Chapter 53: It Really Was Him!

The Parliament Building, the most solid and imposing structure in Southport, was now completely surrounded. Thousands of armed guards patrolled back and forth with utmost vigilance, their formation tight; more than a dozen armored command vehicles stood nearby, antennas towering, flashing as they constantly transmitted and received signals.

Suddenly, seven or eight police vehicles appeared on the distant road, tightly escorting a stretched limousine in their midst. The convoy soon arrived outside the building and stopped. The car door opened.

From among the guards, a rotund man with a walkie-talkie at his waist—clearly the leader—stepped forward, his excitement barely concealed as he bowed respectfully to the figure emerging from the car. "Welcome, Councilor Yao."

"Out of the way," Yao Lun replied without the slightest hint of courtesy.

"Yes, yes, of course. Please, this way." The fat man hastily turned to bark orders, clearing a path.

Deep beneath the building, in the conference chamber, a long table was flanked by Huang Long, Zhou Ze, and several other weathered ability users, all in the midst of a lively discussion.

"Old Zhao, you came back from Site Five with quite a haul, didn’t you? Got anything impressive? Show us and Old Zhou," Huang Long said with a cheerful grin.

A mature man, his left arm and left eye replaced by mechanical prosthetics, smirked at the question. "Don’t mention it. I nearly lost my life out there. If not for the Chairman, I wouldn’t have made it back."

"Councilor Zhao fought through several defensive lines on his own and struck it rich. Even his mechanical arm has a new component—didn’t you all notice?" This came from an older woman, her tone tinged with envy.

"Don’t joke, Councilor Zhu. I, Zhao Lu, just got lucky and picked up a few scraps, nothing more."

The conversation flowed easily among them, though one ability user at the far end of the table, encased head to toe in a skin-like metallic membrane, only listened in silence, occasionally glancing toward the head of the table.

There sat a middle-aged man, clad in a tailored black trench coat, trimmed with a line of gold—distinctive attire reserved for ability users of Southport New City. His shoulders were broad, his nose aquiline.

Two girls, identical in appearance and both strikingly attractive, chattered energetically around him.

"Dad, we only became ability users a year ago—what’s the rush? I don’t want to go," Zhang Lingfei pouted.

"I’d quite like to go. There must be plenty of advanced machines and instruments there," the other girl replied, her manner gentle and serene.

Zhang Lingfei leaned back lazily, twirling her wavy hair. "You’re such a fool, always obsessed with your research. What if you get yourself killed in there?"

Zhang Sheng, the Chairman, was leafing through a thick stack of documents, reviewing everything that had happened in Southport New City during the months he’d been away.

"It’s already been arranged. There’s nothing further to discuss." He finished, punctuating his words with a deep, rumbling cough.

Buzz.

At that moment, the conference room doors slid open and Yao Lun strode inside.

Apart from Zhang Sheng, who glanced up, no one else acknowledged his entrance.

"Councilor Yao has arrived. Let’s begin," Zhang Sheng said, refocusing on his paperwork, his knuckles tapping the armrest.

"You two, out."

The two girls, knowing their father’s strict adherence to rules—only councilors could attend meetings of this level—obediently left the room.

The moment the doors closed, silence fell over the chamber. A full minute passed before Yao Lun finally stood.

He was a large man, his presence as imposing as a door.

"I request authorization to deploy an analytic-type intelligent lifeform."

At once, every gaze in the room turned to him. The previously subdued atmosphere bristled with tension.

The three councilors who had returned to the city with Zhang Sheng were unclear about the situation and chose to stay out of it, their expressions detached, their silence tacitly agreed.

Huang Long’s brow furrowed; he opened his mouth, then thought better of it. Zhou Ze, meanwhile, fixed his gaze on the man across from him, a chill settling in his heart.

He knew all too well why Yao Lun was making this request. Normally, there would be nothing unusual about it—who wouldn’t want vengeance for the loss of a child? But the key problem now was that the person suspected of killing Yao Zhenyuan was none other than Ji Cheng, whom Zhou Ze regarded with high hopes.

Who else but Ji Cheng, whose body had fully assimilated the original gene, could have single-handedly defeated four others?

From his seat at the head of the table, Zhang Sheng looked at Yao Lun, calmly stacked his papers aside, then spoke.

"Your reason?"

Yao Lun’s eyes turned red. His voice was hoarse. "Chief, Zhenyuan is dead."

"He died during the ability user selection. I can’t accept it. I refuse to believe it was the work of a mutated beast."

"Address me as Chairman," Zhang Sheng said sternly.

Yao Lun lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze. "Yes, Chairman."

Though his temperament was solitary and violent, he had been one of Zhang Sheng’s earliest, most trusted followers and remained indispensable as a second-tier ability user. Even Zhang Sheng’s two daughters served under his command.

"The selection process for this round of ability users was set before I left. The other city-states also agreed. It is the rule," Zhang Sheng said, his expression unchanging, his words delivered with deliberate slowness. "Do you have doubts?"

Yao Lun shook his head at once. "No doubts. I just want to know who killed him. That’s all I want."

"Just want to know? Who are you trying to fool?" Zhou Ze snorted and stood as well. "This is parliament session. Such matters should be raised in private with the Chairman after we adjourn."

Though his words sounded like a call for delay, his true purpose was to signal to Zhang Sheng where he stood.

Whoever Yao Lun wanted to target, Zhou Ze would protect.

Oh? Zhou Ze was picking a fight with Yao Lun? The returning councilors were suddenly intrigued. Who could warrant such protection from Zhou Ze?

Even Zhang Sheng seemed momentarily surprised by the turn of events, falling silent.

At their level, it was no longer a matter of who was right, but rather of choosing and balancing interests.

"This matter concerns ability users. It is within parliament’s purview."

Yao Lun made his position clear, unyielding. He would not let this go—he would find the truth, no matter whose pride was at stake.

Ability users were involved? The three returning councilors now understood: the suspect in Yao Lun’s eyes was likely one of Zhou Ze’s protégés.

The crux of the matter was this: would Zhang Sheng support Yao Lun, or would he side with Zhou Ze?

"Does it concern ability users, Zhou Ze? What’s your view?" Zhang Sheng tossed the question back.

"Nonsense," Zhou Ze answered, standing firm.

Zhang Sheng turned his gaze to Yao Lun once more.

Yao Lun straightened, refusing to give Zhou Ze another chance to weigh in.

"Chairman Zhang, with a valid reason, my request should not be denied—as a councilor of Southport New City."

Checkmate.

Everyone present, including Zhang Sheng, immediately recognized Yao Lun’s determination. He was staking his rank and the very rules that Zhang Sheng valued most.

Zhou Ze, seeing there was no way to stop this, settled back into his seat.

As expected, Zhang Sheng did not hesitate any longer and gave a slight nod.

"Deploying an analytic-type intelligent lifeform requires fifty contribution points. Deduct them."

Ten minutes later, a living examination chamber, an evidence inspection kit, and a stack of crime scene photographs were all arrayed on the conference table.

A woman’s figure, almost indistinguishable from a real person but with a faintly unreal quality, stood nearby.

She gave Zhang Sheng a sweet smile, glanced at the open cases, then lightly tapped a computer with her finger.

No one touched the keyboard, yet the computer whirred to life, calculating and reconstructing the incident, extracting every trace of evidence.

A holographic projection flared to life.

Within it, a tall, lithe figure moved with ruthless efficiency, dispatching four others in a flurry of motion.

Afterward, the killer disguised the fatal wounds, delayed the onset of rigor mortis by submerging the bodies in the river, then used bottle-cap spiders to recreate deadly injuries—carefully forging tracks leading the four toward the riverbank.

Aside from the obscured face, Ji Cheng’s entire process of killing the four was laid bare.

"It was him!" Yao Lun’s eyes blazed red, every word squeezed through gritted teeth.