Chapter 77
Crazy
A few hours later, a special plane from Shenhai landed at the military airport in the central district. An armored special vehicle sped from the airport to the Evolution Specialist Hospital at lightning speed.
“…The only possibility is the Qinghai explosion three years ago. The massive radiation from the Level I evolution source caused Su Jiqiao’s genes to mutate again, and at the same time, he absorbed some energy from the meteorite. It took him three years to digest this energy, and as a result, he woke up as an S.”
Shen Zhuo leaned back in the rear seat and said in a deep voice, “Although it sounds incredible, this is the only guess I can make.”
Shen Zhuo’s expression was as calm as a cold pool, reminiscent of how Bai Sheng first saw him during the hijacking incident—tense, clear-headed, and composed, the chief supervisor.
The scenery of B City streets flew past the car window. Bai Sheng stared at Shen Zhuo’s somber and stern profile and asked, “What do you think are the chances of him accusing you of murdering Fu Chen?”
“…”
The car vibrated slightly as it sped along. Shen Zhuo did not answer immediately. After a while, he responded indirectly, “He hates me.”
“Even if I’m not the person Su Jiqiao hates the most in this world, I can at least rank in the top three.”
The special car came to a sudden stop at the hospital entrance. Before the guards could rush to open the door, Shen Zhuo pushed it open and got out. Yue Yang was seen walking briskly out of the building with several trusted subordinates.
Shen Zhuo asked sternly, “Why aren’t you upstairs?”
Yue Yang looked rather grim, “Half an hour ago, the latest directive from the United Nations was issued. To ensure Su Jiqiao’s safety as a key witness, no one is allowed to enter the ward and talk to him without authorization, including me.”
Shen Zhuo’s steps halted abruptly.
“The UN EHPBC people are already on their way,” Yue Yang glanced at his watch, “They could arrive at any time.”
EHPBC, Evolutionist and Human Peace-Building Committee.
After the second wave of global evolution, the United Nations Security Council and the International Supervision General Administration established this organization. Ostensibly for “Peace-Building,” it was actually a power battleground for various factions, the highest authority arena for both evolutionists and humans.
“Flying from New York takes at least ten hours, how can they be so fast?” Shen Zhuo frowned.
“A few high-ranking EHPBC officials were visiting Malaysia. When they heard about this, they immediately changed course…” Yue Yang shook his head, “They really timed it right.”
Shen Zhuo looked towards the hospital’s main entrance. The duty officers were standing guard in the lobby, all armed and vigilant, their gazes fixed on the chief supervisor from Shenhai City.
It was no surprise that EHPBC issued this safety order. Everyone knew that the famous and tough chief supervisor would never sit idly by.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Shen Zhuo stepped forward.
“Chief Supervisor Shen! Please stop!” Yue Yang’s subordinates hurried to block him, “EHPBC has clearly prohibited anyone from approaching the witness!” “Chief Supervisor, that’s a Security Council order!…”
“Shen Zhuo, calm down. You can’t do anything if you go in.” Yue Yang stretched out his hand to dissuade him: “When the time comes, they will accuse you of threatening the witness at the hearing. Why bother?”
“Step aside.”
“Su Jiqiao might not necessarily give testimony against you. At such a sensitive time, don’t go against the Security Council…”
Shen Zhuo shouted, “Get out of the way!”
He brushed away Yue Yang’s hand and strode up the concrete steps in front of the main door. Bai Sheng, who had been silent, followed closely behind. As he passed Yue Yang, he paused slightly and asked in a whisper, “Bro, you don’t suspect that Shen Zhuo killed your brother Fu Chen, do you?”
Yue Yang was silent for a moment.
“It doesn’t matter if I suspect or not.” Yue Yang looked up into Bai Sheng’s eyes and said in a low voice, “The fact is, if it weren’t for me, Shen Zhuo would have been dead three years ago.”
The two stood on the steps, one higher and one lower. After a moment, Bai Sheng leaned slightly towards Yue Yang’s ear and said, after some contemplation:
“Bro, I’ll tell you the truth out of respect… Your brother had an affair with that guy named Su.”
Yue Yang was stunned.
“That guy surnamed Su is no good. Now that he has S-level pheromones, he could take over your territory anytime.” Bai Sheng tapped Yue Yang’s chest with his knuckles and said, “Stay sharp, don’t just listen to the higher-ups, think more for yourself, brother.”
“Chief Supervisor Shen, please stop!” “Stop!” “Chief Supervisor Shen, you can’t go any further!”
The duty guards were on edge. As Shen Zhuo stepped into the lobby, they rushed to stop him. Shen Zhuo swiftly disarmed the foremost guard, and the others, retreating with his steps, loaded their guns in alarm, trying to stop him: “EHPBC has ordered no unauthorized entry into the ward!” “We must protect the key witness!”
“You are a major suspect in Fu Chen’s death, you cannot go up and threaten the witness’s safety!”
Shen Zhuo’s face was icy, and his steps were unyielding. He drew his gun from his back, causing the guards to panic: “—Stop!” “Chief Supervisor Shen, stop!” “We’ll open fire!!”
“Hey, what’s with all the seriousness and tension?”
Bai Sheng appeared at the lobby entrance, grinning, one arm around Yue Yang’s shoulders in a forced camaraderie, the other hand snapping his fingers. With a crisp snap, all the guards’ guns clattered to the ground, and they all collapsed, struggling but unable to move.
—Gravity manipulation, a trick Bai Sheng had used in Shenhai against the Security Council, almost gave Cameron a stroke.
Bai Sheng made a gesture to the guards, indicating that “you’ve done your best, go collect your overtime pay later,” and followed Shen Zhuo into the elevator, heading straight for the top-floor special ward.
Su Jiqiao’s life-monitoring data was directly connected to the International Supervision General Administration. If he woke up, they would be notified immediately, and the emergency plan would activate, with the entire floor under surveillance.
But Shen Zhuo didn’t care; his expression was stern and determined. He strode through the white hospital corridor and pushed open the ward door.
“Chief Supervisor Shen?!” “How could you?!—”
The medical staff around the bed were in an uproar. Shen Zhuo ordered in a deep voice, “Out.”
Medical staff are highly valued everywhere, and it’s not worth risking their lives for the internal power struggles of the higher-ups. Hearing Shen Zhuo’s order, they immediately quieted down and quickly filed out of the room, leaving only the young man in a white hospital gown on the bed.
“Professor.”
Su Jiqiao smiled as if he were still the eighteen-year-old student from back in school, his eyes filled with laughter. He reached out to Shen Zhuo, a bright red “S” conspicuous on the back of his hand:
“How have you been these years? Did you come specifically to see me? I’m really happy, I—”
His voice abruptly choked off as Shen Zhuo grabbed his jaw.
Shen Zhuo gazed down into those clear black-and-white eyes, each word as light as frost:
“I haven’t settled the score with you for what happened on the night of the Qinghai explosion, Su Jiqiao.”
“…Why, Professor?” Su Jiqiao tilted his head like an innocent boy, struggling to speak under the grip, “Fu Chen is dead, isn’t that… isn’t that what you wanted?”
Shen Zhuo’s grip, as strong as steel, would have been enough to crush the bones of an ordinary person. But Su Jiqiao seemed completely unfazed by the pain, even smiling at Shen Zhuo, speaking intermittently: “I thought you… you were the person in this world who most wanted Fu Chen dead, the leaked experiment, the traitor in the research institute…”
He suddenly swallowed his words as Shen Zhuo exerted more force, causing a loud crack in his throat.
“If you dare to spout nonsense at the upcoming hearing,” Shen Zhuo leaned down, his gaze sharp and icy, “I’ll make sure to drag you down with me. I have ten thousand ways to send you to hell first.”
“…”
“A born lunatic like you belongs in the gutter and in hell,” Shen Zhuo whispered in Su Jiqiao’s ear, “No one in this world was looking forward to your awakening.”
Su Jiqiao strained to look at Shen Zhuo’s face, so close, and despite the pressure on his throat, he laughed hoarsely, his eyes brimming with a frightening innocence and tenderness.
“Alright, Professor.” He breathed sweetly, “I’ll be waiting.”
Then he extended his tongue and licked the back of Shen Zhuo’s hand.
It felt as cold as a snake’s tongue, and Shen Zhuo let go as if shocked by electricity.
The next moment, Shen Zhuo was pulled back by a familiar force, as Bai Sheng yanked him behind him.
Su Jiqiao clutched his throat, coughing violently, while squinting at Bai Sheng, his watery eyes betraying no real emotion, coughing and laughing, “Professor… who is this person? He looks so fierce, making me, the witness, so scared… cough, cough, cough—”
A violent wave of pheromones surged forth, like a roaring wolf tearing through the air.
Su Jiqiao’s pretentious eyes instantly contracted, reflecting Bai Sheng’s deathly cold gaze.
In the dead silence, Bai Sheng spoke in a low voice, his usually casual and playful face devoid of any trace of a smile, as cold as ice: “If you can’t control your tongue, I’ll cut it off.”
At that moment, chaotic footsteps approached from the corridor, and all three turned towards the ward door as the EHPBC people rushed in.
There were more than twenty of them, all officials from the United Nations. The leader, a well-mannered man with gray-green eyes like a cloudy sky, glanced at Shen Zhuo and Bai Sheng upon entering. It was Cameron!
“Good afternoon, Chief Supervisor Shen.”
Cameron flashed his ID, signaled his men to quickly escort Su Jiqiao out of bed, and formally addressed Shen Zhuo: “The investigation into the death of S-level evolutionist Fu Chen three years ago was suspended due to a lack of evidence. With the unexpected awakening of key witness Su Jiqiao, EHPBC has decided to reopen the investigation. A hearing will be held soon, and we ask for your cooperation, Chief Supervisor Shen.”
“…”
Su Jiqiao was escorted out by a group of people, surrounded like stars revolving around the moon. As he was about to leave the room, he turned his head and gave Bai Sheng a meaningful look, narrowing his eyes slightly.
But Shen Zhuo completely ignored him, only giving Cameron a brief once-over and saying indifferently:
“It seems that people who exploit every opportunity tend to get promoted faster, Mr. Elton Cameron.”
“Just doing my utmost for the great cause of building peace between evolutionists and humans,” Cameron replied politely, then as if remembering something, he elegantly said, “Ah”:
“Speaking of which, I should thank you conjoint… I should thank Supervisor Shen and Mr. Bai.”
A poisonous smile formed at the corner of his mouth, outlining a hypocritical arc: “Thank you for efficiently dealing with Mr. Nielsen. After the position of Director-General remained vacant for many days, EHPBC finally realized how important it is to choose the right leader for world peace…”
“And so, I was honored with the position of acting Director-General of the International Supervision General Administration by a narrow margin.”
It was as if a heavy bomb had been dropped, and the air in the hospital room instantly froze.
Bai Sheng’s expression changed slightly, and even Yue Yang outside the room was taken aback.
“Do you remember what I said after Nielsen was arrested?”
Cameron leaned forward slightly, smiling as he stared into Shen Zhuo’s dark eyes, repeating word for word: “A storm is coming, Dr. Shen.”
“……”
Shen Zhuo coldly stared at him, saying nothing.
Cameron took half a step back, nodded politely to indicate he was leaving, and said meaningfully: “Please give my regards to all the researchers at HRG, you two… distinguished gentlemen.”
Without looking at Shen Zhuo again, he turned and walked out of the hospital room, glancing critically up and down at Yue Yang as he passed by, mentally giving him two heavy crosses, then disappearing into the elevator without looking back.
***
At the entrance of the Evolutionary Specialty Hospital, several black cars with diplomatic plates were parked at the steps. A figure in a white hospital gown was being helped to stand by the car, looking fragile and weak from a distance.
Cameron strode towards the open car door: “—Mr. Su Jiqiao.”
Su Jiqiao turned his head, his face pale and tired, as if he could barely support himself to answer another question. He raised his pale lips into a weak smile:
“Sorry, Mr. Cameron, I haven’t fully recovered yet…”
“EHPBC will soon hold a hearing on the Qinghai explosion incident from years ago. At that time, we will thoroughly investigate the cause of death of the S-class evolutionist Fu Chen and determine based on your testimony whether Shen Zhuo is indeed suspected of murder.”
Cameron remained unmoved, staring at the beautiful face of the A-class evolutionist, Su Jiqiao. Su Jiqiao lowered his head in panic, biting his lip: “I’m sorry, but… Shen Zhuo… after all, he is my teacher…”
“You misunderstand.” Cameron interrupted coldly, “I’m not interested in the truth.”
Su Jiqiao was momentarily stunned.
“The UN Security Council needs Dr. Shen, not Supervisor Shen. As an S-class evolutionist, you need a position as a supervisor. We each hold the key to what the other needs, Mr. Su. You are a smart man.” Cameron stared at him and said, “You know what I mean.”
Su Jiqiao stood motionless for a long time before raising his eyes, staring directly at Cameron and slowly curling his lips into a smile.
It was a beautiful face, but the smile, despite its charm, could send chills down one’s spine.
He replied softly, “I understand.”
Cameron said no more, motioned for his men to help Su Jiqiao into the car, then got into another black Chevrolet himself, closing the door with a thud. Moments later, the convoy of cars started one after another, driving out of the Evolutionary Specialty Hospital.
In the rearview mirror, a window on the top floor of the hospital building grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the distance. Only then did the ominous gray-green eyes retract their gaze.
“Mr. Cameron,” the secretary in the back seat couldn’t help but ask softly, “since Su Jiqiao has agreed to testify against Dr. Shen for suspected murder at the hearing, will we really give him the position of Supervisor of Shanhai City? After all, Mr. Bai is the only double S-class evolutionist in the world. If he finds out… he might…”
He might get so enraged that he’d tear Su Jiqiao apart, just like he tore apart those three S-class evolutionists who foolishly challenged him under the sky.
Cameron said, “No, he won’t.”
The secretary didn’t understand but didn’t dare to ask. After thinking for a while, he thought he understood and laughed dryly:
“…Ah, yes. Su Jiqiao has an A-class evolved face after all. Everyone loves beauty. Perhaps Mr. Bai might…”
“Oh no, he won’t.” Cameron interrupted disdainfully, “A person’s aesthetic sense doesn’t suddenly plummet that much. On this, I trust Bai Sheng.”
Secretary: “…”
“What I mean is, we didn’t promise Su Jiqiao anything. A supervisor could be any supervisor. How Mr. Bai chooses to retaliate or vent his anger on Su Jiqiao is just internal strife among the evolutionist. A bunch of beasts fighting among themselves has nothing to do with us civilized people.”
Cameron snorted, adjusting his Windsor knot.
“A barbaric race with only superpowers on their minds,” he said indifferently.
The Chevrolet sped forward, the black convoy disappearing among the tall buildings of the city.
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