Chapter 12

If he really made that demand, the already bad-tempered Brain AI would definitely explode with rage.

Zhang Xianyang irritably scratched his head, dejectedly set down his bowl and chopsticks, and suggested, "What if... we smuggle it in? If we keep it discreet, maybe no one will find out."

Zhang Linmo nearly laughed out loud. Looking at Zhang Xianyang, who seemed exceptionally naive and immature in both speech and action, he lectured, "Get your own affairs straight first. Don't think your opponents are all idiots. You need to understand that walls have ears. As long as you do it, someone will find out."

Zhang Xiyang, sitting beside Zhang Xianyang, cried out in anguish, "How could I have such a stupid little brother? If you aren't smart yourself, don't expect everyone else to be as dumb as you, okay? We're building a military base. The materials required will probably exceed what it takes to build a skyscraper, and so many of those materials are banned for civilian use. If we smuggle them in, how could no one catch wind of it? The moment we make a move, people all over the world will know what we're doing."

Zhang Muyang shook his head. "Not necessarily. Maybe they'll think we're planning a rebellion."

Zhang Xiyang gave Zhang Muyang a horrified look and shook his head. "That would be even worse."

Zhang Xianyang felt like his head was about to split open. Turning around, he asked, "Then what do we do?"

Just as Zhang Xiyang was about to speak, Zhang Linmo waved a hand. "Yangyang, the plan to renovate the Old District and build a secret base was your own idea. You need to come up with a complete plan. You need to think of a proper solution yourself. Before that, I won't help you, and neither will your eldest or second brother."

At that, Zhang Xianyang stared straight at Zhang Linmo, his face full of disbelief.

Zhang Linmo sighed and said earnestly, "Yangyang, you're already sixteen this year. If you don't want to do something, Dad won't force you. But now that you've stepped forward on your own, you have to do your absolute best to do it well. You can't just make a start and then dump everything on someone else. You're a man of the Old Zhang Family. You have to take responsibility for everything you do."

You have to take responsibility for everything you do!

In an instant, Zhang Xianyang thought of that rainy night in his previous life: his father and brothers gunned down in a hail of bullets, and the Old Zhang Family collapsing into ruin. He shuddered unconsciously, and the confusion in his eyes turned firm.

Zhang Xianyang absently pushed rice grains around with his chopsticks. The Zhang Family all knew he was thinking, so they softened their movements. After a long while, Zhang Xianyang came back to himself and cautiously suggested, "Games like Starry Sky Chronicle have been really popular lately. What if we build a Star Wars Game City in the Old District? We could build a highly realistic 5D space fortress game center. Then we could openly purchase aerospace and military materials under the banner of constructing a Game City, without having to hide anything."

Zhang Tumo chuckled and shook his head. "You really are something."

Zhang Linmo said seriously, "I think it's a very good idea. It especially highlights what a doting father I am."

As he spoke, Zhang Linmo turned to Zhang Xianyang, who was only picking out lily petals to eat. "How many times have I told you? When you eat celery and lily, remember to eat the celery too. As a man, you can't be a picky eater."

Zhang Xianyang replied glumly, picked up two bites of celery, and swallowed them without chewing properly.

Their eldest cousin Zhang Qingyang smiled and added, "I think that as a growing boy, Yangyang should eat more meat to replenish his strength. Look at how beautiful Uncle Zhang's crystal pork knuckle is. You can tell the ingredients were carefully selected. Even the marrow bone looks rounder than ordinary pork bones. It's rare for the meat to fall right off the bone with one touch of the chopsticks. That bright red knuckle meat against the milky-white bone, with thick, fresh red gravy beneath it—how beautiful!"

The Zhang father and sons froze with their bowls in hand. Their second uncle, Zhang Tumo, praised with a proper smile, "I have to say, Old Zhang's control of the heat has gotten better and better. Look at this color, look at this knife work. Every slice of cucumber is practically identical in size and thickness. He's almost caught up to his father. I remember Uncle Zhang using this kind of knife work when he taught me how to execute prisoners by slow slicing. That experience... was truly astonishing!"

The three Zhang brothers froze again, feeling as though even the rice in their mouths carried the taste of blood. Zhang Linmo casually picked up a huge piece of pork knuckle and put it into his bowl. Glancing at the three brothers' reactions, he shook his head and sighed. "How many times have I told you not to discuss this kind of thing at the dinner table? The children can't accept it all at once."

Zhang Tumo shook a finger in disapproval. "That's why I always say Eldest Brother spoils the three of them too much. Qingyang has already done practical training with me. They can't possibly be unable to even listen to it. That wouldn't be a good thing for them."

What kind of practical training? Steaming people alive or carving them into a thousand pieces?

The three Zhang brothers exchanged a tacit look and felt they truly had no appetite left.

Looking at their twisted expressions, Zhang Tumo smiled as warmly as a spring breeze. "I mean taking Qingyang to the hospital to operate on patients who need surgery. Though, from a certain perspective, having a professional interrogator proficient in the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty work as a surgeon is rather beneath his talents, those skilled in poison must also be skilled in medicine. It barely counts as a way to train knife skills. After all, there are far too few gang members daring to betray the organization or spies daring to infiltrate it these days."

After a pause, he asked expectantly, "If you want to practice too, your second uncle can—"

"No need." Zhang Xianyang woodenly set down his bowl and chopsticks, sweating profusely as he said, "I suddenly feel full, Dad. I want to leave the table."

Looking at Zhang Xianyang's barely touched bowl of rice, Zhang Tumo said with smiling eyes, "Yangyang, you should be a little more steadfast."

Zhang Xianyang looked pleadingly at Zhang Linmo, seated at the head of the table. "Dad!"

Zhang Linmo scratched his head with a slight headache and waved him off. "I saw Sister Li make some fruit-flavored little cakes this afternoon. Don't eat too many. Afterward, go wait in the study. We still have something to discuss."

"Got it, Dad." Zhang Xianyang immediately set down his bowl and, with greased soles, darted into the kitchen.

Zhang Muyang and Zhang Xiyang also put down their bowls to follow Zhang Xianyang into the kitchen, but Zhang Linmo stopped them with a disapproving expression. "You two are his older brothers. If you won't set an example for your little brother, are you going to be as soft as him, unable to eat after hearing a little story? How are you supposed to protect your little brother like that?"

Zhang Muyang and Zhang Xiyang looked at each other and could only sit there, forcing themselves to keep eating. Zhang Qingyang gave a gloating chuckle and used his chopsticks to place two huge pieces of pork knuckle into their bowls. Smiling, he said, "Growing boys should eat more meat."

Author's note: Little Eight has risen from the dead again. I'm lying flat and letting you ravage me.

(:3√∠)

After dinner, Zhang Linmo and Zhang Tumo discussed some trivial matters concerning the organization in the study, while the younger members of the Zhang Family attended as usual to observe. Preoccupied with building the Star Wars Game City, Zhang Xianyang kept pestering the Brain AI for another plan and barely paid attention to what his father and second uncle were discussing. It was only when his eldest brother Zhang Muyang patted him on the shoulder and said, "We're done. Let's go back to our rooms and rest," that he noticed.

Zhang Xianyang came back to himself and realized that Zhang Tumo and his son had already put on their coats and were preparing to go downstairs. He immediately stood and followed behind his father, seeing his second uncle and cousin out the door. Before getting into the car, Zhang Qingyang did not forget to wave with a smile and tease, "Whenever you want to learn how to dissect people, come find me."

Zhang Xianyang waved with a face full of black lines. Watching the red Ferrari slowly drive out of Zhang Family Villa, he finally let out a breath of relief.

Zhang Linmo turned to look at the three Zhang brothers, whose expressions were all rather poor, and shook his head with amusement. "Your second uncle and eldest cousin are only a little twisted. It's been so many years already—how are you still not used to them?"

The three Zhang brothers' faces darkened again. Only "a little" twisted? Dad, could you please not say that so casually?

Their second uncle and eldest cousin were not merely "a little" twisted. There was no such thing as the most twisted—only more twisted.

Zhang Linmo gave a helpless chuckle, reached out to rub each of the brothers' heads, and said with a smile, "You'll get used to it. Actually, your second uncle is a very gentle person."

Gentle enough to skin people alive?

The three Zhang brothers shook their heads in unison, having little faith in Zhang Linmo's words. Some people might look refined, gentle, and harmless on the outside, yet still make others shudder when they were around. They truly did not know how their second aunt had gotten used to him all these years.

Only then did Zhang Xianyang suddenly realize what had felt missing today. His second aunt had not come. "Why didn't Second Aunt come today?"

Zhang Linmo laughed. "They've already left, and only now you think to ask? Your second aunt is going to teach in the western region. She won't be back for half a year."

What sacred work!

Zhang Xianyang silently thought about it for a while, then went upstairs to rest under Zhang Linmo's urging.

In the middle of the night, Zhang Xianyang woke up needing to pee. Still half asleep, he went to the bathroom. When he came back, though, he found only his second brother asleep in the room. His eldest brother's bed was folded perfectly neat, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Xianyang scratched his head suspiciously, quietly opened the door, and slipped out of the bedroom. He followed the stairs down to the first floor... no one was there.

Standing in the living room in his pajamas, Zhang Xianyang thought for a moment, then turned and went into the basement. Sure enough, a series of gunshots came from below. Relieved, he walked down the dark corridor into the basement hall. Before his eyes stood rows of expensive training equipment, while Zhang Muyang was practicing with a gun before the targets. The display ahead kept flashing the words "10 Rings."

Zhang Xianyang stopped where he was. Looking at Zhang Muyang's smooth lines and taut muscles beneath his bare upper body, then lowering his head to look at his own soft, fair body, he silently cried for a while.

Hearing someone draw breath behind him, Zhang Muyang paused slightly. He placed the gun in his hand onto the rack, turned around, and asked, "Why aren't you asleep this late at night?"

"Big Brother isn't asleep either!" Zhang Xianyang said as he stepped forward and sat down in a chair. Looking at Zhang Muyang, he asked, "Big Brother, do you have something on your mind?"

Ever since they were little, whenever his eldest brother had something on his mind, he would always come down to the basement in the middle of the night to practice shooting. Zhang Xianyang was used to it.

Zhang Muyang curled his lips slightly, sat beside Zhang Xianyang, and smiled faintly. "No. I just feel that I'm still not strong enough."

"I think Big Brother is already amazing. Big Brother will definitely become Dad's finest successor." Zhang Xianyang spoke with complete conviction, then nodded firmly.

Looking at his little brother's wide-eyed, earnest squirrel-like expression, Zhang Muyang could not help laughing. He reached out and rubbed Zhang Xianyang's fluffy head. Soft strands of hair brushed against his palm, smooth to the touch. Zhang Muyang felt a corner of his heart soften as well. He said, "Don't worry, Little Brother. Big Brother will definitely grow strong enough to protect you."

Zhang Xianyang replied, "Big Brother can protect me now too."

Zhang Muyang shook his head. "Not enough."

If his little brother had not inexplicably obtained an alien computer, Zhang Muyang felt that as long as things continued naturally, he would have had plenty of time to grow stronger. But with the appearance of the Brain AI, Zhang Muyang gradually discovered that Zhang Xianyang's growth had already far surpassed his own, surpassing the wings the Old Zhang Family could spread to shield him. Zhang Muyang feared that one day, those coveting the Zhang Family's power would discover his little brother's worth and do something he never wanted to see. To make that unease disappear, Zhang Muyang could only become stronger. Only then could he properly protect his little brother beneath his wings, without worrying that his young and tender little brother would be forced to weather the storm alone.