Chapter 114: Mo Chen’s Past

Chapter 114

Perhaps it was because it was the first time his father had tears in his eyes before him, or perhaps because it was the first time his father had spoken so much to him—yet the essence of it all boiled down to a single admonition: always be careful when you’re away from home.

In any case, Ye Jingxuan had originally planned to quickly settle the matters with the Situ family and then leave the base to return to the city. But when the time came, he ultimately decided to stay a few more days.

Mo Chen said little upon hearing this; he simply accompanied him in staying at the Ye family residence.

Yet, deep down, he must have felt a twinge of jealousy toward Ye Jingxuan.

Unlike Mei, who had been taken to the Ultimate Human Cultivation Center as an infant, Mo Chen had entered that place at the age of four, retaining faint memories of his family.

In his mind, his mother was a woman with short hair and a cheerful smile, while his father was a man of few words but steady demeanor. Their family seemed well-off; he vaguely recalled a sizable lawn in front of their home where his father had built a swing for him.

They should have been a happy family. But then, a group of ruthless intruders shattered everything.

They not only killed his parents and burned down their house but also sent him to the laboratory!

He loved tinkering with and modifying toys himself. Yet when that passion was twisted into being forced to learn all sorts of physics under duress, even the greatest love turned to loathing.

No matter how much he despised it, he dared not voice any refusal to learn. He had witnessed a child who spoke such words being dragged straight into the operating room, then dissected into pieces and sent away.

That horrifying vision haunted him for many nights, each time dreaming that he was the one tied to the dissection table, surrounded by people wielding knives whose cold glint shone menacingly on his face, jolting him awake in terror.

That place was lauded as the Ultimate Human Cultivation Center. But what truly defined an ultimate human?

Merely possessing a brilliant mind was never enough.

When he grew older and his body could endure modifications, his nightmares truly began.

Surgeries or drug injections came every ten to fifteen days. These became the most dreadful ordeals. No matter the procedure, they were conducted while he was fully conscious, only to better observe his reactions.

When the local anesthesia wore off, no matter how excruciating the pain, he had to endure it silently, for tolerating pain was part of the transformation.

The injections were no different. No matter how agonizing the aftermath, he was bound to the bed, forced to endure.

If he succumbed, it meant elimination—an outcome that meant death.

Each time he felt on the verge of breaking, the image of his parents’ murder would flash before his eyes, stirring an unspeakable hatred within.

It was this hatred that fueled his perseverance, allowing him to endure and eventually become Number Five.

After escaping, the first thing he did was search for those who had killed his parents. Moving through mercenary circles worldwide, leveraging his gunsmith skills, he quickly built connections and amassed wealth. Even his favored Tang Dao sword and skills came from a destitute mercenary who couldn’t pay in cash and gave it to him instead.

Guided by the faint memory of a single face from childhood, after a year and a half of searching, he finally found his enemies.

It was then he learned that they had targeted his family by design. The Ultimate Human Cultivation Center, seeing his potential, had hired those criminals to murder and pillage his home.

Old and new grudges rekindled his resolve to destroy that laboratory.

He returned to the place that had imprisoned him for over a decade, but the front-facing sanatorium had closed, and despite several attempts, he could not open the gates to the underground experimental center.

Helpless, he had to leave and find another way.

He reasoned that as long as those scoundrels continued their experiments, they would keep abducting people. His greatest advantage in the mercenary world was being well-informed; he believed he could eventually catch a clue.

Unfortunately, he found no trace of them but instead uncovered news of an impending apocalypse.

At the time, he began gathering supplies with a mindset of “better safe than sorry.”

He had a spatial dimension that appeared mysteriously after one of the experiments, a secret he kept from everyone, unnoticed by others.

Soon after, the apocalypse descended.

He awakened anew, manifesting dual elemental abilities in both lightning and wind.

What did dual elemental powers mean?

He believed that with two elements, he was not far from becoming a top-tier force. His demands were modest—just enough to exact his revenge.

Standing amid a sea of zombies, he felt for the first time a desire to find a companion.

Before meeting Number Nine, he never imagined the other would become the most important presence in his heart.

No family? So what?

At least there was one person in this world to care for, to provide solace. That was enough.

The Situ family no longer bore the grandeur of a traditional martial lineage. After their failed coup, many disciples had died or scattered, and the survivors were bound and confined in the old Situ mansion by Ye Jingnan, who also assigned guards.

More than just the Situ family, in truth, all who had participated in the mission were imprisoned.

In Ye Jingnan’s view, if Ye Jingxuan returned safely, he would give them a harsh reckoning; if not, none of them would live.

Now, with others cleared out, only the Situ family remained for Ye Jingxuan to personally deal with.

The cleanup was straightforward. Except for Situ Huang, Ye Jingxuan and Mo Chen gave the rest a swift and certain end.

They were not men to repay kindness with enmity—they believed in cutting the grass to the root and killing snakes to prevent future harm.

When Situ Qing saw Mo Chen again, there was no trace of love in her eyes, only profound hatred as she gazed upon the bloodied bodies of her kin.

“Why? Why treat us this way? Even if my brother truly caused that girl’s death, must so many of us from the Situ family pay for it?” she asked, unwilling to accept their fate.

But Mo Chen offered no explanation, only a swift blow from his blade.

“Your brother wanted to harm what matters most to me, so I returned the favor by eliminating what matters most to him. Fair enough,” Mo Chen said coldly, withdrawing his sword.

But she could no longer hear him.

As for Situ Huang, he was not so fortunate. When Ye Jingxuan and Mo Chen left, those sent to handle the bodies found nothing but a pulp—no trace remained of the Situ family’s eldest son.

Back at the Longyang base, Ye Jingxuan had more than revenge on his mind. He also sought to renounce his status as heir to the Ye family headship.

“Have you made your decision?” Ye Shitian asked calmly.

“Yes, Father,” Ye Jingxuan answered firmly.

Ye Shitian gazed at his son, emotions swirling within.

He had long noticed Ye Jingxuan’s obsessive nature. Whatever he desired, he would stop at nothing to obtain. As he matured, this obsession deepened, though it was less apparent since the boy’s desires had grown fewer.

When he last saw that child Mei, he realized the depth of Ye Jingxuan’s fixation on her. He hadn’t expected it to reach a point where family duties could be forsaken.

“You can keep her here in the Ye family,” Ye Shitian urged.

Ye Jingxuan shook his head. “She won’t stay. The Ye family can’t hold her. She belongs to a broader world. I want to spend my life protecting her—that’s a promise I made long ago.”

Since learning she wasn’t human, he had felt she was a transient presence, destined to leave someday.

He had wavered between the Ye family and her.

But in the end, he could not let her go.

No matter what, he wanted to remain by her side, whether she understood or not. He would protect her until the end of his days.

After a long pause, Ye Shitian sighed.

“I understand. I will issue the announcement to remove your status as heir.”

“Thank you, Father,” Ye Jingxuan bowed deeply, grateful for his father’s understanding despite his stubbornness.

“Are you leaving soon?” Ye Shitian asked once Ye Jingxuan straightened.

Ye Jingxuan hesitated, then nodded slightly.

“Then go. Just be careful out there. Bring that girl back to visit whenever you can,” Ye Shitian advised.

“I will, Father,” Ye Jingxuan promised.

Ye Shitian said no more, waving him off.

After Ye Jingxuan left, Ye Shitian took out a family photo from a drawer—a picture of the three of them when Ye Jingxuan was only two years old, already bearing that serious expression. His wife had loved to tease their son, not stopping until he laughed or cried.

Later, after his wife’s death from illness, his world became just the Ye family and his son.

Now, his son was leaving to pursue his own life.

Though reluctant, he could not stop him. He only hoped that child would bring happiness to Ye Jingxuan—that was enough.

Ye Jingxuan and Mo Chen stayed a few more days at the Ye family before setting out for the city.

Back at the underground experimental base, upon hearing no news of Shirel, the two could only vent their frustration against the endless hordes of zombies.

More than two months had passed since they left the Longsheng base. After confirming Mei’s body was fully healed, Shirel finally decided to awaken her.

(To be continued.)