While Liu Yun was keeping the four beautiful girls company as they playfully changed clothes, Liu Ling returned to her home in Yangzhou City. She looked around at the familiar rooms, which now seemed especially empty, and felt a jumble of emotions. With a soft sigh, she took her phone from her bag and dialed a familiar number.
"Beep... beep..." The ringing echoed through the quiet air, and Liu Ling's heart began to race. Before long, Liu Yun's warm, slightly weary voice came through the phone. "Hello, Lingling. What's wrong? Is something urgent?"
Hearing her brother's voice made Liu Ling's nose sting. She quickly took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady. "It's me, Lingling. I... have something I want to talk to you about."
Liu Yun seemed to sense that something was wrong with his sister. His voice grew gentler. "Lingling, don't rush. Take your time. What happened?"
Liu Ling told Liu Yun everything that had happened at the university a few days earlier: her conversation with the principal, the officer's sudden arrival, and how she had been told she would graduate early and appointed chief researcher for the Jiangnan region. When she finished, she paused and asked softly, "Brother, is this... real? It feels like I'm dreaming."
Hearing all this made Liu Yun frown again. This move was too ruthless—they had actually managed to get their hands on Liu Ling.
In truth, Liu Yun didn't have any particular animosity toward the military. After all, they represented Huaxia, and he was even willing to offer some help to advance the country.
If they could reach an agreement, Liu Yun could provide the military with some of the base's technological achievements. Even a few successful applications would be enough to change the balance of power between Huaxia and the human bases on other continents.
"You're not dreaming! Your brother is a War God now. I live in the HR Alliance residential district, but—tsk—I'm coming home to see you!"
Liu Yun thought he needed to explain things clearly to Liu Ling so she wouldn't be frightened. Meanwhile, several stern, imposing figures beside her had taken the phone.
"War God Liu Yun, we're representatives of the military. We're here to negotiate with you on its behalf. Your sister is our chief negotiator. We'll wait for you at your home."
The military representatives had already taken control of Liu Ling. Liu Yun sucked in a sharp breath and hung up. He'd say the rest in person.
But he had no idea that Venina, that poisonous woman, had wanted Liu Ling dead for a long time. Even with the military representatives there, her people were already eager to make their move.
"Kill that bitch! Send a few deathsworn over, and make sure it's clean!"
That was what Venina told her subordinates over the phone. She had waited long enough and had already decided what to do.
After hanging up, Liu Yun was overcome by a powerful sense of unease. He knew how ruthless and unscrupulous Venina was, and his worry for Liu Ling blazed like a wildfire.
Without a moment's hesitation, Liu Yun used his technological equipment to race toward Yangzhou City as fast as he could, silently praying that his sister would be safe.
When Liu Yun reached Yangzhou City at superhuman speed, the sight before him made his heart ache. The area outside his home was in disarray. Several military representatives who should have been protecting Liu Ling lay on the ground, clearly incapacitated. Their weapons were scattered everywhere, and signs of a fierce struggle remained all around them.
The HR Alliance often acted faster than the military. They were willing to spend more, and their technology was more advanced.
Liu Yun's gaze swept over the area, but Liu Ling was nowhere to be seen. An unprecedented mix of fury and panic surged through his chest. He could almost hear his heart pounding like a drum.
"Brother! Help me!"
Suddenly, Liu Yun heard a scream from atop a tall building. Several burly white men, their faces twisted with cruelty, had pushed Liu Ling off the roof.
"Watch your own family die with your own eyes!"
These men had gone out of their way to make Liu Yun suffer. They wanted him to watch Liu Ling die right before him.
"No!"
In an instant, Liu Yun roared and shot forward like a streak of flowing light, racing to save her. He was fast—he was almost there.
The burly white men were horrified. They immediately pulled out their laser guns. No one could outrun light.
Liu Yun was already very close. He looked up and realized he was out of time, so he used his Psychic Power to pull Liu Ling toward him.
"Whoosh!"
Several streaks of light grazed past them. The men had taken too long to pull the triggers, and their shots failed to hit Liu Ling.
Psychic Power generally couldn't affect living beings, but Liu Yun was an exception. Given the HR Alliance's meticulous way of doing things, they shouldn't have left him any chance to save her.
But they wanted to torture Liu Yun and had forgotten how unusual his Psychic Power was. That oversight gave him a split-second opening to save Liu Ling.
The HR Alliance men regretted it bitterly. Their mission was ruined. They fired at one another, killing each other and leaving no witnesses.
Afterward, everyone suspected of having any connection to the incident would be "made to commit suicide," ensuring Liu Yun would have no leads to follow. It was one of the HR Alliance's favorite tricks. They claimed to uphold human rights and never kill anyone; it was just that their enemies all happened to like killing themselves.
After saving Liu Ling, Liu Yun took her to a secluded corner of the building. He looked at his sister, whom he hadn't seen in so long, his excitement plain on his face.
"Lingling, are you all right?" Liu Yun asked urgently.
Liu Ling looked up at her brother, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "Brother, I'm okay. Thank you. They were so scary."
Liu Yun gently patted his sister's shoulder and comforted her. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one can hurt you."
Liu Ling threw herself into Liu Yun's arms and sobbed. Liu Yun hurriedly took her home. For now, no one could hurt them.
The military representatives weren't dead. They had protected Liu Ling until they were incapacitated, and now that they understood what had happened, they felt deeply ashamed.
"Alas, our technology still can't match those foreign barbarians. But I think things would be different if War God Liu Yun were willing to help us!"
The military representatives continued to offer him an olive branch. Liu Yun frowned. This wasn't the right time for him to leave the HR Alliance; he didn't want anyone to think he was afraid.
"I won't make any decisions for now, but I can provide you with several improved traditional medicine prescriptions. They're many times better than the formulas currently available!"
As he spoke, Liu Yun took out a prescription. The Machine Race Clone had come up with it through sheer computational power.
Traditional Chinese medicine was an empirical science, and many things couldn't be judged by simple reasoning. It truly had many remarkable qualities. Its current problems were the prevalence of fake medicine and fraudsters. If Liu Yun wanted to change Huaxia's disadvantage in biotechnology, he needed to start with traditional Chinese medicine.
The military representatives' eyes lit up with excitement when they heard that Liu Yun was willing to provide improved traditional medicine prescriptions. They knew that as a War God, Liu Yun possessed extraordinary technological resources and intelligence. If his prescriptions could be put to practical use, they would undoubtedly advance Huaxia's traditional medicine industry tremendously and might even spark a new wave of interest around the world.
"War God Liu Yun, we're deeply honored and grateful for your generous assistance!" One of the representatives stepped forward, his voice sincere. "If these prescriptions can be successfully introduced, they'll benefit countless people and greatly enhance the status and influence of our traditional medicine internationally."
Another representative added, "That's right, War God Liu Yun. To show our gratitude and ensure your and your sister's safety, we've decided to immediately upgrade Miss Liu Ling's protection and benefits. We'll assign our most elite special forces personnel to guard her around the clock. We'll also increase surveillance and patrols around your residence and the surrounding area to make sure nothing goes wrong."
Liu Yun nodded slightly, somewhat relieved. He understood that although he possessed extraordinary power, an individual's strength was ultimately limited. The military's support and protection would undoubtedly build a solid line of defense around him and his sister.
"Little sister, don't go to my villa in the HR Alliance for now. You'll be safer with the military. Stay with them for now, and I'll come see you later."
Liu Yun spoke to Liu Ling, who was still shaken. She thought it over. Her brother always seemed to have a good reason for what he said, so she decided to listen to him.
"All right, Brother! Even though I really want to spend more time with you, Mom and Dad are gone, and you and I are all this family has left."
Liu Ling struggled out of Liu Yun's embrace and stood up, speaking obediently. The two parted reluctantly. As long as Liu Yun's prescriptions proved effective, Liu Ling's position at the military base would be secure.
After seeing Liu Ling off, Liu Yun immediately began investigating what had happened. His Machine Race Clone soon reached a conclusion.
"Master has been exposed. Venina was behind everything."
A trace of murderous intent flickered across Liu Yun's face. It seemed he would have to think carefully about how to deal with those two shameless old bastards. Li Wei's death had been entirely his own fault.
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