Otherworldly Affairs Office

The elevator stopped shaking as Mu Fanchen's complex emotions rose. As the elevator doors opened, he adjusted the fruit basket in his hand and stepped out.

With this step, an aura naturally emanated from within him. Each step down the corridor caused the half-awake patients in the rooms on either side to fall into deep sleep. A nurse, who was doing rounds, saw him approaching and glanced at the flickering lights in the corridor. Just as she was about to step forward to inquire, an overwhelming drowsiness surged, causing her body to waver, and she fell back, unconscious.

When Mu Fanchen reached the target hospital room, he glanced back at the deathly silent corridor, retracted his aura, set down the fruit basket, and opened the door. Using his body to hold the half-closed door, he picked up the basket, took a breath, and walked in with his head down.

Once inside, a dining table crowded with takeout greeted his eyes. Gu Shenghui and Xie Chujun were seated at either end of the table. Unlike his previous image of being unkempt in a hospital gown, Xie Chujun was dressed particularly well today. However, his face remained pale, his body slumped on the sofa, eyes drooping as if he was asleep.

Facing the two who seemed to have been waiting for a long time, Mu Fanchen was not surprised. He put down the gift and casually pulled out an empty sofa. Before he could sit down, Gu Shenghui, sitting across from him, said in a deep voice, "You shouldn't have come."

Upon hearing this, Mu Fanchen looked up, glanced at the other person, and still sat down, leaning back against the chair. With a fatigued voice, he said, "But I'm here. Do we really need to start with such clichéd lines? We're too old for this!" After speaking, he tore open the beer box on the fruit basket, letting the fruits scatter on the ground. He picked up three cans of beer and placed them on the table, then pushed one toward Gu Shenghui with a smile, saying, "Help me, will you? My hands are tied!"

"Hmm, Mu Haoran... Mu Fanchen! With such talents, do you really need to put on a show for us?" Xie Chujun slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, coughed a long cough, and looked at Mu Fanchen with ridicule. Despite his words, Gu Shenghui, next to him, still reached out, opened all three cans of beer, and pushed one back.

"I don't mind being a little pathetic in front of you," Mu Fanchen said, taking a sip of beer, looking toward Gu Shenghui with a wry smile. "I didn't see you at the investigation hall, so I knew that my intention had been seen through. I was too arrogant." After speaking, he cast a glance, almost imperceptibly, at the stone in Xie Chujun's hand.

Gu Shenghui took out three pairs of chopsticks and distributed them, saying, "I knew that once you heard about Old Xie, you wouldn't hold back. It's just a matter of calculated moves against an unprepared heart."

"You knew we were prepared here, yet you still came. Are you that confident you have us figured out?" Xie Chujun moved his body forward, and as his mind recovered, the pallor of his face gradually gained some color. His body moved with a creaking and popping sound from his joints.

Mu Fanchen avoided those eyes that seemed capable of stripping him bare inside and out. He took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish head with chopped chili, and spoke as he chewed, "Never thought that way. It's not easy to come back once, and it's always good to see old friends. There might not be many chances in the future. Besides..." He put down the chopsticks, took a sip of beer, and looked at the two. "Besides, didn't you both already figure that I'd come back and prepare for it? The dishes were ordered by Shenghui, right? All these years, you put on a cold exterior, but inside, you're still that person who wants to take care of everyone. I told you before, you're not suited for your current position."

"Yes, he's soft-hearted, but who doesn't get a last meal before being executed?" Xie Chujun said, reaching for the chopsticks, bypassing the slippery meat slices before him, and directly taking a piece of spicy chicken. Ignoring the worried gaze from the friend beside him, he threw it into his mouth and chewed vigorously. Unaccustomed to such spicy food after a long time, he immediately felt physical discomfort, his body shook, and he coughed uncontrollably. Still, he stopped Gu Shenghui, who was about to get up, with an angry gaze fixed unwaveringly on Mu Fanchen in front of him.

Mu Fanchen seemed unconcerned, not retaliating as he hungrily devoured the food, occasionally looking up at Xie and Gu, asking vaguely, "In my plan, the battle at the Secret Prison should have kept you all busy for a while.

By the time we burst into the investigation hall to seize the Divine Artifact, it would be too late for you to react. Although I considered that the plan might not go so perfectly, it seems you already knew which direction I would attack. Can you tell me where the problem was? Is it that idiot Wang Xishu?"

"Pei Yan went to the Secret Prison beforehand," Gu Shenghui said casually, picking up a can of beer. Mu Fanchen, hearing this, was stunned for a moment, then nodded in sudden realization, showing a relieved expression.

"Then can you tell me, what exactly is Fu Rui's ability within your team? Why did our previous interrogation methods have no effect on her?"

"Her ability is that of a Mage." Mu Fanchen said as he placed the chopsticks on the table, took out a napkin, wiped his mouth, leaned back on the sofa, and continued, "I can't elaborate on the specifics. The reason you couldn't detect her problem is because she herself doesn't know. Due to the influence of her abilities and some unpleasant experiences from a young age, she developed multiple personality disorder. The state you saw was her normal personality, and she's truly unaware of what her other personalities do. If you ever catch her, I hope you can treat her kindly." Saying this, Mu Fanchen touched his brow with a sigh, "She's had a tough life."

"Hmph, listen! Old Gu, listen! What a kind-hearted person indeed, Mu Haoran. Have you ever thought about the innocent civilians affected by your actions outside the investigation hall? Just now, Old Gu received a notification that your actions caused the deaths of over ten people and injured hundreds. Do you know that just this alone, such an action, is enough to pin that 'unlucky' girl you mentioned down in prison!" Xie Chujun said a long paragraph in one breath, gasping and coughing again. He refused the mineral water offered by Gu Shenghui, grabbed the beer can on the table, drank it down in one go, and despite the beverage splattering on his trembling wrist and soaking his front, he forcefully crushed the empty can and hurled it at Mu Fanchen.

Ding, the can bounced off unflinchingly from Mu Fanchen's forehead, falling to the side. He wasn't angry, simply picked up another can of beer. This time, instead of relying on Gu Shenghui, he used his inner source to directly pop the tab open, respectfully placing it in front of Xie Chujun.

"Why have you become like this? Why involve innocent people in this battle? Don't you remember you used to loathe such people the most?" Xie Chujun tried hard to suppress his body's trembling, his tone laced with anger, confusion, and endless pain.