"Let me introduce myself."

"Qin Ye... from Zhongzhou, Source Tower."

The underground passage was damp and muddy, yet the man was impeccably clean. He stood with his hands in his pockets, under the dim light of the well leading to the surface. His trench coat leaned forward in the passage's breeze, flowing and rippling like liquid, as if it might scatter into ink at any moment.

Gu Shen stared intently at the man before him.

He protected his wife.

However... Qin Ye didn't attack.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill anyone."

Qin Ye extended his hands, raising them slowly. His fingers were long and slender, as pale as a woman's.

As his hands moved through the air, they seemed to stir the water of a lake.

Invisible ripples spread.

"The one responsible for the attack is still above... but he should be arriving soon. I'm just here to watch over the prey for him," Qin Ye said softly, looking at the wife. "And, to say hello."

"I've seen you before..."

Lu Nanzhi narrowed her phoenix eyes.

She stared intently at the man in the trench coat, recalling a moment from many years ago... In life, one sometimes encounters a person who leaves a "fresh" memory, only to vanish, unnoticed, until they reappear, and one suddenly remembers having seen "him" before.

An encounter that was meaningless.

Became meaningful... because of the reunion.

"Yes," Qin Ye noticed the change in the wife's expression and smiled. "We have met before."

The wife bit her lip.

She couldn't quite remember...

"Ten years ago, you gave me directions..." Qin Ye smiled. "Don't you remember at all?"

Lu Nanzhi was stunned.

She remembered.

Many years ago, on a rainy night, she encountered a man wearing a long black trench coat, standing with an umbrella at a crossroads in the old city, asking her how to get to the old district.

He was a strange man.

After she gave him directions, he left alone with his umbrella.

His voice seemed to contain a peculiar power that had locked away her memory... Because of the Red Gate, Lu Nanzhi hadn't completely lost this memory, but instead fought against that strange power, guarding it fiercely.

Until Qin Ye spoke again, and that hidden power was released.

Sealed memories began to awaken, little by little.

The Lion Lane case happened the day after that man asked for directions.

If Old Lu's death was an "accident," then the one capable of creating that "accident" and leaving no trace behind—

Could only be an Apostle.

The look in her eyes changed... from bewilderment to shock, and finally to anger.

"Why do you look at me like that?"

Qin Ye's voice was devoid of emotion. "I was destined to arrive at Lion Lane, and destined to take his life. It was all predetermined... just as today, you are destined to die."

He slowly reached into his trench coat and took out a set of old keys.

Lu Cheng's keys.

To open the bronze box, you needed both the keys and the password, without either one, it was impossible... And when Old Lu died in Lion Lane, the most important "keys" on his body had disappeared.

Seeing these keys.

Meant that... the real culprit of the Lion Lane case had surfaced.

"...You killed Old Lu."

The wife supported her sister's arm on her shoulder, slowly lowered her head, her hair falling to cover her face. "For the Lion's Roar technology?"

"Of course."

In Qin Ye's eyes, Lu Cheng wasn't anything special. In missions, such figures were marked as Number One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six. He only cared about whether he could complete the mission, not who the target was.

"The mission that year was only half-completed. I tried to extract his mind... but unfortunately, the man's consciousness began to self-destruct the moment I invaded. This should be the most valuable brain in the East Continent, right? I only managed to intercept a portion of the information, but fortunately, that portion greatly promoted the Federation's research on 'awakening technology.'"

Qin Ye paused. "Hmm... or what you call 'Lion's Roar technology.'"

He planned the Lion Lane case, killed Lu Cheng, who was extremely famous and influential in East Continent, chose to disappear, and successfully deceived the public, hiding the truth beneath the gray fog of history.

Now, he spoke of it again for one reason.

He had the ability to hide the truth once more.

"This time, I've returned to the Capital for an unfinished mission."

Qin Ye's gentle voice now sounded chilling. "You are Lu Cheng's daughter. Obviously, you know the password to that box... I hope you'll cooperate."

He looked at the wife.

Even in flight, she didn't forget to bring the bronze box.

"What if I say no?"

"Then I will invade your mind, just like I invaded Lu Cheng's back then."

"Even if you can't complete the mission?" Lu Nanzhi said expressionlessly, "I will destroy all my memories in an instant. You won't be able to get even a shred of information from my consciousness..."

"..."

Qin Ye was silent for a moment. "Perhaps you underestimate me."

"Or perhaps you underestimate me." The wife coldly returned the words. "You can try."

The silence underground lasted for less than ten seconds.

Qin Ye smiled.

"No... Madam, you misunderstand."

He shook his head. "What I mean is, perhaps you underestimate my bottom line. As an Apostle of Source Tower, my mission is to burn everything for the future of humanity. To complete this mission, I will use any means necessary, at any cost."

Qin Ye gently shook the keys in his hand.

"I said... killing you is not my mission."

"My mission is to open this bronze box. And you know the password and how to open it." Qin Ye smiled gently. "Given the situation tonight, you are going to die no matter what. Perhaps you don't care about death, or the destruction of the information in the box, but you must care about something else..."

A person who doesn't care about their own life.

Often cares more about something else.

Qin Ye's gaze fell on Gu Shen, and then on the unconscious Lu Nanjin.

It wasn't hard to guess.

"If you don't cooperate, I will destroy everything you care about." Qin Ye said calmly, "If you are willing to cooperate, then I can promise... these two won't have to die."

From these few words, Lu Nanzhi was already certain.

The Apostles of Source Tower could not be called human.

At least, the man before her was not of the "same kind." Qin Ye was like an emotionless robot, he had completely discarded his own emotions, no longer possessing compassion, mercy, or kindness.

"Why should I believe you?"

"You don't have to."

Qin Ye said calmly, "I'm not here to negotiate with you. You just need to give your answer... cooperate, or not cooperate."