Liu Wenyin's Story

Liu Wenyin fell silent for a long while, then shook her head. "I don't know."

She hadn't seen a young man's clear-eyed sincerity in Su Ze's gaze. She couldn't see through him.

And rationally speaking, although she had formed a good impression of Su Ze through their interactions, his words were indeed full of holes, making them difficult for her to believe.

Would a scapegoat possess a whole set of top-tier skills? Would he know so much about the secrets of Mu Kingdom's upper circles?

It would be more convincing to say that Su Ze was Zhao Lingxiao, while the dead Zhao Lingxiao had been the fake one—a mere scapegoat.

"Believe it or not, everything I said is true. You can ask around. It's not just the Netherworld Organization— the Zhao Family is after me too," Su Ze said. "If I were Zhao Lingxiao, the Zhao Family would have no reason to come after me."

"I'll verify it," Liu Wenyin nodded.

Though she said that, Liu Wenyin already believed more than half of what Su Ze had said. Setting everything else aside, Su Ze really had saved her several times in the Black Rock Mountain Range. She felt both grateful toward and fond of this sweet-talking "younger brother," and deep down, she didn't believe he was someone capable of wrongdoing.

Of course, a woman's intuition also played a major role.

Su Ze smiled. "That's more or less everything about me. What about you, sis? Shouldn't you give me the full story now?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything! Why were you being hunted by the Netherworld Organization? What's the background of that other Guan Kingdom force hunting you? Is the Dongli Kingdom government backing you? Anyway, tell me everything you can."

Su Ze had originally wanted to ask whether she had a boyfriend, but on second thought, there was no need. She definitely didn't!

"You certainly have a lot of questions." Liu Wenyin shifted into a more comfortable position, sitting sideways in her chair with her legs crossed. Half of one smooth, bare calf swayed beneath her skirt in front of Su Ze.

"I'm from the Dongli Kingdom. You should already know that. Both my parents were researchers in the Dongli Kingdom. They died in an experimental accident when I was very young, and my grandparents raised me. After graduating from high school, because my grades were good and I had shown some talent in Evolutionary Science, the country decided to sponsor me to study abroad in the Guan Kingdom."

Su Ze nodded to show that he was listening seriously. He knew that Liu Wenyin's "good grades" and "some talent" were definitely modest descriptions. In reality, she was probably a top genius who had eclipsed an entire generation.

Su Ze had some understanding of both the Dongli Kingdom and the Guan Kingdom. The Dongli Kingdom had gotten the latest start in Evolutionary Science and was now considered the weakest overall among the six nations of Linhua Continent.

The Guan Kingdom, on the other hand, was the opposite. Its strength was universally acknowledged as the greatest among the six nations. It possessed the most cutting-edge Evolutionary Science technology and research teams made up of world-class Evolutionary Science experts, always remaining at the forefront of the field.

Liu Wenyin continued, "I entered Guan University, the Guan Kingdom's highest institution of learning. There, I met a wonderful teacher. She was a very pure person and never held anything back from me because I was from the Dongli Kingdom. Under her guidance, I improved quickly.

"At twenty-three, I earned my Doctorate in Evolutionary Science and stayed at the university as an assistant professor. At twenty-five, I became an associate professor. At twenty-six, recommended by my teacher, I became the youngest full professor at Guan University. During that time, I had been conducting Evolutionary Research and achieved some results.

"I chose to share part of my research findings with Guan University, but I always kept the most valuable portion in my own hands. The Guan Kingdom authorities watched me closely. There were informants in my laboratory, my life assistant was one of their people, and my phone was monitored—all to prevent me from sending my research findings back to the Dongli Kingdom.

"I requested leave to return home and visit my family several times, but Guan University refused every time. They wouldn't let me go even when my grandparents passed away. They gave me the best research environment and the highest compensation, yet effectively placed me under house arrest."

At this point, Liu Wenyin paused, sorrow welling up in her eyes. Not being able to see her grandparents one last time was a regret she would carry forever.

Su Ze asked, "What happened later? How did you escape from there?"

Liu Wenyin shook her head. "At first, I hadn't made up my mind to leave by force. That was until more than two months ago, when I developed a pharmaceutical formula and, as usual, didn't report it. The Guan Kingdom authorities knew I had hidden many research results, but as long as I didn't send them back to the Dongli Kingdom, they had always turned a blind eye.

"But this time, they acted completely differently. Within two days, they sent people to negotiate with me, demanding that I hand over the formula while promising me all sorts of benefits. After I refused, they still wouldn't give up. Every few days, they tried to coerce and entice me. They sent people to surround my residence and laboratory, confiscated my phone, and cut off all my contact with the outside world.

"Fortunately, an international student from the Dongli Kingdom at the university noticed something was wrong and helped me ask the Dongli Kingdom for assistance. The Dongli Kingdom authorities then approached the Guan Kingdom, demanding that they release me, but the Guan Kingdom ignored them entirely."

Su Ze sensed something was wrong. "What kind of formula could make the Guan Kingdom value it so highly?"

"That's what puzzled me as well. The formula had some value, but compared to my previous research findings, it wasn't particularly remarkable—at least, not to the Guan Kingdom."

Su Ze frowned. That didn't make sense. There had to be some inside information they didn't know about.

"When negotiations failed, the Dongli Kingdom soon used the pretext of an exchange visit to send Aunt Yun and a group of Evolvers to the Guan Kingdom. Their purpose was to rescue me and bring me home.

"With Aunt Yun and the others' help, I successfully escaped Guan University. The Guan Kingdom sent a large number of experts to hunt us down. A great battle broke out at the border between the Guan Kingdom and the Mu Kingdom. Nearly all the Dongli Kingdom powerhouses protecting me were wiped out. Only Aunt Yun managed to escape into the Mu Kingdom with me."

Liu Wenyin described it simply, but Su Ze could already imagine how brutal that battle had been.

Aunt Yun, who had been listening quietly the whole time, took over and continued. "After we entered Mu Kingdom territory, the Guan Kingdom only sent one Butterfly Transformation Stage Evolver to keep tracking us so as not to attract the Mu Kingdom authorities' attention. He was the one who possessed Beast King's Roar, known in the Guan Kingdom as the 'Tiger King General.'

"The Tiger King General knew he was no match for me in a one-on-one fight, so he merely followed us the whole time. It wasn't until we crossed the Black Rock Mountain Range that he lured the Beast Swarm into launching a surprise attack. You already know what happened after that."

Su Ze nodded slightly. "Didn't you consider asking the Mu Kingdom authorities for help?"

Aunt Yun sneered. "Believe it or not, the moment the Mu Kingdom authorities learned of our existence, they absolutely wouldn't let us leave. By then, Dr. Liu would likely be placed under house arrest by the Mu Kingdom as well."

Liu Wenyin added, "That's why, whether in the Mu Kingdom or now in the Luofan Kingdom, I don't dare use my real identity."

After thinking it over briefly, Su Ze understood. A genius Evolutionary Science expert like Liu Wenyin probably had records in every country. Once her identity was exposed, everyone would want to keep her working for their own nation.

PS: We successfully advanced to the second round.

Tomorrow is Tuesday, so the update schedule will be adjusted as usual. The first update will be after midnight, and the second will be at 6 p.m. Please make sure to keep reading, everyone. Whether we can climb the rankings depends on tomorrow's reading data. Many thanks!