Chapter 96
From now on, you will give me all your love
Fu Chen.
Just these two words were like a bomb exploding silently in his ears, turning everything around into a vast, empty blankness.
It was unknown how long it took before Rong Qi’s dark and solidified pupils finally moved. He stared fixedly at Shen Zhuo and finally asked the question:
“How did you guess?”
“In both of your eyes, I seem to have always been an easily fooled idiot.” Shen Zhuo’s tone was icy and annoyed.
Four or five evolutionists held him tightly, as if facing a formidable enemy. Shen Zhuo raised his right index finger in the direction of Su Jiqiao.
“If he hadn’t woken up exactly three years after the explosion in Qinghai, I might still be half-believing in your so-called ‘life-saving grace.’ But he not only woke up; he also evolved into an S-class. That’s when I knew that the explosion back then must have been a carefully orchestrated setup.”
“Three years is exactly the time it takes for the energy from a meteorite to completely regenerate all the cells in a body. The energy from the explosion of that precious Class I meteorite was mostly divided between the two of you. Su Jiqiao absorbed a small part and completed a secondary evolution. Your spirit took away a large part, using it to revive the weakened ‘vessel’ body in the Quanshan County Health Clinic, bringing it to a brand-new peak state.”
“That’s why both of you woke up three years after the explosion, just at slightly different times.” Shen Zhuo raised an eyebrow mockingly and said, “You two must have a really strong bond.”
Rong Qi couldn’t help but step forward, “Shen Zhuo…”
“When did you come up with this plan, after Su Jiqiao found that vessel in the clinic through Qiao Jianqing’s belongings?” Shen Zhuo interrupted him.
Rong Qi’s clean Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he said with difficulty, “I don’t have that kind of… that kind of relationship with him…”
“It seems like you do.”
Shen Zhuo had no intention of listening to him, and although his voice was hoarse from pain, he continued, “So, before heading to Qinghai, Su Jiqiao took you to the clinic to confirm the condition of the ‘vessel’ one last time. Then you arranged that explosion that killed three birds with one stone: one unconscious evolution, one fake death escape, and most importantly, you pinned the blame on me, kicking me out of the central research institute and abruptly halting the nearly successful HRG project.”
Shen Zhuo breathed a sarcastic sigh.
“The arrangement was truly ingenious, completely disrupting the progress of the HRG research until you successfully woke up three years later and returned to take over… The only oversight was that you thought your enraged supporters would tear me to pieces after your fake death, but I miraculously survived.”
He raised an eyebrow mockingly and said, “But considering that you had to come to me after waking up to find out that the HRG research by the UN Security Council had made no progress, this probably wasn’t an oversight at all.”
Su Jiqiao’s face looked extremely unpleasant, and he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Rong Qi’s actions.
Rong Qi stepped forward and knelt down in front of Shen Zhuo, deeply gazing into his eyes.
“It’s not what you think.” After a long time, he reached out and stroked Shen Zhuo’s icy, delicate face, hoarsely saying, “Because in the original plan, you were well protected.”
Shen Zhuo’s face seemed to be sealed by ice and snow, every line radiating rejection, but Rong Qi didn’t care.
“The original plan was that on the way back from Qinghai, I would propose to you, then let the meteorite have an ‘accidental’ collision and explosion before reaching the central area. The satellite monitoring would restore the entire accident process. This way, you would be implicated, and the lengthy and tedious investigation hearings would slow down the HRG research progress, but you wouldn’t suffer, nor would you be subjected to any corporal punishment. Until I woke up three years later, I would have someone take you out of the central area at the first moment, and you would continue the HRG research under my protection.”
“And that scene you witnessed that night at the Qinghai base, that so-called… kiss.”
Rong Qi seemed to be quite disgusted as he paused before spitting out a few words, “It was actually a scene deliberately staged by Su Jiqiao. Because at that time, Fu Chen’s body could no longer bear my spirit, and his physical functions were nearing their limit. My senses and reaction speed were rapidly declining during that period, so I didn’t react in time, which led to the explosion of the meteorite in the base.”
“Your survival wasn’t the only oversight in the plan; it was the only stroke of luck. Please believe me, Shen Zhuo.”
Rong Qi leaned forward, but Shen Zhuo turned his head decisively to the side.
“Have I ever seen the real Fu Chen, even once?” he asked hoarsely.
“…” After a moment of silence, Rong Qi shook his head.
“No.” He answered honestly, “Five years ago, I landed on Earth with the source of evolution, and I occupied this S-class body the moment Fu Chen evolved because I couldn’t find a vessel and had no other choice. Fu Chen’s original soul was long destroyed, and since then, it has always been me that you’ve encountered.”
In the cave, Su Jiqiao’s strange words echoed once more, “…After the first global evolution, my mental power greatly increased, so I quickly noticed that unusual shadow among the crowd. But what surprised me was that it was actually——”
The cold light in Shen Zhuo’s eyes deepened.
He actually knew what Su Jiqiao had swallowed back.
“——What surprised me was that it was actually attached to Fu Chen and had become the head of the Central District Supervision Office without anyone noticing.”
No one noticed that the extraterrestrial spiritual entity 001, which caused the first generation HRG tragedy eighteen years ago, had donned human skin and had become the influential supervisor of the Asian Supervision Office.
The demon in disguise mingled among humans, which, upon reflection, was extremely terrifying!
“I actually thought that dying when you had the best impression of me would mean that three years later, I could still appear before you as ‘Fu Chen,’ but who would have thought that the accident orchestrated by Su Jiqiao would completely extinguish this idea?”
Rong Qi remained silent for a long time before he said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, I really… don’t want to be misunderstood by you.”
That night, the rapidly intensifying meteorite radiation, the sharply flickering lethal white light, the piercing alarm of the instruments, and Fu Chen’s trembling, fragmented explanations and shouts all rushed away in an instant, turning into a long and embarrassing silence.
Dead trees swayed, wild grass spread, and jagged rocks led all the way to the deep ravine.
“…You killed all the researchers of the first generation, your hands are stained with blood, countless lives, and you want to eliminate the entire human race, yet you’re here telling me what?” Shen Zhuo seemed to have heard the most absurd joke, “Do you even deserve to use the word ‘misunderstanding’? Aren’t you just disgusting?”
Rong Qi’s voice was still gentle: “Shen Zhuo…”
“Don’t let my name come out of your mouth.” Shen Zhuo’s pale teeth clenched tightly as he spoke each word: “Just seeing your face makes me want to vomit.”
No one had ever dared to speak to Rong Qi like this. The surrounding evolutionists didn’t even dare to look up, wishing they could cover their ears.
But Rong Qi didn’t react much. After a long silence, he sighed softly.
“I understand that your moral system cannot accept this, but it doesn’t matter.”
His insubstantial fingertips brushed Shen Zhuo’s cheek, sliding from the thin jawline past the corner of his lips, then rested on the side of his neck, gently pressing the throbbing vein with his thumb.
“After the nerve agent injection, your emotions will be reversed by the ability, and although the one performing the technique is Su Jiqiao, your hatred for me will also be flipped due to the connected effect. You will forget all the hardships and misfortunes of your earlier life and will be strictly protected by my side until the day the evolved race rules this planet.”
“You will receive the greatest privileges as the only surviving human, reigning above the evolved species.”
Rong Qi gazed into Shen Zhuo’s ice-cold eyes and softly said, “The moral system of this earth will be rewritten in my way, and by then, I assure you, you will be much happier than you are now.”
Shen Zhuo turned his gaze away in disgust, unwilling to look at him any longer.
He was forcibly held down by several people, exposing his long, vulnerable neck. Rong Qi stood up and said, “Do it.”
Caught off guard, Shen Zhuo struggled with a force that could almost dislocate his own shoulder. But the evolutionists around him were well prepared, pressing him down with many hands: “Calm down, Supervisor Shen!” “Don’t move!”
The evolutionist holding the nerve agent tightly gripped Shen Zhuo’s arm:
“Please don’t move, Supervisor Shen, so you don’t get hurt!”
A sudden pain in his skin, the needle pierced into the blood vessel in his arm, and the light red liquid slowly injected. Shen Zhuo gasped slightly, hearing footsteps approaching on the rugged grass, then Su Jiqiao kneeled on one knee before him, holding Shen Zhuo’s palm.
“It will be over soon, teacher.” He seemed unconcerned about being stabbed eight or nine times, only gazing at Shen Zhuo: “Soon you won’t feel any pain.”
As the agent entered his bloodstream, dizziness swept over him.
With the last of his strength, Shen Zhuo pulled his hand away and gasped through his clenched teeth: “Get away from me… scum.”
Those were the last words he said.
Within just a few minutes, the powerful chemicals had an irresistible effect on the neurons in his brain. Those eyes, always clear and piercing like a snowstorm, never showing the slightest bit of emotion, finally began to blur, with the long eyelashes drooping weakly; the side effects of the agent caused a rapid loss of temperature, and his face, devoid of its last trace of blood, turned as pale as paper as he collapsed backward.
“Look into my eyes, Shen Zhuo.” Su Jiqiao held the back of his head, his voice filled with a strange allure: “If you look at me, you won’t feel any pain, okay?”
Those brilliant red threads reappeared between his fingers; it was the S-class ability that reversed love and hate.
The mental strength damaged by chemical drugs was already at its limit, but Shen Zhuo’s determination was indeed incredibly strong. Even at this point, he instinctively turned his head, trying to resist with all his might, but it was already to no avail.
Su Jiqiao’s fingertips brushed over his brow, the crimson threads of light gleaming brightly as the S-class ability was activated once again.
Love and hate were forcibly reversed, and the soul was thereby overturned.
In the depths of Shen Zhuo’s pupils, a certain sharp and clear light finally faded away silently. It was a pure, bright, yet scarred soul howling into the abyss.
“From now on, you will grant me infinite love, obey all my wishes, and be unable to refuse any of my instructions or requests…”
Su Jiqiao gazed at Shen Zhuo, his voice as light as a whisper yet filled with powerful hypnotic force. After a pause, he reluctantly lowered his gaze and coldly spat out the latter half of the sentence:
“…as well as any orders from Rong Qi.”
Rong Qi stood behind him, looking down and silently staring at the back of Su Jiqiao’s head.
The hypnotic suggestion following the reversal of love and hate was a crucial step, directly affecting future control over the subject. Therefore, Rong Qi would not allow him to play any word games at this moment.
“Forget that Bai Sheng; he doesn’t deserve to touch the moon,” Su Jiqiao whispered, “From now on, that person will no longer exist in your world.”
The crimson light merged into Shen Zhuo’s brow, gradually dissipating into the depths of his pupils.
The mountain wind, carrying the scent of blood, swept past and disappeared into the vast, distant mountains. Everyone held their breath tensely.
“……”
As if falling into a long slumber, it was unknown how much time had passed. Shen Zhuo’s fingers suddenly moved slightly, finally awakening from the chaotic and absurd dream, his scattered vision slowly struggling to focus.
His gaze swept over one unfamiliar face after another, finally landing on the person in front of him, whose appearance was stunning and whose eyes were gentle. Every word was spoken with extreme exhaustion:
“You… are…”
“Do you not recognize me?” The practitioner gently coaxed, “I am your favorite Su Jiqiao.”
All eyes were tensely focused on Shen Zhuo’s pale face. He lowered his eyes, and after a while, he nodded almost imperceptibly and tiredly responded:
“Su Jiqiao.”
It worked!
Although not brimming with love, everyone knew that this was Shen Zhuo, that rare, cold-hearted person in the world. To forcibly reverse to this extent was practically beyond the limit!
Frenzy burst forth from the depths of Su Jiqiao’s heart; the joy of his wish being fulfilled made his nerves tremble. In contrast, Rong Qi remained calm. He half-squatted and looked at Shen Zhuo, saying nothing more, only calmly stating, “Sleep for a while; you’re tired.”
He reached out and brushed Shen Zhuo’s eyes, gently closing those weary lashes.
“I have an important meeting to attend, so I’ll leave first.” Rong Qi glanced at the time, stood up, and turned to Su Jiqiao, ordering coldly and undeniably, “Take him back to the base immediately. If you don’t want to die, move quickly. The speed-enhancing ability will help you leave this valley. Understand?”
Su Jiqiao knew he was destined to be unable to shake off Rong Qi. His eyes flickered with an inscrutable expression, but ultimately he restrained himself without showing any emotion, only asking with a casual smile, “An important meeting?”
Rong Qi replied indifferently, “Don’t inquire about things you shouldn’t.”
He cast one last glance at Shen Zhuo before silently disappearing, his intangible mental form vanishing into the void in an instant.
“……”
Not having a physical body isn’t bad; at least you can slip away quickly, Su Jiqiao thought mockingly.
·
The subordinates left by Rong Qi moved very quickly. They had already found the serum storage box left by Shen Zhuo and brought the off-road vehicle over. Shen Zhuo, groggy, leaned against the back seat, with Su Jiqiao pressing tightly against him. On either side of them stood an evolutionist, each holding a weapon, their expressions and stances as if facing a great enemy.
They all knew that this guy named Su was an unpredictable madman. Although he ultimately didn’t pull any tricks during the Fatal Strike, they remained fully alert, fearing that Su Jiqiao might suddenly erupt and escape with Shen Zhuo.
“What about the kid?” the subordinate driving asked from the rearview mirror.
The subordinate in the back seat said, “Mr. Rong didn’t say to kill him.”
The driver nodded, started the car, and activated his speed-enhancing ability. In almost an instant, the off-road vehicle shot out like the wind, leaving only an afterimage, speeding like an arrow towards the distant vast forest.
The exhaust gradually disappeared, and the desolate sound of the wind faded away.
Wild grass was crushed, leaving two tire tracks on the ground.
In mid-air, a black leather boot silently stepped onto the rock at the entrance of the cave.
The cave was dim and unclear, with large, shocking bloodstains still remaining on the ground. Yang Xiaodao lay unconscious in the corner. Bai Sheng leaned down to check his pulse and pupils, then easily lifted the young man and tossed him to Chu Yan.
“Just a faint. No serious harm for now.” He said succinctly, “We arrived a step too late.”
Chu Yan barely managed to support the seemingly slim but actually muscular and heavy Yang Xiaodao, who worriedly asked, “What now? Supervisor Shen has already fallen into their hands…”
“It’s fine, we can catch up.”
Bai Sheng casually pulled out the Hummer keys and tossed them. Chu Yan caught them in surprise and heard him instruct, “Don’t worry about what’s next; take your brother and leave here as fast as you can.”
“……” Chu Yan sensed something: “How fast?”
Bai Sheng turned back carelessly, the smile not reaching his cold eyes, and softly said, word by word:
“Three kilometers.”
