Chapter 35.1

“You have taken a liking to him, right?”

　　Duan Chi was so absorbed in his reading that he did not even glance up when he responded, “Oh, it’s nothing.”

　　Duan Xiuwen heaved a sigh of relief as he reassured himself that all was well. His eyes darted over the pages, swiftly grasping the content with a confident nod.

　　Though his smile exuded a seemingly gentle warmth, his presence carried an icy chill that slithered through the air like a snake. “Why do you always try to run away? Am I not good enough for you?”
　　“Y-you’ve been quite good to me…”
　　“Then, why do you still want to run away? Are you trying to see if I care for you?”
　　“… Your comprehension skills are on point.”
　　“Heh, I’ll take that as a yes, then. Now that we’ve reached this point, baby, how about I lock you up?”
　　“No, no, no…”

　　Duan Xiuwen was at a loss for words, his mind reeling from the impact of what he had just read.

　　His eyes flickered across the screens, only to find that they were all filled with novels featuring tyrannical male leads. He set the fruits down mechanically as his mind scrambled to come up with a response. “Where’s Yi Zhou now?”

　　Duan Chi answered, “He’s still in the Cello Constellation.”
　　After what seemed like an eternity, he finally cast a brief glance at his nephew and inquired, “Do you believe any of this could actually be true?”

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　　System’s words were filled with a hint of incredulity. “You are laughing, really?”
　　Jing Xi puzzled, “How in the world did he come up with the idea of reading novels?”
　　System’s remark dripped with exasperation. “It is all thanks to that mishmash of soul refraction info he stumbled upon during his search on the spacecraft!”
　　Jing Xi wondered, “Are those novels any good?”
　　System burst into even more heartrending sobs. “That is not the point I was making!”
　　Jing Xi unlocked his phone and began searching for the novels online. “Things have already come to this point, so your tears won’t make a difference. Anyway, I’ve made it clear that I won’t share any unnecessary information with him, or even provide an answer if he asks.”
　　System pondered, “What if he does something irrational because of this?”

　　Jing Xi’s hand froze in mid-air, and he responded with unwavering confidence, “Trust me, he won’t.”

　　“Not at the moment, but who knows? We’ll see if he changes his mind after your return to the Administration Bureau once you have completed the mission.” System remarked, suddenly grasping the gravity of the situation. “Hold on, something is not right about you. How can you remain so calm in the face of such a grave matter?”

　　Jing Xi refuted, “Tell me, when have I never been calm in a challenging situation?”

　　Instead of responding, System conducted a comprehensive analysis.

　　After careful consideration, it discovered that Jing Xi might have his quirks, but when it came to completing missions, he was steadfast and reliable. As a renowned Class-S Agent with an impressive track record, Jing Xi had driven countless systems to the brink of madness. Considering his reputation for being resolute and not easily swayed, how could he spill everything to Duan Chi so effortlessly?

　　A wave of enlightenment swept over it. “Ah, I see. That explains it. You are not worried because you have taken a liking to him, right?”
　　Jing Xi denied, “No, I haven’t.”
　　System smirked, “Deny all you want, but your body says otherwise.”
　　Jing Xi jabbed, “Couldn’t you have phrased it in a less vulgar manner?”
　　With a derisive snort, System regained its composure. “So, you plan to take Duan Chi with you once the mission is over? Since you are the Divine Lord, you have the authority to do so.”

　　Jing Xi remained silent, deep in thought.

　　As a matter of fact, he harbored doubts that Duan Chi was that string of data, possibly having mistreated the other party in the past.

　　He had always led a life devoid of emotional attachment and lacked a significant degree of empathy. With a different person, he would undoubtedly remain indifferent.

　　Whether it was the comfort that stemmed from six months of companionship, Duan Chi’s behavior that resonated strongly with his temperament, or those fragmented memories that held great significance for him — no matter the reason, he found himself unable to be harsh towards Duan Chi.

　　For the lack of a better option, he decided to switch the subject. “Is the list not ready yet?”

　　System promptly assured him, “Coming right up!”

　　It organized the names and some basic information into a table and then sent it to Jing Xi.

　　The production crew was currently shooting a modern TV series in an upper-class residential district. With a large shopping mall nearby, the area was bustling with a considerable number of people within a one-kilometer radius.

　　Naturally, Jing Xi would not waste his time conducting a thorough investigation on each person individually. His plan was to wait for the next time the red light appeared to compile another list of people and then identify any matches among them.

　　 Lost in thought, he accessed the detector interface. A subtle frown etched across his face as he scrolled through the records.

　　 As the name implied, the energy detector could only pick up signals when the other party was using energy. 

　　The more powerful and sustained the energy, the more precisely the device could pinpoint the source. Previously, he had assumed that the Divine Lord of the Transmigration Department, King of Hearts, intentionally manipulated the timing of his appearances to evade detection by such devices. To his astonishment, that was not the case.

　　According to the records, this wave of energy was exceptionally faint. It was almost as if King of Hearts had split himself into several soul fragments¹ Just a heads up. The author did not mention much about this. At this point, it is merely Jing Xi’s speculation, so I’m just keeping it generic. . That seemed to be the only plausible explanation for the energy to be weakened to such a degree, unless he suffered severe injuries.

　　However, things did not add up.

　　Even if he had unleashed his wrath on King of Hearts for Duan Chi’s sake back then, a clash between Divine Lords would inevitably lead to irreversible repercussions. Hence, it made no sense that his data had only undergone some form of retrogression, while the other was shattered into such a state. 

　　Moreover, the fact that he could utilize energy indicated that he was still alive. If it was truly his doing, King of Hearts’ first course of action should have been to gather his strength and report him to the Administration Bureau. So, why then linger in this place?

　　After an extended period of meticulous observation, System finally deciphered the true nature of this object. “Who is the target for this detector?”

　　Opting not to answer, Jing Xi mused for a moment and started to entertain the idea that it might have been a trace of lingering energy from another place. However, it was uncommon for such occurrences to simply vanish in an instant. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, wherein only a tiny remnant of energy remained and was fortuitously picked up by the detector?

　　He questioned, “Has there recently been a catastrophic event or a significant natural disaster on this planet?”

　　System checked things out and replied, “No.”

　　Jing Xi deliberated, finding it rather peculiar. Once again, he was back to square one — King of Hearts’ energy remained inexplicably faint, barely able to sustain itself for even a single second.

　　‘Oh, that’s right! There’s another possibility.’

　　He wondered, “There’s nothing wrong with this detector, right?”

　　After a thorough scan, System confirmed, “Nope.”
　　Before long, it swiftly pieced together the answer. “Is this used to detect our Divine Lord? Is he currently in this world?”

　　Jing Xi answered thoughtfully, “Perhaps only a fraction.”
　　After a brief pause, he probed, “What’s your Divine Lord like?”

　　System disclosed, “Although I have not met him often, I have gathered that he is a total workaholic, tirelessly busy all year round.”

　　With that, Jing Xi closed the backend interface and muttered to himself, “Forget it.”

　　Armed with only scraps of information, he found it nearly impossible to make accurate speculation. Hence, he decided it would be best to bide his time until the next time the red light appeared.

　　At this juncture, the filming was still underway.

　　The director made a conscious effort to steer clear of De Wen’s scenes by giving priority to shooting others first. Knowing how much De Wen cared about his reputation, the director was concerned that he might be reluctant to remain on set.

　　Just as the director suspected, De Wen really wanted to leave.

　　Right after hurling a torrent of harsh words for all to hear, he dashed forward and apologized profusely like a penitent child. Yet, his sudden change concealed a burning desire to eliminate the witnesses, making it impossible for him to stay for even a moment longer.

　　Since this TV series was financed by his sugar daddy, he had to give them a heads-up.

　　Upon hearing his account, his sugar daddy vehemently berated him, making it crystal clear just how displeased they were with his behavior.

　　This sugar daddy was not only old and unattractive, but his temper also left much to be desired.

　　It was precisely because of this that De Wen sought to establish a connection with the Hu family. Much to his dismay, his plan would fall apart right at the first step.