Chapter 104: Brand and Protection
The intercepted data packets were analyzed overnight, and the truth that was pieced together was uglier than expected.
The "Higanbana" Research Center, ostensibly conducting advanced neurological research, secretly served as a base for Zhou Mingchen and Su Chen to conduct illegal mind-interference and mind-imprinting experiments. And Xiao, the original and purest genius conceptor of the "Prometheus" concept, became their first and most important "guinea pig" because of his firm opposition to the use of technology for control and plunder.
There are several blurry surveillance video backups in the data. There is no sound, but the images are enough to freeze one's blood.
——Axiao was tied to a special instrument, and his eyes changed from initial anger and resistance to despair and emptiness, and finally... the instrument recorded the peak of the stream of consciousness representing extreme fear and pain.
Su Yan took a quick look before abruptly turning the screen off, his stomach churning. He couldn't imagine what Ah Xiao had been through, and even more so, Su Chen, the man who was nominally his brother, was actually involved.
Huo Shen stood behind him, not forcing him to continue watching. His face was a deathly gray, his jawline as taut as a rock, and the chill emanating from his body nearly caused the temperature in the study to plummet. He wasn't furious, nor did he roar, but his profound silence was more terrifying than any outburst.
He reached over Su Yan's shoulder and operated the computer, encrypting and backing up the core video evidence related to Xiao's suffering. His movements were steady and without a trace of trembling. Then, he cleared all remaining traces on the screen.
"This is enough." Huo Shen's voice was hoarse, as if it had been ground by sand and gravel. He didn't need to see more to confirm his hatred. This was enough for him to crush the remaining forces of Su Chen and Zhou Mingchen ten thousand times over.
His eyes fell on Su Yan's pale face, which was barely concealing his fear. The young man was clearly shocked by this naked evil, and his body was still trembling slightly.
Huo Shen's hand paused in the air for a moment, then, with an almost clumsy hesitation that was completely different from his usual style, he gently landed on Su Yan's head and rubbed his soft hair.
It was a completely unexpected touch, devoid of any lust or domination. It felt like a silent comfort, or perhaps... an instinctive acknowledgement of the other person's presence.
Su Yan froze, and he suddenly raised his head, slamming into Huo Shen's bottomless eyes. Those eyes were no longer filled with pure coldness and murderous intent, but instead were surging with an extremely complex emotion that Su Yan couldn't understand - pain, violence, determination, and a hint of... perhaps pity?
"Are you scared?" Huo Shen withdrew his hand and put it back into his trouser pocket. His tone returned to his usual cold and hard tone, but upon closer listening, something seemed to be different.
Su Yan pursed his lips and didn't deny it. He was indeed afraid, not of Huo Shen, but of the darkness deep within human nature that had no bottom line.
"I'm afraid too." Huo Shen suddenly said, his eyes cast towards the dark night outside the window, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible, "I'm afraid that I... am not ruthless enough and can't make them pay a sufficient price."
These words, like a flash of lightning, split the fog in Su Yan's heart. He suddenly understood that beneath Huo Shen's extreme calmness, he was suppressing a surging hatred and pain that almost burned him to death.
At this moment, Chen Mo walked in quickly with a serious expression and reported in a low voice: "Boss Huo, we have detected that multiple accounts under Su Chen's name are abnormally transferring large amounts of funds. The signals at his private residence and several places he often visits have also been blocked. He may be... preparing to escape."
Huo Shen's eyes flashed, and all his emotions subsided in an instant, turning him back into the decisive and murderous controller he once was.
"Run?" He sneered, his smile icy and bone-chilling. "He can't run away."
He quickly issued a series of orders, mobilized manpower, blocked all possible escape routes for Su Chen, and set up a capture network.
The study was bustling with activity once again, the atmosphere tense. Su Yan watched Huo Shen's back as he orchestrated his plans. The man who had just revealed a moment of vulnerability and... tenderness seemed to have been just an illusion.
After the order was given, Huo Shen turned around and looked at Su Yan.
"You stay here." His tone was an unquestionable command. "Chen Mo will stay to protect you. Until I come back, you are not allowed to go anywhere and see anyone."
This is to completely isolate him from the outside world and ensure his absolute safety.
Su Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say something. He wanted to ask Huo Shen where he was going, if he was going to capture Su Chen himself, and if there would be any danger. But looking at Huo Shen's eyes, which refused to allow any arguments, he swallowed his words. He knew that Huo Shen didn't need any questions at this moment, he just needed to obey.
"Okay." He nodded.
Huo Shen gave him a deep look, as if his eyes were trying to carve his current appearance into his mind. Then, without hesitation, he strode out with big strides, the hem of his black windbreaker drawing a cold arc in the air.
Su Yan walked to the window and watched as several black cars silently drove away like ghosts, blending into the night. He knew Huo Shen was leaving for the final reckoning. For Ah Xiao, and also for... the bloody truth they had uncovered together.
He raised his hand and gently touched the top of his head that Huo Shen had just rubbed. There seemed to still be a trace of unfamiliar warmth and touch belonging to that man.
Chaos, danger, pain, conspiracy...all of this was like a huge whirlpool that almost swallowed him up.
But at the center of this vortex, the man named Huo Shen, in a twisted and powerful way, carved out a relatively safe territory for him, and when he was hit by the darkness, he gave him such a harsh but real... comfort.
This is no longer a simple matter of exploitation and being exploited, control and resistance.
Something more complex and profound has quietly grown in the blood, secrets and shared battles, like a vine, entwining each other's souls.
Su Yan didn't know what the outcome of Huo Shen's trip would be, nor did he know where this twisted relationship between them would go.
He only knew that when Huo Shen turned and left, what surged in his heart was not only a sense of relief, but also a trace of... a subtle concern that he himself did not even want to delve into.
The mark has been deeply planted.
And protection may have already become a two-way instinct without anyone realizing it.
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