Chapter Sixteen: Two Choices

Chapter Sixteen: Two Choices

“Fortunately, my worries didn’t come true,” Red Fox reassured Chen Xiao. “Look, right now Black Three and I are standing beside you, but you don’t have the ability to ‘devour’ us. While you were unconscious, we ran some checks on your body, including stimulating your brain and heart. I suspected you might have gained a new ability from being infected by the ‘Purification’ serum—perhaps something that lies dormant, only erupting when you’re agitated, excited, or in danger. But after a series of provocative tests… you’re safe.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Chen Xiao smiled faintly. “But if the tests had shown I was dangerous, what would you have done to me? Destroyed me on the spot?”

Red Fox frowned. “Mr. Chen, it seems you have deep-seated prejudices against people like us.”

“My parents died because of all this. And my life has changed because of it, too.” Chen Xiao’s tone was far from friendly.

“We’re here to help you,” Black Three interjected. Her gaze was gentle and warm as she looked at Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao just smiled, calm and detached. “Thank you. I do believe you’re my mother’s friend, and I trust your good intentions. But… if it hadn’t been discovered that my parents were involved in the ‘Purification’ research, would your organization have sent people like Black Seven and Red Seven to watch me?”

Black Three fell silent—Chen Xiao’s point was irrefutable.

Red Fox sighed and looked at Chen Xiao with a deep, searching gaze. “Very well, Mr. Chen. I’ve explained everything I can. Since you seem to have some reservations about me, I think it’s best if Black Three handles the rest.”

He glanced at Black Three. “My work here is done. I have to head to South America to deal with a new mess.”

He offered Chen Xiao a final smile. “Sorry for disturbing your life. I hope you recover soon.”

With that, Red Fox stepped back, and his figure gradually faded from view—disappearing before Chen Xiao’s eyes. Thankfully, after the recent experiences of the past two days, Chen Xiao was no longer surprised by the sight of a living person vanishing into thin air.

“All right, now listen to me,” Black Three said, her eyes tinged with worry. Her voice was gentle, but her tone was grave. “Chen Xiao, I know you don’t like us, nor do you like having your life disrupted. Learning the truth must have left you feeling worse. But I hope you’ll listen carefully to what I have to say.”

“Go ahead,” Chen Xiao sighed. His attitude softened considerably toward Black Three, given what he knew—this woman had helped his family purely out of friendship with his mother.

“First, I have to tell you that you’ve been added to the Service Organization’s watch list,” Black Three said, meeting Chen Xiao’s gaze. “Our organization keeps a watch list. Some of our members travel the world, searching for undiscovered gifted individuals, or those whose powers haven’t yet awakened, but who already show signs of talent. If someone’s powers have already awakened, we usually test and invite them to join us. If they decline, we still keep in touch and log their information into our database. As Red Fox said, one of our group’s goals is to unite people like us. Of course, unlike that ‘Club,’ we don’t force anyone to join. As long as someone doesn’t go too far, we don’t interfere.”

“Of course—you see yourselves as the world’s police,” Chen Xiao replied, his tone indifferent.

Black Three seemed unfazed by the edge in his words and went on, “We also keep a secondary watch list—those who may have abilities but haven’t awakened, or whose powers haven’t manifested yet. Our usual practice is to observe from the shadows, keeping records without approaching or interfering, because we don’t want to disrupt the world or disturb people’s lives unnecessarily.”

“So, I’ve been added to this watch list as well?” Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows.

“Yes,” Black Three replied with a wry smile. “Do you know, back at your house, before you lost consciousness, the shockwave you released broke two of my ribs? You’ve already demonstrated remarkable power. But then your abilities seemed to vanish, which confused us. So for now, you’re on the watch list.”

Chen Xiao sighed. “So, in other words, you’re keeping a close eye on me.”

Black Three looked at Chen Xiao’s grim face. “You should know, even without all this… there’s a Blue Blood by your side. We’d be watching her, too.”

“Just tell me—what do they want from me? What do they expect me to do?” Chen Xiao’s tone was somewhat irritable. However, he referred to “they,” as if separating Black Three—who had sincerely helped him—from the others. No matter what, he felt he owed her gratitude, especially since she had been penalized by the organization for his family’s sake.

“You have two choices,” Black Three said, her tone grave. “First, we hope you’ll officially join us. In that case, I’ll take you back with me. You will undergo some training and testing…”

“Just tell me the second option,” Chen Xiao said coolly. “I have no interest in being a lab rat. I like my life as it is and don’t want anything to change.”

Black Three smiled, a trace of satisfaction in her expression as she looked at Chen Xiao. “I knew you’d choose that—you’re just as stubborn as your father.”

“You knew my father?” Chen Xiao was surprised.

“Your father…” For a moment, Black Three’s eyes grew distant, as if lost in old memories. Then she shook her head, as if pushing those thoughts away. “I knew him. He was… a very special person.” The smile on her face grew tinged with complex emotion. “Back then, I was the one who introduced your mother to your father.”

From the way she spoke, it was clear things had not been that simple. But Chen Xiao didn’t dwell on it. He just nodded and pressed on, “And the second option?”

“We hope you’ll cooperate with our observation,” Black Three said. When she saw Chen Xiao’s brows knit together, she hurried to add, “I know you wouldn’t like being watched in secret. So instead of being shadowed from the dark, why not let the surveillance be open? I’ll give you an address. Go there and find someone who will offer you a job.”

“A job? Isn’t that just another way of recruiting me?” Chen Xiao shook his head.

“No, that’s not it,” Black Three said, smiling. “It’s just a regular job. Don’t you need to earn a living? This job has nothing to do with our organization’s missions. Let me put it this way: the Service Organization has been around for over two hundred years. Our members come and go, just like anyone else. We’re not monsters—just people with abilities. Members work for the organization, but eventually everyone retires. We have a retirement system. Those who retire blend back into society and live normal lives. I’ll give you an address where retired members are placed. You’ll be under our watch, but your daily life won’t be disrupted.”

Her eyes grew serious. “From a personal standpoint, I strongly suggest you take the second option. And you’d best not refuse. If you do, the higher-ups will forcibly take you away. You’re an unknown variable—you might have abilities hidden in your body that could pose a huge threat to us. Black Seven is a member of the SEVEN group, one of our top operatives—now he’s been completely disabled because of you. The organization has already suffered losses; they won’t risk ignoring you.”

Chen Xiao was silent for a long moment, then managed a wry smile. “It seems I have no real choice—I can only agree.”

He looked up. “You truly won’t interfere with my normal life?”

“You’ll go on living just like everyone else. Unless you want to, we won’t ask anything extra of you. We’re not like that ‘Club’ at all,” Black Three said softly.

“I don’t believe in any organization that’s wholly righteous and good,” Chen Xiao replied, his tone distant. But his voice softened a little as he looked at Black Three. “But I believe you.”

He paused, and his face suddenly darkened. “About the institute where my parents worked… what happened to it?”

Black Three sighed, walked over to Chen Xiao, and gently stroked his forehead. He hesitated but didn’t pull away, and heard her say quietly, “Everyone from that institute is dead—your parents caused an incident. Don’t worry, there’s no need for you to seek revenge.”

She paused, then suddenly removed her earpiece, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, “I hope you won’t let thoughts of vengeance change your life. In any case, it’s over. I assure you, the person in charge of that institute died in the incident. Even if he survived, we intervened over the past two years and he’s been ‘handled.’ Your parents’ deaths have been avenged.”

“But the ‘Club’ still exists, doesn’t it?” Chen Xiao was silent for a while, then spoke.

Black Three gently cradled his head. “Remember what your mother wished for you—she hoped you’d live beneath a blue, boundless sky.”

*

Now, a few words aside, just to explain things.

This new book has just been released, and honestly, I’m grateful to everyone. You’ve truly supported me. After only a handful of chapters, you’ve pushed me to the top of the weekly click rankings. The new book has only been out for a week (the first chapter was released on March 6—today marks seven days), and it’s already gotten over a million clicks. You’ve done me a great honor, and I can’t thank you enough. If I could, I’d die to show my gratitude—just kidding (forgive me, I’ve been listening to too much Guo Degang lately).

Of course, life’s never without its bruises.

This book has become popular very quickly, which has attracted its share of detractors. These past few days, the review section has been full of insults, foul language, people cursing my family and ancestors, and accusations of me rigging the numbers—there are tons of such people. I’m tired of blocking them. Let them be.

Honestly, reading those insults secretly amuses me. I’m, after all, a professional writer—I make my living with words. When it comes to verbal sparring, do you honestly think you, as amateurs, could outplay a professional? If I wanted to, I could out-insult any of you, but I don’t bother—it’s all beneath me.

Besides, I’ve been writing at Qidian for several years (five, to be precise); I’m an old hand now. Some of my long-time readers were still in middle school when they first picked up my books, and now they’re in college.

I’ve seen it all; this little bit of nastiness and mudslinging doesn’t affect me. I’m used to it. Let it go.

So I suggest you save your energy. Why not put that effort into building the Four Modernizations, or protecting the environment, or, at the very least, work a little harder at your job so you can get a bigger year-end bonus? That’s more worthwhile than anything else.

That’s all. Let’s call it a day.