Chapter 57 Nanowires He'll be alright
Before I was six years old, I would spend every Lunar New Year's Eve with my father at the martial arts school.
Father would sneak into the small kitchen in the backyard of the martial arts school early in the morning, bustling about with activity. Gradually, various aromas would fill the air, tempting him so much that he couldn't resist sneaking over to watch.
As night fell, a large table full of delicious dishes was laid out in the small hall. He ate with gusto, eating until he couldn't help but burp, but he still didn't want to stop.
After he had eaten and drunk his fill, his father would pick him up, tuck him into his coat, and sit under the osmanthus tree in the yard to watch the New Year's fireworks together. The dark night sky was illuminated by the dazzling fireworks, casting a beautiful glow on his father's profile.
Amidst the clamor of firecrackers, his father's gentle yet resolute voice reached his ears: "Zui'er, from now on, every year, the two of us will do it this way. The martial arts school is the foundation of our Shen family; we must protect it, pass it down from generation to generation, and let it be passed down forever."
Chen Zui truly ingrained this phrase in his bones; even when he grew up and had to take odd jobs, he gritted his teeth and kept the martial arts school afloat.
His father, who had once told him that he would pass on the martial arts school forever, actually sold it without hesitation.
Not only did he say he wanted to sell it, but Shen's father also scolded him: "It's just a lousy martial arts school that can't even recruit students. What's the use of leaving it there? The sooner you sell it, the easier it will be! It's my decision, and it's none of your business to interfere, you thief!"
His body, still dazed, swayed violently, as if struck by an invisible hammer. He stood frozen in place, his blood seemingly freezing, the light in his eyes like a candle flame that had burned out, silently extinguishing inch by inch in the biting cold.
Ling Shu looked at him and could almost hear the sound of his inner order completely collapsing.
Withdrawing her gaze, Ling Shu looked at Shen's parents, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "Alright, since you two have both expressed your opinions, then our Sheng family will temporarily detain them."
Before she finished speaking, she had already stood up nimbly and ordered the people around her, "Take him back and lock him up in the basement."
"yes."
The security guards faithfully carried out her orders, gesturing for Chenzui to rise.
His head drooped even lower as he obediently stood up. He didn't glance at his parents again until he left.
With the Sheng family gone, only the three members of the Shen family and Zhang Ge's few shifty-looking accomplices remained in the room.
The tense mother finally breathed a sigh of relief, leaned closer to Shen Le, and said in a trembling voice filled with lingering fear, "Son, aren't we being too harsh? Shen Zui has helped the family so much, and he hands over a lot of money every month... Besides, what if he reveals your plan to the Sheng family later? Wouldn't that be terrible?"
Shen Le laughed nonchalantly, "Mom, he's just a thief now, who would believe him? The Sheng family isn't stupid. Don't worry, once tonight is over, we'll be rich!"
Unfortunately, in order to frame Chen Zui, he had to reluctantly part with the gold watch as evidence of Chen Zui's theft.
As long as they can get over the wall, what treasure can't they find?
It's said that the necklaces these rich people casually wear are worth hundreds of millions or even tens of millions. Wouldn't it be easy to get rich just by taking one out?
The father and mother exchanged a glance, and the last bit of worry on their faces disappeared.
They knew Zhang Ge's skills; he had stolen from many wealthy people's houses before, but after being caught and wanted by the police, he slunk back to Shencun and hid away.
When it comes to bypassing internet censorship, Brother Zhang is definitely an expert.
In the eyes of the people of Shen Village, the Sheng Family Manor was almost like paradise. Now, thanks to the heavy rain, they were able to personally visit this "paradise," and they should truly cherish this wonderful opportunity that heaven had given them.
-
Ling Shu and her group escorted Chen Zui away from the main building, through the walled gate guarded by security guards, and arrived at the Sheng family's backyard.
She brought her intoxication back to Xiaominglou.
Throughout the journey, Chenzui kept her head down, docile and silent.
Ling Shu didn't say anything, her gaze lingering on the rain outside the shuttle bus.
Heavy rain can wash away the dust on the ground, but it cannot cleanse the greed and sin in people's hearts.
Once inside Xiaoming Building, Ling Shu dismissed the security guards. Chen Zui finally looked up at her and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Those people were planning to scale the wall and steal from the Sheng family tonight. The leader's surname is Zhang, and Chen Le... who is also my brother, is one of their accomplices. There are six of them in total, and at least three of them have criminal records."
Ling Shu picked up the juice on the table, took a sip, and without the slightest surprise on her face, calmly asked, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Chen Zui explained, "That Zhang guy is very perceptive. If I expose them on the spot, it will easily reveal that I know you, which will arouse his suspicion."
"It's not just that, is it?"
Ling Shu smiled, leaned forward slightly, and slowed her speech, "Chen Zui, haven't you noticed? You believe me."
He did this because he subconsciously trusted her, believed that she wouldn't be easily fooled, and believed that she would find an opportunity to listen to his explanation alone.
He was lost in a daze for a moment, and his dark pupils went blank for a instant.
After a few seconds, he admitted in a hoarse voice, "Yes... I believe you."
Perhaps it was because of their similar experiences, or perhaps it was because Ling Shu had helped them several times before.
Now that things have come to this, he simply admitted it openly and even offered a suggestion: "The man surnamed Zhang and a few of his men know some martial arts. I suggest we find an excuse to lure them into the room and lock them up. Once the rain stops, we can have the security guards kick them out. This is the least costly way."
Lock them up and starve them for two days, and even the fiercest person will have to back down.
Ling Shu shook her head: "No need for that."
There are only six people; they're not worth her going to the trouble of setting any traps.
She put down her juice, stood up lazily, and asked for his opinion, "Would you like to come with me tonight when they make their move?"
Chen Zui frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat surprised by her invitation.
Ling Shu saw through his thoughts, smiled again, and her tone became more serious than before.
“I’m enchanted. This world is vast.” She looked him straight in the eye. “You shouldn’t be confined to a small martial arts school.”
This was not just a simple invitation; Ling Shu was expressing her trust and recognition of him through her actions.
In the original book, the male protagonist, Chen Zui, embodies some wonderful qualities: decisiveness, courage, focus, diligence, loyalty, and perseverance. He is the strongest support for the warm and cheerful Guan Mengxing, and her most solid reliance and assistant.
His future should belong to the vast world, not be confined to these pointless power struggles.
He stood motionless, lost in thought, like a statue.
After a while, he replied in a low voice, "...Okay. I'll go tonight too."
Having convinced Chen Zui to join, Ling Shu was in a good mood. Just then, she received a response regarding the matter she had instructed Butler Wang to handle that morning. Ling Shu had someone take Chen Zui to rest, leaned back on the sofa, and opened the result that Butler Wang had sent her.
Ling Shu stared at the screen for a long time before looking up, shaking her head with a complicated expression, and sighing in her heart, "Just as I thought... Dog, in this world, no one can escape the melodramatic plot."
"Dog?"
"Sheng Yun Shen?"
Are you asleep again?
-
Night fell quickly.
After darkness fell, the heavy rain showed no sign of abating, completely shrouding the sky and earth, making it impermeable to the light.
Most of the villagers had already gone to bed, and only a few lights were on in the main building. A servant carrying a mop walked down the corridor and seemed to hear some scattered footsteps beside him. He stopped and turned around, but could see nothing.
Outside the corridor, only dappled shadows of trees could be seen.
After a few seconds of looking around and finding nothing, the servant turned and continued walking forward.
His figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The bushes began to sway again, and several figures wearing black raincoats cautiously peeked out.
This is why they dared to target the Sheng family.
The power outage caused by the heavy rain has not yet been repaired, and the Sheng family has been using backup power for the past few days. Their surveillance cameras are basically unusable, leaving them completely unprepared.
If there were surveillance cameras, the Sheng family would definitely have checked them when they framed Chen Zui for stealing the gold watch today.
To be on the safe side, Brother Zhang specifically inquired with several of the servants and confirmed that the surveillance system had indeed been powered off.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Shen Le was also excited: "Brother Zhang, shall we make our move now?"
Brother Zhang looked around to make sure no one was near the main building, then waved to his underlings: "Let's go."
He was wearing a black raincoat and walked at the front with his back bent, like a large bat lurking in the dark night, followed by a string of similar large bats.
The group walked to a corner, and Brother Zhang miraculously pulled a ladder out from the corner.
This is what he discovered today; it's as if it was specially prepared for them.
The Sheng family deserves their bad luck.
Upon seeing the ladder, the eyes of the henchmen widened, gleaming in the darkness, filled with a thirst for wealth.
After setting up the ladder along the wall, Brother Zhang gestured to his henchman, "Go up and check the situation first."
"Yes, brother." The henchman climbed the ladder without hesitation, clearly a seasoned wall-climbing expert.
The ladder was just the right height to climb over the wall, so the younger brother didn't make any rash moves and stood on the top of the wall to observe for a while.
In the dark, heavy rain, everything was blurry and unclear.
Only a few scattered lights could be vaguely seen, which should be the residence of the Sheng family.
The younger brother pulled a bundle of rope from his waist, intending to tie it to the high-voltage cable bracket on the wall. Of course, he had tested it beforehand; even when the power was off, the high-voltage cable wasn't energized, offering absolutely no protection.
He spread his hands, just about to tie the rope, when a sharp pain shot through his fingers. The pain came so suddenly that he couldn't help but scream.
The rope in his hand seemed to malfunction as well, breaking into several pieces and falling to the other side of the wall.
Zhang, who was below, muttered under his breath, "Are you crazy? What are you yelling about at a time like this!"
What if we attract the Sheng family?
The younger brother, without even looking at the rope, raised his hand to check the situation.
Several of his knuckles had cuts, neat and uniform, as if they had been instantly severed by an incredibly fast knife.
The wound wasn't deep, but the rainwater around my hand turned blood red from the heavy rain, and the stinging pain became increasingly noticeable.
"A ghost! A ghost!"
The younger brother stared blankly for a few seconds, then finally concluded that he dared not linger any longer and tumbled down the stairs in a panic.
Are you crazy?!
Feeling that his mission had gone wrong, Brother Zhang was furious and slapped his underling A on the head. "Where's the rope? Did it fall down?"
The underling, Brother A, held out his hand to Brother Zhang, his legs trembling: "Brother Zhang, there's a ghost on the wall! Look at my hand!"
Brother Zhang glanced at it impatiently, dismissing it: "Did you accidentally get cut by the high-voltage power line?"
The younger brother shook his head vigorously, so frightened that he couldn't even explain himself clearly: "I, I clearly didn't touch the wire! The rope, right, the rope too, I didn't touch anything, and suddenly it broke, and it broke into several pieces!"
The more he talked, the more frightened he became. He couldn't even stand up straight, fell to the ground, and rolled around trying to escape.
Brother Zhang promptly kicked him over, yelling, "Idiot!"
What the hell? How could there be ghosts in this world? He's spent half his life stealing chickens and dogs, committing crimes and evil deeds, how come he's never seen a vengeful ghost come to collect a debt from him?
It must be a lie; the younger brother was afraid of the Sheng family's power and didn't dare to be the first to go down!
He spat, gave his other henchmen a warning look, and said fiercely, "I advise you to behave yourselves and not try anything funny! Today is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we succeed, we'll never have to steal again for the rest of our lives! If you don't listen to me, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Holding onto the ladder, Brother Zhang decided to climb it himself.
He wanted to see what was going on behind the Sheng family's walls.
Taking another bundle of rope from his younger brother, Brother Zhang climbed up the ladder to the top of the wall.
He looked around warily, but saw nothing unusual; the electric fence on the wall wasn't electrified. Once the rope was secured, they could easily sneak into the Sheng family's house.
Everything is fine.
That idiot henchman A was definitely faking it!
Brother Zhang curled his lip, cursed under his breath, and took out a rope to tie a knot.
As soon as the rope was untied a little, something strange happened.
The seemingly sturdy rope suddenly snapped silently into several sections, falling down the other side of the wall.
It's exactly the same as what Brother A said!
Zhang felt a sudden chill run down his spine and instinctively reached out to grab the fallen rope.
The next moment, his hand went slightly numb.
Then came an astonishing pain, almost causing one to faint.
It was as if a mysterious force had snatched his hand away in an instant, without even a warning of pain. Now, his wrist was just a bare, bloody hole, with blood gushing out uncontrollably.
A heart-wrenching scream echoed from the wall amidst the heavy rain.
-
At the same time, in the living room on the first floor of Xiaoming Building.
Ling Shu looked at the live monitoring footage on the TV and shook her head, clicking her tongue: "Oh my, that's really scary."
All of Zhang Ge's and his team's actions were recorded by the drone following behind them. This drone was the latest product delivered by the company that Ling Shu had invested in; it could fly steadily in heavy rain and had an infrared shooting mode, capturing everything clearly.
The sound of rain masked the drone's flight, and Zhang and his team didn't notice anything unusual.
In the live monitoring, after losing a hand, Brother Zhang, who had been full of ambition just moments before, was terrified and fell off the ladder in the same manner as his henchman, rolling on the ground in pain.
Even through the screen, you could feel his pain and fear.
The underlings were all stunned, forming a circle and staring blankly at Brother Zhang's severed hand.
Ling Shu looked closely and said with a hint of disdain, "His hand seems to have fallen to the other side. What a hassle. We'll have to have someone pick it up and bring it back."
Beside her, Chenzui was at a loss for how to react.
He was like an animal sensing danger, instinctively bristling with anger.
But how exactly did they do it?
Does Ling Shu really possess some kind of supernatural ability, capable of harming people from thousands of miles away invisibly?
Lost in thought, he became increasingly dazed, a rare clear bewilderment appearing in his eyes.
Ling Shu glanced back at him, seemingly guessing what he was thinking, and explained with a smile, "This isn't some kind of metaphysics or supernatural phenomenon, it's pure science."
It's all thanks to my father-in-law, who's obsessed with the future, who's been so supportive.
The nanowires that severed Zhang Ge's body and hand were installed on the wall earlier. Now it seems that the nanowires are indeed terrifyingly powerful; after the apocalypse, any zombie that dares to climb over the wall will only turn into chunks of flesh.
Ling Shu herself did not expect that she would be able to experiment with the destructive power of nanowires before the end of the world.
Ling Shu glanced at Brother Zhang in the video several times, then reluctantly called Butler Wang: "The bad guy's hand is gone; it fell into the wall. Uncle Wang, could you please arrange for someone to pick it up and take it over for some initial treatment?"
Stopping bleeding and relieving pain is no problem, but as for reconnecting broken skin... sorry, the Sheng family isn't a top-tier hospital, we don't have that kind of advanced technology.
Poor Brother Zhang will probably have to say goodbye to his right hand for all eternity.
Butler Wang had a very strong mental fortitude and calmly carried out the task.
With the matter mostly resolved, Ling Shu turned off the drone's monitoring and turned to look at Chen Zui.
Are you scared?
Chen Zui shook his head: "I'm not afraid."
He paused, then added, "I'm very happy, thank you... Sister Ling."
Unbeknownst to him, Ling Shu had become "Sister Ling" in his heart—powerful, calm, and omnipotent.
Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang again.
Butler Wang called to report: "Miss Ling, the person you arranged has arrived."
"We've arrived? So fast? That's great!"
Ling Shu's mind was preoccupied with the new news, so she had to temporarily put aside what she was enjoying.
She stood up, picked up her coat from the sofa, and said, "I have to go out for a bit. I'll talk to you later."
Chen Zui also stood up: "Sister Ling, I'll take you there."
As he spoke, he reached for the umbrella in the corner.
With the rain so heavy, he felt that Ling Shu probably needed someone to hold an umbrella for her.
Ling Shu did not refuse and led him out the door.
As soon as she stepped into the rain, Chen Zui's umbrella opened, shielding her from all the raindrops. His hand was tilted towards her, completely disregarding the fact that half of his body was exposed to the rain.
That's incredibly professional.
Ling Shu secretly gave a thumbs up and boarded the shuttle bus with Chen Zui.
The car drove into the darkness.
After a while, Chen Zui in the car heard strange noises coming from not far away, which even the sound of rain could not cover up, as if some huge object was getting closer and closer in the darkness.
He looked up and saw bright lights gradually descending in the sky. He was somewhat surprised: "What's that? A helicopter?"
Isn't it raining heavily right now? Why does the Sheng family still have a helicopter?
Ling Shu also looked up at the sky, her tone calm: "This is a helicopter specifically designed for rescue operations, capable of short-distance flights in heavy rain."
The airplane lights illuminated her features, giving her a somewhat solemn appearance.
Chen Zui subconsciously felt that there must be someone or something that Ling Shu cared about a lot on this plane.
With a loud engine roar, the helicopter landed smoothly and stopped not far away.
The plane door opened, and several blurry figures stepped out.
The servants waiting nearby immediately handed over an umbrella.
Ling Shu also got out of the car and walked over quickly.
He diligently and dutifully held the umbrella for her, following closely behind.
Ling Shu walked over and shook hands with the elderly man at the head of the group, smiling, "Professor Xie, you've come all this way, thank you for your hard work."
Professor Xie shook hands with her, smiling, "It's no trouble at all. But you've gone to such lengths to invite me here. What difficulties have you encountered?"
He was still taking temporary refuge in a hotel in Country A last night.
Country A, located in an arid inland region, did not experience torrential rain, but a terrible tornado struck, leaving devastation in its wake.
Because the tornado was unpredictable, all flights in Country A were suspended, and Professor Xie, who had originally planned to visit for only two days, was forced to stay in his hotel.
Then a phone call came to his room, informing him that a special flight from a military airport had been arranged to send him and his team home safely.
During a lull in the tornado's fury, the plane took off safely, bringing him back to China and to Beijing.
Then, without stopping, they transferred to a helicopter and arrived at the Sheng family's residence.
This is the true strength of the Sheng family, one of Beijing's top wealthy families.
Professor Xie himself was eager to return home and did not object to the Sheng family's arrangement. Moreover, there was a patient he cared deeply about in the Sheng family.
"Is there some problem with President Sheng?"
Ling Shu lowered her eyes, and at this moment, worry finally welled up in her expression: "Yes, Sheng Yun Shen's condition is very strange. His body temperature has been consistently high, but no abnormalities can be found in the tests... Professor Xie, why don't we talk as we walk?"
"good."
Professor Xie readily nodded and followed Ling Shu onto the shuttle bus.
He is one of the most authoritative experts in the field of vegetative state treatment in China, and also Sheng Yunshen's attending physician. He was very concerned when he heard that Sheng Yunshen's condition was not good.
The shuttle bus, carrying passengers from afar, started moving again, traveling through the heavy rain.
No one on the bus spoke.
Ling Shu called out to Sheng Yun Shen in her heart: "Sheng Yun Shen, I've brought Professor Xie back, can you hear me?"
"Sheng Yun Shen?"
"Dog?"
He called out several times, but Sheng Yun Shen did not respond.
All I could hear in my mind was his indistinct murmur, as if he were not fully conscious.
Starting this afternoon, his condition became increasingly abnormal; his consciousness fluctuated, and his memories became disjointed. Sometimes he could have a normal conversation with her, and other times he would remain unresponsive for a long time.
Ling Shu silently clenched her fingers.
Whatever the situation, the attending physician has arrived now, and he will be fine.
Things will get better.
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