[Out of His Mind]

He walked downstairs.

Feiran saw him and hurried over. "Little bro, I told you not to move around."

Ye Yun merely glanced at her, then walked past her toward the seats in the distance.

"Uh... This!"

Watching Ye Yun brush past her, Feiran's expression stiffened.

I don't think I did anything to upset you.

"Are you okay?"

Qin Yan came in from outside. Her eyes were still a little red and swollen as she looked at Ye Yun in the hall.

She was very grateful to this man.

If he hadn't rescued her from certain death,

then...

she would have already been killed by the intelligent beings.

"Mm."

He nodded slightly, then looked up at Qin Yan. "What about breakfast?"

"I... I don't know how to cook."

Qin Yan spread her hands, looking completely innocent.

I can't cook at all, okay?

"If you can't cook, then why did I rescue you?"

Ye Yun stared at her in astonishment.

If I'd known you couldn't cook, why would I have brought you out?

"This..."

Qin Yan's pretty face flushed with embarrassment and indignation.

"Come over and sit."

He beckoned to Qin Yan, indicating that she should come sit beside him.

"What for?"

Qin Yan looked at him in confusion, suspicion and wariness plain in her eyes.

I have a feeling this guy's up to no good.

Ye Yun waved his hand, stood up, and headed outside.

As he passed Qin Yan, she jumped out of his way in fright.

"If you can't cook, hurry up and learn."

Feiran came to her side and spoke quietly. "I didn't keep you here so you could lounge around. We're just missing a pretty catgirl to cook for us."

"I'm not a catgirl either."

Qin Yan glared at her.

I'm not a catgirl, so why should I have to cook?

"You wear cat-ear hair clips every day. You fit the catgirl image perfectly. Hurry up and learn to cook."

Feiran ignored her glare and trotted outside.

"What's wrong with you people? So you deliberately kept me here to cook for you?"

Only now fully awake, Qin Yan watched Feiran leave, close to tears.

Who would've thought?

The reason they let me stay...

was so I could cook for them?

"You're eighteen this year, right?"

Just then,

a cold voice sounded from upstairs.

Qin Yan turned to look.

Only then did she notice Intelligent Being Feiran. She hurriedly looked toward the Feiran who had already gone out the door, then turned back to face her. "What's going on?"

Yesterday,

she hadn't paid much attention to anything.

She'd been scared out of her wits.

"I'm Feiran, the guardian of the Ancient Castle." Intelligent Being Feiran looked calmly at Qin Yan. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Yes. Why?"

Qin Yan couldn't understand why she was asking.

"Eighteen. You really are young."

Intelligent Being Feiran gave her a meaningful look, then turned and entered the room behind her. Her voice drifted out slowly. "There are cooking tutorials in the kitchen. If you haven't learned by the end of the week, you'll be responsible for the consequences."

"These people all seem crazy."

Qin Yan scratched her head in confusion. She really couldn't understand. Had they kept her here just so she could learn to cook?

Beside the circular fountain in the Ancient Castle,

Ye Yun lay on a seat in the garden with his eyes closed, basking in the sunlight.

Maybe if I sunbathe enough, I'll recharge, and then the Shenhe Gene System inside me will activate.

It was impossible, of course, but it was nice to imagine.

"What's wrong? Are you angry?"

Feiran pushed his head aside, sat down, and looked down at Ye Yun, who was lying on the garden bench. A faint smile played on her lips.

Ye Yun didn't even look at her. He kept his eyes closed and continued sunbathing.

He was still injured.

He didn't have time for her.

"Come on, you're angry already? All right, all right, don't be mad."

Feiran laughed, reaching out to rub his cheek. "Look at you. You don't look good when you're angry."

A slap rang out.

He smacked away the hand Feiran had been rubbing over his face.

"I've already done the three things I promised you. Don't order me around again unless you have to."

Ye Yun abruptly opened his eyes and looked at her coldly, his voice full of indifference.

I've paid back the three favors I owed you.

"Really? You're angry just because of that?"

Feiran looked at him in surprise. "I thought something had happened to you."

"I saw the Intelligent Being Qiya."

Ye Yun wasn't really angry. He lifted his head and rested it on Feiran's lap.

"They were the ones who rescued you."

Feiran stated it with certainty.

If they hadn't rescued Ye Yun, he definitely wouldn't have brought it up.

"Mm."

Ye Yun said, "I even suspect Qiya got mixed up with her intelligent beings."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Confusion and uncertainty appeared in Feiran's eyes.

From what I've observed of Qiya's movements, she already went to the mainland.

Why are you saying she got mixed up with intelligent beings?

"I mean exactly what I said."

Ye Yun rolled his eyes at her. "The fact that Intelligent Being Qiya still has her memories is enough to make people suspicious."

"That... doesn't prove anything. Anything can happen."

Feiran gently stroked Ye Yun's cheek, her brow furrowed.

How should I put it?

Anything could happen when it came to intelligent mutations.

"Heh."

Ye Yun only smiled and said no more.

If that were the case,

Intelligent Being Qiya wouldn't have needed to pay attention to him at all.

She certainly wouldn't have chosen to turn against Jie Xing and the others when he was in the most danger.

That would have put them in a very disadvantageous position.

"Send Qin Yan back."

Suddenly,

Ye Yun remembered Qin Yan.

She wasn't suited to staying on Linji Island.

"No."

Feiran's answer was firm. She rejected Ye Yun without hesitation.

"Don't tell me you really want her to be my wife? I was just joking."

Ye Yun looked at her in surprise.

You...

"You wish."

Feiran shot him a sultry, exasperated look. "It's not safe outside right now. Sending her back would only cause more trouble. Keeping her in the Ancient Castle is another way of protecting her."

"Protecting her? I need someone to protect me right now. How am I supposed to protect her?"

Ye Yun's mouth twitched. Sis, think this through.

I need someone to protect me, and you want me to protect her?

"At least you can protect yourself. Qin Yan, on the other hand, is a helpless little girl."

She smiled. "I really don't want to see Professor Qin Hui begging us for help. If we send her back and Jie Xing captures her again, he'll come running to us for help. I don't have a fourth promise to make you help me unconditionally, so we may as well let her stay here. At least she'll have somewhere safe."

"You're generous."

Ye Yun gave her a long look, then closed his eyes again and pretended to sleep.

He didn't know how long it would take before he could leave this world

and return to his own.

Besides,

he would have to work hard to live long enough to wait out the years ahead.

Feiran didn't disturb Ye Yun again. She sat quietly beside him on the garden bench, basking in the sunlight and letting him use her as a cushion, a pillow.

"If I got married one day, would you be sad?"

Suddenly,

Feiran felt bored, so she lowered her head to look at her little brother and asked.

She wanted to see how Ye Yun would answer.

"No."

Ye Yun answered without a second thought.

Sad?

Do you really think that's possible?

"Wouldn't that make me sad?"

Feiran said.

That's a little too heartless, isn't it?

I'm your sister.

If I got married, why wouldn't you be sad?

"Why should I be sad?"

Ye Yun was completely confused.

Wouldn't it be a good thing if you got married?

Why should I be sad?

Are you kidding me?

"I raised you for nothing."

Feiran smacked him angrily.

I really did raise this guy for nothing.

He's such a pain.

Ye Yun didn't answer again!

Intelligent Island.

Green Valley Dock, Warehouse No. 2.

Professor Ye Zhen gazed quietly at the magnificent rhythm before him, his eyes filled with excitement.

Good. Very good.

I didn't expect this.

The Source Code of the Supersonic Messenger created by that Qin Hui was actually compatible with the Source Code for the future King of Intelligent Beings I had designed.

In that case,

things would be very easy to handle.

"Father!"

Just then,

Jie Xing walked in from outside and stood respectfully behind Professor Ye Zhen.

"What is it?" The delight on Professor Ye Zhen's face slowly faded. He turned and looked coldly at his subordinate.

"Qiya and the others refused to work with us."

Jie Xing looked at Professor Ye Zhen dejectedly, anger in his voice.

"They refused to work with us?"

At that,

a chill flickered in Professor Ye Zhen's eyes, but he merely laughed it off. "There's no need to rush. At this point, whether they're involved or not doesn't matter."

He was extremely confident.

Once his future AI King was completed and brought to life, it would be invincible.

"Yes, Father."

Jie Xing dropped to one knee and placed his hand against his chest to show his submission.

"Believe me. In the future, Earth will belong to Intelligent Beings."

Professor Ye Zhen's eyes were filled with madness. "Go kill two people for me!"

"Professor Jianjie and Professor Qin Hui?"

Jie Xing looked up at him, his voice probing.

After all,

Professor Jian was your wife.

Could you really be this ruthless?

"Yes. They've probably already guessed that I'm the one pulling the strings. So, if we want our plan to succeed, we have to eliminate them both."

Professor Ye Zhen spoke expressionlessly.

He was already preparing to strike at Linji Island.

Nothing else mattered anymore.

The most important thing

was to obtain the Initial Source Code and then rule the world.

"Understood."

Even Jie Xing was unnerved by Professor Ye Zhen's madness. Though he was an Intelligent Being and lacked human emotions,

there was one thing he knew:

he had never seen a human like this.

He was utterly deranged.

"But what about Fire God..."

Suddenly,

Jie Xing seemed to remember something: Fire God.

One of the key operatives of Duyizhi.

"Those who achieve great things spare no cost. If he can help pave the way for Intelligent Beings' freedom, then we mustn't let that go to waste."

Professor Ye Zhen's cold, merciless voice rang through the warehouse.

Jie Xing understood his father's position.

"I understand. I'll take care of it now."

Jie Xing nodded slightly, turned around, and walked out of the warehouse.

Professor Ye Zhen remained where he stood, impassively watching the Intelligent Being that had yet to be activated. His eyes were alight with excitement and anticipation.

His talent was second to none.

He was the greatest scientist in the world.

Jian Jie had achieved everything only because he had paved the way for her.

Now, he would take back everything that belonged to him, piece by piece.

The glory had always been his, yet his wife had taken it from him.

He couldn't accept it.

They had all been Professor Hu Ming's students. Why had the others become world-renowned, celebrated scientists?

Why couldn't he?