Gu Jianlin's right hand couldn't help but tremble when he saw this.

Night Watcher!

The man lying on the bed was actually a Night Watcher—a comrade of Old Gu and Uncle Mu!

He never expected to accidentally stumble upon clues about Uncle Mu's amnesia during this mission.

Soul Loss Gu!

Gu Jianlin silently clenched the file in his hand.

Although he still hadn't found any evidence to exonerate his father, he'd at least found something related to Uncle Mu.

Suddenly, with a loud thud, Fu Chaoyang fell off the bed outside the room. He scrambled into the room, grabbed an alchemy pistol from the wall, and aimed it at Gu Jianlin, like a cornered young beast.

It was clear that, as the adopted son of a Night Watcher, this child had received a certain amount of training.

For instance, anti-surveillance techniques or marksmanship.

All of which must have been taught by the man on the bed.

Gu Jianlin glanced at him and fell silent for a moment.

Because he seemed to see a reflection of his younger self.

"Ether Association, Grade D Investigator, Gu Jianlin."

He pulled out his phone and logged into the Deep Space Network. "The 'Old Gu' mentioned in your foster father's documents is my father. My father and your foster father were colleagues. I won't harm you—if I intended to, you'd already be dead by now."

At these words, Fu Chaoyang's hands trembled as he gripped the gun, his face stricken. He exclaimed, "The Chair Killer?"

Gu Jianlin nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

How the hell did even this brat know about that ridiculous nickname!

Fu Chaoyang lowered the alchemy pistol. The wariness in his eyes diminished slightly as he stiffly said, "In the West Port Forbidden Zone, many people have heard of you. A child of a Fallen who committed heinous crimes, yet still chose to join the Association. There have been others like you before, but after joining the Association, they either kept their heads down or couldn't cope with the ostracism."

Gu Jianlin pinched his forehead. "Is that so?"

In truth, there were reasons why he was ostracized within the Ether Association.

First, Old Gu had faced the Ancient Gods in direct combat—a rare feat. The likelihood of someone like him being accidentally contaminated was exceptionally low. In most cases, those contaminated succumbed to the lure of power and fell willingly into corruption.

This fact was well-documented, backed by countless examples throughout history, leaving little room for doubt.

Second, Old Gu was deemed the mastermind of the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident, accused of massacring countless comrades.

Finally, it was suspected that he had left some dangerous artifact to his son.

The combination of these three factors made Gu Jianlin an extreme outlier in the Ether Association.

Other families of the Fallen couldn't hope to attract the same level of attention.

Fu Chaoyang murmured, "You're one of the few who dared to challenge both the Association and the Judgement Court directly. I heard that those who bullied you were all killed with a chair—captains and even deputy captains weren't spared from your 'demonic chair'."

Expressionless, Gu Jianlin replied, "Let's change the subject. What's your foster father's name?"

This time, Fu Chaoyang honestly answered, "Fu Qingxuan."

Gu Jianlin pressed further, "You say he's your foster father. What about your biological parents?"

Fu Chaoyang coldly replied, "I don't have biological parents."

Gu Jianlin stared at him without speaking.

After meeting his gaze for a moment, Fu Chaoyang finally broke and said, "My father was a Gray Ascender who committed serious crimes and was hunted by the Association—a complete scumbag. My mother was an Unclean who needed money to retire in Southeast Asia. When I awakened accidentally at the age of eight, they sold me to West Port. Someone there bought me, planning to have me mine in Black Cloud City after I grew older and chose an Inheritance Path."

He stiffened his face and said coldly, "But I escaped and was taken in by my foster father. However, a few years later, after one of his missions, he came back in this state."

Gu Jianlin glanced around and understood.

Initially, this kid could have just left on his own.

But he stayed to protect the man lying on the bed, enduring bitter hardship all by himself.

The trash can in the room was filled with empty medicine vials.

It seemed they were used to prolong the man's life.

This child, Fu Chaoyang, was very resourceful. Survival alone wouldn't have been an issue for him.

But needing the funds to buy medicine—that was another matter entirely.

Yesterday's attempt to appraise treasures was probably born out of sheer desperation.

"So you've been wanting to ask me for help for a while now? You just didn't trust me," Gu Jianlin remarked. "Then why appear in front of me in the end?"

Earlier, this kid clearly hadn't been so weak as to fall from the upper floor.

That was an act to elicit sympathy.

A sly little schemer.

"Because you're a good person," Fu Chaoyang said in a low voice. "You're different from them."

Gu Jianlin glanced around the room, noting traces left behind. He even picked up a notebook and leafed through it casually. Amid simple arithmetic exercises, there was a scribbled line: "Zhang Tao will love Wang Xiaohui forever." He smirked, "So your name used to be Zhang Tao, huh."

At the age of puppy love, a person's affections often manifest in naïve, clumsy ways.

For instance, scrawling the name of someone they like in a notebook.

Perhaps it felt like an action in itself—a claim of sorts.

"..."

If Fu Chaoyang weren't covered in blood, his face would surely be bright red at this moment.

His toes seemed ready to dig a three-bedroom apartment complex into the floor from embarrassment.

Gu Jianlin even noticed two crookedly carved characters on the wooden desk.

—"Persist."

The handwriting was ugly, but the carving was deep and resolute.

Gu Jianlin could almost picture the child gritting his teeth, tears streaming, as he carved those words into the wood.

"Why don't you just escape by yourself?"

He suddenly asked.

Fu Chaoyang replied firmly, "I don't want to become like my biological parents."

In the eyes of this once-abandoned child, there was nothing but defiance.

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly. "I understand now."

Fu Chaoyang looked at him and warned, "After my foster father came back that time, he kept mumbling incoherently, but he always reminded me of something—Blood Sacrifice. He told me that if he ever forgot, I had to remember it and find a way to tell someone trustworthy."

He added, "My father needs medicine. Can you…?"

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a moment. "I understand."

This was a matter of grave importance. He needed to report it to the Association immediately.

But just then, the Deep Space Network disconnected automatically.

Frowning, he tried calling someone, but the signal was gone!

Gu Jianlin realized this was no coincidence; someone had deliberately severed communications here.

"It's starting," he muttered.

Seeing his expression, Fu Chaoyang asked nervously, "What's wrong?"

Gu Jianlin thought for a moment. "If I'm right, this place will be under attack soon. Don't worry, the Association isn't stupid—they'll realize something's wrong here. Stay put and don't go anywhere. As long as you make it through the next two days, you and your foster father will be safe."

He briefly checked the man's Life Rhythm on the bed.

Though weak, it was stable—at least five or six days of survival would be possible.

"Where are you going?" Fu Chaoyang pressed weakly.

"None of your concern," Gu Jianlin replied coolly, walking out. "Take care of your foster father. He's taken care of you all this time. Now that he's down, it's your turn to look after him. Think you can do that?"

Fu Chaoyang said nothing, but the determined gaze he shot back was all too familiar to Gu Jianlin.

Exiting the room, Gu Jianlin shut the two heavy Stone Gate doors behind him and stood in the corridor.

He gazed at the churning sea in the distance.

After a pensive pause, he tried dialing again.

This time, he called Jing Ci.

No signal, still.

Leaving these two here felt unsafe.

Gu Jianlin's thoughts turned to the mysterious man who had kept covertly protecting him.

The incident at the overpass, the cafeteria at Peak City's Second High, even Black Cloud City.

That person had always been there.

Though he had no clue how the man avoided detection.

He assumed this person must be nearby now.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?"

Gu Jianlin suddenly tilted his head to the sky and said, "Watch over that father and son for me. They're witnesses and possess critical information. I don't want anything bad to happen to them."

No response came.

Gu Jianlin waited silently for ten minutes, nearly giving up before—

Clink.

A coin suddenly dropped to the ground, clattering as it rolled downstairs.

Gu Jianlin eyed the coin and smiled wordlessly.

"I don't know who you are, but I suspect you had a good relationship with my father," he said softly. "Thank you."

With that, he descended the metal staircase, vanishing into the shadows below.

On the rooftop terrace above, a figure silently watched his departure, unspoken and unseen.

Rumble.

Dark clouds churned across the heavens.

In April, the sea winds around the island were relentless, and the deafening roar of the tide threatened to engulf everything.

·

·

Amid the roaring tide, sunlight was devoured by the dense grey clouds.

Violent gusts swept through the coastal villa district, scattering sand and leaves in a chaotic storm, sending debris soaring into the sky.

Mrs. Yan sat curled on the sofa, clutching the hem of her skirt in silence, trembling.

Beside her, Yan Wu's chest heaved furiously, hinting he had just unleashed his rage.

His bloodshot eyes gleamed with unbridled fury, and his trembling arms clenched in restraint, his knuckles whitening.

"Made up your mind yet?"

A pale-faced middle-aged man sat across from them, casually holding a steaming cup of coffee. "You're aware that Lin Yuan has been captured and has already confessed. Your attempt to assassinate an Omega Sequence won't be tolerated by the Ether Association—or, rather, the real world itself."

"Do you really think renting a boat from the You Ying Group is enough to save your lives?"

He chuckled. "No, the only person who can save you now is me."

Slap!

Yan Wu, ever the tyrant, struck his wife hard across the face, knocking her back onto the sofa.

Like an enraged bull barely containing its anger.

This time, Mrs. Yan said nothing. Clutching her swollen cheek, she collapsed onto the sofa. Her free hand's fingers dug furiously into the leather, her face distorted.

"My name, perhaps you've heard it before—my codename is… Nightmare Master."

With a smile, Nightmare Master said, "Help me complete this Blood Sacrifice ritual, and you can escape Peak City alive. I also understand you've lost your son. This will be an opportunity for vengeance—doesn't that sound like killing two birds with one stone? Or perhaps, three."

He grinned, "I could even share secrets of the Qilin Immortal Palace with you. From the first time its location was pinpointed eight years ago, to its subsequent excavations, to the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident—aren't you curious about the truth behind it all?"

"—Think it over; time is running out."

Rumble.

Thunder roared.

In the distant sky, countless black shadows dashed out from the clouds like frigid hawks.

No, they weren't hawks.

They were helicopters.

The Dawn Combat Sequence's helicopters!

[PS: This novel's official release is on Qidian Reading App—support legal reading!]