It was clearly a familiar appearance but at this moment, it felt strange to him. Meyan seemed to notice Gu Yeshengâs gaze on his body and sighed. âIâm sorry, it is as you can see.â
Gu Yesheng could feel the instinctive emotions colliding in his body and his hands clenched uncontrollably again. It seemed that only the sharp sensation in his palm was his sustenance at this time. He stared at Meyan for a long time. This was the man he respected most in the world.
He hadnât spoken for so long that his voice was inevitably hoarse. âWhy?â
There was slight movement in Meyanâs expression and he finally shook his head slowly. âThere is no why.â
He continued, âThere is no why when it comes to the renewal of the world and the elimination of outdated dogma.â
He slowly raised his head and gazed out the window. It had started to rain and the sky was full of a dark haze. It was as if there was an invisible hand strangling the throat, excessively low and suffocating. Meyan seemed to be thinking of something and his expression was a bit distant.
It wasnât known if the intermittent words were addressed to Gu Yesheng or to himself. âThe world has been under the rule of the ability masters for too long. However, humans are still ignoring the filth and decay of this system. 20 years ago, the city of Bethelar was reduced to hell due to the greedy war between ability masters yet those in power chose to commit greater atrocities to cover up their sins and erase the ugly strokes of history. Hundreds of families of mechanics living in the city of Bethelar died overnight. The planet was destroyed and it completely turned into the dust of the universe.â
Such a past seemed painful to him but there were no tears in his eyes.
His voice gradually eased. âAmong the people back then, there were women who had no strength to bind chickens, old people in their final years and babies who were crying on the ground. Yet those with abilities were blinded. In the eyes of the ability master families, so many lives werenât worth the honest and upright evaluation from the external media.â
âThere are too many things like this. The tragedy of Bethelar repeats itself in some corner of the universe.â At this point, Meyan made a low laugh. âDo you know why the allied government is so afraid of mechanics and are trying to crack down on them? It is because those people discovered that the weak and humble group under their hands has gradually become an existence above them. They are afraid that their long-term bloody rule will be completely exposed and they will be punished for all their crimes in the past.â
âEven if everything is due to those in power being obsessed with power, the fault is their own.â
Every word fell into Gu Yeshengâs ears like a heavy hammer, stimulating Gu Yeshengâs mind. For the first time, he found he couldnât see through this man who looked mad.
âIs that why you hate the world?â Gu Yeshengâs eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Meyan. âIs that why you deliberately approached me?â
Mayan looked at him. âNo, I really saved you.â
Gu Yesheng was taken aback for a moment.
He always remembered when he was eight years old. He had just received the sad news about his parentsâ death and before he had time to grieve, he was given the burden of being the new heir. The process of forcibly stimulating his ability was cruel and difficult. He was abandoned in the mountains. At that time, hungry wolves all over the mountains were chasing behind him. Such a small child desperately ran through the mountains in order to survive. Finally, he had no way to escape and fell down a rushing waterfall.
He woke up and saw this man. The man was dressed in old travelerâs clothes and looked kind. âYou are finally awake. How do you feel?â
It was Meyan who accompanied him through his difficult times in the mountains and forest, who accompanied him back to the Gu family territory and faced the family elders who made him feel fearful.
This memory had gradually grayed out because it had been too long but the details of each frame were clear.
Meyan seemed caught in the memories and sighed with regret. âAt that time, I had been wandering through the interstellar space for too long. I never thought I would save a child who had nothing to do with me. I still remember the look in your eyes at the time. There was hatred and indifference, but also the ambition to tear everything apart. It was like looking at another me. Who wouldâve thought the ability you would awaken later would be so surprising?â
Meyanâs tone instantly became passionate. He didnât disguise his identity and his expression was more revealing as he stared at Gu Yesheng. âYou know, at that time, the concept of ability weapons was just starting. The future prospects and implementation made me feel lost in confusion. It was precisely due to your appearance that I suddenly saw the hope of achieving my dream.â
Meyan slowly walked to Gu Yesheng and it seemed like he was looking at a treasure. âThere is one thing I have never lied to you about. Ah Sheng, you are indeed the best gift that God gave me.â
Gu Yesheng didnât speak. He watched the face close to him and felt something that had been built up for many years suddenly start to collapse. His chest rose and fell a few times and then he started retching uncontrollably.
âRecognize reality. You are destined to belong to me. I have injected a gene chip into your body. All I need to do is absorb your ability to complete the energy filling and the interstellar weapons can be quickly activated. The world will soon become what I want! What a historic moment this will be!â
Meyan glanced at Gu Yesheng and spoke with pity. âDonât worry. The research and development technology of these ability weapons have been perfected. Be good and cooperate well with us. Then you can suffer less pain.â
Various fierce emotions rushed wildly into Gu Yeshengâs mind along with fragments of memories. The sound that was close at hand inevitably felt a bit distant.
Seeing the teenager whose thoughts were gradually collapsing in front of him, Meyanâs eyes drooped slightly and his smile became cold. It seemed that it wasnât as pleasant as he expected now that the goal was close at hand.
His last sentence was directed at the members of the organization in the corner. âHis psychological defense has been completely broken. Implement the last step.â
Meyan no longer looked at the empty Gu Yesheng on the instrument and left.
***
In the time that followed, Gu Yesheng was muddled and shattered.
He repeatedly shifted between drowsiness and sobriety. The instrument stimulated his ability to gush out again and again, depriving him of his physical strength but also pulling away his sense of reason.
However, the progress wasnât as smooth as expected. Meyan originally thought that the years of betrayal would be the last straw to crush Gu Yesheng. He never thought that the process of obtaining the ability was much more difficult than he expected. The quick and vigorous actions of the outside allied government were pushing him to the edge of the cliff. He hadnât been found but there wasnât much time to waste.
Two days passed and there was still nothing. Meyan was finally unable to hold back. The door of the control room was pushed open. Meyan leaned on his cane as he walked in with a cold expression. âWhatâs the matter? Isnât it just the extraction of an ability? Why is it so slow?!â
The organization members felt cold when they saw his expression and fell silent.
After a while, someone hesitantly explained. âSir, we donât know why but every time things are on the right track, there always seems to be a force stopping it. The moment the ability density is about to meet the import conditions, all the connections will be cut off instantly.â
Meyanâs gaze was on the figure on the big screen. âThis is impossible. There must be something wrong.â
In the white room, Gu Yesheng was lifelessly lying on the instrument. His hair covered his face and his expression was like a dead person.
This should be the best state for absorbing abilities. However, if the pace continued to be so slow, it would be difficult for Gu Yesheng to last on the injection of nutrients until the project was completed. The cause must be found.
Meyanâs eyes flashed and he turned toward the room where Gu Yesheng was located. The white star light at the top was particularly dazzling and the person on the instrument didnât react at all to the loud noise of the door opening.
Meyan watched the figure that didnât show any signs of life for a long time and tentatively called out, âAh Sheng, how have you been these two days?â
It was unknown if Gu Yesheng had completely fallen unconscious or if he couldnât hear the words, but the only response was a long silence. Meyan glanced at the person next to him. The member flinched. âSir, he has been like this for the past two days.â
Meyan frowned slightly. âGet him up.â
At this moment, he had some worry about Gu Yeshengâs physical condition. If physical energy was really consumed too thoroughly then the plan of extracting the ability was likely to stall here.
The others didnât dare to disobey. They immediately stepped forward to adjust the lock of the instrument. Then they carefully lifted Gu Yesheng up and placed him in front of Meyan. Gu Yesheng had already become skinny after just two days of this.
Meyan reached out and gently lifted the hair. He examined this weak and still extremely exquisite face and sighed slightly. He was about to say something when the eyes suddenly opened. The indifference and sharpness in these eyes was like an invisible knife and Meyan instinctively took two steps back. âYou arenât...â
Before he could finish, the organization members next to him let out lung-tearing screams. They fell to the ground hysterically and the feeling of excessive pain caused their body to twist in strange and terrifying postures.
Gu Yesheng didnât have the support of the people around him and his body shook slightly. There was a strange paleness on his face and his dry lips were curved in an almost crazy smile. âI shouldâve been completely destroyed... Sir, did you want to say this?â
âIt canât be...â
Meyan knew too well about Gu Yeshengâs ability. The instrument used triggered a violent backlash. Once a hole was opened in Gu Yeshengâs heart, the hidden beast was enough to swallow everything.
His excessive astonishment messed Meyan up for a moment. Then his line of sight fell on a blood stain on the shackle of the instrument. It was thick, sticky and moved like a line toward the ground.
Gu Yeshengâs hand was also stained with layers of dried blood.
He looked at Meyanâs face in the midst of the waves of dizziness. Everything in his vision seemed to be completely separated from reality and he was being constantly torn at by chaotic hallucinations.
He breathed heavily and vaguely heard his low-pitched voice speaking to Meyan while also reminding himself, âI canât be ruined here. There is someone waiting for me to go back...â
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