Chapter 54 – Probing Schemes

“Doctor, listen to me!” Gu Lanshan’s voice was hoarse, trembling with agitation. “Something’s gone wrong in Snowscape! The suspect and Qin Yuezhang have switched identities!”

The fully masked doctor glanced at Gu Lanshan, unfazed, and merely let out an indifferent “Hmm.”

“Do you even understand how serious this is?! President Xu might very well be set up by Yan Ru!” Gu Lanshan was shocked by the doctor’s dismissiveness, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Ah, these doctors wouldn’t understand Blizzard’s operations. He needed to find other help!

Gu Lanshan was half-supported, half-dragged out of the lab. The moment he stepped out, he spotted Meng Yi waiting outside.

“Officer Meng! Officer Meng!” Gu Lanshan called out loudly.

Meng Yi stood up and saw that while Gu Lanshan still looked weak, his voice was plenty strong. Anxiously, he asked, “Mr. Gu, what exactly is going on with you all? Why have you and Ms. Qi woken up, but the other three are still in Snowscape?”

Gasping for breath, Gu Lanshan stuttered, “S… something’s happened in Snowscape—the suspect and Consultant Qin have switched identities, but President Xu doesn’t know yet!”

“What?!” Meng Yi was stunned. Though he didn’t fully grasp the details, his instincts told him this was no small matter.

“You—you have to notify the technicians quickly and assist President Xu as soon as possible!” Gu Lanshan had already exhausted all his strength, hanging on by sheer willpower. Before Meng Yi could press further, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The two medical staff smoothly took him away.

Compared to Gu Lanshan, Qi Youxuan was much steadier. She refused the medical staff’s support and walked out of the lab on her own.

“Ms. Qi, what’s going on inside…” Meng Yi scratched his head.

Qi Youxuan smiled bitterly. “What Gu Lanshan said is all true. But don’t worry—President Xu isn’t as foolish as he thinks.”

From the moment she woke up, she had been quietly observing. The technicians and medical staff remained completely indifferent to Gu Lanshan’s words, only insisting on taking him away.

This was clearly unusual.

Xu Anran—did he really know nothing? He had briefly woken up earlier—had he given any instructions then?

Qi Youxuan turned back to look at the slowly closing metal door of the lab.

Still glowing, the operation pods kept at their work with quiet dedication. As the door shut, all sight of them was cut off.

“Let’s go for the routine check-up,” a medical staff member gently reminded her.

“Alright.” Qi Youxuan followed them forward.

What secrets was Weiyao hiding, and how were they connected to Wei Qinzhou’s death?

If… if Qinzhou really had been harmed by Weiyao Technology…

Step by step, Qi Youxuan walked on, her gaze hardening.

In a secluded, uneventful place like Xuehua Village, where nothing major happened all year, news of the fire spread quickly, embellished with each retelling.

Everyone would click their tongues in amazement before adding their own speculations and passing it on to the next person.

By the end, the story had morphed into the tale of the little girl my father had killed years ago returning for revenge—setting the fire to eliminate the last of his bloodline.

This version was utterly absurd.

After hearing it, I thought coldly, If this were revenge, it shouldn’t be directed at me.

Xuehua Village wasn’t large to begin with—the inner and outer villages were just a mountain apart. News of my home burning down quickly reached the outer village.

The outer village was where my adoptive parents, Chen Dahong and Yan Yan’er, lived.

Qin Yuezhang was being lectured by a group of villagers. I cast him a sympathetic glance before being pulled away by Xu Anran to a secluded spot on the back hill.

“Consultant Qin, we have a problem ahead,” Xu Anran said worriedly. “Yan Ru has strong defensive instincts, which manifest in many ways within the dream. I suspect this fire, like the train derailment before, was triggered as a form of self-protection.”

Oh? I didn’t know that about myself.

But if he could rationalize it himself, I was happy not to have to make excuses.

With concern, I asked, “Then what should we do? We can’t stay passive forever. So far, we’ve been led by the nose by Yan Ru, and we’ve already lost Gu Lanshan and Qi Youxuan.”

Xu Anran sighed. “True. This case is different from before. Our previous clients were ordinary people with psychological issues, but this time, it’s a ruthless criminal. It’s understandable that they slipped up.”

I lowered my eyes, thinking for a moment, then said, “President Xu, is there no other way?”

Xu Anran thought for a moment before replying, “There is one more method, but it’s very risky.”

My heart stirred. Tentatively, I asked, “Tell me. They say you can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the child. If it means completing the mission, I’m willing to take the risk.”

“Consultant Qin truly has a broad perspective!” Xu Anran looked up, pleased. “Choosing you for Snowscape was the right decision.”

Still spouting bureaucratic nonsense at a time like this?

Xu Anran paused, then said, “Based on our years of experience, even the most guarded patients will crack under the threat of life and death, revealing their innermost thoughts.”

Just like what I did to Qi Youxuan earlier? Except all I got was her deceiving me.

“So?” I pressed.

Xu Anran continued, “If we can create a near-death environment, he might finally talk.”

I frowned. “Like the fire earlier?”

“That wasn’t dangerous enough. Only when severely injured, with consciousness teetering between wakefulness and dreams, does it truly count as a near-death scenario.”

The conversation was finally approaching what I wanted to uncover.

“I remember during training, they said that dying in the dream would wake you up directly. But if…” Here, I deliberately trailed off, pretending to struggle to recall.

“If consciousness is fully awakened when you die in Snowscape, it can be dangerous.”

“I meant to ask back then—what kind of danger, exactly?”

Now that Xu Anran could only rely on me, telling me was better than him acting alone.

Xu Anran fell silent for a long time before letting out a deep sigh. He stared at the unreal sky before finally lowering his head. “If you die in Snowscape with full consciousness, you’ll be swept into the consciousness current, causing severe brain damage.”

The moment he finished speaking, I gasped in shock.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Do you realize this could have killed me?”

Xu Anran said, “We’ve already found a solution. With Blizzard, we designed the Safety Gate to mitigate this issue.”

“Safety Gate?” I eyed him warily. “Why wasn’t this mentioned in training?”

Xu Anran quickly defended himself, “We didn’t anticipate Yan Ru would be this difficult to handle, nor did we expect to activate the near-death protocol!”

This was enough acting. Pushing further might backfire.

I nodded. “President Xu, I understand your position, and I trust you’ll ensure my safety. But I’m also worried—if it really comes to that, what about someone like me who doesn’t have a Safety Gate? I have a bright future ahead—I don’t want to lose it here.”

Xu Anran replied, “The Safety Gate can be opened with code—it’s not exclusive. If it really comes to that, Consultant Qin, you can use mine to escape danger.”

Oh? Well, thank you so much for that.