"Snap."
The colored pencil in her hand broke, emitting a crisp sound.
The starlight in Lin Chuqiaoâs eyes instantly withdrew, returning to their original stark black and white distinction.
She ignored the paint stains on her hands, staring intently at the freshly completed painting on the table, her face looking somewhat pale.
This was the thing she insisted on doing every dayâto divine fortune and calamity for Fang Cheng.
Ever since learning about the threat posed by the "Ideal Land," especially the existence of that mysterious leader, the tension in her heart never loosened.
No matter how confident Fang Cheng appeared, she couldnât truly be at ease.
So every morning after waking up, she would use her predictive ability as part of her routine.
Even if just capturing a glimpse of the future, it could serve as an early warning, giving Fang Cheng more preparation.
But previous images were often vague, or just trivial fragments of daily life.
But todayâs painting...
Tubular building, explosion, chase, jumping.
It was clearly a life-and-death battle occurring in Old Factory Street!
"Is the danger already approaching..."
Lin Chuqiao muttered to herself, fingers gently brushing the manâs silhouette in the painting, eyes full of worry.
The paper felt rough under her fingertip, yet it seemed as if she could feel the scorching heat wave and the suffocating sense of urgency emerging from the painting.
This made her breathing involuntarily speed up.
But Lin Chuqiao didnât allow herself to linger in this unease for too long.
As the "Housekeeper" of the Illuminati, and as the woman behind him, now was definitely not the time for panic.
Lin Chuqiao took a deep breath, forcibly steadying her mind.
Then she grabbed the phone placed beside the table, unlocked the screen, and her fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard.
Even if itâs just a vague warning, even if itâs just an advance notice of a few hours, it might become the key to turning the tables at a critical moment.
"I must tell Fang Cheng immediately!"
The moment the call connected, the receiver emitted slightly heavy breathing.
Background noise seemed to include the light sound of metal equipment being put in place.
"Hello, Chu Qiao?"
Fang Chengâs voice was steady and strong, carrying a warmth that suggested he had just finished high-intensity exercise.
Lin Chuqiaoâs fingers holding the phone tightened slightly.
Hearing this familiar voice, her heart, which had been suspended in mid-air, settled slightly, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton.
The word "careful," which was on the tip of her tongue, could not come out for a moment.
"...Itâs me."
She took a deep breath, striving to make her tone sound less trembling:
"Itâs so early, did I disturb your rest?"
"No, I just finished a set of training."
On the other end of the call, Fang Cheng seemed to have noticed something, and picked up the towel hanging around his neck to wipe the sweat off his face.
He paused for a moment, his relaxed tone quickly collected, and he asked:
"Your voice doesnât sound right... Did something happen?"
Lin Chuqiao chuckled bitterly upon hearing this, indeed nothing could be hidden from him.
"Brother Cheng, listen calmly to what Iâm about to say."
Her eyes fell again on the shocking painting on the table, she steadied her mind before speaking solemnly:
"I just did another prediction, not that kind of vague perception, but incredibly clear images."
"The scenes shown are very dangerous; the location is in the tubular building where you live on Old Factory Street, there has been a violent explosion, with flames soaring and thick smoke billowing, the entire floor was overturned."
"I saw you in the sea of fire, being hunted, jumping off the roof terrace..."
As she reached the end, her voice was already infused with a hint of undisguisable anxiety:
"Brother Cheng, the Ideal Land may have already tracked you, itâs no longer safe there, can you not return tonight? Or... move directly to my place?"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the call.
A few seconds later, Fang Chengâs voice came again:
"Donât panic."
"Chu Qiao, tell me every detail you saw."
Fang Chengâs voice was as stable as a mountain, carrying a power to soothe, which instantly calmed Lin Chuqiao somewhat.
She frowned slightly, focusing on the drawing paper on the table, and carefully recalled:
"I saw a sky full of flames, you were running wildly on the roof terrace, leaping down, with a manâs silhouette closely following behind..."
Lin Chuqiao spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully, striving to recount the scene without omitting any detail.
Including the process of the fight, the intensity of the explosion, and the damage and impact on the surrounding environment.
Fang Cheng listened silently, his pitch-black pupils didnât stir any ripple.
It was as if the person being hunted, plunged into peril in Lin Chuqiaoâs words, was not himself.
He held the phone in hand, gazing at the scenery outside the window, his eyes slightly flickering with a gleam.
Explosion, chase, jumping off.
It seems the counterattack from the "Ideal Land" came faster than expected, and much more ruthless.
This group actually dared to make a move directly in a downtown area, creating such a big commotion.
Could it be that they are confident in eliminating the aftermath, resisting the investigation by Xia Countryâs official and the Special Search Team?
"Chu Qiao, in the images you saw, what did the person attacking me look like, were there specific facial features?"
Fang Cheng thought for a bit, and immediately seized the key point.
"Specific features? I can barely make out a bit..."
Lin Chuqiao frowned tightly, straining to recall, her tone tinged with frustration:
"The image showed nighttime; that personâs silhouette was somewhat blurry, compounded by flames and thick smoke around, which disrupted my perception."
"I could see he had a short stature, wearing a black trench coat, a lean face, oh, there was a mustache above his lip, and a black mole between his eyebrows..."