Chapter 49 Part 1
Seeing the resurrected Gu Sui, seemingly unaffected by Shi Xu’s coldness, Shen Qiao finally understood.
He had thought they were both trapped in his scheme, but he was the one who fell for it.
Despite the gaping hole in his chest, he didn’t die immediately, his hand, however, trembling as he gripped his cane, slamming it on the floor with all his might.
The space around him distorted again, creating distance between him and Gu Sui. The golden tentacle embedded in his chest was severed, half of it remaining inside. He couldn’t pull it out, the risk of bleeding out too great.
Gu Sui, noticing his movements, didn’t pursue him, instead rushing to Shi Xu’s side, shattering the illusionary prison Shen Qiao had created, pulling Shi Xu into his embrace.
This embrace was tighter, warmer than before, Gu Sui’s eyes still red, his voice filled with grievance as he nuzzled Shi Xu’s shoulder. “Wife, it… hurts… Need… Wife’s kiss… to feel better…”
Even if it was an act, even if he was practically invincible, he could still be hurt, not physically, but emotionally.
When the sword pierced his heart, Shi Xu felt a pang of sympathy. He hadn’t comforted him then, and he wanted to now, but it wasn’t the time.
Shen Qiao coughed up blood, the evidence confirming his suspicions, his voice still filled with disbelief. “You tricked me! Shi Xu, when did you start suspecting me?”
Shi Xu patted Gu Sui’s back. Gu Sui reluctantly loosened his grip, allowing Shi Xu to turn, facing Shen Qiao, his eyes cold.
“The day I met with Uncle Zhou, I had my suspicions, but not about you…”
Uncle Zhou had worked for the Shi family for decades, his loyalty unquestionable. Although Shi Xu didn’t know him well, years of observation told him Shi Yan held a significant place in Uncle Zhou’s heart.
He might have had a change of heart because of Ah Cheng, but not a complete betrayal, selling out the man he had served for half his life.
Even though Shi Yan used Ah Cheng to manipulate his sister, leading to her death, and indirectly causing Ah Cheng’s demise, Shi Yan had also helped Uncle Zhou, concealing his secret, providing him with a place to keep the pollutant.
He might resent Shi Yan, but decades of loyalty couldn’t be easily erased.
Even with a change of heart, he would have wanted a clean break, a semblance of a good ending.
He would have told Shi Xu the truth, but not everything, wanting to protect Shi Yan’s reputation, taking all the blame himself.
But he told him everything, ensuring Shi Xu’s hatred for Shi Yan, even emphasizing his sister’s story and the dangers of the golden egg, subtly urging him to abandon it.
“Uncle Zhou died too quickly, right after telling me everything. And he was killed by the pollutant that was being hunted, its body, along with Uncle Zhou’s, conveniently discovered on the same day.”
Too many coincidences, too convenient, like a carefully orchestrated plan.
He had been suspicious, but his sister’s story, the revelation of her death, had consumed him, overshadowing his suspicions. It wasn’t until after Shi Mu’s incident that he was certain.
He wanted Shi Yan to suffer, and someone had granted his wish. Shi Mu did what he couldn’t.
Seeing Shi Yan’s humiliation and agonizing death brought him satisfaction, but also questions.
“I wanted to know the truth about my sister’s death, and Uncle Zhou delivered it. I wanted Shi Yan to suffer, and Shi Mu made it happen. It would be nice if everything I wished for came true.”
But he hated being manipulated, especially by those who presumed to understand his desires, acting on his behalf.
It was disgusting.
Shen Qiao leaned against the wall, clutching his bleeding chest, his face pale, his wrinkles deepening, making him look even more sinister. “You shouldn’t have suspected me.”
“Because of Lin Quan,” Shi Xu said.
Shen Qiao was taken aback.
Shi Xu’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “Qi Yu told me Lin Quan hasn’t had any proper rest since becoming captain. If you were trying to train him, to help him adapt to the position, that would be understandable. More work for the capable, right? But he’s experiencing exactly what I went through.”
Shen Qiao narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. I just gave him some tasks. You suspect me because of that? He has to fulfill his duties as captain. If he can’t handle it, he shouldn’t be captain.”
“Yes, you finally revealed your true intentions,” Shi Xu chuckled. “Lin Quan is walking the same path I walked, experiencing the same things. Your goal is to make him resign, just like me.”
Shen Qiao’s face darkened.
Shi Xu: “You said you valued me, that you tried to convince me to stay. You made me believe I was important to you. But that wasn’t true, was it?”
Shen Qiao remained silent. Shi Xu continued, “Before I became captain, there weren’t so many rumors, so much hostility. Things changed after my promotion. I constantly encountered trouble, working overtime six days a week, drowning in paperwork, forced to train my subordinates, more and more people praising me to my face, then criticizing me behind my back…”
The seemingly glorious Anomaly Management Bureau was rotten to the core.
It was hard to believe this was happening under the supposedly strict and impartial Director Shen.
“You knew I didn’t want that kind of life, yet you orchestrated it, forcing me to resign.”
Shen Qiao chuckled, his shoulders shaking. “I didn’t realize you had such an active imagination.”
“You think I’m imagining things, but it’s true. Your actions were subtle. I didn’t realize it was you until I saw how you treated Lin Quan.”
Shi Xu paused, continuing under Shen Qiao’s increasingly hostile gaze. “Lin Quan is a rigid, by-the-book person. Although his temper isn’t the best, he’s loyal to you, never questioning your decisions. So you pushed him relentlessly, hoping he would give up, resign. You wanted to replace him with someone you valued more, didn’t you? But the person you valued most was me, and you didn’t want me back.”
“How do you know I didn’t want you back? I did all this for you!” Shen Qiao’s voice was filled with a mock sorrow. “I valued you, I cared about you.”
Shi Xu, unmoved by his performance, said calmly, “So you admit you deliberately pressured Lin Quan?”
Shen Qiao: “I gave him some challenges. If he couldn’t handle them, whose fault is that?”
Shi Xu didn’t respond. Shen Qiao wasn’t asking a question, just venting his frustration at Lin Quan.
Why was he frustrated with Lin Quan?
Because Lin Quan had endured for too long, not breaking down and resigning as he had planned.
He was frustrated by Lin Quan’s unexpected resilience.
It was frustration, and jealousy.
“I thought about what you said at Shi Yan’s grave. I visited your and Shi Yan’s mutual friends, learned a few things about you…”
Those people were under Shen Qiao’s control. Shi Xu couldn’t have gotten any information from them on his own.
Gu Sui had telepathy, but he never used it on him. With Gu Sui’s help, he uncovered Shen Qiao’s secrets without his knowledge—
“Thirty years ago, Shi Yan was among the first generation of espers. You weren’t. You gained your ability in the world rift. They thought you were rewarded for killing an S-class pollutant, but they never questioned how you, an ordinary human, managed to kill it.”
“I suspect it was the golden egg that granted you your ability,” Shi Xu said, his tone certain.
Shen Qiao had somehow stopped the bleeding, his face still pale and aged, but his eyes sharp, his pretense of kindness gone.
“You’re right. I made a wish, and it granted me my ability.”
Human desire was insatiable. One wish led to another, and another…
Sensing his own mortality, he desperately wanted another golden egg, this time, for immortality.
Shi Xu, weakened by the earlier fight, leaned against Gu Sui, not bothering to hide his fatigue.
During his confrontation with Shen Qiao, Gu Sui had remained silent, his gaze fixed on him, his hand moving from his waist to his back, gently rubbing it.
His silent support was comforting. Shi Xu grabbed his hand, seeking reassurance.
“You knew about my sister and the golden egg. You were involved.”
It wasn’t a question. He was certain.
Shen Qiao: “Yes, I was. I almost got it. Unfortunately, Shi Lin was too clever. She hid it somewhere we couldn’t find it. Hope, so close, yet snatched away. Can you understand how I felt? After her death, I sent countless people into the rifts, searching for another golden egg, but we couldn’t find it. Shi Yan and I searched desperately, but it ended up in your hands. After that, I decided I wouldn’t be merciful anymore. I would do anything to achieve my goals.”
Shi Xu: “But you failed this time too.”
Shen Qiao coughed, blood staining his pale lips, yet he still managed a smile. “Are you going to kill me?”
Shi Xu gently turned his sword. “I’m considering it.”
Shen Qiao leaned against the wall, his breath weak, chuckling. “Before you do, want to hear a story?”
Shi Xu’s eyes flickered. “Go ahead.”
“When I met Shi Yan, I was already married with a child…”
Shen Qiao was an only child, his parents’ hopes and dreams resting on his shoulders, but at 30, he was still a failure.
He knew his parents were disappointed, his wife, outwardly gentle and supportive, secretly complaining about his incompetence to her friends, even his own son looking down on him.
Meeting Shi Yan was the first stroke of luck in his otherwise unremarkable life.
Shi Yan was his boss initially, then his friend, then his confidant.
Shi Yan, knowing his struggles, helped him, promoting him, giving him raises, introducing him to a life of luxury he had never known.
Shen Qiao was grateful, and envious.
Shi Yan came from a modest background, his parents giving him a small sum of money after high school, which he used to build his empire.
He envied Shi Yan’s intelligence and business acumen. While others were still in school, chasing fleeting romances, Shi Yan was already a successful businessman, a rising star in the social circles of City S.
While he, at 30, couldn’t even afford a decent car, wearing the same suit for years, bowing and scraping before others, his heart filled with resentment towards those who were more fortunate.
Life wasn’t fair. Shi Yan had a perfect life, seemingly without struggles. When the world rifts first opened, he became one of the first espers, while Shen Qiao remained ordinary, destined for mediocrity.
Even with Shi Yan’s help, his life improved, but his parents remained disappointed, his wife and child still saw him as a failure.
They thought he was just lucky, his success attributed to Shi Yan’s charity.
His gratitude gradually turned into resentment and jealousy.
One day, Shi Yan took him to the rift to search for treasures. They found a golden egg. Shi Yan didn’t know its value, but he did.
He had overheard a conversation between two espers. One of them brought home a golden egg, intending to study it, but his wife cooked and ate it, gaining an ability.
While Shi Yan slept, he stole the egg. The moment he consumed it, he realized its true purpose wasn’t granting abilities.
It granted wishes.
He smiled, his eyes filled with a manic glee. “I made a wish, and Shi Yan’s ability became mine!”
