Chapter 206: The Eldest Young Master

"Oh?" Chu Muyun's eyes narrowed slightly. "What happened?"

Wen Shilin immediately recounted the events. Chu Muyun knew Chen Ling's objective and what they were investigating; he considered them half-insiders, so there was nothing to hide about what happened last night.

"Are you saying there were signs of a struggle outside your home, but Chen... but Lin Yan is gone?"

"Exactly. He was very likely taken."

"Oh."

Chu Muyun casually brewed himself a pot of tea. "You came to see me just to tell me this?"

Seeing Chu Muyun completely unfazed, Wen Shilin was clearly taken aback. He wondered if Lin Yan and Doctor Chu weren't actually very close. That didn't seem right... They had worked together for so long; his reaction shouldn't be so indifferent upon hearing this news.

"The Guild of Stars even deployed an Outsider because of us. Lin Yan being taken probably means he's in grave danger." Wen Shilin took a deep breath. "Doctor Chu, you have a high reputation in Aurora City and close ties with the Guild of Stars and the Enforcers. Only you can get him out now."

"Mr. Wen, I'm afraid you misunderstand my influence. I am just a doctor."

Chu Muyun spoke slowly, "Besides, Lin Yan is only missing; his body hasn't been found... Perhaps he just went somewhere else and is perfectly fine?"

"Impossible. If everything were normal, Lin Yan would definitely have come back to me." Wen Shilin shook his head decisively. "I don't misjudge people. He's not a coward who would abandon his post."

Chu Muyun's expression was a bit strange. He took a deep look at Wen Shilin and sighed inwardly...

This reporter Wen has really been thoroughly brainwashed by Chen Ling...

Under Wen Shilin's continuous pleas, Chu Muyun found it hard to refuse. After all, his and Chen Ling's public personas were established. After pondering for a long time, he finally nodded.

"Alright, I'll make a trip to the Guild of Stars... However, I can't guarantee any results."

Seeing this, a huge weight was finally lifted from Wen Shilin's heart, and he spoke sincerely:

"Thank you, Doctor Chu."

*Bzzzz—*

A piercing alarm blared through the Guild of Stars. Yan Xishou, who was sitting in his office reviewing documents, paused slightly, then looked up at the window in surprise.

"What's going on now...? Damn it, can't we have one day of peace?!" Yan Xishou cursed.

He cursed again, then stood up to leave. Just as he was about to open the door, the doorknob turned on its own, and the door was pushed open inward...

Yan Xishou froze in place.

Outside the door stood a hunched man, calmly carrying a paper figure on his back. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw Yan Xishou behind the door.

"Puppeteer?" Yan Xishou asked, perplexed. "What are you doing here? Were those two reporters caught?"

Chen Ling observed the man before him, almost instantly overlapping his face with Yan Xicai's... The two looked quite similar, though the man in front of him was considerably older than Yan Xicai.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the Guild of Stars' eldest young master, Yan Xishou?

Chen Ling had already circled a large part of the building. Most rooms were empty. The basement seemed to contain many items but was sealed by a heavy metal door, which he couldn't pass without a key... After some hesitation, he decided to risk searching a few independent offices upstairs, unexpectedly running into Yan Xishou, who was about to leave.

Chen Ling glanced around, confirmed no one was approaching, then walked straight into the room and locked the door from the inside.

Seeing this, the confusion in Yan Xishou's eyes deepened.

"What are you...?"

"Young Master, someone has escaped the dungeon. It's very dangerous outside right now," Chen Ling said in a low voice. "Please don't wander off."

"Another escape?" Yan Xishou was stunned for a moment, then anger flared in his eyes. "Why is it that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can just run loose lately... These useless dungeon guards! I'll fire them all sooner or later!"

Chen Ling sneered inwardly, his expression unchanged, and continued:

"This escape seems different from the last. The individual purposely infiltrated the premises... If I'm not mistaken, their objective is to investigate organ trafficking. Young Master, have you hidden all the transaction records?"

"Organ trafficking?" Hearing those words, Yan Xishou's expression subtly changed, as if he was deep in thought. "The transaction records are with me; they should be safe for now..."

"Young Master, this is a serious matter. It would be best if you entrusted the transaction records to my keeping for now, in case that person means you harm."

As Chen Ling spoke, an invisible giant python slowly coiled around Yan Xishou's body...

Yan Xishou's brow immediately furrowed. He looked at the extremely deferential hunched man and said in a deep voice:

"Entrust them to you? Puppeteer, what are you trying to do—"

Before Yan Xishou could finish, the heart-python opened its maw and lunged for his mind. Just as its fangs were about to touch him, a burst of white light suddenly erupted!

The white light emanated from Yan Xishou's chest; a blue necklace on him vibrated intensely. At the same time, the heart-python coiling around Yan Xishou was forcefully repelled, as if an invisible barrier expanded from within the necklace!

Yan Xishou felt the strange sensation from the necklace, and his face instantly changed.

"You're not the Puppeteer?! Who are you?!"

He covered the necklace on his chest with one hand and rapidly retreated. Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Chen Ling's eyes. He pinched a copper coin from his pocket between two fingers and flicked it lightly.

*Clink—!*

As the copper coin flipped, the necklace on Yan Xishou's chest vanished, and the two instantly swapped places!

Yan Xishou felt that the sensation in his hand was wrong. He immediately looked down and saw that the necklace he had been clutching had disappeared, replaced by a soiled copper coin... He was instantly stunned.

At the same time, Chen Ling swept his hand to snatch the falling necklace from mid-air, took a fierce step forward, and lashed out with a whip kick that whistled towards Yan Xishou's head!

All of this happened too quickly. From the moment Yan Xishou noticed something was amiss until the necklace was swapped, less than two seconds passed. Before Yan Xishou could even react, a sharp pain shot through his temple, and his vision instantly went black!

Yan Xishou slammed into the hard wall and then collapsed to the ground.

Seeing Yan Xishou unconscious, Chen Ling subtly breathed a sigh of relief... His greatest fear was that Yan Xishou possessed more than one protective ritual artifact. If he got into a prolonged struggle, the commotion would inevitably attract others. If the real Puppeteer or other Outsiders arrived, he would have no chance of escape.

Just as Chen Ling prepared to search Yan Xishou and the room, faint footsteps echoed from outside the door, growing closer...

*Knock, knock, knock—*

Urgent knocking sounded at the door.

"Young Master, are you in there?"