TMWTGD CH93

The Lord Marshal’s extraordinary talent, managing to kidnap his wife home at the tender age of six, could be considered a beautiful tale.

The pirates were all thoroughly convinced, especially the single dogs among them, who beat their chests and sighed, What was I doing at six years old? Digging for ants or playing with mud? Comparing oneself to others truly makes one angry enough to die!

Upon his first sight of Xie Jianwei, Li Chenxing declared, “In this life, I, Morning Star, vow to pursue Daddy and Great-grandmother unto death, and never betray them.”

Daddy Lu, full of disdain, delivered Li Chenxing a swift kick.

Li Chenxing accepted it willingly. What was a single kick? As long as he could behold such a beauty, he would gladly take a kick a day!

Originally somewhat surprised, Xie Jianwei actually integrated into this “big family” quite quickly.

Grandma Lu was straightforward, a genuinely authentic person, representing the complete opposite extreme of Li Suran’s hypocritical smile.

Although the pirate bosses looked ruthless and fierce, they were actually all fiercely protective and loyal to their own. As long as someone was classified as a brother, they could be trusted with life and death.

A group composed entirely of people with no blood ties felt more like a family than a home composed of blood relatives.

Xie Jianwei was very happy. Although he still missed his parents and brothers, he preferred his current home, liked having so many people together, liked the liveliness, and liked a group of people crowding around a large table at mealtime.

The pirates also liked Xie Jianwei very much. Excluding Li Chenxing, that pureblood superficialist, the others all felt Xie Jianwei had a great personality.

Think about it, Grandma Lu and Lu Li would both start throwing punches at the slightest disagreement. Having finally gotten someone who didn’t resort to violence, how could they not like him?

They absolutely adored him to the point of explosion.

Not to mention, Xie Jianwei was astoundingly intelligent.

A crucial factor that made it difficult for pirate groups to develop was the lack of scientific research talent.

They didn’t lack resources or warriors, but they absolutely could not recruit highly educated individuals to join their ranks.

It couldn’t be helped; the highly educated all wanted to enter research institutes and dedicate their lives to the people of the galaxy. Why would they pay any mind to a bunch of pirates?

Due to the stains on their identities, pirates couldn’t go to Federation medical institutions, and going to the black market for treatment meant being scammed to death.

The entire group consisted of uneducated roughnecks, and the occasional one they managed to train in the field was only a half-baked amateur.

But things were different now. An eleven-year-old Xie Jianwei was enough to shoulder this heavy responsibility!

From medical treatment to starship evolution, Xie Jianwei used his abilities to tell them that there was nothing he couldn’t do.

If it was said that this group of people previously worshipped the invincible six-year-old Lu Li, now they had all become fans of the Military Advisor—super fans, the kind bursting with pink bubbles!

During his one month here, Xie Jianwei probably smiled more times than he had in the previous eleven years combined.

At night, Lu Li still insisted on sleeping with him.

Xie Jianwei indulged him. When they slept together, Lu Li would always hold him like a little adult, as if Xie Jianwei would run away if he let go.

Xie Jianwei smiled with crinkled eyes, his voice as gentle as moonlight. “A-Li, thank you.”

Lu Li was currently buried in his wife’s chest, feeling extremely pleased.

“What is there to thank me for?”

Xie Jianwei, tickled by him, held back his laughter and said, “Thank you for taking me away.”

Lu Li felt even more pleased.

Xie Jianwei lowered his eyes slightly and said softly, “Actually, I knew…”

He opened this topic, but Lu Li was so shocked his back stiffened. Knew? Knew what? Could it be about the experiments…

Soon, Xie Jianwei sighed softly. “I knew my mother didn’t love me. Every time she gave me a little warmth, it was only to use me.”

Hearing him say this, Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about it, it made sense. How could an eleven-year-old child imagine that human hearts could be so vicious, especially those of his own parents?

Xie Jianwei continued, “I always told myself that my mother didn’t not love me, they were just too busy. Busy saving countless Federation citizens, busy researching projects to benefit society, busy… sigh, now I am finally willing to admit it, they just don’t love me.”

No matter how hard he tried, it was useless. Sharing their burdens, helping them conduct research, summarizing better plans for them… none of it was of any use. They weren’t busy; they simply didn’t like him.

So what if he was their biological son? Not liking him meant not liking him, and affection was something that could never be forced.

Every time his mother returned, she wore a kind face, but Xie Jianwei knew it was fake. If his mother hadn’t encountered a difficult problem, she wouldn’t have come to see him at all.

He had understood these truths a long time ago, but he kept deceiving himself, telling himself: Mother loves me.

“Thank you.” Xie Jianwei placed a kiss on little A-Li’s forehead. “Thank you for letting me know what true affection is.”

He could finally face his experiences of all these years, finally admit that his parents didn’t love him, and finally step out of that magnificent cage towards a new world.

Lu Li listened to him quietly, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions.

Xie Jianwei’s childhood experiences were truly terrible: the cold violence from his parents, the feeling of not fitting in at school. As the Third Young Master of the Xie family, as the renowned prodigy of the Capital Planet, as the only child to attend the Central Academy at the age of eleven, he was destined to have no friends.

But no matter how smart he was, he still wanted care and love.

Lu Li gave him what he wanted most, so he left with him.

Lu Li hugged him tightly, making a promise in his heart.

Lifetime after lifetime, he would protect him completely.

Happy times always pass quickly.

Twelve years flew by in a flash, and the two little bean sprouts grew into handsome, tall young men.

Lu Li hadn’t been idle these years. He exercised diligently, ate well, and drank milk frequently, terrified that he wouldn’t grow tall.

Xie Jianwei had known this guy’s intentions since Lu Li was thirteen.

They had been sleeping together all along, and when you’re sleeping and suddenly feel a “knife” poking your backside, no one can ignore it.

Shameless as ever, Lu Li acted spoiled and said directly, “A-Wei, I like you.” The knife poked again.

Xie Jianwei was amused by him. “You know what liking someone means at thirteen?”

Lu Li said, “I knew when I was six.”

Xie Jianwei flicked his forehead. “So improper.”

Lu Li felt a fire light up all over his body from his smile. Eighteen-year-old Xie Jianwei was simply too good-looking; thinking about him made his heart ache.

But Xie Jianwei wouldn’t allow it. “Wait until you grow up.”

Lu Li shamelessly poked him. “I’m already very big.”

Xie Jianwei laughed and scolded him, “If you keep messing around, we’re sleeping in separate rooms.”

Upon hearing this, the Lord Marshal instantly backed down. He pitifully took off his pants and grabbed Big Li himself.

Xie Jianwei: “…” He blushed furiously at this shameless guy’s actions. He got up to leave, but Lu Li lowered his voice and said, “Not allowed to touch, not allowed to kiss, at least let me look, right?”

Xie Jianwei glared at him.

Lu Li hurriedly said, “You don’t need to look at me, just let me look at you…”

Xie Jianwei: “…” Who wants to look at that thing of yours, you little brat.

Lu Li adamantly refused to let him go, even threatening his future sexual happiness. “If you leave, I’ll go limp. When the time comes and I have a problem, I’ll definitely hold you responsible.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

He wasn’t afraid of a smart hooligan, he was afraid of a shameless one!

With a blushing face and a racing heart, Xie Jianwei watched him finish the whole process.

The more Lu Li did it, the more aroused he became. Finally, he begged for a small touch of the hand and barely managed to finish the job.

Once this layer of paper was pierced, the Lord Marshal forgot what “shame” was.

Xie Jianwei kept saying, “If you keep messing around, we’re sleeping in separate rooms!” But he never took action even once. To sleep in separate rooms, you first have to build a room, and Lu Li would never let him build one; it was out of the question.

Watching another five years pass, Lu Li, who was about to explode from holding back, initiated their wedding night.

Xie Jianwei was a bit shy at first, but later he wrapped his arms around Lu Li’s neck and kissed him back proactively.

Lu Li loved him, and he loved Lu Li.

To have one person as a companion in this lifetime was truly the ultimate perfection.

Finally having eaten his wife clean, Lu Li was so satisfied he wished he could announce it to the world.

The pirates all had knowing smirks on their faces, except for Li Chenxing, who cried and fainted in the bathroom.

Lu Li hadn’t been idle these ten or so years either. He continuously expanded his influence and organized his forces, not to overthrow the Federation, but to prepare for the Hundred-Limbed Race’s invasion.

As for Xie Xing and Li Suran, Lu Li absolutely kept his word, letting them spend twelve years experiencing what it meant to beg for life but be unable to live, and beg for death but be unable to die.

Lu Li remembered exactly what they had done to those children.

If they didn’t experience it themselves one by one, they would never reflect on their actions.

Death without reflection was far too easy on them.

Furthermore… if they didn’t reflect, Lu Li firmly believed that these two pieces of garbage would just harm others again when they reincarnated.

Every time Lu Li returned to the Capital Planet, he would bring them a “gift.” There was a wide variety of alien creatures, and there were always some that could teach them what true agony meant.

Over the ten-plus years, Xie Jianwei had tried several times to contact Xie Xing and Li Suran.

But his messages were like stones dropped in the ocean, with no reply.

To this day, the Federation hadn’t announced Xie Xing’s crimes; they merely stripped him of his power and reduced the entire Xie family to figureheads.

In truth, Lu Li couldn’t hide the events of that year from Xie Jianwei forever.

He knew very well that as his power expanded, Xie Jianwei would easily be able to uncover those things.

It was just that Lu Li didn’t want the eleven-year-old Xie Jianwei to know.

The current Xie Jianwei had him, had family, had friends. Compared to an eleven-year-old child, he would definitely be more able to accept those things now.

However, before that could happen, they encountered the Hundred-Limbed Race first.

This war, which would last for several years, erupted with a bang, still catching the Galactic Federation off guard. But this time, Lu Li was fully prepared. At the very beginning of the war, he led his army to break through the encirclement and protected the three habitable planets that were destined to be massacred.

In reality, these three habitable planets were the first to be occupied by the Hundred-Limbed Race. The Hundred-Limbed Race was bloody, brutal, and extremely fond of slaughter. The three planets had a total population of 1.2 billion, and in the end, not a single one was spared.

This was the greatest disaster in human history, and the most tragic stroke in the annals of history.

At the time, Lu Li was still on the barren planet and knew nothing.

But now, he would not let this happen again. The lives of 1.2 billion people—he would protect them no matter what!

In this battle, Lu Li won a resounding victory and simultaneously made a name for himself across the galaxy.

In such a time of crisis, the Galactic Federation was still in a stupor, but Lu Li, a pirate, became the solid bulwark protecting the people!

Over the next three years, Lu Li’s army established immense prestige.

The Hundred-Limbed Race was formidable. The Federation of the past had collapsed overnight. Today, although they held on for a long time, they still lost every battle, so useless they hadn’t succeeded even once.

In contrast, Lu Li caught the enemy off guard every time, won resounding victories every time, and saved millions of people from the brink of disaster every time!

Of course, this had a lot to do with Lu Li’s “foresight” cheat code. He was familiar with the Hundred-Limbed Race, knew their weaknesses, and even knew their attack routes.

But Lu Li shared all this information with the Galactic Federation.

At a time of national crisis, one truly shouldn’t harbor selfish motives. Sparing more people from disaster and bringing an early end to the war was the true blessing for humanity.

The Galactic Federation had sufficient armed forces; if properly utilized, they could definitely play a massive role.

But the Federation government didn’t trust Lu Li.

The combat experience Lu Li summarized, the early warnings Lu Li gave them—they believed none of it.

They believed Lu Li was showing off, that he was plotting! They were convinced that this ambitious pirate wanted to annex the Galactic Federation!

The already corrupt interior of the Federation, fanned by such voices, lost even more of its fighting spirit.

It was entirely natural that they would collapse.

Because of Lu Li’s existence, history had changed, but the inevitable trajectory was still stubbornly moving forward.

The Federation collapsed, and Lu Li had also established enough prestige.

On the eve of the decisive battle with the King of the Hundred-Limbed Race, everything seemed to overlap.

Dreamscape, reality, truth, and falsehood.

After going around in a circle, they arrived at the most crucial node again.

In reality, Xie Jianwei insisted on going with Lu Li. Lu Li faintly sensed the danger of this trip, so he didn’t want Xie Jianwei to take risks, using ample reasons to make him stay behind and guard the rear.

But at this moment, Xie Jianwei said again, “I will go with you.”

Lu Li actually replied, “Okay.”

Regardless of whether this was a dream or not, encountering the King of the Hundred-Limbed Race here was definitely the end of everything.

Just as Lu Li had thought, when he charged into the neutron star fortress again and found the King of the Hundred-Limbed Race hidden deep within, everything around him turned into a void.

A phantom figure stood in the distance. It had Xie Jianwei’s appearance and used Xie Jianwei’s voice, but Lu Li knew very well that this wasn’t Xie Jianwei.

This was it.

Lu Li looked at it with an unchanging expression.

It said, “If you kill me, Xie Jianwei will die too.”

Lu Li said, “If I don’t kill you, he will also die.”

Right now, Xie Jianwei was still unconscious. Once it completely invaded Xie Jianwei’s psyche, Xie Jianwei being alive would be the same as being dead.

It said, “Do you think what just happened was a dreamscape?”

Lu Li countered, “A parallel universe?”

It said, “You can understand it that way.”

Lu Li said, “So what.”

It smiled and suggested, “You can stay in this parallel universe. This world is very nice, isn’t it? Xie Jianwei lives very happily, there’s no dark side at all, and he loves you very much…”

Before it could finish speaking, Lu Li hit the nail on the head: “Since it’s a parallel universe, why is there no second me?”

It was instantly speechless, furrowing its brow, seeming very distressed… One or two of them, they’re all so hard to fool.

Just then, it suddenly turned pale with fright. “You, you, you!”

Lu Li didn’t know what it was doing.

He only heard it “talking to itself”: “What are you doing!”

No one answered it, but the expression of the Xie Jianwei in front of him began to shift.

One moment it was it, the next moment it was the familiar appearance Lu Li knew, then it became it again, then again…

Lu Li instantly understood, and he called out loudly, “A-Wei, I’m here!”

This sentence seemed to carry some kind of powerful force. The two mental entities, which were originally evenly matched, suddenly became completely one-sided.

It was forcefully squeezed out, turning into a cloud-like white mist.

Xie Jianwei glanced at it. A pair of large eyes and a small mouth popped out on its cloud face, seeming extremely wronged, its voice full of disbelief, “You… how could you…”

Xie Jianwei offered it a chilling sentence, “Three whole worlds, and you think I still haven’t figured out what you are?”

Its large eyes went wide, dumbfounded. “Impossible, impossible…”

Xie Jianwei said, “Who told you devouring is a one-way street? And who decreed that it has to be you devouring me?”

The white cloud looked terrified, almost screaming, “You actually want to devour me!”

“Not want,” Xie Jianwei smiled. “It’s currently in progress.”

It trembled with fear, speaking incoherently, “You’re lying to me, you must be lying to me…” As it spoke, it looked down at itself, then looked completely bewildered. “What’s going on! Why has my body become like this!”

The spectating Lu Li: “…” Damn, where did this idiot come from.

There was a string connecting him and Xie Jianwei. The string was very thin and tied to Xie Jianwei’s wrist.

Xie Jianwei tugged at this white string, pulling the stupid cloud until it was dizzy. “Stop… stop shaking…”

Xie Jianwei stopped his hand and said coldly, “Tell me everything you need to tell me, and I’ll leave a little piece of you.”

It was on the verge of tears. “I’ve already become like this, what else could you possibly not know!”

Xie Jianwei thought for a moment and said, “I ask, you answer. If you don’t answer well, I’ll whip you until you’re the size of a grain of rice.”

A grain of rice!! Too cruel!! Its true body was clearly as big as a mountain!

Xie Jianwei shot it a glance, and it shivered, saying honestly, “You… you ask…”

“What is your name?”

It said pitifully, “I don’t have a name.”

Xie Jianwei asked, “Identity.”

It said, “Order-Keeper.”

Xie Jianwei gave it a tug. “Be more detailed.”

So fierce! Having been shaken dizzy, it wanted to protest, but upon seeing Xie Jianwei’s eyes, it hurriedly said loudly, “Order-Keeper! I am the Order-Keeper who maintains planar balance!”

Lu Li frowned upon hearing this, feeling a bit confused.

But clearly, Xie Jianwei knew more. He asked again, “Why target me?”

It said quietly, “You are a Trailblazer.”

Xie Jianwei raised an eyebrow, and it hurriedly confessed honestly, “Trailblazers are unstable factors that will forcibly raise the planar level. If not eliminated… they will be a massive threat!”

“A threat to whom?”

“A threat to everyone.”

“Why?”

It said indignantly, “You are all ambitious schemers, high-IQ criminals, dangerous individuals unwilling to settle for the status quo. Furthermore, you have the ability to explore and pursue. When this plane can no longer contain you, you will go and wreck other planes!”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

The more it spoke, the more enthusiastic it became, as if a villain were suddenly brimming with an overwhelming sense of justice: “I am eliminating a threat for the people! You two are young now, but in two hundred years, you certainly won’t sit around waiting for death. You’ll pursue immortality, and then the entire plane will fall into chaos! You’ll never be satisfied—wanting this, wanting that, and in the end… ouch…”

It was yanked again, shrinking from a cloud thirty centimeters in diameter directly down to twenty centimeters. It instantly went mute, not daring to utter another word.

Xie Jianwei paid no attention to its nonsense, catching onto a key detail: “You?”

It: “…”

Xie Jianwei asked, “Do you mean Lu Li and me?”

It: “…”

Xie Jianwei paused, then asked, “Lu Li doesn’t belong to this world, does he?” As he asked, he gave the string another tug, shrinking it from twenty centimeters to fifteen. Any smaller, and it really would become a grain of rice!

It shrieked, “Of course he doesn’t belong to this world! He’s a madman, a lunatic, a massive bastard!”

Displeased by its words, Xie Jianwei gave it another tug.

Shrinking to ten centimeters in a matter of seconds, it actually started crying, “Stop pulling, bro! I’m about to be yanked to death!”

Xie Jianwei was highly dissatisfied. “Speak properly.”

It stopped beating around the bush and said, “I was deceived earlier too. He actually sealed his own memories! If you’re so capable, make him unseal them and see what he’s done!”

Xie Jianwei’s heart skipped a beat.

Lu Li furrowed his brow slightly. “Sealed memories?”

It said, “You know it yourself, don’t you? Everything between the ages of two and six is a complete blank.”

Xie Jianwei said, “What can a two-year-old remember? It’s normal to forget. Besides, what could a three- or four-year-old child possibly do?”

It sneered, “You two spent over a decade in this world, yet in the other world, it was only the blink of an eye.”

Xie Jianwei paused.

It continued, “What I can confirm is that he is also a Trailblazer, and in all likelihood, he committed the crime of destroying a world. Who knows how he escaped punishment and ended up in this world.”

Lu Li said, “Nonsense.”

It retorted indignantly, “Believe it or not! Anyway, as long as you unseal your memories, you’ll remember everything.”

A thought stirred in Lu Li’s mind, but Xie Jianwei grabbed his hand and said, “No!”

Lu Li was taken aback.

Xie Jianwei said, “Since you chose to forget, don’t try to remember.”

Knowing that Xie Jianwei was protecting him, Lu Li felt a surge of warmth in his chest and squeezed his hand in return.

Feeling reassured, Xie Jianwei looked back at the cloud, cutting straight to the core of the issue: “Are you the only Order-Keeper?”

It replied immediately, “Of course I’m not the only one! If ambitious schemers like you aren’t curbed early on, it always leads to massive trouble.”

Xie Jianwei chuckled. “Does that mean as long as you stay here, no other Order-Keepers will show up?”

Its eyes snapped wide open. “You… you…”

Xie Jianwei said, “Isn’t that wonderful? I’ll at least leave you as a grain of rice.”

The term “grain of rice” deeply wounded it. It cried out in grief and indignation, “It’s useless! Your power will only grow stronger, especially his. Sooner or later, he’ll surpass this plane! When that happens, new, more powerful Order-Keepers will come to deal with you!”

Xie Jianwei said, “Then we just won’t surpass it.”

It thought for a moment and added, “That’s not up to you! Besides… if I stay in the same plane for too long, it will draw them here to investigate anyway.”

Xie Jianwei smiled and said, “Haven’t you already been to three worlds?” He was referring to the three previous dreamscapes.

It stuttered slightly, “Th-th-those were just your dreams.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Whether they were dreams or not, we both know the truth.”

It yelled angrily, “I will never take you to any other planes again!”

Xie Jianwei remarked, “Oh, so you can take us to any plane.”

It: “…”

The conversation concluded, and Xie Jianwei and Lu Li both woke up in reality.

Yan Ke jumped up immediately, clearly startled. “M-M-My Lord, you’re awake?” He was speaking to Xie Jianwei.

Lu Li looked at him and said, “It’s over. There is no need for further treatment.”

Yan Ke breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll pack up the equipment right away.”

A thought struck Lu Li, and he asked, “What time is it now?”

Yan Ke gave him the time.

Lu Li wasn’t surprised.

It was exactly the time they had entered the “dreamscape.” It seemed that in different planes, the flow of time was indeed different.

After all, real planes were different from Lu Li’s dreamscapes.

When Lu Li dreamed, no matter how long the dream lasted, he would always wake up at the break of dawn—that was simply the operational process of his brain.

But the parallel planes they were brought into by it were different. They weren’t dreams; they truly existed, merely operating within a relative concept of time.

When Lu Li and Xie Jianwei were present, the plane existed; when they left, the plane entered a state of relative, eternal stasis.

It was difficult to comprehend, but there were far too many things in this world that surpassed human imagination.

Xie Jianwei said to Yan Ke, “You’ve worked hard lately.”

Yan Ke shook his head. “I’m very happy to have been able to help you.”

Xie Jianwei patted his hand. “Go back and get a good rest.”

Yan Ke happily agreed, knowing the Military Advisor didn’t just pat his hand for nothing. With that pat, a massive amount of Galactic Credits had been transferred to his chip. Hahaha, he could live it up for quite a while!

Xie Jianwei and Lu Li returned to the Marshal’s estate together, holding hands the entire way.

The distance wasn’t far, and they didn’t take a hovercar, simply walking the whole way in silence.

Sometimes, silence felt even better than speaking.

Besides, Xie Jianwei didn’t quite dare to speak. He didn’t mind losing his composure in front of Lu Li, but he didn’t want to do so in front of outsiders.

Upon entering the house, Xie Jianwei was the first to speak: “Thank you.”

Lu Li replied, “I should be the one thanking you.”

Xie Jianwei closed his eyes and leaned into his embrace. “Thank you for hiding those things from me.”

He was referring to the Xie family’s affairs.

Although the current Xie Jianwei knew everything, in that world, he had known nothing. Lu Li had protected him perfectly, gifting him over a decade of the immense happiness he had desperately longed for.

It might seem useless now, since Xie Jianwei still remembered everything anyway.

But it was actually incredibly useful—monumentally so.

Xie Jianwei had never dared to look back; his entire life before the age of twenty-one had been pitch-black. He refused to reminisce, because every memory was filled with tragedy and agony.

But now, he possessed another set of memories. Lu Li had replaced the period he dreaded remembering with something entirely different.

It was as if he had lived a new life. Even though he still remembered those nightmares, compared to the blissful reality, they felt much more like mere nightmares now.

Finally able to open his heart and talk about these things, Xie Jianwei’s tone was very calm.

“I discovered their experiments when I was sixteen.”

Lu Li was surprised, but then understanding dawned on him. As smart as Xie Jianwei was, he was bound to discover it as he grew up. Finding out at sixteen… that was definitely even more agonizing than finding out at twenty-one, because those five years…

Merely thinking about it made Lu Li’s heart spasm.

Xie Jianwei closed his eyes. After steadying his emotions, he asked, “You saw my brothers, didn’t you?”

Lu Li squeezed his hand.

Xie Jianrong and Xie Jiansen were truly too pitiful. Just thinking about them now made Lu Li feel sick all over.

Xie Jianwei said in a low voice, “I wanted to save them.”

Lu Li’s heart ached uncontrollably, but all he could do was hold him, allowing him to lay bare this bloody memory.

Xie Jianwei was far stronger than Lu Li had imagined.

When he accidentally discovered the human experimentation lab at sixteen, he had utterly broken down. Realizing he had been an accomplice for so many years, his very first thought had absolutely been to seek death.

But he couldn’t be that cowardly. Dying would certainly end everything, but what about these matters? How could he put an end to these sickening experiments? Who would save those pitiful people?

He had to live; he had to atone for his sins.

Xie Jianwei went to see Xie Xing, and in a cold, emotionless voice, voiced his “support” for Xie Xing’s experiments.

Xie Xing was overjoyed, praising him: “Truly worthy of being my son!”

What an irony-laden sentence.

Xie Jianwei finally gained his parents’ attention, finally received his father’s affection, and even Li Suran put aside her prejudice and genuinely made pear soup for him with her own hands. But at that moment, he wanted absolutely none of that affection. Looking at that sweet, fragrant pear soup, he only wanted to vomit.

These two people weren’t human at all, so how could they be called parents?

He joined the lab and poured all his effort into the research.

The experiments had already begun, the sins had already been committed, and those pitiful children were not yet dead. He had to save them.

How to save them? The most direct method was to make the experiment a success!

Xie Jianwei was capable of doing it, and he truly did.

He cured his brothers, separated them, granted them formidable power, and sent them into the political arena, where they became high-ranking government officials.

But in private, he and his brothers cleared the air and shared a common goal.

Xie Jianwei needed their power. He wanted to destroy Xie Xing and Li Suran; he wanted to make them suffer the consequences of their actions.

Experiments that violated ethics to this degree were destined to have no good end.

Xie Jianwei’s SSS-rank mental capacity was not a result of the drugs Li Suran had taken. He was a destined Trailblazer, the crystallization of the entire world, a unique existence spanning across time and space.

This was irreplaceable.

There would never be a second Xie Jianwei in this world.

And the current Xie Jianwei couldn’t save those children either.

He spent five years, and aside from halting their pain and stopping their torment, he could do nothing else.

And over those five years, Xie Xing and Li Suran slowly uncovered Xie Jianwei’s true motives.

They realized Xie Jianwei wasn’t genuinely conducting experiments, but was vainly attempting to save the test subjects.

Xie Xing flew into a rage, wanting to throw Xie Jianwei out.

Li Suran pointed at his nose and cursed him for being an ungrateful wretch who couldn’t be tamed.

At that moment, Xie Jianwei finally despaired. He wasn’t despairing over his parents, but over the prospect of “saving those children.”

Those children were all very close to him. They all knew his good intentions, but in the end, they all begged him: “Kill us, just kill us.”

Living such a wretched existence was worse than death; perhaps their next life would be filled with happiness.

Xie Jianwei finally gave up.

He couldn’t save them. The sins he had committed were beyond redemption.

He killed Xie Xing and Li Suran, and burned the entire laboratory to the ground.

Everything was over. Xie Jianwei thought he still had his two older brothers.

But Xie Jianrong and Xie Jiansen hadn’t truly “recovered” either.

Having forced themselves to hold on for so many years, they had reached their limit.

When Xie Jianrong took off his clothes, Xie Jianwei finally understood the kind of agony his brother had been enduring all these years.

Festering and decaying, a daily torment worse than death.

Xie Jianrong smiled and asked, “A-Wei, are we still human?”

Having finally killed Xie Xing and Li Suran, killed their own parents, and destroyed that filthy laboratory…

Xie Jianrong and Xie Jiansen also lost their will to keep holding on.

“I’m sorry, A-Wei,” they said to their younger brother. “We… are leaving.”

After five grueling years of twists and turns, all Xie Jianwei experienced was immense powerlessness.

He hadn’t managed to save a single person.

The people he had ruined ultimately died by his hands as well.

The weight of his sins was too heavy.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t find a reason to keep living.

Having said all this, Xie Jianwei’s face was streaked with tears.

Lu Li held him tightly, saying continuously, “A-Wei, it wasn’t your fault. A-Wei… you did so well…”

Who could have imagined?

The young Xie Jianwei could never have imagined that the parents he looked up to would do such things.

When Xie Jianwei later accidentally discovered the truth, he didn’t cowardly seek death, but instead wanted to pour all his strength into saving everything.

He was strong enough, brave enough. How many people, in that situation, would choose not to escape, but to face it head-on?

How easy was it to die? Living was the true torment.

Only by watching those people suffer did he realize how deep his sins were. The boundless guilt and endless remorse were enough to destroy anyone.

But not only did Xie Jianwei not collapse, he tried his hardest to save them.

Although the final outcome was a tragedy, his efforts actually brought salvation to those suffering children.

“You did so well, truly so well…” Lu Li tried his utmost to comfort Xie Jianwei, helping him lay bare this festering wound.

The sunlight would illuminate all the gloom, and his love would grant him eternal happiness for the rest of his life.

Xie Jianwei fell asleep, and throughout his dream, he could hear Lu Li’s voice.

He said to him: “I love you.”

—End of main story—