Special Forces Medic

Chapter 968 937: Ten Years Ago—The Value of Living

"Hmm, that's about it." Xiao Lin took another cup and added hot water, placing it in front of Xiao Zhenfeng. "However, things often change unexpectedly. Hong Lian's craftsmanship was exceptional, creating things indistinguishable between real and fake, even Elder Wang couldn't tell them apart."

"But the Wang Family still took the fake at that time." This was something Xiao Lin couldn't quite understand. No matter what, there should be a difference between the real and the fake.

"Hong Lian was a very smart person. During the forging process, he discovered the secret of the Rose Staff, and as a bargaining chip, he found me." Xiao Zhenfeng took a sip of hot tea, supporting his hands on the table, and stared intently at Xiao Lin, who was deep in thought. "The fact that the staff could pass off as genuine was because the Rose Staff in Elder Wang's possession was always real. It's just that the secret inside was transferred to the fake one, so the real one also turned fake."

"Ha ha!" Xiao Lin felt a chill in his heart. "I want to destroy the Wang Family, and you let Xiao Mu intervene but didn't stop me. Actually, it's because you wanted to destroy the Wang Family from the start. Back then, you lost the opportunity due to Mu Rongyun, allowing the Wang Family to grow uncontrollably. A neat coincidence, isn't it? The Xia Family land case, North District's Yao Zheng was also a scheme you set up, just waiting for me to jump in?" Facing Xiao Zhenfeng, Xiao Lin felt like he was nothing, merely a pawn.

"Many of my originally planned steps were changed by coincidences. For instance, when Hong Lian joined Dragon Soul, he accidentally ran into Mu Rongyun during an experiment, which he used to threaten me. This allowed a 0.01% chance to slip through my fingers, leading to you becoming the last batch of test subjects. Due to Mu Rongyun's escape, I had to take drastic measures to besiege, ignoring the existence of Elder Miao and Hong Lian, letting them go. I never thought I'd spend ten years preventing these people from coming back for revenge, only to find you accidentally got involved with the Xia Family. Many coincidences were beyond my control."

"Mu Rongyun was already dead. How could he have taken Hong Lian hostage and escaped within Dragon Soul?"

"At that moment, all his bodily functions were gradually recovering in the special liquid. Although his heart had stopped, it was preserved in the phase of just having stopped abruptly. Hong Lian's intrusion caused the entire experiment to halt, posing significant harm to Mu Rongyun's body. However, it was precisely because of this that he found a sliver of life. The unique liquid temporarily resonated with the toxins inside him, stimulating his peripheral nerves. This singular pulse restarted his heartbeat and induced a chemical reaction in his skin."

Xiao Zhenfeng's words swirled like a movie in Xiao Lin's mind, replaying the scenes and arranging the words in visual forms before his eyes. His eyes widened, unable to fathom the scene at the time. "You are simply insane!"

"Having just awakened, Mu Rongyun was startled by the unfamiliar environment and the tubes stuck in his body. He grabbed the closest person, Hong Lian, wanting to escape. Another coincidence: one end of the Rose Staff stabbed into Mu Rongyun's chest due to Hong Lian's struggle. If it weren't for this accident, I might have let him go." Saying this, Xiao Zhenfeng suddenly contracted his pupils bizarrely. "Do you know what I saw? Everyone present was equally shocked. The Rose Staff was deeply embedded in Mu Rongyun's heart, yet he pulled it out, and the wound on his chest recovered rapidly. It was simply a miracle. I believe even he was extremely surprised."

"The genuine Rose Staff should have traces of blood." Xiao Lin had seen the Rose Staff in Hong Lian's hands, which was clean and devoid of any substance.

"You're asking the wrong question." Xiao Zhenfeng corrected Xiao Lin's line of thinking, his stern expression appearing exceptionally pale under the white-hot light.

"Should I be asking you how the massacre started afterward? I don't find it wrong for you wanting to kill Mu Rongyun, but why did you have to kill those workers and their families too? Finally, I want to know what role Uncle Hua played in this and the extent of the Hua Family's involvement."

"The Resurrectionist was originally a major scientific research plan, initially targeting high-level officials and individuals with special abilities. It's one of the many projects created since the legends of longevity from Emperor Qin Shi Huang. We were just researching a more scientific approach." Xiao Zhenfeng shrugged indifferently. "Mu Rongyun should have been one of the discarded objects, but he accidentally became a hybrid, gaining dual characteristics—useful or destructive. Unfortunately, he became the latter, so we had to annihilate him, and this failed experiment, due to human error, couldn't be presented. Understand that dead people can't be brought back to life?"

"To protect the Xiao Family, you killed them?" Xiao Lin got the gist. "The first report of Mu Rongyun's death reached the upper echelons, so all subsequent events were to cover up the fact he came back to life. Was the Hua Family the reporter?" Xiao Lin slightly raised his head, his dark eyes flashing with melancholy. "Elder Miao, Hua Muyun, Dragon Soul's chief commander Wan Zhihao, my master Lao Long, Legal Department's Shen Qizhen, and Lian's adoptive father and her master Chu Yun. Were these people involved back then?"

"They were the only survivors from back then." Taking this as a confirmation of the answer, Xiao Zhenfeng stood up, feeling stiff from the prolonged sitting, he walked around. "You can't say Mu Rongyun didn't mutate; this is indeed a fact. The special liquid fused with his skin, forming a hard shell around him. Of course, I'm not sure if there were any other genetic transformations. Did you notice the peculiar characteristics of his skin when you saw him?"

"He looked no different from me, but I couldn't see his face; it was just much more translucent than a normal person."

"Yes, that's genetic mutation." Xiao Zhenfeng nodded. "If we didn't kill him then, we would have been killed by him. You can think of it as my atonement for the past. Everyone wants to survive, and for someone in a frenzy, Mu Rongyun was undoubtedly a very dangerous element. So, I decided on Plan VIII. Everyone involved signed a life-and-death agreement, ensuring a prosperous future from the country for their survival."

"Under what pretext did you report?" Mu Rongyun couldn't be reported as an undead, and Xiao Lin couldn't believe his father would be truthful enough to reveal the facts.

"Coincidence, don't forget, we have a perfect scapegoat."

"Hong Lian!"

"Exactly, a vicious criminal who attempted to escape from Dragon Soul and killed the guards."

"You're just a devil!" Xiao Lin gritted his teeth. The shock of hearing this from his mouth was far more painful than hearing it from Elder Miao.

"I am a devil, and you are the devil's son, equally a devil. Think about it, don't you feel a hint of pleasure and bloodlust when you kill? You have long suppressed and restrained this bloodthirsty fact. You can't forget it so easily, my dear son." Xiao Zhenfeng appreciated the panic in those pitch-black eyes, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "You are my most prized experiment, perfect in every way."

"No, I am not!" Xiao Lin shouted, refusing to believe he could have the same violent blood flowing in his veins as Mu Rongyun. He would never be like these people.

"Do you know how I killed Mu Rongyun?" Xiao Zhenfeng elegantly raised his right hand, drawing a circle on the table with his water-stained finger, then adding an inverted triangle in the middle with a dot. "You recognize this symbol, don't you? It's the Xiao Family's unique mark."

"You didn't kill him at all!"

Xiao Zhenfeng laughed, looking at Xiao Lin with affection. "Although he wasn't as perfect as I imagined, the flaws are also beautiful. He just wasn't as obedient as I hoped."

"Why do this? What about Xia Ya? How is he involved in this? It's enough to harm me, why drag him into it?" Xiao Lin's uncontrollable rage pushed him into infinite pain once more.

"The Xiao Family doesn't need cowards, only strong ones. You're my predetermined heir, and they are discarded successors. Who can stand in the end? I still hope it's you. You've successfully subdued Xia Ya now. His weakness is worse than I imagined, insufficient to bear great responsibilities. But you and Mu Rongyun are different. He's the cornerstone I created, the wheel pushing you forward, which is his value of staying alive."

"Xia Ya is definitely not weak!" Xiao Lin took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "The traitors of Dragon Soul are those old men? Your puppets?"

"Aside from that event ten years ago, Dragon Soul's existence is as real as you see it, working for the country. Its significance hasn't changed. The tasks you participated in weren't arranged by me."

"Fine! Now let me talk about another matter."

"I know what you want to ask. Believe me, when Black Crow brings the people, you'll understand. As for the Fourth Master you saw in Guang Xi, I'm investigating that too. All these years, Mu Rongyun has been living in obscurity, only showing up last year. Meanwhile, the Fourth Master has been doing illegal deals around us. You accidentally uncovered his mastermind during a mission in the Middle East. I suspected it early on, intending to promote you sooner..."

"Promoting me was fake, drawing him out was real!" Xiao Lin followed Xiao Zhenfeng's words.

"Neither of us knows what Mu Rongyun has become now. His sole target is you, which is good for you. The higher-ups are quite focused on the cases against him now. If you can eliminate him in one fell swoop, it will be a stepping stone for future status. Previously, you destroyed the Poison Dragon Gang, Liger City, the Wang Family, including the base in the north. These bold moves were under the watchful eyes of the upper layer." Xiao Lin sneered. "Do you know why they didn't seek you out when North District's incident happened? It's because you caused significant losses and casualties that they see potential in your future development. Otherwise, do you think executing a high official would be that easy? The upper authorities' special pardon order is the Life and Death Talisman. The Xiao Family is darker than you imagine, including your Uncle Hua." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)