Two hours later, when He Yan and her team met Lei Ting on the roof, their expressions were incredibly complex.
【...You took out all the superpowered security consultants?】 she asked through the temporary communication channel.
Evidently, the reason their group hadn't encountered a single noteworthy enemy on their way up was the person standing before them.
Lei Ting held a shiny silver metal cup, leaning against the edge of the rooftop as he sipped hot coffee he’d helped himself to from a vending machine. At He Yan’s question, he smiled and raised his cup to her. 【They’ll have a good night's sleep. The target is downstairs. What’s your next move?】
He Yan gave a wave to the team members behind her, and they dispersed to begin their work.
Simultaneously, Lei Ting sensed others moving into position or planting eavesdropping devices at various points. Some were outside the building, some two floors down, and others in the corridors diagonally below, forming a perimeter around the room directly beneath them, which held over thirty people.
*It seems this investigation task force has its own private channel,* he thought.
【According to the original plan, we listen to what they’re saying first.】
He Yan crouched down, pulled a wire from a device, and connected it to her bracer. After a few adjustments, she patched the audio into the temporary channel.
A faint static hum crackled for a moment, followed by a voice echoing in the channel.
"Enan Valen?" a deep voice recited the name.
Lei Ting’s pupils dilated slightly for a fraction of a second.
【That’s Essengard Kang’s voice. His profile was in the list of involved personnel I sent you,】 He Yan said. 【Along with the 3D map of this place.】
【I know, I’ve looked through them,】 Lei Ting replied briefly. A translucent 3D map was currently projected on his eyepiece interface, showing the building's internal structure with crisp clarity.
"Yes," another voice spoke, filled with tension and excitement. "His name is Enan Valen, he’s from our company’s..."
"I didn't ask you," Essengard said coldly. "Let him introduce himself."
In the magnificent hall, beneath red drapery with gold trim, the handsome businessman with a golden ponytail stood with his arms crossed. He squinted slightly at the black-haired man who stood with his head slightly bowed.
"..." Valen let out a soft sigh.
He knew it would turn out like this.
"Hello, I am Enan Valen, a supervisor at 'Far-Light Fine Materials.' I am forty-four years old and a graduate of the Perseus Business Academy." He stood up and bowed to Essengard. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kang."
"..." Essengard’s lips suddenly curled into a smirk. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Valen."
At first listen, his words seemed laden with hidden meaning, but upon further reflection... everything he said seemed to carry that weight. In an ordinary person, it would feel like posturing, but coming from him, it felt like a perfect blend of control and mystery.
Now, that feeling was tinged with a spark of interest directed at Valen.
Listening in, Lei Ting’s brow furrowed. He wasn't quite sure why he felt that way.
He Yan glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. She knew Lei Ting had rescued someone today, which meant she knew that Mr. Valen had been right beside him—and had even been held in his arms.
If this were one of those imperial nations, the mere fact of being 'close to a Double S-rank' would be enough for Valen to have his room and board covered for the rest of his life.
Unfortunately, those countries didn't have 'Double S-ranks,' and this nation’s internal power structure was currently a chaotic mess; no one would actually act that way.
By now, the others were also starting to cast intentional or unintentional glances at Lei Ting. The latter remained silent and expressionless under their gaze; no one knew what he was calculating in his mind.
Shortly after, the small gathering—which couldn't truly be called a banquet—began. Plates and glasses clinked, and toasts were exchanged. More and more social platitudes and corporate pleasantries flew back and forth, giving the combat-oriented investigators a headache.
Lei Ting familiarized himself with the functions of the military plugins in his optical computer while silently listening to the voices. He didn't use his mental scan to lock onto everyone again.
After all, he couldn't guarantee such a method wouldn't be detected. Besides, if he only needed to track the positions of people and objects, his 'Metal Manipulation' ability was actually more effective.
Naturally, he asked a question regarding the current situation: 【Aren't we here to arrest someone? Why are we waiting through all this nonsense?】
【Because we need evidence, kid,】 He Yan replied helplessly. 【The target, Lyman, is very cautious. If we don't catch him in the act of a transaction or find a breakthrough in his conversation, it’ll be hard to convict him.】
Lei Ting: "..."
Lei Ting: "."
Feeling somewhat out of his element, he tossed his cup aside, letting it fly back to the vending machine by the rooftop garden to refill itself with juice before flying back to him.
After a while, the group braving the wind on the roof finally heard words unrelated to the banquet itself. This caused everyone to perk up.
The source of the sound was directly beneath Lei Ting—corresponding to a corner of the banquet hall.
"Let's exchange contact information, Mr. Valen," Essengard invited openly. "I've heard Little Deer mention you..."
*They’ve met?*
Lei Ting listened intently—Lucas had met Valen? Could it have been that day when Valen overheard his conversation with Lucas...
No, Lucas hadn't noticed Valen at all then. They must have met under different circumstances.
And Valen must have left a deep impression on Lucas, so much so that even though Lucas hadn't mentioned it to his classmates, he had brought this person up to his father immediately upon returning home.
"...He said you are very knowledgeable," Essengard said. "He enjoys talking to you. Just as he enjoys being with that classmate of his, the one named Lei."
【?】 The people on the rooftop all looked at Lei Ting, their expressions dancing with amusement.
"..." Lei Ting put 'finding an opportunity to reject Lucas' on his agenda. If he couldn't find one... he’d create one!!
"Dad!" Lucas’s face turned bright red. "Why do you blab about everything!"
Valen seemed caught between laughter and tears. He said helplessly, "Yes, at the time I was admiring 'Endless Life'—it’s rare to visit, so I couldn't very well leave without seeing anything, could I?"
"Mm-hmm, I understand... I went to the *Solar* to see it ten years ago as well." Essengard sighed softly. "Back then, when Yvenheiler returned from there, he excitedly told us of its greatness. Thinking back, those days when he was still alive and laughing with me... it really has been too long."
Hearing this, Lucas’s expression gradually turned sorrowful. But Valen did not sigh, nor did he share that melancholy; his expression merely gained a flicker of concern that wasn't quite superficial, but wasn't entirely sincere either.
'Starstream'...
In a daze, a pair of blue eyes flashed through Lei Ting’s mind. Like the sea under the sunlight... deep blue eyes.
Since that time, he had never seen that legendary figure who had faked his death again. Of course, he never deliberately sought out or guessed the man's identity, because it was unnecessary, and because... as the saying goes, it is best not to know what one shouldn't know.
But those eyes, scattered with starlight, remained in his memories to this day, intersecting with that sensation of near-death, gradually merging into one as time passed.
And now, the most vivid blue eyes in his memory were right below him. Equally azure, carrying a hint of effortless playfulness.
So beautiful.
A subtle, soul-stirring sense of agitation rose within him. Lei Ting took a slow, silent deep breath and suddenly said: 【The target, Lyman, is moving toward the President of Kang Corp.】
【You can feel that?】 Captain He Yan was somewhat surprised.
【I locked onto the calcium in his body from the moment I saw them in the distance,】 Lei Ting replied. 【Only two people got out of the Kang President’s aircraft; he’s easy to recognize.】
【What a powerful ability...】 He Yan remarked, fixing the map displayed on everyone’s eyepieces to the top floor plane and placing a marker at a certain spot. 【All units, pay attention. Once the target overlaps with the marker, execute the arrest immediately.】
Lei Ting watched the target’s elegant, light-footed progress and asked distractedly: 【Are you planning to just burst through the door and grab him like in the plan?】
【Of course,】 He Yan replied, looking at him. 【Do you have a suggestion?】
【...】
In the night wind, the black-haired youth, whose stature was now nearly that of an adult, tilted his head back and drained the last of his juice.
"Nothing," he said. "I just don't want to waste any more time."
*BOOM!!*
In the magnificent banquet hall, right beneath the feet of the young man walking toward the three people in the corner, the elegant marble floor tiles suddenly shattered and flew apart!
"Huh?!" The surrounding crowd gasped, snapping their heads toward the source of the noise.
"Lyman?!" Essengard’s face paled in shock, though he realized they were under attack. Valen instinctively moved to pull the two golden-haired boys behind him, but Lucas was a step ahead, pressing them back as a pale green light ignited in his eyes, manifesting a thin but sturdy barrier in front of them.
Amidst the flying debris, the building's metal structure erupted like molten lava. A silver-white wave bloomed like a flower of steel, enveloping the debris and 'Lyman, Head of Kang Pharmaceuticals Medical Station' himself. With a forceful snap, it locked him inside.
Then, that small portion of metal that had belonged to the building’s frame quietly rose, melting into a perfectly regular sphere. A booming sound echoed from within, as if Lyman were struggling.
But the metal had only taken on the appearance of waves and ripples for Lei Ting; it hadn't truly 'melted'—even if it flowed like water, its inherent hardness remained entirely intact.
Behind Lucas, Valen looked at the metal sphere, raised an eyebrow, and let go of his tension.
"It's done."
On the rooftop, Lei Ting spoke as he flipped over to sit on the edge, assuming a posture ready to bolt and go to sleep at any moment.
"Your people can go in now. Please hurry; I’m afraid he might suffocate." He added, "Also, if you have this kind of problem again, there's no need for such a grand spectacle."
"..." He Yan watched him silently.
After a moment of silence, she waved her hand to signal her stunned team members to go downstairs and get to work. She then gave Lei Ting a deep look. "You know that this entire building has a special coating to prevent mental-guided superpower attacks, right?"
"I know. It's the same coating as the student dorms on the *Solar*," Lei Ting replied amiably, a glint of molten gold swirling in his eyes. "But, Ma'am, does its existence mean I will be stopped?"
***
