Chapter 77: Powerful Connections (3)
"An imposter?" Kaiwen asked, looking genuinely confused before scoffing in disbelief. "Who has a death wish?"
"Xinyuan?" Zhaohe turned to him sharply, surprise flashing across her face. "What do you mean there is an imposter here?"
Xinyuan had already risen to his feet. His gaze moved to the only unfamiliar pair in the room.
A golden-haired Esper and beside him, a black-haired guide with calm dark eyes that almost reflected blue beneath the lights.
"Why are you..." The guide tilted her head beneath Xinyuan’s stare before realizing he wasn’t looking at her at all.
He was looking directly at the Esper beside her.
The entire room noticed it immediately. Yet the golden-haired Esper remained completely relaxed.
"What are you talking about?" the guide snapped, rising to her feet. "This is Mo Heyun, an S rank Esper. He is not an imposter."
Her expression hardened. "This is insulting, Zhaohe. We’re leaving—"
Her voice cut off abruptly as a crushing wave of pressure flooded the room.
Xinyuan’s wavelength exploded outward. The atmosphere instantly became heavy enough to suffocate.
The Espers stared hard.
The guides froze.
But the golden-haired Esper only chuckled softly before standing as well.
"It’s okay, Zining," he said calmly. "Let him speak."
Xinyuan’s gaze sharpened. "Where’s the real Mo Heyun, brother?"
His tone remained calm, but there was something dangerous beneath it now.
Everyone in the room had gone alert.
Everyone except Wenzhi and Gu Luhan.
The two guides remained still, their attention locked entirely onto Xinyuan and the man standing before him.
"Did you just say brother?" Yuzhen gasped dramatically.
Kaiwen, seated beside him, gave him a look that clearly said, Don’t start.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zining snapped. "This is Mo Heyun!"
Her hand moved toward her pocket.
Wenzhi noticed instantly.
Gun.
His own hand moved at the same time toward the weapon hooked against his waistband.
But before either of them could react further, the fake Mo Heyun calmly placed a hand on Zining’s shoulder.
"He’s alive," he said easily. "Locked inside one of the bedrooms upstairs."
His gaze returned to Xinyuan.
"How did you recognize me so quickly, little brother?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious now. "I haven’t even been here long enough to figure out what this little gathering is about."
"That’s him? That’s Shao Jingxin?" Kaiwen asked, narrowing his eyes.
A golden glow suddenly flickered across the fake Mo Heyun’s body. His appearance shifted immediately.
The false face disappeared.
Shao Jingxin stood there tall and broad, his dark hair slicked back neatly, sharp features fully revealed now. The scar beneath his eye only added to the intimidating edge of his appearance.
But this room was filled with high-ranking Espers.
After the initial shock, nobody actually looked intimidated.
Jingxin didn’t seem disappointed by that either.
He simply smiled.
Beside him, Zining stumbled backward, finally using the opportunity to put distance between herself and him before hurrying toward Chenxi, breathing hard like she had been holding her panic this entire time.
"Oh?" Jingxin looked at her with amusement. "Now you run away, darling?"
"You Bastard!" Zining snapped.
Wenzhi’s hand slipped toward the gun tucked into his waistband almost instinctively.
The moment Zining tried to move again, Chenxi grabbed her wrist and forced her to stay beside him.
"Stay put for your own sake," he said coldly.
His expression remained completely blank, but the murderous pressure around him was impossible to miss.
Zining froze.
"Don’t hurt her," Jingxin said easily, smiling despite the situation. "I’m the one at fault. I threatened her after she found out I wasn’t Mo Heyun."
His gaze swept lazily across the room.
Nobody looked pleased to see him.
Especially not Xinyuan.
"Could everyone leave the room, please," Xinyuan said softly.
"He’s being polite," Yuzhen announced as he rose to his feet.
"Come with me. We should search for the real Mo Heyun." He grabbed Zhiyao by the sleeve and started dragging him toward the exit.
Zhiyao, however, kept his gaze on Wenzhi for several seconds longer before finally allowing himself to be pulled away.
The others hesitated.
Jingxin let out a low chuckle. "I don’t think they want to leave, little brother."
A gunshot suddenly exploded through the room.
The bullet slammed straight into Jingxin’s shoulder.
Everyone froze.
Jingxin staggered back, grabbing his bleeding shoulder before glaring sharply toward Wenzhi.
Wenzhi stood there with his gun still raised, a lollipop between his lips and irritation written all over his freckled face. "He talks too much."
Xinyuan’s lips twitched faintly.
Gu Luhan frowned while Zhaohe scoffed with obvious satisfaction.
The others still looked stunned by the sudden violence.
Meanwhile, Jingxin cursed through gritted teeth. "Why the fuck would you shoot me—"
His eyes suddenly glowed gold.
"Why are you stupid enough to come here?" Kaiwen cut in first, staring at him like he genuinely couldn’t understand the logic behind it. "You’re from Old Blood. Your faction literally placed claims on Xinyuan and Wenzhi. Why would you walk directly into a room filled with people who could kill you?"
"Because I’d like to talk to my brother," Jingxin snapped before glaring toward Wenzhi again. "Without his guide shooting me every five seconds."
The gun lifted again.
This time aimed directly at his head.
"Freckles," Xinyuan called softly.
Wenzhi scoffed under his breath, lowering the weapon. He couldn’t deny that he was also shocked to see Shao Jingxin here.
If Xinyuan hadn’t recognized him so quickly, Jingxin would’ve sat through the entire meeting listening to everything they had planned.
The thought alone irritated Wenzhi but he rose to his feet and stormed out of the room.
After that, the others slowly began leaving too.
Chenxi dragged Zining out beside him while Kaiwen paused near the doorway. "Are you sure you want to be alone with him?"
"Yes," Xinyuan answered calmly, never taking his eyes off Jingxin.
"Let’s go," Zhaohe muttered as she walked past Kaiwen.
One by one, the room emptied.
Until only the two brothers remained staring at each other in silence.
