"So what's Department 404? Is it not in the Dark Web's records? I never saw any mention of it there."
Wu Wei had once paid particular attention to this.
Lan Meng gave him the answer he'd expected.
"You founded Department 404."
"After becoming our leader, you realized how inadequate our organization was, so you expanded its strength and renamed it the 404 Department Administration. You also mastered a holy light skill, which people called 'Light of 404.' Wherever the holy light passed, demons and monsters were wiped out, and all manner of evil spirits trembled in fear."
Wu Wei's expression turned strange.
[Father, aren't I amazing?] Wu Xie sent him another thought.
What could Wu Wei say?
You're incredible. I'm impressed.
"So our main enemy now is the Heart Demon?"
"Not entirely. But you've nearly wiped out the ghosts and the spirits. They can only cling to life over in the Federation. You once said yourself that there were no ghosts within Great Qin, and that nothing could become a spirit after the nation was founded. That's why those two factions hate you to the bone and were willing to use themselves as sacrifices to defy fate."
Wu Wei took a sip of coffee to steady himself.
He'd known his future self would amount to something, but he was genuinely impressed by just how incredible he'd become.
How could he be so handsome and so amazing?
Couldn't he leave the other men in the world a little room to breathe?
"Still, the ones who managed to escape your pursuit were either extremely powerful or so insignificant that you didn't even bother with them. We still need to be on guard. Wu Wei, you'll be formidable in the future, but you haven't awakened your abilities yet. You need help. Let me help you." Lan Meng hadn't given up on her dream.
Her dream was to sleep with the Lord of Systems.
There was nothing to sneer at. Plenty of men dreamed of sleeping with a certain female celebrity—Yuan Yuan or Shi Shi, for instance. So it was perfectly normal for a woman to dream of sleeping with the Lord of Systems.
Besides, Lan Meng didn't just have a dream. She had the drive to pursue it.
Unfortunately, she'd run into Wu Wei, who was as unmoved as a stone.
"Lan Meng, are you powerful in the future, too?"
"My combat strength isn't anything special, but my innate ability is very specialized. It's perfect for countering the Heart Demon." Lan Meng explained carefully. "The Heart Demon changes people by amplifying their desires and egging them on. I can subtly change people's thoughts, so I'm its natural enemy. Apart from you, I'm the only one who can ignore the Heart Demon's abilities without relying on outside help. So in the future, you helped me improve my ability to keep the Heart Demon from invading people. I became one of your most capable partners."
"Wouldn't 'subordinate' be more accurate?" Wu Wei cut straight to the point.
Lan Meng glared at him. "Wu Wei, don't push it. What we have is different."
"How is it different?"
"We're engaged."
Wu Wei nearly spat out his coffee.
How had he never known he was engaged?
Was this one of those messy things the older generation had gotten up to?
But his father had never mentioned it.
Could it have been his mother?
At the thought of his mother, Wu Wei's expression darkened.
If it was his mother, it wasn't impossible.
"Our engagement was arranged by your mother and my father. They agreed to it themselves, Wu Wei. You can't go back on it and become an unfilial son." Lan Meng spoke with righteous conviction.
Wu Wei furrowed his brow. So it was true?
A thought suddenly came to him.
"Lan Meng, do you have a photo of your father?"
Lan Meng pulled out her wallet and handed it to Wu Wei.
Wu Wei opened it and saw a photo of Lan Meng with her father.
The middle-aged man looked somewhat unfamiliar, but if he were twenty years younger, he seemed to match the man in that other photo Wu Wei had once seen.
Wu Wei closed his eyes as memories began to surface.
If he remembered right, when he was seven, he'd been bored at home and rummaging through things when he found an old photo of his mother.
In the photo, his mother was young and beautiful, and the man beside her was handsome and upright, nothing like his own father's haggard appearance.
At the time, Wu Wei had taken the photo to his father, hoping to wheedle some pocket money out of him. He'd said, "Dad, you were actually that handsome when you were young? Not bad."
But when his father saw the photo, his face changed dramatically. "Your mom still has a picture of herself with him?"
That very day, his parents had a huge argument. Wu Wei had always had a good memory, so he still remembered it.
If his theory was right, it seemed the older generation had been caught up in one of those melodramatic—and rather common—stories.
"Do you know the story between my mom and your dad?"
"Of course. My dad's told me about it lots of times. They were partners and often went on missions together."
Lan Meng's words confirmed one of Wu Wei's suspicions.
"So my mother was part of a special department, too."
He'd suspected it for a long time. His mother did seem to know an awful lot.
"Can innate abilities be inherited?"
Lan Meng shook her head. "They can't be inherited. They awaken naturally, and everyone has the same chance. And honestly, your aunt's and my dad's special abilities aren't anything extraordinary. They have nothing to do with ours. As far as I know, your aunt's special ability is that she's good at studying."
Wu Wei: "..."
"Don't look so doubtful. Your aunt really is good at learning. Whatever she studies, she masters it in the shortest time and quickly becomes a leader in that field. We consider that a rare ability, too, so she was recruited into a government department."
"What about your father? What was his superpower?"
"My dad's superpower is being rich."
"Hey, Wu Wei, what's wrong?" Lan Meng asked, puzzled.
Wu Wei waved a hand and steadied himself. Then he said seriously, "You make a good point."
Whoever said being rich wasn't a superpower could take it up with Wu Wei.
"Aunt Lin was really passionate about experiments, but her research didn't always prove valuable, so the higher-ups didn't always support it. My dad supported her every time, though. When you get right down to it, Aunt Lin could never repay what she owed my father. That's why we got engaged."
So she'd sold her son?
Wu Wei thought back over his mother's past exploits. It checked out. That was exactly the sort of thing she'd do.
The strange thing was, why had she married his father?
How blind could she have been?
Lan Meng's answer was perfectly matter-of-fact.
"Since ancient times, childhood sweethearts have never beaten the one who came along later. My dad didn't stand a chance. That's why I knew about you for a long time, but didn't meet you until college. Wu Wei, you have to honor this engagement."
Otherwise, what if another creditor got to him first? Lan Meng felt a sudden, urgent sense of danger.
Who knew how many people Aunt Lin had sold her son to back then? As far as Lan Meng knew, there were plenty.
Lan Meng had nothing but respect for that legendary Aunt Lin. She never hesitated to sell her son.
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