Covered in dust and showing signs of barely perceptible fatigue, Qin Xiao led Mo Meigui, who was also in poor condition, back to the brightly lit villa.
Mo Meigui's left arm was still hanging limply, and the simple bandages on her body could not hide the marks of the battle. The faint smell of blood in the air was completely out of place with the exquisite fragrance in the villa.
In the living room, several figures immediately surrounded them.
Su Wanying was the first to rush over, her face filled with undisguised anxiety: "Qin Xiao? What happened to you two? How did you get like this?" She looked the two of them up and down, her gaze lingering on Mo Meigui's obviously unnatural left arm.
Gu Siqing stood a little behind, her calm gaze sweeping over Qin Xiao like a searchlight before finally settling on Mo Meigui. Her delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. This woman who had suddenly appeared seemed to be no ordinary person.
Qin Xiao's face remained expressionless as he casually waved his hand, the movement aggravating a possible hidden injury, which he concealed well.
"It's nothing, I just ran into a little trouble on the way, I've taken care of it."
His gaze swept quickly over the crowd, his tone as indifferent as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.
“The enemies I made in the past are blind and have come looking for me. Mo Rose got a little injured while protecting me.”
The explanation was understated, yet it made Su Wanying's heart clench. Gu Siqing, on the other hand, observed Qin Xiao's expression discreetly, trying to glean more information from his calm exterior.
Qin Xiao didn't give them a chance to delve deeper, his gaze falling on Mo Meigui's slightly pale face.
"I need to find a place to rest and recuperate for the next period of time, and also take care of some personal matters."
He paused for a moment, then added a sentence.
"Ink Rose will be with me."
The atmosphere in the living room instantly became somewhat subtle.
Su Wanying's lips moved, her worries and questions almost spilling out, but seeing Qin Xiao's unquestionable expression, she swallowed them back.
Gu Siqing's gaze deepened; this "private matter" was probably more than just recuperating from an injury.
Qin Xiao didn't say anything more, only briefly telling them to be careful, and then took Mo Meigui and headed straight for the black car that was already waiting outside the villa.
The car left the bustling city and drove into an almost forgotten abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. The interior had been simply modified; it was less a laboratory and more a secret hideout filled with various instruments, but it was well hidden.
Qin Xiao took out his phone and turned it off. The world was quiet again.
On the metal workbench, a pale blue potion gleamed faintly under the light. Qin Xiao picked up the [Stamina Recovery Potion] and drank it down in one gulp. A gentle warmth quickly flowed through his limbs, dispelling fatigue and invigorating his spirit.
"What is this?" A rare curiosity flashed in Mo Meigui's eyes.
"A little gadget," Qin Xiao said casually, taking out a medical kit from another drawer and walking up to Mo Rose. "Hold out your hand."
Mo Rose paused for a moment, then slowly extended her injured left arm. Qin Xiao deftly examined her injury, and Mo Rose trembled slightly when his fingertips occasionally touched her cold skin.
"Bear with it." Qin Xiao had barely finished speaking when he made a swift and clean movement, the sound of the bone returning to its original position was so crisp it made your teeth ache.
Mo Meigui didn't even frown; she just looked at him calmly, but a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.
Qin Xiao bandaged her wound and then instructed, "I'm going to be working on something here for the next few days. You're in charge of perimeter security; not a single fly can be let in. Report any unusual activity immediately."
He emphasized this point.
"Especially... Ye Chen, if he or his people make any moves, you must tell me immediately."
Mo Meigui nodded, her gaze returning to its cold and focused intensity, like a drop of ink merging into the night, silently disappearing into the shadows outside the laboratory.
Qin Xiao exhaled a breath of stale air, shaking all distracting thoughts from his mind, and sharply focused his gaze on the complex instruments and scattered blueprints.
For the next seven days, the laboratory lights were almost never turned off.
Qin Xiao was completely absorbed in his research, and time seemed to lose its meaning. A dense stream of data scrolled across the screen, and piles of draft paper lay stacked high, covered with formulas and symbols that looked like gibberish to outsiders.
Mo Meigui stood guard outside like the most reliable sentinel. Occasionally, through the crack in the door, she could see the man's focused profile. The light cast deep shadows on his face, and his seriousness was completely different from his usual calculating and even somewhat cynical demeanor. She didn't understand what he was doing, but she could sense the immense energy contained within it.
Seven days later, Qin Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was unusually bright, revealing a sense of relief at having accomplished a great task.
He sent out a highly encrypted electronic document.
Not long after, an encrypted communication request came in.
Qin Xiangjun's voice, tinged with suppressed excitement and disbelief, came from the other end of the phone.
"Xiao'er! What you sent...this...this is amazing! I'll immediately organize top-level experts to evaluate it!"
He paused, his voice filled with satisfaction.
"You...you've worked so hard!"
Qin Xiao simply gave a soft "hmm," his voice slightly hoarse from lack of sleep over the past few days.
"Hurry up, Dad. Time waits for no one."
After ending the call, Qin Xiao rubbed his throbbing temples and looked at Mo Meigui, who had been standing guard not far away. She was as silent as a statue, and her eyes only flickered slightly when Qin Xiao looked at her.
"How's the situation outside these past few days?"
Mo Meigui bowed slightly and reported in a flat and emotionless tone.
"Su Wanying and Gu Siqing sent people over to scout around the factory several times, but I dealt with them all without alerting you." Qin Xiao didn't ask about her methods, but he could roughly guess that it wouldn't be a gentle persuasion to return.
She paused for a moment, as if recalling something.
“Also, five days ago, a short-haired girl came by. She was very skilled and very direct. She tried to barge in to find you without saying a word, but I stopped her.” She added, “They fought, and she didn’t come out on top.”
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly.
Short hair? Very skilled in martial arts?
He quickly went through the possible characters in his mind, then quickly rejected them.
"Shen Xingling? Doesn't seem like it, she's not that good at fighting..."
Just then, Yun Yiyi's sharp, tearful electronic voice rang in my mind.
[Host! Host! Something terrible has happened! It's an emergency!]
According to the latest monitoring data, that bastard Ye Chen has deviated from the script! He's gone astray!
[He's already gone to the Leng family! And... and Leng Nan's favorability towards him has skyrocketed to fifty percent! Warning! Warning!]
Qin Xiao's heart sank suddenly, and a chill instantly spread throughout his body.
The Leng family!
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