A Story from Three Years Ago

For Yin Chen, who had always taken pride in his family name, such an incident was naturally a source of deep embarrassment. But the priority now was to cut further losses and salvage what remained of the family's dignity—at the very least, they couldn't afford to let the shame spread from Shanghai all the way to the northern cities.

The group didn't linger long in the conference room.

After making that phone call, Yin Chen's entire demeanor had shifted. The usual elegance and composure he wore so effortlessly had noticeably faded.

The private car came to a smooth stop beneath the Oriental Pearl Tower. The city's iconic landmark felt unusually quiet at this hour. The usually bustling entrance plaza had been cordoned off with temporary barriers, with only a few security personnel in uniform standing guard.

A middle-aged man in a suit, his slicked-back hair immaculate but his forehead beaded with sweat, hurried over.

"A-Chen."

He greeted Yin Chen first before turning to An Changqing and his group, forcing a stiff smile.

Yin Chen gave him no time for pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

"Second Uncle, what's the situation?"

"Ah..."

The middle-aged man sighed and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his brow.

"I've checked everything I could. There's no record of any intrusion into the security system, and the surveillance footage shows nothing unusual."

"I've had every employee on shift interviewed separately—from managers to janitors—and no one noticed anything out of the ordinary."

His tone was laced with helplessness.

Long Ao, hands in his pockets, glanced around and curled his lip.

"This is the best your family security can do?"

One of the younger security guards standing behind the middle-aged man stiffened, about to speak, but was silenced by a sharp look from his superior.

Yin Chen's face darkened. Damn it—he knew this would be humiliating.

"Talking about it now is useless. Take us upstairs."

"Of course, of course. Right this way."

Yin Chen's Second Uncle quickly led the way, opening the door to a private elevator.

As the elevator rose smoothly, the panoramic view of Shanghai unfolded beneath the glass cabin, though no one was in the mood to admire it.

With a soft ding, the doors slid open.

The vast, empty revolving restaurant came into view.

The massive, circular floor-to-ceiling windows offered a 360-degree view of the city's nightscape. Thick carpet covered the floor, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and silverware glinted under the lights.

Everything was orderly, spotless—so clean that even the trash bins were empty.

An Changqing's gaze swept across the room.

"This place has been cleaned up?"

"Yes."

The Second Uncle nodded and bowed.

"Pointless."

Hong Yuan slammed her huge axe against the floor, the dull thud making the poor man flinch.

Despite his seniority in the family hierarchy, Second Uncle was an ordinary person who had not inherited the Yin family's ancestral abilities. He had to treat even a younger generation member like Yin Chen with the utmost respect. After all, staying compliant might allow him to live a life of idle luxury, but crossing this young master could spell trouble—great families had no shortage of spare relatives.

Yin Chen ignored his uncle and walked to the center of the dining hall.

"Let's split up and search."

He looked at An Changqing.

"An Changqing, please come with me to review the surveillance footage again. Maybe we can catch something we missed."

"Alright."

An Changqing nodded in agreement.

Su Yuehe had already taken out a portable computer and several oddly shaped detectors from her storage ring, and was beginning to set them up in the restaurant for a deep scan.

Times had changed.

Long Ao and Hong Yuan exchanged a glance. Each took responsibility for half the area and began a physical search, not even missing the vents in the ceiling or the carpet beneath their feet.

Chen Guan, however, carried his black coffin on his back and strolled unhurriedly through the restaurant. Unlike the others, who searched with clear purpose, he moved like an ordinary tourist, walking slowly along the floor-to-ceiling windows, his gaze fixed on the countless lights of the city outside.

Time ticked by, minute after minute.

"No good. The surveillance is completely clean."

An Changqing and Yin Chen walked out of the monitoring room, both frowning.

"Same on my end."

Long Ao stomped a foot onto a chair, visibly irritated.

"We've flipped every rug, and there's nothing."

Su Yuehe's expression was equally grave. She pointed at the data streams on her screen.

"There's a faint residual space fluctuation, but it's very unstable, like ripples on water about to settle. Impossible to track."

Every lead seemed to have hit a dead end.

The entire restaurant fell into a dead silence, broken only by the faint hum of the equipment.

Yin Chen's face was as dark as thunder. This wasn't just a tricky situation—it was a direct slap in the face to the Yin family.

Just then, Chen Guan, who had been silent the whole time, stopped walking.

He stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window—one of the best vantage points in the restaurant.

Everyone’s eyes converged on him.

"What's the matter?"

An Changqing asked.

Chen Guan didn't turn around. He simply raised a finger and pointed at the glass in front of him.

"Here."

The group immediately gathered around.

The glass was clean and transparent, reflecting their figures and the night scenery outside. It showed no sign of anything unusual.

Long Ao leaned in and tapped it with his knuckles.

"What's wrong with the glass?"

"My scanner doesn't respond to it at all."

Su Yuehe held a detector close, but the readings didn't budge.

Yin Chen squinted, staring at the glass for a few seconds. Suddenly, he raised his right hand, palm facing forward.

Threads of white frost seeped from his palm and slowly adhered to the glass surface.

Crack... crack...

A thin layer of ice spread rapidly from the center of his hand, like living vines crawling across the glass.

Against the backdrop of frost, a faint, nearly transparent imprint began to seep out from the inside of the glass.

None of those present—including An Changqing and Su Yuehe—could recognize the origin of that symbol.

But then, Yin Chen’s Second Uncle, who had been standing nearby barely daring to breathe, turned ashen the moment he saw the symbol. His lips quivered, as if he had glimpsed the most terrifying thing in the world.

Yin Chen noticed his reaction. He turned, his voice as cold as the frost on his palm.

"Second Uncle, do you recognize this?"

The middle-aged man flinched, his eyes darting. He stammered, unable to form words.

"Speak!"

Yin Chen shouted sternly.

"That... that is something the old master personally sealed away three years ago!"

His voice trembled, almost sobbing.

"How did it get out again?"

Yin Chen's Second Uncle seemed to lose all strength, collapsing against a dining table behind him, his eyes filled with nothing but terror.

"Second Uncle."

Yin Chen's voice was icy, each word laced with frost.

"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

"A-Chen, this, this is not the place to talk. Let's go downstairs first, downstairs first. We'll talk there."

The middle-aged man shakily tried to reach for Yin Chen’s arm, but before his hand could make contact, a single glare from Yin Chen forced him to pull back.