Hui Tian Ch49

Chapter 49

Does he have the same burning love for me or even a thousandth of it?

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Blood.

Blood everywhere.

On the walls and on the floor, torn human bodies flew in pieces, grotesque flesh and blood spilling everywhere. A little boy huddled in the corner, his beautiful eyes widened to the extreme, pupils reflecting his mother’s approaching face and her blood-dripping fingertips.

Don’t kill me, Mom; please don’t kill me!

Fear drowned everything. His throat felt blocked, unable to make a sound, watching helplessly as the cold light was raised high above his head—

Just then, a figure darted from behind his mother, a spear piercing through her chest!

The little boy’s pupils instantly constricted like needles.

His mother’s blood poured down like rain, soaking him through, but he had lost all hearing and touch. One-hundredth of a second became incredibly long, until—Thud!

His mother’s body knelt down in a slump, her cold, blood-stained long hair brushing past the little boy’s cheek.

Her eyes stared straight at her youngest son. Her upper body fell forward, and as she brushed past, she used her last bit of strength to say something in the child’s ear.

It seemed like a prophecy.

But the child could no longer hear.

Sounds, smells, colors, touch—all turned into distorted, montage-like color clusters. Subconsciously, he wanted to see clearly who had shot and killed his mother, but his consciousness was already spiraling away, as if falling backward into deep, dark water.

Water submerged his mouth and nose, piercing through his trachea into his lungs like a sharp knife. Fatal suffocation enveloped everything.

“!”

Shen Zhuo opened his eyes abruptly, sitting up and gasping violently.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Sheng sat up too, still half-asleep. He skillfully pulled Shen Zhuo into the crook of his arm, rubbing his lips against his forehead soaked in cold sweat.

Shen Zhuo’s heart pounded heavily. The residual fear of the dream still lingered deep in his consciousness. Trying to recall carefully, he could grasp nothing; his panic-stricken mind was blank.

“…Had a dream,” he murmured hoarsely, “Forgot what it was about.”

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid.” Unexpectedly, Bai Sheng didn’t ask much. He rubbed Shen Zhuo’s forehead hair firmly with his thumb, lowered his head to give him a kiss, his lips pressing against the skin between his eyebrows, whispering, “Just a nightmare.”

Shen Zhuo vaguely felt he dreamt of fragments from when he was very young, but he couldn’t recall the scenes in the dream no matter what. He closed his eyes, instinctively burying his head in the hollow of Bai Sheng’s neck, smelling the clean, pleasant scent on the other’s skin, enveloping him warmly like an ocean.

“I’m here, it’s okay.”

Bai Sheng’s hair stuck up messily. He wore nothing on his upper body, light and shadow outlining attractive muscle lines. With one hand, he picked Shen Zhuo up to straddle his thighs. The other hand reached under the loose T-shirt, firmly stroking up and down that lean, thin back. It was a very soothing motion until Shen Zhuo’s tense back gradually relaxed.

Hips touching, bedding messy. Shen Zhuo hooked his arms around the back of Bai Sheng’s neck, their noses rubbing intimately.

Bai Sheng’s breathing grew heavy. He ran his fingers through the hair at the back of Shen Zhuo’s head, pressing him down: “Kiss me.”

“You’re enough… Mmh…”

Lips and tongue explored easily and familiarly. At first, it was gentle and drowning, but as body temperature rose and breath became chaotic, the entanglement grew restless, even fierce, gradually beginning to mimic a certain rhythm.

“…!” Shen Zhuo sobered up abruptly, pushing forcibly: “Enough, I won’t fall for it again!”

Bai Sheng gripped his waist, refusing to let go, opening his eyes innocently: “Aren’t we being super fair?”

“Five hours isn’t called fair; let go!”

“It’s not my fault it lasted long. Besides, in terms of frequency, it’s fair.”

“Frequency is also you…” Shen Zhuo thought, Frequency is also you forcibly making it fair. An ordinary person like me shouldn’t talk about fairness with an S-class bastard like you from the start!

However, it was too late to learn his lesson now. Shen Zhuo was physically drained and exhausted, his hands weak and sore. Gritting his teeth, he pushed Bai Sheng away with force, only to find his ten fingers and even his whole body covered in dried traces.

“Get up and let me go to work.” Shen Zhuo felt mentally exhausted. “Do you really think a Supervisor’s salary is that easy to earn?”

Bai Sheng laughed, carrying Shen Zhuo into the bathroom. While he brushed his teeth, Bai Sheng hugged him clingily from behind, wanting to follow him into the shower, but was coldly expelled by the Grand Supervisor and had to give up.

Fortunately, Bai Sheng had brought a box of clothes from the Supervision Office. Shen Zhuo showered and changed directly into a full uniform. The shirt collar was buttoned meticulously to the throat, the black slim tie tucked into the suit. Even the residual finger marks on his wrists were covered by black leather gloves. Not a trace could be seen on that pale, cold face.

“What’s the rush? Come eat breakfast.” Bai Sheng always had that relaxed ease of handling things effortlessly. He picked up a cod dumpling with chopsticks: “Ah—”

Checking work emails, Shen Zhuo opened his mouth and surprisingly found it tasted decent: “Where is it from?”

“Based on my understanding of hotel raw material quality control, probably Antarctica.” Bai Sheng couldn’t help laughing, picking up a shrimp dumpling: “Ah—”

Shen Zhuo lowered his head, staring at the email, opening his mouth to accept it again. Bai Sheng watched with great satisfaction, paying attention to Shen Zhuo’s fair jaw. Luckily, those few finger marks had been completely removed by his ability. Even if Shen Zhuo examined carefully against the light, he wouldn’t find any clues.

Bai Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, If only you were this docile when opening your mouth while delirious last night.

---

Living close to the Supervision Office was a huge advantage; no need to send a special car. Bai Sheng drove Shen Zhuo there in one go, also ordering two large boxes of milk tea and snacks to distribute upstairs. All the supervisors wished they could give him a lifetime position on the spot.

Bai Sheng modestly expressed that he still needed to work harder to gain the supervisor’s comprehensive trust and commitment, then left the Supervision Office with a spring in his step, returning home alone to sit behind his desk and turn on the computer.

Search keyword: Genetic Darwinism Hiding Evolution Codes.
Author: Shen Ruzhen

Lines of English reflected deep in his eyes. Bai Sheng narrowed his eyes, Shen Zhuo’s hoarse sleeptalk from last night seemingly echoing in his ears again.

—Don’t kill me.
Mom, don’t kill me.

For what compelling reason would a mother want to kill her child?

Was the first generation of HRG truly that safe and harmless, merely intended to extend human life?

Bai Sheng found an academic award photo from many years ago, clicked it open, saw the name, and his brow twitched slightly.

Shen Ruzhen.

Tenured professor at an Ivy League university, top scholar, industry giant. Her resume and titles were dazzling, academic achievements too numerous to fill a page.

Almost at first glance, Bai Sheng could confirm her mother-son relationship with Shen Zhuo. The reason was simple—they looked too alike.

Same eyebrows and eyes, same thin lips and jaw, even that hidden indifference and impatience when looking at people were identical. Bai Sheng could even imagine if Shen Ruzhen had to smile politely at the camera, the arc of her mouth would be as full of hypocrisy as Shen Zhuo’s.

Finding the name made it easy to follow the vine. What surprised Bai Sheng was that Shen Zhuo wasn’t his mother’s only child, as Shen Ruzhen had two marriages.

Her first marriage was very early, to a lab sponsor—or rather, the other party pursued her by desperately sponsoring her. Judging from the husband’s surname, Van der Castel, he should be a nobleman or celebrity with a social background.

This marriage produced a son and lasted ten years. The reason for divorce was that a relationship built purely on money couldn’t bind a beauty with top-tier intelligence. Shen Ruzhen increasingly found her husband boring, or rather, she increasingly found mortals boring. When she discovered that this mortal she married couldn’t even discuss Banach space operator group theory with her, she dumped him resolutely.

The poor ex-husband learned from the pain and probably studied mathematics fiercely for a few years after the divorce. But while the man’s heart was lingering and sorrowful, the woman’s will was cold as iron. At thirty-eight, Shen Ruzhen resigned and returned to her country with her eldest son, eventually remarrying and giving birth to her second son.

No information could be found on her remarriage partner and two children, but judging by age, the younger son was undoubtedly Shen Zhuo.

The first generation of HRG was already a classified project, so Shen Ruzhen’s research experience, personal life, and even related academic achievements after returning to the country were completely hidden.

But it didn’t matter, because after the search, Bai Sheng could be almost certain of one thing—with Shen Ruzhen’s academic status, she couldn’t have been just an ordinary researcher back then.

Her son led the second generation of HRG, and she herself must have been the founder of the first generation.

Bai Sheng pinched his jaw with two fingers, scrolling the mouse wheel up and down that paper. He recognized every letter, but combined, they were like a heavenly book.

What exactly was Shen Ruzhen researching back then?

The most direct way was definitely to take the paper and ask Shen Zhuo, but Bai Sheng leaned back in the swivel chair, looking thoughtfully at the display screen, knowing that the Grand Supervisor, who always held back 30% when speaking, wouldn’t reveal too many clues to him.

He raised his hand to look at his palm. The chaotic temperature and tears from last night still lingered on his fingertips, yet vanished by dawn.

Infinitely lingering when fervent, rapidly cooling when distant. In a few days, everything would be as if it never happened.

What is our relationship? The thought involuntarily popped up.

Bai Sheng was naturally extraordinarily sensitive to human relationships, knowing that pushing one’s luck was taboo. Besides, nothing really happened between him and Shen Zhuo, just mutual manual assistance and extreme ambiguity between adults.

This push and pull required no vows, no promises, not even piercing that layer of window paper; just a look, tacit understanding, no one else around, and mutual consent.

But when emotions ran high and lingered, Bai Sheng couldn’t help wondering—what step are we at now?

A person willing to risk his life entering Daydream to save me, seeing through my unconcealable fiery love at a glance, indulging himself in brief pleasure and intimacy with me, but what does this person truly consider me in his heart?

Does he harbor the same affection for me, or even one-thousandth of it?

“…” Bai Sheng exhaled a long, silent breath.

Not at that step yet, he thought rationally. I am not yet the person Shen Zhuo is willing to actively entrust with all truths and pasts.

I am definitely special to him, but not that special.

Bai Sheng forcibly pulled himself out of that sense of loss, took a deep breath, and recovered his calm and easygoing demeanor.

Asking Shen Zhuo directly would yield no answer, useless except for adding embarrassment. Fortunately, there was one person he could turn to for help. Bai Sheng propped his long legs on the desk, picked up his phone, dialed a number, and it connected quickly:

“Hello? Daughter, what are you doing? Have you eaten?”

Chu Yan and Yang Xiaodao had been staying at the Baifu Jinjiang Hotel for the past two days, with food, drink, and care. The little girl even got some cakes and bread from the hotel to send to the welfare home, just returning from volunteer work. Her mood was visibly very stable: “I’ve eaten; thank you, Mr. Bai. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Help me look at a paper. Explain it clearly in under two hundred words using language a Muggle can understand.” Bai Sheng tapped his finger to send her the paper, instructing, “Be good, don’t tell Supervisor Shen about this yet. I want to work hard silently behind the scenes and then amaze his whole family to their faces.”

Chu Yan didn’t understand but opened her email to download the paper first: “Okay, no problem. But can you wait a bit? I need to finish today’s labor reform task first.”

Bai Sheng: “? Labor reform what?”

Chu Yan said, “Nothing much, actually. Supervisor Shen said Yang Xiaodao started school a bit late and his foundation isn’t good and asked me to help tutor Yang Xiaodao’s homework every day.”

“!!”

Bai Sheng’s voice changed instantly: “Ah… that… have you started tutoring yet?”

“Oh, not yet.” Chu Yan was a bit puzzled. “Supervisor Shen told me not to rush, eat and drink my fill, rest a bit, then use your card Mr. Bai to buy some things I like. Start only when my mood is relatively happy. But I have nothing I want to buy, and this task looks very easy. Why don’t I go find Yang Xiaodao now?”

“No—” Bai Sheng almost cracked his voice.

Chu Yan: “?”

Bai Sheng reacted immediately, quickly returning to a normal tone before the little girl got suspicious, acting nonchalant: “No no, daughter, listen to me. Help Dad read that paper first, then swipe the card to buy some bags and dresses or something. Only with a happy mood can you live long; it’s not too late to find Yang Xiaodao tonight.”

“…” Chu Yan was baffled, probing: “Then if I have nothing to buy, can I donate to the welfare home?”

“Sure, sure, your happiness is most important.” Bai Sheng answered lovingly. “Must read the paper first, waiting for you, bye-bye!”

Chu Yan hung up in confusion, obediently.

Bai Sheng’s thinking was correct. Reading a paper is faster when a person’s spirit hasn’t been stimulated yet. Once she finished checking Yang Xiaodao’s homework, it would be hard to say. She might have a cerebral hemorrhage by then, who would care about a paper.

Not long after, Chu Yan called back as expected, asking puzzledly, “Where did you read this paper?”

“Sneaked a peek on Supervisor Shen’s desk.” Bai Sheng asked casually: “Why?”

“Oh, I guessed so, because it’s related to the HRG project… But the paper itself is very profound. I don’t understand it well. Can only guess the general content.” Chu Yan thought for a moment and said, “It says some people’s genes possess potential ‘buttons’. Activating these ‘buttons’ with external force might derive abnormal abilities, but not everyone possesses these potential genes, and they are hereditary.”

Bai Sheng’s heart skipped a beat, but his face didn’t show it: “Isn’t that just evolution?”

“Yeah, that means evolution. Some people’s genes are activated by meteorites to evolve; some cannot evolve. It’s just that this paper is very radical, proposing the concept of Genetic Darwinism.” Chu Yan asked strangely, “Are you really starting from this paper? Skipping too many grades, right? Hmm… How about I lend you my high school biology notebook first?”

Bai Sheng knew enough now, hastily declining and saying no need, earnestly advising her to keep a happy mood before finding Yang Xiaodao for homework tutoring, remembering to look on the bright side of everything, and not to be too obsessed with small setbacks in life, then quickly hung up.

He guessed right. The first generation of HRG wasn’t about extending human life at all. Shen Ruzhen thought humans could evolve thirty years ago.

Between the first and second generations of HRG, there must be some unknown connection. That’s why Cameron said to Shen Zhuo, “HRG is not your achievement alone”.

How deep was the water behind this project?

Bai Sheng crossed his legs on the desk, leaning back in the swivel chair, half suspended in the air, slender fingers interlaced in front of him, staring at the study ceiling in a daze.

Just then, his phone rang. He subconsciously thought it was Yang Xiaodao calling to say Chu Yan had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Looking somewhat guiltily, the caller ID was Shen Zhuo.

“?”

Bai Sheng pressed the answer. Despite being full of doubts a moment ago, the instant he received Shen Zhuo’s call, a subtle, electric-shock-like happiness burst from the bottom of his heart. He didn’t even notice the smile on his face:

“Hello, Supervisor Shen?”

Shen Zhuo’s voice was calm: “Giving a civilian volunteer a chance for an unpaid, non-staff business trip. Coming?”

“Ah?”

“Nobel Evolutionist Peace Prize. Nielsen is invited as the presenter, also invited major global supervisors and celebrities for a celebration banquet. Location is on Plory Island.” Shen Zhuo sat behind his desk, flipping through the thick invitation just delivered. “I just checked the hotel rooms and found that only I am arranged to stay on the same floor as Nielsen.”

Bai Sheng: “!”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to go, it’s just a few nights anyway…”

“Wait, I’ll go,” Bai Sheng interrupted firmly, speaking powerfully: “I, for one, love peace the most. How can such a big event celebrating peace be without me?”

What Wolf of Odin? Pluck his fur, peel his skin! Dare to covet the little swan in someone else’s mouth? Let him know who the real Wolf King is! Bai Sheng asked casually: “Who is the prize awarded to this year?”

“Don’t know.” Shen Zhuo glanced at the list absent-mindedly. “Someone named Brice Thorne, Bishop of the civilian protection organization ‘Round Table’.”

Bai Sheng: “…”

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