullet comments' surprise, his expression didn't change at all—no angry distortion, no sorrowful collapse, and he was even calmer than usual.

But Yun Wu keenly sensed the shift in Jin Chen's aura; having worked with Chenshu for a long time, he thought he understood the Imperial General's temperament, yet the young man sitting opposite gave him a feeling that seemed even more dangerous than Chenshu.

Steve probably also sensed the off mood, nudging his light brain toward Jin Chen to break the silence: "If you really can't bear it, smash the light brain to vent; I often do that."

Jin Chen was amused by that remark, the chill in his eyes fading; he returned the light brain to Steve: "No need, it's still useful."

He glanced behind Yun Wu and Steve, confirming the few invisible broadcast drones were still there; even though the upgraded equipment was nearly transparent, only at specific light angles could a faint outline be seen.

"Jeffrey's people are waiting upstairs; we'll first go tie up those two, I'll handle Chi Mo alone, otherwise you'll be affected."

Yun Wu and Steve nodded, rose, and followed him up to the second floor.

: Who are you going to tie up????

: You're not even pretending anymore! What are you trying to do! Saying you'll tie people up in front of the livestream camera!

: Aren't you not looking for Star Cores anymore? How did you suddenly start infighting!

: Jin Chen must be crazy! What does he actually want to do!

: Don't you dare hurt Mo Mo! What does Chenshu's affair have to do with Mo Mo? Jin Chen is a lunatic!

: But Chi Mo is indeed strange—he's present every time something happens; what a coincidence.

: Call the police! Has anyone called the police!

: You're calling the police on Rusted Bone Star? Who are you sending for help? The mercenaries of Iron Fort?

: It's over, over, over—this show is turning into a crime scene……

The bullet comments kept rolling, but Jin Chen had already led the group up to the second floor.

Jeffrey had already waited with a few people at the end of the hallway; seeing Jin Chen come up, he nodded, and their attitudes were uniformly respectful.

Jin Chen stopped outside Room 202, raised his hand and knocked twice, then stepped aside to wait for any movement inside.

The door opened a crack. Yan Xu stood in the doorway, as if preparing to rest; seeing Jin Chen and the few people behind him outside, his expression didn't change much, just a slight pause, then he stepped aside, his tone calm as if he had long anticipated this moment.

"Come in."

After the door closed, Jin Chen turned to face Yan Xu, leaning against the wall by the door: "You don't seem the least bit surprised."

Yan Xu let out a soft sigh, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and said, "I know Mo Mo and Melun are working together to drive the General out of the military... ever since then I've guessed this day would come."

Jin Chen looked at him, quickly reviewing in his mind the book's passage about Yan Xu. Yan Xu had been saved by Chi Mo in a medical accident, thereafter developing affection for him and gradually becoming a loyal member of his harem. That scene in the original book was described movingly—a cold doctor finally having his inner ice melted by warm sunshine.

Jin Chen: "You fell for Chi Mo because of that medical accident, right?"

Yan Xu hadn't expected Jin Chen to know this, and finally showed a hint of surprise.

Jin Chen gave him no time to think, continuing: "What if that accident was actually done by Chi Mo?"

Yan Xu: "... What?"

As a doctor, he had heard too many lies and truths, knowing one shouldn't rely on only one side of a story, but Jin Chen's tone was so certain it didn't sound like he was lying.

Jin Chen didn't wait for him to digest the news, turned his head slightly toward the hallway, and said in an even tone, "Please go; I won't tie you up."

Yan Xu asked, "Why do I also have to be taken?"

"Not to take you." Jin Chen said, gesturing with his fingers, "It's to have you and Chi Mo keep a bit… distance."

As his words fell, Yun Wu had already silently walked behind Yan Xu.

His motion was swift; a tiny needle pierced Yan Xu's neck, injecting the proper dose of sedative. Yan Xu's body jerked, his eyelids grew heavy and drooped; in the last second before losing consciousness, he heard Jin Chen say something to avoid being affected, then he plunged into darkness, as Yun Xu reached out to steady his shoulder and laid him flat on the ground.

Jin Chen meanwhile snatched the broadcast drone hovering near Yan Xu from the air, pointed the camera at himself, waved casually, then turned off the power.

: Crazy, crazy, you're all completely crazy!

: But but, I'm getting more and more curious about what Jin Chen actually intends to do.

: At first I thought this was an adventure show, then I thought it was a romance show, now I realize it's a crime show……