The business car drove into the main urban area. Lan Yu looked out from between the towering high-rise buildings and saw a vast expanse of green in the distance, like a huge city park.

Among the green shades, there are several buildings that look magnificent and ancient, which are completely different from the architectural style of Sasu Star seen along the way.

"Where is that?" He couldn't help but ask Lu Rankong beside him.

Lu Rankong followed his gaze and replied casually, "My home is over there."

"Your home?"

"Hmm..." Lu Rankong said, "It can't be seen from here, it's still deep down there."

Lan Yu stared in that direction, imagining what Lu Rankong looked like as a child. Imagine him running under those green trees, and lying on the grass basking in the sun - forget it, let's stop here, I've already thought about it enough about the Ferris wheel.

Sure enough, Lu Rankong pointed him out from a distance, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "I have taken out all the bird nests on the tallest tree. The bird eggs are delicious when roasted. You don't even know that there are actually more than a dozen bird nests on that tree..."

The street was unobstructed and the business car was driving very fast. After changing direction and turning right, Lan Yu could no longer see the green area, and there were dense skyscrapers standing on both sides of the street.

After driving forward for about half an hour, the business car stopped next to a gate. This is a completely enclosed, fully automatic door with a line of words printed on the side: Institute Affiliated to the Imperial Medical School.

Director Wang saw Lan Yu and the other person looking at the words and explained, "Using a research institute name like this won't attract other people's attention."

After the information monitor automatically identified the vehicle, the gate slowly opened. The security guard on duty at the gate leaned out to look worriedly, and when he saw Director Wang press the window and reveal his face, he sat back down.

"It seems that you have done a good job in security work." Lan Yu said.

Without waiting for Director Wang to reply, Lu Rankong said lazily, "You only acted like this after the fact. If you were always so cautious, the Longte people wouldn't have had the chance to take advantage of you."

Director Wang looked embarrassed and said nothing.

The vehicle drove into the research institute and stopped in an open space in front of a small fountain. Lu Rankong and Lan Yu opened the door and got out.

"Were the surveillance cameras outside that day also blocked?" Lu Rankong looked around the open space, walked under a tree, and looked up at the camera above.

Director Wang said: "Yes, he drove a car from Kabul and found all the surveillance cameras after entering. He left the car at the institute when he escaped, so we don't know which direction he fled to."

"He is quite capable and very considerate." Lu Rankong said as he walked.

Opposite the fountain is the institute's laboratory building, which has only four floors. After entering the laboratory building, Director Wang introduced them: "Except for the top floor which is used for official business, the other three floors are laboratories. On the night Kabul was discovered, he was in the data analysis room on the second floor. Do you want to go and take a look now?"

Lan Yu remained silent. Lu Rankong said, "Don't worry. We'll take our time. By the way, where's the researcher? We want to meet him now."

"Isn't this an accident? We didn't dare to let him go to work these days. He is on vacation at home. We also sent two employees from the institute to take care of him." Director Wang asked cautiously: "Should we notify him to come to the institute now?"

Lan Yu knew that the care was fake, but the close surveillance was real. After all, when something like this happened, no one dared to let down their guard.

Lu Rankong shook his head and said, "No, we will go to his house later. Now let's visit your research institute first."

The two walked towards the first floor corridor, and Director Wang introduced: "This area is our sterile biological laboratory, and our researchers work in it."

On both sides are spacious and bright laboratories. Through the bulletproof Aga glass on the door, you can see various instruments placed inside, and researchers in sterile attire are busy working.

Director Wang followed beside him and whispered, "There is a key substance in the stabilizer, called a chime, which is only produced on a deserted star on the edge of the Sasu galaxy. The quantity is extremely rare, so the stabilizer cannot be produced in large quantities. As it is consumed, it will become less and less."

Lan Yu had heard Lu Rankong talk about this before, but Director Wang explained it in more detail, so she listened carefully.

The three of them walked forward slowly, and Director Wang continued, "We have been trying to use other substances to replace the chime, and have been researching for many years. I can't say that we have achieved any results, but we can make the stabilizer continue to be active after losing the chime. However, a substitute for the chime has not been found, so although the stabilizer retains its activity, it has no effect."

"So the Longte starman came to our door." Lu Rankong looked inside through a glass window and said lightly, "That is to say, the Longte starman has been paying attention to your institute and learned about your research progress from an important researcher."

Director Wang remained silent, and Lu Rankong turned around and said, "He may not be an important researcher. I guess the research results are known to the cleaners and security guards, not to mention the ordinary employees of your institute, right?"

Director Wang wiped his face and said with shame: "It was indeed negligent, it was indeed negligent."

Lu Rankong snorted coldly, "This is not negligence, it's dereliction of duty."

"It was dereliction of duty, it was dereliction of duty. After this is over, I will accept whatever punishment the military gives me," Director Wang said in a good tone.

The three of them finished looking around the first floor and went up to the second floor. Director Wang led them to the right and said, "It was in the data information room here that Kabul was discovered."

Director Wang swiped open the door of the data information room and the three of them walked in.

"Although data is now stored in chips or on the Internet, I still believe in the ancient method of putting paper documents in a safe. At least there is no risk of decryption," said Director Wang.

Lu Rankong smiled and said, "That's right. Otherwise, the Longte people would have invaded the network without anyone noticing, and you might not have discovered it until now."

Director Wang was about to open one of the safes and asked, "Do you need to see the data?"

"No need..." Lu Rankong stopped him, "We just want to take a look at the interior environment. We are not interested in the specific information."

Lan Yu looked around and left the room, walked a few steps forward, and found the hidden camera behind the fire hydrant hanging on the wall.

From the angle of the video, it can be seen that it was this camera that captured the scene.

Lu Rankong also came out and said to him, "Let's go and take a look at the researcher's home."

Director Wang led the way again, and the three of them got on the business car waiting downstairs and went to the researcher's home.

Following Xiao Liu's guidance, the business car drove on the street for a while and then turned onto the main city highway.

"Our institute has dormitories allocated to researchers, but Kabul didn't like them, so he bought a single-family villa in Xicheng District and would rather drive one or two hours to work every day," Xiao Liu explained.

Lan Yu said: "Your salaries are quite high. Even researchers can buy villas."

He has been particularly sensitive about houses recently, and subconsciously blurts out the word "villa" when he hears it.

Xiao Liu quickly shook his head. "Not that high. The West City District has not been developed yet, and no one is buying houses there. The credit points I spent on a villa in Kabul can't even buy a bedroom in the main city."

Lan Yu nodded and said nothing more. Lu Rankong beside him leaned close to him and said, "I have a house in the main city. We'll live there after we finish our business."

"Is it where we saw it at the beginning?" Lan Yu asked.

"No, that's my father's house. My house is not in there." Lu Rankong finished speaking, and as if he was afraid that Lan Yu would be dissatisfied, he added in a low voice: "The environment is also very good, with green trees and lakes, and big villas like the ones in Kabul. I remember there seemed to be a swimming pool or something."

"It seems there is a swimming pool or something. Don't you know about your own house?" Lan Yu asked.

Lu Rankong said: "I seldom go there, but Uncle Chen will often help me look after it and send someone to clean it."

"Then let's go check it out after we're done."

"Okay, we'll live there for the time being."

The business car drove for a while, got off the highway from an exit, and turned onto a wide road.

This is Xicheng District. Just as Xiao Liu said, because it has not been developed yet, the area along the way looks rather desolate, with few low-rise houses, and basically only some factories.

There were few cars on the road. The business car sped all the way and stopped at the gate of a residential area.

The gate of the community was built in a rather grand style, with the retractable door wide open. The door of the guard booth next to it was locked tightly, with strips of rust on it caused by rain, and there was not a single security guard at all.

"The houses in this community are sold at super low prices. It's remote, so many people don't live here, and the property management company has also withdrawn," said Xiao Liu.

Lu Rankong lowered the window, looked at the old camera hanging on the top of the gate, and asked, "Is this useless?"

Director Wang, who was sitting in the last row, said, "The military has come to investigate and found that the surveillance systems here are all turned off, which means there is not a single camera."

The vehicle slowly entered the gate and drove on the driveway of the community which was full of fallen leaves and dead branches. The shrubs on both sides of the driveway were left unattended and grew wildly, with some branches almost reaching into the car windows.

After driving forward for a while, the business car stopped in front of a villa. Before the door was opened, someone upstairs leaned forward to look down, then retracted his head.

"Those are the staff sent by the institute to take care of Kabul." Director Wang said as he got out of the car.

The door opened quickly and a group of people walked in.

"What about Kabul?" Director Wang asked the staff member who opened the door.

"I'm sleeping in the bedroom on the second floor."

"How is his mental state these past two days? Has anything unusual happened?"

The staff shook their heads and said, "No..."

Lu Rankong and Lan Yu went straight up the stairs. When others followed them, Lu Rankong stopped them and said, "Don't go up. We want to ask him some questions alone."

Director Wang agreed, and everyone sat together on the sofa in the living room downstairs.

The villa was not big, and it was not decorated much. It was simply paved with floors and painted with walls. The two walked to the master bedroom. Lu Rankong raised his hand and knocked on the door. After knocking twice, a gloomy voice came from inside: "Come in..."

After the two pushed the door open, they saw a young man with disheveled hair sitting on the bed. He squinted at Lan Yu and Lu Rankong, and when he realized that they were not the two colleagues, he reached for the glasses on the bedside table and put them on.

Lu Rankong didn't wait for him to ask, and said straight to the point: "Kabul, I'm Colonel Lu Rankong, and this is Colonel K. I'm ordered by the military to investigate the matter of the Longte people invading the spiritual realm and stealing data from the research institute. Please cooperate."

Kabul was stunned for a moment before reacting, and began to recite skillfully: "Last Tuesday, after get off work, I didn't contact anyone. I drove directly home. I didn't meet anyone else on the road, nor in the community. I don't have a lover, partner, parents, friends, or even a household robot at home, because I like quietness-"

"Where do you usually go for entertainment?" Lan Yu interrupted him.

"I don't have any entertainment. I just play games in the virtual cabin at home. I don't like to participate in any entertainment activities," said Kabul.

"What about eating?"

“Eating is just cooking at home.”

"Where are the ingredients?"

"The food will be delivered to my door by an automatic delivery machine," Kabul said. "I don't like to contact people. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Lu Rankong interrupted, "You mean you've never had any contact with anyone outside the institute during this period?"

"I don't contact people from the institute either." Kabul frowned and complained, "I have to meet a lot of people these days, repeating my experience of that day over and over again. There are also two people living in my house. It's driving me crazy."

Lan Yu kept looking at his face and noticed that he had a few pimples on his face, which were red.

He turned his eyes away from the pimples and asked, "Recall, have you ever told anyone that you work at the research institute and have access to the data room?"

"Impossible, my parents don't even know I'm at the institute. They thought I was working in a hospital." Kabul said firmly, "Not to mention other people. I definitely won't tell them."

Lu Rankong glanced at the water cup on his bedside table and asked, "Did you drink the water in the cup that day?"

Kabul said, "Yes, but this is another cup. The other one has been taken away by the military."

Lu Rankong walked to the only window in the bedroom and looked down. "Is your window usually open?"

"Yes, I rarely close the window. The military investigators also said that the Lonte alien climbed into the house through this window and put a mental anesthetic in my water cup."

Kabul stood up and closed the window while talking. As a stabilizer researcher, he habitually began to explain: "Because I have taken stabilizers, after he invaded my mental domain, unless he squeezed my spiritual body out, he would not be able to occupy my body safely. I would constantly fight with him for the right to my body. Even if he squeezed me out of the body, maybe in a day, maybe in a few hours, my spiritual body would automatically return to the body. To be on the safe side, he simply used a spiritual anesthetic on me.

"Well, you are right." Lu Rankong said.

"But my head hurts so much. It's the aftereffect of the anesthetic. It caused me to lose every time I competed with others in the virtual cabin these past few days." Kabul complained angrily.

While the two were talking, Lan Yu took a tour of the room.

The room is very simple, with just a bed, a desk and a bookcase filled with information. There is also a virtual cabin in the corner, and a wardrobe with the door half open, filled with various plaid shirts.

He walked to the desk, picked up a book and opened it. Suddenly, a black card fell out of the book and landed on the table.

Lan Yu felt that the card looked very familiar, so she picked it up.

The front of the card was gold with a black bird printed on it and the words "The Black Crow Pub" underneath.

The Black Crow Pub.

Lan Yu's heart skipped a beat.

This card was clearly the same as the consumption card he found in the dormitory, except that the texture was different. This one is very thin, has no magnetic card strip, and is just an ordinary bar business card.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Rankong turned around and saw him holding a card in a daze, so he walked over.

"Black Crow Bar..." He looked at the business card in Lan Yu's hand and remembered it after reading it only once, "Isn't this the bar where Xu used to work?"

Lan Yu nodded, walked to Kabul who was already sitting beside the bed and asked, "Kabul, since you said you haven't had contact with outsiders for a long time and haven't been to other entertainment venues, where did you get this bar business card?"

"Bar? What bar?" Kabul asked blankly.

The red pimples on his face and his expression made him look a little funny.

Lan Yu held the business card between her fingers and suddenly sniffed.

"Do you drink at home?" he asked.

Kabul shook his head and said, "I never drink at home."

"Do you have any wine at home?"

"Neither..." Kabul said.

Lan Yu frowned. He clearly smelled a smell that sounded like alcohol mixed with the salty smell of sea salt. The two smells were strangely harmonious and not unpleasant at all.

Lan Yu didn't ask any more questions and just let him take the card in his hand.

Kabul looked at the card carefully, frowned and thought for a long time before he suddenly said, "I remember it. It was last month. One day I didn't drive, so I took the suspended train after get off work. On the way to the station, I met Xiao Liu, and he took me to a bar on the side of the road for a drink. Maybe someone handed me the card, so I put it in my bag, and it got stuck in the pages of the book."

"Xiao Liu?" Lu Rankong and Lan Yu looked at each other, "Is it the Xiao Liu downstairs?"

Kabul asked blankly: "Is he downstairs? I don't know..."

"It should be Xiao Liu who came with us. Let's go downstairs and ask him." Lu Rankong said to Lan Yu.

The two walked out of the bedroom. Lan Yu took a few steps and then stopped, turned and looked at Kabul with deep black eyes.

Lu Rankong noticed it and stopped to look over.

"What, what's wrong?" Kabul was a little nervous and subconsciously clenched the corner of his clothes.

Lan Yu was silent for a few seconds, then raised her finger and pointed at his face, saying calmly, "The acne in the triangle area is very serious. You should pay attention to the hygiene of your face and your eating habits. Use special facial cleansers and don't use anything too strong."

“Ah…oh…” Kabul nodded blankly and raised his hand to touch his face.

"Don't touch..." Lan Yu interrupted harshly.

Kabul hastily dropped his hand.

Lan Yu pressed down the brim of her hat and said in a very cold voice, "In fact, as long as you get enough sleep, you can solve many skin problems."

He looked at the virtual cabin placed on the wall. Kabul followed his gaze and nodded vigorously.

"I can send you a link later. It's very effective in removing acne." Lan Yu turned and walked out.

Kabul was a little overwhelmed and remained silent.

Lu Rankong, who was standing silently at the door, suddenly spoke up: "Did you hear that? Colonel K told you to play less in the virtual cabin and wash your face more carefully."

"Listen, I hear you."