Wang Lan didn’t feel uneasy about discovering Lige’s secret. After all, it was Wang Lan who had healed Lige’s extensive burn injuries last ti.
However, last ti it was a skin burn, and the system might have considered the skin as a whole without regional distinction. By touching Lige’s face, Wang Lan could conduct Star Power to Lige’s entire skin.
This had spared the awkwardness of having to touch every inch of Lige’s body; otherwise, Wang Lan would have discovered Lige’s secret last ti.
After curing Lige, Lige hadn’t specifically co to express thanks. This sudden visit left Wang Lan sowhat puzzled. Could it really be a visit to seek redress?
After getting up and freshening up, Wang Lan then asked Xiao Ai to open the elevator for her to co in.
When the elevator door opened, Wang Lan had just settled down at the small table on the balcony, brewing a cup of black tea and enjoying the afternoon sun.
Most people who visited Wang Lan’s ho for the first ti would take an extra glance at his huge living room. However, Lige didn’t; she rely glanced around before fixing her gaze on Wang Lan on the balcony.
She walked over directly. "Mr. Wang Lan, sorry for the intrusion and disturbing your rest."
Her tone was quite polite.
Wang Lan returned a mild smile. "We’re all colleagues; there’s no need for such formality. Just call Wang Lan. Please, take a seat, Captain Li."
"Thank you."
"Would you like sothing to drink?"
"Black tea."
Wang Lan had Xiao Ai bring over another cup of tea, fragrant and aromatic. Lige was a person of refined taste. Her posture while holding the teacup was graceful, and her movents as she sipped the tea were aesthetically pleasing.
"Did Captain Li co to tell sothing?"
"I ca especially to express my thanks. Last ti it must have been you who healed my injuries, and this ti you saved my life again."
"Ha... there’s no need for thanks. We are colleagues, after all, and it’s all part of the job. Besides, I’m just moonlighting as a dic, aren’t I?"
"That may be true, but you did save my life. Also, I want to apologize for an earlier offense."
"Offense?" Wang Lan was confused.
"It was the day you ca to report for duty. I shouldn’t have presumptuously assud you were late without asking. Nor should I have judged you for not participating in the standard assessnt, thinking that you were only placed in the Tianjian Bureau through backdoor channels.
You possess powerful dical abilities, and even your combat abilities are not too shabby. Soone with your talents indeed deserves exceptional recruitnt. Mr. Wang Lan, I sincerely apologize to you."
"It’s been so long; I’d already forgotten about that." Wang Lan lifted his teacup and took a small sip.
"In that case... I’ll take my leave," Lige suddenly stood up, speaking sowhat abruptly.
From the mont she stepped in, Wang Lan had sensed her stiffness. In fact, he had known her purpose from the first sentence she spoke. A special visit to say thanks? What a joke. If it really were just to say thanks, she should have done it last ti. If she ca up with such an excuse, the real reason must be quite embarrassing for Lige to speak of.
And from the mont she sat down, Lige hesitated several tis, as if wanting to speak but then stopping. This made it clear to Wang Lan what she really wanted. He couldn’t understand why it couldn’t be straightforward. Did won always have to be so affected when handling matters?
Lige turned and left quietly.
"Captain Li, I won’t tell anyone about your identity, rest assured."
Lige’s footsteps halted abruptly, but Wang Lan could distinctly feel that at that mont, Lige’s tensed body suddenly relaxed.
"Thank you!"
"May I be so bold as to ask? The Tianjian Bureau has many female colleagues, and in the Star Martial Warrior’s world, there’s hardly any distinction between male and female. Why do you choose to be this way?"
"It’s related to my family. My clan is a bit old-fashioned, and their ideas... are even more so."
"Alright then!" Wang Lan shrugged, uninterested in other people’s private affairs.
「At the Tianjian Bureau, the laboratory’s test report was also out.」
"Director Wang, the DNA match results are in. The DNA in this bloodstain belongs to a person nad Li Mingxue, but this Li Mingxue was declared dead eight years ago. Along with Li Mingxue’s team, a total of thirty-two people died; their bodies were never found."
"Was it a confird death or a disappearance?"
"It was a disappearance at first. A month later, their deaths were confird."
"Are Li Mingxue’s records still available?"
"We’ve checked. Coincidentally, Li Mingxue was a shadow assassin back then. Her stealth ability was particularly unique. Her Innate Ability was the Heart of Nature, allowing her to perfectly blend her aura and body with the surrounding environnt.
However, her recorded abilities were not as strong as they appear to be now. If she truly is the killer who hunted our Tianjian Bureau colleagues in Lian City three years ago, her progress over these eight years has been too rapid. She wasn’t even at the Star Cloud Stage when she disappeared. Furthermore, aside from her Innate Ability, her other talents weren’t considered particularly high."
"That ans this isn’t the original her; she must have been replaced by the Demon Clan. And from this analysis, I can draw a conclusion," Wang Qianfeng said calmly as he paced to the window.
"What is it?"
"That unresolved mystery? At the ti, Chang Yu had clearly been replaced by the Demon Clan, but we couldn’t detect it from her DNA. Even if the Demon Clan has an advanced civilization, they still belong to a different dinsion. Their civilization might not overlap with ours.
So of their thods seem like myths to us, and our technology might appear the sa to them. Theoretically, it should be impossible for them to deceive our sophisticated detection instrunts.
Ever since Chang Yu’s incident, I’ve been thinking about this. Later, I learned from Chang Yu’s colleagues that there had been no signs of abnormality before or after. Think about it: Chang Yu was a nurse, and a very skilled one at that.
Don’t underestimate nurses; giving injections and setting up IV drips are technical tasks. After the Demon Clan replaced Chang Yu, they managed to blend perfectly into her life without arousing suspicion, even from those who were around her day and night.
I believe that the Demon Clan’s thod isn’t just simple replacent, but fusion.
You know about insects, right?"
"Of course."
"What’s the difference between an insect’s larva and its adult form?"
"Insects undergo complete tamorphosis. To the outside world, it seems larvae grow into adults. However, the reality is that the adult lives parasitically inside the larva. The larva continuously eats to nourish itself, but in truth, these nutrients beco sustenance for the adult developing within.
Until one day, the adult consus the larva completely and then erges from its body. What’s called ’breaking out of the cocoon’ is, in fact, leaving behind the larva’s corpse. If insects had human consciousness, the larvae would live in constant fear and pain."
"So, Director Wang ans the Demon Clan are the adults, and the people they replace are the larvae? Before the Demon Clan ’break out of the cocoon,’ the person is still human, but their thoughts and will have been controlled by the Demon Clan? They are like Trojan horses, with the Demon Clan hidden inside them?"
"Does this explanation have any persuasiveness?" Wang Qianfeng asked with a touch of dark humor.
"From a scientific perspective, this is impossible. But the Demon Clan themselves aren’t exactly ’scientific.’ Or, as Director Wang said, what’s unscientific in our eyes could be perfectly logical to them.
Likewise, our science might seem nonsensical to them. For instance, the Demon Clan can’t create nuclear bombs. They probably think that sothing as powerful as a nuclear bomb shouldn’t be within the grasp of a seemingly weak life form like ours."
"So, technology is our last resort. Perhaps when human science reaches even greater heights in the future, we can use it to eradicate the Demon Clan entirely."
"Let’s hope so. Then... is there still value in pursuing Li Mingxue’s lead?"
"The outlook is bleak. If the Demon Clan really infiltrates in this way, it will be tough to detect them with technology. If they lie dormant, we will be very passive."
"I will report this to the Academy of Sciences and hope they can develop a targeted detection device. If this theory is correct, we could potentially scan their genetic codes. Insect genetic codes inherently contain this kind of tamorphic encoding; it’s their way of survival."
"Mm, thanks for your hard work."
"It’s all for the Jade Country!" The other person saluted sharply and then turned to leave.
「New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year.」
Early in the morning, his aunt called and asked Wang Lan to co over for the family reunion dinner. In the afternoon, Wang Lan arrived at his aunt’s house; for a change, she wasn’t at the company and was ho.
It seed that his aunt’s product had reached a critical juncture. Ever since a few days before New Year’s Eve, she had been leaving early and returning late every day. If Song Jia hadn’t recently made new friends, she would have revolted by now.
Wang Lan adeptly changed his shoes and entered the living room, finding his aunt bustling about in the kitchen. As he took a closer look, thick smoke billowed throughout the kitchen.
"Auntie, don’t force yourself! In this day and age, not knowing how to cook is okay. Just don’t hurt yourself."
"No! I only cook once a year. Surely, I, a Ph.D., can’t be defeated by this? Don’t co over; I can handle it!"
"Are you sure? Then I’ll open a window for you."
"Okay..."
Wang Lan took another step back, then turned back and said, "Auntie, please give it a rest. What if the neighbors think our house is on fire and call for help? It’s New Year’s; the firefighters deserve to celebrate too. Besides, didn’t you already book a restaurant for the reunion dinner?"
"But it’s still the New Year; you need a sense of ceremony. Even if I only make one dish, it’s made with my own hands. The recipe for Cola Chicken Wings looks so simple. How did it get burnt? The recipe must be wrong."
"I agree. Turn off the stove, and let’s air it out for a bit." Wang Lan calmly opened the windows in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
His aunt couldn’t cook, and neither could Wang Lan’s mother. Perhaps it was genetic. Those who can cook learn it easily, but for those who can’t, entering the kitchen often leads to one disaster after another. Wang Lan had learned how to calmly handle such ’crash scenes’ since he was a child.
After helping his aunt tidy up, Wang Lan washed his hands. "Where’s Jiajia?"
"She’s upstairs."
Wang Lan went upstairs and gently knocked on Jiajia’s door.
"Who is it?"
"It’s !"
"The T-virus is rampant! Level S alert! For the safety of the refuge, the shelter will not be opened!"
"The alert has been lifted. Report complete."
CLICK! The door opened, and Song Jia, wearing cute bunny pajamas, pulled Wang Lan into the room and quickly closed the door.
"Wang Lan, why are nopausal won so stubborn? Don’t they have any self-awareness about their cooking skills? They insist on making a fuss like this, and it’s the sa every year, no improvent whatsoever."
"Is that any way to talk about your mother?" Wang Lan tapped the girl’s head.
"Quick, play VR gas with . It’s no fun playing alone."
"Gas are so boring... How about we work through so practice problems?" Wang Lan suggested excitedly.
Song Jia dramatically fell backward. "Oh my goodness... What kind of people are in my family...?"
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