Seeing that Xu An’s eyes already held a resolute decision, she chose to respect her choice.
“Then be careful.”
Xu An nodded, “I will.”
After the mother and daughter finished their chat, Xu Yan went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She had been making all sorts of dishes for Xu An recently. Despite only being apart for half a month, she felt her daughter had lost a lot of weight.
Xu Yan spent all day thinking about what to do to help Xu An regain her strength.
Xu An didn’t linger anymore. After taking out her long saber, she began practicing in the living room.
Since she had decided to compete, she needed to improve her physical fitness even more.
“Mom, don’t forget to continue exercising yourself!”
“I know!” Xu Yan replied from the kitchen while busy, her lips curved with an uncontainable smile.
Although Xu Yan no longer went down to the tower frequently, she hadn’t given up her own physical training.
…
Watching his grandmother and mother break a sweat, Gou Dan shook his head, shifted to the other side, and continued to doze in his fluffy dog bed.
After training, Xu An took a shower. Her mother hadn’t finished cooking yet. As she dried her hair, she tucked her feet into Gou Dan’s soft belly.
Startled by the cold temperature, Gou Dan almost leaped up. He looked up and realized it was his mother.
He then pawed at Xu An’s cold feet, using his belly’s warmth to warm her feet.
Xu An let out a comfortable sigh and felt that Gou Dan had truly been a worthwhile companion.
“Come and eat.”
“Okay, coming.”
Xu An replied, withdrawing her feet. She then got up, prepared Gou Dan’s dog food, and walked towards the dining table.
“By the way, Mom, do you know Li Shaogang?”
“Of course, I do. What’s wrong? Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?”
It was likely that no one on the tower was unfamiliar with Li Shaogang. If the tower were described as a city, Li Shaogang would be equivalent to the deputy mayor.
Xu Yan was curious why her daughter would suddenly bring this up.
“Li Shaogang is Laoshu’s father.” Xu An picked up a slice of cured meat and put it in her mouth, the savory taste instantly filling her mouth.
“Ah?”
Xu Yan was also surprised. “That little girl named Laoshu has such strong backing?” She pondered for a moment and asked doubtfully, “That’s not right, I haven’t heard of Li Shaogang having a daughter?”
He did have a son, who had followed in his father’s footsteps and was responsible for the operation and maintenance of public transportation within the tower.
“Her real name is Li Shu…” Following this, Xu An recounted Laoshu’s story to her mother.
After listening, Xu Yan nodded, her perception of Laoshu changing considerably.
“I didn’t expect this little girl to have such backbone.”
“Laoshu said she would help me investigate the doctors who contacted Qin Chuan. It shouldn’t be long before we find out who is behind Qin Chuan.”
Xu An had been worried if Laoshu’s abilities were enough to approach people of that caliber. After learning of Laoshu’s true identity, she no longer had any concerns.
…
In the laboratory.
Qin Chuan stood straight. He was still wearing the same military green camouflage uniform. If Xu An were there, she would surely tease Qin Chuan.
Do you have no other clothes? When you’re not on a mission, why are you always in that outfit?
Qin Chuan’s expression was stern as he stood before a transparent glass door, coldly observing a row of people seated opposite him.
White daylight from the silver-gray ceiling shone frigidly onto Qin Chuan’s head.
“We detected that besides Zhou Zhe, there was another person who came out of the cave with you that day. Who was it?”
Qin Chuan’s face was pale, carrying the sickly look of an unhealed wound. “I told you, it was a survivor from the desert.”
“Qin Chuan, you are the most outstanding captain in the history of our Vanguard team. It is because I trust you and value your abilities that I have assigned you to the Doctor’s side.”
The middle-aged man suddenly changed his tone, shifting from gentle to sharp. “You should know that the Doctor’s research is for the survival and development of all humanity. Your uncooperative attitude is an act of defiance against all of mankind!”
The man directly threw a high-sounding accusation at Qin Chuan, but he clearly underestimated Qin Chuan. Having served in the military since he was eighteen, Qin Chuan had seen it all, and this minor “interrogation” couldn’t scare him.
Facing the “trial” before him, Qin Chuan remained neither servile nor overbearing. He looked at the officers whose combined military ranks could easily crush him under their fingers and said calmly, “Every word I have spoken is true. There was indeed a third person at the scene besides Zhou Zhe and myself. That person was a survivor of the Chailimu Desert and sacrificed themselves in the cave to save Zhou Zhe and me.”
He finished speaking in one breath, adding, “This is the truth!”
Zhou Zhe, standing behind him, felt his previously panicked heart inexplicably soothed.
Before, when Qin Chuan was still unable to move, Zhou Zhe had been summoned for questioning by high-ranking officials.
Because Qin Chuan had previously instructed him not to mention Xu An to anyone if the officials inquired.
Zhou Zhe understood Qin Chuan’s meaning perfectly. They were carrying out a top-secret mission, and Xu An, to put it bluntly, was just an ordinary tower resident.
If this matter involved Xu An, it would bring her nothing but harm.
Therefore, during the post-mission report, Zhou Zhe deliberately omitted any mention of Xu An. He thought he had managed to gloss over it.
However, he didn’t expect that after following Qin Chuan’s orders to find Xu An on the first floor, he would be notified upon his return that he and Qin Chuan were to be “interrogated” by the military.
It wasn't until they reached the interrogation room that Zhou Zhe realized where the problem lay. After they had escaped together, Xu An had knocked Ana unconscious and left with her, not encountering the rescue team.
However, the rescue team that met them later discovered traces of life at the scene besides Qin Chuan and Zhou Zhe.
It was a newly developed life trace detector from the tower. Clearly, this instrument was not for saving lives but for investigating traces at the scene.
Thus, the traces of the “third person” were exposed.
Zhou Zhe still couldn’t figure out how the detector worked. Speaking of traces, Ana was also present at the time, yet the tower only detected three individuals.
Qin Chuan remained silent, giving Zhou Zhe a look. The two walked into the interrogation room one after the other.
Zhou Zhe received Qin Chuan’s signal, knowing they had to stick to the story regarding Xu An, and then followed Qin Chuan’s footsteps into the room.
As soon as he entered, Zhou Zhe couldn’t speak for himself, but his own legs felt weak.
Besides Dr. Xia, the other two were their immediate superiors, the heads of the official military, and concurrently Qin Chuan’s grandfather—Qin Jialiang.