The bus ride back to the city was quiet.
General had fallen asleep across the seat beside Yaoyao, his paws twitching occasionally as though chasing birds in his dreams.
Mochi floated upside down near the ceiling, lazily spinning in circles.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither did Yaoyao.
Her fingers rested over the jade pendant hidden beneath her blouse.
The silver crest on the estate gates replayed in her mind again and again.
Ninety-seven point eight percent.
Not proof.
Just another clue.
She slowly exhaled.
"If that really is my family..."
Mochi opened one eye.
"Mm?"
"...then why wasn't I found?"
For the first time since they met...
Mochi didn't answer immediately.
After several moments he quietly said,
"The system can calculate probabilities."
"It cannot calculate human hearts."
The bus came to a stop.
"Host."
"Hm?"
"Keep searching."
"But don't stop living while you search."
Those simple words settled somewhere deep inside her.
She smiled.
"I won't."
⸻
Cloud City Municipal Planning Archive
The archive building looked nothing like the towering glass offices surrounding downtown.
Built decades earlier, it stood quietly among old maple trees, its brick exterior weathered but carefully maintained.
Inside, shelves stretched for what seemed like forever.
City maps.
Planning proposals.
Infrastructure reports.
Development applications.
Every major change Cloud City had experienced over the past fifty years was recorded somewhere within these walls.
A librarian looked over her glasses.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes."
Yaoyao politely showed her student identification.
"I'm researching Parcel E-17 for an investment case study."
The librarian smiled.
"Professor Huang's student?"
"You know Professor Huang?"
"He sends students here every semester."
She laughed.
"But very few stay longer than an hour."
⸻
Three hours later...
Yaoyao was still there.
The stack of documents beside her had grown alarmingly large.
Mochi stared at the mountain of paperwork.
"...Humans willingly do this?"
"It's called research."
"It looks like self-inflicted suffering."
General, now awake, had curled himself beneath the reading table.
"I approve."
⸻
Yaoyao spread another city map across the desk.
Parcel E-17 sat on the eastern riverfront.
At first glance...
It appeared ordinary.
An oddly shaped piece of undeveloped land squeezed between warehouses and abandoned factories.
Its appraised value wasn't particularly impressive.
Most investors considered it a long-term gamble.
Which meant...
Something was wrong.
"Nobody this powerful spends years pursuing average land."
She circled nearby roads.
Bridges.
Rail lines.
Utility corridors.
Then...
Her eyes widened.
"No way..."
Mochi floated closer.
"What?"
She pulled another planning proposal from the stack.
Then another.
Then a transportation study published eight years earlier.
Finally...
She layered all three maps on top of one another.
Everything aligned.
The proposed high-speed rail station.
A future commercial district.
The expansion of the eastern financial center.
Every major project connected through one narrow corridor.
Parcel E-17.
Yaoyao's heartbeat quickened.
"It's not about the land..."
She whispered.
"It's about access."
Mochi grinned.
"Explain."
She quickly sketched several lines.
"If someone owns E-17..."
"They control the only practical entrance connecting all three future developments."
She continued drawing.
"Every company building here would eventually need road access."
"Utility access."
"Construction access."
"Emergency access."
She looked up.
"The land itself isn't valuable."
"The choke point is."
Mochi snapped his tiny fingers.
A golden notification appeared before her.
⸻
Professional Insight Activated
Hidden Value Recognized
Strategic Thinking +1
⸻
Mochi crossed his tiny arms proudly.
"I knew choosing that enhancement was the right decision."
Yaoyao barely heard him.
Her attention remained fixed on the ownership records.
One final document rested beneath the pile.
She carefully unfolded it.
Eastern District Property Acquisition Record
Most of the surrounding lots had quietly changed ownership over the past seven years.
Not directly.
Through dozens of small investment companies.
Holding corporations.
Development firms.
Most people would never notice.
But someone with patience...
Someone determined...
Could follow the trail.
Yaoyao traced each company until they all converged.
At the very bottom of the ownership tree...
One name appeared.
Lu Group Holdings.
She blinked.
Again.
Then a third time.
"...They've been planning this for years."
Mochi nodded.
"Long before the city announced the redevelopment."
"They knew."
"No."
"They predicted."
⸻
General yawned.
"So rich humans play very long games."
"The richest ones do."
Yaoyao looked toward the window.
Cloud City's skyline shimmered beneath the afternoon sun.
Somewhere out there...
Someone had spent nearly a decade quietly assembling one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the city.
Not because of what it was.
Because of what it would become.
She smiled.
"So this is how true investors think."
Mochi corrected her.
"No."
"This is how kings think."
⸻
Her phone vibrated.
A notification from the auction website.
Registration for Parcel E-17 closes in five days.
Yaoyao opened the application.
The required deposit alone made her pause.
Even with her recent rebates...
She didn't have nearly enough.
"...Looks like watching from the sidelines."
Mochi shook his head.
"You've forgotten something."
She frowned.
"What?"
"The Randomly Spend Tycoon System never gives information without giving opportunity."
She stared at him.
"What are you saying?"
His smile grew mysterious.
"I'm saying..."
"Trust me."
Before she could ask another question—
DING!
A familiar golden screen appeared before her.
⸻
Weekend Opportunity Mission Unlocked
Opportunity Doesn't Wait
Objective:
Secure legal eligibility to participate in the E-17 auction before registration closes.
Difficulty: ★★★★★
Time Remaining: 4 Days, 22 Hours
Reward (Randomized):
* Premium Business Asset
* High-Level Investment Information
* Mystery Reward
Penalty for Declining: None
⸻
Yaoyao slowly read the mission twice.
Then looked at Mochi.
"...You planned this."
"I prefer the term..."
He grinned.
"...excellent timing."
She laughed despite herself.
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
⸻
As the afternoon sun dipped lower, Yaoyao packed away the maps, carefully returning each document to its proper place.
The elderly librarian watched with a warm smile.
"You found what you were looking for?"
Yaoyao paused.
"I found more questions than answers."
The librarian chuckled.
"Those are usually the best discoveries."
Outside, a cool breeze drifted through the streets.
Yaoyao looked once more toward the eastern skyline.
For the first time, she realized the game she had stepped into wasn't just about spending money.
It was about seeing what others overlooked.
About thinking years ahead instead of days.
About having the courage to act before anyone else understood.
Unbeknownst to her, at the very top floor of Lu Group Tower, the man who had spent seven years quietly building his strategy had just been informed that someone else had begun to see the same board.
And he did not like surprises