Chapter 364: The Authority of the First Branch

Chapter 364: Chapter 364: The Authority of the First Branch

Seeing Yun Sheng’s worried expression, Si Jin reached out, gently pressing the back of her head to draw her closer to him.

"Don’t panic. I forwarded the data to Bai Ye first thing this morning," Si Jin said, tapping his terminal to bring up their chat logs to reassure her. "Bai Ye is reliable. The people sent to protect Mo Chen are all the Tower’s most elite undercover operatives. Their stealth and combat capabilities are more than enough. Nothing will go wrong in the short term."

"In the short term?" Yun Sheng was sharp, instantly catching the loophole in his words.

"Yes." A cold, heavy look settled in Si Jin’s eyes. "Dark Nest has been plotting this for years, and their methods are ruthless. Since they’ve locked their sights on Mo Chen, they won’t give up easily. Routine protection can only fend them off for a while, not forever."

"Then what do we do now? We can’t just sit around waiting for Dark Nest to make a move, can we?"

Si Jin lowered his gaze to the dense rows of data on his terminal. His fingertips slid slowly across the screen, his expression calm and methodical. "Bai Ye has already had Luo Cheng send people to verify Mo Chen’s recent travel routes and social interactions, screening all suspicious contacts. Dark Nest will look for an opportunity to infiltrate, ambush, or stage an accident to kidnap him. We have to figure out their timing before they strike."

He turned his head to look at Yun Sheng’s worried face. Reaching up, he smoothed her furrowed brow, his voice softening. "Don’t worry, I’ve also arranged for people to protect Mo Chen in secret. I won’t let anything happen to him. Once Dark Nest makes a move, we can use that thread to root out the moles hiding in the Tower."

This was their most critical breakthrough right now. Not only could they protect Mo Chen, but they could also seize the opportunity to tear away the protective layer Dark Nest had hidden behind for years.

Hearing this, the panic in Yun Sheng’s heart subsided slightly, and she gave a small nod. Deep down, however, a faint trace of unease lingered. She knew that Dark Nest’s forces were far larger and more clandestine than they could imagine. This game of chess was far more perilous than it appeared on the surface!

Sure enough, their peace lasted only a short three days before disaster struck.

The ambush took place inside the Central Star Domain High-level Biological Spirit Research Institute. The assailants struck with lightning speed and extreme precision, their sole purpose being to abduct Mo Chen. Fortunately, Mo Chen was vigilant enough himself, and coupled with the timely arrival of the Tower’s undercover guards, Dark Nest’s operatives failed to succeed.

Mo Chen came out mostly unscathed. Unable to dodge in time, he suffered a shallow gash on his arm, but it wasn’t serious.

However, this ambush thoroughly exposed the severity of their situation.

The Institute’s security system had been secretly hacked, and multiple surveillance cameras were intentionally destroyed. Their defenses were practically non-existent. It was impossible to thoroughly sweep for hidden dangers in such a short amount of time; the place was completely unsafe.

What was even more spine-chilling was that when Luo Cheng sent men to inspect Mo Chen’s private residence afterward, they found the place completely ransacked. Drawers, scientific data, and private records had all been rummaged through—clearly the handiwork of Dark Nest as well. Whether it was the Institute or his home, Mo Chen no longer had an absolutely safe place to stay.

With the situation urgent, the group quickly met up to discuss countermeasures. Bai Ye, his expression solemn, immediately proposed the safest solution. "My place has a flawless security system, making it incredibly difficult for Dark Nest to infiltrate. You should temporarily move into my house to lay low."

Mo Chen looked down at the bandaged minor wound on his arm. He remained silent for a couple of seconds, not answering right away. Instead, he turned to look at Yun Sheng, who was sitting across from him.

"Miss Yun, could you move in together with me?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the air in the room went dead silent. Si Jin and Bai Ye’s gazes simultaneously snapped to Mo Chen. Their eyes instantly turned freezing cold, practically radiating hostility. The wariness and possessiveness in both men’s eyes were undisguised. Anyone could see there had been a massive misunderstanding.

Seeing this, Mo Chen immediately realized his wording was inappropriate and hurriedly explained. "Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t mean anything else by it. I’ve always wanted to conduct an in-depth study of Miss Yun’s unique spiritual power, as well as her compatibility with you two. There was never a suitable opportunity before, but since I’ll be staying over to lay low this time, I’ll have plenty of time. I can do targeted observations and record data along the way. My research will benefit Miss Yun, and both of you."

His mind was entirely consumed by scientific research, completely devoid of any ulterior motives. He simply didn’t want his work delayed just because he couldn’t go to the Institute.

Even so, Si Jin’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest. His cold eyes stared blankly at Mo Chen, showing zero intention of relenting. Bai Ye also kept his brows furrowed, his jaw tight, without saying a word.

Seeing their expressions, Mo Chen turned to stare straight at Yun Sheng. "Miss Yun, what are your thoughts? If you’re willing to cooperate, my research could advance by a massive margin, and it will also provide some assistance in increasing your spiritual power."

In an instant, everyone’s eyes zeroed in on Yun Sheng.

Her face stiffened. If she agreed, it would mean temporarily moving into Bai Ye’s place. What would happen to Si Jin? There was absolutely no way she could abandon him and move into Bai Ye’s house alone. But if she and Si Jin moved in together, wouldn’t Bai Ye mind?

Caught in the middle, Yun Sheng was in a dilemma, feeling as if she were being roasted over an open fire. Her brows knitted tightly. She looked at the grim-faced Si Jin, then at the silent, tense Bai Ye, at a complete loss for how to reply.

Finally, Si Jin was the first to speak. "Yun Sheng and I are going to have a private word."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he gently grabbed Yun Sheng by the wrist, turned her around, and led her to the nearby balcony.

Mo Chen and Bai Ye were instantly the only two left standing in the room.

Watching the sight of Si Jin leading Yun Sheng to the balcony, Mo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered, "This Doctor Lin has an incredibly strong aura—not a bit weaker than yours. He must be a High-level Sentinel too, right? Is he S-Class, or something even higher?"

Bai Ye shot him a sideways glance, seeing right through his intentions. "Getting research ideas again?"

"I am, but aren’t you guys unwilling?"

Back when Bai Ye brought Yun Sheng to the Institute for testing, Mo Chen had suggested she bring her partner in for a compatibility test. He brought it up again later at the restaurant, but Yun Sheng never gave him an answer. He had long guessed that the key to the issue lay with that Lin Mo.

Hearing this, Bai Ye’s expression remained indifferent, and he didn’t reply.

For once, Mo Chen’s curiosity outside of research was piqued, and he continued to probe, "I’m not interested in your secrets, and I’m not prying into your private matters. If it really comes down to it, can’t I just focus solely on studying Yun Sheng’s spiritual power without studying him? Or is it... that this Doctor Lin doesn’t want Miss Yun to move into your house?"

Bai Ye’s expression twitched slightly. The light in his eyes dimmed a fraction, and the aura around him grew a bit more subdued. He fell silent for a few seconds before finally speaking, his tone carrying a restrained sense of helplessness.

"They were together first. Yun Sheng won’t agree to anything he’s unwilling to do."