Ning Yuanshan and Ji Qinglan were taken away by the National Security Special Operations Department, and what awaits them will be the most severe trial of the law.
The evil plan named "Prometheus", along with the huge "scavenger" network behind it, was uprooted and exposed to the sun due to the ironclad evidence provided by Duan Shuce and the National Security Bureau's thunderous "Net Cleaning" operation. Its bloody and anti-human nature shocked the world.
The Ning Group, a skyscraper with a glamorous appearance, was sealed, liquidated and dismembered overnight. The huge business empire collapsed like a sand castle, leaving behind countless astonished shareholders, unemployed employees and a mess that needed to be dealt with urgently.
The Ning family's luxurious fortress at the hillside manor also lost its former bustle and became dead silent and cold.
In the living room, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead.
Ning Xiuyuan, Ning Xiuyan, Ning Xiwan, and Duan Shuce, who was guarding them closely, sat in silence.
Ning Xiuyan leaned back on the sofa, his face still pale and his eyes bloodshot.
He unconsciously held an empty beer can in his hand, and the aluminum made a slight sound of deformation between his fingers.
His unfocused gaze fell on the smooth floor, where there seemed to be traces of water stains from the swimming pool and his shadow being dragged out of the water in a mess, or perhaps the cold walls of the detention room and the madly flashing surveillance screen.
After a long moment, he spoke hoarsely, his voice as dry as sandpaper: "I've booked a flight for this afternoon. To Paris."
He raised his head, his eyes sweeping across his brother and sister's faces, with an almost broken look of bewilderment and self-mockery: "Learn to paint... or something else... I have to find something to do. Stay here..."
He looked around the luxurious yet suffocating space and pulled the corners of his mouth.
"I'm afraid I'll go crazy."
What he didn't say was that he was afraid of seeing any traces of his parents' existence, afraid of hearing any rumors about the plan, and afraid of remembering the innocent lives lost because of his family.
Ning Xiuyuan sat opposite him, wearing a neatly ironed shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing his inner fatigue.
In front of him was a cup of cold coffee, and his fingers were unconsciously stroking the rim of the cup.
Hearing his brother's words, he nodded silently without dissuading him.
"Okay. Change the environment and get some peace and quiet." His voice was low and steady, with a sense of vicissitudes of life after going through a storm.
"After I finish handling the final handover here and... cooperating with the investigation, I'll leave too. To London."
He paused, his gaze becoming deep and determined.
"The Ning family's reputation is tarnished, but some of their connections and resources are still there. I want to... change places and start over. Do something clean and truly beneficial to society."
This is not just a business reconstruction, but also an explanation for his bloodline and the investigation he has endured for the past seven years.
He wanted to build something completely different from "Prometheus" on the ruins with his own hands.
Ning Xiwan sat on the single sofa by the window, wearing Duan Shuce's coat.
She gazed out the window at the flowers and trees in the courtyard, gilded by the morning light. Her profile, in the shadows, looked especially cold and weary. The pale pink scar on the side of her neck was like a silent period.
"I'm tired." She finally spoke, her voice was very light, like a feather falling, but it carried a thousand pounds of weight.
She turned her head slightly and looked at Duan Shuce who had been silently guarding her side. There was a hint of inquiry in her eyes, but more of dependence.
Duan Shuce immediately held her hand on her knee, his palm warm and strong, completely wrapping her slightly cold fingers.
His gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was gentle yet firm, and without the slightest hesitation, he said, "Let's go to New Zealand. The South Island. Find a place where we can see snow-capped mountains and lakes, raise a few sheep, or just do nothing and bask in the sun."
Ning Xiwan's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she gently shook his hand in response.
This was the only response she could give at the moment.
Ning Xiuyuan looked at his sister's pale and tired face and Duan Shuce's silent protection, and a trace of complex heartache flashed in his eyes.
He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something comforting or give some advice, but in the end it just turned into an almost inaudible sigh.
He understood that some pains could only be healed by time and distance.
He stood up, walked over to Ning Xiwan, reached out his hand, and gently rubbed the top of her head. His movements were a little awkward, but they carried the clumsy concern of an older brother: "Take care of yourself. If anything happens... feel free to contact me."
Ning Xiuyan also stood up. He walked up to Ning Xiwan and looked with complicated eyes at this sister who had been bullied by him in the past but now had personally pulled him out of the family quagmire.
He stammered a few times, and finally said softly, with a barely perceptible sob, "...Take care."
Thousands of words were stuck in my chest, and in the end, only these two words remained.
He turned around abruptly, grabbed the backpack on the sofa, and strode out without looking back. His back looked hurried and embarrassed, as if if he stayed for another second, the emotions that he had been forcibly suppressed would burst out.
Ning Xiuyuan watched his brother leave, then glanced deeply at Ning Xiwan and Duan Shuce, then picked up his briefcase. "It's time for me to go too. I still have some documents to sign. Keep in touch."
His back was still calm, but revealed a determination to travel alone.
In the huge living room, Ning Xiwan and Duan Shuce were the only ones left.
The sunlight poured in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing warmth but unable to dispel the coldness that penetrated deep into the bones.
Duan Shuce leaned over and gently picked up Ning Xiwan: "Let's go home."
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