Chapter 97
A distant moon only leads the mad pursuer to hell.
The church bells tolled, and a shiny black extended Mercedes S pulled up to the curb.
People hurried across the square, paying no attention to a black shadow that was slowly coalescing from the air, forming into a blurry human shape that quietly hovered above the car.
The next moment, the shadow bent down and entered the car, merging with the still, eyes-closed “vessel” in the back seat—
Rong Qi moved slightly and opened his eyes, exhaling softly.
“Mr. Rong!” Yoko Noda and several of her subordinates exclaimed in unison.
A few months ago in Basel, Switzerland, Rong Qi had a direct confrontation with Bai Sheng. This precious “vessel” was reduced to nothing but a hand due to causal obliteration. The severed hand was then soaked in a meteorite solution, undergoing a lengthy regeneration process, and finally, a few days ago, it reformed into a complete body, ready for the spirit to reinhabit.
Rong Qi looked down at his hand, clenching and then slowly unclenching his long fingers.
Though it appeared fully restored on the surface, he knew the resurrection came at a cost—his supernatural powers had inevitably weakened.
If he encountered the law of causality again, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This was no longer the strongest vessel on Earth. Rong Qi thought coldly as he examined his hands.
He needed the new body with the devouring genes.
“Mr. Rong,” Yoko Noda glanced at the time, “how are things in Myanmar? Is Mr. Su almost done with the mission and bringing Supervisor Shen back to the base? Should I call ahead and make some arrangements?”
“No need,” Rong Qi said indifferently.
Amid the puzzled looks from his subordinates, he merely shook his head slightly: “Su Jiqiao won’t be able to bring Shen Zhuo back. He has already failed.”
Yoko Noda was stunned: “W-what?”
Did Su Jiqiao’s Fatal Strike not succeed? Or did Shen Zhuo escape again?
Various speculations flashed through everyone’s minds, but Rong Qi did not elaborate. Sunlight streamed through the car window onto his profile, his eyes glinting with a mysterious light. After a while, he casually asked:
“In your opinion, what kind of person is Su Jiqiao?”
“Well…” Yoko Noda hesitated, then said cautiously, “He makes people uncomfortable, always with that fake smile, enjoying maliciously teasing others. It feels like he’s a hypocritical and cold-blooded snake…”
“He’s a madman,” Rong Qi said calmly.
“From a psychological standpoint, he’s a natural-born narcissistic psychopath. If he hadn’t met Shen Zhuo, he might have become a master manipulator, but unfortunately.”
Rong Qi’s eyes changed subtly as he recalled something, and after a moment, he said slowly:
“A distant moon only leads the mad pursuer to hell.”
·
“——Thank you for your cooperation, Chief Fu.” Five years ago, at the entrance of the research institute’s laboratory, the young Shen Zhuo, one hand in his lab coat pocket, shook hands with Fu Chen, his tone polite yet perfunctory: “If there’s nothing else, you don’t need to come to the lab these next few days. We’ll contact you if needed.”
He released his hand and was about to turn away when Fu Chen said warmly, “Director Shen!”
Shen Zhuo only slightly turned his head.
“The Central Supervision Office is having a dinner outing tomorrow night. May I have the honor of inviting you to join us?”
The only S-class in all of Asia, highly regarded and prominent, the chief of the Central Supervision Office extended an invitation with a gentle yet humble tone, his handsome dark eyes earnest and sincere.
“…” Shen Zhuo glanced at his exposed left arm, which had just had 800 cc of blood drawn, the needle mark still slightly bruised.
He looked up at Fu Chen, his gaze revealing an unapologetic coldness:
“Next time, say this before drawing blood. Your chances will be better.”
The metal door closed behind Shen Zhuo, leaving only a sliver of cold white light.
Despite knowing how ruthless Shen Zhuo could be in using people, it was still shocking to see him set new lows, which was truly lamentable.
Fu Chen stood in place for a moment, recalling the little one curled up in the safety layer’s corner, sobbing. He couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh softly, muttering, “…How did you grow up to be like this?”
In the distance, the sky was vast and blue, and the bustling sounds of the university campus carried on the wind.
Fu Chen turned and descended the steps. Passing a floor-to-ceiling window at the corner of the corridor, he paused for some reason, gazing at the reflection of “Fu Chen” in the glass, lost in thought.
Humanity’s liking or aversion towards others seems to be based on appearance as the first criterion, one of the conclusions the extraterrestrial spiritual entity 001 has drawn from years of observing Earth.
A few months ago, it descended to Earth with a meteorite and hurriedly chose this S-class named Fu Chen to possess because there was no other choice—forcefully seizing the body of an S-rank is extremely difficult, with any mishap potentially causing severe damage to the spirit. At that time, there were only two S-class in Asia; besides Fu Chen, the other one, Bai Sheng, was too young and would need a few more years to reach the peak of his power and showed no valuable Fatal Strike. In contrast, Fu Chen’s positive and negative crosses were much stronger. Moreover, during his evolution, Fu Chen was delirious with a high fever, providing the perfect opportunity for it to succeed.
Therefore, the extraterrestrial spiritual entity 001 never had the chance to think about one thing.
Perhaps Shen Zhuo did not like this body it had stolen.
Humans are a lower form of intelligent life that cannot exist independently of matter, so a person’s appearance holds significant sociological importance. Even Shen Zhuo might not be immune to this preference.
“……”
The spiritual entity 001 gazed at its reflection in the glass for a long time before suddenly detaching and hovering in mid-air, scrutinizing the body named Fu Chen with a critical eye.
He was handsome, gentle, and young, with clean and fair features, exuding a sense of approachability without aggression.
—No reason, the spiritual enity 001 pondered.
There was no reason for such an appearance to make Shen Zhuo feel disgusted.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor; someone was approaching.
From an outsider’s perspective, this scene would appear as if Chief Fu were standing motionless, staring blankly at the glass, which was somewhat odd. Just as the spiritual entity 001 was about to return to the body, the figure of the approaching person appeared at the corner of the corridor, stopping in shock.
“…What is that?” He stared at the black shadow, incredulously muttering a few words.
The spiritual entity 001 was also startled, not expecting the person to see it directly, and immediately recognized who it was.
—The talented young man, who recently joined the Central Supervision Office, Su Jiqiao.
An A-class psychic evolutionist, no wonder.
In an instant, the shadow reentered the body, and “Fu Chen” came back to life, turning from the glass to look down at Su Jiqiao, as if everything just now was merely an illusion on Su Jiqiao’s part, speaking in a polite tone that betrayed no hint of malice:
“Is there something you need?”
“…” Su Jiqiao slowly shook his head, stepping back half a pace, as if he had suddenly understood something profoundly in those few seconds.
“You’re not Chief Fu…” His voice, slightly unstable from shock, said, “What exactly are you?!”
·
That was Su Jiqiao’s first encounter with the spiritual entity 001, who later became Rong Qi.
Fate was intertwined, leaving clues from the very beginning.
The HRG researchers who perished eighteen years ago did not truly die. They left behind obscure notes and genetic material, which, after many twists and turns, reunited, centering on the second generation of HRG, returning to the starting point once again.
“…Fu-ge and Senior Shen have such a good relationship, it’s really enviable.”
“Is Senior Shen here at the supervision office waiting for Fu-ge? Their relationship is so close, it’s making me a bit jealous!”
“Why didn’t you come to our last dinner outing, Senior? Fu-ge is very popular. If it’s inconvenient for you to come out, I can pick you up!”
“I don’t know why, but it seems like Senior Shen doesn’t like me very much. Is there something I haven’t done well enough?”
…
What started as skillful probing gradually revealed a more unscrupulous approach. Amidst the comings and goings, undercurrents surged. Numerous direct confrontations always ended with Shen Zhuo walking away in a huff, leaving Su Jiqiao standing there, looking pitiful and hesitant. No one understood why the cold and ruthless Director Shen had such a distaste for Su Jiqiao.
Only Fu Chen knew the truth.
Every time Shen Zhuo turned to leave without a word, the unwillingness, anxiety, and longing deep in Su Jiqiao’s eyes grew stronger, like sparks eventually igniting into a blazing fire.
Longing that is unattainable ultimately leads to madness.
A madman who wants to possess the moon will only end up completely deranged.
Until three years ago, when they were about to set off for Qinghai to carry out our mission.
“…Look, Shen Zhuo, we’ve known each other for so long, and you know what the higher-ups think. When we return from the Qinghai base next month, can I… can I propose to you…”
That night, under the streetlight, the gentle and handsome Chief Fu cautiously hinted at Shen Zhuo, but before he could finish, he was abruptly interrupted by the honking of a car behind him.
—Beep beep!
“It’s ten o’clock!” Su Jiqiao poked his head out of the car window, casually looking at the two under the streetlight, and asked with a smile, “Isn’t the research institute closed?”
Shen Zhuo’s gaze passed over Fu Chen, silently glancing at Su Jiqiao, then turned away.
“Go ahead, Chief Fu. I need to return to the lab as well.”
Fu Chen could only stand there, watching that tall, slender figure gradually disappear into the thick night.
That was actually the closest “Fu Chen” had ever gotten to proposing to Shen Zhuo during his lifetime.
But it was just such a coincidence that Su Jiqiao interrupted him at the perfect moment.
That night, on the way back in the car, Su Jiqiao was driving in the front while Fu Chen leaned silently in the back seat. Both were well aware of each other’s backgrounds, and neither spoke a word along the way. It wasn’t until the car slowly came to a stop in front of the Central Supervision Office that the rearview mirror reflected Su Jiqiao’s smiling eyes, as if nothing had happened:
“I heard that the higher-ups intend to strengthen the cooperation between the Central Supervision Office and the research institute. Are they planning for you to propose to Senior Shen after you return from Qinghai, Fu-ge?”
Fu Chen finally withdrew his gaze, meeting Su Jiqiao’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Yes.” He responded calmly, “Do you have any thoughts on this?”
“Oh, no, no.” Su Jiqiao waved his hand with a smile, “I was just wondering if Senior Shen would agree.”
Fu Chen replied steadily, “Why wouldn’t he agree?”
A pressure from nowhere descended heavily, solidifying the air inch by inch.
The chirping of night insects in the distance suddenly became exceptionally clear.
“……”
Su Jiqiao finally turned his head, his smile vanishing entirely, staring directly into Fu Chen’s eyes in the back seat:
“There’s something I haven’t had the chance to tell you.”
“I found the ‘vessel’ you mentioned.”
Fu Chen froze abruptly.
“Do you want to gamble, Fu Chen?” Su Jiqiao’s voice was soft, but deep in his pupils, two ghostly flames burned, born from soul-deep jealousy and resentment.
“Do you firmly believe that Shen Zhuo will accept your proposal, fall deeply in love with you, completely submit to you, and hand over the HRG research results you dream of on a silver platter? Or will you fake your death to escape from Fu Chen’s body, transferring into the vessel you’ve sought for years, gaining the strongest undead power, and effortlessly ruling over your kind?”
“Let’s make a bet, and don’t forget one thing.”
“The moon doesn’t shine on the weak; only the strongest can claim it.”
Fu Chen never managed to propose to Shen Zhuo.
Because Su Jiqiao was a gambler driven to madness by jealousy, he had no chips in front of Shen Zhuo, so he didn’t even dare to look at his cards. Instead, he flipped the table midway, letting the highly volatile evolutionary source that exploded violently that night put an end to everything concerning “Fu Chen.”
“You finally managed to evolve into an S-class for the second time… but you still haven’t caught his eye.”
In the spacious back seat, Rong Qi gently closed his eyes, hiding the pity and disdain in his gaze.
“Even on your deathbed, he won’t spare you a glance.”
In the distance, the church bells tolled again. Yoko Noda gently reminded, “Mr. Rong.”
Rong Qi opened his eyes, his expression calm and unruffled, and gave a slight nod.
·
An aide opened the car door, and Rong Qi, accompanied by several subordinates, crossed the square, walking towards the church in the dim morning light.
The heavy door opened with a thud, and passing through rows of empty pews, under the huge cross at the end, the white statue of the Virgin Mary looked down upon the world. Over a dozen espers stood respectfully awaiting him.
“Mr. Rong.” “Mr. Rong.”
……
A middle-aged man with red hair and a hooked nose was slumped on the ground. Anyone who kept up with international news would instantly recognize him as the powerful Chairman of the UN EHPBC Council. However, the face that frequently appeared on the front pages of global news now showed no sign of its former authority. Instead, it was trembling with extreme fear:
“Wh-why… why did you… kidnap me…”
“I did not kidnap you, Mr. Chairman.”
Rong Qi crouched down slightly, his tailored black shirt and trousers outlining his long, lean figure. This movement even appeared elegant. “I apologize for the abrupt meeting. I just want to have a calm chat with you.”
“Chat? Chat about what?!” The chairman immediately reacted as if he had seen a demon, scrambling backward on all fours. “Wh-what do you want to chat about?!”
Rong Qi raised a hand to signal that there was no need to panic. He watched the disheveled face of the high-ranking UN official and sincerely said, “I want to make a very fair deal with you.”
“If you want to leave here alive today, then you should have no reason to refuse me.”
·
The endless mountains quickly receded on either side of the SUV window.
With the speed ability, the car moved like an arrow breaking through the sea, whistling past the mountain streams, so fast that it was hard to see with the naked eye.
In the back seat, Shen Zhuo swayed slightly with the bumps, his mind hazy, and his thick eyelashes cast an arc of shadow on his pale, haggard face.
Beside him, Su Jiqiao stared at him intently, with a focus that was downright creepy, like a collector finally obtaining a peerless treasure, his eyes gleaming with a bright light.
His obviously abnormal behavior made the evolutionists in the car uneasy. They exchanged glances, each feeling a chill.
“How much longer?” someone in the passenger seat asked in a low voice.
The driver was also nervous. “Soon. We’re taking a secret route given to us by the local snakehead. At this speed, we’ll cross the border in less than half an hour.”
The person in the passenger seat nodded, couldn’t help but glance back again, and saw Su Jiqiao tenderly brush a strand of hair behind Shen Zhuo’s ear. He felt a shiver down his spine.
…This S-class must have some mental issues. Come to think of it, Supervisor Shen is quite pitiful. Most people’s brains would be wrecked after two consecutive S-class mental attacks, but then he wouldn’t willingly submit to Mr. Rong’s command.
Never mind, once we get back, Mr. Rong will surely have a way to handle this guy named Su…
Lost in thought, the person in the passenger seat glanced at the time again, feeling slightly reassured.
At that moment, suddenly—BANG!!
A heavy object smashed onto the car roof, startling the driver. The car nearly swerved off the mountain road. Everyone looked up in alarm, “What happened?” “What’s going on?!”
A bad feeling surged through their minds. The driver trembled and cried out, “Could it be… Could it be…”
Su Jiqiao looked up, his pupils dilating rapidly.
On the car roof, buffeted by the howling wind, Bai Sheng stood up and snapped his fingers.
Snap.
With just a light snap, the SUV, moving at 400 kilometers per hour, abruptly stopped under an invisible force. The transition from lightning speed to complete stillness had no buffer at all, and the terrifying inertia made everyone inside scream!
“Return my person to me…”
Like a tyrant descending into the world, the calm voice came from above, cold and resounding:
“The reward is that each of you can keep your whole body today.”
