Chapter 275 - 274: Interrogation

"How am I not a person?!" Gu Qi protested.

’I didn’t say anything nasty, did I?’

’How did I end up getting cursed out?’

Ling Yanzhi narrowed his eyes. His right hand rested on the arm of the sofa, his fingertips rubbing it slowly.

The Red Snake leisurely slithered up his arm.

Gu Qi shut his mouth, his hair standing on end.

Jian Yu quietly sent out a wisp of red mist.

The tendril of cherry-red mist secretly seeped into Gu Qi’s body.

She couldn’t see anything, nor did she find any signs of the condition that had afflicted Zhao Jiangyou and Yan Ying.

Jian Yu withdrew her power, temporarily setting aside her suspicions.

Gu Qi swallowed nervously, his fingers clenching. "Why have you all gone quiet?"

Xi Yu stared at Gu Qi’s eyes, his gaze profound and dark.

He stared for a long time, looking nowhere else, focusing only on Gu Qi’s eyes.

Xi Yu took out Yan Mingjiao’s eyeball. He placed it in his hand and squeezed it through a handkerchief.

The bizarre scene made Gu Qi’s skin crawl with goosebumps.

His pupils couldn’t help but tremble.

’Don’t tell me this guy likes to collect people’s eyes?’

It wasn’t that Gu Qi was narcissistic, but his eyes were genuinely quite nice—natural puppy-dog eyes that were cute, innocent, and a little pitiful.

He opened his mouth, only to find Xi Yu’s gaze still fixed on him, like a cold, sinister snake.

Gu Qi lowered his eyes, his thoughts forcibly pulled back to the present.

He didn’t dare sit. Standing his ground, he suddenly stiffened his neck. "You have no proof, so don’t make baseless accusations. You’re acting in a way that’s making me wonder if I’ve been possessed by a Soul Ghost Body myself."

His voice was terribly faint; he was a little scared of something like this happening to him.

He also couldn’t understand why Admiral Yan would cooperate with a Soul Ghost Body.

’What even is a Soul Ghost Body? They’re heretical beings that parasitize, possess, and invade territories.’

Gu Qi really couldn’t stand someone staring intently at him while squeezing an eyeball.

"Chairman Xi, if you think my eyes are pretty, it’s not like I can’t give them to you. As long as you promise to install machine eyes for me after taking them..."

Halfway through, Gu Qi’s voice trembled so much it changed pitch. "When you install them, I want the most expensive ones. Don’t just give me some cheap junk. I know you’re rich."

Jian Yu: "..."

"Coward," Ling Yanzhi tutted, closing his eyes.

Xi Yu retracted his gaze and said to himself, "They’re not a match."

Gu Qi slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Cold sweat broke out on his back, leaving him with an inexplicable chill.

’The collecting fetish must be real, but my eyes probably aren’t the type he wants for his collection.’

Jian Yu sat up straight, leaning her back against Ling Yanzhi.

She drew her legs in, hugging her knees, a little worried that Xi Yu might accidentally pop the eyeball and spatter her clothes.

Xi Yu’s expression changed.

He looked up, his expression sullen. The downturned corners of his eyes held a hint of confusion and grievance.

Before he could have a fit, Jian Yu launched a preemptive strike: "Put it away. It’s filthy."

"Oh." Like a punctured balloon, Xi Yu instantly deflated.

He put the eyeball away, and a viscous liquid seeped from his fingertips to disinfect them.

Jian Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. "Is that Yan Mingjiao’s?"

"Mhm," Xi Yu shifted his body. "Don’t be mad, baby. I’ll take it back for Little Eagle."

’Then Little Eagle will be the one getting dirty.’

He rested his head sideways on Jian Yu’s lap. His cheeks looked thin, but when pressed to the side, a little puff of flesh bulged out.

Jian Yu raised a hand and stroked Xi Yu’s hair, her fingertips pressing the soft flesh of his cheek twice.

"...That’s Yan Mingjiao’s eye?" Gu Qi’s teeth chattered from the cold.

’Yan Mingjiao, one of the most notorious villainesses on Emperor Wolf Star, actually had her eye gouged out just like that?’

Xi Yu remained silent.

Ling Yanzhi answered for him, but only with a perfunctory "mhm."

The living room was large, and with no one speaking, it felt desolate and silent.

Gu Qi still didn’t dare to take a seat. Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he silently sat down on the living room rug.

The people present were all around the same age. He spoke casually, but in his heart, he was well aware of the status gap between them.

He was a good judge of character, knowing who liked to be flattered and who disdained sycophantic praise.

Like the few in front of him now.

Jian Yu was a commoner who had risen through the ranks, yet she lacked the unpleasant air of the nouveau riche.

Sheng Yue had a cold personality.

Ling Yanzhi seemed indifferent to everything.

Xi Yu only had eyes for Jian Yu.

As it stood, their personalities were a bit hard to grasp, but they certainly weren’t the type to bully others with their power.

Back at the Ultimate Eye, Gu Qi had genuinely wanted to latch onto someone powerful.

It wasn’t that he genuinely liked Jian Yu; he wasn’t actually that interested in finding a girl prettier than himself.

He couldn’t change his flaw of loving to take advantage of situations, so his ultimate goal was still to be a kept man, with a partner who was rich and powerful.

At the Ultimate Eye, Gu Qi was indeed trying to curry favor with Jian Yu, but at the same time, he was also testing Sheng Yue’s limits.

His interruptions, blocking, and snide remarks—if directed at the aristocrats he’d met before, he’d be lucky to escape with his life, let alone just some skin off his back.

But Sheng Yue, of all people, seemed to have no breaking point; he hadn’t lifted a finger to hit him.

In the end, Sheng Yue had merely tolerated him before sending him away from the Ultimate Eye early. His temper wasn’t even as explosive as Zhang Qin’s.

Thinking of this, Gu Qi hesitantly shuffled over to Sheng Yue’s side.

He wanted to ask what would happen next, why everyone wasn’t going upstairs to rest, and if there would be a late-night snack today.

The words reached his lips, but he spun them around into, "In what way am I not like a person?"

Sheng Yue sat bolt upright, his thin lips parting slightly. "You seem quite like a person."

Gu Qi: "..."

’I really want to fight them.’

Gu Qi sat cross-legged. "Are you guys going to take me back for research?"

Sheng Yue’s lips pressed into a thin line, his brow furrowing slightly. "Yes."

Even that single "Yes" was ice-cold.

Gu Qi pouted. "Does that include room, board, and a path to riches?"

Jian Yu looked at him, her gaze filled with surprise.

Sheng Yue said with a perfectly straight face, "All included."

Gu Qi, propping up his round cheeks, said, "Deal."

He glanced up sideways. "Huh? What are you so shocked about? You’re from the same academy as them and from the Imperial Capital Star. What’s so surprising?"

Jian Yu blinked. "I’m just a little surprised. You’re being too cooperative."

Sheng Yue glanced over.

Ling Yanzhi opened his eyes, his gaze landing subtly on Jian Yu’s bewildered face.

Xi Yu lifted his head, resting his chin on Jian Yu’s lap, his eyes filled with confusion.

Gu Qi scratched his head. "You don’t know? The Alliance passed a regulation that everyone in the interstellar region must cooperate with Chief Pei’s research as much as possible, especially people from those academies on the Imperial Capital Star."

If necessary, cooperation is mandatory.

Rather than be dragged away by the Alliance, he’d rather be proactive about it.

Jian Yu pressed her lips together, her eyes wide. This was something she truly didn’t know.

’So people are afraid of Pei Yin because they’re scared he’ll just grab them for research whenever he feels like it?’

Jian Yu felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple.

She asked blankly, "Why is there a regulation like that?"

’Why else could it be?’

’Power.’

Ling Yanzhi snapped his fingers. "They will be beneficiaries as well."

Sheng Yue glanced at Jian Yu’s expression.

He said impassively, "It’s an Alliance regulation. Little Pei has never abused this power. And for anyone willing to cooperate, the few of us will compensate them doubly."