“This afternoon, he noticed he was being followed. Using this, he disguised himself and the boy he abducted as two vagrants, shook off Penny, and blended onto a city bus, planning to head to Victoria Harbor. There were thirteen other passengers on the bus, and not a single one noticed. The collective hallucination triggered the ‘Forbidden Fruit’ system in me, so I wasn’t affected by the illusion. On the way, I conducted several experiments, trying to release some interference, but only one girl broke free from the hallucination—she happened to be a patient with ‘empty brain syndrome.’ To ensure the safety of unrelated people, I hacked into the city bus system, forced it to stop at the rundown tavern, and sent a message to Miss Penny.” Luke still answered in a calm voice, “Sir, I suspect this chip operates on a principle similar to ‘Eden,’ just relatively crude.”

Fourth Brother frowned. “In a short time, I probably can’t put together a research team for you in this place.”

“I understand, sir. I’ll find a way myself.” Luke paused for a moment, then asked, “Are you still looking for…”

“No need to tell me the odds, I know your algorithm.” Fourth Brother interrupted him, his jaw tensing slightly for a moment, then he gently patted the car, “After a while, we should be leaving too. If we really can’t find them, so be it. Too many children die young in this godforsaken place—maybe they really are gone.”

“Sir…”

“If they’re gone, they’re gone,” Fourth Brother said indifferently. “Missing the chaos of troubled times might not be such a bad fate. Are we there?”

In the time it took for those two sentences, the vehicle had already traversed the spatial field and landed precisely at the back door of the “rundown tavern.” When the wheels touched down, it was almost silent, only the thin layer of snow on the ground sliding aside a little. The few high-speed bikes that had been parked there were gone; it seemed the traffic light group and Penny had already left.

When “Spider” escaped from here, he also used a spatial field, but he was alone and the activation of the spatial field made quite a commotion, with a considerable margin of error—otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to disguise himself as a vagrant and trudge, cold and hungry, to Victoria Harbor.

But Luke was controlling a several-ton vehicle through the spatial field, landing it in the narrow alley behind the “rundown tavern.” This meant the margin of error couldn’t exceed fifty centimeters, or else the landing would have produced a “car straddling the wall” special effect.

Although the two seemed to use similar spatial fields, if an expert in the field were present, they would see the vast difference in technical sophistication—like the gap between a “solar-powered cloud car” and interstellar mecha.

Unfortunately, the Eighth Star System is full of illiterates, and no one appreciates the elegance of technology.

But that’s not entirely true; occasionally, you might run into a true connoisseur, but…

The humanoid Luke separated from the vehicle, hoisted the “Spider” from the trunk, and was about to open the door when his emerald eyes suddenly pierced through the back door of the bar, scanning the scene inside in an instant.

“Sir,” he paused, “you have a guest.”

The corner of Fourth Brother’s eye twitched slightly. In private, this big shot’s expressions were barely more varied than an AI’s, but now, for once, he looked a bit complicated.

As the back door creaked open, a wave of warm air from inside rushed out. In the already dimly lit “rundown tavern,” all the wall lamps were off, leaving only one above the bar, perfectly casting a “soft filter” over the person beneath it.

Under the filter sat a young man, his clothes loosely draped, jacket over his shoulders, hair tousled, lazily leaning against the bar. At first glance, he looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, too lazy to tidy himself up, casually coming out to meet someone, and yet his casualness was innately attractive, with a natural air about him.

Yet, for all his “casualness,” there wasn’t a single unsightly wrinkle from head to toe. Just that head of messy, fluffy “hair” was clearly not the result of any ordinary pillow—his “casual” look was, in fact, meticulously crafted.

“Well,” the young man was caught off guard when he saw the person on Luke’s shoulder and froze for a moment. “Are you two back from a midnight heist? Did I see something I shouldn’t have? Am I going to be silenced?”

Luke tossed the “Spider” onto the ground. The body hit the floor with a dull thud. He greeted politely, “Good evening, Principal Foster.”

Principal Foster, full name “Bixing,” is a famous wastrel, oddball, and big-time troublemaker in the Eighth Star System, serving as both a board member and principal of Xinghai Academy. Of course, he didn’t become principal because of his virtue, but because he paid to build the school.

Despite his youth, Principal Foster was able to devote himself to education not only because of his passion and lofty ideals, but also because he had a father who was a legendary arms dealer in the Eighth Star System.

His father, nicknamed “One-Eyed Eagle,” dominates the capital star “Kailai” of the Eighth Star System. In nearly every bloody conflict in the system, eighty percent of the weapons come from the old man—he’s a true storm-bringer.