The Family Head Comes Calling

If she and Ding Naiqing had switched places, she wouldn't have just cut ties with him—she would have found a way to make him pay, to avenge her friend.

She honestly hadn't expected Ding Naiqing to be so magnanimous.

"He killed General Xie Hong, so he wouldn't have survived anyway. He also tried to frame you for the murder, to make sure you didn't survive either. You killed him to clear your name—that was the right call."

Ding Naiqing spoke with complete sincerity.

"From his perspective, I have no right to hate you, and from yours, no right to forgive him. Apologizing to you is my own choice—I don't want to lose you as a friend, Ran Jie." He looked on the verge of tears.

Tu Ran: ...Such broad-mindedness. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight. And such a unique way of thinking, too. Also a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

She was impressed—utterly, completely impressed.

"Zhao Yan is Zhao Yan, and you are you. What does our bond of shared combat have to do with Zhao Yan? As long as you can get past this hurdle, we'll be just like before," Tu Ran said bluntly.

Ding Naiqing's mood brightened; he almost came over to hug her and spin her around.

"But Ran Jie, do you know why Zhao Yan killed General Xie Hong? I asked the Inspection Department, and they wouldn't tell me." Ding Naiqing looked at her, his brow furrowed. He'd been puzzling over this for days.

Logic said Zhao Yan was no match for General Xie Hong with his high-grade combat suit and laser gun as a weapon—so how had he done it?

And what was his motive? Revenge? Greed?

Neither. He'd known Zhao Yan for years and had rarely heard him mention General Xie Hong's name.

Tu Ran's gaze darkened.

Why did Zhao Yan kill Xie Hong?

First, to get Xie Hong's inner core. Second, to frame her for his death and eliminate her.

The second reason was the bigger one.

She and Zhao Yan both knew the other had abilities. He could read her mind, and she could see his "telepathy" ability.

That ability was as powerful as it was dangerous. No one could tolerate its existence, and Zhao Yan knew that well.

Zhao Yan's existence threatened her, and her existence threatened him just as much.

Zhao Yan couldn't allow anyone to find out about his telepathy.

So while she and Xie Xu were plotting to kill him, Zhao Yan hadn't sat idle—he'd been looking for ways to kill her.

Looking up, Ding Naiqing was still staring at her, waiting for an answer.

Tu Ran didn't know how to tell him.

Or maybe not telling him would save a lot of trouble.

"You'll find out soon enough."

The Federation wouldn't be able to keep the inner core secret much longer. Gene-modification technology was maturing, the value of inner cores was fading, and there was no benefit to the Federation in continuing to hide it. They might as well make it public.

"What do you mean?" Ding Naiqing begged. "Ran Jie, don't keep me in suspense."

"It's not that I'm teasing you on purpose—I can't tell you because it's classified." Tu Ran raised three fingers. "Trust me, it'll be announced soon, and you'll understand everything then."

"...Fine." Ding Naiqing drooped.

The helicopter touched down on the Executive Department's rooftop. Tu Ran didn't return to the meeting room but went straight to her hotel to change into her combat suit.

She stuffed her old clothes into a bag and tossed it into the trash bin downstairs.

The hotel was in a busy area, with people coming and going, and the occasional air vehicle landing in the parking spaces.

The sun was blazing. Tu Ran adjusted her goggles to a darker tint to block the direct light.

The hotel wasn't far from the Executive Department, so she decided to walk.

Before she'd even crossed the hotel's front square, a black private air vehicle hovered in front of her, blocking her path.

Tu Ran stopped and peered warily at the windows.

Tinted windows—she couldn't see who was inside.

As she was checking, the vehicle landed smoothly. The rear door opened, revealing two pairs of gleaming black leather shoes, followed by two men in black suits.

The older one had graying hair and a kind face; the younger one was tall, wearing sunglasses, and looked like a stoic bodyguard.

"Miss Tu, my master would like to see you." The white-haired old man's eyes crinkled with smile lines as he made a gesture of invitation.

Tu Ran glanced toward the half-open door, catching a glimpse of a pair of long, crossed legs, but the upper body was hidden behind the window—she couldn't see the face.

"Who is your master?" she asked in return, casually glancing at her communicator. The indicator light was blinking.

The signal around her had been jammed.

She tightened her grip on the machine gun.

Her movement didn't escape the old man's notice. He smiled amiably. "You'll know when you meet him. Don't worry, the master just wants to talk about something—he won't hurt you."

Like I'd believe that.

Tu Ran retreated quickly, turned on her heel, and darted toward the crowded area.

"Hey, hey! Don't go..." The old man's words trailed off as Tu Ran disappeared into the crowd.

The old man's arm froze in mid-air, then dropped awkwardly.

"Wei, Uncle." A faint voice came from inside the vehicle.

"I'm sorry, sir." The old man lowered his head.

The bodyguard bowed his head too.

This was the first time he'd encountered such a situation; he'd frozen, forgetting to react in time.

The man inside took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily. "Send her a message: I have Xi Chunzhi. She has three minutes to come out."

"Yes."

On the other side, Tu Ran, who'd run off, wasn't actually leaving. She'd hidden in the gap between a row of parked air vehicles.

"Zero, who are those people?" Tu Ran leaned against the door of a red air vehicle, peeking out to observe.

"That white-haired one is Andre, the AI created by the Wells family." Zero's mechanical voice came through the earpiece.

"Andre? He's like you? He's also in a machine body now?"

"He's in a machine body, but he's not like me." Zero stressed the point. "I was once human. I have human emotions, human learning ability, and self-awareness. Even trapped in this metal shell, I still have a human soul."

"But he has been an AI from the start. Stephen Wells just built him a human-like shell so he could move around. He's generated by programs—no self-awareness, only unconditional obedience to human commands."

Clearly, Tu Ran comparing him to Andre had irritated him.

"If it's Andre, then the one inside is Stephen Wells himself?" Tu Ran focused on that point.

"Barring any surprises, yes, it's Stephen Wells." Zero's voice had gone flat, emotionless.

Tu Ran was puzzled. "Isn't Stephen Wells the head of the Wells family? What could he possibly want to talk to me, a lowly Pioneer, about?"