Chapter 49 Part 2
Shi Yan was devastated by the loss of his ability, his despair lasting until he realized Shen Qiao had gained the same ability, finally understanding what happened.
They had a huge fight, their first, a physical altercation. He defeated Shi Yan with Shi Yan’s own ability, his first victory, his first taste of control.
He used his “control” ability to persuade a group of wealthy businessmen to fund the Anomaly Management Bureau, becoming its director.
The more puppets he controlled, the more he possessed, the more he craved, his desire for immortality growing, wanting his perfect life to continue, eternally.
“I admit you’re exceptional, more capable than any esper I’ve met. And you’re just an ordinary human, without an ability, yet you can defeat any esper…” His eyes were filled with malice, the bleeding stopped, but a venomous jealousy seeped from the wound.
“Some people are just born with advantages. Without an ability, I could never surpass Shi Yan. He was born with talent, and his children are even more gifted. You’re just an ordinary human, why are you so powerful? Why can’t I be like you?”
Why?
Why??
Why???
If he had been born with talent, he wouldn’t have to struggle, he could tolerate those who were more capable, not fearing being surpassed.
He wanted to be magnanimous, but he couldn’t!
Because life had been unfair to him, he had to create his own fairness!
“If I were like you, I wouldn’t have to steal Shi Yan’s ability. We wouldn’t have ended up like this. I was truly grateful for his help. Sometimes, I think… we didn’t have to become enemies.”
His monologue was interrupted by Shi Xu’s scoff. “You don’t regret it. You could have wished for an ability, but you chose to steal Shi Yan’s. You never intended to be friends.”
Shen Qiao had been consumed by jealousy. His tears at Shi Yan’s grave were crocodile tears.
He never regretted his actions. This was the outcome he desired.
Shi Xu: “You manipulated Shi Mu, making him attack Shi Yan. And you sent that pollutant to the hospital, orchestrating Shi Yan’s death.”
Shen Qiao chuckled. “So you figured it out. Thank you for listening to my story, and thank you for creating this opportunity. The person I’m waiting for has arrived. I don’t think we’ll meet again.”
As he spoke, the space around Shi Xu and Gu Sui distorted again, pollutants emerging from the rifts, surrounding them.
A hole appeared in the wall behind Shen Qiao. He smiled at them, backing away towards the opening.
Gu Sui waved his hand, shattering the distorted space, the four approaching pollutants exploding into fragments.
After the hotel incident, Shi Xu realized they worked well together, understanding each other without words.
He seized the opportunity created by Gu Sui, rushing towards Shen Qiao, grabbing his sleeve just as he was about to escape.
Shen Qiao’s smile faltered. He shouted, “Shi Lin, save me!”
A sword flashed, severing the sleeve, breaking their connection.
A black-haired woman emerged from the hole, shielding Shen Qiao, her long hair swaying in the wind, a black sword in her hand, absorbing the light, radiating a chilling aura.
Her beautiful face was expressionless, her phoenix eyes, the same shape as Shi Xu’s, cold and still, staring at him indifferently.
Shi Xu’s eyes widened, staring at the woman.
Her appearance hadn’t changed in 16 years. Time hadn’t touched her face, but it had stolen her smile, her spirit.
This woman was his older sister, Shi Lin.
The last time he saw her, he barely reached her chest. Now, he was taller than her. They could no longer interact with the same casual intimacy.
He instantly understood why she was still alive, and why she had become like this.
Shi Yan had lied to him again!
He didn’t know the whereabouts of the pollutant that consumed Shi Lin. If he had known it was controlled by his enemy, he would have retrieved her, regardless of his feelings for her.
Even on his deathbed, he continued to lie, using his own daughter’s death as a tool for survival.
Shi Yan was despicable, but Shen Qiao, controlling ‘Shi Lin,’ was even more so.
“Shen Qiao!” This was the first time Shi Xu truly expressed his anger, the first time he addressed him by his name without any formality.
Shen Qiao laughed, his eyes filled with madness. “Shi Xu, your expression is priceless! When I found this pollutant in the rift, I anticipated this moment, the moment you learned the truth. It’s a pity Shi Yan didn’t live to see it. But your reaction is satisfying enough.”
He stood behind ‘Shi Lin,’ raising his cane and striking her left leg, the cane’s tip pressing against a fist-sized scar.
“You remember this scar, don’t you?”
Shi Xu’s movements stopped, his gaze fixed on the scar, his expression darkening.
The year he joined the Anomaly Management Bureau, he went on his first mission into the rift, encountering a horde of Variants. Five of his teammates died. He was alone, waiting for backup.
Shen Qiao sent someone to rescue him. The person wore a mask and silver armor. He didn’t know who it was, only that it was Shen Qiao’s most trusted subordinate.
A dying pollutant self-destructed, trying to take them with it. Shi Xu, inexperienced, didn’t anticipate the attack. The armored figure shielded him, escaping with minor injuries, only a burn scar on their left leg.
He was grateful, but he never saw that person again. He asked Shen Qiao about them, wanting to thank them, but Shen Qiao told him, “They’re on a very important mission. You won’t see them for a while.”
That “while” turned into six years. He never got to thank them, only learning today that it was all part of Shen Qiao’s plan.
“I didn’t deliberately keep you apart. I gave you a chance. You could have recognized your sister, saved her. But you didn’t.”
Shen Qiao’s taunts, usually ignored by Shi Xu, now felt like daggers piercing his heart.
“You couldn’t save your brother, you couldn’t save your sister. What’s the point of living? Can you bear to see your sister suffer like this?”
He moved his fingers, and ‘Shi Lin’s’ expressionless face twisted into a mask of sorrow. He couldn’t create tears, but the expression was effective enough.
“Shi Xu, your sister wants you to be with her. You know what to do.”
‘Shi Lin’ suddenly smiled, the familiar, gentle smile from Shi Xu’s memories.
Shi Xu gripped his sword, raising it without being controlled.
“If you strike, I’ll release your sister. You can both be free.”
“Shi Xu, she’s not your sister anymore! She’s just a pollutant!”
Countless golden tentacles erupted from behind Gu Sui, piercing the surrounding pollutants. He tore through the distorted space, his eyes flashing silver, watching as Shi Xu’s sword descended.
A golden tentacle reached out, snatching the sword before it could strike.
Shi Xu’s mind cleared, then he froze as ‘Shi Lin’s’ hand covered his.
“Xiao Xu, don’t be afraid,” a gentle, familiar voice, his sister’s voice.
Shen Qiao’s smile froze, staring at ‘Shi Lin’ in disbelief. “Why can you talk?”
A pollutant, having taken over a human body, could control it, could even speak in its voice. Everyone, except ‘Shi Lin,’ understood what he meant. He wasn’t asking about the pollutant, but about Shi Lin herself.
Having been consumed by the pollutant, she retained her consciousness, using it to snatch the sword from Shi Xu, now using it to speak to him.
“Sister?” Shi Xu’s eyes were filled with confusion. Like Shen Qiao, he had believed she was gone, even her voice barely registering.
Shi Lin’s cold hand caressed his cheek, the touch strangely warm.
Her eyes crinkled into a gentle smile. “I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Impossible!” Shen Qiao, finally accepting that Shi Lin’s consciousness had returned, still couldn’t believe it.
He desperately tried to control her with his ability, but she was no longer under his influence.
“Shi Lin, I order you to kill Shi Xu!”
As he spoke, under his confident gaze, Shi Lin raised the black sword, plunging it into his heart.
Shen Qiao was afraid of death. Like a pollutant, he had created a protective barrier around his heart with his ability. Gu Sui’s earlier attack had only broken the barrier, not piercing his heart.
Neither Shi Xu nor Gu Sui knew this, but Shi Lin, having been with him for over a decade, did.
On the verge of death, he no longer cared about the golden egg. He summoned a pollutant, which knelt before him, offering him a cooked meatball.
Call it a twisted mercy, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill the child directly, ordering the pollutant to do it instead.
He had deliberately shaped it into a meatball, making it easier to consume.
He had intended to savor it after killing Gu Sui and Shi Xu, but now, he couldn’t wait.
He swallowed it whole. Even a small amount of the golden egg would be effective.
As it slid down his throat, the pain in his chest subsided, replaced by hope, his mind filled with visions of a new life, of immortality and a youthful body, a new identity, a life even more glorious than Shi Xu’s, reclaiming his position of power.
Three seconds, five seconds…
The voice that granted wishes didn’t appear.
His fantasy shattered. He realized Shi Xu and Gu Sui wouldn’t have let him do this if they could have stopped him. They had watched him summon the pollutant, watched him consume the meatball made from Sui Sui, and done nothing.
Shi Lin’s back was to him. Shi Xu’s face was expressionless. Gu Sui, his eyes filled with mockery, asked, “What are you eating?”
“Don’t you know?” He realized how weak his voice sounded, his life force draining away.
“I know. It was a random pollutant I picked up from a sewer, shaped like Sui Sui.” Gu Sui chuckled. “Director Shen, how does it taste? So you enjoy eating garbage?”
Shen Qiao’s eyes widened in fury.
Gu Sui’s words stung, and they also enlightened him.
Shi Xu and Gu Sui had planned this. He had thought that even if he was deceived by their acting, as long as he had the golden egg, he could still win. But Shi Xu had never been under his control.
He had switched the babies at the hotel, and Shi Xu had known all along.
How ironic, defeated by Shi Yan’s children.
He felt his life slipping away, powerless to stop it.
He had anticipated his own death, a peaceful passing, but never like this, killed so easily by his own puppet.
His life didn’t flash before his eyes. He remembered Shi Yan’s dying moments.
After Shi Xu left, he had visited Shi Yan, reminding him of their past, then, under Shi Yan’s hateful gaze, summoned the pollutant that controlled Shi Mu.
He stood before Shi Yan, looking down at him, his final words filled with mockery. “Before the rifts opened, I always thought your life was perfect. I’m glad the rifts appeared, giving me the chance to destroy it. Are you satisfied with this ending?”
He remembered Shi Yan’s final expression.
Hatred, regret, and resentment.
And a flicker of pity, which he finally understood.
Shi Yan thought he would meet the same fate.
He was right.
Unfortunately, Shi Yan could no longer speak. He regretted not hearing his final words.
But he knew they would have been curses.
Shen Qiao smiled, blood trickling down his lips, his life ending in self-deprecating amusement.
