77: Chapter 77 Good news: The medicine has been found; bad news: The Queen is fishing.

British Empire.

Royal Capital.

Under the outer wall of the White Gold Palace.

The night was thick as unmelting ink, pressing heavily upon the dome of the ancient royal city.

The clock tower in the distance struck eleven.

Moonlight fell upon the spires of the White Gold Palace, casting a cold, silver radiance.

The outer wall of the palace was towering, with invisible Psionic patterns flowing across its surface. Every ten meters, there was a Holy Silver Talisman nail embedded in the cracks of the stone; between the nails, they connected into an invisible net, sufficient to burn any intruder below the A-Realm to ashes the moment they got close.

Behind the rose garden at the corner of the wall.

A man was crouching.

Black trench coat.

Silver-white short hair.

Wearing half a bone mask on his face.

The night wind blew, and the hem of his trench coat swayed gently, as if it were a part of the dark night.

Leader of the Salvation Society.

Top ten on the global wanted list.

Bai Cang.

Which is to say, Su Chen.

At this moment, this top-wanted criminal who could make countless official organizations tremble in fear was crouching behind the rose garden without any image, holding a mobile phone in his hand.

The screen was lit.

There was a new message on it.

[Su Yun: Brother, I am really fine. You don't need to look for the medicine. You should attend to your own business first.]

Su Chen looked at this line of text and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he took a gentle breath.

His eye sockets felt a bit sore.

Little Yun was still so sensible.

Clearly, he had suffered such a heavy injury to save him.

He had even given that S-Rank life essence to their father.

Now, he was even comforting him in return.

He even said "I am really fine."

How could he be fine?

The more sensible he was, the more it showed that he was seriously injured.

The more he said there was no need to look for medicine, the more it showed that he didn't want his brother to worry.

Su Chen slowly pressed the phone against his chest, his fingertips exerting a slight force.

"Silly little brother."

His voice was very low.

So low it was almost scattered by the night wind.

"The more you say that, the less I, as your brother, can let anything happen to you."

Thinking of this, Su Chen recalled the scene when he left home yesterday.

He left so decisively.

So tragically.

With such the demeanor of a Salvation Society leader.

That back profile, even when he recalled it himself, felt worthy of at least a yearly villain highlight reel.

And the result?

Dad didn't call.

Mom didn't call.

Su Yao didn't call.

Let alone the little sister.

She was probably still complaining that the math problems were too hard, thinking about how not to do her homework.

In the whole family, only Little Yun sent him a message.

Only Little Yun still remembered this big brother of his.

Su Chen's chest felt even more congested.

Was he really their biological son?

No.

That question was not important.

What was important was that Little Yun must be his biological brother.

And the closest one at that.

Su Chen put away his phone, slowly looked up, and looked towards the west side of the third floor of the palace.

There was a window there.

Behind the window, there were thick, dark blue curtains drawn.

From the outside, it was just an inconspicuous window among the countless windows of the palace.

But Su Chen knew.

Behind the curtains was one of the most secret vault entrances of the British Empire royal family.

He had been here before.

Of course, not in the name of a friendly visit.

At that time, his relationship with the British Empire royal family was not yet this stiff.

To be precise, his relationship with a certain woman was not yet this stiff.

Su Chen stared at that window and whispered to himself:

"I remember last time, she kept all the medicine here."

S-Rank recovery potion.

The British Empire royal family named it [holy rose essence].

The effect was stronger than ordinary life essence.

It could not only recover from serious injuries but also nourish the Psionic core, repair hidden injuries, and more comprehensively nourish the Physical Body, strengthen the Foundation, and help Psionic Martial Artists improve their Physical Body quality and achieve a Breakthrough in their Realm.

It could be said to have great overall benefits for the body.

This item did not have much stock in the whole world.

Placed on the black market, it was simply not something that could be bought with money.

Last time Su Chen got a bottle through overseas channels and gave it to Little Yun.

As a result, it was drunk by their father.

After drinking it, their father was fine.

His waist didn't hurt anymore.

His Qi wasn't weak anymore.

He even looked ten years younger.

But what about Little Yun?

Little Yun was the one who gave up the medicine.

A younger brother sacrificing medicine to save his father.

How could a brother sit idly by?

Steal.

Must steal.

For Little Yun, never mind the British Empire palace.

Even if it were the Sanctuary Temple, he would dare to pry the door open.

Su Chen raised his hand, and a drop of water condensed at his fingertip.

That drop of water was almost transparent under the moonlight, with only a wisp of faint blue light on the edge.

The water drop stuck to the wall, quickly spread out, and turned into a layer of transparent water film that was almost non-existent.

The next second.

The defensive structures on the wall appeared in his eyes layer by layer.

Psionic detection.

Infrared sensing.

Holy Silver wire net.

Anti-space jump rune.

High-frequency sound wave barrier.

Life reaction capture array.

Royal exclusive Bloodline recognition lock.

A total of twenty-seven layers of defense.

Su Chen glanced at it, a sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Still the same old style."

The budget the British Empire royal family had spent on palace defense over the years was probably enough to rebuild half of Linhai City.

It was a pity.

The System was severely outdated.

The thinking was too conservative.

Most importantly, she knew him too well.

And he, likewise, knew her just as well.

Su Chen pressed his right hand against the wall.

The water flow infiltrated silently.

Three seconds later.

The alert System of the entire wall experienced a gap of less than 0.7 seconds.

For an ordinary intruder, this amount of time wasn't even enough to blink.

But for Su Chen, it was enough.

His body turned into a wisp of water shadow, passing through the wall silently.

The lights inside the palace were dim and yellow.

The long corridor was covered with dark red carpets, and portraits of past kings hung on the walls on both sides.

The men and women in the portraits had solemn expressions, high and mighty, as if they were judging every illegal intruder.

Su Chen didn't even look at them.

Judge him?

The Great Xia wanted list was already lined up.

These paintings should take a number first.

He sneaked all the way according to his memory.

Avoiding six squads of Royal Knights.

Passing through two Psionic sentry towers.

And used water mist to clog the nose of a three-headed hound.

That royal hound was originally patrolling at the end of the corridor, its three heads sniffing simultaneously, and suddenly, as if it had smelled some strange odor, they all sneezed in unison.

Su Chen floated past behind it.

Without even leaving a single footstep.

Five minutes later.

He stopped in front of a white and gold door.

A rose and a crown were carved on the door.

The rose petals were outlined by mithril, and a dark blue gemstone was embedded in the center of the crown.

This was the vault.

Su Chen raised his hand and pressed it on the door lock.

A wisp of water flow drilled into the lock cylinder.

Click.

The door opened.

Su Chen flashed inside.

It was very cold in the vault.

As cold as an underground church that never saw the sun.

Rows of crystal cabinets were placed along the walls.

Holy relics.

Psionic gemstones.

Fragments of Forbidden Items.

Ancient crowns.

Cursed longswords.

Strange Tales finger bones sealed in amber.

Every single item, if taken out, would be enough to make the outside auction houses go crazy.

All good things.

But Su Chen didn't even look at them.

He was only looking for medicine.

"Little Yun, wait for your brother."

His voice was very light.

"Brother will bring the medicine back immediately."

He walked to the very back of the vault.

There should have been three vials of [holy rose essence] there.

But now.

The crystal cabinet was empty.

Su Chen was stunned.

He opened the cabinet.

There was only one card inside.

A line of delicate Great Xia characters was written on the card.

[Dear Mr. Bai Cang, if you are here to steal medicine, I am sorry, the medicine is not here.]

Su Chen's movements stopped.

He stared at that card.

Silent for three seconds.

Turned around and left.

No hesitation.

He had been predicted.

If he didn't leave now, something would happen.

But just as he took a step, the dome of the vault suddenly lit up.

Boom!

Twelve white-gold light pillars descended from the sky, sealing all exits.

The rose patterns on the ground lit up one by one, like a sea of blooming golden flowers.

Neat footsteps came from outside the corridor.

Armor clashing.

Scabbards vibrating.

Su Chen's face under the mask turned black.

Careless.

This woman was actually fishing for him.

The vault door slowly opened.

Two rows of Royal Knights poured in.

Each of them wore silver battle armor, with golden roses tattooed on their chests.

The knight swords in their hands were half-unsheathed, with faint Holy Light surging on the blades.

At the very front, a woman walked over.

Her blonde hair was coiled up.

Her white-gold long dress dragged on the ground.

Wearing a crown.

Her eyes were a very light blue, like the ice-covered lake water in winter.

She held a scepter embedded with a blue gemstone in her hand.

The current Queen of the British Empire.

Queen Elizabeth Victoria Lanster.

One of the global S-Rank powerhouses.

And also one of the people Su Chen least wanted to see in the vault in his life.

The Queen stopped at the door.

She looked at Su Chen.

No anger.

Instead, she smiled.

"Long time no see, Bai Cang."

Su Chen didn't speak.

The Queen glanced at the opened medicine cabinet, then looked at the card on the ground.

"You are still the same as before."

"You never use the front door when coming to the palace."

Su Chen said indifferently: "The front door requires an appointment."

The Queen chuckled, "You could have just told me directly."

"Would I have refused?"

Su Chen looked at her.

"If I can just take it, why would I tell you?"

The surrounding Royal Knights' gazes turned cold.

Arrogant.

Too arrogant.

In the White Gold Palace.

Cornered in the treasury by The Queen herself.

And he still dared to speak like that.

If it were anyone else, they would have already been nailed to the wall on the spot.

However, The Queen was not angry.

She took two steps forward.

Her white-gold gown dragged across the floor, making a faint rustling sound.

"You want the holy rose essence?"

Su Chen's voice was calm, "Borrowing it."

The Queen looked at the security formations that had been broken throughout the room.

"You call this borrowing?"

Su Chen, "I will leave an IOU."

The Queen, "You said the same thing last time."

Su Chen, "Didn't I pay it back later?"

The Queen narrowed her eyes, "You paid it back with a box of gold."

Su Chen was silent for a moment.

"Was that not enough?"

The smile on The Queen's face deepened.

The meaning was self-evident.

Of course it wasn't enough.

Ten boxes wouldn't be enough.

The expressions of the Royal Knights began to contort.

They wanted to laugh.

But they didn't dare.

This was a private matter for Her Majesty The Queen.

It was also a royal secret.

Hearing it was already dangerous.

Laughing out loud would be even more dangerous.

The Queen walked up to Su Chen and tapped her scepter lightly on the ground.

Thump.

The white-gold light pillars throughout the entire treasury vibrated simultaneously.

"Bai Cang, you are currently a globally wanted criminal."

"As long as I give the order, I can keep you here tonight."

Su Chen raised his eyes.

"You can't keep me."

The Queen looked at him, the corners of her lips slightly raised.

"Couldn't keep you before."

She moved half a step closer.

"That might not be the case now."

As her voice fell.

She raised her hand.

A red potion appeared in her palm.

The potion was slender and completely transparent, with rose-colored liquid flowing inside.

Within the red liquid, tiny golden light spots floated slowly, as if a small piece of dawn had been sealed inside the potion.

Su Chen's gaze stopped.

holy rose essence.

And it was the purest one.

The Queen held the potion between her fingers and shook it slowly.

"You want it?"

Su Chen did not deny it.

"Name your terms."

The Queen smiled.

This was the sentence she had been waiting for.

"Take off your mask."

Su Chen frowned.

"Change it."

The Queen was not in a hurry.

"Then stay for dinner."

"Change it."

"Dance with me."

"Change it."

The Queen's eyes finally turned dangerous.

"Bai Cang, you are here to beg for medicine, not to order off a menu."

Su Chen said coldly,

"I am here to steal the medicine."

The Queen: "..."

The Captain of the Royal Knights finally couldn't hold it back, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently.

He quickly lowered his head, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

The Queen looked at Su Chen and suddenly sighed.

The sigh was very light.

It carried a bit of helplessness, and also a bit of complexity after a long separation.

"You are still the same."

"Cold, hard, and unyielding."

"Back then, I invited you to join the Empire, and you refused."

"I offered you a dukedom, and you refused."

"I asked you to be my Prince Consort, and you still refused."

The treasury fell silent instantly.

Deathly silent.

The Royal Knights kept their gazes fixed on the floor.

What did they just hear?

Prince Consort?

Was this something they were allowed to hear?

Would they be silenced?

Should they cut off their ears now to prove their loyalty?

The face under Su Chen's mask turned completely dark.

"Don't mention that matter again."

But The Queen insisted on mentioning it.

"Why not?"

She looked at him, her blue eyes carrying a faint mockery.

"You said back then that you had someone more important to protect."

"I thought it was a lover."

"Later, the Intelligence Department investigated for a long time and discovered it was Night Owl."

The Queen paused, her tone soft.

"Bai Cang."

"You refused the Queen of a nation for a man."

"In the Great Britain Intelligence Department, this was ranked as the number one most ridiculous reason of the year."

Su Chen said coldly,

"My younger brother is more important than the throne."

The smile on The Queen's face grew even brighter.

A younger brother?

So that was it.

She looked at him.

At this moment, the white-gold radiance in the treasury shone on Su Chen's bone mask.

He remained cold and hard.

Still sharp.

Like a blade that would never bend.

Years ago, when she first met this Eastern man, he was the same.

Dangerous, arrogant, like an ocean that refused to be contained by any land.

She had once tried to recruit him.

And she had also tried to keep him.

But he had never stopped for any power.

Not the Empire.

Not the throne.

And not her.

The Queen's voice softened a little.

"So you broke into the palace this time, also for him?"

Su Chen did not speak.

Silence was the answer.

The Queen withdrew the potion back into her palm.

"Is he injured very badly?"

Su Chen's voice lowered.

"Very badly."

"Badly enough to need the holy rose essence?"

Su Chen's mind flashed with that text message from Su Yun.

[Brother, I'm really fine.]

In his view, this sentence was even more considerate than a suicide note.

His eyes darkened.

"He doesn't want me to worry."

"So it must be very serious."

The Queen: "..."

She suddenly felt something was wrong with that sentence.

But seeing Su Chen's heavy expression, as if he were ready to die, she couldn't bring herself to expose it immediately.

She was silent for a moment.

Looking at Su Chen, the teasing in her eyes finally faded away.

Breaking into the White Gold Palace for his brother.

Disregarding his status as a globally wanted criminal for his brother.

This man was still the same as back then.

Cold as iron.

And stubborn as iron.

She lifted her fingertips gently.

That [holy rose essence] flew slowly towards Su Chen.

"Take it."

Su Chen was slightly stunned.

The Queen said calmly, "No need for an IOU."

Su Chen reached out, just about to catch the potion.

Just then—

A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the treasury.

"Mother!"

A crisp young girl's voice rang out.

The next second.

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old blonde girl ran in, holding up her skirt.

She was wearing a white nightgown, her hair a bit messy, clearly having just rushed over from her bedroom.

Her fair face still held some drowsiness.

The Royal Knights' expressions changed, and they all lowered their heads to salute.

"Your Highness, Princess!"

The girl ignored them, rushed directly to The Queen's side, and grabbed her arm.

"Mom! I heard the treasury alarm go off, are you okay?"

Mom?

Su Chen's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

The expression on The Queen's face also froze for a moment.

The entire treasury was terrifyingly quiet.

The Royal Knights all kept their heads down, wishing they could stuff their heads into their armor.

It was over.

Princess Evelyn's "Mom" was more terrifying than an enemy attack.

The girl then noticed the black-clad masked man standing opposite.

She blinked.

Her blue eyes were full of curiosity.

"Eh?"

"Who is this person?"

The Queen was silent for half a second, her tone calm:

"A thief."

Su Chen: "..."

The girl immediately widened her eyes.

"Stealing things in the palace treasury?"

She looked Su Chen up and down, full of shock.

"So bold?"

The Queen said eerily,

"He was even bolder before."

Su Chen said coldly, "Give me the medicine."

The girl suddenly looked at the red potion in The Queen's hand.

"holy rose essence?"

She was even more surprised.

"Mom, you're going to give this to a thief?"

The Queen rubbed her temples.

"Princess Evelyn, go back to sleep."

The girl didn't move.

She looked suspiciously at The Queen, then at Su Chen.

Black clothes.

Mask.

Eastern man.

Daring to break into the palace treasury.

Mother not only didn't kill him, but was even prepared to give him the holy rose essence.

Most importantly, that look Mother had just now...

Princess Evelyn's eyes lit up bit by bit.

As if she had suddenly stumbled upon huge gossip.

"Wait."

She looked at Su Chen, her tone gradually becoming excited.

"Could he be that person you mentioned before..."

"The Eastern man who rejected your marriage proposal?"

The fingers holding the scepter tightened slightly.

The face under Su Chen's mask was so dark it could almost drip water.

And that holy rose essence, about to fly into his hand, just hovered in mid-air.

For a moment.

In the entire most secret treasury of the Great Britain royal family, only Princess Evelyn's excited and shocked voice echoed.

"It's really him?"

"Mother, you actually managed to fish out that man who rejected you?!"