Rain poured down in torrents, hammering against the windows with relentless force.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, rolling through the sky like an impending omen.
Unable to fall asleep, Lin Ran sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. He gazed at the room, occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning, and fell into deep thought.
Since formally agreeing to Yin Ling's invitation, he had cut off all contact with Feng Qi and the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
This was necessary to prevent any unexpected complications.
Yin Ling wasn't naive. She wouldn't fully trust him based on verbal agreement alone.
Even if she personally believed him, for the sake of her people's future, she would remain cautious and have countermeasures in place.
The Silvermoon Clan's grand arrival plan was her utmost priority, and she would undoubtedly be watching his every move from the shadows.
All he had to do now was wait.
By doing nothing for the time being, he could slowly deepen Yin Ling's trust in him.
If he acted too soon, it would be nothing short of suicide, prematurely ending the carefully constructed script.
At the same time, Yin Ling had brought up an unsettling speculation.
She suspected that the Tiger Soul Research Institute had already picked up on some traces of their activities and that their sudden investigation into the Energy Research Institute might be a probing maneuver.
Lin Ran was genuinely surprised by her sharp intuition.
Her assumption was nearly spot on.
The true nature of this investigation was the execution of the third phase of Feng Qi's script plan, targeting Yin Ling and the other Silvermoon Clan members secretly embedded within the Energy Research Institute.
But even if Yin Ling had realized the truth, it wouldn't change the course of events.
From both a strategic and intelligence perspective, the Silvermoon Clan's vanguard was no match for Qi-ge.
After all, this plan had been meticulously named the Script Plan.
With information from the previous sacrifice timeline as reference, Yin Ling—who would have otherwise remained deeply hidden—was now completely exposed, trapped in a meticulously laid out narrative.
Everything that followed would unfold precisely as Qi-ge had arranged.
There was only one possible outcome.
Yin Ling, along with the remaining members of the Silvermoon vanguard, would be forced to flee from Star City, embarking on a desperate escape.
Lin Ran's expression grew complicated at the thought, and he couldn't help but sigh.
He had spent quite some time with Yin Ling. If he said he felt nothing for her, it would be a lie.
During their time together, he realized that he didn't even need to pretend—he and Yin Ling had plenty of common interests, and their worldviews aligned almost seamlessly.
What he had imagined to be a painstaking act of deceit turned out to be an experience he actually enjoyed.
At times, he even felt like he was in a genuine relationship with her.
But ultimately, he was the one who was truly deceiving the other.
Yin Ling had only been hiding her identity, but she had been genuine in their interactions, never concealing her thoughts or emotions.
Meanwhile, from beginning to end, he had been putting on an act.
This realization left a bitter taste in his heart.
His dedication to humanity's cause had never wavered, but the guilt from personal emotions weighed heavily on him.
At this moment, he suddenly understood why, when Feng Qi spoke about his past with the Mist Lord, his eyes carried a hint of regret.
Some things could only be fully comprehended by those involved.
Humans were not emotionless beings.
Qi-ge and the Mist Lord had traveled together for over a decade, surviving the harsh northern winters and making their way to the human world, then moving through Winterfell, Old Day City, and finally Star City.
After years of life-and-death companionship, it wasn't just Qi-ge who had developed feelings— even the Mist Lord, who had always been hostile to outsiders, had come to see Qi-ge as his only family.
Only those who had been in their position would understand the weight of such bonds.
It was because Qi-ge had never abandoned his ideals that he carried this deep regret toward the Mist Lord.
Now, Lin Ran was experiencing it firsthand.
Yin Ling was undeniably beautiful, but she was also refreshingly straightforward. She never acted pretentious and had even gone online to argue with people who criticized him.
Their time together had been genuinely enjoyable.
His thoughts churned as he let out another sigh.
Three days later.
Following Yin Ling's suggestion, Lin Ran moved into the Energy Research Institute.
Her reasoning was simple—right now, wherever he went, he would be met with unfriendly stares and judgmental glances. Rather than enduring that, he might as well stay at the Energy Research Institute where he wouldn't have to deal with such scrutiny.
Of course, this was exactly what Lin Ran had been aiming for.
Even if Yin Ling hadn't suggested it, he would have found a way to move into the Energy Research Institute himself.
This wasn't just about being under Yin Ling's direct supervision to build further trust—it was also directly tied to the next phase of the script plan.
That day, Lin Ran arrived at Yin Ling's office.
She was engrossed in reviewing some newly received documents, her expression focused and serious.
Hearing his footsteps, Yin Ling looked up immediately.
"Need any help?" Lin Ran asked casually.
"I'd be grateful if you just don't get in the way," Yin Ling rolled her eyes.
Lin Ran grinned and walked over to the sofa, picking up the latest academic journal published by the Tiger Soul Research Institute. He casually flipped through the pages.
Time passed in silence, with neither of them disturbing the other.
After a while, Yin Ling finished reviewing the documents and finally lifted her gaze toward Lin Ran.
"Lin Ran."
"Hm?" He glanced up from the journal.
"I'd like to introduce someone to you."
"Who?"
"My younger brother, Yin Xiao."
Lin Ran blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Yin… Laugh?" he asked, mishearing the name with an incredulous look.
Yin Ling's expression darkened instantly.
Seeing Lin Ran's expression, Yin Ling immediately knew he had misunderstood. She rolled her eyes before turning to glance at the space beside Lin Ran and said, "Come out."
As soon as her words fell, the air beside Lin Ran distorted. A silver-haired young man holding a jade flute appeared out of thin air.
His long, silvery hair cascaded down smoothly, his eyebrows were sharp yet elegant, and his eyes radiated a warm glow. Combined with his thin lips and well-defined facial features, he exuded an ethereal presence, almost like a spirit of the night. His flawless appearance was truly rare to find.
The jade flute in his hand only added to his noble aura.
"Silver as in the color, and Xiao as in howling at the sky. My name is Yin Xiao." The silver-haired youth smiled as he reached out to shake Lin Ran's hand.
After they shook hands, Yin Ling continued, "He's my younger brother, and his talent surpasses mine. You two should have more exchanges in the future."
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes slightly before asking, "How many of your Silvermoon Clan members have infiltrated Star City?"
Hearing this, Yin Ling's expression changed slightly. Her tone became stern as she said, "Lin Ran, don't refer to the Silvermoon Clan as 'your clan' anymore. If you truly want to integrate, you need to understand that you are now one of us. I believe that with your talent, my people will accept you."
Lin Ran felt a little awkward but quickly nodded. "Understood."
He knew Yin Ling's words were meant for his benefit.
After all, he was joining the Silvermoon Clan as an outsider. If he subconsciously treated them as a foreign force, it would be difficult for him to truly integrate.
As they continued their conversation, Lin Ran gained a deeper understanding of the Silvermoon Clan's plans in Star City.
It turned out that the Silvermoon Clan had already seized full control over several energy institutions in the western district of Star City. More than a hundred elite members had infiltrated the city, each assigned to oversee different energy supply sectors.
This move had been in preparation for decades.
This was something Feng Qi had already deduced.
He had once told Lin Ran that, in the previous timeline, the Silvermoon Clan had managed to cut off Star City's energy supply in a short period and redirected these resources to construct a spatial gateway. This wasn't something that could have been accomplished by just a handful of people in a short time.
The only logical explanation was that the Silvermoon Clan had completely infiltrated the energy sector of the western district.
This meant that Yin Ling was not working alone—there were other members of her clan, all holding managerial positions in various energy institutions, allowing them to act with unparalleled efficiency.
However, when hearing this information, Lin Ran pretended to be surprised.
Yin Ling then started introducing him to the history of the Silvermoon Clan.
According to her, the Silvermoon Clan resided in the second layer of the Black Abyss Domain. It was one of the most dominant factions within its world.
Unlike humanity, the Silvermoon Clan had thousands of years of accumulated cultivation knowledge.
In addition to traditional martial arts and spell techniques, they had developed specialized disciplines such as spiritual combat, puppetry, and beast mastery.
As for why the Silvermoon Clan chose Star City as their next target, Yin Ling explained it in detail.
They did not plan to descend into the human world by bringing their domain with them. Instead, they chose to infiltrate an already well-established human city to serve as their base of operations.
This strategy was designed to minimize risks.
Bringing their domain along certainly had its advantages—such as carrying large amounts of spiritual resources and retaining the environmental conditions that benefited their cultivation.
Having a domain would also help Silvermoon Clan members adapt to the new world's laws faster and accelerate their ascension to domain-transcendent beings.
However, the risks were immense.
Crossing dimensions with a domain was extremely dangerous. The Path to the Heavens was guarded by terrifying entities that could sense domain intrusions.
With luck, they could descend successfully.
But if things went wrong, their entire race could be wiped out.
This was a gamble on the future of their entire species.
The Silvermoon Clan refused to take that risk, opting instead for a safer approach.
Before their descent, they had already begun stockpiling resources from their homeworld, ensuring that they would have the necessary supplies to establish a stable foothold in the human world.
After hearing this, Lin Ran immediately thought of the Mist Clan that Feng Qi had mentioned before.
The Silvermoon Clan's approach was completely different from that of the Mist Clan.
The Silvermoon Clan aimed for stability, choosing the most secure way to descend into the human world while maximizing their potential gains.
The Mist Clan, on the other hand, had gambled everything.
The result had been disastrous.
Although they successfully descended with their domain, the Mist Lord became the last remaining survivor of their entire race.
The difference in outcomes was clearly tied to the decisions made by their respective leaders.
Feng Qi had once described the Mist Lord as someone who harbored an unyielding ambition to climb to the peak of existence. He understood that the path to supremacy was fraught with competitors and that hesitation would lead to failure.
That was why the Mist Lord chose to bet everything on a single gamble.
If this gamble succeeded, the peak Mist Clan would descend into the human world with a much stronger foundation than many other faction forces.
The path to dominance envisioned by the Mist Lord would become reality, and there would be no need for him to hide in the shadows of the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Even history itself would change because of this decision.
Through Yin Ling's explanation, Lin Ran gained a basic understanding of the Silvermoon Clan.
As they continued chatting, Yin Ling's phone suddenly rang.
She picked up the phone from her desk and answered the call.
"Alright, I understand."
A few moments later, she ended the call and stood up.
"Big sister, what's wrong?" Yin Xiao immediately asked curiously.
"The inspection team has arrived. I need to go meet them. You two stay here."
With that, Yin Ling strode out of the office.
Once the door shut, only Lin Ran and Yin Xiao remained in the room, staring at each other.
"Brother-in-law," Lin Ran said, breaking the silence, "don't you think this inspection is a little strange?"
Yin Xiao, unfazed by the title, nodded and said, "My sister mentioned that this inspection operation feels off in many ways. Considering the recent events targeting you, she even suspects that the Tiger Soul Research Institute might have discovered our presence. You might just be collateral damage. Since you've been spending so much time with my sister… she feels guilty about it."
"You just blurted that out?" Lin Ran was surprised.
That was something Yin Ling had confided in Yin Xiao. It wasn't meant for Lin Ran to hear.
After all, anyone would have thoughts if they found out they were being targeted because of the people around them.
Right now, Lin Ran was a recruit being pulled into the Silvermoon Clan's cause. Yin Ling definitely wanted him to fully commit to their side.
If he learned that this entire ordeal might have happened because of his association with her, he could easily develop feelings of resentment or rejection.
This kind of thing… wasn't supposed to be said.
"Why not?" Yin Xiao blinked, looking genuinely curious.
"...Never mind."
Lin Ran sighed. Seeing Yin Xiao's innocent expression, he realized this kid had a simple mind, nowhere near Yin Ling's level.
"Lin Ran, my sister says you're a genius. Can you tell me your story?"
"I don't mind telling you, but from now on, call me brother-in-law."
"Okay."
…
Several hours later.
Just as Lin Ran and Yin Xiao were deep in conversation, Yin Ling returned to the office.
She sat down heavily in her chair, rubbing her temples with a serious expression.
"What happened?" Lin Ran asked.
"The first round of inspection is over. Although they didn't find any issues, their behavior was clearly unusual."
"Explain."
"They're now planning to conduct a closed-door inspection of all research institutes and have demanded our full cooperation. I've never encountered such a lockdown-style inspection before. There's definitely something going on behind the scenes… I think we might be exposed."
Yin Ling paused for a moment before continuing, "But I don't understand where we slipped up."
"Maybe one of the other research institute leaders among your people got careless," Lin Ran suggested.
Hearing his guess, Yin Ling sighed helplessly and nodded.
She looked worried, but Lin Ran knew exactly why this inspection was happening.
Feng Qi's plan had been carefully orchestrated with the specific goal of flushing out the Silvermoon Clan's infiltrators.
But if they really wanted to eliminate the Silvermoon Clan, it wouldn't be this complicated.
With Feng Qi, Mu Qing, and the Tiger Soul Research Institute's elite combat squads, they could easily wipe out the Silvermoon Clan's operatives in a single decisive strike.
The whole purpose of this staged inspection, and the impending full lockdown, was to warn Yin Ling.
It was a message—"We're coming for you. Prepare your escape route."
This was all part of the script.
If Yin Ling had no forewarning and was suddenly ambushed, she would question how she managed to escape Star City so easily.
By creating this "forced escape" scenario, Feng Qi was ensuring the narrative remained believable.
And it worked.
Yin Ling stood up, looking at Yin Xiao seriously.
"Tonight, we're holding a vanguard meeting. We need to start preparing in advance. If this situation spirals out of control, we must leave Star City early."
"Leave Star City?" Yin Xiao looked shocked.
Seeing Yin Xiao's confusion, Lin Ran patted his shoulder and said,
"Only by staying alive can we rethink our strategy and plan for the future. Staying here leads to nothing but death."