Chapter 26: Sister, I'm Sorry

Xu Rui remained at the training grounds.

In the period that followed, she entered a phase of grueling training. She studied data on the Zerg in simulators and used bionic robots to practice targeting the insects' vulnerable joints. She trained in the towers, using her agility to counter swarms of retractable mechanical arms. At first, she could only handle two arms and lasted less than thirty seconds. After practicing day and night, she became capable of facing ten arms without faltering.

She simulated deserts, trekking through the scorching sun; she simulated glaciers, scaling walls of ice. She learned to drive vehicles, pilot starships, command warships, and operate mechs.

On her second day at the base, she received her own StarNet signal receiver. It was a chip designed to be injected into the subcutaneous tissue of her wrist, allowing her to access the network from anywhere. Furthermore, the chip was linked to her nervous system; even if she were to lose an arm, she could continue to use it as long as the device remained within a certain range of her body.

She registered her account and was surprised to find eleven contacts already added—all of them fellow members of the organization. They were scattered across the galaxy on various missions, yet they extended a warm welcome to Xu Rui. Numbers were their only call signs; they could have exchanged names, but by tacit agreement, they never brought the subject up.

A year into her training at the base, a thirteenth member arrived: Augustus. Xu Rui established contact with him, and they spoke via video link. Augustus remained the same fierce and simple-hearted man, though he managed a smile that looked even more menacing when directed at her.

"Augustus," Xu Rui asked, "where is my younger brother?"

"A few days after you left with those two bugs, he was adopted."

Augustus glanced curiously at the background of Xu Rui's location. "Where are you?"

"The organization’s base," Xu Rui replied. "You’ve just joined, so you can come here too. There are many new things here we've never seen before."

Augustus shook his head. "I still have some things to finish. I'll come over once they're done."

"Was the infection agent I made last time any good?"

"It wasn't." Augustus scratched the top of his head. "I searched the internal database; there were issues with the material ratios in what I made. The next one will definitely be better."

After their chat, Xu Rui returned to her intense training. Time flew by; she spent an entire year at the base. These scenes flashed rapidly across the screen. For a year and a half, Xu Rui trained daily according to a strict regimen, honing her combat skills, strengthening her physique, and learning the most effective ways to combat the Zerg. During her breaks, she would often check the account of Mr. Scott, Xu Chu’s adoptive father.

Scott had loved his late wife deeply; after her death, he never sought another partner and had no children of his own. But since adopting Xu Chu, photos of the boy began appearing on his social media. Scott took Xu Chu with him to every major event. He made no effort to hide it, openly declaring to others that Xu Chu was his beloved adopted son. There was no shortage of news reports regarding Scott and his adopted son.

Seeing that Xu Chu was being raised well and looked healthy, Xu Rui could not help but smile. However, she was puzzled by the fact that Xu Chu was disfigured, with half of his face always covered by a mask. The medicine she had applied only had an effect lasting three years, and any doctor could easily identify that the condition was caused by medication. Scott had access to top-tier physicians; why hadn't they discovered it yet?

She contacted Augustus to ask about the situation. Augustus sent her a photo of Xu Chu from that time. "When I picked him up, his face was already like this. It was the work of the Zerg."

Xu Rui stared at the gruesome, bloodied photo for a long time, her eyes welling with tears. "It's my fault. I didn't protect him."

Augustus said, "He thinks you were the one who did it. Do you want me to tell him the truth?"

Xu Rui thought for a moment, her fingertips gently stroking the photo. "No. Let him keep thinking it was me."

Fighting the Zerg was her burden to bear. She wanted to shield Xu Chu from the storms, to keep him far away from these horrors. Let him hate her if he must. She suddenly understood what Sword Edge had said: The people you save will not be grateful; the people you protect may grow to despise you. She was already trapped in the quagmire; she did not want those she cared about to be stained by this filth. She was willing to shoulder it all, willingly and gladly.

Xu Chu was captured in photos playing the piano, delivering speeches, chatting with young ladies at banquets... Xu Rui scrolled through them with joy. She saved every handsome photo of her brother.

Outside the screen, Xu Chu was already kneeling on the ground, his face bathed in tears. *Sister. I am sorry. I was so wrong.*

So, his sister had been watching over him all along. She had been enduring everything, desperate to keep him away from the Zerg. He hadn't known; he had hated her for abandoning him.

"Ah!" Xu Chu let out a roar, burying his face deep into his knees as the tears poured down. He could not even imagine it. When his sister found out that he had colluded with these people to kill her—the feeling of being betrayed by the one she loved most—how desperate must she have felt?

*I was wrong! Sister, please come back. I beg you.*

He raised his bloodshot eyes and lunged toward Liu Han. "Stop the countdown!"

97%.

This time, before Jiang Chen could react, Xu Chu pulled out a gun and pointed it at Liu Han's head. His eyes were burning red. "Even if I have to spend the rest of my life in a star prison, I will stop you!"

Bu Xingye, Shi Qiyuan, and Tang Feng assumed their fighting stances once more.

"Xu Chu, put the gun down!"
"You cannot hold a weapon in front of the Leader! Put it down!"
"Have you lost your mind?"

Xu Chu ignored them, keeping the gun leveled at Liu Han's head. "Stop the countdown!"

Liu Han sat motionless, looking at him coldly. "I am moved by the bond between you and your sister, but that is not an absolute reason to resurrect Xu Rui, that devil."

Xu Chu shouted angrily, "Isn't it enough? My sister joined that organization; everything she did was for the sake of humanity!"

Shi Qiyuan said softly, "She seduced me, then hooked up with my father, leading my mother to commit suicide and my father to live in sorrow for the rest of his days. I don't think that has much to do with protecting humanity."

Xu Chu urged desperately, "There must be a reason! My sister isn't that kind of person!"

"Can't you stop erasing her soul signature for a moment? Don't you want to know the truth? What if there's a misunderstanding?"

"I was so certain before, but I never expected there to be so many misunderstandings. How can you be so sure that what you think is the truth actually is?"

"And, and..." Xu Chu frantically searched for any reason to persuade them. "This mysterious organization, the Special Department—don't you want to understand it fully?"

"Why can't its origins be traced? What is its source of funding? Besides killing the Zerg, does it have other political agendas?"

These words had an effect.

The Leader said in a deep voice, "Cancel it."