Isolation

Walking right into the trap...

Although he sensed that something was off, the young License Holder still nodded honestly. "That's right!"

Lan Junxian's pace quickened, an unusual sight.

At that moment, all the refined composure and dignified bearing had vanished from him. He was eager to meet the person who had become the center of attention.

No. 7 Safe House.

The room was spacious and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the traffic below.

The windows were specially made. From inside, they looked like ordinary transparent glass, but from outside, no one could see in.

The entire interior was minimalist, as if they'd wanted to furnish it with nothing but a table and a chair.

If not for the homey feel of the decor, Jiang Qian would have thought this was an interrogation room that had been "dressed up." Of course, there was nothing wrong with that.

Jiang Qian sat at one side of an ivory-white table.

He held a cup of coffee, head bowed in thought.

His right arm had been treated, and the swelling and bruising had gone down. It was now wrapped in layers of white bandages, and the wound seemed to have been tended to quite thoroughly.

At the moment, he was thinking about the middle-aged man who had brought him here, known as "Team Bear."

Team Bear was clearly the leader of some special government task force.

Tall and round, with a genial smile, his prominent beer belly made him seem even more steady and trustworthy, someone people naturally wanted to trust and get close to.

And even give a couple of pats...

Jiang Qian fought the urge to summon the Secret-Seeking Notebook on the spot. What's the rush? There'll be plenty of chances later.

Team Bear was also very amiable.

After taking his initial routine statement, he had even made Jiang Qian a cup of pour-over coffee. They had also chatted about a few things unrelated to the case.

Come to think of it, the coffee tasted great—far better than the vegetable juice his aunt concocted.

It wasn't until someone knocked outside that Team Bear hurried out.

Outside the Safe House.

Lan Junxian's arrival lent Team Bear's round face a touch of solemnity. He prepared to hand over the case.

"So he's the brave soul?"

Lan Junxian deliberately used the term "brave soul," showing just how highly he regarded the License Holder who had cleared Whispers of the Inner Demon.

"Yes." Team Bear nodded.

Lan Junxian focused on the young man seated inside the Safe House through the security camera by the door, his astonishment gradually building.

He never would have expected that someone capable of bringing a nightmare-level trial instance crashing down would turn out to be a young man who looked like a student.

He looked about twenty, the very picture of youthful vigor.

And it was one thing for him to be handsome, but the most important thing was that he had all four limbs intact!

Anyone who could fight their way out of Whispers of the Inner Demon was already a rare monster, in terms of both talent and fate.

If such a person could also retain all their limbs, clear eyes, and no obvious signs of mental disturbance... even Lan Junxian, a Noble Card holder, couldn't help but feel awed.

"No wonder Whispers of the Inner Demon was locked down. He actually made it out completely unscathed."

Inside the Safe House.

Jiang Qian had taken off his bloodstained outerwear and was now wearing only a short-sleeved shirt. His forearm was wrapped in bandages, and he sat at the table holding a cup of coffee.

His movements were loose and natural, his expression calm and composed. At first glance, he seemed completely relaxed and off guard.

It showed that, despite being in an unfamiliar environment, he wasn't at all ill at ease.

He seemed entirely at home.

Considering that he might have actually fought the Peacock Spider and escaped death twice, two words surfaced in Lan Junxian's mind: terrifying.

After a long moment,

the astonishment in Lan Junxian's eyes faded, replaced by keen interest.

"How did it go?"

"He's not easy to deal with!"

Team Bear handed over the statement, his expression grave.

He continued, "This has his basic information and his statement, documenting the events leading up to and during this incident. The key details all check out. We can be almost certain he's the License Holder who advanced from Whispers of the Inner Demon."

"I also recorded everything concerning the Peacock Spider case. As for what's true and what isn't, I'm afraid you'll have to question him yourself."

"But you said he's not easy to deal with." Lan Junxian took the statement and began flipping through it.

It contained Jiang Qian's personal information pulled from the archives, along with details related to the Peacock Spider case and his clearance of the Whispers of the Inner Demon trial instance.

"That's right. He's just an ordinary college student, with no problems in his family background or personal record. He's been cooperative in every respect. Aside from refusing to say a word about how he cleared the instance, everything else in his statement has been confirmed, directly or indirectly."

Then he changed tack:

"But my instincts tell me this man is very calculating. He's not as harmless as he looks."

"He admitted to clearing Whispers of the Inner Demon, but won't say a word about how. As for his Identity Card and the rewards for clearing the instance, he's dodged the questions. No matter how I tried to draw him out, he never let anything slip. He seems to know exactly what he can talk about and what he shouldn't. He may act as if he trusts us, but he hasn't let his guard down for a second."

Lan Junxian looked up.

An experienced License Holder's instincts were often more trustworthy than hard evidence.

But the sharp eyes behind Lan Junxian's gold-rimmed glasses were brimming with amusement. "That's only natural, Team Bear. Someone who can clear Whispers of the Inner Demon wouldn't easily bare his soul to others."

His gaze settled on Jiang Qian inside the Safe House once more. He was eager to meet the young License Holder who had unexpectedly linked the two cases.

"But, Teacher Lan, if you'll forgive my bluntness, before we found him, this kid had just come into contact with the Peacock Spider. He may even have fought her."

"It's hard to imagine what kind of support a newly advanced First State: Cognitive Form License Holder could have had to survive one close call after another and end up on our doorstep."

Cautious as ever, Team Bear still couldn't let it go.

By then, Lan Junxian was already walking toward the Safe House. He couldn't wait to meet this prodigy who had voluntarily "turned himself in."

Before opening the door, he turned back to look at Team Bear's grave expression. "You're not sure he's the one? You suspect someone set him up, and that someone else actually cleared the instance?"

"I've been burned too many times. You know how devious those people are."

Lan Junxian sighed and wagged a finger. "You can't be afraid. Once you're afraid, you've already lost."

The Safe House door opened again.

Jiang Qian looked up at the sound.

A refined middle-aged man in a blue suit and gold-rimmed glasses walked in slowly, smiling as he nodded in greeting.

The man's presence and confident, composed body language told Jiang Qian that neither his strength nor his position could be underestimated.

...He was clearly above Team Bear.

"You're Jiang Qian, the one who cleared Whispers of the Inner Demon?"

"That's me." Out of politeness, Jiang Qian was about to rise from his seat, but the man gestured for him to stay seated.

"Please, sit."

Lan Junxian was warm and courteous as he took the seat opposite Jiang Qian.

He set the statement on the table and got straight to the point. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lan Junxian, head of the Peacock Spider Task Force. Given the special nature of this case, there are some things I need to discuss with you in private."

"Sure, no problem." Jiang Qian's tone was neither servile nor overbearing, and he was equally composed.

Lan Junxian was deeply struck by Jiang Qian's calm demeanor. He stared intently at him, a turbulent mix of curiosity, eagerness, admiration, and even regret hidden in his eyes.

"Mr. Lan?" Jiang Qian furrowed his brows slightly, trying to steer the man's attention back on track.

It was hard to pretend not to notice that intense, possessive stare.

"Sorry." Lan Junxian cleared his throat and explained, "I'm just so excited to meet someone who's made it out of Whispers of the Inner Demon alive."

He realized he was acting a little too eager.

But what could he do?

Who didn't love a talented individual?

"Then let's get down to business."

Lan Junxian opened the statement, his finger stopping at a marked section.

"You said that you entered the Super-Species World after receiving an invitation from the Peacock Spider License Holder, and that, according to her, it was a unique ability of her Identity Card."

"That's right." Jiang Qian confirmed it.

Lan Junxian immediately replied, "That's all perfectly normal. It's her power: she can connect ordinary people to the Super-Species World and give them an Identity Card. But the claim that her life would be threatened if she couldn't recruit anyone? That's complete nonsense. That Demoness only threatens other people's lives..."

As Lan Junxian muttered to himself, Jiang Qian remained composed. He wasn't at all surprised that the young woman had stretched the truth.

But Lan Junxian's next words gradually sent a chill down Jiang Qian's spine:

"Indeed, she likes to turn living prey into cocoons. It hides their life signs and keeps the food fresh."

"She probably didn't kill you right away because you hid the trial instance's difficulty. That Demoness usually toys with the elite without mercy, but can't be bothered with trash. You knew to lie low. Smart."

"She even told you about us and encouraged you to join the government? Heh. If she knew you'd cleared a nightmare-level instance, she'd probably be kicking herself."

Lan Junxian skimmed through the statement, then slowly looked up.

He peered at Jiang Qian over the top of his gold-rimmed glasses.

"So you called the authorities for help because that girl, Sun Lin, can still be saved?"

So that was it. "Linlin" wasn't her real appearance... Jiang Qian nodded. "Right."

"I didn't expect you to have such a strong sense of justice."

"It was the least I could do."

Lan Junxian closed the statement, folded his hands on the table, and looked at Jiang Qian. Out of habit, he cleared his throat.

He seemed ready to discuss something that wasn't in the statement, but was far more important.

"May I ask you a question?" Jiang Qian asked, returning the courtesy.

"Go ahead. I'll do my best to accommodate someone as rare and valuable as you." Lan Junxian was all smiles, though his kindness carried a hint of last rites.

"When can I leave?" Jiang Qian asked calmly.

"Leave?"

Lan Junxian looked genuinely surprised, trying hard to suppress his own pessimism. "No, I'm afraid you can't leave yet."

"?"

That was rather different from what Team Bear had promised earlier.

"Looks like Team Bear didn't tell you? You're now a 'cocoon' of the Peacock Spider. Unless something unexpected happens, within seven days you'll lose your personal will completely and become her sacrifice—or, to put it another way, her slave."

Lan Junxian calmly revealed the truth, trying to catch a glimpse of panic or helplessness on the young man's face.

"On behalf of the Peacock Spider Task Force, I'm notifying you, Jiang Qian: from this moment on, you're under isolation."