Imperial Court Strife

A heavy rain had fallen the night before. By noon, evaporating moisture filled the air, dispelling the oppressive heat of summer.

After finishing his work, Ye Chen left his room and planned to get something to eat at the cafeteria.

He had checked already. Xu Tianchen had not come to the laboratory, and even Liu Yaxuan, who was never late, had vanished without a trace.

Ye Chen frowned slightly as he considered the possible circumstances and how to deal with them.

The current situation differed from his previous training expeditions. Ye Chen was no longer alone, and there were far too many things he needed to consider.

No matter what, he would place the lives of his own people first. Everything else had to be built upon that foundation.

Suddenly, when Ye Chen spotted the familiar figure at the cafeteria entrance, he immediately felt relieved.

The other party had clearly noticed him as well and waved in greeting.

It was Xu Tianchen, with the gentle, soft-hearted young woman at his side.

As the distance between them closed, Ye Chen noticed that Xu Tianchen's expression was somewhat grave, carrying a trace of sorrow. "Brother Tianchen, you didn't come to the laboratory this morning. Did something happen?"

Xu Tianchen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "It's not exactly anything serious. After all, that person is no different from a stranger to me, but I've been dragged into this because of him."

Ye Chen had initially assumed the other man had been implicated because of the rescue of Huo Yuhao, but from the sound of it, there seemed to be more to the matter. "Oh? Could you tell me about it in detail? Don't worry, no one can hear our conversation. Perhaps I can help you."

As he spoke, Xu Tianchen