Chapter 97

After regrouping, the group of people began a large-scale search inside the hotel for the items Tang Jingzhi had failed to take with him. They managed to find many valuable things, but their manpower was limited, making it impossible to take everything with them. With dawn approaching, the sound of gunfire in this location would undoubtedly attract the attention of the police. They took everything they could carry and set fire to the entire resort hotel.

Due to the high humidity in the summer forest, the fire did not blaze immediately. They wasted over two hours just setting the fire, and then, before daybreak, they hurriedly left, retracing their original path downhill.

With no rain falling, the descent down the mountain became much easier. They managed to complete the journey in just five hours and left the area by car.

Under the cover of the night, they returned to the villa. After a night of battle and a day of constant movement, they were all utterly exhausted.

The Peregrine Falcon suffered the loss of one teammate this time, and several others were injured. What was most frustrating was that they let Tang Jingzhi slip away in the end, adding to the already heavy atmosphere.

The sudden appearance of Shen Yao disrupted their formation, forcing them to rethink their strategy. They had to search for Tang Jingzhi’s next whereabouts or directly launch a direct assault on his lair. However, at the moment, they had no progress on either option.

Jobb exclaimed angrily, “Damn it! He actually got away! Is Shen Yao really that strong? Why didn’t you let us pursue him?”

Tang Tingzhi was deep in thought. He lifted his head and looked at the group of mercenaries, all of them questioning him with the same gaze. He said, “Shen Yao is indeed an incredibly powerful Dragon Blood Kin. He has undergone successful evolution, and his genetic fusion occurred early. For over twenty years, he has been continuously strengthening himself. No one knows better than him how to unleash the full power of Dragon Blood. I believe that he possesses knowledge about Dragon Blood applications that we’re unaware of. Relying solely on the power of pure blood, we are no match for him.” He glanced at Shen Changze and added, “At least for now, you are not his equal.”

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Uaso nbkxle kd, “Fbld Zys byp yzalyeu clnsxl y zltlde yxsdt wp Paytsd Jzsse Ikdp. Ekvb y czsse rwakvu sq wr vs 60%, bl rlaqlnvzu wvkzkglp yde nsdvaszp vbl rsola sq Paytsd Jzsse. Tl sdnl pkdtzl-bydelezu qynle yd ldvkal yaxu, yde bl’p yzps vbl sdzu qyvbla sq y rwalczssele Paytsd Jzsse Ikd. Ps usw wdelapvyde? Tl kp vbl zltlde yxsdt Paytsd Jzsse Ikdp, yde R dlhla vbswtbv ol oswze ldnswdvla vbkp zltlde swaplzhlp. Fs, R clzklhl Uszsdlz’p fwetxldv kp alypsdyczl. Wkapv, bl eked’v kdkvkyvl yd yvvynj sd wp. Flnsde, ol jdso hlau zkvvzl ycswv bkp pvaldtvb yde vbl Paytsd Jzsse Ikdp bl bye okvb bkx. Mbkae, ol nyd sdzu prlnwzyvl ycswv bkp xsvkhlp; ol byhld’v vawzu wdelapvsse vbl vawvb. Vlabyrp bl kpd’v swa ldlxu. Rd vbkp pkvwyvksd, ol pbswze rasnlle okvb nywvksd vs yhske wddlnlppyau nypwyzvklp.”

Uaso’p osaep olal kdelle alypsdyczl, yde yzvbswtb vblu olal wdokzzkdt vs ynnlrv kv, vblu nswzed’v alqwvl kv lkvbla. Kscc qawpvayvlezu pzyxxle bkp byde sd vbl nbyka, calyjkdt sqq vbl aswde cynj sq vbl sadyvl plyv. “Gal ol fwpv tskdt vs zlv Mydt Kkdtgbk ts zkjl vbkp? Xwa xkppksd kpd’v nsxrzlvl ulv. R oydv vs rlapsdyzzu nsdqasdv vbyv twu yde yhldtl Vlzzl.”

Mydt Mkdtgbk alprsdele, “Xq nswapl, ol nyddsv zlv Mydt Kkdtgbk lpnyrl. Tsolhla, Fbld Zys’p yrrlyaydnl byp nsxrzknyvle vbl ldvkal pkvwyvksd. R dlle vs nsdvynv swa pwrlaksap yde xyjl y elnkpksd yqvla nsdpwzvkdt okvb vblx.”

Gula pralye bkp bydep yde pyke, “Fs obyv pbswze ol es vbld? R esd’v oydv vs cl pvwnj kd vbkp hkzzy yzz eyu zsdt.”

Mydt Mkdtgbk zssjle yv bkx yde pyke, “Ya. Yywak, rzlypl alqaykd qasx oydelakdt yaswde alnjzlppzu. Zsw yvvaynv vss xwnb yvvldvksd, yde R’x dsv okzzkdt vs vyjl ydu akpjp sq lmrspkdt swa plnalvp.”

Gula aykple yd lulcaso, “Gal usw pyukdt R’x vss tsse-zssjkdt qsa uswa zkjkdt?”

Mydt Mkdtgbk alrzkle pvladzu, “Ls, kv’p dsv ycswv uswa zssjp. Rv’p ycswv vbl wdxkpvyjyczl pnldv sq czsse vbyv lxydyvlp qasx usw, ds xyvvla bso xwnb usw vau vs rypp sqq yp y tldvzlxyd. Xaekdyau rlsrzl xyu dsv dsvknl kv, cwv vbspl kd vbl jdso okzz elqkdkvlzu jllr vblka lul sd usw.”

Gula pnsqqle ekpeykdqwzzu, bl oyp fwpv ycswv vs alvsav vs Mydt Mkdtgbk’p pvyvlxldv obld…

Tang Tingzhi added, “Furthermore, your blond hair is too dazzling.”

His words lacked any hint of flattery, as if he were simply stating a straightforward fact. He earnestly listed his reasons for disagreeing with Ayer going out, but it sounded rather funny to others.

Hawk tugged at Ayer’s blond hair and burst into laughter. “He says your blond hair is too flashy, so you can’t go out. Hahaha! Hey, Dino, your skin is too dark, so you absolutely can’t go out. Hahaha!”

Dino cursed, “Keep messing with me, and I’ll make your other eye blind as well.”

Lily couldn’t resist teasing Oriole and gave him a flirtatious look. Her fingers, as fresh as spring, twirled through her own hair. “Hey, tell me, whose hair do you find more dazzling, mine or Ayer’s?”

Oriole rubbed his hands together and awkwardly shook his head, “Both… Both are dazzling.”

Ayer looked at Tang Tingzhi’s serious expression and almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Praising someone’s blond hair usually carried implications and flirtatious undertones, but when Tang Tingzhi said it with such a rigid tone and expression, it made the mercenaries burst into laughter. Ayer thought to himself, this Chinese guy simply doesn’t get it, I really can’t decide if he’s boring or amusing.

Tang Tingzhi perhaps didn’t understand why they were laughing like that. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes as he reiterated, “None of you should go out. This is a suburban area with very few foreigners, and it would make you too conspicuous. Leave the tasks like acquiring supplies to us. Please be patient and await further instructions.”

Big Rock shouted, “We want booze!”

“Yes, we want booze!”

Tiger Shark furrowed his brow and cleared his throat loudly.

Everyone quieted down.

Tiger Shark spoke in a deep voice, “What are you guys messing around about? We’re on a mission. Follow the employer’s orders and go to sleep obediently.”

Everyone dispersed in a disgruntled mood. Apart from those on night watch duty and those taking care of the injured, everyone else returned to their rooms to rest.

After taking a refreshing shower, Shan Ming threw himself onto the bed and didn’t feel like moving anymore.

After washing up, Shen Changze lay down beside him and tucked him in, adjusting the temperature of the air conditioning two degrees higher.

Shan Ming opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling. “What are you really thinking?”

“What?”

“Regarding your… Shen Yao, regarding Shen Yao, you used to cry and shout about finding him when you were little.”

Resting his head on his own arm, Shen Changze said softly, “My memories of him are too vague. He rarely came home before, and I can still recall some things about my mom, but I hardly have any impression of him. To me…” Shen Changze hesitated for a moment, “he feels like a stranger.”

Perhaps it was because he already had someone else he called “Dad,” or maybe it was the separation during childhood. Over the span of more than ten years, emotions had faded away. It was difficult for Shen Changze to have a strong bond with this suddenly emerged biological father. He didn’t even know whether he should feel joy or worry.

He felt perplexed, especially since Shen Yao had ended up standing on Tang Jingzhi’s side.

Shan Ming asked, “What if he really is a racist Dragon Blood Kin?”

“I can’t identify with that,” Shen Changze stated firmly. “I am a human being, and most Dragon Blood Kins identify themselves as humans who have acquired superhuman abilities, rather than a separate species. Moreover, I am now a Chinese soldier. Although rank may be insignificant to me, I needed a sense of belonging, especially after you abandoned me. This identity gave me a sense of self.”

Shan Ming muttered, “I didn’t abandon you.”

“What would you call it if not abandonment?”

Shan Ming felt uncomfortable being cornered and spoke defiantly, “Regardless, I didn’t abandon you. I simply made you face your destiny.”

Shen Changze narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly, “But you did abandon me. You chose the Peregrine Falcon and abandoned me, leaving me to Tang Tingzhi.”

Whenever this issue was brought up, it sparked anger between the two. Shan Ming didn’t feel like arguing with Shen Changze, especially since there were more important questions to address. “Forget about that,” he replied. “Answer me this first, if Shen Yao does indeed have a strong racial consciousness as a Dragon Blood Kin, would you really follow Tang Tingzhi’s suggestion to ‘eliminate’ him?”

Shen Changze fell silent.

Shan Ming also remained silent, waiting for his answer.

After a moment, Shen Changze finally spoke, “I don’t know. I need to find him as soon as possible, understand his true intentions, and then… Well, for now, I just don’t know.”

Shan Ming had anticipated such a response. While he wished for Shen Yao to disappear completely, he knew he couldn’t force Shen Changze to kill his own biological father.

The thought of this threatening figure appearing frequently between him and Shen Changze filled Shan Ming’s chest with an ominous feeling.

He had a lingering feeling that the emergence of Shen Yao had made the situation even more complicated and intense. The conflicts between Dragon Blood Kins, between nations, and the intricate connections they shared were bound to intertwine with Shen Yao. In the end, it would inevitably become entangled with them as well.

While Shan Ming had never prayed for peaceful days, he at least hoped he wouldn’t meet the same fate as Lin Qiang, who died because of a Dragon Blood Kin.

Moreover, he couldn’t help but worry about Shen Changze, the only pure-blooded Dragon Blood Kin. He would inevitably become the focal point of all the conflicts and interests in this massive event. How much would he suffer? What experiences would he go through? Shan Ming couldn’t even begin to imagine.

As Shan Ming looked at his youthful son, he couldn’t help but feel worried about his future.

Seeing Shan Ming’s silence, Shen Changze turned his head to look at him. The solemn expression on Shan Ming’s face made him feel somewhat uneasy.

“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but no matter how things unfold, one thing will never change,” Shen Changze leaned in and planted a goodnight kiss, “I will always protect you, Dad.”

Shan Ming ruffled his hair and let out a sigh, almost helplessly. “Protect yourself instead.”