Chapter 234 – The Patriarch Comes to the Door
If she and Ding Naiqing had switched places, not only would she have severed ties with Ding Naiqing forever, but she would have also found a way to deal with him, avenging her friend in the process.
She truly hadn’t expected Ding Naiqing to have such a broad heart.
“He killed General Xie Hong, so he wouldn’t have survived anyway. He also tried to frame you for General Xie’s death, making sure you wouldn’t survive either. You killed him to clear your name—there’s nothing wrong with that,” Ding Naiqing said seriously.
“I’m not in a position to stand in his shoes and hate you, nor am I in a position to stand in yours and forgive him. Apologizing to you is from my own perspective—I don’t want to lose you as a friend, Sister Ran,” Ding Naiqing said, his eyes welling up with tears.
Tu Ran: … Such a broad mind—this was truly a rare sight. And this peculiar way of thinking—also a rare sight.
She was impressed, completely and utterly.
“Zhao Yan was Zhao Yan, and you are you. Our friendship, forged in battle, has nothing to do with him. As long as you can put this behind you, we’ll be just like before,” Tu Ran said straightforwardly.
Ding Naiqing brightened instantly, almost ready to rush over and hug Tu Ran and spin her around.
“But, Sister Ran, do you know why Zhao Yan wanted to kill General Xie Hong? I asked the Supervision Department, but they wouldn’t tell me,” Ding Naiqing said, looking at Tu Ran. He had been puzzled by this for days.
Logically speaking, with General Xie Hong’s superior combat suit and laser gun as a weapon, Zhao Yan shouldn’t have been able to defeat him. So how did he manage to kill him?
And what was Zhao Yan’s motive? Revenge? Money?
Neither seemed likely. He had known Zhao Yan for many years, and Zhao Yan had never even mentioned General Xie Hong’s name.
Tu Ran’s gaze darkened.
Zhao Yan’s motive for killing Xie Hong?
First, it was to obtain Xie Hong’s inner core, and second, to frame Xie Hong’s death on her and eliminate her.
The second motive was the bigger one.
Both she and Zhao Yan were aware of each other’s abilities—Zhao Yan could read her inner thoughts, and she could see that Zhao Yan possessed [Telepathy].
The more powerful [Telepathy] was, the more dangerous it became. No one could tolerate the existence of such a power, and Zhao Yan himself understood that.
Zhao Yan’s existence was a threat to her, just as her existence was a threat to him.
Zhao Yan couldn’t allow his telepathic ability to be known by others.
So, while she and Xie Xu were plotting to kill Zhao Yan, he wasn’t passively waiting to die. Instead, he was looking for a way to kill her.
She raised her eyes and saw Ding Naiqing still looking at her eagerly, waiting for her explanation.
Tu Ran didn’t know how to tell him.
Or perhaps, by not telling him, it could save a lot of trouble.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
The Federation wouldn’t keep the matter of the inner core hidden for much longer.
As the technology to create genetically modified humans matured, the importance of the inner core had already diminished. The Federation wouldn’t gain much by continuing to conceal it; it would be better to make it public directly.
“What do you mean?” Ding Naiqing pleaded, “Sister Ran, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“It’s not that I’m trying to keep you in suspense; it’s that I can’t tell you. It’s classified,” Tu Ran held up three fingers. “Trust me, it won’t be long before this is announced, and then you’ll understand everything.”
“…Alright,” Ding Naiqing responded, dejected.
The helicopter landed on the rooftop of the Executive Department building. Tu Ran didn’t head to the meeting room but went straight to the hotel to change out of her combat uniform.
After packing the clothes she had changed out of into a bag, Tu Ran tossed it into the trash can outside the hotel.
Outside the hotel, people bustled around, and aircraft occasionally landed in the parking bays.
The sun was scorching. Tu Ran adjusted her goggles to a darker shade, shielding her eyes from the direct sunlight.
The hotel wasn’t far from the Executive Department, and Tu Ran planned to walk there.
She hadn’t even stepped out of the hotel plaza when a black private aircraft hovered in front of her, blocking her path.
Tu Ran stopped in her tracks, curiously looking towards the window.
The tinted windows prevented her from seeing who was inside.
As she tried to investigate, the aircraft landed smoothly, and the rear door opened. The first thing she saw were two pairs of shiny black leather shoes, followed by two men stepping out, both dressed in black suits.
One of them, with gray hair and advanced in age, had a kindly face, while the other was much younger, tall, wearing sunglasses, and looked stern, like a bodyguard.
“Miss Tu, my master wishes to meet with you,” said the elderly man with wrinkled eyes, gesturing politely.
Tu Ran glanced towards the half-open door of the vehicle and caught a glimpse of a pair of long legs crossed casually. The upper body was hidden behind the tinted window, making it impossible to see who it was.
“And who exactly is your master?” Tu Ran asked, subtly glancing at her communicator. The indicator light was flashing.
Her surroundings were already being jammed.
She tightened her grip on the gun in her hand.
Her movement didn’t escape the older man’s eyes. He smiled kindly and said, “You’ll find out once you meet him. Don’t worry, my master only wants to talk, he won’t harm you.”
Yeah, right.
Tu Ran quickly backed away and decisively turned around, heading towards the crowd.
“Hey! Hey! Don’t go…” The old man’s words trailed off as Tu Ran had already disappeared into the crowd.
The old man’s arm hung awkwardly in the air before falling back down.
“Uncle Wei,” a soft voice came from inside the car.
“I’m sorry, sir,” the old man, Wei, lowered his head.
The other bodyguard also lowered his head.
It was the first time he had encountered a situation like this, and for a moment, he forgot how to react.
Inside the car, the person took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily. “Send her a message—tell her I have Xi Chunzhi. She has three minutes to come out.”
“Yes, sir.”
…
Meanwhile, Tu Ran, who had vanished from sight, hadn’t actually left. Instead, she hid between a row of parked aircraft, peering through the gaps.
“Zero, who are those people?” Tu Ran leaned against the door of a red aircraft, keeping only her eyes exposed to monitor the situation outside.
“The gray-haired one is André, an AI created by the Wells family,” Zero’s mechanical voice came through her earpiece.
“André? Is he like you? Is he in a mechanical body too?”
“He’s in a mechanical body, but he’s not like me,” Zero emphasized sharply.
“I was once human. I have human emotions, the ability to learn like a human, and self-awareness. Even though I’m trapped in this metal shell now, I still have a human soul.”
“André, on the other hand, has always been an AI. Stefano Wells merely built him a human-like body so he could move around. He’s a program—he has no self-awareness, and he follows human commands without question.”
Clearly, Tu Ran had upset Zero by comparing him to André.
“So, if that’s André, then the person inside the car must be Stefano Wells?” Tu Ran focused on the more pressing issue.
“Most likely, yes,” Zero replied, his voice now devoid of any emotion.
Tu Ran found it odd. “Isn’t Stefano Wells the head of the Wells financial conglomerate? What business does he have with a small-time pioneer like me?”
