The communicator fell silent.

The two people on the call were quiet for those ten seconds.

Bai Shu was somewhat lost in thought, his entire face shrouded in the dim moonlight. He didn't realize what his expression was at this moment.

If there were a mirror… he would see a very slight, almost imperceptible smile on that gray face of his, a face that had been gray for twenty years.

"What you've done is all worth it."

Zhou Jiren thoughtfully gave Bai Shu some time to process. He spoke again, his tone full of conviction. "If he's the right person, then nothing is impossible!"

Bai Shu came back to his senses.

He asked, puzzled, "If he's the right person… why didn't I notice when he left the Unmanned Zone? I didn't see any abnormal mental fluctuations on him."

"Don't mention it. Gu Shen has already noticed the matter of the Unmanned Zone… It's all because your aura was too frightening at the time." Zhou Jiren grumbled, then sighed. "We only know that the 'key' is the greatest treasure on the mental plane, but no one knows what the 'key' actually is. Perhaps the 'key' left by Alan Turing has its own consciousness, or perhaps she's still a pure and lovely girl who was frightened by your slovenly appearance?"

Bai Shu could only remain silent.

"Besides… the Sky Eyes in the area where the Unmanned Zone borders the Capital are all失效 *shixiao* (out of order), aren't they?" Zhou Jiren said calmly. "We entered the Capital with unusual ease. Although you concealed things, my authority isn't enough to do it so cleanly. Perhaps the 'key' is using its own way to tell us that it already knows of our existence and is willing to cooperate with our actions."

"Mm…"

Bai Shu could only utter this single word in the end.

More words were useless.

The communication ended.

He looked up at the great moon, his figure once again enveloped in the pure white mist.

…

…

The black Wraith stopped in front of Lion Alley.

The clamor of the Freedom Auditorium dissipated in the night wind.

The nocturne ended.

Only silence remained in the long night.

Although the night was deep, it was not dark. Lamps with a dim, yellow light lit up one by one on both sides of the old street, strung together as far as the eye could see, as if directly connected to the sky.

The old district of the Capital was different from the bustling areas of the riverside. It became quiet early, but even if no one passed by in the long night, the old district would still leave a light on… perhaps this was to tell the people living here that no matter how dark it was, as long as you walked forward, there would always be a ray of light.

A male and a female figure walked in the mottled lamplight of the old district.

Song Ci stared ahead, single-mindedly "concentrating on walking." He wore an expensive suit and had an elaborate hairstyle, but he walked very awkwardly. Although this outfit looked good on him, he always felt that it wasn't as comfortable as his floral shirt and flip-flops.

After Madam returned to the old house in Lion Alley, she suggested having a private chat with "Little Doctor Gu."

So he and Nan Jin wandered around the alley.

Song Ci was a little smug and a little guilty. He wondered if this counted as him bringing Little Lu "home in glory," but he was also a little worried about actually running into an acquaintance and having all the embarrassing things he had said when he had too much to drink over the years exposed.

But fortunately… it was already late at night, and the shops in the old district were all closed.

Surely… no one would see him, right?

"Why are you so nervous?"

Lu Nan Jin keenly caught Song Ci's abnormality.

She frowned at the man with the strange, awkward gait who kept turning his head back and asked, "Are you worried about my sister?"

"Ah… a little."

Song Ci said in a low voice, "But I'm more worried about running into an acquaintance."

He wasn't the kind of person to be coy!

Since he couldn't hide it, he might as well be honest.

"Why are you worried about running into an acquaintance?" Lu Nan Jin asked, puzzled.

Song Ci was about to speak.

"Is that shop still open so late?" Lu Nan Jin stood on tiptoe slightly. She caught sight of a shop in the distance of the old street. Song Ci's expression became very strange. It was Old Xu's beef noodle shop. Wasn't this guy usually closed early?

At the entrance of the noodle shop, the owner, with a towel draped over his neck, was squatting down, preparing to pull down the rolling shutter door. His movements suddenly froze. He scratched his head and looked at the man and woman walking together in the distance.

Lu Nan Jin recognized the old acquaintance she hadn't seen in many years at a glance.

“… Old Xu!”

Song Ci could only silently say in his heart, "What great eyesight and memory you have, chivalrous woman."

He had thought that after ten years of not returning to the Capital, ten years of not returning to the old district… the memories here should have faded in his mind, but he never expected that Lu Nan Jin would remember everything, and remember it very clearly.

She tugged Song Ci along in a small run, and when they approached the noodle shop, she suddenly slowed down her pace, walking lightly and slowly. She remembered that the proprietress of Xu's Noodle Shop had a bad temper a long time ago.

"Li… Little Lu…"

Old Xu grinned foolishly. He wanted to lift the rolling shutter door again, but Lu Nan Jin stopped him from doing so. She had just left the Freedom Auditorium, and she was still wearing that formal ball gown, a long black tulle dress. No one in the old district had ever dressed like this.

She looked like a princess who had escaped from a palace.

She slightly lifted a corner of her skirt, not because she was afraid of getting it dirty, but purely because it was inconvenient to "bend over." Fortunately, she wore this dress today. If she had worn a trench coat… there would have been three long and short knives at her waist, making it inconvenient to do this action.

She slowly leaned back, tightened her core, and leaned over the rolling shutter door bit by bit.

Song Ci followed behind Lu Nan Jin, picking up the excess skirt, bowing and entering. The two of them, in a suit and a long dress, looked like a couple who had just finished taking wedding photos… After entering the noodle shop, Old Xu gestured, indicating that someone was resting upstairs.

Lu Nan Jin gestured, indicating that she knew, and then she held a finger to her lips and whispered, "Old Xu's wife is very fierce… be careful."

Song Ci nodded quickly to indicate that he knew.

He couldn't help but laugh, because he really wanted to tell Nan Jin now… that he had just come here with Gu Shen late at night for a midnight snack, and before leaving, he had also given Zhao Qi a good beating.

The two of them sat at a small table, and soon Old Xu brought over two steaming bowls of beef noodles.

Old Xu smiled foolishly and said, "Little Lu… you… you're back."

Lu Nan Jin also smiled. "Yes, I'm back."

Old Xu scurried off to scoop up two large spoonfuls of beef and said seriously, "It's on me, no charge."

"Thank you."

Lu Nan Jin declined for a moment, then no longer refused.

She held the bowl with both hands and thanked him respectfully.

This scene was seen by Song Ci, and for some reason, a string in his heart was plucked.

In everyone's impression, Lu Nan Jin had always been a very lonely, very cold person… but in Song Ci's impression, this girl was not like that. She was just habitually hiding herself under thorns. In fact, under that cold exterior, there was a warm heart.

It wasn't love, and it wasn't kindness… these words used to describe good virtues were too big, too empty, and too inaccurate.

Lu Nan Jin was just carefully getting along with this world in her own way.

Two large spoonfuls of beef were delivered to Lu Nan Jin's bowl by the owner.

Song Ci made a gesture to Old Xu, giving him a thumbs up to show his gratitude for this wave of assistance.