A’da gave a soft laugh. “I’ve kept switching teams just to get to the world above. So what would Yuri do for his own daughter? And how far would he go? Nobody can predict that.”

He looked toward the distant sky, seemingly unconcerned. “If… he really intends to burn the bridge after crossing it, I won’t just sit here and wait for my fate.”

Shen Mo frowned slightly. “Maybe you should talk to him directly.”

A’da smiled and shook his head. He looked toward the lit window of the house and said calmly: “Let’s go in. Otherwise your wife is going to start worrying.”

With that, he tucked both hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed, and strolled back into the villa.

Shen Mo stood in place for a while, letting the smell of cigarette smoke dissipate, then went inside as well.

The living room was empty.

He had just reached the second floor when he noticed Bai Youwei waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

The moment she saw him, she started making exaggerated faces at him. Shen Mo had no idea what she was getting at, but she looped her arm through his and dragged him toward their room —

The moment the door closed, Bai Youwei couldn’t wait any longer and demanded: “Well? What did you two talk about? You specifically avoided Yuri and Natasha — was he trying to recruit you into some scheme?”

Shen Mo laughed despite himself, pinching her cheek. “You’re sharp — your guess was pretty close.”

“He really was trying to recruit you?” Bai Youwei’s curiosity soared. “How did it go? Was there a specific plan?”

Shen Mo shook his head lightly. “From what he implied, it seems like he wants to do something — but he didn’t go into detail. Things haven’t escalated to a breaking point yet, and I think he should talk to Yuri directly himself.”

He paused, then continued: “Honestly, I can understand A’da’s unease. We’re so close to leaving, and if he got kicked out of the team at this exact moment, there’s no way he could accept that. And he hasn’t been with the team long — he doesn’t have the deep bond that Natasha and Yuri share, so he doesn’t fully trust Yuri either.”

Bai Youwei immediately said: “Yuri really is something, though. I thought since you two were outside chatting, he’d at least be a little curious. But he stayed shut in his room the whole time — didn’t come out once!”

— Yuri’s room window faced the other direction. To observe the front courtyard, he would have had to leave his room.

“Isn’t he curious?” Bai Youwei went on, talking to herself. “If it were me, I definitely couldn’t hold it in.”

Shen Mo laughed again, pulling her by the waist to sit on the bed. “Aren’t you worried? Maybe we’ll end up getting kicked out of the team.”

Bai Youwei let out a small laugh. She thought to herself that if she wanted to leave, she could leave any time she wanted. If she weren’t so curious about that world above, she could open the World Gate right now and leave with Shen Mo.

“As long as I’m with my husband, it doesn’t matter where we go~” She hooked her arms around his neck and poured on the sweetness without restraint. “Even if we stayed here forever, I wouldn’t worry — because you’ll always be by my side, right…”

She murmured sweet nothings and brushed her lips lightly against the corner of his mouth. Shen Mo smiled and pressed her down onto the bed…

These two were probably the least tense people in the entire villa right now.

……

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The blockade being conducted against them not only hadn’t eased — it had grown increasingly intense.

A’da’s state of mind had grown more tightly wound and more anxious with each passing day.

In the early evening, as everyone was getting ready for dinner, A’da returned to the villa after being out all day. Without a single word, he walked up to the dining table and threw a hard punch straight at Yuri!

Natasha cried out in alarm and demanded: “A’da! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Yuri had been completely unprepared for the hit and was equally bewildered. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared coldly at A’da. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What fine things you and your buddy have done!” A’da roared, furious to his core. “Now everyone in the entire competitive zone knows which dungeons we still haven’t cleared! Every single walkthrough for those dungeons has been pulled from the market — we can’t even try to buy them through back channels!”

Yuri was dumbstruck. “That’s impossible…”

Seeing his confused expression only infuriated A’da more. He raised his fist again — and Shen Mo stepped in to stop him.

“We’re done for!” A’da slammed the table with a fierce crash. “We’re trapped here! Do you all understand?!”

—