Chapter 561 Formulating a Plan

"With such a small chance, is it really possible to succeed?" Xu Xin asked.

I shook my head and said, "I don't know, it depends on luck."

I talked with Xu Xin for a long time and I found that there were some things she didn't know, but she was very knowledgeable about others, especially in strategy. I felt that she was much more capable than me.

I really wanted her help, but when I thought that Xu Sanshui would definitely not let his daughter put herself in danger, I gave up the idea.

When old classmates get together, aside from these troublesome matters, they mostly talk about things that happened back in high school.

I originally thought I still had feelings for her. When I first met her in the house, I felt a surge of emotion. But after talking for a long time, I realized that my feelings for her had faded. I don't know if it's because I've been through too much, or because of my expectations of Wu Shuang.

As for Xu Xin, those intense feelings have faded to the point of being negligible. Now I think it's actually quite nice to be friends with her. At least I don't have to worry about those inexplicable feelings, or consider how to speak or how to act. Everything feels natural, just like old friends of many years.

We chatted about things from high school. She told me that when she came here from Mingzhu, she went back to Wutong City and saw some of her classmates still alive, but the circumstances at the time did not allow her to go and talk to her old classmates.

So it's very frustrating.

As for whether those classmates are still alive, I don't know.

"At least you're still alive," Xu Xin said to me with a smile.

I chuckled but didn't reply.

In this day and age, it always feels like death is the true liberation, while living is the true suffering, because there are just too many people and things we miss.

The good old days are gone forever, and those who were by my side at the beginning have left one by one. In the end, pain occupies most of my life.

To this day, I still haven't found my parents.

I felt in my heart that they were probably dead, or perhaps they were still alive somewhere in the world, but I didn't have much hope.

I talked with Xu Xin for a long time, until it got completely dark, until the light snow turned into heavy snow, and until she leaned on my shoulder and gradually fell asleep.

Time is truly a cruel thing.

It's invisible and intangible, yet it keeps pushing you forward, making it impossible to stop and rest.

I don't know how to live my life from now on, but surviving has always been my goal.

It was late at night, so I took her back to her room in the villa to sleep.

As for myself, I returned to the dark living room and looked out at the pitch-black night, the snowflakes, and the shimmering lake.

...

The next morning, Xu Sanshui found me and pulled me directly into his office.

I know he's planning to discuss the next steps with me.

"Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

I glanced at his office; there were quite a few fine wines on the cabinet, but now was not the time to drink. I said, "Let's not drink."

Xu Sanshui nodded, "Alright, we'll drink after we've finished talking."

I asked, "Uncle Xu, do you have a plan?"

Uncle Xu shook his head. "No, that's precisely why I called you over to discuss it, since we don't have a plan yet."

I gave a wry smile and said, "To be honest, I don't know what to do next to resolve this crisis."

Xu Sanshui said, "Don't rush, let's sort this out first. The cause of this matter actually started because Zhang Jianzhou escaped from your research institute, right?"

I nodded and said, "Yes, if Zhang Jianzhou doesn't escape from my research institute, it will probably take Zhou Liang a long time to replace Wu Zhaolong."

Xu Sanshui nodded. "Now that it has happened, we can't turn back time, so we can only face reality. You told me before that Zhou Liang's goal was to control the entire central town, right?"

"right."

Xu Sanshui continued, "In that case, is it possible for us to cooperate with Zhou Liang, gain his trust, and then secretly contact Ye Qian to persuade him to turn against us?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't think that's possible."

Xu Sanshui said doubtfully, "Why is it impossible? Since Ye Qian is willing to cooperate with Zhou Liang, he must know very well what kind of person Zhou Liang is. Such a person is too much of a threat to him. According to Ye Qian's personality, he would never allow such a person to threaten his position."

I said, "That's what I thought at first too, but do you know what Zhou Liang told me?"

"What?"

I said, "Zhou Liang told me that he has a way to make Ye Qian listen to him and never betray him."

"Are you so sure that Zhou Liang is telling you this? Is he lying to you?" Xu Sanshui asked suspiciously.

I said, “You probably haven’t had much contact with Zhou Liang, so you don’t know him. He’s someone who disdains lying and deceiving others. In his view, lying is the lowest level of strategy, and he never wants to use it. So what he tells me is basically true. There’s something else I haven’t told you before.”

"What is it?" Xu Sanshui asked.

I said, "Do you remember the raider killing that caused such a stir in Central Town?"

Xu Sanshui nodded. "I remember. What's wrong?"

I said, "Zhou Liang did this all by himself."

Xu Sanshui stared at me with wide eyes, unable to believe his eyes, and hurriedly said, "Impossible! I went to that place, and more than two hundred people died there. How could he have done this all by himself?"

I said with certainty, "I was right beside him at the time. I watched him kill for two whole days. I saw those raiders being killed one by one with my own eyes. Do you think I would need to lie to you?"

Xu Sanshui swallowed hard. "He... he's really that terrifying?"

I said, "He's the kind of person who'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Actually, I've always felt that if he doesn't manage to take control of Central Town in the future, he definitely won't let it continue to exist, because that would be too much of a threat to him."

"You mean, even if we manage to stop him, he'll still destroy Central Town?"

"Yes, that's quite possible, but this is just my own speculation. Nobody knows what will actually happen," I said.

Xu Sanshui took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and looked thoughtful.

What I said deeply shocked him; Xu Sanshui clearly hadn't expected Zhou Liang to be such a person.

He must have made some plans last night, but because Zhou Liang's deeds were too terrifying, he is now a little scared. What should he do?

I sat quietly to the side, without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)