Chapter Eighty: The Title Has Gone Missing

“Tsk, there really are a lot of weirdos here. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come to China.” Ruffling his wild, silver hair like a patch of weeds, Cross’s handsome face twisted with frustration.

Just then, his phone rang. Normally lazy, Cross scrambled to answer when he saw the name on the display. Instinctively straightening up, he said, “Boss, why are you calling me?”

A hoarse adult male voice, distorted by a voice changer, replied from the other end, “Have you arrived in China?”

Meanwhile, far away in Country M, a shadowy figure sitting in a computer chair tapped the desk, his expression unreadable.

Cross nodded so vigorously it was almost comical. “Yes, I’m here. Boss, what’s our next move?”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Find K at all costs.”

He was extremely curious about this so-called K.

Half a month ago, Cross had helped a small Chinese firm fend off a hacker attack, but ended up defeated. Under normal circumstances, Cross, being ranked tenth on the Chinese hackers’ leaderboard, shouldn’t have lost so easily. Driven by curiosity, the man had used Cross’s computer to trace K’s location.

He found nothing. The only thing he could confirm was that “K” was somewhere in China. Even that scrap of information wasn’t his discovery—K had left it there, for reasons unknown.

This intrigued him greatly. He had never encountered an adversary of this caliber before. The loneliness of those at the top was biting; he was desperate for a worthy opponent, which is why he’d sent Cross to China.

“Don’t worry. Even if I have to skip meals and sleep, I’ll drag K out into the open!” Cross thumped his chest in assurance, though he sounded a little disgruntled. “But K is so slippery, tracking him down will be a real headache. And on top of that, my grandfather actually wants me to babysit some pampered young master at school. It’s driving me crazy.”

Just thinking about the boy he’d seen earlier made Cross grit his teeth in irritation. As a genius, when had he ever been so slighted or looked down upon?

The man was utterly unconcerned. “No matter how spoiled, he’s just an ordinary person. Not worth our attention. Just focus on your own task.”

“Oh…” With no support from his boss, Cross’s spirits visibly deflated.

On the other side, after Chao Xu returned to her bedroom, she felt a timid tug at the hem of her clothes.

She turned to see Ci Mo looking up at her with pitiful eyes. “Are you still accepting little brothers?”

He looked for all the world like a wronged wife confronted by her husband’s mistress.

After a pause, he went on, “You were staring at that guy called Cross just now.”

Cross, huh…

Chao Xu shook her head decisively. “He’s not as obedient as you. I don’t want him.”

Her words, dripping with obvious disdain, successfully pleased Ci Mo.

Seeing his smile, bright and sweet, Chao Xu’s lips quirked upward, and she found herself wanting to pat his head. But as her hand was about to touch him, she froze, her gaze flickering with surprise.

It was as if she had seen something utterly shocking.

“What’s wrong, Ah-Chao?” Ci Mo, ready for a head pat, looked up in confusion.

What he didn’t know was that, at this moment, Chao Xu saw a swirling black aura enveloping him.

That darkness radiated a powerful, oppressive force. One glance was enough to make any unstable soul tremble.

Strangely, the gentle, harmless boy at the heart of that black mist seemed entirely out of place, yet the two merged in a bizarre, chilling harmony—

Making the sight all the more terrifying.