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Chapter 69: Zhu Sheng

Xia Yufeng sat in the car, looking melancholy as he gazed at the street.

Zhu Sheng had granted access to all the research data at the command center, allowing every researcher the opportunity to access the core information. Even the Zhu Rong Memorial Hall, which housed authentic relics of Zhu Rong, had been opened. Zhu Sheng’s decisive actions were as swift as ever.

As the designer of the player system, Zhu Rong’s artifacts were highly valuable. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have had the courage to issue such an order.

Originally, Xia Yufeng thought that he had nothing to do with this chaos. He knew nothing about the Erosion Swamp, and Zhu Yanchen was the true researcher. However, that surnamed Zhu had ulterior motives and never did his job during critical moments. After being threatened by Zhu Yanchen, Xia Yufeng pondered and came to only one conclusion.

Zhu Yanchen was displeased with Zhu Sheng’s authority and wanted to seize power.

He didn’t even consider the current situation, with the synths turning against them. That person still had the mindset of a human, despite everything. Even if Zhu Yanchen didn’t like the player system, Zhu Sheng had made improvements. Who knew what he wasn’t satisfied with? Xia Yufeng was frustrated but couldn’t voice his grievances.

Because of Marshal Zhu’s caprice, he now had to do troublesome tasks. The car continued to move slowly, heading towards the direction of the Tang family.

Zhu Sheng wanted the Tang family’s private research data.

The Tang family had always supported Yi Ning, so Zhu Sheng was willing to send “Zhu Yanchen” himself to request it, giving face to the Tang family. Xia Yufeng had heard about it. The ancestors of the Zhu and Tang families had a good relationship. Two hundred years had passed, and their relationship had cooled due to power struggles, but they didn’t prohibit interaction between the younger generations.

At least Xia Yufeng had spent time with Zhu Yanchen before. He had heard his family talk about the Zhu family’s affairs. Tang Heyu, the male head of the Tang family, had been a good friend of Zhu Sheng. He had great talent in developing anti-erosion devices.

Later, Xia Yufeng didn’t know why, but Tang Heyu’s behavior became increasingly strange. He lost interest in business and spent his days drunk, breaking off ties with Zhu Sheng and leaving the management to his wife, Tang Mei. This time, Xia Yufeng was going to meet Tang Mei.

“Sure.” Tang Mei had a smiling face and spoke quite straightforwardly.

As a business magnate, the Tang family didn’t have a large house; they hired skilled home designers instead. The interior of the house was grand, with rare and elegant furniture reminiscent of the high-end style before the apocalypse.

Tang Mei wore a string of black pearl necklace around her neck and a custom-made cheongsam. She appeared to be around fifty, with a round and slightly plump face, shiny black hair, and no signs of aging.

“It’s rare for Lao Zhu to send his precious son over.” She observed Xia Yufeng, who was disguised as “Zhu Yanchen”, for a moment. “I knew it. He’s coveting our convoy’s protection technology. The safety of the public is a significant matter, and keeping it hidden would be stingy. Of course, I can hand over the protective patents. Even if you didn’t come, I had intended to do so.”

She casually pinched the handle of the teacup.

“But I can’t give it away for free. We have spent a considerable amount on supporting those researchers. I don’t ask him for money, but if our technology is to be shared, it must be with Yi Ning.”

Xia Yufeng didn’t dare to negotiate, so he maintained a stiff expression, pretending to be nonchalant.

While he didn’t have many other skills, he was quite adept at reading people. Zhu Sheng had no intention of letting him take it back. This was a way to urge the Tang family to quickly hand over their things so that the public could benefit from them sooner.

Tang Mei narrowed her eyes, then smiled again. “That old fox… With the synths disrupting the voting, he took the opportunity to cling to his position. Xiao Zhu, you…”

“Zhu Yanchen is here?” a hoarse voice interrupted, followed by a strong smell of alcohol.

Xia Yufeng wrinkled his nose as he said, “Uncle Tang.”

Tang Heyu had long, white, greasy hair and a scruffy beard on his cheeks. He appeared untidy—unlike Zhu Sheng, whose appearance was dignified, he looked more like an old beggar.

Seeing her husband barging into the reception room, Tang Mei’s expression turned a bit cold. “Heyu, even if you’re meeting with the younger generation, you should at least tidy up a bit.”

“W-What are you doing here?” Tang Heyu’s speech was slurred.

“Zhu Sheng wants our erosion-resistant patents. The cost of military equipment is too high, so he probably wants to distribute them for the use of the citizens.”

“Erosion-resistant… is just… just bullshit!” Tang Heyu stared with bloodshot eyes. “The most… the most valuable thing, I’ve already given it to him. He’s so greedy. Hic! A man’s desires are insatiable…”

He looked dazedly at the air for a moment, then glanced at Xia Yufeng. “Chenchen, I… see your research. You seem like a courageous person, but in the end, you’re still a softy. A crow can’t give birth to a golden phoenix*. Father and son are the same…”

*(乌鸦是不行的生金凤) Idiom referring to someone of low status or inferior ability cannot produce exceptional offspring or achieve greatness beyond their capabilities.

“How unimpressive,” Tang Mei said coldly, giving a piercing glance at the guards in the room. “My husband is drunk. Take him to sober up.”

Xia Yufeng didn’t dare say a word as the elders clashed. He watched as the intoxicated old man flipped him off and received Tang Mei’s apology with a stern face. Xia Yufeng left the Tang family with almost nothing, except for a small basket of fruits given by Tang Mei.

However, he overheard something interesting.

“The most valuable thing, I’ve already given it to him?… Hmm.” Zhu Sheng pondered over the words for a moment, then shifted his gaze, as if reminiscing about something.

Xia Yufeng anxiously waited, but when Zhu Sheng spoke again, it wasn’t about the same topic. “He said that Zhu Yanchen’s research is ‘like of a kind’?”

“He did.” Though Xia Yufeng had heard others say that Zhu Yanchen’s research was only for personal gain and unrelated to any meaningful discoveries.

“Retrieve it and let me see.” Zhu Sheng sighed. “Let me know when there are results.”

“Yes.”

As Xia Yufeng left, Zhu Sheng watched his figure for a moment. Then he adjusted his cane and slowly made his way to the Zhu Rong Memorial Hall.

The Zhu Rong Memorial Hall was meticulously decorated. After the X City disaster, the Zhu family donated Zhu Rong’s personal belongings to create this memorial hall. Zhu Rong’s portrait hung in the center of the hall, depicting a young and slender figure with features that bore some resemblance to Zhu Yanchen.

However, Zhu Rong had no heirs. Zhu Sheng was well aware that it was all a coincidence.

Zhu Sheng didn’t particularly like his second son. When Zhu Yanchen was young, Zhu Sheng only saw him a few times. His son was thin and small, timid in his presence, barely lifting his head, and at most murmuring a few “dad” while looking at the floor.

It was for a synth who Zhu Yanchen first showed his determination.

At that time, Zhu Sheng was at the peak of his career, busy with governmental affairs, and had never cared about his wife’s rehabilitation. During the time when he was accompanying his mother for “that” break, Zhu Yanchen actually went and made friends with a synth.

He didn’t usually see his son exhibit such social skills.

Zhu Sheng’s initial reaction was to kill the synth child. However, he was stopped by the researchers at the time—who pointed out that the child had an extremely high resonance with the erosion substance and was bound to become a top-tier “weapon” in the future.

Synthetic children weren’t very valuable, but good seedlings were precious. Killing him would be a waste, so giving his son a lesson was enough.

“I’ll give you three choices,” he said to the panicked Zhu Yanchen. “First, I kill it—”

The young Zhu Yanchen froze in place, his eyes turning red.

“No!” he shouted, which was rare for him.

“Then kneel down and talk to me properly,” Zhu Sheng said casually.

The young boy looked at him with eyes as if the sky had fallen, and then slowly bent his knees. “Father, I beg you. It’s… It’s all my fault… I didn’t say anything to him… It’s all my fault…”

“Are you angry?” Zhu Sheng grabbed Zhu Yanchen’s arm and lifted him up from the ground. “Are you feeling upset? Do you think I’ve gone too far?”

His usually timid son bit his lip and remained silent.

“This is power.” Zhu Sheng let go of his grip and patted the dirt off Zhu Yanchen’s clothes. “…This is what you weren’t interested in before.”

Zhu Yanchen remained silent.

“If I weren’t in power, your friend would have only one outcome: death. Remember that.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Alright, I won’t kill him. You still have two choices. His body is valuable, so I can choose one that won’t be used and extract his thoughts for you to keep as a pet. Or I can erase his memory of you and let him continue to stay on the other side. Which one do you choose?”

Zhu Yanchen stared at him with his dark and eerie eyes that were unsettling.

“…Let him continue to live,” the young boy answered after a long silence, enunciating each word.

“A good answer.”

At that moment, there was a glimmer of fire in Zhu Yanchen’s eyes. It was the first time Zhu Sheng saw bloodthirst and determination in his own son. This was good, he thought, pleased. The child could be taught.

After that, Zhu Yanchen’s studying and training became even more intense. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Zhu Sheng wasn’t surprised—his child was still young, with a simple character and a short-lived temper. When Zhu Yanchen grew up, he would likely abandon those naive ideas and properly inherit his legacy.

But Zhu Yanchen didn’t.

His obsession not only didn’t dissipate over the years but instead grew heavier. The young Zhu Yanchen climbed his way to the position of Marshal with his tactical prowess. Yet, he didn’t let go of his research on the erosion substance, nor did he agree with further improving the player system.

Fortunately, human energy was limited, and Zhu Yanchen expended most of his energy on tactical command. True, he spent a considerable amount of time in the command center doing research, but according to the people in the command center, Marshal Zhu didn’t produce any notable results.

Yet, Zhu Yanchen continued.

This behavior always reminded him of an old friend who had become a wreck.

Zhu Sheng walked to the glass display case in front of the portrait and looked at the journal lying quietly inside. Among the various peculiar research equipment, it didn’t stand out. The notebook was already quite old, fixed open to a page filled with scribbled words and formulas. Zhu Sheng hadn’t dabbled in the relevant field, so he couldn’t understand what was written on it.

Below the notebook, there was a horizontal metal plate with the words “Zhu Rong’s Manuscript” inscribed on it, accompanied by some elaborate explanations. At the very end, there was a small line of text—

[A gift from Tang Heyu and Zhu Sheng.]

Zhu Sheng placed his hand on the glass and his expression gradually darkened.

He had been too soft-hearted. If he had intervened earlier, Zhu Yanchen wouldn’t have continued to be obsessed with erosion substance research, and he wouldn’t have been ambushed on his way to the outpost to collect samples.

…Just like if he had intervened earlier, Tang Heyu wouldn’t have become a wreck either.

Zhu Sheng raised his head and looked at Zhu Rong’s portrait.

“This system of yours really causes a lot of trouble,” the old man said wearily, letting out a long sigh.

He stayed in the spacious and bright room for a while, then turned his back and walked towards the dim door. As the old man left, the lighting gradually dimmed making the small line of text below the portrait seem as if it was written in blood.

[If you’re not afraid of sacrifice, prosperity shall surely follow.]

The author has something to say:

Do you still remember Zhu Rong by the Daming Lake* (…

*It refers to remembering something from the past. This became a popular catchphrase online, spawning from what Ziwei said to the emperor in “Huan Zhu Ge Ge” (“Your Majesty, do you still remember Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake?”). This is referencing how the emperor played around with Xia Yuhe during his southern tour and promised to take her back to the palace, but never did. Xia Yuhe then gave birth to the emperor’s daughter, Xia Ziwei, who then confronted the emperor later by saying this. || In this context, the author is saying to the readers do they still remember Zhu Rong?