Chapter 287 - 286: Once Suspected

Duan Feiye had also received the news and had dressed himself with great care.

He made an elegant landing, only to find he’d come for nothing.

His gaze swept the area; he didn’t see Jian Yu, nor did he see Si Xu.

Pei Yin raised an eyebrow. "You’re late. My treasure just left."

’Look at him, all dressed up and looking so proper.’

’He probably charmed countless junior girls on his way here.’

Pei Yin gave him a critical look. "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Duan Feiye glanced at the people on the beds, his brow furrowing. "What happened to them?"

"I poisoned them to death," Pei Yin blurted out.

He was still holding a bottle of blackish-red medicine, which made his claim look quite convincing.

Duan Feiye’s frown deepened.

His gaze swept past Pei Yin, landing on the others.

Sheng Yue’s face was so pale it was almost translucent.

Ling Yanzhi’s brows were tightly knit, clearly not resting peacefully.

Xi Yu’s lips were pressed together, looking utterly pitiful.

Duan Feiye’s expression visibly darkened, the mask of refined composure beginning to crack.

’Weren’t they supposed to be investigating Emperor Wolf Star?’

’Has Admiral Yan lost his mind? Emperor Wolf Star declared independence one moment and attacked them the next?’

Duan Feiye suddenly turned to Pei Yin, his eyes sharp and his voice cold. "What happened?"

Seeing how angry he was, Pei Yin didn’t dare to joke around anymore.

He answered honestly, "They were completely drained."

Duan Feiye: "..."

For a moment, his expression became incredibly grim.

Duan Feiye’s tone was complicated as he forced out two words, one by one: "One-on-three?"

"Huh?" It occurred to Pei Yin that what he said didn’t sound quite right.

He quickly explained, "I mean, they fought for too long. Their soul domains are a bit unstable, and their spiritual power is depleted."

Duan Feiye watched him with a cool, impassive gaze.

"It’s too much of a hassle to explain." Pei Yin pulled up the surveillance feed from the lab.

He sent it to Duan Feiye. "Just watch it yourself. There’s too much involved; I’m still a bit dazed myself."

Pei Yin caught a whiff of medicine on himself and turned to head straight for the changing room.

The vast space was filled with clothes and chain accessories.

Too lazy to look for clothes, he walked up to the dressing mirror and activated the one-touch change function.

After randomly cycling through several outfits, he finally settled on a dark teal uniform.

Pei Yin vainly tied on a small bell and walked out, JINGLE JANGLE.

Feeling Duan Feiye’s dark gaze on him, he paused. "Lighten up. Don’t look so grim. Are you afraid outsiders won’t know they’re injured?"

Pei Yin checked on Sheng Yue and the others again. "Don’t worry, I’m a professional. With me here, they’ll be bedridden for a week and a half at most."

Duan Feiye’s expression was unreadable.

He stared at Xi Yu and Ling Yanzhi, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Pei Yin found himself speaking faster. "Don’t look like your world is ending just because your two pillars of support are down. They just investigated a little too deeply this time. The toll was a bit heavy, and it aggravated their soul domains."

He tapped Duan Feiye’s right shoulder. "It’s actually a good outcome. My treasure brought back several 3S-tier Beast Plants. Otherwise, they’d be laid up for at least a month and a half. They should wake up by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Duan Feiye lifted his gaze.

Pei Yin started to sing her praises. "My treasure is amazing, right? A hundred students went to the Ultimate Eye, and the Heavy Python didn’t give a damn about any of them, but it gave plants only to my treasure."

Duan Feiye’s eyes glinted.

He found a place to sit, his fingers tapping an irregular rhythm on his knee.

Pei Yin watched him intently. "Speaking of the accident when we were kids, have you remembered anything?"

He said, vexed, "I’ve pretty much alienated my entire family, so I don’t even know who to ask when I go home."

’I can’t very well go ask my old man’s other sons, can I?’

’Some are still toddlers, while others are old enough to be his own father.’

Pei Yin sat down across from him. "I’ve looked into it. That Yan Ying was only sixteen this year, two years younger than me and three years younger than you. She was born a Level 3S, but they say her rank dropped after an injury."

Duan Feiye chuckled, his expression chillingly grim. "Then let’s just drag her back and ask."

Pei Yin turned his head. "She’s already dead, how are we supposed to drag her back? My treasure killed her. She did it all by herself."

Duan Feiye didn’t say anything more, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Pei Yin began his analysis, his words flowing smoothly.

"Look, I only successfully Awakened when I was six or seven, which was a few years late. But here’s something we have in common: you also Awakened several years late, just like me."

"For High-level Awakened like us, we’re normally supposed to Awaken at birth. We’re Innate Natural Awakeners. But for some reason, both of us Awakened a few years later than Ayan and the others."

"Also, in my experience, the C69 experiment takes at least three days to complete. You know my family situation. When my Awakening failed, I couldn’t even leave the house. I was no different from a castaway."

"My memory is good. If someone had been messing with me for three days, wouldn’t I know? So, I suspect I was taken away right after I was born. But the contradiction is that the C69 experiment only existed after I was born."

Duan Feiye’s expression was gentle and focused, as if listening intently. "It’s also possible that the C69 experiment wasn’t called C69 at the beginning."

In other words, the experiment might have existed before Pei Yin was born.

The name of the experiment was changed, or its data and results were covered up.

"I hadn’t really thought about that," Pei Yin mused for a few seconds.

His eyes lit up brilliantly. "Let’s wait for Ling Gou to wake up. I’ll have him hack into the research institute and look for information."

Duan Feiye nodded with a smile.

His eyes showed approval as he asked calmly, "Back in the day, when a noble child was born, what was the first thing their parents would have them do?"

Duan Feiye looked up, his fingers thoughtfully stroking the Buddha Beads on his wrist. "I’m referring to sixteen years ago."

"Let me check." Pei Yin’s knowledge of history was mediocre at best.

He argued brazenly, "I was only two years old back then, so it’s normal that I don’t know."

Pei Yin’s fingers moved to his wrist, and the Star Brain hidden beneath his skin slowly emerged.

After a search, he found that sixteen years ago, newborn Awakeners were required to go to the Awakening Identification Institute.

However, with technological advancements, most nobles had their own identification devices.

The sharp decline in the number of Awakeners caught the attention of the Alliance.

The Alliance not only established the Noble Academy and created many private benefits for Awakeners, but they also sent personnel to people’s homes to perform identifications and personally enter the data into the system.

After that, the presence of the Awakening Identification Institute weakened significantly, to the point that almost no one mentions it anymore.

Pei Yin’s gaze circled over Duan Feiye. "Did you already know there was a problem with the Institute?"

Duan Feiye’s eyes were downcast, his voice indifferent. "My mother suspected it."

Pei Yin’s lips parted.

He had once witnessed the passionate, whirlwind romance between Duan Feiye’s parents.

So much so that even now, he couldn’t understand how their relationship could have devolved into such cold, heartless indifference.

’To abandon their child just like that... so irresponsible.’

The thought of how miserable Duan Feiye had been back then made Pei Yin’s heart ache.

Pei Yin’s gaze was clear. "Feifei."