Playing Games (Part 1)

Yin Le arrived at Ronan's rented studio right on time.

Even though Ronan had gone several days without a normal schedule, as long as she remained his personal secretary, she could not neglect duties akin to "morning and evening greetings."

She first pressed the intercom outside the workroom. Receiving no response, she verified her fingerprints and entered.

The workroom lights were on, and the Virtual Work Area flickered with shifting light and shadow. Ronan sat behind the workbench, propping his cheek with one hand, utterly still. He seemed to be deeply focused on his work.

But after taking two more steps and looking closely, she realized his eyes were shut and his breathing long and steady. He had fallen asleep in that position.

He must have finally been unable to hold on after working nonstop.

Yin Le did not dare wake Ronan. She merely scanned the workroom for any clutter that needed tidying. Hmm, that movable rack had not been there before. Now it stood in the middle of the room, conspicuous as could be. Something must have been placed on it just now...

Old Hand had most likely been here.

Yin Le moved the rack into a corner, then quietly approached the workbench. She absolutely did not dare touch the tools and instruments on it. She could only clear away some minor clutter, taking photos to mark their positions beforehand, lest she make matters worse and be unable to restore things if something went wrong.

It was then that her gaze swept across the Virtual Work Area, and the image she saw looked remarkably familiar—bottomless as the deep sea, yet like a storm upon the ocean's surface, painted in dense, vivid colors and chaotic in structure. In truth, it was formed by two overlapping images.

Two Psychic Maps.

Yin