Chapter 43
Xia Liansheng took a deep breath. “Don’t regret it. Whether it’s luck or opportunity, it’s on our side!”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “That’s not necessarily true.”
Xia Liansheng agreed, “You’re right. Just like me, we can’t say for certain who will win in the end. Let’s wait and see. I will definitely be the last one standing.”
Liu Zhongyuan watched Xia Liansheng walk away until he couldn’t see him anymore. He revealed a puzzled expression. What did he just say to Xia Liansheng?
Could Xia Liansheng really know what will happen in the future? The current situation has exceeded what he knows, so he feels that his future has been disrupted and came to issue a threat?
There was also a statement that Xia Liansheng said they were in the same situation, and the winner is uncertain.
What situation is he referring to?
His strength is definitely superior to Xia Liansheng, so it can’t be that. Then what else could it be?
Liu Zhongyuan decided to talk to Qin Jiulin about it and left Qi Yu in the tent again.
Qin Jiulin asked, “Why did you urgently call me out? Did he tell you something just now?”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “There are some topics I don’t understand. I want to discuss them with you and see if you know…”
Qin Jiulin was also curious. “What did he say?”
Liu Zhongyuan repeated what Xia Liansheng had said.
Qin Jiulin’s first thought was that Xia Liansheng, like himself, had returned to the past and started over. But so far, Xia Liansheng’s actions didn’t seem to confirm that.
“I’m not quite sure either. It sounds like nonsense,” Qin Jiulin said.
Liu Zhongyuan agreed, “Exactly! I think the same. It’s like he’s a fortune teller, claiming to predict the future. And he said something about me wanting to change my fate. It’s ridiculous!”
Qin Jiulin thought to himself, indeed, fate has changed for him and Qi Yu too. And of course, Liu Zhongyuan’s fate may also change…
“He mentioned Qi Yu, right?” Qin Jiulin asked.
Liu Zhongyuan confirmed, “Yes. Even though we saw him before, he left for a while and then came back to ask me about Qi Yu…”
Qin Jiulin: “He went to find the captain to ask about our situation, right?”
Liu Zhongyuan: “He shouldn’t have anything to do with Qi Yu, why would he ask about him?”
Qin Jiulin: “I’m not sure either, but… he seems like he wants to stop you from doing something. Let’s wait for him to make a move.”
Liu Zhongyuan: “You’re right. We don’t know much right now, so we’ll just wait for him to reveal himself.”
After Xia Liansheng left, he went straight to where the Qin family members were staying. The Qin family consisted of two elderly people, two middle-aged adults, and Qin Jiuzhen.
Seeing this burdened family, many people would definitely be unwilling to help them. But Xia Liansheng had always been selfless, and it was because of him that the military took care of them.
As soon as Xia Liansheng arrived, he was spotted by Qin Jiuzhen, who was idling around outside the tent. Qin Jiuzhen immediately walked over with a smile, “Liansheng ge, you’re here? Did you come to find me?”
When Xia Liansheng saw Qin Jiuzhen, the frustration in his heart eased a bit. “Yeah, I came to find you. I was feeling restless and decided to come see you. Surprisingly, I feel much better now.”
Qin Jiuzhen blinked awkwardly. “Oh… is that so? Well, I can’t do anything and I’m useless, but if I can help ease your mood, then at least I have some purpose.”
The smile on his face seemed forced, and Xia Liansheng knew that this kind of smile was truly helpless, a facade of calmness.
Xia Liansheng reached out and ruffled his hair. “You’re good, better than anyone else. Don’t belittle yourself.”
Qin Jiuzhen replied, “Thank you…”
Xia Liansheng continued, “By the way, I saw Jiulin in the camp earlier.”
Qin Jiuzhen suddenly froze. “What? You saw my brother? Is he okay?”
Xia Liansheng reassured him, “Yeah, he’s fine. Not only is he fine, but he’s doing really well. You don’t need to worry about his safety at all. In fact, he’s even joined another squad as a tiger-type variant.”
Qin Jiuzhen blinked in surprise. “What… what’s going on?”
Xia Liansheng admitted, “I’m not sure either. He’s been very cold towards me lately, and he doesn’t even acknowledge our relationship. And his attitude towards you… isn’t very good either.”
Qin Jiuzhen couldn’t understand. “How is that possible? Grandma and Grandpa are still around, and Mom and Dad are really worried about him. How could he be distant from us? Is it… is it…”
“When will big brother come to meet us? We really want to see him. If he’s a variant beast, Mom and Dad will definitely like him.”
“Big brother has always been looking forward to improving his relationship with our family, but misunderstandings have prevented that from happening. Now there shouldn’t be any more issues!”
Xia Liansheng also had the same thoughts, but Qin Jiuzhen’s attitude earlier clearly indicated otherwise. He didn’t even consider his own family and spoke such heartless words.
“I don’t know if he will come to meet you. I asked, but he didn’t give me a clear answer.”
Qin Jiuzhen appeared anxious. “Liansheng ge! Liansheng ge… can you take me inside? I want to see big brother, I want to talk to him. I’m sure I can convince him.”
“All the past misunderstandings were just that, misunderstandings. Mom and Dad don’t want things to be this way either. They had their reasons. I don’t want them to keep misunderstanding… I…”
Xia Liansheng pondered for a moment, then looked around. He noticed that there were no soldiers guarding this area, which would normally be the case. It was unlikely that they were temporarily reassigned due to a shortage of personnel.
After all, there shouldn’t be much danger within the camp. The people living here were either variant beastmen who came to assist or family and friends of ordinary beastmen. They were all ordinary people without combat abilities. What danger could they pose?
Although it was regulated that people other than military personnel were not allowed to enter the camp without permission, perhaps because no one had violated the rule before, the management here had become lax over time.
Unexpectedly, Xia Liansheng seized this opportunity. “There shouldn’t be any major issues. No one is guarding this area now. If you just want to see Jiulin, I can take you in. But we can only chat for a while. If we’re discovered spending too much time, it might cause some trouble.”
After all, military regulations were regulations. As long as they weren’t caught, it should be fine. However, if they were discovered and apprehended, it would be troublesome.
Qin Jiuzhen eagerly nodded, his eyes filled with surprise. “Okay, okay. Thank you, Liansheng ge. I knew you would be the best to me!”
Xia Liansheng led Qin Jiuzhen into the restricted area of the military camp, taking him to the vicinity of Liu Zhongyuan’s and Qi Yu’s villa.
Inside, Liu Zhongyuan, Qin Jiuzhen, and Qi Yu were discussing their future actions. There wasn’t much to discuss, to be honest.
Liu Zhongyuan glanced at the time when the conversation was nearly finished, and stood up, saying, “It’s time for dinner. Let’s go eat. We’ll have a communal meal, and the taste will definitely be good.”
Qin Jiuzhen added, “I’ve been wanting to try the food prepared by the military’s kitchen. Let’s go, I’m hungry.”
Qi Yu whispered, “We variant beastmen eat a lot. Should we help bring back some prey?”
Liu Zhongyuan smiled and replied, “That won’t be necessary. The military has its own hunting system. We don’t need to intervene. If there isn’t enough food, they will inform us.”
Qi Yu replied, “Okay, okay.”
Just as the three of them stepped out of the tent, they saw a familiar figure outside – Xia Liansheng.
Liu Zhongyuan sighed heavily, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow as he walked briskly towards him. “Why is it you again?”
“Are you still not giving up?” Xia Liansheng didn’t want to argue with Liu Zhongyuan and pointed to the person next to him. “This is Qin Jiuzhen. Jiulin, your younger brother, wants to see you. I brought him here to meet you.”
Liu Zhongyuan realized he was being ignored, but instinctively turned to look at Qin Jiuzhen.
Qin Jiulin saw Xia Liansheng standing next to Qin Jiuzhen once again, but this time he felt strangely calm. He didn’t even have the thought or impulse to act, wondering if he had become accustomed to this. He felt like there was no need for him to take action anymore, and their relationship might not last much longer.
Qin Jiulin didn’t move, but Qin Jiuzhen took the initiative. He ran up to Qin Jiulin and grabbed his arm. “Brother, I finally get to see you. Why didn’t you come to see us?”
“Grandfather and uncle have both become half-beastmen. Grandma and mother are getting older and haven’t been doing well. Their health is not great. Dad got injured and mom is in poor spirits…”
“Everyone misses you and is worried about you. After all, you’re living alone in the villa area, on the outskirts. Although there aren’t many variant beastmen, there are many animals…”
“I… I feel relieved seeing that you’re okay. Let me inform mom and dad. Oh, by the way, brother, do you want to come with me to see them?”
Qin Jiulin looked at Xia Liansheng ahead of him. “Did you not tell him what I said before?”
Xia Liansheng hesitated and looked a bit embarrassed. He had mentioned it briefly, but Qin Jiuzhen probably didn’t believe him, which was why he came to see Qin Jiulin.
He could only awkwardly say, “Jiulin, Xiaozhen is your younger brother. Uncle and Auntie are your parents. And remember, Grandma is here too. Do you really not want to see them at all?”
Qin Jiulin stared at him for a moment before saying, “Have you forgotten? This is the restricted area of the military camp. Other than the authorized personnel, no one is allowed to enter.”
“Even the family members who are brought here are under protection, but they can’t just wander around freely. Didn’t you mention that? Why are you deliberately breaking the rules? Just because you’re a variant beastmen, does that mean you can openly violate the camp’s regulations?”
Liu Zhongyuan walked up beside him, mocking Xia Liansheng with his gaze. Qin Jiulin’s attitude just now was surprisingly calm, as if he were reciting lines from a script.
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