Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

December 12, 10 p.m., South Taehoo City Detention Center.

The pale moonlight, like a cold searchlight, cut lonely patches of light across the concrete floor through the narrow cracks of the solitary confinement cell's iron bars. Thomas Jefferson Brown curled up on the cold, hard iron bunk bed, the thin blanket offering no warmth. Despite his family being at the center of a storm, their crimes plastered across the newspapers, a sliver of hope lingered deep within him—his father, Pat Brown, the powerful figure in California, would never abandon his youngest son. He fantasized about the next trial, about his family's powerful legal team turning the tide, about how even if convicted, he could quickly regain his freedom through bail… In this self-comforting dream, his eyelids grew heavy, his breathing became even, and he drifted into a restless, light sleep.

After half an hour.

"Click..."

A very faint, almost inaudible metallic scraping sound rang out in the silent cell. It was the sound of a lock turning.

Thomas seemed to sense something in his sleep, and his brow furrowed.

Then, something even stranger happened—the heavy iron door, which should have been securely locked, silently slid open a crack and then silently closed again, as if an invisible hand was controlling everything. The doorway was empty! Only the dim light in the distance of the corridor cast blurry shadows on the ground.

However, just as the door closed, inside the cell, beside Thomas's bed, a tall, slender figure suddenly appeared as if it had materialized from the shadows.

Thomas's heart skipped a beat as he awoke instantly from his sleep, a strong sense of crisis stemming from his biological instincts jolting him awake. He snapped his eyes open!

By the cold moonlight, he could make out the person standing by the bed—a young white man he had never seen before. His face was almost eerily handsome, his short blond hair gleaming coldly in the moonlight, and a cynical, even cruel, smile played on his lips. His emerald eyes were scrutinizing him with keen interest, like watching prey fall into a trap. The young man raised a finger, elegantly placing it to his lips, giving him a clear "shh" gesture.

"Ugh—!" Boundless fear gripped Thomas's heart instantly. Almost instinctively, he opened his mouth, wanting to let out a heart-wrenching scream and call for the prison guards!

However, the next second!

The hand that had just made the "shh" gesture moved with ghostly speed, instantly gripping his throat! The immense force cut off all his airflow, making it impossible for him to breathe. His eyeballs bulged out rapidly due to lack of oxygen, and the ultimate fear reached its peak!

Just when he thought he was about to be strangled to death, the young man's other hand flashed out and struck him twice on the chest and throat. A strange chill instantly seeped into his body.

The young man loosened his grip.

Thomas lay paralyzed on the bed, clutching his neck and gasping for breath, only to discover to his horror that he couldn't make a sound! No matter how hard he tried to scream, it felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't even squeeze out the faintest breath! He had completely lost his voice! Despair, like ice water, instantly overwhelmed his entire body.

At this moment, the handsome young man's wicked smile widened. With an air of nonchalance, as if by magic, a piece of yellow paper appeared out of thin air, shimmering with a faint, strange fluorescence, upon which intricate patterns were outlined in cinnabar. The young man casually slapped the paper against Thomas's terrified chest.

A miracle happened!

From the outside, inside the cell, Thomas Brown's figure vanished instantly! As if he had never existed there. Only the empty bed and the cold moonlight remained.

Thomas's own perspective was even more terrifying. He found himself still lying in bed, able to see everything around him, but a sense of isolation, as if stripped of the world, tightly enveloped him.

What he saw next was something beyond anything he had ever known in his life.

A longsword once again appeared out of thin air in the young man's hand! The sword was ancient and gleamed with a cold, eerie light, with a strange power flowing within it. With a slight flick of his wrist, the young man unleashed a condensed, almost tangible golden arc of light from the sword!

"laugh--!"

A soft sound, like a hot knife slicing through cream.

The golden arc of light struck the topmost iron bar of the sturdy iron window with pinpoint accuracy! The iron bar, as thick as an adult's thumb, snapped in two with a resounding crack! The break was as smooth as a mirror, making almost no sound!

The young man's wrist trembled violently!

"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

Three more golden arcs of light flashed! Like the most exquisite surgical operation, the other three iron bars were also severed at the root!

The entire iron window, along with its frame, was simply and silently removed, leaving a large enough hole for an adult to squeeze through. The cold night wind rushed in instantly, chilling Thomas to the bone.

His bloodshot eyes widened as he stared at this godlike and demonic phenomenon, his mind blank, even his fear seemingly frozen by this incomprehensible occurrence.

And then... no more.

The young man sheathed his longsword, glanced at Thomas, who lay frozen on the bed in extreme fear and shock, and seemed somewhat bored. He casually swung his hand, and an invisible force struck Thomas on the back of the neck.

Thomas's vision went black. In his last moments of consciousness, all that remained was that handsome yet sinister face, and the boundless, abyss-like darkness. He lost all feeling and collapsed onto the bed like a bag of garbage.

At Laurel Manor, Lin Yan had just finished showering. With a slight movement of his divine sense, he sensed that Maguire, who was on a mission in the distance, had completed it. He walked to the window, gazing at the deep night sky in the direction of South Lake Tahoe, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Midnight, time to open the presents!"