Everyone had gathered at Yang Shu's place. Bobby Brooks, Jasper Xiao, Maggie Monroe—they came from all sorts of backgrounds, each with their own identity, and their own unique relationship with Jack Young. But at this moment, Yang Shu had brought them together and, somehow, they were starting to pull as one.
"Everyone, first off, I want to apologize for the trouble my nephew Jack Young has caused you."
"No, no, you're far too polite!" Jasper Xiao nervously fidgeted, "He's my good buddy, and he's looked out for me plenty of times. There's no such thing as trouble!" Jack Young's aunt was, naturally, the Queen's aunt too. Whether or not the "Straighten-Out Plan" ever works, Jasper was playing it extra safe in front of this elegant, gentle aunt.
"Auntie, Jasper's right. Anything that concerns Her Majesty is my business too. Helping out is just what I do—no trouble at all!" Bobby Brooks, of course, was even more direct. He wasn't the type to blindly serve just anyone, but right now, what they needed was someone who could coordinate and lead. And after a brief encounter, he was genuinely impressed by Yang Shu's calm, gentle, yet commanding presence. He thought to himself, the Queen's family really is something else—none of them are ordinary.
"Auntie, I..." Maggie Monroe started to speak, but Yang Shu just patted her hand and smiled, "Alright, you don't have to say anything. I won't be formal with you."
"Mm!" Maggie grinned happily, her gloomy mood finally starting to brighten up.
"Alright, everyone, since we don't need to stand on ceremony, I'll get straight to the point." Yang Shu's voice was still gentle, but there was a steely edge to it that made everyone sit up straight. "Before Jack Young disappeared, he said one thing to us—'Everyone, leave Shanghai. It's dangerous. Go now.' He's never one to speak without reason; since he was a kid, he always meant what he said. Clearly, there's some kind of crisis, something he sensed by accident, but I still have no clue what it is. I called you all here so we could pool our brains and share what we know. Does anyone have any thoughts on the situation? Bobby?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Bobby Brooks answered like a student called on in class. "Eternal Night Holdings Group's position is simple: there's no way we're abandoning Her Majesty! Given the situation, we'll evacuate all the office staff, but every combat team member stays on standby in Shanghai. As for the crisis, we've noticed something weird, and that's exactly what I wanted to discuss with Her Majesty today." Stuff like bidding projects? Who cares about that now—there are bigger fish to fry.
"Eternal Night Holdings Group?" Yang Shu pressed, "What's Jack Young's connection to your company?"
Looks like Auntie really didn't know. Bobby Brooks hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should spill, but finally answered loudly, "Her Majesty is one of only three senior directors in the group!"
Even Jasper Xiao was surprised, raising his eyebrows, "You mean that Eternal Enterprise Group from Hong Kong? The big boss over there?"
"That's right."
"Ha! I knew it, he was never ordinary. Turns out he's a big shot!" Jasper Xiao couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "If I'd known, I would've had him take me along to show off a little. With that kind of background, playing the underdog would've been easy!"
Yang Shu looked at Jasper Xiao. "Mr. Xiao, what's your take on all this?"
"No, no, don't call me Mr. Xiao—just call me Jingzhe, or Xiao Xiao if you want!" Jasper looked like he couldn't handle the formality. He was barely two years younger than Yang Shu, but right now he'd even accept the nickname 'Little Xiao' if it meant getting on her good side. After buying some snacks, he nodded, "I've been feeling like something's off lately, but I can't put my finger on it. Honestly, I think our top priority is to get Teacher Yang back. If he snaps out of it, I bet everything else will sort itself out."
Yang Shu nodded and pressed further, "Any bright ideas?"
"Bright ideas... not really. I have no clue what's going on with him. Yesterday, he mentioned something about an 'Inner Demon,' but I don't know the first thing about that. My guess is it's like some kind of mind curse, so if you want my advice, the only way is to fight fire with fire." Jasper clenched his fist, and a burst of Holy Light shot out from between his fingers. He looked around the room and admitted, "I'm a Chosen One. My power is Holy Light."
"A Chosen One? Holy Light?!" Yang Shu was truly shocked to see the Holy Light. Still, her nature was calm, and she managed to keep her composure. She glanced at Bobby and Maggie, noticing that while they were surprised, they weren't exactly scared. That told her something.
"Looks like I've been holed up in my ivory tower too long." She pulled out an amulet, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Now I get why Jack Young insisted on giving me this thing. Tell me, is my nephew a Chosen One too?"
The three of them exchanged glances, communicating in a split second, then all nodded in unison.
"That little rascal..." Yang Shu couldn't help but sigh and curse. "Turns out I'm the only one here who didn't know!"
"Auntie," Maggie Monroe quickly comforted her, "He wouldn't hide it from you on purpose. He probably just never found the right moment to tell you."
"Hmm... Oh?" Yang Shu suddenly caught on, teasing Maggie, "So I didn't know, but you did? Looks like you really don't have much to 'worry' about."
"No, no, no! That's not it at all!" Maggie's face instantly turned red as she waved her hands and retreated in a panic.
"Heh, let's talk about this in detail later." In just a few exchanges, Yang Shu had managed to steady herself. Besides her personality, she must've had some inkling all along—otherwise, no one could stay this calm in the face of such a shock. "Bobby, Maggie, are you two Chosen Ones as well?"
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"Nope." Bobby scratched his head, "I'd love to be as awesome as Her Majesty, but sadly, I'm not a Chosen One."
Yang Shu looked at Maggie. Under Yang Shu's gaze, Maggie hesitated, then decisively shook her head. "Me neither."
"Hmm..." Yang Shu didn't comment, just thought for a moment. "Maggie, let's chat in private later. For now, Jack Young's gone missing, and I don't think it's really what he wants. We need to figure out a way to help him."
So, with each person holding a piece of Jack Young's story, the four groups sat down for a brainstorming session. Ideas were tossed out, theories debated, and even some easily overlooked intel was dug up. The biggest find? They uncovered the original manuscript of The Fool's Emergency Protocol, which included a hotline for outside help.
"Hello, this is Zhuo Yihang Psychological Counseling Studio, here to help you... What? Eh?! The Life Mentor's lost his mind?!"
Well, Senior Brother really picked the wrong time to say that, and even the usually patient Yang Shu was annoyed. When a nice person gets mad, it's no joke. Senior Brother quickly backed down, "Ah, sorry, sorry! We're just used to talking without a filter. Anyway, about the Life Mentor's condition, I had a hunch something was off. The worst-case scenario is personality collapse. Normally, the Life Mentor wouldn't go that far, but if there are other triggers or unexpected factors, it's not impossible."
Triggers? Unexpected factors? What kind of unexpected things?
"It's hard to say—it could be a special psychological suggestion, a weird psychic shock, maybe a rival hypnotist took advantage, or maybe he encountered some even more invasive psychic force. Of course, the Life Mentor's mental strength is already off the charts; I doubt there are many out there stronger than him—he's way ahead of normal folks. But the stronger the mind, the harder it is to go astray, and once it does, it's even harder to fix."
So after all that, do you have any ideas?
"The only thing I can think of is hypnotherapy. But hypnotizing him would be insanely tough—never mind the difference in mental strength, everyone's mind is structured differently. With his unique mental power, there must be some special amplification structure. If I can't figure that out, I'm sunk!"
Amplification structure? I don't really get what you mean, but if you're talking about his cultivation technique—Maggie raised her hand, signaling that she could handle that part.
"Oh, that's great! Hang tight, I'm heading to Shanghai right now. This case is one of a kind—no way I'm missing out on studying it in person!" Alright, the psychologist's professional spirit was fired up, and thanks to him, everyone felt a bit relieved. No matter what, a mental problem needs a mental cure, and having an expert on the way beats an army any day.
Speaking of armies, Bobby Brooks started mobilizing every resource he had to track down Jack Young. If they could catch him quickly, it was a lot better than letting him wander around.
And in the middle of all the hustle, Yang Shu pulled Maggie aside for a real talk about Chosen Ones, Inner Demons, and even Maggie's own issues. Meanwhile, Jasper Xiao couldn't help but ask Bobby Brooks, "So, about that weird thing you mentioned earlier—what was it, exactly?"
"Well, it's actually a small thing, but it's driving me nuts..."
While Bobby Brooks and Jasper Xiao were chatting, two people were strolling down a street in Shanghai. One wore gold-rimmed glasses, the other was dressed in a waiter's uniform—Cobra and his aide. Both held positions of power, but right now, they looked just like ordinary folks out for a walk.
"Sir, the Specter Scanner System installation is going smoothly," the aide reported, pointing at a park statue under construction nearby. "This will be the first completed site. The system needs a ton of energy, and keeping it hidden took a lot of work. In two days, we'll test the radiation activation device—first round covers a radius of 300 meters, and the stress test will expand to 700 meters, covering three whole blocks."
"Oh..." Cobra seemed distracted, his gaze wandering as he thought about something else. "Don't bother with the small stuff. By the way, did you find that two-faced lunatic yet?"
"Two-faced lunatic?" The aide was stumped for a second, not sure who Cobra meant. After some thought, he remembered—a weirdo with one side of his face blank and the other wild. But thinking of him made the aide awkward. "Sir, uh..."
"Alright, judging by your reaction, you've been affected too." Cobra lazily instructed, "That guy's got a special psychic power—people just ignore him, even through a screen. He can drive folks crazy with the simplest tricks, and his range isn't short, either. He's a real handful. Mark him as 'Class A,' keep a close watch. If you're worried about getting hit again, just keep an eye out for news about jumpers, wrist-slashers, poisonings, streakers, or school bombings. That should help you spot him."
"Yes, sir!" The aide snapped to attention, then hesitated, "Sir, do you think he might be a Fated One?"
"Who knows? You can't overlook any of these weirdos. And..." Cobra suddenly gave a strange smile and said, "Here's a top secret: the prophecy only has one line, but one thing's for sure—the Fated One is definitely connected to 'Twins!'"
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"Twins? As in a pair of twins?"