36: Chapter 36 Big Brother, are you serious?
Su Chen's bedroom.
The bed was made with sharp, crisp edges, and not a single wrinkle could be seen on the pillow. The folders on the desk were arranged by color, and the pens in the pen holder were all uniformly facing right. The curtains were drawn to a position of precise symmetry, and even the handle of the cold glass of water on the desk was strictly pointing toward the nine o'clock position.
This did not look like the bedroom of a twenty-three-year-old.
It looked more like a showroom for someone with a psychological obsession with cleanliness.
The only thing that disrupted this sense of order was the silver-gray medical stethoscope on the corner of the desk. The tubing was casually draped over the edge of the desk, and a layer of white dust, picked up from brushing against the wall, still remained on the metal probe.
Su Yun's gaze lingered on the stethoscope for a second.
He sat on the chair opposite Su Chen, his mind racing.
A showdown?
Was he really this bold?
As an S-rank wanted criminal, a top-five anti-humanity leader on the global bounty list, you're going to have a showdown with someone just because of a few words overheard from next door?
Before you decided that was Night Owl, did you even use your brain?
Night Owl debuted over a decade ago.
Over a decade ago.
How old was he back then? Four? Five?
A kid in split-crotch pants who couldn't even recognize all the characters, and you're telling me he went to kindergarten by day and carried a revolver around the world hunting high-level Strange Tales by night?
A legendary Monster Hunter? More like a legendary bed-wetter.
Even if we take a step back and assume you actually believe it.
You should at least consider Night Owl's stance.
Aside from killing Strange Tales, Dad's biggest hobby in life is cracking down on criminals.
Among the lost souls beneath that revolver of his, at least one-third are high-ranking members of major criminal organizations.
You, Bai Cang, the head of the Salvation Society, a permanent guest on Interpol's Red Notice, and a top-tier terrorist sitting firmly at the top of the global anti-humanity activity rankings—
You're going to have a showdown with Night Owl?
How is this any different from a mouse running up to a cat and introducing itself?
Su Yun was full of questions.
He even started to wonder if his big brother, this villain, had any brains at all.
Or was the filter of their blood relationship thick enough to filter out basic logical judgment?
"Xiao Yun."
Su Chen's voice pulled him back to reality.
Su Chen stood in front of the desk, hands folded in front of him, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into an extremely confident arc.
It was the expression of someone holding the winning hand, ready to go all in.
"Actually—"
Su Chen lowered his voice, staring intensely at Su Yun.
"You are Night Owl, aren't you."
The wall clock in the living room ticked twice.
Su Yun sat in the chair, motionless.
He actually did it.
He really dared to have a showdown.
Su Yun completed a change in his facial expression within 0.3 seconds.
Shock.
A guilty conscience.
Plus a trace of panic after having his secret exposed.
Three emotions intertwined, precisely presented on his face.
"What Night Owl?" Su Yun frowned, speaking a bit quickly. "Never heard of it. Big Brother, what are you talking about?"
Su Chen didn't immediately expose him, instead observing Su Yun's reaction with keen interest.
He silently scored this performance in his mind.
Seventy points.
Still too young.
That split-second constriction of the pupils and the slight tensing of the shoulders were no different from a confession in the eyes of a professional interrogator.
Su Chen sneered inwardly.
Xiao Yun, oh Xiao Yun, you didn't expect this, did you.
Your big brother has undergone professional training.
Although the people who professionally trained me were later killed by me.
But at least I learned quite a few skills from those bastards. Interrogation, reconnaissance, micro-expression recognition, anti-surveillance—I'm proficient in everything.
You're a seventeen-year-old kid; no matter how high your talent is or how strong your S-rank combat power is, you're still a level below me when it comes to acting and depth.
At the end of the day, you're still too young.
The age where you can't hide things.
Then again, being able to become a legendary Monster Hunter at such a young age, you certainly have the capital to show off. It's just that making such a low-level mistake like talking to yourself in your own room...
I don't blame you. If it were anyone else, carrying such a big secret for so many years, they would eventually need to find an outlet to let off some steam.
"I said it." Su Chen took a step forward, his tone unhurried.
"I heard everything you said in your room last night."
Su Yun's brow furrowed even tighter.
"What are you talking about? I was sleeping in my room last night, I didn't say anything."
"Xiao Yun." Su Chen sighed softly, his eyes carrying a gentle certainty that said, "You don't have to hide it from me anymore."
"You were talking to yourself in your room. You said you were Night Owl, that you were surrounded and beaten by the twelve Elders of the Sanctuary at the quarry, and that you hurt your waist."
"..."
Su Yun's performance paused for half a beat.
This half-beat was precisely captured by Su Chen.
The arc of his mouth lifted another millimeter.
"You're wiretapping me?" Su Yun "frowned," his tone shifting from guilty to angry.
Su Chen felt no guilt whatsoever.
Instead, he laughed.
"Isn't this what you invited me to do last night?"
"You were the one who probed me first last night!"
Su Chen turned to the side, stretching out his arm, and pointed extremely calmly at the stethoscope on the desk.
"There, it's this thing."
His posture was as if he were displaying a masterpiece.
Su Yun stared at the stethoscope.
He had to admit that his big brother did have some skills in certain areas.
Although the major premise was wrong, the chain of reasoning starting from that false premise was actually airtight.
Once an information gap is established, smart people are actually easier to deceive than stupid ones.
Because they will fill in all the logical gaps themselves.
"So what?"
Su Yun changed his sitting position, leaning back against the chair, his arms crossed.
He decided to change strategies.
No longer denying it.
But not admitting it either.
Using silence and an ambiguous attitude to let his big brother continue to fill in the blanks himself.
This was exactly the reaction Su Chen was waiting for.
A complete denial meant he was still being stubborn.
No longer denying it meant the other party had started to assess the situation.
The basic discipline of an S-rank Monster Hunter.
Never easily reveal more information when unsure of the other party's trump cards.
Su Chen walked to the desk, pulled open the drawer, took out an unopened bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Su Yun.
"Have some water, don't be nervous."
Su Yun took the mineral water but didn't drink.
"Big Brother, even if what you said is all true."
Su Yun placed the mineral water on his knees and lifted his eyelids.
"What do you intend to do?"
Su Chen sat down on the edge of the bed, facing Su Yun.
There was less than two meters of distance between the two brothers.
Su Chen didn't rush to answer. He gazed into Su Yun's eyes, pondered for a moment, and when he spoke, his pace was very slow, as if he were weighing every word.
"Xiao Yun, do you know that this world is heading toward collapse?"
Su Yun didn't respond.
"Strange Tales rifts are increasing by 17% every year. The mortality rate of the Awakened is increasing by 9% annually. And there are fewer than fifty humans in the world with the true ability to resist S-rank Strange Tales."
Su Chen calmly stated the data, "At this rate, within fifteen years, human civilization will be completely submerged by Strange Tales."
"So what?"
"So, I need you to join me."
Su Chen stood up, walked to the window, and opened the curtains.
The morning light shone in, hitting his young, handsome face.
"I have a plan. A plan that can save all of humanity."
Su Chen turned back to look at Su Yun; deep in his eyes, there was a fire that had been burning for many years.
"But I am not enough on my own. I need someone who also stands at the peak to stand by my side."
"Xiao Yun!!"
Su Chen's voice sank.
"Are you willing to become my fellow traveler?"