Tiger Soul Research Institute branch base.
Late at night, rooftop.
A gentle night breeze blew as Feng Qi and Lin Ran shared their third round of drinks.
As they chatted about the past, the unfamiliarity brought by years apart gradually faded.
Especially as night fell, they both recalled those days at Star City Academy when they would spend entire nights studying in the library after dinner.
After clinking glasses with Lin Ran again, Feng Qi took a large gulp.
"A Ran, if your friend deceived you one day, would you hate him?"
Lin Ran was visibly stunned by the question.
"Brother Qi, why does that sound like you're about to deceive me?"
"Nothing like that. I just thought of something, so I asked." Feng Qi firmly denied it.
Lin Ran nodded, then asked curiously.
"If it were deception from a close friend, it would definitely break my heart... but everything has two sides. Giving someone a surprise is also a kind of deception. Tell me first, what would be the result of being deceived?"
Faced with the question, Feng Qi fell silent for a long while before speaking.
"What if the person being deceived lost his life as a result?"
"There has to be a reason, right? What was the deceiver's purpose?" Lin Ran asked curiously again.
Feng Qi fell silent once more.
Using the greater good as justification to take someone else's life had never been what he wanted.
In his eyes, standing on the moral high ground and casually deciding another person's future was merely another form of oppression and exploitation.
That was why he felt guilty toward Lin Ran.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Lin Ran and spoke.
"What do you think of betraying a friend for the greater good?"
"The greater good? Could you