Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 23
Why did the Longxiang Army, brainwashed, launch such a desperate assault on the frontline in Jiangning District, exchanging casualties with the defending Shenwu Army?
Cheng Jinyang finally understood.
It was to cover for their supreme commander, the Duke of Wuchang, who had already secretly infiltrated Jiankang City.
There wasn’t much time for the two to react. Wang Chuzhong, with his octopus-shaped helmet, arrived under the escort of his guard unit.
Numerous mechanized infantry spread out around, eliminating any possible witnesses. Drone swarms circled above, dispersing some special metallic foil particles to block light and electromagnetic waves, preventing aerial reconnaissance units or low-orbit satellites from capturing any images.
As Wang Chuzhong advanced into Jiangning District, the psychic barrier that had been protecting the Shenwu Army quickly dissipated in a mental tug-of-war. The Shenwu soldiers exposed within Wang Chuzhong’s influence soon lost their morale, dropped their weapons, and surrendered on the spot.
Although the city shield was still holding in the sky, the entire Jiangning District was falling at an alarming speed.
Once the fallen zone expanded to either Purple Mountain (where the shield generator of the Zheng family was located) or Taicheng (where the psychic barrier generator of the Wang family was situated), the outcome of the entire war would be completely overturned.
Of course, none of this mattered to Cheng Jinyang at the moment, as he was likely to perish before Jiankang fell.
Wang Chuzhong was an elderly man with a sharp appearance, looking quite robust. Despite the comical octopus-shaped psychic amplifier on his head, the stern and indifferent gaze he cast made Cheng Jinyang feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
The grip on his neck tightened, and Cui Xiaoniang clung to him in fear.
“Are you Xie Guyan’s son?” Wang Chuzhong asked, his face expressionless.
“You know my mother?” Cheng Jinyang maintained a steady voice, neither humble nor arrogant, and met his gaze calmly.
“Twenty years ago, everyone knew your mother,” Wang Chuzhong said with a faint smile. “But whether it was then or now, everyone tacitly pretended she didn’t exist.”
Cheng Jinyang remained silent, quickly contemplating a strategy.
“No one told you about your mother, did they?” Wang Chuzhong’s smile was enigmatic.
“Please enlighten me, Duke,” Cheng Jinyang cupped his hands in respect.
For now, he would pretend to be non-hostile.
“Before marrying your father, your mother was an academician at the Imperial Academy of Sciences,” Wang Chuzhong said softly. “She had a very close relationship with the late Emperor, who shielded her from all external pressures, allowing her to focus on her work at the academy.”
“Unfortunately, perhaps wanting to play the role of a true woman, she fell in love with Cheng Qinghe of the Shendu Cheng family, which created a vulnerability in the Emperor’s protection, ultimately leading to her own death and that of your father.”
Cheng Jinyang couldn’t help but be shocked and asked in a trembling voice, “Playing the role of a true woman? What do you mean, was she originally…?”
“A man?” Wang Chuzhong’s smile grew more peculiar. “No, not that. She was neither a woman nor a man. More accurately, she wasn’t even human.”
“She was a great demon.”
………..
In the subway tunnel connecting Jiankang and Lin’an, a train carrying the Wang family members was speeding along.
Wang Wanrou sat on a bench in the carriage, next to her brother, Wang Xinzhi.
At this time, Wang Maohong had gone to another carriage for a meeting with other family leaders, leaving only the siblings in this one.
“Brother,” Wang Wanrou suddenly spoke, “do you believe in blood explosion?”
Wang Xinzhi, who was somewhat drowsy, opened his eyes at his sister’s question and pondered for a moment.
“Blood explosion… they might exist, but I don’t believe it would happen around me.”
“So, you don’t believe,” Wang Wanrou said.
“Sort of,” Wang Xinzhi replied with a smile. “If blood explosion were real, why is there no record of such things even in the archives of our Taiyuan Wang family? I tend to think it was fabricated, because it caters to the mindset of some family members deemed unqualified by genealogical assessments, and thus has persisted.”
“There is another possibility for the lack of records,” Wang Wanrou said calmly. “It only happens under harsh conditions. For example, to people with specific constitutions, encountering certain events in particular psychological states.”
“You mean extremely rare events,” Wang Xinzhi mused. “We cannot deny the existence of extremely rare events, but we shouldn’t pay them too much heed, should we?”
“Yes,” Wang Wanrou did not deny, “but we can look forward to it.”
She closed her eyes again, a slight smile of anticipation curling her lips.
In stark contrast to her excitement, on the other side, Cheng Jinyang and Cui Jinqi in Jiangning District stood frozen, as if struck by lightning, momentarily losing their ability to think.
My (Cheng Jinyang’s) mother is actually a demon?
“How is that possible!” Cheng Jinyang struggled to appear incredulous. “A demon, how could a demon possibly conceive offspring with a human?”
“Perhaps because your mother belongs to a rather unique individual, whether in the realm of demons or humans,” Wang Chuzhong said coldly. “There’s no need for such exaggerated acting, because after our conversation ends, you will go meet your parents, and then you can ask them yourself.”
The last thread of hope was severed by his words. Strangely, Cheng Jinyang became even calmer. He lightly patted the arm of Cui Xiaoniang, who was gripping him in fear—she had begun trembling in despair.
“No need to be surprised. Ever since you unhesitatingly destroyed the household robot we used to contact you, our possibilities between us have been completely cut off,” Wang Chuzhong smiled again, this time with a hint of pity. “Politics is like this; once you choose the wrong side, you must pay the corresponding price.”
“Price?” Cheng Jinyang murmured softly. Suddenly, a flame of anger surged within him. “Yes, the Shendu Cheng family elders who all sided with the Duke, only to lose their minds and become mere cannon fodder on the battlefield. That’s the price of choosing to trust you, isn’t it?”
“That’s because their value as pawns was only that much,” Wang Chuzhong raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued by the young man’s sudden rebellious attitude, and explained to him: “Political struggle is like a game of chess, whether capturing the opponent’s pieces or sacrificing your own, does it make a difference to the player? Their goal is simply to achieve ultimate victory.”
“As for the pawns, going with the flow is never advisable, because that means handing over your fate to the player. Choosing the side closer to victory and elevating your own value as a pawn is the key to survival in chaotic times.”
“If you weren’t Xie Guyan’s son, or perhaps if you had chosen to join us back then, I would have spared your life. Unfortunately, you satisfy neither condition.”
“Your mother died in the demon attack at Wujiang Town years ago, indicating she had completely lost her demonic power. As the son of a demon, you probably didn’t inherit corresponding abilities. You chose the court, so the Emperor is willing to place corresponding expectations on you because of your potential value to them.”
“And of course, we have to snuff you out before you awaken… even if in reality, you are just a human.”
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