10: captivity

It had been less than two months since Chen Yao's Aptitude census.

Inside a Federal apartment in the Upper District, Chen Jun was staring blankly out the window, calculating his invisible lifespan countdown while worrying about Lin Wei's subtle yet passionate hints from last night.

She no longer asked for a son directly; instead, she kept changing tactics to set the mood. Her newly bought pajamas were becoming increasingly daring, her fragrance more and more alluring, and her words were filled with longing for a "family of six (if there were more)."

Chen Jun had to rack his brains every time, using all sorts of absurd excuses to brush her off, feeling exhausted.

Just then, the doorbell rang. The visitor was Zhao Qing, a specialist from the Star Rail Group, followed by two composed individuals in silver-blue uniforms.

"Mr. Chen, Ms. Lin, sorry to intrude."

Zhao Qing's smile was as appropriate as ever.

"I have good news! To better nurture Young Miss Chen Xi and Young Miss Chen Yao, the Group headquarters has specially approved a 'Close-Range Kin Support Plan.' Considering both young ladies are still young, long-term separation from their parents is not conducive to their physical and mental health. The Group has decided to invite you both to live in the headquarters' residential area, so you can visit the children more conveniently and participate in parts of their growth."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei's face lit up with joy instantly:

"Really? We can see Xi Xi and Yao Yao often?"

Missing her daughters was a major part of her daily life, and this proposal spoke directly to her heart.

Chen Jun, however, felt a chill in his heart.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon!

The Federation and major powers had always been strict about training those with Innate Aptitude. To avoid excessive family interference and potential risks, they usually implemented moderate isolation. Why would they voluntarily invite parents to live permanently at headquarters?

He forced a smile and asked tentatively:

"This... is too much trouble for the Group, right? We are doing fine here, and visiting regularly is also okay."

Zhao Qing seemed to have expected him to ask this, smiling as she explained:

"Mr. Chen, no need to worry. This was specially approved by the headquarters' expert team after an evaluation. Research shows that stable family emotional support is of great benefit to the early potential stability and personality shaping of those with Innate Aptitude. This also reflects the personal wishes of Young Miss Chen Xi and Young Miss Chen Yao (Heaven knows how a six-year-old and a five-year-old could express such wishes). All arrangements are ready. The living conditions at headquarters are better than here, and there are exclusive medical and leisure facilities. You two only need to pack some personal belongings; the Group will prepare everything else for you."

With things put this way, refusing seemed unreasonable and could easily arouse suspicion.

Chen Jun's thoughts raced. He knew he had no room to refuse, at least not on the surface. He could only nod and agree:

"Then... then thank you very much to the Group."

Lin Wei had already happily gone to pack.

The whole process was faster than imaginable.

Almost that same afternoon, a luxury private aircraft from the Star Rail Group picked up Chen Jun, his wife, and their youngest daughter, Chen Lu.

The aircraft flew directly out of the Zhiyuan Star capital circle and entered the Star Rail Group headquarters orbiting the planet—a massive space port the size of a small city.

The interior of the headquarters was like a self-contained world; everything was available, luxurious, Advanced, and orderly.

They were settled into an extremely spacious and luxurious apartment. Through the huge viewing window, they could see the boundless starry sky and busy ship lanes; the scenery was magnificent.

Their personal communication devices were replaced with internal network terminals under the guise of "headquarters information security regulations." They could not contact the outside world directly and could only book contact with their daughters or apply for meetings in designated areas through internal lines.

It was euphemistically called "avoiding outside interference, focusing on family companionship."

Only then did Chen Jun fully realize that they were under house arrest.

Not a cold prison cell, but a golden birdcage.

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all top-tier. There were simulated parks, high-end restaurants, and even virtual reality entertainment centers.

They could move freely within the designated living area, but every step was watched by invisible eyes, and every request to leave this area was met with "application in progress" or "does not comply with regulations."

Lin Wei was initially completely blinded by this sudden "good luck" and the joy of being able to see her daughters often. She did not notice anything unusual and instead comforted Chen Jun:

"The Group is so thoughtful! This place is so good, look at how happily Lu Lu is playing!"

Chen Jun looked at his youngest daughter playing on the soft carpet, but his heart was ice cold.

He dared not tell Lin Wei his suspicions; that would only send her into a panic.

And at some moment before this "relocation" farce happened, a top-secret test report had already been placed on Qin Qingxuan's desk.

The report came from that secret "Shadow Shuttle" operation.

The results showed: Chen Lu, age: four, Innate Aptitude assessment: highly suspected Innate Martial Body.

Looking at the cold data on the report, even with the Heart-Nature of a Planet-level Expert like Qin Qingxuan, her fingertips trembled slightly.

Three!

Three daughters in a row, all Innate Martial Body!

This had completely ruled out the possibility of luck and coincidence!

One hundred percent certain, the problem lay with that seemingly ordinary F-level couple!

Especially that man, Chen Jun!

She suppressed the impulse to immediately grab Chen Jun and slice him up for research.

The more precious the secret, the more patience and technique required.

Crude methods might yield nothing, or even destroy the secret itself.

Thus, the subsequent "Close-Range Kin Support Plan" farce came to be.

"Inviting" the Chen couple to headquarters was both to facilitate control and research, and to isolate them from the prying eyes of other forces.

At the same time, she issued another order: on Chen Lu's official Aptitude census file for next year, tamper with it and change the result to 【Universe Energy Affinity: F-level, No Special Aptitude】.

She wanted to hide this true pearl temporarily. One family having two Innate Martial Bodies was already shocking; if a third appeared... I am afraid even the big shots at the Star Rail Group headquarters would be alarmed. By then, this "secret" might not be something she, Qin Qingxuan, could dominate the excavation of.

In the new "golden cage," Chen Jun's life seemed to become comfortable.

He didn't need to work anymore; every day was spent accompanying Lin Wei, teasing his youngest daughter Chen Lu, and occasionally meeting with Chen Xi and Chen Yao under supervision, enjoying family happiness.

The daughters' growth speed was astonishing, especially Chen Xi, whose words and actions already had the steady temperament of a little adult. She would even care for her parents in a mature way:

"Daddy, you still look so tired, you need to rest more."

"Mommy, is the food in the new home delicious?"

All of this made Chen Jun feel gratified, but the anxiety and fear in his heart grew with each passing day. He knew that beneath this calm and peaceful illusion of life, dark currents were surging.

Soon, the "research" began.

In the name of "improving the Genius children's gene database and optimizing cultivation plans," Star Rail Group medical personnel would regularly come to give their family of three a "comprehensive health check," and blood draws were an essential item.

Each time, a not-insignificant amount of blood samples would be drawn.

Chen Jun sneered inwardly, knowing the purpose of this so-called "health check."

He cooperated, watching his blood being put into labeled test tubes, silently chanting in his heart:

"Draw it, draw it. If you can research the secret of being able to give birth to an Innate Martial Body from my F-level Trash genes, then it really would be hell."

Sure enough, no matter how the Star Rail Group's top biological gene laboratory sequenced, analyzed, and compared, the results obtained were completely consistent:

Chen Jun and Lin Wei's gene sequences completely matched the characteristics of F-level energy affinity, without any known or unknown special gene fragments that could significantly affect the offspring's Aptitude.

Their genes were as ordinary as could be, just like dust in the Universe.

The report was placed in front of Qin Qingxuan time and time again, and her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

"This is impossible!"

She lost her composure slightly in front of her subordinates for the first time.

"Something must have gone wrong somewhere! Or is our research direction wrong? Not genes? Then what is it? Could it be some external factor? Some... power we cannot understand?"

She ordered the scope of research to be expanded, to analyze all components in the blood more meticulously, including potential trace unknown elements, energy residual marks, etc., but still, nothing was found.

On Chen Jun's side, besides coping with regular blood draws, his biggest annoyance still came from Lin Wei.

Having left the familiar environment and moved into this luxurious cage with nothing to do, Lin Wei's full attention was more focused on her husband and her obsession with "creating another son."

The soundproofing here was excellent, the environment private, and she let go of all inhibitions.

Tonight, she put on an almost transparent silk nightgown, revealing her curves, sprayed expensive perfume with aphrodisiac effects, and walked gracefully to Chen Jun, who was pretending to look at the starry sky, holding a glass of wine to set the mood.

"Brother Jun..."

Her voice was soft and seductive, her body pressed against him as if she had no bones, her fingers tracing circles on his chest.

"Look, Xi Xi and Yao Yao are so promising, and Lu Lu is so cute... Our family has everything now, the Group treats us so well... We're just missing a son, aren't we?"

She handed the wine glass to his lips, her eyes swirling with emotion, her red lips slightly parted, her breath like an orchid:

"Tonight... don't look at the stars anymore... Look at me, okay? I am better looking than the stars..."

Feeling the warm, soft jade and rich fragrance behind him, Chen Jun's scalp tingled, and cold sweat broke out on his back instantly.

Here it comes again!

This sweet torture!

He jumped up with a start, as if electrocuted, and pointed at the viewing window in a panic:

"Wei Wei! Wait! Look! That... is that a meteorite exploration ship? Its signal light seems to be malfunctioning, flashing in a very rhythmic way! This might be some kind of ancient distress signal! Morse code! Yes! I have to write it down and analyze it quickly, this concerns the life safety of a ship of people! Cannot delay!"

The charming smile on Lin Wei's face froze instantly. Watching her husband talk nonsense again while pointing at the monotonous starry sky outside the window, the enthusiasm in her eyes quickly extinguished, replaced by immense grievance and disappointment.

The wine glass slipped from her hand, and the expensive wine splashed onto the gorgeous carpet.

Her eyes turned red, tears fell silently, and she turned around abruptly, her voice filled with sobbing and a trace of despair:

"Chen Jun! What is wrong with you?! Do you not love me anymore? Or is there something wrong with your body? We can see a doctor here! The Group doctors are very capable!"

Chen Jun looked at his wife's heartbroken back, his heart aching like it was being twisted by a knife. He opened his mouth; the words "Sleeping with you will reduce my lifespan by ten years" almost rushed out, but he swallowed them back down hard.

He could only hang his head in defeat, like a child who had done something wrong, and muttered:

"No... nothing... Wei Wei, I... I am just... a little tired..."

Lin Wei stopped speaking, just sobbed softly, ran back to the bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

Chen Jun stood alone in the gorgeous living room, looking at the eternal starry sky outside the window and the occasional passing ships, feeling like those asteroids captured by gravitational fields—no matter how free they looked, they could never escape this invisible cage.

Outside the golden cage, Qin Qingxuan was patient, continuing her research.

Inside the golden cage, Chen Jun was miserable, coping with the endless "demands" while guarding his biggest secret.