Chapter 83

Returning to the banquet hall, Tong Yang's expression was rather unpleasant.

Tang Li sat before the sofa, leaning lightly against the armrest, her slender fingers holding a wine glass filled with a purplish-red liquid, idly swirling the contents. Xu Junyue, who had originally been sitting beside her, was nowhere to be seen.

"How did it go?" Tang Li asked.

Tong Yang sat down next to her and said, "Meynard is one of us."

Tang Li exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

"Yes."

Her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed. "Such a big matter, why wasn't anyone notified in advance?"

Tong Yang gave a cold laugh. "Wu Pingxue is being deliberately mysterious."

"Where is she?" Tong Yang asked about Xu Junyue.

Tang Li said, "She left with a woman in a dark green evening gown. They seemed to know each other."

Tong Yang glanced at her sideways. "You don't seem worried about our identities being exposed?"

Tang Li raised the corner of her mouth, took a sip of wine, and rested her head against her arm. "Life is unpredictable. Who knows what the next second will bring? Better to seize the day and enjoy life."

"Are you drunk?" Tong Yang looked at her, though her face didn't show any obvious signs.

"Just a little tipsy?" Tang Li waved a hand at her. "If you're worried about her, go check."

Tong Yang didn't hesitate. "I'm going."

Xu Junyue and Xu Jingya had left alone, so they must have recognized each other. The banquet hall wasn't a place where they could talk freely.

Moreover, Xu Jingya's attitude was very strange. It seemed she had recognized Xu Junyue long ago and also knew about the traitor's connection to Xu Junyue, yet she had no intention of exposing them. Instead, she had concealed things in front of Meynard.

Meynard's identity was now clear, and he seemed to know quite a bit. Xu Jingya was working for the parallel world, and it was unclear what Meynard's stance was at this moment.

Tong Yang glanced at several open-air balconies connected to the banquet hall but didn't see Xu Junyue anywhere.

As she stepped out of the banquet hall, a voice came from beside her.

"In the garden."

Tong Yang paused and turned to look. He Jingjing was sitting on a rattan chair with some pastries in front of her.

"When did you know?" Tong Yang asked.

He Jingjing said, "After coming in."

"And her?"

Tong Yang was asking about the Chu Shiyu from World A.

"Has another mission. She'll appear."

Tong Yang nodded and didn't ask further.

He Jingjing walked up to her and lowered her voice. "Be careful. It's not that simple."

"I know. I'm off."

"OK."

He Jingjing probably knew more than she did.

Even though Meynard's identity was confirmed, the other guests on the island were genuine "Black Storm" members.

Harker Island had cut off all contact with the outside world and gathered all means of transportation. If others noticed something, it would inevitably cause significant unrest.

Furthermore, those connected to the parallel world were definitely not limited to Meynard, just like Xu Jingya.

Tong Yang guessed that Harker Island's ostensible goal was indeed to find the traitor. Meynard hadn't lied about that, and the parallel world would also be involved.

Beyond that, Wu Pingxue had other purposes hidden beneath the surface.

It wasn't about passing off the false as the real, but about turning the enemy's scheme to one's own advantage.

Even with Meynard's presence, their situation hadn't improved much.

Tong Yang walked alone into the villa garden. Most guests were in the banquet hall, leaving the garden sparsely populated.

She saw a swimming pool, its lights casting a shimmering glow on the blue water.

Xu Junyue and the woman in the dark green gown were sitting side by side at the pool's edge.

Tong Yang lightened her footsteps, concealing her presence as she approached. Although eavesdropping wasn't polite behavior, one had to adapt to the person and the situation.

Xu Junyue wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed; she was worried something might go wrong.

"So, my sister is still alive." Xu Junyue turned her head to look at the woman beside her.

Xu Jingya nodded. "Yes."

"You all knew long ago? Old Xu knew too?"

"Yes."

"He knew?" Xu Junyue's laugh was mocking. "He knew about the existence of the parallel world? He also knew Xu Siyuan entered the parallel world? But no matter how much I told him, he never believed me, and still put on that act like all the fault was mine?"

Xu Jingya sighed almost imperceptibly. "Xu Zeming is too stubborn. He doesn't blame you, it's just... you and your sister are different."

"Right, my sister and I are different. She's so great, isn't she? Pretty, obedient, good grades—even blind in both eyes, her grades were better than mine. And me? I'm mischievous, willful, a rebel. So we're different, right?" Xu Junyue's voice sounded earnest and calm, devoid of any emotion, simply stating a fact everyone knew.

A rebel?

That idiom was well-used, very fitting.

"No, your sister's personality was more fragile than yours. Plus, when her eyes were injured, she was already old enough to remember. Xu Zeming always had to be more careful with her. Your personality was like a boy's. Xu Zeming treated you like a son—teaching you combat, teaching you to use a gun, even taking you on police calls. He thought you were very suited to be a police officer."

Xu Junyue said disdainfully, "I don't care about his attitude or what he wants me to do."

"Doesn't he know 'a crooked stick will have a crooked shadow'? What's he like? And I could be a police officer? Isn't he afraid I'd run off with the criminals halfway through?"

Xu Jingya patted her shoulder. "You don't blame your dad. I know."

"When you were little, he was too busy. No one looked after you; you grew up fending for yourself. What feelings could you have for him? Let alone blame."

Xu Junyue chuckled. "Aunt, I really don't blame him. Old Xu is, at most, a boss who drops gold coins in my mind. How can we even talk about blame?"

Xu Jingya couldn't help but laugh. "You child, heartless and carefree. But maybe that's a good thing."

Xu Junyue said, "So, if he betrays the real world, I will definitely arrest him!"

She looked at Xu Jingya beside her, her tone firm and resolute. "Aunt, that goes for you too."

Xu Jingya silently lowered her head. "Do you know why your sister is still alive?"

Xu Junyue was puzzled. "Why?"

"Because of a deal."

"A deal."

"Xu Zeming never told you. The reason he focused all his attention on Siyuan was because she attempted suicide many times. Almost every time, she was resuscitated from the brink of death."

Xu Junyue shrugged. "I didn't know. Back then, I was playing in the mud with the kids in the courtyard every day."

"Xu Zeming tried many ways to cure her eyes. He was the one who discovered the 'Black Storm'. That was in 2010. 'Black Storm' had been established for less than two months. Because of his special status, he couldn't join 'Black Storm' directly, so I joined in his place." Xu Jingya looked up at the sky. "Before your mother passed away, you all had a very good relationship with me."

"And then?"

"Then, I posted a bounty on 'Black Storm.' Mr. Maynard found me. He said he could cure Siyuan, on the condition that he would take Siyuan away, and I needed to work for him in the real world."

"The current Maynard?"

Xu Jingya shook her head. "No, this Maynard and the previous one are father and son. I once saw him at a banquet."

Hearing this, Tong Yang frowned deeply.

Maynard and the previous Maynard are father and son?

Doesn't that mean the real Maynard is actually Ye Tianlin?

Ye Tianlin from a parallel world?

No wonder his identity card, like that of Yan Qing from the parallel world, is S-class.

"Do you know who Maynard is?" Xu Junyue asked curiously.

Xu Jingya shook her head. "No one knows who he really is because he isn't even from the real world. I've never seen his face beneath the mask either."

"Ultimately, you betrayed the real world," Xu Junyue said seriously. "After we leave, I will definitely expose you."

Xu Jingya seemed unbothered. "Xu Zeming and I have long been prepared to die. And, he actually deeply regrets doing that. We've known about what happened to you and Tong Yang in M Country for a while."

"Then why didn't you and Xu Zeming tell them?"

Xu Jingya smiled. "Didn't I say? We've long regretted it. Xu Zeming and I never imagined the First World's goal was to invade the real world. You've been fighting desperately to protect it. That's all too unfair to you."

Xu Junyue scoffed. "I don't really care. Your regret now is too late. My boss and I won't let you off."

"Don't worry, we won't run. It's just that perhaps I might still be of some use to you. You can discard me after squeezing out all my value."

Xu Junyue pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Makes sense. If it were my boss, she would definitely wring out every last bit of usable value from you."

"Tong Yang?"

"Right!"

"I've heard Xu Zeming mention her, a lawless little tyrant. Yet you seem quite obedient around her."

"She's smart! And capable! She even saved me once! I used to think I could do anything as long as it was interesting, but following the boss, everything becomes interesting." Xu Junyue said with a smile.

Xu Jingya chuckled. "Her personality must be quite strange too? To be friends with you."

"Strange! Her personality is the strangest!"

Thump—

"Ouch!"

Right after the words fell, a small stone hit the back of Xu Junyue's head.

"Who? Who's ambushing me?" Xu Junyue covered the back of her head, standing up aggressively.

Tong Yang stood with her arms crossed, looking at her. "Is my personality strange?"

Seeing her, Xu Junyue's fury dampened a bit. She rolled her eyes. "Don't want to admit it? I've never met anyone as strange as you."

Tong Yang bent down to pick up another stone.

"Stop, stop, stop! I won't say it anymore!" Xu Junyue said, wide-eyed.

Tong Yang snorted coldly, casually throwing the stone on the ground, and walked over to the other person.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tong Yang."

Xu Jingya shook her hand. "Hello, I'm Junyue's aunt, Xu Jingya."

"Sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation."

"It's fine. Even if you weren't here, Junyue would definitely tell you about it later anyway."

Tong Yang smiled gently. "Here, I'll still call you Miss Margaret."

"As you wish."

"Miss Margaret, I'd like to ask you something."

"Please go ahead."

"Xu Siyuan's disappearance wasn't that long ago. From entering Black Storm in 2010 to her disappearance, what were you all doing during that long period in between? What was she doing?"

Xu Jingya lowered her gaze. "Actually, it wasn't that long."

"After 2010, she was taken into the parallel world, many times on and off."

Xu Junyue exclaimed in surprise, "So her eyes were healed long ago?"

"No, but she knew her eyes could be healed; it just required waiting a few years."

"What the heck? Then why was she complaining to me all the time? Saying things like 'why isn't it me who's blind'?" Xu Junyue rolled her eyes. "We were on pretty good terms when we were kids. It was around those two years that she suddenly changed, like a different person."

Xu Jingya sighed. "We didn't expect it either."

"Now, she has completely integrated into the First World."

"What..." Xu Junyue's expression was one of shock. "Is everyone in our family a villain except me?"

Xu Jingya pressed her lips together. "She's more thorough than us, completely considering herself a person of the First World."

Tong Yang frowned. "But you said you wanted to see her?"

Tong Yang did not plan to tell her Maynard's true identity.

"Xu Zeming wants to see her, probably to try and dissuade her."

"Dissuade her?" Tong Yang's expression turned grave. "I advise him to drop that idea. People from the parallel world all have a few screws loose."

Xu Jingya said, "If dissuasion fails, Xu Zeming plans to kill her directly."

Xu Junyue was dumbfounded. "Wow! Is Old Xu turning over a new leaf, burning his bridges?"

Xu Junyue completely positioned herself as an outsider, viewing this bizarre matter with the detachment of a spectator.

"Aside from informing them about the capture of the First World's anchor point, he hasn't done anything for the First World."

"Tch, he's still problematic anyway," Xu Junyue said dismissively.

Xu Jingya glanced at the sky and cautioned the two, "Be careful on the island. Don't expose your identities. Absolutely do not arouse Mr. Maynard's suspicion. I should head back now."

"Alright."

Xu Jingya didn't linger any longer and left the garden.

Tong Yang and the other stood by the poolside, looking at the shimmering reflections in the water.

Xu Junyue seemed dazed. "My sister... she's actually not dead."

She squatted down, her tone wistful.

Tong Yang looked down at her. "What's wrong?"

Xu Junyue shook her head. "Nothing. I just never thought she was still alive, even working for the parallel world."

Tong Yang said, "We might run into her someday."

"Then it'll be perfect. I'll have to kill her." Xu Junyue looked up at her, a confused expression on her face. "Thinking she's still alive actually bothers me quite a bit."

"Who knows."

"Yeah, I was blind too. Why didn't anyone help cure my eyes? Although I really dislike the parallel world's method of 'treatment'."

Tong Yang bent her knee, nudging Xu Junyue's shoulder. "No time for you to mope around here feeling sentimental. Let's go back."

"Oh." Xu Junyue stood up, no trace of sadness on her face. "By the way, how did you get out? Did that Maynard guy just let you go?"

Tong Yang shot her a sidelong glance. "Otherwise?"

"That doesn't seem right."

Speaking of Maynard, Tong Yang was full of resentment. She wrapped her arm around Xu Junyue's neck and said through gritted teeth, "Tell me, where did you put the translator?"

"On the statue. Isn't it perfectly harmonious? A normal person would never notice. Maynard is such a clever man."

Tong Yang tapped her head. "What color was the statue? White, plaster! You put a watch on a statue, and it even flashes when recording. Are you out of your mind?"

"Hey! That's right! I forgot about the flashing light!"

Tong Yang laughed in exasperation and gave her a shove.

"So, you just got away with it that easily?"

"Wishful thinking." Tong Yang hooked an arm over her shoulder. "Maynard is on our side."

Xu Junyue's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm. You better be careful, don't do anything stupid. If you get exposed and cause trouble, I won't save you."

"Got it, got it."

Returning to the banquet hall, no one noticed anything amiss.

Maynard was surrounded by several people, chatting about his father.

He handled it with ease, responding fluently.

As she passed by him, Tong Yang lifted her chin, looking straight ahead without sparing him a single glance.

To be honest, she had always thought he was a man of few words. Yet, wearing a mask, he could converse eloquently with others, with no trace of his usual cold and aloof demeanor.

No wonder Tong Yang hadn't suspected him at all when she first saw him.

Returning to Tang Li's side, He Jingjing had already come back, while the Chu Shiyu from World A was still nowhere to be seen.

Tong Yang guessed it probably had something to do with the parallel world's actions.

"Mr. Maynard, do you have any suspects regarding who the traitor might be?"

Xu Junyue put on her translation earpiece and happened to hear this question. She couldn't help but glance over at him.

Tong Yang and the other two remained expressionless, acting as if they hadn't heard.

Especially Tang Li, who, having drunk who knows how much, had flushed cheeks and a dazed look in her eyes.

"Please don't worry, we are conducting a private investigation."

A private investigation?

Who knows what method they're using.

"Mr. Maynard, we will also assist you in finding the traitor!"

"Mr. Maynard, once you find the traitor, please be sure to make his identity public. I certainly won't let him off easily."

"Me too, I will definitely investigate everyone connected to him and deal them a heavy blow."

"Those who betray 'Black Tempest' absolutely cannot be forgiven."

"Thank you all very much for your support. Please, don't trouble yourselves. Just enjoy my hospitality. Before everyone leaves, I will find all those rats."

"We believe in you, Mr. Maynard!"

"Mr. Maynard, to have such resolve at such a young age is truly a comfort to us!"

"Ever since Mr. Maynard took over 'Black Tempest,' the trust between us has grown even stronger."

"Yes! A toast to Mr. Maynard!"

"A toast to Mr. Maynard!"

"Sounds like a pyramid scheme pitch," Xu Junyue muttered under her breath.

She nudged Tong Yang's shoulder and asked, "Are you sure he's on our side?"

Tong Yang glanced at her and said, "Yes."

There was no reason to doubt Maynard's stance.

However, once this was over, she definitely had to get a clear explanation of the whole story.

At that moment, the blonde, blue-eyed Ali Buckley walked up to Maynard.

She looked up and whispered something in his ear.

Maynard lowered his head, leaning in to listen.

Ali Buckley linked her arm with his in an intimate gesture, and Maynard naturally placed his hand on her waist. He addressed the crowd, saying, "Guests, Ali has prepared the gifts for everyone. Please allow me to excuse myself for a moment."

"Of course, Mr. Maynard."

"Mr. Maynard, don't mind us."

Maynard removed his hand, but Ali Buckley kept her arm linked with his as they walked onto the stage together.

Simultaneously, two masked men wheeled a large box covered with a black cloth onto the stage.

The eyes of the guests below gathered on the box. Even though they didn't yet know what was under the black cloth, some people's gazes had already turned intense.

The reason Mr. Maynard was held in such high esteem wasn't just because he came from the family that founded "Black Tempest," but because of the vast black market. Maynard was its most authoritative broker.

"Finally, it's here..."

"Mr. Maynard!"

Clearly, the guests present already knew Maynard would present a gift at this banquet.

Perhaps part of the reason all the members of "Black Tempest" had gathered here was for this unknown, mysterious gift.

The box was pushed to the center, and Ali Buckley walked forward holding a tray.

Maynard stood on the stage, gave a gentlemanly bow to the audience below, then picked up a pair of black gloves from the tray and carefully put them on.

The black gloves fit snugly over his long, slender fingers, the knuckles distinct, like a piece of art.

He lifted the black cloth covering the box, revealing an iron cage. On a table to the right of the cage was a glass case containing syringes filled with a transparent liquid.

However, the eyes of everyone present were fixed on the iron cage.

Inside the cage was a tiger on the brink of death.

The tiger's body was covered in wounds. Its two front limbs were twisted like ropes; the bones were undoubtedly completely shattered. Its mouth was agape, tongue lolling, eyes unfocused—it was unmistakably on the edge of life and death.

Seeing this, Tong Yang and the others immediately sat up straight, realizing what Maynard intended to do and what his gift to everyone was.

Aside from them, the others watched with confusion and anticipation.

Maynard didn't immediately explain. Instead, he crouched down, opened the iron door of the cage, and with both hands, gripped the tiger's neck, delivering the final blow.

He squeezed harder and harder. The tiger struggled feebly once, then fell still, its pupils completely losing focus.

"My dear friends, I have personally killed it."

Maynard stood up, looking at the crowd with a smile.

The guests below looked at him with suspicion, but they also knew things couldn't possibly be that simple.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life, a broken mirror cannot be made whole. This is a truth even children have understood since ancient times."

Maynard walked to the front of the stage and said with a smile, "The human organs sold on the black market have saved countless families on the verge of collapse. Do you know how many people in the world need to replace a healthy organ just to live a normal life?"

"However, even the most suitable organ cannot completely avoid the risk of post-operative rejection. Yet, 'The First World' has helped us achieve just that."

"They provided us with healthy organs, adding bricks and tiles to our paradise. One could say they are the sustainers of 'Black Tempest.'"

"Yet, one failed transaction caused us to completely lose our source of organs from The First World. What a profound pity."

Maynard spoke with such genuine emotion that Tong Yang almost believed him.

Maynard continued, "The First World is our family, our friend. It would not abandon us because of this. And so, it has brought everyone a gift."

Maynard circled the cage, looking pityingly at the tiger inside.

"Tell me, can a dead creature be revived?"

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar swept through the banquet hall.

"Mr. Maynard, are you saying..."

"Oh my God! It can't be!"

Maynard returned to the right side of the cage, opened the glass case on the table, and carefully retrieved a syringe filled with a transparent liquid.

Seeing this, Tong Yang's heart sank.

Maynard was not alone here; his every word and action represented not Wu Pingxue, but Parallel World.

So, Parallel World was indeed involved in this.

But why did Maynard, behind the mask, have their trust?

The liquid in the syringe was undoubtedly the gene serum.

The people gathered here were all leaders in their respective fields.

To publicly reveal the existence of the gene serum in front of them would undoubtedly cause a tremendous sensation, no deep thought required.

Those despicable things from Parallel World, following the flawed products, were once again administering a heavy dose.

The vast banquet hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The guests held their breath, no one making a sound to break the silence.

Maynard half-crouched and injected the liquid from the syringe into the tiger.

"Mr. Maynard..."

"Shh!" Maynard removed his glove, placed a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, "Please remain quiet, everyone. Just watch."

He raised his eyes, meeting Tong Yang's gaze from below the stage.

Then, he withdrew his gaze and retreated off the platform.

Wu Pingxue intended not only to pass off the fake as genuine but also to turn the enemy's scheme against them.

Parallel World wanted to find the traitor and use this opportunity to make the gene serum public.

Seizing this chance, the military could also sweep through the bases of the black market trade without restraint.

But once the gene serum was exposed, how would everything be concluded?

Once the guests knew such an unbelievable thing existed in the First World, wouldn't they trust them even more?

Unless...

Tong Yang looked towards Maynard in the crowd. He seemed to sense her gaze, turning his head to look at her, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Tong Yang's gaze froze, then shifted to the tiger on the stage. Could it be...

"Oh my God!"

"My heavens!"

A wave of commotion rose from the crowd, and the sound of wine glasses shattering on the floor rang out one after another.

"How is this possible?"

"This is..."

All eyes converged on the iron cage.

Inside, the tiger, which had lost all signs of life, seemed to experience a final rally. Its chest rose and fell, emitting weak gasps.

The wounds covering its body visibly changed, flesh wriggling, its twisted forelimb gradually deforming as bones reconnected until it returned to normal.

Those who had managed to remain composed could no longer stay calm. They set down their glasses and stepped forward to get a closer look.

Witnessing such a miraculous scene, they were utterly astonished, their eyes turning fanatical and greedy.

"It recovered?"

"Mr. Maynard... all the wounds healed?"

"Am I... seeing things?"

"No mistake! The tiger's wounds are healed! It's revived!"

"Good heavens! How can something so miraculous exist in the world?"

Asking them to stay quiet under such circumstances was almost cruel.

Before everyone's eyes, the tiger that had been on the verge of death and strangled by Maynard had truly regained its vitality!

It was no longer weak; its wounds had vanished. It pushed itself up, stood, surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, bared its fangs, and a tiger's roar echoed through the banquet hall.

The tiger uneasily clawed at the cage, trying to escape.

But the cage was unyielding; no matter how it struggled and roared, it couldn't budge it an inch.

So, it could only watch its surroundings warily, emitting warning growls.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

Tigers are terrifying beasts of prey.

In any other setting, such a ferocious animal would have sent them scattering in fear.

Yet, not a single guest in the banquet hall was afraid or retreated. Their eyes burned with intensity as they looked at the tiger in the cage, some even stepping forward involuntarily, wanting to get closer, to touch it.

No one was afraid.

On the contrary, they gazed at the tiger with extreme longing.

As if they wished they could skin it, tear its sinews, and devour it whole.

The tiger sensed the malice from these humans at the top of the food chain. It almost stopped struggling, pressing its body tightly against the cage, curling up, its eyes filled with fear and unease.

"Mr. Maynard, it's alive!"

"Is this the gift from Mr. Maynard and the First World? I love it!"

"To think such a miraculous thing exists in the world, it truly opens my eyes!"

"This is the most precious gift I've ever received in my life!"

"Magnificent! Mr. Maynard, you are truly magnificent!"

Their masks couldn't hide their fanatical expressions, like hunters about to savor a feast. It wouldn't be surprising if they pounced the next moment and devoured the tiger alive.

"Mr. Maynard, could you please explain this to us?"

Maynard returned to the stage, looked at the beast trembling with fear in the cage, and lowered his eyelids.

"The First World has developed a gene serum," Maynard declared with conviction.

"Gene serum?"

"What is a gene serum?"

Maynard said, "Genes are incredibly powerful and mysterious things. A shark's teeth can regenerate indefinitely, a lizard's tail can regrow after being severed, trees can live for hundreds or thousands of years. Why do human teeth only change once in a lifetime? Why can't severed human limbs regenerate? Why is the human lifespan merely a few decades?"

"In the end, it's because human genes don't allow it. They lead us towards death."

Maynard looked at the crowd, his voice ringing out clearly: "What if human genes could be altered?"

Ali Buckley walked to Maynard's side and used a dagger to slash her own neck.

Blood stained her neck and evening gown, yet she simply stood there. The flesh at the wound wriggled, adhering to the split skin, automatically repairing itself.

Maynard's gaze swept over their faces, seeing identical looks of astonishment and yearning.

"If human genes can be changed, what you see now would happen."

"The elixir of immortality?"

"It's too incredible to believe!"

"But everything happening before our eyes is real!"

"My God! Mr. Maynard, 'Black Tempest' is the master we will follow for life!"

Maynard placed a hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.

"To me, all of you are both friends and family. I would never hide anything from you."

Maynard gestured for Ali Buckley to pick up the syringe and said, "The gene serum injected into the beast is an inferior gene serum. It has significant side effects, causes internal bodily changes, and the survival time is only fifteen years."

"What?"

"How can that be?"

"Is there any other solution?"

Maynard smiled gently and said, "Yes."

"Above the inferior gene serum, there exists a superior gene serum. It can alter human genes, allowing the body to regenerate and repair indefinitely, like a shark's teeth or a lizard's tail. And it has no side effects."

"No side effects?"

"Fantastic!"

"Mr. Maynard and the First World are our saviors!"

"My God! Is the production of the premium gene serum high?"

Maynard said solemnly, "Altering genes is an extremely difficult task to begin with. To make them this powerful and completely free of side effects is absolutely not easy. Not only is the research and development process arduous, succeeding only after countless failures, but the price is also exorbitantly high to an unimaginable degree."

"The premium gene serum is a miraculous existence. It's only right that the price is high!"

"The main issue is the production volume..."

Maynard said, "Mass production of the premium gene serum is impossible in the short term, but the inferior gene serum can be produced."

"Mr. Maynard, the inferior gene serum has side effects."

"A lifespan of only fifteen years is too short."

Maynard said, "For healthy individuals, the inferior gene serum's drawbacks outweigh the benefits. However, what about for those suffering from chronic illnesses or cancer? The benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The inferior gene serum can allow them to live healthily for fifteen years. Moreover, if they can purchase the premium gene serum within those fifteen years, it can completely override the inferior one, extending their life indefinitely."

"My God!"

"Mr. Maynard!"

"For those with chronic illnesses and cancer patients, the inferior gene serum is the best medicine in the world! The price certainly won't be low!"

"Not just that! Everyone ages, and with age comes illness. At that point, selling them an inferior gene serum... the price could even rival that of the premium one!"

"Purchasing the premium gene serum again within fifteen years allows for indefinite life extension... My God!"

Maynard smiled mysteriously, "Since everyone understands, I won't elaborate further."

"Would you like to experience up close a beast revived by the inferior gene serum?"

"Yes!"

"Let me see!"

"Ali Buckley."

Ali Buckley walked to the beast's side. To prevent it from harming anyone, a sedative had been administered.

"May I give it a try?"

Just then, a voice came from the back of the crowd.

A woman wearing a black short skirt and a silver mask walked to the front of the stage.

"My dear lady, of course you may."

Maynard extended his hand to her. Tong Yang placed her right hand, clad in a silver glove, into his palm. Maynard guided her up the steps to the iron cage.

Maynard bent down and gently kissed the back of her hand.

"Dear lady, allow me to accompany you in this experience."

Tong Yang slightly lifted her chin and said, "Thank you."

Tong Yang walked behind the sedated tiger. Her left hand reached through the iron cage, and through the glove, she stroked the beast's fur.

"I can feel a very strong vitality in it, as if a spring of water is flowing within its body."

"Miss, the inferior gene serum is altering the genes within its body; the process isn't complete immediately. Perhaps what you're feeling is the change happening within its genes."

"Mr. Maynard, I believe you are correct."

Tong Yang withdrew her hand, a sweet smile on her face.

"Its genes are changing?"

"Let's all feel it!"

Maynard smilingly saw Tong Yang off the stage, then turned to the others and said, "In that case, everyone may come and try."

The guests in the banquet hall rushed to stroke the beast's fur, eager to feel the genetic changes.

They touched it again and again, savoring the experience endlessly.

Tong Yang returned to her seat, took off her gloves, and threw them into the trash bin.

A crowd of guests clustered around the stage, leaving the area around the four of them empty.

"So miraculous? I want to go touch it too," Xu Junyue said eagerly.

"Go ahead if you want to die."

Tong Yang sat back down beside the other three, saying calmly.

Xu Junyue and He Jingjing were taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

"Huh?"

Tang Li, slightly tipsy, looked at the three and said, "You and Maynard, singing in harmony like that, you'll have people fooled to death sooner or later."

Xu Junyue said, "Speak clearly! What do you mean?"

He Jingjing was also somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Tong Yang said, "The pathogen from the flawed product can transmit the virus, but the carrier itself isn't poisoned. Therefore, the virus won't be overridden by the inferior gene serum."

"I'm begging you, can you explain in more detail? That's too vague; I don't understand."

He Jingjing seemed to grasp it somewhat and said, "The tiger was injected with the virus from the flawed product?"

"Mm-hmm."

Xu Junyue suddenly understood and looked towards the guests crowding together on the stage, intending to feel the genetic changes. "Then they are... oh my! Maynard is planning something huge!"

Then, she looked at Tong Yang in surprise, "But you and Maynard touched it too..."

Tong Yang glanced at the gloves in the trash bin and said, "We didn't make direct contact."

"Impressive, impressive!"

"Did you and Maynard plan this beforehand?"

Tong Yang shook her head, "No."

"Then how did you know the tiger was injected with the flawed product?"

Tong Yang frowned slightly, "Think about it. I told you, Maynard is on our side."

He Jingjing said, "Even so, you figured it out just like that?"

Tong Yang said, "Otherwise?"

Xu Junyue hooked her arm around He Jingjing's shoulder and sighed, "After spending so much time with Tong Yang, don't you understand how monstrous this person is?"

"I've realized it. Don't question what she says, and don't probe for reasons. It's definitely the answer with the highest probability and closest to the truth, distilled from the deaths of millions of brain cells."

Tong Yang shot her a sidelong glance, "It's not that extreme."

Tang Li chuckled, put an arm around Tong Yang's shoulder, and said, "Such a clever brain. I really want to eat it."

"Don't say such disgusting things."

He Jingjing asked, "If the gene serum is exposed, it's not exactly good for us."

"That makes sense," Xu Junyue nodded in agreement.

Tang Li laughed, "What are you thinking? Since he used the flawed product, do you think Maynard will let them leave here safe and sound?"

Tong Yang nodded, "Before the gathering ends, they will definitely show symptoms of poisoning."

He Jingjing didn't understand, "Why?"

"What's the point of doing this?"

Tong Yang said, "The point is enormous."

"Who is Maynard?"

"The founding family of Black Tempest."

"Whose thing is the gene serum?"

"Parallel World."

"If everyone who got close to the beast injected with the gene serum gets poisoned, and on top of that, their own companies are attacked during the gathering, what do you think that signifies?"

He Jingjing and Xu Junyue looked at each other, stunned speechless.

The area around the four of them was empty; everyone had gathered around the iron cage.

"Could trust and transactions between Maynard, Parallel World, and Black Tempest members completely collapse?"

The inferior gene serum had captured everyone's attention; no one knew the content of their conversation.

That old fox Wu Pingxue had acted ruthlessly, utilizing everything that could be used to the extreme.

Exposing the gene serum was undoubtedly Parallel World's doing. They needed to secure these people's loyalty and stir the greed in their hearts.

The repeated disruptions by Tong Yang and her group, gathering everyone here, had forced Parallel World to release the gene serum as a result.

The existence of "Maynard()" served as a convincing fake, turning the tables and completely rewriting the story in the opposite direction.

They are framing Parallel World, sowing discord.

"The Black Storm?[()]?『Come[]? Read the latest chapter? Complete chapter』()" The connections between its members, the Maynard family, and Parallel World will completely collapse because of the defective virus.

More importantly, Wu Pingxue would absolutely not truly kill members of "The Black Storm."

The virus antidote is in the hands of Nation Z.

Only Nation Z knows how to deploy the antidote on a large scale.

Tong Yang had to admit that Wu Pingxue was a very strategic person.

The plan was intricately linked, flawless and without omission.

Including all the actions of Tong Yang and his companions, the spearhead was entirely pointed at Parallel World.

At the same time, several blurry figures appeared on the mist-shrouded coastline.

Under the moonlight, waves crashed against the reefs. The sea surface was billowing with thick smoke, the seawater like dark ink, heavy and unclear.

"Who could the traitor be?" A girl sat on a damp rock, gazing distractedly at the distant structure.

Hack Island was brightly lit, like a city that never slept.

The visiting guests indulged in revelry, completely unaware of the gloom hanging over their heads.

A boy in a gray trench coat stood beside her, slightly raising his head to reveal a handsome face.

His heart inexplicably beat faster.

The boy pressed a hand to his chest, the corner of his mouth lifting in a wicked, unrestrained smile. "Its owner is here."

"Maynard..." The boy's pitch-black pupils reflected a faint light. "My father probably didn't come to attend the banquet."

The girl on the rock rested her chin in her hand and chuckled softly. "Who knows."

"Then, who is this Maynard who has appeared here?"

"You guess."!

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