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Chapter 51: Final Statement

Zhu Sheng’s demeanor was completely different from that in the expansion pack. With just a glimpse through the crack, Shu Jun felt a strong sense of oppression. Zhu Sheng wasn’t a smiling tiger type of character. His face was imposing even when not angry, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes looked like they were carved into hardwood, not affected by muscle movements. The decoration style of Xia Liang’s lounge was light and cute, but with Zhu Sheng’s presence, the air suddenly became ten times heavier.

Zhu Sheng was about seventy years old, with white hair dyed black, looking younger than his actual age. He quickly glanced around the room and smiled at Xia Liang. “It’s time to go on stage. Go prepare.”

This was a request to leave. The reason for Zhu Sheng’s visit wasn’t difficult to guess—Xia Liang’s lounge didn’t have surveillance and was the most confidential room in the Grand Theatre.

Xia Liang was very perceptive. She quickly bowed and lifted the complicated skirt of her costume, walking faster than running, leaving the two men in the wardrobe behind.

Shu Jun: “…”

Xia Liang’s wardrobe was quite large, so he and Zhu Yanchen didn’t have to stick close together. Thinking that this person didn’t like physical contact, Shu Jun deliberately stayed far away—so as not to be misunderstood as taking advantage, since he planned to pursue Zhu Yanchen in the future.

Zhu Yanchen apparently noticed Shu Jun’s movement and adjusted his posture silently. The wardrobe was dim, and Shu Jun could vaguely sense a hint of sadness on the other person’s face.

Is it because of Zhu Sheng?

Shu Jun turned his gaze to the outside of the wardrobe again.

“Your condition isn’t quite right,” Zhu Sheng said to Xia Yufeng with no emotion in his tone.

Xia Yufeng was so scared that he was frozen, his lips trembling uncontrollably. “I didn’t tell her anything. I really didn’t. Zhu Lao…”

“Barely passable,” Zhu Sheng said casually. “Her mood is fine.”

Only then did Xia Yufeng relax. He hadn’t yet fully relaxed when Zhu Sheng put his hands behind his back and said slowly, “Do you know about the command center incident?”

“I heard a little bit before coming here.”

“Mm.”

“I heard that the brain control stored at the bottom was destroyed.” Seeing that Zhu Sheng didn’t express his opinion, Xia Yufeng continued cautiously. “In such a heavily secured place, this incident must have been caused by humans, right?1“

“Remove the modal particles from your sentence. ‘This incident must have been caused by humans’.1 Zhu Yanchen wouldn’t speak in that tone.”

1Clarity: Xia Yufeng originally added a [ba] (吧) which is a modal particle that is often added to the end of statements to express uncertainty or suggestion. Zhu Sheng is correcting him by telling him to drop it when speaking, as Zhu Yanchen wouldn’t use [ba] (吧).

“Yes, yes!”

“Before Yi Ning, investigate this matter thoroughly. Make a show of going to the Old Fourth.”

“The Old Fourth…?”

“A non-governmental organization. It has recently extended its reach too far and needs to be taught a lesson… You have been with Zhu Yanchen for several years. Do I need to explain the rest?”

“I understand.” Xia Yufeng’s back was covered in cold sweat. With things having reached this point, his life was being tightly controlled by both the Zhu father and son. “I’ll pick up the synthetic work that Zhu Yanchen was previously responsible for. But if the brain control is destroyed, can we still produce new synths?”

“I didn’t come here to give you advice.” Zhu Sheng didn’t hide his disdain. “Since you’ve taken up this position, don’t just think about your own little world all the time. If you don’t do well, there’s no difference between you and a fake.”

Shu Jun couldn’t help but look at Zhu Yanchen again.

Facing his biological father, Zhu Yanchen didn’t have any particular reaction. It was just unclear whether he was mistaken or not, but it seemed that Marshal Zhu had gotten much closer, and his body temperature had warmed up the air around him.

Still feeling stifled? After thinking about it for a while, Shu Jun considerately stuck something on the edge of the wardrobe. Zhu Yanchen’s face had a layer of faint blackness.

Perhaps because he was bored with Xia Yufeng’s silence and trembling, Zhu Sheng glanced at the small lounge, then opened the door wide. “Let’s go.”

Taking advantage of Zhu Sheng’s inattention, Xia Yufeng hesitated and glanced at the wardrobe, then obediently straightened his back and followed him out. The two didn’t immediately leave the room and instead waited quietly for Zhu Sheng and the guards outside to walk away.

“Your father has a strong presence,” Shu Jun whispered. “Can Xia Yufeng really hold on?”

“It concerns his life, and he still has some skills,” Zhu Yanchen responded in a low voice. “Don’t be fooled by Xia Yufeng’s appearance. He has some ability—when the Xia family sent him to be my subordinate, it was an indirect attempt to please Zhu Sheng.”

“It seems you haven’t always been alone.” Shu Jun patted Zhu Yanchen’s forearm. “That’s good.”

“I started studying the loopholes in the player system a long time ago, and when he found out, he ran to Zhu Sheng and told him,” Zhu Yanchen said seriously.

Shu Jun: “…” No wonder the atmosphere was a bit strange earlier. He thought Xia Yufeng was apologizing for impersonating Zhu Yanchen.

“The things that Zhu Sheng destroyed weren’t genuine.” Zhu Yanchen’s voice was a bit cold. “At that time, Zhu Sheng noticed that something was wrong with me, and it would only be a matter of time before he found out about the research. I released a decoy and tested Xia Yufeng, and you know the results.”

Since then, he had never revealed his full plan to his subordinates. All of them only knew the parts that they were responsible for, and this lesson was also worth the price.

Half a step away, Shu Jun felt a bit uncomfortable. Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t seem like a healing type of subordinate, and he hadn’t heard of Zhu Yanchen having any close confidants. He had thought that this person had friends to accompany him, but now it seemed that he was still alone.

…No, he almost forgot about Miss Xia Liang.

“I don’t have any objections to Miss Xia Liang,” Shu Jun hurriedly said. “If you think she’s trustworthy and if you encounter a situation that requires her cooperation, just let me know.

There it is again. There it is again. Zhu Yanchen’s grayish complexion had appeared again.

“Do you still want to see her?” Zhu Yanchen’s tone was a bit strange.

“Ah?” Shu Jun was stunned, and for a moment, he couldn’t grasp Zhu Yanchen’s motive for asking. “It’s not like I want to see her. Uh, don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to interfere with your personal life. I just brought it up from a cooperation perspective since I heard that you two had broken up…”

Zhu Yanchen grabbed Shu Jun’s shoulders, clenching his fists tightly.

“She likes wo—”

The wardrobe was opened with a snap.

“Oh, you two are still here?” Xia Liang raised her eyebrows. “I’ve finished singing two songs over there, so if you want to leave, you better hurry up… Or are you two planning to join me to get your photographs taken by the media later?”

Seeing the movements of the two, her gaze swept over Zhu Yanchen’s hand, and her expression became ambiguous. When she spoke again, she reverted to her sweet and charming tone. “The secret passage is over there. Let me help you open it. Speaking of, may I see your face, sir?”

She looked at Zhu Yanchen out of the corner of her eye, pretending to be shy.

Shu Jun had already found the mask stuffy. Since they were planning to leave, he didn’t restrain himself any longer and simply took it off—it was a simple effort, and he wouldn’t be petty against this girl.

“Oh my, you’re so handsome. Even better than Marshal Zhu,” Xia Liang said softly. “Sir, I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?”

“Xia Liang, stop fooling around.” Zhu Yanchen’s voice was icy, and he grabbed Shu Jun’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Take care.” Xia Liang bit her lip and looked aggrieved. She twisted the perfume bottle in the corner and opened the secret passage.

As soon as the two disappeared, Xia Liang burst into laughter. After years of collaboration, she had never seen Zhu Yanchen’s calm demeanor broken like this. The marshal had always been indifferent to everything—including himself—like a machine. Now that she saw his panicked side, she found it extremely interesting.

Iron Tree surnamed Zhu had really bloomed.

Xia Liang had only known that Zhu Yanchen was overly concerned about Shu Jun before, but now it seemed that reality was much more entertaining than she thought. Miss Xia picked up her communicator and wanted to share this great news with someone, but as she scrolled through her contacts, her smile gradually disappeared.

Wearing this mask for too long, she didn’t have anyone to share it with. Even when she hadn’t broken up with her girlfriend, she had to keep it a secret from her.

…How boring.

Xia Liang ran her fingers through her hair, wiped away the tears that had come out of her laughter, and returned to being the cute and coy young lady of the Xia family. She was about to face the camera, so she had to prepare her mood in advance.

In the secret passage.

Shu Jun only felt his hand being squeezed tightly by Zhu Yanchen. To be honest, he was still a bit confused. Xia Liang’s image outside was pure, gentle, and courteous. He thought she was just curious about his appearance, but he didn’t expect Xia Liang to be so open-minded.

Anyone would mind when the person they had feelings for paid extra attention to someone else.

“A’Yan, I think you may have misunderstood something.” After the two climbed out of the secret passage, Shu Jun quickly clarified, “I don’t have any thoughts about her, really.”

“She likes women,” Zhu Yanchen said gloomily.

“?!?”

“…She only likes women,” Marshal Zhu repeated through gritted teeth. “She was just teasing you.”

Shu Jun stood frozen on the spot, his heart bursting with unknown fireworks—if Xia Liang liked women, then it would be impossible for her to have residual feelings for Zhu Yanchen. He had been thinking about it just a second ago, that Zhu Yanchen had a lingering attachment to Xia Liang and that he should bury his own feelings deep in his heart rather than interfere with their relationship. But at this moment, his sadness disappeared on its own.

It turned out that all of Zhu Yanchen’s previous unnatural behaviors were only because he was afraid that Xia Liang was teasing him. He was really a considerate friend.

With a relaxed and happy mood, Shu Jun took a deep breath, and he was more energetic in discussing business matters. “Zhu Sheng mentioned something about the Old Fourth just now…”

For a moment, a trace of helplessness flashed in Zhu Yanchen’s eyes. But when he heard about business matters, he became serious again. “Zhu Sheng has always been bothered by the Old Fourth. For the people living in the settlement, the Old Fourth is more trustworthy than the United Government. With the current situation unstable, he’s afraid that the Old Fourth will take advantage and expand their power.”

“I know.” Shu Jun let Zhu Yanchen lead him through the streets and alleys of Y City. “I’m just worried about you.”

Zhu Yanchen’s footsteps halted.

“Now that you’re not here, Zhu Sheng has regained his power. If he’s investigating the Old Fourth and dig deeper about their leader, he might find that you’re still alive…”

“He won’t. Ai Xiaoxiao is always cautious. It’s not easy just to track her down.” Zhu Yanchen also took a deep breath.

As soon as they returned to Ai’s Clinic, they were greeted by a barrage of scolding from Ai Xiaoxiao.

“Sneaking out in the middle of the night, huh?” She picked up a scalpel, and the tip of the knife almost touched Shu Jun’s nose. “Do you know how troublesome it is to reconfigure the basement protection network? Can’t you wait until tomorrow to go out and die?”

“Urgent matters. It’s business.” Shu Jun stared at the moving knife point in front of him, quickly trying to appease her.

“First that surname Dong and now you two. Yes, I work for you, but just because you say, ‘business matter’ I’m supposed to let it slide?” Ai Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. “If you’re really sincere about apologizing, lie down on the operating table and let me dissect you properly…”

“I’ll go down first. A’Yan, I’ll wait for you in the bedroom.” Shu Jun slumped his shoulders, turned, and ran away, leaving Ai Xiaoxiao, who was about to explode, with her real boss.

Zhu Yanchen stood silently on the basement floor like a frozen cat, letting Ai Xiaoxiao rant and rave in front of him.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Ai Xiaoxiao started to feel bored, and after a few minutes, she calmed down. After rolling her eyes several times, she exhaled a breath. “Fine, it’s convenient that Shu Jun isn’t here. His detailed scan results just came out tonight. I need to talk to you about it.”

Zhu Yanchen instantly thawed. “Let me see.”

Ai Xiaoxiao waved her hand, and several screens appeared in the air. The images and text flickered, and Zhu Yanchen’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

“You’ve noticed it too? Every time he fights with an Alpha Erosion Swamp, he recovers a bit of his memory. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence now—”

Ai Xiaoxiao pointed to Shu Jun’s brain scan. “The foreign brain tissue is cleared away by the erosion, leaving a hole in his brain. After two battles, that hole has obvious signs of healing.”

“Quality erosion is repairing his brain,” Zhu Yanchen’s voice was a bit dry.

“Yes, it’s not the kind of rough imitation. Erosion relies on the information fragments left by Sigma to truly repair brain cells to their original state—repairing a surface wound and repairing a damaged brain—you should know the difference in difficulty between the two?”

Zhu Yanchen’s last bit of relaxation disappeared from his face.

“Shu Jun’s synchronization rate with the Erosion Swamp is surprisingly high. Sigma obviously also found this out. Do you understand what this means? Zhu Yanchen, if Shu Jun’s brain fully recovers, he will become the first synthetic human in history to have a ‘complete brain’. If we compare the synthetic human to a human instruction manual for the Erosion Swamp, he is the most detailed and complete final version.”

“If Shu Jun defects or loses the battle, Sigma will not just be a ‘demon god’ that was pieced together. The thinking of a top-level warrior, the unknown abilities of a composite, absolute suppression of other Erosion Swamp… Faced with the current Sigma, we can still barely survive. Once it is completely intact, we won’t even have a chance to win.”

Zhu Yanchen closed his eyes. Ai Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and looked at him with interest.

“I won’t touch him now, if that’s what you’re asking.”

After a while, Zhu Yanchen spoke.

Ai Xiaoxiao whistled. “If it were Zhu Sheng in your place, he would probably already have rolled up his sleeves and personally killed him. After knowing each other for so long, I just realized that the Zhu family also has people of character.”

“No, this decision is not based on my emotions.” Zhu Yanchen clenched his fists. “First, Shu Jun’s ‘Suppression’ is very useful. Sigma doesn’t have this ability, and it’s one of our trump cards against it. Second, Luo Duan has already joined Sigma. We need a leader to stabilize the synthetic humans—even if they don’t fight against Sigma, it’s enough if they don’t take the opportunity to kill humans.”

“That would make sense if Shu Jun cooperates—but what if Mr. Shu wants to follow in Luo Duan’s footsteps?”

“I will deal with him personally.”

Zhu Yanchen lowered his gaze. “I’ll talk to him about these things frankly and openly in a moment. After all, to analyze the ‘Suppression’, we need his cooperation.”

“Are you kidding me?” Ai Xiaoxiao burst into short bouts of laughter. “You, the nominal chief strategist, are going to go straight to his face and say it? What are you going to say? ‘Mr. Shu, if you join the Erosion Swamp, we’re all dead! So please cooperate with me. Let me study your abilities and make sure to destroy your brain in time when something goes wrong’?”

“Yes.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Right now, the last thing I should do is conceal it.” Zhu Yanchen’s tone was calm. “Humans have hidden it from him for too long. Since we’re partners, I will explain the situation thoroughly. Shu Jun isn’t a reckless person. He’s quite smart, and he treasures his teammates… I understand him.”

Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t say anything else and looked back and forth at Zhu Yanchen’s face.

“Forget it. I’m not very concerned about life and death anyway,” she said lightly. “It’s up to you.”

She put away those screens, stretched lazily, and then came back to her senses. “Wait, you said it’s not based on your emotions… Do you really have feelings for him?”

“Mm.”

“What?!”

“If we can cooperate until the end…” In the dark room, Zhu Yanchen’s gaze was obscure. “I want to keep him by my side.”

Ai Xiaoxiao’s mouth fell open, and she gasped, looking more shocked than before. “Wait, wait. Is it what I’m thinking? You… Him…? You really are crazy. My god, I think I should pack my bags early and be ready to run away for my life—”

Zhu Yanchen gave her a cold glare and walked down to the bedroom on the lower level.

Ai Xiaoxiao’s thoughts jumped around between home, country, the end of the world, and gossip, but when she calmed down, she slowly sat on the nearest chair. “…Oh, should I not have given them two single beds?”

The temporary bedroom on the second basement floor.

“Okay.”

After hearing Zhu Yanchen’s explanation, Shu Jun agreed to assist without hesitation. He continued to brush his teeth, holding the toothbrush in his mouth, as if Zhu Yanchen had just borrowed a tube of toothpaste from him.

The other side was too straightforward that it left Zhu Yanchen confused for a while.

“If I can transplant the ‘Suppression’ ability onto a weapon, I will have the ability to easily kill you,” Zhu Yanchen repeated, fearing that the other party didn’t understand him clearly.

“Isn’t that great?” Shu Jun spat out mouthwash. “In case Sigma really cripples me, you can blow my head off in time, and it won’t learn anything.”

“I will have the ability to easily kill you,” Zhu Yanchen repeated.

Shu Jun looked at him worriedly, with toothpaste foam still around his mouth. “Marshal Zhu, are you okay? I already have the ability to easily kill you now, and nothing has happened to you. We’re still sharing a room.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…” For a moment, he didn’t know how to refute.

“But I’m quite happy.” Shu Jun turned his head back and continued brushing his teeth, making his voice muffled. “You didn’t hide anything from me.”

He also had no intention of taking advantage of the moment when Zhu Yanchen wasn’t paying attention and killing him easily to prevent future troubles.

As expected of the person he fell in love with. Shu Jun had been wanting to find flaws in Zhu Yanchen so that his feelings for him would grow slower. But after observing him carefully for a while, he found that there was nothing annoying about him; rather, he had some cuteness.

“But…” Marshal Zhu was the first to speak, perhaps because Shu Jun had agreed too readily, and he himself was now hesitant.

“What are you hesitating about? Anyway, I’m not planning on losing to Sigma.” After washing his face, Shu Jun shook his head with a smile. “Even if you really want to blow my head off, you’ll need the chance to do so.”

“Also, there’s already enough trouble with Luo Duan on Sigma’s side. If I also have to give up my comrades and join that thing, you can kill me.” After thinking for a moment, Shu Jun added, “I won’t give up on them, nor should I. I’m luckier than Luo Duan, so I should also bear the responsibility brought on by this ‘luck’.”

As he spoke, Shu Jun suddenly had a sense of déjà vu—he seemed to have said something similar a long time ago.

Zhu Yanchen’s gaze softened. “Mm.”

“You have to go back to the team tomorrow, and I don’t know when Ai Xiaoxiao’s medicine will be ready… Haa, looking at how Hu Yan and the others are, my heart aches.” After finishing the main topic, Shu Jun sat by the bed and began to ramble. “And there’s so much trouble on Yu Jin’s side…”

Zhu Yanchen sat across from him, listening attentively.

The content of their conversation became more relaxed, gradually resembling their previous online chats. However, the distance between them, with two hospital beds only a meter apart, made Shu Jun feel uncomfortable.

He wasn’t going to do anything inappropriate, but sleeping on the same bed as the person he had a crush on still made him happy. During this mission, they slept in a tent with Yu Jin, and they had all been sleeping in separate sleeping bags for several days. Then they arrived in Y City and encountered this awkward situation.

They chatted for a while until it was time to sleep.

“Good night.” Shu Jun curled up facing the wall, sighed quietly, and spoke softly.

“Good night.” Zhu Yanchen replied in a low voice.

…Shortly after, Grand Marshal Zhu turned over and faced away, quietly sighing as well.

The author has something to say:

Shu Ge: When the person you like pays extra attention to others, it’s natural to feel jealous.

Marshal: You know that too.