Chapter 104: A Sibling Rivalry

(1/3)

Inwardly, Youya muttered in deep dissatisfaction:

Sister, I took you to the auction to help boost your intrinsic value. I bought a few things myself and picked up some more outside, all to help you scrape together enough for a D-rank—just so you'd be ready for later experiments. And now, thanks to your quick flipping of goods, you’ve managed to conjure up something out of nothing and are well on your way to a comfortable life. Just look at you now—money-grubbing to the extreme. I can’t help but get angry.

Youzhi, not one for words, noisily smoked his cigarette, letting the smoke waft toward Youya. She frowned, waved the smoke away, and shot her brother a glare. Startled by her look, he quickly stubbed out his cigarette.

Youya snapped, “Look at you—just a few minutes and you’ve made more money than you’d see in a lifetime. Happy now?”

Someone, eyes glued to his stored-value card, didn’t even bother to look up. “Happy!”

Grinding her teeth, Youya spat out each word: “I think you must have some way to detect the intrinsic content inside those original stones, am I right?”

She’d suspected as much ever since an astronomical thirty-nine points were extracted from Stone No. 77. Coupled with Ye Chen’s awkward and unconvincing denial last night that there was nothing fishy going on, there was no way she was buying it.

Let’s see if I can’t pry the truth out of you today—you’re not leaving this room otherwise!

The sudden question jolted Ye Chen. He looked up in shock, meeting Youya’s unwavering gaze.

...This woman’s guesses are terrifyingly accurate.

Should he tell or not?

Deep down, he wanted to keep his abilities secret, buried forever. His uncanny talents were tied to the art of respiration, which in turn was connected to his inner world of consciousness.

But on the other hand, he had immense respect for the Bureau of the Extraordinary—especially their commitment to humanity’s survival. It resonated with him. As for Director-General Youzhi, he didn’t know him well, but had a good impression of him. And Youya—after just a few days, she’d proven to be frighteningly clever. And, most importantly, she was stunningly beautiful... Ye Chen thought that was the most crucial point of all.

Had she not taken him to the Continental Expo, he’d never have had this opportunity. Besides the money, he’d also chanced upon an awakening artifact.

Should he keep lying, or reveal some of the truth? Ye Chen waged an internal war.

...

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Watching Ye Chen sit with his eyes closed in thought, Youya chose to wait. She cradled her coffee, occasionally taking a delicate sip, her demeanor calm and elegant.

In her experience, whenever he did this, when he finally opened his eyes, he always brought her some surprise—large or small. It was a peculiar feeling: anticipation, tinged with mystery.

Youzhi had taken to pacing and smoking at a distance. When it came to emotional intelligence, he was nowhere near his sister, but in terms of intellect, they were evenly matched. Even without being present at the auction, he’d reconstructed the scene from Youya’s descriptions and formed his own suspicions. Coupled with the recent incident with the awakening artifact, he, too, believed this man harbored many secrets.

(2/3)

Until those secrets were unraveled, every move the man made might hold some hidden meaning.

The wait was neither short nor long. Youya poured herself a third cup of coffee; Youzhi lit his ninth cigarette.

Suddenly, Ye Chen, who’d been deep in thought, jerked his head up, eyes blazing, fixing on Youya’s delicate face.

...He’d made up his mind.

“Yes, you guessed right. I can see inside the original stones.”

His words sent shockwaves through the room!

Youya’s grip faltered, coffee spilling onto her lab coat—an unmistakable mark of her alarm. Youzhi fumbled his cigarette, dropped it with a smack, and forgot to stomp it out.

“What?!” The siblings cried out in unison.

Youya had only meant to bluff Ye Chen a bit, never expecting such an answer. This was a technical barrier the Bureau of the Extraordinary had failed to overcome for years—yet here was someone claiming he could do it?

Youzhi rushed over, but Youya beat him to it, her long legs carrying her over the glass tabletop onto the sofa in a single bound.

She boxed him in with one hand on the wall, knee on the sofa, yanked off her glasses, and stared fiercely at Ye Chen.

Their noses were less than a centimeter apart.

Hot breaths mingled, washing over each other’s faces.

Sister—no, auntie—aren’t we moving a little too fast...?

“Youya, calm down!” came Youzhi’s voice from behind.

Youya turned her head, her gaze fierce and unyielding. “He’s mine!”

Youzhi, hair wild, stamped his foot, turned away, and squatted to doodle patterns on the ground. “It’s over! I’ve lost him for good!”

Having grown up together, he knew his sister’s character all too well. If she could say such words and wear such an expression, it meant she’d claimed the man as her own—no drama, no fuss, just direct confrontation. No one could talk her out of it.

“Come now, tell your big sister—how did you do it?”

Her voice was sultry and bewitching, sweet and magnetic, impossible to resist.

Under her intense scrutiny, Ye Chen’s head throbbed—maybe he’d been too hasty. But in the next instant, he was glad he’d prepared his story in advance; otherwise, he might have been exposed.

“Let’s start with my awakening artifact. My broken blade can produce invisible edges, and those edges are formed by condensed intrinsic energy.”

Youya nodded slowly; she knew this already.

Ye Chen went on, expression unchanging: “With this, I developed the skill to project intrinsic energy outward. Without the blade, the energy isn’t sharp—it just extends beyond me.”

Projecting intrinsic energy externally—rare indeed. But could this ability have an extra function...?

The siblings’ minds raced, each listening and making their own mental leaps.

Youya was first to speak: “You can use your projected intrinsic energy to probe inside the original stones, even into awakening artifacts themselves?”

Ye Chen nodded lightly, confirming it.

“So that’s how you could see the inner structure of the box’s lock and open it?” Youzhi cut in.

At last, Youya had her answer. Looking at the man so close to her, she realized their proximity was a bit much and pulled away.

(3/3)

As the pressure from Youya vanished, Ye Chen felt a subtle sense of loss.

Youzhi, replaying the day’s revelations, was both baffled and excited, pacing the office in circles.

“Incredible! Amazing! Who would have thought such a use was possible!”

Just one instance of this “perceptive insight” was enough to send two director-generals into a frenzy. If Ye Chen mentioned the art of respiration now, who knew what would happen.

He’d have to pace himself—too much, too soon would be dangerous.

Ye Chen had already prepared his story—he’d simply hide the consciousness world and the art of respiration for now. If they pressed further and asked how he did it, he could always make up something about accidentally channeling intrinsic energy through his body until it leaked out.

For now, though, the first bombshell was enough.

After standing up, Youya pretended to refill her coffee in the corner, but Ye Chen could see her trembling hands.

Youzhi sat down behind the desk, already drafting experimental protocols in his mind—Ye Chen’s ability was far too valuable.

With far more social savvy than her brother, Youya returned to face Ye Chen, settling gracefully into her seat and eyeing him with a mischievous smile.

“Would you be willing to officially join the Bureau of the Extraordinary?”

That devilish smile again... but Ye Chen had to admit, it was beautiful.

“But I’m already a member of the Patrol Bureau!”

Youya slammed her coffee cup down, her expression darkening as she snorted, “So what? Our Bureau is independent. You can hold both positions if you like. I make the rules here.”

“I make the rules here,” Youzhi protested stubbornly.

“Be quiet!”

“...” Once again, Director-General Youzhi was cowed by his sister’s domineering aura.

Ye Chen could only marvel—had Youya always bullied her brother like this since childhood? Or was there some special reason he always let her have her way?

“All right, I’d be glad to join!”

Youya reached out her hand. Ye Chen stood and took it gently.

...So soft, so smooth.

...

Ye Chen’s probationary researcher card was immediately replaced by Youya with an official researcher badge, skipping the assistant phase altogether.

In the process, the siblings bickered over who would issue the badge, but the outcome, as always, was a foregone conclusion: Youzhi was defeated yet again.

He shot his sister a look of utter disdain... Go, just go, the farther the better.

He knew full well Youya had the right to take Ye Chen back to the Iron Capital. But did she really think, with all of Ye Chen’s ties—his home, his friends—he’d just up and leave?

...Childish. In the end, you’ll still have to call me brother.