Volume One, Chapter 76: The Chosen One.

Inside the room, Jiang Chen sneezed, but he paid it no mind. Aside from the bed being a bit noisy, it was otherwise quite comfortable.

The next morning, Jiang Chen emerged from his room with a weary look. Coincidentally, Jiang Shengli came out at the same time. The two exchanged a knowing smile—one that needed no words.

Jiang Shengli gave him a hearty thumbs-up. “Young man, you’ve got a bright future ahead of you.”

Though Jiang Chen was a little puzzled, he basked in the compliment without reservation.

“Brother, are you heading out for business?” Jiang Chen asked.

Jiang Shengli chuckled. “No, I’m going to see my daughter. Haven’t seen her in quite a while. You know, my daughter is about the same age as your girlfriend—maybe they’re even classmates.”

Jiang Chen nodded. “That’s nice, but I imagine most college students aren’t up this early.”

Jiang Shengli waved his hand. “You don’t know my daughter—she’s such a good girl. Every morning, the first thing she does after waking is call me.”

Just as he finished speaking, Jiang Shengli glanced at his phone. “Wait, this is about when she usually calls me. What’s going on today? Let me give her a ring.”

He dialed, a smile lighting up his face.

The phone rang.

From inside the room, Jiang Ning’s voice called out, “Brother Jiang Chen! Come in and help me! My dad’s calling!”

Jiang Shengli and Jiang Chen exchanged startled looks.

“Brother Jiang Chen, I can’t find my clothes—can you help me look?” Jiang Ning’s voice grew louder. Jiang Chen felt like he wanted to sink into the floor.

Jiang Shengli’s face darkened.

Jiang Chen blinked. “Brother, calm down—please, calm down.”

“Calm down?!” Jiang Shengli roared. “How the hell am I supposed to calm down?!”

Just then, Jiang Ning emerged from the room, now dressed, but she hadn’t yet seen her father.

“Brother Jiang Chen, thanks for letting me sleep so well last night. Though, that bed was a little uncomfortable—maybe you were a bit too rough.” She rubbed her neck as she spoke.

“I’m going to kill you!” Jiang Shengli threw down his phone and lunged at Jiang Chen.

Only then did Jiang Ning realize her father was there. She hurried between them.

“Dad, what are you doing? Why are you trying to hit Brother Jiang Chen?” she cried, wedging herself in the middle. Jiang Chen quickly backed away.

Now he was truly in hot water, but the most embarrassed wasn’t him—it was Jiang Shengli.

At that moment, Jiang Shengli recalled everything he’d said the night before and felt as if the sky were collapsing. He deeply regretted not being more observant, not being more cautious, not being less trusting.

Now, everything was ruined.

Jiang Chen said, “Brother, don’t get worked up—let me explain. There’s really nothing between us. Last night was just a misunderstanding, truly just that. If you don’t believe me, ask Jiang Ning.”

“It’s true, Dad! If Brother Jiang Chen hadn’t helped me last night, you might never have seen me again,” Jiang Ning chimed in, her voice soft and pleading. That bit of wheedling finally calmed Jiang Shengli’s rage.

“Fine, I’ll listen to your explanations. But if you two can’t make things clear, I’ll skin this brat alive!” Jiang Shengli declared.

It took the father and daughter two whole hours to explain everything thoroughly before Jiang Shengli finally breathed a sigh of relief. If they hadn’t managed to clear things up, Jiang Chen would probably have had to run for his life—he knew all too well the wrath of a protective father.

Though he’d regained his composure, Jiang Shengli’s attitude toward Jiang Chen was lukewarm at best. After all, what decent young man brings a girl to a hotel? Jiang Shengli was still weighing Jiang Chen’s character, and it was rare for him to lose his temper like this.

Knowing he was at fault, Jiang Chen didn’t linger at the hotel. He went straight home.

Fortunately, not long after, Jiang Ning messaged him to say everything had been resolved, and her father even invited him to visit their home when he had time.

Jiang Chen declined. He couldn’t help but imagine that if he really did go, he might leave in pieces—one here, one there.

Just as Jiang Chen was starting to calm down, he received a message from Su Yike. It had been a while since that feisty girl had reached out—he wondered what had prompted her today.

After answering her call, Jiang Chen headed straight for the police station. At the entrance, he found a crowd gathered, all staring at something he couldn’t see.

Everyone was clustered around a computer, with several others standing nearby—people from Institute 509: Fang Longcheng, Xu Congcong, Heilong, and Xue Qi.

But now, Xue Qi had become noticeably subdued. At the sight of Jiang Chen, he simply lowered his head, not even daring to meet his gaze.

Su Yike sat at the computer. When she saw Jiang Chen, she said directly, “You’re finally here. There’s something really tricky that needs handling—I think it might be useful to you.”

Useful to me?

Jiang Chen figured the only thing that might be useful to him these days was recruiting more experts into his team. Nothing else seemed important.

He found a chair and sat beside Su Yike, glancing at the computer screen, which displayed a name and photograph.

“Lin Mo, seventeen, high school student. What’s there to see?” Jiang Chen scanned the profile but found nothing remarkable.

He scoffed, “What, is Institute 509 that desperate for work? Even little things like this you want to butt in on?”

Su Yike rolled her eyes. “If it were that simple, do you think we’d have called you? If this was just some minor issue, any of them could handle it. But this is no minor matter—it’s of great significance.”

“Of great significance? He’s just a high schooler, enjoying a happy, ordinary life—except for waking up at six every morning, what’s there to observe?” Jiang Chen leaned back and spread his hands.

Su Yike sighed. “Look who’s talking—you’re only eighteen yourself. There’s barely a year’s difference, and yet you sound so preachy.”

Fang Longcheng cut in, “This one’s different. He may be seventeen, but his gift is intelligence itself.”

Jiang Chen was always irritated by people who liked to keep him guessing. He was in a good mood now, but if he wasn’t, he’d have dragged Fang Longcheng out for a lesson.

Sensing Jiang Chen’s impatience, Fang Longcheng didn’t beat around the bush. “He might be the first Chosen One to appear in the Great Tower in nearly a century.”

At the mention of “Chosen One,” Jiang Chen could no longer keep his composure. “A Chosen One? Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.