Chapter 279: Zhong Jing’s Betrayal
June 25, Thursday.
Longquan Mountain, Wan Yue’s private villa.
The sky gradually darkened, and another night was about to fall.
Jiang Yan sat in a corner of the first-floor living room, her gaze somewhat vacant. In front of her, Meng Huai was checking the last few suitcases. Wan Yue stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring intently at the distant mountains and forests, lost in thought.
Outside the villa, a large bus was ready in the parking area.
The Hyacinth Villa had already been publicly exposed. Following the Wang family’s advice, Wan Yue and her group were to move to City D to rendezvous with Huang Gu. Huang Gu had been operating in City D for half a year. While he hadn’t achieved significant success, he had created a new foothold for Hyacinth.
Under the escort of the Wang family, Zhao Peng and others set off yesterday, while Wan Yue, Jiang Yan, and Meng Huai remained the last people in City C.
“Xiao Yue, it’s about time. We should leave.”
Old Jin walked in, glanced around, then his gaze fell on Wan Yue’s back.
“Jiang Yan, maybe you should go first. I’ll stay here and continue looking for her.”
Meng Huai glanced at Old Jin, crouched next to Jiang Yan, and gently held her hand.
Jiang Yan looked up at Meng Huai, then turned to glance at Wan Yue, slowly shaking her head. “No, I can’t leave. I have to find her. You’re not safe meeting her again; she might really kill you… I… let me think…”
Even now, Jiang Yan could clearly recall what happened a few days ago by the waterfall pool of the Hyacinth Villa. Jiang Yao’s murderous intent toward Meng Huai was absolute and almost irreversible.
Hearing Jiang Yan’s words, Meng Huai fell silent, standing up and helplessly looking at Wan Yue.
“Ah, this girl is really serious this time, even injuring someone under the Wang family’s secret protection… Meng Huai, you and Jiang Yan stay. Whenever you find her, regroup with me.”
Wan Yue turned around, tossed away her cigarette butt, and rolled her eyes at Old Jin, implying that Old Jin, the Wang family’s local official, was as unreliable as ever.
Meng Huai and Old Jin exchanged glances; the latter awkwardly rubbed his nose, not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Jiang Yan’s phone rang, drawing the attention of everyone in the living room.
The caller was Zhong Jing. Jiang Yan quickly answered and put the call on speaker.
“Jiang Yan, I’ve been to your house. Xiao Yao has clearly packed some luggage. Think again; where would she go!”
Zhong Jing’s anxious voice came from the phone.
Jiang Yan buried her head, her nose felt sour, and her voice was somewhat hoarse. “I… I don’t know… City C is so big, and whether she is still in City C is also a question.”
“Zhong Jing, you focus on your own matters.”
Wan Yue stepped closer, took the phone, and remained expressionless.
“Huh?”
Zhong Jing’s tone was a bit surprised, but after a few seconds, she gently responded with a “mm” and hung up.
“Old Jin, be useful; you have plenty of people.”
After dropping that remark, Wan Yue directly walked toward the door without looking back.
Meng Huai stared at Wan Yue’s back, his brow gradually furrowing.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, marking the start of another short three-day period.
In W District of City C at night, it was very lively. The heat of the day had become much cooler and more comfortable. Couples walked shoulder to shoulder, entering and exiting various entertainment venues, lingering on.
On one side of the bustling street stood a demolition site surrounded by temporary walls.
Through the broken gate, wild grass grew in abundance within, and some tall and low buildings were in ruin, their exteriors scorched and mottled. There was a sign hanging on the outer wall, charred to the point of being almost missing, which still faintly displayed the words “Li Yuan.”
This was the former Children’s Welfare Institute of W District, which had been reduced to ruins in a fire last year, shocking the government of Province S. A brand new Children’s Welfare Institute of W District was currently under construction at a new site, and this had become a neglected place, starkly exposed among the surrounding lights and indulgence.
A young man in a suit, carrying a takeout box, walked out of a hotel across the street from the construction site, looking around.
A few minutes later, the young man crossed the street and entered the site, wading through the debris and winding his way to the interior of the ruins, then ducked into a low building.
A small candle flickered in one corner of the ruins, with an outdoor camping mat laid on the ground. A girl with long light golden hair, wearing a mask, knelt on the mat, leaning against a suitcase, hugging her legs, her chin resting on her knees, staring blankly at the ground.
“I lied to them all…” Zhong Jing crouched in front of Jiang Yao, placing the takeout food one by one on the mat. “Why won’t you stay in the hotel? Why sit here? Sigh, you could just vent a little.”
“This is my home…” Jiang Yao said softly, not even glancing at Zhong Jing, “I’m not a hyacinth person, and I won’t vent my anger.”
Zhong Jing sighed, raised her head, and looked through the broken rafters and walls at the night sky.
“Zhong Jing, do you want to see my face?”
Suddenly, Jiang Yao mumbled, turned her head, and quietly stared at Zhong Jing, her eyes revealing the distorted flicker of the candlelight.
Seconds passed without receiving any response from the young man, Jiang Yao let out a slight laugh, slowly peeled away a corner of her mask.
Zhong Jing turned back to look at Jiang Yao’s face. Although her expression didn’t change significantly, for that brief moment, her hands quietly clenched.
“Hehe, am I ugly now? I’m about to enter the absolute bloody taboo period. The more boiling I am, the easier it gets to become like this; maybe it’ll always be like this…”
“I used to think I was ugly too; I dreamed of being like a normal person… So, heaven had pity on me and gave me a perfect new life.”
“I once thought this was the world’s compensation for me, something I deserved, but I never expected these beautiful lives were just a temporary debt, and the price I have to pay will come someday…”
Jiang Yao adjusted her mask, lowered her head, and began to quietly weep.
“No, it won’t.”
Zhong Jing sat down, wrapped her arms around Jiang Yao’s body, gently patting her, feeling increasingly uneasy.
“Zhong Jing, I’ve had a premonition that Wan Jie and the Wang family have been deceiving me and my sister. Everything they tell me will not be true, including my identity as a queen… All their actions in public may just be a performance to mislead those who are omnipresent.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Zhong Jing’s pupils suddenly contracted, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, her mouth moving several times but unable to speak.
Yes, only a very few people knew the truth; all publicly or privately known information was a mix of truth and lies… Zhong Jing tightened her hold on the girl beside her, closed her eyes, and her mouth twitched repeatedly.
“Zhong Jing, can you keep this child safe? I don’t want her to become the price to pay to heaven! I can only avoid them, but I feel they won’t let me go!”
Jiang Yao hugged her knees tightly, trembling, her beautiful eyes already blurred with tears.
Zhong Jing gritted her teeth, kept her eyes closed, and in her mind seemed to replay the scene from months ago when Wan Yue secretly spoke with her.
“We can’t stay here too long; Jiang Yan might think of this place. Let’s go back to the hotel; tomorrow I’ll find you another place to stay.”
After speaking, Zhong Jing slowly helped Jiang Yao to her feet, one hand gently fixing the girl’s beautiful light golden hair.
“Zhong Jing, if Jing Jianqing never appeared, and I weren’t a queen, would you genuinely like me?”
Jiang Yao leaned against Zhong Jing’s side and softly murmured.
Zhong Jing wrapped her arms around Jiang Yao again, kissing her fiercely on the cheeks, forehead, and lips.
“Just take care of yourself first. Don’t worry; I’ll handle everything…”
After the passionate kiss, Zhong Jing patted Jiang Yao’s head, displaying a confident smile.
A little while later, Zhong Jing exited the hotel, standing on the bustling street, entering a daze.
After a long time, she hailed a taxi and sped homeward.
…
In the Beitaiveille Desert, Eden’s underground base, at 4 PM local time.
Elvin sat in the ICU, one hand resting on the glass cover of the closed treatment chamber, quietly watching the “sleeping” elder inside, his expression cold.
At this moment, the elder’s soul had long since decayed, yet his body remained alive. Elvin didn’t know whether his great-grandfather had only half of his life left or if he was merely a physically alive corpse in a pure biological sense.
On one side, the electronic screen displayed the ancestor in an unprecedented state of agitation in a large isolation chamber; almost all physiological indicators showed that the ancestor’s stability could no longer be maintained by any means.
Two massive exposed eyeballs were engorged and bulging as if they would burst at any moment. Below the immense brain, twisted flesh and blood extended several thick tentacles that were silently and frantically pounding against the thick barrier, even causing the monitoring camera to suffer slight tremors.
There could be no more delays; today, the old duke of the Engel family must “return” to the ancestor’s embrace, offering his flesh for the glory of the family’s future.
Once the ancestor devoured Otto, it would at least secure a year’s time. As long as the queen returned within that period, the ancestor could enter the next stable growth cycle, and might even potentially generate new daughter spores, birthing a new grandmother.
The airtight door of the ICU opened, and under Frank’s lead, two base staff members in enclosed work suits entered and stood beside the treatment chamber.
Outside, along the corridor, a line of over ten base security personnel stood, each avoiding looking sideways.
The ancestor enhancement program, thirty minutes countdown… nutrient solution injection, stabilizer injection, stability maintained at thirty-five percent…
The first batch of enhanced bodies was ready to enter.
The cold, harsh electronic voice from the base’s control room echoed through every loudspeaker.
In the screen, streams of pale white medication poured out like smoke and mist, diluting into the light red culture fluid, causing the ancestor’s violent writhing to grow stronger.
Then, in a closed internal pipeline, two naked corpses were ejected like torpedoes, floating near the ancestor.
Known as the first batch of enhanced bodies, these corpses were Baron’s realm black-blooded individuals, to be served as appetizers before the ancestor formally devoured Otto.
The ancestor’s thick tentacles abruptly sprang out, ensnaring the corpses like prey, then pulled them into the twisted mass of flesh beneath the giant brain, releasing strands of adhesive-like threads that quickly wrapped and melded the bodies into the mass.
“The first batch of enhanced body devouring progress normal, stability rising to fifty-two percent, all departments take note…”
Elvin stared intently at the strange process of the ancestor feeding depicted on the large screen, his mouth twitching slightly.
Frank approached and whispered to Elvin, “Lord Elvin, time’s up…”
“Everyone, shut up!”
Suddenly, Elvin stood up and shouted toward the loudspeakers, his expression turning monstrous.
The base fell silent instantaneously; all work broadcasts vanished. Outside the ICU, the security personnel in the corridor looked toward Elvin.
Alright, take it out…
Shut down all video surveillance, prohibit recording! Also, give you an extra week; you must excavate that hidden mole!
After a brief emotional outburst, Elvin loosened his tie, turned his back, and waved his hand at Frank and the two staff members.
The treatment chamber was taken out of the ICU, and Elvin sat in the center of the empty room, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.
The lights on the ceiling gradually dimmed, and darkness enveloped Elvin once more…
Time passed, and eventually, a small light flicked on in the empty room, followed by the dark electronic screen which turned back on, displaying Emma’s half-body image.
“Lord Elvin, Qian Guilong has pinpointed Jiang Yao’s coordinates. According to the latest intelligence analysis, Jiang Yao will enter the queen’s third phase within a week at the latest… Moreover, Zhong Jing just sent a reply, agreeing to our terms but hoping for a private conversation with you.”
Emma lowered her head slightly, appearing quite anxious. Perhaps she too was aware of what had transpired in the Eden base within the past hour.
“He wants to have a private conversation with me?” A hint of disdain flickered in Elvin’s smile as he stood up, carelessly adjusting his suit jacket, “On what grounds, in what capacity?”
Emma hesitated, then said with her head down, “He wishes to become your true collaborator, possessing crucial intelligence regarding the queen…”
Elvin paused, lost in brief thought. Seconds later, he turned and strode outside: “In half an hour, connect the signal to my room, and only give him ten minutes.”
In Zhong Yao’s study, it was pitch black, only the computer screen emitting blinding blue light.
The time had reached twelve twenty-one, and Zhong Yao, with a frown, kept her gaze fixed on the screen.
Finally, an unfamiliar account popped up on the video conferencing software, prompting Zhong Yao to click it open immediately.
Beneath a lion-like golden short hair was a sharply angular Eurasian face, and the lake-blue eyes sparkled with mysterious light.
“Mr. Zhong, this is our first meeting; it’s a privilege.”
Elvin spoke fluently, with a suave demeanor that unexpectedly nauseated Zhong Yao.
“Elvin, you want to collaborate, but you’ll have to give up your dignity in exchange for a mansion.”
Zhong Yao was made-up and spared no idle chatter facing the camera.
“Hehe, Mr. Zhong, you think I have demands? Would I give up my dignity? You must know that the needs of the party are paramount.”
“Mr. Zhong, you are one of the hyacinth people. I once envisioned finding a breakthrough through you, yet I’ve felt hesitation. You know my innate dislike and wariness toward people like you, yet that won’t interfere with us reaching some consensus for mutual benefit…”
As he spoke, Elvin coldly smiled and shook his head slightly: “Am I to understand that you have feelings for Jiang Yao? Then please provide me a reason to change that thought.”
“If Jiang Yao isn’t of much use to you, then Jiang Yan might truly be the real queen. I can help you.”
Zhong Yao exhaled sharply, spewing it toward the computer screen, her expression neither sad nor happy.
“Help me? Including your holy queen standing over me?”
Elvin’s previously suave smile instantly turned cruel, light from the camera seeming to pierce through the screen.
“Isn’t this all a result guided secretly by the Wang family? I’m afraid Jiang Yan meets the receiving conditions; I can lure her out.”
Zhong Yao arched an eyebrow, intertwined her fingers under her chin, and a mysterious smile crept to her lips.
Elvin continued shaking his head, his expression growing colder: “As far as I know, Jiang Yan has already been secretly seized, while Jiang Yao has escaped; how will you bring your claims to fruition?”
Zhong Yao pressed her lips together and almost laughed: “Heh, Jiang Yan has been captured? Who gave you that intel?”
“What do you mean?”
Elvin frowned, sensing something amiss.
“You’ve prepared well, while I hold some secrets. That’s why I say the information you receive may very well be intentionally curated by the three families.”
“Unless I’m mistaken, Qian Guilong is very much alive; they are the last resources you left in Hua. You don’t need me to make demands; they plan to use Jiang Yan—do you think she’ll just run away?”
To put it simply, Qian Guilong and Chu Yi don’t understand the value of Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao. They are taking such huge risks; how could they possibly be satisfied with what you can offer?
Having said that, Zhong Yao took a big gulp of the cola on the table.
Elvin fell into deep thought; seconds later, his expression turned extremely serious: “Mr. Zhong, still tell me, why do you believe in these deductions of yours?”
“We’re both left with no choice because you too only have one chance left! I can come over with Jiang Yan to prove my sincerity! Jiang Yan is about to lose her fighting capacity; I’m giving you one last opportunity. If you agree, reply to me within an hour!”
“If you refuse, then let everything be buried as it should.”
Having finished speaking, without waiting for Elvin’s reaction, Zhong Jing disconnected the remote video and sat still in her computer chair, staring motionlessly at the screen. Ding dong, five minutes later, a new email notification popped up on the screen.
“I need Jiang Yan’s latest blood sample; it’s not viable to have blood samples! Elvin.”
The email’s content was quite simple, and the sender bore an unfamiliar name.
Zhong Yao let out a sigh of relief, pulled out her phone, and dialed Wan Yue’s number. A few seconds later, the call connected.
“Master, I made contact with Elvin. Is there anything to note?”
Wan Yue’s tone was equally calm.
“Before the child is born, they definitely wouldn’t dare to let the ancestor and the queen come into contact. A pregnant queen is an extremely unstable ticking time bomb.”
Wan Yue chuckled lightly, sounding quite assured.
“Why can’t it be Jiang Yan?”
Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment and asked a question that had weighed on her heart for a long time.
On the other end of the line, Wan Yue fell silent, but for Zhong Yao, whether Wan Yue’s response was valid was no longer important.
Looking at the time, it was already past midnight. Zhong Yao grabbed her coat.
She planned to go to Jiang Yao’s home, where the medical freezer should still contain Jiang Yan’s blood.
On the highway to City D, in a bus, Wan Yue sighed as she held her phone and tiredly shut her eyes.
Sitting across the aisle from her was Wang family’s Fourth Uncle. Old Jin, hunched in another corner like a quail, kept murmuring into his phone.
“The girl—Zhong Jing has left, and he was with Jiang Yao two hours ago. Why didn’t you expose him…”
Fourth Uncle opened his phone and pulled up a photo, shaking his head repeatedly.
“Grandpa, does the Wang family only ever focus on results? In your world, everyone is just a number on the bill.”
Wan Yue opened her eyes, her gaze laden with visible disdain.
“Our opportunity is singular, and we can basically ensure that Jiang Yao is safe; the Engel family wouldn’t risk the collapse of the ancestor to retrieve Jiang Yao forcibly.”
Fourth Uncle crossed his arms, speaking nonchalantly: “I know, it’s difficult for you to choose between Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, so let’s let the Wang family handle this. This time, the sacrifices will be more than you imagine, but it will be the last time.”
“Grandpa, may we all meet with untimely ends…”
Wan Yue turned her head, no longer glancing at Fourth Uncle.
Outside the window, passing car lights illuminated her indifferent face.
That sentence, “On what grounds should I believe your deductions!”
We are both left with no choices because you also only have one chance left! I can come with Jiang Yan to prove my sincerity! Jiang Yan is nearly out of fighting capacity; I’m creating opportunities for you. If you agree, reply to me within an hour!
If you refuse, let everything be buried.
Having finished speaking, without waiting for Elvin’s reaction, Zhong Jing disconnected the remote video and sat still in her computer chair, staring motionlessly at the screen. Ding dong, five minutes later, a new email notification popped up on the screen.
“I need Jiang Yan’s latest blood sample; it can’t be boiling blood! Elvin.”
The email’s content was quite simple, and the sender bore an unfamiliar name.
Zhong Jing let out a sigh of relief, pulled out her phone, and dialed Wan Yue’s number. A few seconds later, the call connected.
“Master, I made contact with Elvin. When will the Wang family finish preparing the Trojan horse?”
“Are you ready?”
Wan Yue’s voice was very calm.
“Master, does Elvin really dare not to harm Jiang Yao?”
Zhong Jing’s tone was equally calm.
“Before the child is born, they absolutely wouldn’t dare to let the ancestor and the queen come into contact. A pregnant queen is an extremely unstable ticking time bomb.”
Wan Yue chuckled lightly, sounding quite confident.
“Why can’t it be Jiang Yan?”
Zhong Jing hesitated for a moment and asked a question that had weighed on her heart for a long time.
On the other end of the line, Wan Yue fell silent, but for Zhong Jing, whether Wan Yue’s response was valid was no longer important.
Looking at the time, it was already past midnight. Zhong Jing grabbed her coat.
She planned to go to Jiang Yao’s home, where the medical freezer should still contain Jiang Yan’s blood.
On the highway to City D, in a bus, Wan Yue sighed as she held her phone and tiredly shut her eyes.
Sitting across the aisle from her was Wang family’s Fourth Uncle. Old Jin, hunched in another corner like a quail, kept murmuring into his phone.
“The girl—Zhong Jing has left, and he was with Jiang Yao two hours ago. Why didn’t you expose him…”
Fourth Uncle opened his phone and pulled up a photo, shaking his head repeatedly.
“Grandpa, does the Wang family only ever focus on results? In your world, everyone is just a number on the bill.”
Wan Yue opened her eyes, her gaze laden with visible disdain.
“Our opportunity is singular, and we can basically ensure that Jiang Yao is safe; the Engel family wouldn’t risk the collapse of the ancestor to retrieve Jiang Yao forcibly.”
Fourth Uncle crossed his arms, speaking nonchalantly: “I know, it’s difficult for you to choose between Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, so let’s let the Wang family handle this. This time, the sacrifices will be more than you can imagine, but it will be the last time.”
“Grandpa, may we all meet with untimely ends…”
Wan Yue turned her head, no longer glancing at Fourth Uncle.
Outside the window, passing car lights illuminated her indifferent face.
