Chen Jinzhao's brows furrowed instantly.
The Divine Kingdom was a tumor from the inside out, an entity that needed to be purged.
"What makes you say that?" Chen Jinzhao countered.
Xu Jinsong said in a deep voice, "I'm not bluffing; I have evidence. Or, to put it more plainly, the Divine Kingdom survived in another form. Have you seen Qin Yi, who stands beside Qin Fengwu? Do you find him strange?"
Prompted by Xu Jinsong, Chen Jinzhao indeed felt something was amiss.
Qin Fengwu had once said that Qin Yi was a member of their Qin family, yet Chen Jinzhao had never heard of such a person before.
This was an S-class, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry.
Chen Jinzhao instantly understood what Xu Jinsong meant and hesitantly asked, "You mean Qin Yi, like you, is an experiment from the Divine Kingdom?"
Xu Jinsong grunted in affirmation.
"If I'm not mistaken, he is Subject One," he added.
Subject One was the top-ranked experiment in the Divine Kingdom's research institute, boasting an impressive combat record, hence the codename "Subject One."
"Qin Yi, named after Subject One?" Chen Jinzhao hesitated.
If that were the case,
It would make sense.
Chen Jinzhao pondered for a long time and then asked with some doubt, "But I recall that after the Wu family was annihilated, the Divine Kingdom's research institute was also wiped out by missiles. Doesn't this indicate that the Qin family has clandestine ties with the Divine Kingdom's research institute?"
"And what about the Wu family?"
Chen Jinzhao's intuition told him that the Wu family might still exist.
Chen Jinzhao couldn't untangle these interconnected events, nor did he know what truly transpired on the night the Wu family was annihilated. He was no longer privy to secrets at this level; perhaps he would only grasp fragments of it decades later.
"What's the point of you telling me this?" Chen Jinzhao gave a wry smile.
"I'm no longer capable of dealing with these petty intrigues. Knowing or not knowing makes no difference."
"No, I'm not asking you to resolve these matters, but rather to know that there's another path you can take," Xu Jinsong said earnestly.
Chen Jinzhao blinked, then understood Xu Jinsong's meaning.
Xu Jinsong pierced the veil of secrecy, "If you wish to regain your strength, I believe there's still a chance. It all depends on whether you are willing and whether you will act."
"I understand," Chen Jinzhao sighed.
He now faced two choices: either live the rest of his life as an ordinary person or regain his strength through unconventional means, thereby reclaiming everything that was his. However, he couldn't guarantee that his genes wouldn't mutate after regaining his strength.
Family or ambition, he could only choose one.
Xu Jinsong didn't press Chen Jinzhao for an immediate decision. After lighting a cigarette for himself and Chen Jinzhao, he said, "Li Buyan previously asked me to take a position at the Lingnan Military Region. It's a higher rank than my previous one, just half a step away from the general officer序列."
Chen Jinzhao snapped back to attention and smiled, "Congratulations, that's good news."
Xu Jinsong, however, shook his head. "I refused him."
This astonished Chen Jinzhao.
"I promised Elder Xu that I would protect your personal safety, so I won't go there," Xu Jinsong also stated that he was no longer part of the military and had no reason to obey its appointments, saying these words only to put Chen Jinzhao at ease.
Chen Jinzhao pursed his lips and smiled, "It would be too distant to say thank you. From now on, I will be candid with you."
Xu Jinsong also smiled.
During these three years, he had been unsmiling, and only at this moment did he exhibit such an expression.
"Alright, I've conveyed what I needed to. I hope you will consider it seriously," Xu Jinsong said after this and then left.
The night deepened.
Chen Jinzhao tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
It wasn't until three in the morning that he received a message from Wu Gang on his phone.
According to the latest directives from the military, the Candle Dragon special operations team was no longer necessary. Therefore, the military intended to disband the original members of Candle Dragon and assign them to the seven major special operations teams nationwide. Wu Gang was assigned to the Northeast, Luo Feng to Lingnan, and Yang Qinghu would be immediately retired.
When Wu Gang sent the message to Chen Jinzhao, he was already on his way to the Northeast, so Chen Jinzhao couldn't see his young brother again.
Luo Feng also bid Chen Jinzhao farewell via message, which made Chen Jinzhao's nose sting.
The Candle Dragon special operations team was personally established by Xu Hanchen. Now, the military was disbanding it, clearly aiming to eliminate Xu Hanchen's influence within the military. Perhaps in another ten years, no one in the military would remember that Xu Hanchen had ever existed.
This method wasn't exactly cruel, but it operated in a subtle, pervasive manner, causing everyone to forget unconsciously.
Chen Jinzhao's heart surged with anger.
He desperately wanted to rush to the military headquarters and question Qin Jianguo and Li Buyan face-to-face about why they had done this!
Chen Jinzhao also knew very well that he no longer had the ability to do so.
He would likely be thrown out by the guards at the entrance before he could even step into the military headquarters.
It felt so alien!
There was no human touch, only overt interests!
Was this still the military he once belonged to?
On his first night back in the capital, Chen Jinzhao suffered from insomnia.
It was on this night that Chen Jinzhao vowed to take back everything that belonged to him, no matter how thorny the path ahead, no matter how many hardships it held, he would forge ahead as he always had! Of course, Chen Jinzhao also knew that these matters couldn't be rushed; history never coalesced in a single night.
The next morning.
Chen Jinzhao first sent Yu Mengzhi to work, then went to Shanshan Qianhui's residence to chat with her for a while, and then left his daughter with Li Qiurong.
After completing these tasks, Chen Jinzhao went to the cemetery alone.
When he saw his own gravestone with his own eyes, a strange feeling welled up within him, as if he were already dead.
However, thinking about it carefully, the past three years were indeed no different from being dead.
He then went to Shangguan Yu'an's grave and spoke to her. In Chen Jinzhao's memory, he seemed to have never discussed personal matters with Shangguan Yu'an.
Life is full of dissatisfactions, more often than not.
If possible, he would rather bear these hardships himself than let those around him bear them.
This was somewhat unfair.
After spending some time at Shangguan Yu'an's grave, a figure in black approached Chen Jinzhao and stood beside him, watching him silently. After a while, the figure said, "If she knew you came to see her, she would be very happy."
Hearing the voice, Chen Jinzhao knew the person he was waiting for had arrived.
He turned to look at the cold-faced Xu Nianqing and suddenly felt that the distance between them seemed to have grown wider.
"When did you arrive? I didn't sense you," Chen Jinzhao said.
Xu Nianqing replied, "For a while now. The old you would have definitely sensed me by now."
"Let's get down to business. What do you need me for?"