TYMIMA Chapter 38

Whether that password meant that or not, Lance couldn’t be sure, but at least, it was a coherent solution.

 

Why He Jing’en could get the password, perhaps just as he said, because the principal was old, and when people get old, some thoughts change.

 

After seeing that line of text, Zhan Pingchuan also felt a slight tremor in his heart, but he disguised it by drinking cola, not showing it on his face.

 

Thanks to the little red fox’s diligence in studying and borrowing materials from He Jing’en, he coincidentally dug up the principal’s concerns.

 

It seemed that Star University had more than just a few hidden secrets, but what had that all-show-and-no-substance old man done to feel so guilty that even his password was set as something like a confession?

 

But Yan Qili was temporarily unrelated to his mission, so Zhan Pingchuan didn’t plan to inform his father and the manager about this matter.

 

Lance took out the USB drive and inserted it into the laptop.

 

There was no need to hide from the little idiot, after all, Uriel was a person who disappeared eighteen years ago. Zhan Pingchuan had just come of age in August this year and wasn’t even born then. How would a happy and carefree S-level college guy have the mind to care about the hidden details of the Uriel incident?

 

“Is this the historical material that Teacher He Jing’en gave you?” Zhan Pingchuan peeked over Lance’s shoulder.

 

“Mm, it’s the visual and textual records from the second historical gap.” Lance tilted his head slightly, and his ear touched Zhan Pingchuan’s face.

 

The earlobe was cool, feeling especially comfortable against the face. Zhan Pingchuan indeed smiled smugly.

 

Lance’s gaze swept over, tacitly approving his small action, even couldn’t help thinking that Zhan Pingchuan had restrained himself, actually not thinking of kissing the earlobe.

 

The computer took a moment to respond before popping up this ancient external drive.

 

Nowadays, no one uses USB drives anymore, but fortunately, the free computers provided by the school were relatively old and still had USB ports.

 

Lance clicked to open it, and about a dozen files popped up.

 

There were only four videos and more than ten articles, which was pitifully little for a person’s life.

 

But this was all that Uriel had left in the world.

 

Zhan Pingchuan simply pulled up a chair and sat beside Lance to watch together.

 

He certainly didn’t have the ability to predict the future, nor did he know that the content here was closely related to the autopsy report he wanted to steal. He was just in the ambiguous period of a temporary mark, and anything he did with Lance felt wonderful.

 

So while Lance looked at the computer, he propped his chin and looked at Lance from the side.

 

The little red fox’s amber eyes were so beautiful, like gemstone beads, especially when they welled up with tears when his gland was stimulated. He wanted to show them off to the whole world, yet also darkly keep them private.

 

And that high, delicate nose tip would wrinkle when enjoying pleasure, revealing a not-very-willing but secretly enjoying expression.

 

The lips were the best to kiss, soft and moist. He didn’t like those thin lips at all, dry and cold with no taste. Lance’s were very good, like jelly when they swelled from kissing.

 

At this moment, Zhan Pingchuan felt that the line he had read in elementary school, “You stand on the bridge looking at the scenery, and the person looking at the scenery is looking at you from upstairs,” had finally come into reality.

 

Lance ignored the increasingly heated gaze beside him and first clicked on the first video.

 

The video camera shook a bit before stabilizing, and a disheveled but not repulsive person appeared on the screen.

 

Uriel was naturally hirsute. It was evident that he hadn’t trimmed his hair and beard for a long time; they had almost connected, like a male lion’s mane.

 

Perhaps because they were half-brothers with different fathers, he didn’t look much like Oliver. His hair was silver, giving the impression of a man past fifty at first glance.

 

But in the video, he was probably not yet thirty.

 

Uriel’s clothing was simple but clean—gray loose jeans and a neatly ironed shirt. These two items of clothing hung on his thin, tall frame, making him look like a walking bamboo pole.

 

Incongruous with his gaunt physique was that face hidden in dense hair, extremely amiable.

 

His facial contours were not sharp, perhaps somewhat concealed by his beard. In any case, the skin exposed was smooth, clean, and wheat-colored.

 

Most impressive were his eyes. Even through the screen, one could feel that those deep blue eyeballs seemed to burn with sincere flames, spirited and full of hope.

 

This was a public lecture related to social science. Uriel was more impassioned than all the students in the audience. When he lectured, his movements were very large, sometimes circling from the left to the right, sometimes taking big strides down from the podium. He gestured with both arms, raising his voice in indignation when discussing outrageous matters, covering his face in lamentation, then laughing heartily when talking about achievements gained through effort, as enthusiastic as a child.

 

He spoke of Kangxi Village, a place forgotten by both the underground cities and the Federation government. The people there still lived the life before Dawn Day and refused to wake up from everything of the old days. Therefore, any bit of ability from the outside world was enough to completely destroy their lives.

 

Uriel called on the Federation government to protect them, but this suggestion had not been adopted for many years, until a gang of robbers with abilities attacked Kangxi Village, and it completely disappeared.

 

He also spoke of the Lotasi Ice Field.

 

He strongly condemned the Federation government for establishing the AGW Special Dangerous Death Row Prison,

 

because the living environment there was inhumane. After years of visits and investigations, he found that many of the imprisoned criminals were not highly dangerous to society, but rather had offended the Federation government for various reasons.

 

Once in that prison, only mental collapse would allow a person to leave.

 

Finally, Uriel said: “I’ve recently learned about some things that I find hard to believe, but I don’t yet have comprehensive evidence. I hope that in the near future, I can make it public.”

 

Lance could see that this was an idealist who was full of passion for his career and unafraid of death.

 

No wonder He Jing’en identified with him and trusted him.

 

Most idealists in this world don’t end well. Being exposed in the bright light makes it easiest to be swallowed by darkness.

 

At first, Zhan Pingchuan’s attention was completely on the little red fox, but as he watched, he also found it hard not to notice this unkempt sociologist.

 

“Who is he? I don’t seem to have seen him before.” Zhan Pingchuan’s breath fell on Lance’s fair earlobe.

 

“Uriel, Teacher He Jing’en’s friend. Probably because his articles have some value, so the teacher copied them for me to see.” Lance said, half-truthfully.

 

Lance quickly opened the second video.

 

This was another public lecture. Uriel seemed not to have rested well, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, but this didn’t affect his enthusiasm for teaching. He was discussing an article he had just published, mentioning a city called Utopia on the Caribbean coast. He said that city was conducting dark trades beyond his imagination, and he was determined to expose this matter completely.

 

In this class, He Jing’en was sitting in the first row listening. At that time, He Jing’en wasn’t yet in the state of idling away his days in a training uniform with a thermos.

 

His physique wasn’t gaunt either, but rather very healthy. What he had beside him was even a glass of cold water with ice cubes.

 

Of course, his hair was still too pitiful.

 

Zhan Pingchuan spotted it at a glance: “He Jing’en really admires him.”

 

Lance nodded: “It seems so.”

 

The second video was very short, so Lance opened the third video.

 

This video was finally not in a classroom, but media reporters following Uriel during his visit to the school.

 

By then, Uriel looked to be in his thirties. There were very small wrinkles around his eyes, but his overall demeanor was steady and reliable.

 

In the footage, students were always crowding around him, constantly asking him questions. Although Uriel had been famous for many years, he probably frequently visited some marginal areas, so he always maintained humility and respect toward people.

 

A student asked how things were going with Utopia.

 

Uriel’s expression darkened somewhat. This was the first time he hadn’t been as impassioned and high-spirited as usual. Those eyes that had always burned with fierce flames also became silent and enduring.

 

In the end, Uriel only replied: “I’m still trying, doing my best.”

 

Someone else asked if he had ever regretted the things he’d done.

 

Uriel pondered for a long time, carefully choosing his words: “I’m not married, I don’t have children. This gives me great freedom to pursue my dreams. As long as this dream doesn’t affect my brother, I won’t regret it.”

 

The person laughed and said, you must really love your brother then.

 

Uriel openly admitted: “He is my only family. I love him with my life.”

 

Next, a student who was recording accidentally fell. Uriel quickly helped her up, then gracefully let go, nodded, and left.

 

The records that Star University could keep were naturally those that happened at Star University.

 

Lance asked: “Little sh… Zhan Pingchuan, what kind of person do you think he is?”

 

Zhan Pingchuan raised an eyebrow. He could see that Lance was very interested in this person.

 

Being jealous of a man in his sixties was beneath him. Zhan Pingchuan said very fairly: “A bit radical, but quite a good person. Anyway, I’m not this kind of person, but I quite like having more people like this in society.”

 

Lance’s view was the same as Zhan Pingchuan’s. From the third video, it was vaguely evident that Uriel had suffered some setbacks. He could no longer be as firm in his path as before, but such a person, even if he hit many walls, even if he became dispirited, would never choose to go with the flow.

 

He had also mentioned Oliver.

 

Lance felt that for Oliver’s sake, he would never kill Si Hongche’s sister.

 

However, what he could see clearly, Si Hongche, who knew Uriel better, couldn’t possibly not see.

 

Why was Si Hongche still angry enough to torture Oliver for more than a decade?

 

Perhaps Si Hongche saw more, not just killing.

 

Lance was lost in thought as he casually clicked on the last one.

 

Just as he was waiting to see Uriel’s consistent output of views, suddenly, two other people appeared in the video—

 

Uriel was seen helplessly yet tenderly stroking one of them’s golden hair. He was in a state of being conflicted yet unable to refuse, and could only quietly remind: “Oliver, you should still study diligently at school. Isn’t it a bad influence if people know about our brotherly relationship?”

 

But the spirited golden-haired youth didn’t care at all about the so-called influence. He hung on his brother’s thin yet sturdy back just as he did in childhood, his expression full of pride: “I don’t care what others say. You are my brother. I wish all my classmates knew I have a great brother!”

 

The youth looked at the camera and made a mischievous face.

 

He was only fourteen, still at an age when he liked to show off. Who wouldn’t want a renowned professor celebrated throughout the Federation to be their own brother?

 

As for the third person, Si Hongche looked lovingly at the golden-haired youth, then turned to carefully instruct the following media to please delete Oliver’s easily misunderstood words. His meticulous mind and delicate protection were evident.

 

However, at the moment of seeing the golden-haired youth’s face, Zhan Pingchuan couldn’t control himself and abruptly stood up!

 

In that instant, several emotions rapidly changed in his eyes, but all emotions eventually transformed into a piercing ringing sound, stirring up long-sealed memories.

 

This person was called Oliver. He had once been a student at Star University. He possessed a powerful virtual realm ability. His brother was a celebrity worthy of media following and reporting. And at that time, Si Hongche stood beside him, looking at him with pure admiration and indulgence.

 

Fragmented clues seemed to be strung together by an invisible thread, forming a perfect closed loop of old doubts and current shock.

 

Zhan Pingchuan quickly realized that the autopsy report had destroyed not only Oliver’s life but also the supposedly unbreakable relationship between him and Si Hongche.

 

Si Hongmei’s death, the accusation of not knowing how to protect children… only Si Hongmei could make the two completely break apart.

 

If, as his father suspected, there was something fishy about that report, it could only mean that during the rebellion suppression, someone needed Si Hongche to stand in a position diametrically opposed to Oliver’s.

 

Seeing all the action targets appear on the screen, Lance reflexively closed the video with extremely fast fingers, moving so swiftly it was like he had undergone years of special forces training.

 

Zhan Pingchuan: “!” Oh no.

 

Lance: “!” Oops.

 

Lance’s heart uncontrollably suspended. He didn’t even have time to think about Zhan Pingchuan’s overly abnormal reaction. His brain was spinning rapidly, his fingertips pressing hard against his palm.

 

The more one tries to conceal, the more flaws emerge.

 

The little idiot didn’t know these three people at all. He shouldn’t have nervously closed the video. This was such a low-level mistake.

 

How to explain his actions just now?

 

While Lance was still in shock, Zhan Pingchuan was also rapidly brainstorming, nearly killing millions of brain cells in a second.

 

He also had no time to care about why Lance happened to have materials related to his mission.

 

His mind was full of how to explain his abrupt reaction.

 

He was just an ordinary college student who was a bit pretentious and lazily idle. Now this appearance was either neurotic or guilty.

 

Fortunately, both were well-trained professional operatives who knew how to turn the tide and adapt to circumstances.

 

Lance quickly adjusted his emotions and gave Zhan Pingchuan a bewildered look:

 

“You just startled me. What’s wrong?”

 

In an emergency, one shouldn’t explain first but point out the other’s problem. Only by making the other person fall into one’s own logical language, constantly self-justifying, can one become increasingly innocent.

 

Zhan Pingchuan’s temples were sweating. He indeed fell into the trap nervously, but he hadn’t been wasting these years, and his ability to end a match with one sentence was at its peak.

 

His gaze flickered with sincerity: “To be honest, I was deeply moved by this scholar’s personal charm. That kind of excitement is beyond words. Do you understand the feeling of being overwhelmed with emotion? I think you’re right, the history department is the future of the Federation, the high-paying tomorrow. I’ve decided to transfer departments with you!”

 

Lance: “…………………..”

 

Zhan Pingchuan: “.”

 

The dormitory fell into a deathly silence. Nerves were stretched like taut strings, hearts racing uncontrollably, even breathing seemed to require careful probing, fearing one misstep would ruin everything.

 

After a long while.

 

Lance was the first to break the established breathing pattern. He cautiously stared at Zhan Pingchuan, carefully suggesting: “Do you want to reconsider?”

 

Zhan Pingchuan’s expression stiffened, and he followed the slope down: “That works too.”

 

“It’s late, shall we go to sleep?”

 

“What a coincidence, I’m also tired.”

 

Lance closed the computer with a snap and quickly pulled out the USB drive.

 

Was there truly no suspicion?

 

Actually, there was, but neither dared to continue the topic.

 

That night, the two lay in bed with no interest in intimacy, both relieved that the other had reacted slowly and believed their fabricated reasons.

 

This subtle atmosphere inevitably continued until the next morning.

 

Even more unfortunately, they had the same class in the morning, “Underground City Crisis Management Methods,” leaving no time to avoid each other and think independently.

 

Zhan Pingchuan, with two dark circles under his eyes, was still on tenterhooks, fearing Lance would bring up the department transfer.

 

Next time, next time he would never again accept such a dangerous mission. When a man falls in love, he should return to his family. Nothing is more important than giving his baby a sense of security.

 

Lance half-closed his eyes, looking listless, as if he could fall asleep in class at any moment. But he didn’t dare to relax, worried that a moment of carelessness would expose the White Pharaoh side of him.

 

The little idiot would definitely be terrified, after all, he had killed more people and beasts than the little idiot had touched bicycles.

 

Neither of them absorbed the lesson, though other classmates listened attentively, as it was a matter of life and death.

 

This cautious atmosphere finally came to an end at ten in the morning.

 

The harsh bell rang throughout the campus. The prolonged ringing dispersed Lance’s last bit of drowsiness, inevitably giving rise to some morning grumpiness. He squinted at the crowd running chaotically around the classroom.

 

At this moment, Tang Li ran in from outside the classroom with flushed cheeks. Before he could stop, he was already excitedly gossiping with his Omega roommate—

 

“My goodness, students from other colleges just said that Dean Chu Fu will visit the School of Biochemistry and Medicine this afternoon. That’s the Federation’s strongest recovery system Awakened one!”

 

“You mean the dean of Chuan Private Hospital? Isn’t he very difficult to invite for reports?”

 

“Who knows? The biochemistry college is already boiling. Everyone wants to make a good impression on him. He’s truly the idol of all recovery system Awakened ones.”

 

“Then you must find an opportunity to get his autograph, otherwise next time you might only see him when you’re critically ill.”

 

The gossip waves quickly spread throughout the classroom. It was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Zhan Pingchuan’s drowsy brain.

 

Zhan Pingchuan widened his dark-circled eyes, his voice involuntarily changing pitch: “Mo—”

 

Lance’s fox-like eyes swept over wearily.

 

Zhan Pingchuan: “—my goodness, class is finally over.”

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)