Jonathan Black's brows nearly twisted together. "There's a corpse of an agent in the White Space, and that big boat was clearly meant to lure us over. Even if they didn't know it was us, it's obvious this was a trap. But the regular armed guards on the ship weren't even on alert, and had no clue about any of this, which makes no sense. If I had to guess, I'd say someone deliberately made the guards act relaxed to lower our guard, while the real goal was to draw us into that White Space."
Jill Young nodded. "Makes sense."
"But why do they want to lure us into the White Space? What's the endgame? Those weird white cubes, that décor that's so familiar but I just can't place it, and that bizarre cube you chopped down with one strike—everything's mysterious as hell." Jonathan Black's face grew serious. "I don't think the Zade Family are just random lunatics. My guess is, they've got tech we can't even imagine. Maybe we've been playing right into their hands this whole time."
Jill Young burst out laughing, "Jason Bond, my comrade, great minds think alike! Honestly, I've thought that way for ages. From that big ship to our trip to New Mexico, I've always felt someone sneaky was watching me. Even just now in the Zade Family base, I didn't find any cameras, but my gut never lies—we're definitely being watched. No cameras just means they've moved past clunky surveillance and have way sneakier tricks now."
"Huh?!" Jonathan Black knew just how uncanny Jill Young's intuition was. He couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end—if everything they did was under surveillance, they'd be totally doomed, game over.
"Relax, this place is safe. The Zade Family can't monitor the whole world—if they could, they wouldn't bother setting up traps to lure us in. A trap's not scary; the world's full of traps. It's all about who's got better moves. As long as they can't watch us every single second, we've still got a shot. Like, make the real look fake, make the fake look real. Or play it cool when it's heavy, play it heavy when it's light." Jill Young patted Jonathan Black's shoulder. "Kid, you've still got a lot to learn!"
"Play it cool when it's heavy, play it heavy when it's light?" Jonathan Black thought for a moment, then his face lit up. "So basically, 'fake it till you make it' and 'play dumb to win'?"
"Uh..." Jill Young's eyes instantly narrowed. "Not wrong, but the way you put it kinda bugs me... Anyway, whenever there's a risk we're being watched, we've gotta feed them bad info—make them overestimate or underestimate us. As long as the acting's solid, this trick works every time. I've never blown it."
"So you're saying that whole meltdown you had at the Zade Family's secret base was just an act?" Jonathan Black shook his head in disbelief. "That vibe, that crazy energy—you can't fake that."
"That's why you gotta love your job! Acting's not just about looks, you gotta go full method—throw yourself into the role, make it real! The emotions aren't fake, anyone would lose it facing a psycho like that. But the real question is, how much effort did I actually use?"
"How much?"
Jill Young smiled, looking pretty pleased with herself. "Less than a third."
Less than a third...
When you're sizing up top-tier combat power, being off by twenty or thirty percent is already a big mistake. But if you're off by two or three times... Jonathan Black was basically sweating for the other side.
"Less than a third is just brute strength. My actual combat ability and fighting style? Those are hidden way deeper. And for the record, I didn't just pull that number out of thin air—it's the result of a whole lot of careful thinking."
Jonathan Black was shocked. "There's actual science behind this?!" You don't look like the type to crunch numbers, sis!
"Of course! Don't judge me by appearances—when it comes to scheming—cough, I mean, strategy, I'm all about precision!" Jill Young was buzzing with excitement. "Details make or break you, details shape your fate. From snatching the big ship to the London raid, there's just enough time for a Chosen One to level up. If I acted like nothing had changed, they'd get suspicious. If they're suspicious, our trap loses its punch. So how much power should I show when I'm 'raging'? How much growth fits a normal Chosen One's rate, matches their expectations? Kid, you've still got a lot to learn!"
Jonathan Black suddenly felt like he was staring up at a mountain—her white hair wasn't just hair, it was the snow you only see on the highest peaks.
Genius. Absolute genius!
"Oh yeah," Jill Young basked in Jonathan's gaze, chin held high, then turned to look at the second floor of the mansion. "Looks like the old guy's up. Come on, let's go pay our respects."
Upstairs in one of the bedrooms, Orlando slowly came to.
He'd been out for ages and missed all the wild action at the end. Honestly, at his age, with his health and his heart, the fact he didn't drop dead on the spot was thanks to that bottle of fast-acting heart pills.
When someone's hit with too much mental shock, when their worldview shatters too fast and too hard, the brain flips into autopilot protection mode. Orlando drifted back from chaos feeling lazy all over, like he'd just finished a regular nap—totally normal. All that kidnapping, chasing, mutant monsters, supernatural powers? His brain was trying real hard to forget it all, at least for now.
But when he really opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jonathan Black walking in, looking like a top-tier mafia hitman. Instantly, every memory came flooding back. Orlando shot up in bed, drenched in cold sweat. "Where's the killer? Where is he? Where'd that big black monster go?!"
Jill Young strolled over to the bed with a grin. "Well, Professor, now you know we weren't lying to you."
"You weren't lying, sure, but I'm in no mood to talk about it!" Orlando leapt out of bed, flustered and ready to bolt. "No way, we need to get out of here! London—no, all of England's off-limits! We've gotta sneak out to another country! Russia? No, that's no good—China, yeah, China! Zade Family's weakest there! Oh hell, I've actually been targeted by the Zade Family, plus those monsters—what's happened to this world?!"
"Just lie down and behave, will ya?" Jill Young grabbed the professor by the shoulder and spun him back onto the bed like he was doing ballet. She stuffed a pillow in his arms and patted his head like a kid. "Here, hold this. Calm down, we're not here to watch you drop dead. But we've got real business to handle, OK?"
"Real business?" The old professor stared blankly for a while, finally sighing in defeat. "Alright, I get it. What do you need me to do?" Orlando knew these people had their reasons for finding him. They hadn't said anything before, but now he was out of options. Whatever this witch asked, he had no choice but to go along.
Jill Young didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to business. "I need you to do two things. First, tell me everything you know about the Heart of Tiberius. Especially your original design plans—I want the whole set."
"Alright." The old professor nodded glumly. "But let me be clear, I don't know much about the Heart of Tiberius. And I never kept the original plans here—it's been ages. I can try to reconstruct them, see if I can remember, but I really can't guarantee speed or accuracy."
"No rush on that. Once you're out of the UK, we'll set you up with the best resources and all the people you need—you can work on it later. What's urgent is the second thing, and that needs to start right now, this very minute."
Seeing how serious Jill Young looked, Orlando knew this had to be something big. He swallowed nervously. "What is it? If it's anything like going to hell, count me out. No way, not happening!"
"No hell trips required. Just sticking to your old job." Jill Young smiled meaningfully. "I want you to teach a student."
"Teach a student?" The old professor was totally baffled. "Who?"
"Me." A voice called from the doorway. Orlando looked up to see Su Muhua walking in.
"You?!" The professor was thrown for a loop. He had no idea what was going on. "But why? What's all this about?"
Jill Young stepped aside, letting Su Muhua come to the bedside. Su Muhua spoke earnestly to the professor. "Professor Orlando, let me introduce myself. My name is Su Muhua. Your student Sophia—her real name is Su Muqiong—she's my twin sister."
"You're not her?" Orlando's eyes widened, his mouth opened, and finally he whispered in pain, "So, in the end... she's really gone?"
"I'm afraid so, sadly." Su Muhua reached out and took Orlando's age-spotted hand, passing warmth and resolve through her grip. "I want to visit every place she went, learn everything she learned, experience everything she did, and study every paper she published. I need to get as close as possible to every single thing she went through, retrace every step she left behind. It means everything to me, and it's about family. So, Professor, I need your help."
Orlando looked deeply at Su Muhua, his old eyes seeming to blur as though he saw a scene from long ago. He let out a long sigh, his expression complicated. "You know, you're just like her—not just in looks, but in so many other ways. It's uncanny..."