"Who are you? Do you know that black-haired woman, the one who stuck the needles in me? Go find her! Bring her back! I’ll tell you about everyone I’ve killed over the years! I’ll tell her everything I know! Just hurry and get her back here to treat me!" The Slaughter Pavilion assassin, confined to a tiny, solitary cell, lunged at the bars the moment he saw Lin Mo enter.

"She stuck needles in you?" Lin Mo asked, looking skeptically at the investigator who had followed him in. ’A black-haired woman... he must mean Ning Xuan. I haven’t seen anyone else with black hair in the investigation bureau.’

The investigator nodded, then leaned in and quickly recounted the situation to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo was astonished. He’d never seen acupuncture have such a miraculous effect before.

"Yes! After she stuck the needles in me, Alien Energy started flowing in my body! She can save me! She can make my Superpower Body regenerate! Go on! Get her! I have money! I have lots of treasures hidden in a place only I know! I’ll give it all to her!" Though the assassin was gaunt and withered, his spirit was exceptionally agitated. He flailed his hands, trying to grab Lin Mo, who frowned and dodged backward.

"I can go find her to save you, but first, you have to tell me who sent you." The thought that someone wanted to kill Ning Xuan made a wave of anger rise in Lin Mo’s heart.

’Logically, there’s no way Ning Xuan could have offended anyone powerful. So why would someone hire a Slaughter Pavilion assassin to come after her?’

"It was a mission assigned by the Pavilion. But at the time, I saw the territory the mission was dispatched from. If you can get her to come, I can tell you!" The assassin had been feeling his body grow weaker and weaker recently. It was the feeling of his Life Force rapidly draining away, and it terrified him.

He had been an assassin for many years and had never feared death. When the mission failed that day, he was already prepared to die. But after feeling a sliver of hope for survival, the experience of dying bit by bit was now unbearable.

"That won’t be necessary. As it happens, I know of a Slaughter Pavilion base. I’ll make the trip myself." After exchanging a few words with the assassin, Lin Mo had already determined that this man was just an operative who didn’t know the full story.

’In that case, I have no choice but to pay them a visit. I’ll find out for myself who’s trying to harm Ning Xuan!’

Before leaving, he went to the academy again. Although he knew Ning Xuan hadn’t returned, he still wanted to go and ask. To his surprise, when he inquired, Dean Wang of the Alchemy Department said that two afternoons ago, he had received a message from Ning Xuan. It said she had something to take care of and was requesting a month’s leave.

Lin Mo immediately sensed something was wrong. Why would Ning Xuan suddenly request a month’s leave? He went to the investigation bureau and pulled up the surveillance footage. It covered Ning Xuan’s journey from the moment she left the testing center, boarded a Flying Car, and traveled until the vehicle disappeared into an uninhabited zone. He discovered that Ning Xuan had been asleep the entire time since boarding the Flying Car. She was still unconscious right up to the final moment before the car vanished. That meant the leave request Dean Wang received could not have been sent by Ning Xuan!

A chill ran down Lin Mo’s spine the moment he realized. ’What is Chen Nan doing? He took her away against her will. What does he plan to do to her? Where did he take her?’

Lin Mo put aside his trip to the Slaughter Pavilion, sending his subordinates instead. He then mobilized his own people to launch a detailed investigation into Chen Nan.

「First Legion A43 Star Field Battle Department」

Lin Mo sat in the main seat, while Chen Hui sat beside him with an innocent look on his face. "General Lin, aren’t you on leave? What brings you to my Field Battle Department?"

"A month ago, you transferred a sum of money to Chen Nan using a subordinate’s account. Does my cousin know about this, Brother-in-law Chen?" Hearing himself addressed like that, Chen Hui’s heart skipped a beat, and panic flashed across his face.

"General Lin! Mr. Lin! I didn’t—no, no, no, please, let me explain! We’re both men, we should have some solidarity, a little understanding between us, right? My brother, Chen Nan... sigh, he has such a hard life. He’s stuck with a Contractor who’s both dirt-poor and ridiculously high-maintenance. She’s an orphan from a Garbage Star, completely broke, but she just had to study to be an Alchemist. Never mind whether she can even stick with it, that stuff costs a fortune! And she insists on only eating specialty foods from A-level Stars. She won’t even touch low-level food. Mr. Lin, you know how expensive interstellar shipping is! My brother didn’t have much money to begin with, so he had no choice but to ask me for help. I’m his older brother. I couldn’t just refuse him, could I!" Chen Hui whined to Lin Mo, his face a mask of misery.

’Chen Hui was truly panicking. His Contractor could absolutely not find out he’d given money to Chen Nan. It wasn’t about the money; his Contractor wouldn’t care about such a small amount. The key was the action, the attitude. He was already out of favor with his Contractor. If she found out about this, she’d probably beat him to death!’

"He has a hard life? Chen Hui, everyone in Light City knows Chen Nan was supposed to form a Contract with Bai Xiuying. He only formed a Contract with Ning Xuan to get away from that scourge. Your father, so devoted to the Chen Family, must be furious, right? Rumor has it he’s privately sworn that he’ll disown Chen Nan if he has to, but he’ll kill Ning Xuan no matter what. Isn’t that right!" Hearing Chen Hui speak of Ning Xuan like that, Lin Mo was certain it was just recycled complaints from Chen Nan and flew into a rage. ’That bastard got to her first, took every advantage, and now he dares to badmouth her behind her back!’

"No, that’s impossible! You have no proof! Don’t you dare slander my father! Uh... how do you know about Ning Xuan? I never said what Chen Nan’s Contractor’s name was!" ’Although Chen Hui was defending his father, knowing the man, he was entirely capable of something like that.’

’But what confused him even more now was, how could Lin Mo, the direct heir of the prestigious Lin Family of Five Maples City, know about this? How could he know a person like Ning Xuan?’

"Hmph. Ning Xuan is my Contractor too. Genetic compatibility: 97%. She’s being hunted by your father, and now Chen Nan has hidden her away!" Lin Mo slammed his hand on the table with a BANG. He still didn’t know who sent the Slaughter Pavilion assassin, and now he’d found out Chen Nan’s father was also scheming in the background. Lin Mo’s heart ached for what Ning Xuan was going through.

"Uh, no way. You’re also Ning Xuan’s Contractor? You share a Contractor with my little brother, Nan? This..." Chen Hui’s jaw dropped in shock. ’He knew what his little brother was thinking. By forming a Contract with a woman from a Low-class Star, he hoped to imitate Seventh Young Master Bai and monopolize his Contractor. But if Lin Mo was also one of Ning Xuan’s Contractors... then his brother’s plan was doomed!’

"So, tell me. Where is Chen Nan now?" Lin Mo snorted coldly.

"I don’t—"

"If you don’t know, I’ll just call my cousin right now..." Lin Mo pulled up his Light Computer and navigated to the communication interface.

"I know, I know! Of course I know! Mr. Lin, don’t be hasty, don’t be hasty!"