Chapter 46 This year's villains really know how to play the game.

On the screen behind Loran, a magnificent interior of a museum was being displayed.

The viewpoint swayed slightly.

Clearly, it came from a "mobile" surveillance device.

The screen showed Zhou Zhiheng's profile and Ning Shuyin's voice.

"As you can see, I just gave her a little insurance policy while I was giving her the supplements. You can think of it as medical observation. So that she won't get hurt by that brat."

Situ Linchen glanced at the screen, where Zhou Zhiheng was making a disgusted expression.

Situ snorted coldly, his dark eyes filled with undisguised contempt as he looked at Loran.

"This is what you call medical observation? Low-level."

Ignoring his sarcasm, Loran spun around in his hover chair and continued looking at the light screen.

He swiped his finger across the control panel, and a series of physiological data even popped up on the screen.

Heart rate: 92 beats per minute.

[Nervous tension level: Moderately elevated.]

[Sweat secretion: Slightly increased.]

...

Situ Linchen's face darkened even more.

But he did not leave.

The tall figure sat down on the floating seat next to him.

Seeing his tsundere attitude, Loran chuckled.

"Look at this girl's physical behavior. She's clearly very nervous, but she's trying to appear calm on the surface. Isn't that interesting?"

At this moment, Ning Shuyin was indeed a little nervous.

Zhou Zhiheng's purple eyes were full of scrutiny.

"Show me your hand. Whether it's worth it or not, I'll decide."

Ning Shuyin did not continue to share her information.

Meeting Zhou Zhiheng's gaze, she said, "I will naturally reveal my trump card, but before that, I want to start our first date."

"A date?" Zhou Zhiheng chuckled as if he had heard something amusing.

But he did not immediately refuse.

He walked around Ning Shuyin, looking her up and down.

His black braid swayed slightly with his movements, the ends almost brushing against her arm.

"Can."

He lazily raised his chin.

Then he raised his finger and pointed to one of the row of safes.

"But you have to prove your worth to me."

His tone was flippant and domineering.

"See that combination lock? It's ten layers of quantum encryption; the Purification Crystal is inside."

He turned his head, his purple eyes narrowing.

"If you can open it yourself, I will accept your terms of exchange, regardless of whether your trump card is worth anything."

“In addition, I will start this date immediately and promise to cooperate with you to complete the remaining two.”

“But if you can’t open it…” He paused, a playful smile playing on his lips.

“I don’t think you’re qualified to stand here anymore. Please sign the Dating Match Abstention Request immediately and get out of my sight.”

"Hmph, shameless. Making the navigator open the quantum safe, outrageous." It was Situ Linchen who spoke.

He and Loran were in the office and heard everything Zhou Zhiheng said clearly.

“Ten-layer quantum encryption, even the Alliance’s top decoding experts would need at least seventy-two hours of continuous cracking without the key.” Situ Linchen stared at Zhou Zhiheng on the screen. “The navigator’s strength isn’t lock picking; he’s forcing her to give up.”

Loran also looked disdainful.

Although he was happy to see Ning Shuyin suffer a setback, he couldn't stand the capitalists swaggering around.

"Typical nouveau riche behavior, setting unequal rules and forcing the other party into a losing game. It's really... utterly unoriginal," Loran criticized.

After he finished speaking, he turned to Situ Linchen with a curious expression: "Dating matching, you can sign an abstention request?"

"able."

Situ Linchen tapped his fingertip on the table.

“But the cost is extremely high, requiring the payment of exorbitant fines, and more importantly…” He paused, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in his eyes, “the party that voluntarily applies also has to bear social penalties. Excessive social labor, a permanent downgrade of credit rating, and being blacklisted for high-end venues.”

A brief silence fell over the office.

Both of them knew perfectly well that the only person who could have signed the "abstention application" provided by Zhou Zhiheng as the applicant was Ning Shuyin, who had no background whatsoever.

"Do you think Zhou Zhiheng will regret it if she really signs?" Luo Lan asked in a tone of anticipation.

Situ Linchen snorted coldly, a hint of disdain flashing in his dark eyes.

Loran seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking:

“Situ, we all have our own purposes for participating in the Rose Society's matchmaking. Aren't you curious, the Zhou family is incredibly wealthy, and their need for territory and resources is already saturated. What exactly does this kid want to do by going to such great lengths to participate in matchmaking?”

Situ Linchen pondered for a few seconds, then said calmly, "The Zhou family's desire to control flight paths is no less than that of the military. I heard that he is looking for a flight path that does not exist on the star map."

"A non-existent flight path?" Loran asked doubtfully.

“Yes.” Situ Linchen drew a triangle on the table with his fingertip. “There are some high-dimensional regions in the universe that cannot be located by conventional detectors.”

"If we can be the first to define the rules there, it will be like taking a step closer to the origin of the universe."

Loran listened quietly, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"What, do you have other news?" Situ turned and asked.

Loran reached out and displayed a document on a small screen—public information about several generations of core members of the Zhou family.

“I have studied the genetic sequence and biological signals of the Zhou family. They are very clean, abnormally clean.”

Situ Linchen pressed further, "Then what does that prove?"

Loran pointed to the data: "I heard that the heirs of the Zhou family have varying degrees of emotional deficiency."

Situ Linchen suddenly smiled.

"You mean that unreliable legend?"

On the internet, gossip about top tycoons is always a popular topic of conversation.

Among them are legends about the Zhou family.

There's a rather outlandish theory that they're burdened with some kind of bloodline curse.

The price of acquiring immense wealth is the gradual desertification of one's consciousness, ultimately leading to the loss of humanity.

“Who knows?” Loran clearly didn’t take it seriously.

Their gazes returned to the screen.

Ning Shuyin's heart rate at this moment—the curve fluctuated slightly, but it was not to the point of panic.

She stared silently at the safe, without answering immediately.

Zhou Zhiheng didn't urge her; he simply waited. In his view, this was a silence born of desperation.

Time passed second by second.

Just as Zhou Zhiheng was about to utter his sarcastic words, Ning Shuyin raised her head.

A look of understanding flashed across her face.

But that understanding was instantly replaced by a look of horror.

Her pupils contracted sharply, and her face turned pale, as if she had seen something extremely terrifying.

"Mr. Zhou!"

The look in her eyes as she looked at Zhou Zhiheng was no longer calm, but rather solemn and urgent.