Chapter 142 A Branch in the Nest Forest (5)
Before the person she was reporting to could speak, another inexplicable voice took over.
"How is that possible?"
The man who answered seemed shocked, then pushed the door open again and shouted, "Shu Changyan, are you having a party in your sister's hospital room?"
The ward door reopened. Xiao Jiang stood in front of the middle-aged man with her hands in her pockets and Zhao leaning against the door with one hand, both of them displaying a subtle but not overtly defensive posture.
Shu Ningmiao glanced at the newcomer and already knew who it was; her expression became slightly strange.
Regardless of their inner thoughts, the people inside remained silent, exchanging glances. Except for Shu Changyan, they all seemed somewhat surprised. After shaking hands with the representative, they naturally stepped aside, leaving him to stand in the center.
Zhao, quite tactfully taking on the role of a follower, lagged half a step behind the middle-aged man and said, "This is Representative Kolei."
Lucico stood straight before her, clearer than in reports and photographs, his hair half black and half white, suggesting he was between forty and fifty years old, but with few wrinkles on his face, and his energy far surpassed that of an average middle-aged man.
Although he was wearing a suit, it was crisp and clean, exuding a sharp and dignified aura.
From the few steps he took towards her, she could tell that this newly appointed representative was not some incompetent office worker who sat there all day; his appearance, demeanor, and expression were all different from ordinary people.
"do not mention it."
The man stopped beside her, giving her a formulaic smile.
A staff member in a suit and tie, fully armed and carrying a camera, squeezed in from behind and took more than a dozen pictures of them.
Lucico was businesslike, neither hypocritical nor overly serious. He said a few polite words about what had happened at the Shi family's house, offered her some words of comfort, praised her for her "heroic act," and then bowed to provide a camera position.
He accepted the gifts from the staff, pinned the medal and sash on her, and announced that she had been recognized by the Security Bureau's assessment committee and authorized by Parliament to be awarded the medal.
The man hung the medal on her hospital gown, not glancing at her once, his head tilted to the side, facing the camera and flashes, showing a natural presence in front of the camera.
Shu Ningmiao maintained her smile and glanced at the "Medal of Honor" on her chest out of the corner of her eye. The gold medal was adorned with a ribbon in the shape of a bow, and the design consisted of two crossed swords suspended in the air, which resembled the military emblem but was also slightly different.
Ordinary medals of honor are authorized by the parliament, produced by the military, and awarded by representatives. The military medal consists of a double sword and shield, while the envoy's medal has a dark serpent pattern background and scales. The medal of honor on her chest is a "non-military medal," also known as the "humanitarian medal," which is usually used to recognize rescue operations and heroic acts.
Although the types are different, they all come with benefits such as preferential treatment in medical care and education, as well as a large bonus. This bonus is not even enough to cover the cost of her hospital room. The most valuable benefit of the medal is probably that her child can enter Kornunos without taking the entrance exam in the future, but that is of no use to her.
Perhaps feeling that the benefits were too meager, Lucico also awarded her the title of Outstanding Young Person and welcomed her to intern and visit the Union Building.
The handshake and photo session were completed in one smooth motion. The middle-aged man was refined and presentable, and she was also weak enough to look good in the photos. After obtaining beautiful photos for the news, Lucico didn't linger and left with a slight nod.
Although I had some doubts about why these people were here when I came in, the most important thing for a representative is to assess the situation and not ask questions that shouldn't be asked.
Xiao Jiang sized her up for a while, but couldn't linger because of work. He winked at her and gestured to his face, indicating "see you next time."
Seeing her expression, Shu Ningmiao felt a sense of relief and her lips curved upwards.
Her smile was more composed than before, her eyes and eyebrows curved slightly, and her bright, jewel-like eyes gazed into the distance with a clean and carefree air. Some people followed her gaze intently, mesmerized.
The visiting time was almost up when the group of people came to urge them to leave, leaving only the family members who were staying with them.
When Weston wasn't arguing with others, he seemed quite refined. He glanced down at her, warned her not to leave the hospital during the observation period, and then casually mentioned Arcia's condition.
He explained that Arsya was doing rehabilitation training and getting used to walking, so he couldn't come to see her. Therefore, he came to see her on Arsya's behalf. She thought there was no need to make a special explanation and found it funny.
Weston reached the door, but she called him back. She always had some strange ideas: "Teacher T, how much Pandora does a superhuman's body contain?"
"About eighty percent." This was common knowledge, presented on the first page of the textbook alongside the planet's area. Weston glanced at her disdainfully, but still answered instinctively.
"Would the concentration in the eyes be higher than in other organs?" She pointed to her own eyeball with her fingertip hovering in the air: "After all, our eyes can see the flowing Pandora."
Ordinary people cannot do that.
This time it was Weston's turn to fall silent. Few people would be curious about this kind of question, but he happened to know the answer because he had dissected the bodies of superhumans during his rotation at the Academy of Life Sciences.
After a long pause, he replied, "Yes, the eyes are the last organ to decay for superhumans. Seventy-eight hours after a superhuman dies, the concentration of Pandora remaining in their eyes can still reach 26 percent."
After everyone left, only Shu Changyan remained by the bedside. She was wide awake again, and fumbled for the terminal on the bedside table, opening the news.
The fire that engulfed the Shi family estate was impossible to hide. Even now, photos of the fire are still circulating on Toutiao (a Chinese news and information platform), with numerous shocked comments from netizens whose names seem to have no idea what they're talking about amidst the red and black ruins.
She leaned back on the soft pillow behind her head, raised the terminal with both hands, and asked him, "How much does the council know? Is this all over?"
"Hmm." Shu Changyan replied lightly, as if he knew what she wanted to ask: "The current head of the Lin family has submitted a new report to the council, hoping to reopen the investigation into the council's purge of the murderers between 320 and 322, and to identify Shi Yu as the murderer at that time."
"Although it sounds unreliable, Professor Lin Shengyi from the Lin family voluntarily applied for a mental connection review, and the Public Security Bureau's specialists conducted a frame-by-frame comparison of his memories." Shu Changyan paused for a moment, then said, "That back view is indeed exactly the same, but how he survived until now is unknown. Subsequently, the Public Security Bureau investigated Shi Yu's entry and exit records, and his records of entering and leaving Xindi were abnormal. In short, the hidden danger in Xindi was thus resolved."
Shu Ningmiao was also taken aback.
As a superpowered individual with the "Inheritance" ability, if Lin Shengyi is not mistaken, the memory used for comparison and verification comes from someone in the Lin family who experienced a purge by the council three hundred years ago.
Another memory comes from Lin Chuxu, who almost died in a fire two days ago.
Lin Chuxu was facing her at that time, so she naturally saw Wei Shengqianheng's back, and the impression left by her ancestors three hundred years ago was also a back view.
No wonder they didn't recognize Wei Shengqianheng's face.
If that's the case, then the only murderer they've identified from the beginning is Shi Yu.
Now that Shi Yu has been killed by her, all the mysteries that remain are over, which is a huge relief for the council. No wonder they generously awarded her a medal.
"The lockdown on the new land is gradually being lifted." Shu Changyan gently twirled her hair with his fingers. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
She wanted to find out more about the No. 01 operative, but according to Lin Chuxu, the council's records had been almost completely destroyed by Wei Shengqianheng during the purge, and the council members probably knew less than she did.
There are also various risks involved in reinstating Microbial Thousand Balance to Parliament.
The Church's infiltration of Pinheis was very subtle, and for her to suspect the Church based solely on her own words was tantamount to asking for trouble.
She has too many things in her mind that she can't show to others, so it's impossible for her to apply for a neural connection for memory review.
Shu Ningmiao turned over and sat cross-legged facing Shu Changyan, her hands on her knees, and recounted the relationship between them in fits and starts.
This matter involves many things, and the cause and effect are not yet clear. It is really complicated. She can only briefly lay out the clues she has collected over the past few days and highlight Wei Shengqianheng.
Upon hearing about the bizarre existence spanning three hundred years, his inherent indifference remained unchanged. Shu Changyan calmly listened to her speak with his hands folded, his eyes only showing a faint tenderness. After a long while, he finally spoke: "The pupils of people whose consciousness and bodies have been invaded by him are all black?"
Shu Ningmiao couldn't be 100% sure, but upon careful reflection, Shi Yu's eyes did indeed sometimes resemble Wei Shengqianheng's.
Shi Yu's pupils are light in color, and no matter how the light changes, they will never appear completely black. She was deeply impressed by Wei Sheng Qianheng's deep black eyes, so she couldn't be mistaken.
She speculated: "The way Wei Shengqianheng 'descends' into other people's bodies may seem like a miracle at first glance, but in the end, the method is nothing more than controlling the Pandora in the other person's body. And because the Pandora content in the eyes of a superhuman is far greater than in other parts, if the Pandora in a person's body is completely assimilated, the eyes will be the first organ to manifest. So... what I saw was actually his eyes."
If this conjecture is correct, it can at least serve as a method for distinguishing microorganisms.
It's just unknown how many other people he has controlled over the years, besides Shi Yu.
“I’ve met someone like that before.” After she finished speaking, Shu Changyan slowly and steadily stroked her fingertips, his expression serious: “You know this person too.”
She frowned slightly, unable to recall who it was for a moment.
They had all met people who could be controlled by Wei Sheng Qian Heng, and it couldn't be worse.
“The video I put in the combat simulation system.” He pondered for a moment, then prompted her, “You should have seen my mission target from that time, former military minister Sun Yucheng.”
Upon hearing this, Shu Ningmiao immediately remembered that the former minister who had defected—Sun Yucheng—had also eventually converted to the church.
She gradually realized that everything was understandable.
He turned to her, opened the terminal, and found the only group photo in the album taken when he first entered the military headquarters: "I remember when I first entered the military headquarters, Sun Yucheng's pupils were not black, but his eyes before he died were very similar to your description."
Shu Changyan stared intently at the photo, recalling one of his countless missions. A middle-aged man stood before him, his pupils dark and even unfamiliar. The man had once been a reliable senior, who had taken good care of him because of his parents' past acquaintance.
His high, arched eyebrows were shrouded in shadow, and his eyes were calm and expressionless.
Without question or enthusiasm, Shu Changyan always treated the mission with indifference, even appearing somewhat detached from the bloody chaos. Zhao might be driven by glory and fame, and Xiao Jiang might just want to live a good life, but he, who initially left home for his dream, was detached and insightful.
He understood that indiscriminate killing leaves no room for heroism.
Shu Changyan was not forgetful; on the contrary, he remembered everything clearly: "The former Minister of the Military betrayed us six years ago, but he did not leave Pigne. Instead, he secretly gathered experimental personnel by leveraging his past connections and restarted the long-abandoned A197 base on the border of Pigne, illegally using human subjects for research on Manla disease. At that time, he still held considerable authority, and many people in Pigne turned a blind eye to his activities. However, the human experiments that continued at the A197 base violated international ethical treaties, and it was eventually eliminated by Pigne, with the base also being destroyed."
The original person in charge of Base A197 was Lan Xi, the first operative. The base was abandoned for more than a hundred years because of Lan Xi's disappearance. Wei Sheng Qian Heng controlled Sun Yu Cheng to restart the base, which seems to be closely related.
Shu Ningmiao was used to someone always destroying all the clues.
She didn't say anything more, but something else came to mind.
She looked up and found Shu Changyan looking at her. They exchanged a glance, and she was certain that Shu Changyan was thinking about the same problem as her.
As long as Pandora exists within a person with superpowers, there is a possibility that they could be controlled by Wei Sheng Qian Heng. Conversely, if Pandora does not exist within a person's body, this possibility is eliminated.
She had only ever seen two kinds of people who didn't have Pandora in their bodies... or one kind.
Ordinary people who cannot awaken superpowers.
He Shuchangyan.
Shu Changyan's parents used the Foundation Stone to modify their unborn child. Was it because they were afraid of supernatural abilities, afraid of the diseases brought by Pandora, or afraid of the existence of a certain person?
She didn't want to stay a moment longer and wanted to go to the church immediately to confirm whether Wei Sheng Qian Heng was alive or dead.
"I want to go to New Land."
As she was talking, she tried to lift the blanket, but Shu Changyan lifted the corner of the blanket with both hands and tucked it back in. Shu Ningmiao ignored him and quickly crawled out through the gap between the blanket and his arms, only to be pushed back down by him like a whack-a-mole.
After watching her wriggle in the blankets for a while, Shu Changyan sat on the edge of the bed, lifted a little and wrapped her up again, leaving only her head exposed. He couldn't help but lower his head and rub her soft forehead hair, and finally gave in: "I'll go with you after the observation period is over."
"—Represent the other side." She rationally refused.
"It's alright, it's their turn to be on duty now." Shu Changyan sat to the side, his gaze lowered, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever, and his voice softened slightly: "Or is it that you think your brother is holding you back?"
His body was upright, his gaze unwavering, and the blue light reflected in his eyes was so beautiful it seemed inhuman. As he calmly feigned anger, the aloofness around him gradually returned.
Having learned of the existence of Wei Sheng Qian Heng, and vaguely guessing that there was something else going on with his body, he remained calm and composed, showing no intention of investigating further.
Shu Ningmiao had long noticed his detached, almost detached, demeanor. This wasn't indifference, but rather a detachment born of habit. In this respect, Shu Changyan and Wei Shengqianheng shared a certain similarity in their gazes. Their attitudes didn't contain any bloodthirsty or tyrannical tendencies; they were simply turning a blind eye.
She guessed this might be some kind of peculiar post-war syndrome; after all, people aren't machines.
In an instant, he had concealed his somewhat strange expression and casually flicked her forehead with his hand.
She pulled her hand out from under the covers, grabbed his shoulder, and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "What were you thinking about just now?"
Shu Changyan leaned down and moved closer to her face, his lips tentatively touching her cheek. The soft touch lingered on her lips as he gave her a shy kiss, and he saw her eyes widen slightly.
"I regret it."
"……What?"
"I regret not doing it myself." Shu Changyan insisted on speaking close to her face, his high nose bridge pressing coolly against her skin, somewhat sinister: "That way you wouldn't have had to kill him with your own hands."
It wasn't jealousy or resentment. He knew she was preoccupied with killing Shi Yu, and her feelings far surpassed those of anything else in the world. So he simply regretted not being able to do it for her.
His lips descended, kissing her once, then pausing. With each kiss, he would lift his clear, sea-blue eyes to look at her, staring so intently that it sent chills down her spine.
...The emotions that Shu Changyan subtly revealed had a kind of quiet heaviness, which occasionally made her feel a little scared.
She opened her lips, loosened her teeth, and lightly bit his tongue. Shu Changyan still didn't react. She felt something was wrong and struggled to raise her hand, but he suddenly gripped her palm tightly.
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