This was his motto, the basic principle for an orphan living in this society.

He took out his card, swiped it at the entrance, and opened the main door.

Although this duplex apartment was a bit expensive, and the property management fees in the complex weren’t cheap either,

you get what you pay for. The security and environment here were truly among the best in the city.

He didn’t come here every day, but through the property management, he had hired a part-time cleaner to tidy up regularly, so the place stayed fairly clean.

He tossed the combination case onto the sofa and stretched with a big yawn.

Although that piercing pain from earlier had passed, the unsettling feeling it left behind didn’t fade so quickly.

He poured himself a glass of warm water and drank it slowly. Only after a long while did he finally calm down.

His ability wasn’t something he could use at any moment; if he couldn’t maintain a peaceful state of mind, the chances of failure would increase significantly.

He went up to the master bedroom on the second floor and opened the door.

This was the only locked room in the house, and he cleaned it himself. Unless someone used force, no one but him could enter.

He brought the combination case inside and locked the door behind him.

Gazing at the case before him, a trace of doubt appeared in Ethan Cooper’s eyes.

Although he didn’t know what was inside, one thing was certain: whatever was in there was definitely extraordinary.

John Harris was a dangerous man, and the tasks he assigned were never simple—perhaps even filled with danger.

So, what hidden secrets did the key to this mission contain?

He carefully checked the door. If someone barged in while he was using his special ability, it would be a huge joke.

He closed his eyes, and a ripple of mental energy appeared above the combination case out of thin air.

This was a wave invisible to the naked eye, like an X-ray, scanning the case bit by bit along a set path.

A progress bar appeared in his mind, just like the blue bar that shows up when installing software on a computer.

One percent, two percent...

When the progress reached twenty percent, the bar that had been jumping forward suddenly slowed down. Like a snail, it crept forward bit by bit.

A layer of mist rose on his forehead, and soon, large beads of sweat seeped from his head.

He clenched his teeth, desperately summoning his remaining power, hoping to succeed in one go. But clearly, his strength was far from enough.

“Thud...” His body slid powerlessly from the chair to the floor.

His head throbbed with pain, almost as bad as the piercing agony from before.

He was completely drained of strength; the ability scan just now had exhausted his last ounce of energy—both mentally and physically, he had nothing left.

Just like that, lying on the floor, he drifted into a groggy sleep.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he was awakened by the ringing of the phone.

Forcing his exhausted body to move, he pulled the phone from his pocket. Too tired to even glance at the screen, he pressed the answer button directly.

“Ethan Cooper?”

His mind instantly cleared. This voice was none other than his boss, Eric Bennett.

“Hello, Mr. Bennett.”

Ethan Cooper was startled by his own voice—it was extremely hoarse, like metal clashing, harsh and grating.

“What’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick?”

“Uh... yes, yes I am.”

“Oh, then get some rest. Come back to work when you’re better.”

Ethan Cooper put down the phone in a daze, unable to figure out why Eric Bennett had suddenly called him.

He looked down at his phone, and his eyes widened in shock—it was already a day later. He had just slept for a full twenty hours.

Cursing under his breath, Ethan Cooper struggled to get up, immediately feeling his stomach empty and protesting loudly.

With a wry smile, he grabbed the phone and ordered an extra-large hamburger.

By the time he crawled out of the bathroom, the delicious-smelling burger had already arrived. Devouring the hot burger ravenously, he felt much more refreshed.

Looking at the combination case in the bedroom, a surge of unwillingness rose in his heart once again.

But this time, he was no longer reckless.

Forcibly suppressing his curiosity, he made himself lie down on the bed. Unexpectedly, as soon as his head touched the soft pillow, he immediately fell asleep.

When he woke up again, he found his stomach empty once more. Glancing at the wall clock, he saw that another twelve hours had passed.

He got up and went to the gym, working out on several machines for a long time until his body was drenched in sweat.

Order takeout, shower, eat, sleep.