A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

************

......

After hanging up the phone with the teacher and stuffing the terminal into his pocket, Lu Jianan was launched like a cannonball!

He rushed downstairs, filled out the entry and exit registration form at top speed, and slammed open the dormitory building door with a "bang" before rushing out.

The woman on duty today happened to be the same woman, Sister A, who helped Lu Jianan register last time. She was so startled by his movements that she involuntarily hissed and watched his back.

It's really rare; even this dejected little loser has perked up.

Look at his registration form; it says he went out.

Awesome.

I don't know what kind of power could make a researcher who never goes out overcome his social anxiety and bravely rush out the door all by himself.

......

Lu Jianan was unaware of the doubts of the female A behind him. Like a gust of wind, he rushed out of the research institute's gate in less than a minute.

The chilly air of a deep winter morning filled his lungs, carrying a hint of frost and snow, but it did nothing to dampen the burning anticipation in his heart.

He didn't feel cold at all just thinking about his older brother!

Lu Jianan was extremely anxious. She rushed to the roadside and looked around.

The area around the military research institute is a large restricted zone, where outside vehicles are not allowed to approach without reason, and of course, there are no taxis available.

The city is in the distance, with only one road running straight through it, about two kilometers long.

This must be the pain of not having a private car.

Lu Jianan looked around again. It was rush hour, and there was no one around, nor any colleagues who could give him a ride.

He rubbed his face, sobbing. With no other choice, he had to go all out and start running towards the distant city skyline!

Making a researcher with poor health who rarely leaves his home run a two-thousand-meter physical test? Waaah!

It's okay, he can do it!

Lu Jianan ran herself ragged trying to find her older brother.

As he approached the edge of the city, a hover taxi with its "vacant" sign on drove by on the ring road. He immediately jumped up and waved, then stepped on the curb, lost his footing, and almost fell headfirst to the ground.

Seeing that he was driving on the road and looked very anxious, the driver quickly pulled over to the side of the road.

"Master! Zhongshan State Guesthouse! Mountaintop villa area! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Lu Jianan dashed over, opened the car door, and jumped in. He was still a little out of breath from running, but when he said his destination, he spoke as fast as he could, like beans being poured out.

The driver, a middle-aged man, glanced at the young man in the white coat with messy hair, an anxious expression, and a worried look in the rearview mirror, and asked, "Young man, the top of Zhongshan Mountain? Oh dear, you need authorization to go up to the top. Do you have authorization?"

"I have it! Please hurry, I'm in a rush!" Lu Jianan was so anxious that she stomped her feet, wishing she could get out and push the cart herself.

"Alright, sit tight!" The uncle confirmed with him that he had authorization and then stopped talking nonsense, quickly starting the hovercar.

The hovercar accelerated smoothly.

The Military Region Research Institute is about an hour's drive from Zhongshan.

Lu Jianan pressed herself against the car window, her eyes fixed on the approaching mountain silhouette ahead, her heart pounding in her chest.

I tried calling my older brother but couldn't get through. But he's definitely here! Where could he have gone if he's right here? The signal must be bad, or he's washing up or eating breakfast and didn't hear me!

It's okay, he can just go find his older brother, and he'll be there in front of him right away!

What should I say as the first thing when I see my older brother? Will he hit me or kiss me?

Ahhhhh!

Lu Jianan covered her eyes shyly!

Damn, my last first kiss wasn't very romantic at all. Oh well, it doesn't count, we're all the same anyway! We can do it again!

After registering at the foot of the mountain, the car smoothly ascended along the winding mountain road.

The higher you go, the colder the air becomes, and the more heavily guarded the roadside sentries become.

Every time Lu Jianan passed through a checkpoint, just as he was about to explain, the guards in their crisp uniforms would simply glance at his face and wave him through.

Gao Tian and the Crown Prince had previously warned him not to stop him. Lu Jianan was on the permanent list of staff at the State Guesthouse, so he was able to enter without any hindrance.

The taxi drove all the way up to the top of the mountain.

Ordinary vehicles are not allowed to approach the villa area, so they can only stop on an open platform near the top of the mountain.

The villa complex ahead was nestled among lush trees, surrounded by numerous female soldiers, creating an imposing sight.

"We've arrived, young man." The driver stopped the car.

"Thank you, driver!" Lu Jianan thanked the driver, quickly scanned the code to pay, and jumped out of the car.

It's still a few hundred meters away from the villa area!

Lu Jianan took a deep breath, took off running, and sprinted towards the villa with all her might!

The mountaintop was so quiet in the early morning that he could hear his own heartbeat and heavy breathing.

He was really tired. He hadn't eaten a single grain of rice for a whole day and night since yesterday, and only drank a glass of water this morning.

After running for several kilometers, my lungs felt like they were stuffed with dry cotton, both stuffy and painful, and my legs felt like they were filled with lead.

But he didn't care, he just went on a rampage.

Big brother, big brother, big brother, I'm here, big brother!

Having this one thought was enough to sustain him for a long time.

Rushing past meticulously tended flowerbeds, rushing up wide steps, and rushing through an impressive entrance hall.

The female soldiers on duty were the same group from a few days ago. I don't know what he was rushing for, nor did I think he was rushing slowly. I watched him pass by with a blank expression and out of the corner of my eye.

Anyway, this gentleman has always been loud and boisterous. Maybe he just enjoys exercising. Let's just respect and wish him well.

Lu Jianan had no idea what the female soldiers outside were thinking so seriously. He rushed to the elevator, pressed the button, and then began to wait anxiously for the elevator.

I waited for several minutes, but the elevator just wouldn't come down for some reason.

Oh dear, this is so frustrating!

"If you're going to do something, do it right! Get up from where you fell, and go back up from where you came down!" Lu Jianan rushed towards the fire escape staircase at the far end of the corridor, leading to the upper floor.

One step, two steps, three steps... Lu Jianan rushed up the stairs head down, taking three steps at a time, making the thick carpeted stairs thump loudly under his feet.

The hilltop villa at the state guesthouse has eight floors!

The mere eighth floor!

However, the ceiling height of the hilltop villa is really high, and there are so many steps QAQ, one floor is even better than six floors.

But it's okay, he can do it!

The seventh floor! The second to last floor! This is it!

Lu Jianan rushed out of the stairwell.

The long corridor remained unchanged, covered with thick, dark carpets, very solemn and quiet.

The door at the end of the corridor is where my older brother lives!

Lu Jianan's heart was pounding in her throat, and she stumbled before managing to stop.

His forehead was covered in sweat, a few strands of wet black hair clung to his forehead, his chest heaved violently, and he was panting heavily.

This won't do, it's about image, image!

Lu Jianan quickly leaned against the wall and gasped for breath for two minutes before she could barely calm her heartbeat and breathing.

Looking at the familiar, tightly closed door beside him, he sighed. "Sigh, I don't know what he was pretending for the past few days. If he had always lived next door to my older brother, he wouldn't be so tired today."

Lu Jianan stumbled and staggered to her elder brother's door.

His fingertips were still trembling slightly from running and excitement, but he raised his hand and, without the slightest hesitation, pressed the round doorbell button on the side of the door.

The doorbell rang, leading to the inside.

His heart was pounding in his chest, drowning out his heavy breathing.

I've decided. When my older brother opens the door, I'll just kneel down and beg for his leg.

Stop talking, nothing works as well as clinging to someone powerful.

If his older brother tries to hit him, he'll cry!

Even if his older brother doesn't hit him, he still cries!

Lu Jianan held her breath, her heart pounding wildly in her throat, making her eardrums buzz.

He raised his hand to tidy his messy hair, then tugged at the wrinkled corner of his clothes, and then smiled.

Great, the shiny little dog is back!

My older brother will definitely like it!

Lu Jianan waited happily for her older brother to open the door.

The door lock made a soft "click" sound as it opened.

Lu Jianan's heart jumped, her smile widened, and her body involuntarily leaned forward slightly.

The door opened silently inward.

Three, two, one, kneel!

"Big brother."

She was only halfway through calling him "brother" in a coquettish tone, before she could even utter the word, when Lu Jianan saw the figure appear at the door. Her bright smile froze on her face like a TV screen that had stopped working.

?

Not the eldest brother.

Standing at the door was a small household robot, only half the height of a person.

It has a small screen on its round head, displaying cute cartoon expressions.

Its robotic arm was holding a clean white polishing cloth, and one arm was slightly raised, seemingly preparing to wipe the inside of the door frame.

The robot's camera turned to Lu Jianan, who was kneeling at the door, and recognized her as a registered guest.

The large eye on the screen blinked in confusion and emitted a cute electronic voice: "Good morning, guest. This unit is undergoing cleaning and maintenance. How can I help you?"

Bright morning light poured in from the open door.

It was unusually quiet.

Lu Jianan was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously peeked inside.

The room was empty.

The whole room was spotless.

The table was spotless, the bed was spotless, the clothes rack was spotless, and the shoe cabinet was spotless.

The floor was so smooth that it reflected a person's image, and it was dazzlingly bright, reflecting the morning light streaming in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

The air was filled with the scent of cleaning agents mixed with sunshine, fresh yet unfamiliar.

There was nothing in this room that belonged to the eldest brother; nothing was left behind.

The color that had been flushed from Lu Jianan's face during exercise faded somewhat.

He got up from the ground, as if being pushed by something, and stepped hesitantly across the threshold into the huge, empty, single-level hall.

His footsteps echoed clearly on the polished floor, reverberating through the empty room.

It was lonely, it was bland, it was the only sound in this space.

He walked to the center of the living room and looked around blankly.

To the left, there's a floor-to-ceiling window in the empty living room, only the floor reflecting a blinding light. To the right, the door to the bedroom is open, revealing a similarly quiet and bright interior.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the green hills and trees were bathed in pleasant sunlight, and the outline of the city in the distance was clear, but it all seemed to be separated from him by a veil, unrelated to him.

"Big brother," he called out softly, his voice barely audible.

He had been running wildly, recklessly, full of energy, but now he was like a balloon that had been punctured for some unknown reason, deflated in an instant, leaving only a shell.

He felt as if he had become empty.

There was only immense bewilderment.

My heart felt like it had been tugged by something, and it sank down.

He stood blankly in the center of the living room, in this unsettling, empty space. The sun was shining brightly, and he stood in the brilliant sunlight, but his blood was slowly cooling down.

The household robot followed behind him, asking, "Guest?"

Looking at the round head of the housekeeping robot and the cute expressions on its screen, Lu Jianan asked with her last glimmer of hope, "Excuse me... where is the owner of this room?"

Upon hearing his question, the round housekeeping robot turned its head slightly, a little puzzled as to why he asked this, but still answered him in a cheerful electronic voice: "The guests who stayed in this room a few days ago have already checked out, and we are cleaning it now~"

"They've already checked out and left?" Lu Jianan repeated.

His voice was forced out from deep in his throat, dry and cracking, and he himself was unaware that he was trembling.

"Yes~" the little household robot said.

Lu Jianan's vision went black.

His eyes suddenly couldn't focus.

He seemed not to understand what the housekeeping robot was saying, or perhaps he was completely unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Really?"

The little housekeeping robot repeated, puzzled, "Yes, guest. The previous guest checked out this morning and left the unit. The cleaning and maintenance process will be completed in thirty minutes. Would you like to check into this room?"

Lu Jianan did not answer.

He felt as if he had been suddenly pushed by an invisible force. He staggered, bumped past the housekeeping robot blocking the door, and stumbled out of the empty, blindingly bright living room.

The words he heard collided haphazardly in his brain, but he could never piece them together into a meaning he could understand.

My older brother is gone.

How could that be? Didn't my brother call him last night? Didn't he call him again this morning?

Wasn't his older brother here to see him? Wasn't he here to coax him? The steps were all laid out, and he happily came down... What happened?

What? It's...checking out? Leaving?

A sudden, intense cold engulfed him.

An intense cold filled his chest without warning, freezing his blood. He was instantly drained of all his strength, unable even to stand.

Lu Jianan stumbled back a step, his back slamming against the cold wall of the corridor with a dull thud. He pressed himself tightly against the wall, finding a semblance of security only against it.

My body began to tremble uncontrollably, first my fingers, then my arms, and then my entire upper body began to tremble slightly.

An indescribable sense of panic, like the terrifying, cold claws of an unknown creature, suddenly seized his heart, tightening its grip until he could barely breathe.

He began to feel dizzy.

The scene before my eyes began to sway and spin.

The gleaming floor, the enormous French windows, the view outside, the long corridor, the thick carpet—all were bathed in a blurry light. His mind felt like it had been shoved into a washing machine; all reason was scattered, leaving only chaotic noise and a jumbled blank.

He began to isolate himself from the world.

He can't understand it.

I have absolutely no idea what's happening in front of me.

My brother called... he missed it... and then my brother... left? Because he didn't answer his calls... so he left? Checked out? Why? Why?

He crouched down against the door, curled up like an abandoned little animal, and huddled tightly in the corner.

He hugged his knees and buried his head deep in them.

His behavior was not right. The housekeeping robot kept anxiously asking him if he needed help, but Lu Jianan couldn't hear it at all.

His body was trembling uncontrollably, his teeth chattering and making a soft, clattering sound.

Cold, a cold that seeps into your bones and from the depths of your soul.

He hugged himself tightly, curling up into a ball with all his might, trying to hide himself away and find a safe corner.

My older brother is gone.

He lost all sense of security.

"No...no..." He buried his face in his knees, letting out muffled sobs, "Big brother...the phone call...last night...this morning..."

He repeated the words incoherently, trying to grasp at the little bit of evidence that could refute this absurd situation.

He wanted to say no, his older brother had called him both last night and this morning.

My brother called at six o'clock this morning, and it's only a little past eight now. How could he have left?

This can't be, it can't be. He must be dreaming. He must have been too tired yesterday and is still stuck in a nightmare.

Lu Jianan scratched the back of her left hand hard, and five red, swollen welts quickly appeared on the back of her hand.

He stared blankly at the bulging bloodstain.

It is a rupture of subcutaneous capillaries.

But if he's dreaming, how can he still feel pain?

The chill from the marble floor seeped through the thick carpet in the corridor, piercing his bones like needles.

Lu Jianan huddled in the corner, her body trembling violently.

A profound sense of bewilderment and panic, like thick asphalt, clouded his mind.

The feeling of suffocation grew stronger, so he curled up even tighter, pressing his forehead firmly against his knees.

The world was spinning, his cognition was collapsing, and everything suddenly became incredibly unfamiliar. He had no idea if what he was seeing was real, so he could only hug himself tightly and curl up into a ball with all his might.

He was completely overwhelmed by the immense panic.

He started to have trouble breathing.

He suffocated.

......

But as he struggled to breathe, a vague thought arose, like a glimmering star in the darkness, or a bubble submerged in icy water, from the depths of the dark depths, far, far away...

It quickly and decisively rose to the surface!

Gao Tian, ​​Crown Prince...

These two names brought a familiar buzz.

A tiny bubble, yet with immense force, instantly pierced the thick ice shell that enveloped him.

He also has Gao Tian and the Crown Prince!

They've been staying here with their eldest brother, so they definitely know where he went!

This idea was like a lighthouse suddenly illuminating the darkness, or like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.

A tremendous force suddenly supported him! Spasms erupted from his curled-up body!

"—!"

With a long, deep breath from his lungs, Lu Jianan suddenly raised his head, breaking free from the abyss of suffocation.

His face was bloodless, and his lips were a bright red, as if he were suffocating from lack of oxygen, and they were still trembling.

But his eyes had come back to life, and they were frighteningly bright.

He scrambled to his feet from the cold ground, staggering like a toddler just learning to walk, and nearly fell over several times.

But he didn't care about brushing off the dust or the pain from his shoulders and knees hitting the wall. As if grasping at a straw, he turned around and stumbled towards the spiral staircase leading to the top floor.

He tripped and fell again while going up the stairs, but luckily there was a thick carpet on the floor, so it didn't hurt.

The female soldier guarding the top floor was horrified to see him and quickly came up to help him: "What's wrong, sir? What happened?"

Lu Jianan's face was pale, but her lips and eyes were bright red. She trembled like a leaf in the wind, and her heavy footsteps pounded on the carpet.

Lu Jianan was usually very polite, but now he forgot all manners, pushed away the female soldier who was helping him, and rushed towards the familiar, heavy, and ornate door at the end of the long corridor with all his might.

He clenched his fists and, with all his weight and pent-up fear, chaos, and despair, began frantically pounding on the door.

Bang bang bang bang!

This is the second time they've banged on Gao Tian and the Crown Prince's doors, but the emotions they're expressing this time are completely different from the last.

Last time it was mostly shame, anger, and shock, but this time it was hysterical despair.

"High heavens! High heavens! High heavens, high heavens, high heavens! High heavens! High heavens!"

It must be said that Gao Tian's presence brought him some comfort. The world in his eyes became more stable and slowly began to return to normal, and his rationality began to return.

Lu Jianan started wailing and didn't even have the strength to bang on the door anymore.

My whole body aches, and my arms feel incredibly heavy.

His hand hit the door, his vision blurred, and he almost slipped and fell against the door.

A series of hurried footsteps came from inside the door, approaching from afar.

Then the heavy door was suddenly flung open, and Gao Tian stared at him in astonishment: "Lu Jianan!?"

Lu Jianan didn't even wait for the door to fully open.

The instant Gao Tian's voice rang out, he lunged forward, grabbing Gao Tian's clothes with all his might, and asked him hopefully, "Gao Tian, ​​where...where's my brother?! Where did he go?! Gao Tian! Gao Tian! My brother...he's gone! Where did he go?"

Is it just that you need to leave for a while, brother?

Did he go to work?

He won't abandon him just because he ran around for a few days, right?

Gao Tian listened to his words and looked at him like this, not knowing how to talk to him, and silently looked at him.

Looking at his expression, Lu Jianan understood.

Lu Jianan was incredulous, and tears streamed down his face.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped Gao Tian's clothes, and his sobs echoed through the spacious hallway, heart-wrenching and agonizing.

Gao Tian was terrified by his sudden breakdown. Seeing that he looked like he was about to faint, he instinctively supported him: "Lu Jianan! Stop! Calm down!"

Isn't it you who can't accept your older brother?!

You're so fickle!

At that moment, a fluffy silver head peeked out from behind Gao Tian.

The Crown Prince was clearly startled by Lu Jianan's commotion and came over to watch.

When he saw Lu Jianan crying her eyes out at the door, his beautiful eyes widened instantly, all boredom vanished, replaced by a sparkling interest in watching the drama unfold.

Wow!

The Crown Prince let out a short laugh, grabbed Gao Tian's shoulder, and looked at Lu Jianan, who was sobbing uncontrollably, with great interest.

Should!

The Crown Prince is truly despicable; while watching the spectacle, he deliberately said to Lu Jianan, "Oh, looking for Bi Shen?"

"He's gone back to Liernia. He left early this morning. He's probably almost at the Imperial Star System by now. This time he should be—"

He deliberately dragged out his words, and as Lu Jianan looked at him with hopeful eyes and snotty nose, he casually dropped the bombshell: "No, she won't, come, back, will she?"

Now you know you regret it? Too late! You bullied Dad's childhood friend, you'll cry now!