Xuan Lao froze in place almost instantly.
A thin sword emitting a scarlet glow pierced his head, emerging from the back of his skull.
Immediately after, the lights in the inner chamber and the corridor went out.
Within fractions of a second, scarlet light, like a swimming dragon, pierced the darkness.
Human eyes could not even track the true trajectory of the red light.
A muffled sigh echoed almost simultaneously, incredibly eerie!
One second later, the sounds of several exoskeleton armors hitting the ground could be heard.
The scarlet light vanished.
A strong, sweet scent of blood slowly wafted out, entering Xuan He Yi's nostrils.
Xuan He Yi was stunned for a few seconds, then tremblingly called out softly, "Brother Xuan? Where did he go?"
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the inner chamber, a chaotic, irregular barrage.
In the pitch darkness ahead, the muzzle flashes and the scarlet light beams interplayed.
Illuminating the inner chamber.
Gu Ya, wielding a meter-long scarlet glowing weapon, weaved through the black-clad figures, swiftly evading bullets and dispatching enemies.
Gunshots, screams, and the "buzzing" sound of red light cleaving the air rose and fell in succession.
Adding to the terror of the darkness.
After a long while, the sounds finally ceased, and the white lights flickered back on.
Xuan He Yi's eyes couldn't open due to the brightness of the light.
When he adjusted to the light's intensity and slowly opened his eyes, he was instantly stunned.
Xuan Lao remained frozen in his palm-striking posture, unmoving.
A two-finger-wide hole was present in the center of the back of his head.
Thick blood mixed with brain matter slowly oozed from the wound, dripping from his hair onto his golden bio-mechanical body.
And within the inner chamber was a horrific scene Xuan He Yi had never witnessed in his life.
All his subordinates lay on the ground, blood spraying from their necks, staining their exoskeleton armors and flowing onto the pristine white floor.
Countless blood splatters adorned the white walls and ceiling,
It was like hell.
Gu Ya stood amidst the corpses, the red light ring of his exoskeleton armor's head directed coldly at Xuan He Yi.
Xuan He Yi sighed, then retched violently.
Gu Ya said flatly, "Alright, old fox, now let's talk about the truth you claim to know!"
...
In the inner chamber, littered with corpses, Xuan He Yi and Yu Hang were pressed onto the sofa by several people.
Xuan Lie was being stepped on by Zeng Lang, whimpering in pain.
His mouth was torn, his jaw dislocated, and bound with a suit, making for a terrifying sight.
Xuan He Yi maintained a calm demeanor, staring at his captors.
Gu Ya stood before him and asked coldly, "Resistance is futile."
Xuan He Yi calmly chuckled, "I have a private armed mech squad on standby on the surface right now. If my vital signs disappear, they will attack immediately."
Gu Ya sighed and said, "You are facing three elite students from Dong Yong Gu Lan, plus a mech parts technician. What are you going to fight us with in terms of mecha combat?"
"Are you going to use your 'Pure White Knight' Chang Lang, who only knows third-rate techniques?"
Gu Ya added calmly, "I defeated him in the mech bounty wars half a year ago."
Xuan He Yi frowned and said, "Jude without armor, that was you."
Gu Ya leaned in and said coldly, "So what? Tell me the truth!"
"About the death of Zeng Lang's mother, and my true identity."
As he spoke, Gu Ya gently gripped Xuan He Yi's wrist, using only twenty percent of his strength, and a clear bone-cracking sound was heard.
"Old bones don't take well to being broken. Speak the truth if you don't want to suffer!" Gu Ya said fiercely.
Xuan He Yi gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, his eyes still calm.
"Heh... hehe..."
Xuan Lie let out an unpleasant laugh, his crooked mouth splitting wider, his eyes revealing madness and depravity.
His hands flailed in the air, like a disgusting zombie.
Zeng Lang stomped on his head, his gaze sharp and deadly.
Xuan He Yi noticed Xuan Lie's strangeness and asked softly, "What did you do to him?"
Zeng Lang said with cold fury, "Can't you tell? I tore his mouth open, fed him pink pills, and in four minutes, he'll become a 'universally beloved' monster!"
Xuan He Yi chuckled softly, sighed, and whispered, "The last bloodline of the Xuan family is ruined."
This statement startled everyone.
Gu Ya turned his head to look at Zeng Lang, and a complex look of hatred appeared on Zeng Lang's face.
"Continue," Gu Ya said coldly.
Xuan He Yi raised his head, a look of resolve appearing on his face.
Zeng Lang stomped down hard, and Xuan Lie let out a more pained groan, his body twitching, his eyes rolling back, showing a peculiar madness.
"You bastard! I'll cut off your source of trouble later, throw you into a cage, and parade you through the streets!"
"Let everyone in the city see how the once-proud Xuan family has fallen to a state worse than dogs!"
Zeng Lang's words were like poison.
Xuan He Yi, enduring the pain, lowered his head.
Gu Ya clenched his clothes and lifted him up, saying, "Don't try to evade."
Xuan He Yi said calmly, "I want to know what you will do with me after I tell you the truth."
"Dispose of you?" Zeng Lang said with cold ruthlessness, "I'll kill you."
Xuan He Yi nodded and said, "That would be best. Death ends all, and I won't have to suffer."
"If possible, please kill Xuan Lie and me now."
Gu Ya cupped his mouth and said, "Despair? How many times have you experienced it?"
"You've grown too accustomed to your comfortable Upper City life, have you forgotten your survival instincts?"
"Wanting to die is too easy for you. I believe the Gene Biology Department has plenty of experimental equipment to maintain your vital signs while subjecting you to all sorts of humiliation and pain."
Xuan He Yi's eyes were no longer as calm as before; they began to tremble and dart around, avoiding Gu Ya's gaze.
Suddenly, Xuan Lie's body began to convulse violently, spitting blood bubbles, his entire being on the verge of collapse, his limbs thrashing uncontrollably.
Zeng Lang's foot remained on his head.
Xuan Lie's body seemed to twist his head, trying to break free and go completely insane.
"Please... please save him, will you?" Xuan He Yi suddenly said, a tear rolling down his eye.
"I have no son left, the Xuan family's bloodline cannot be severed!"
Gu Ya immediately asked, "What about Zeng Lang?"
A second tear rolled down Xuan He Yi's eye. He let out a helpless, dry laugh, his expression one of extreme pain, as if ten thousand needles were piercing his heart.
"Little Lang is already dead! Hahahaha..."
A chilling coldness instantly stimulated everyone's nerves. They all turned to look at Zeng Lang.
Zeng Lang maintained his sinister expression, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Xuan He Yi.
"What exactly happened! And who is Zeng Lang!" Gu Ya demanded loudly.
Xuan He Yi gasped, slowly lowered his head. When he looked up again, his eyes held helplessness, sorrow, and a farewell. Tears streamed down his face.
He slowly began to speak, "Eight years ago, Little Lang died."
"The one standing before you is a replacement."
"What?" Gu Ya frowned, "Zeng Lang is a clone?"
Xuan He Yi nodded with a dry laugh.
Zeng Lang kicked Xuan Lie away and rushed to Xuan He Yi, roaring, "You're talking nonsense! I have memories! My mother died eight years ago!"
"I am not a replacement, I am me! I am Zeng Lang!"
Xuan He Yi's eyes regained their coldness. He looked at Zeng Lang with disgust and said coldly, "Let go of your hand, you filthy insect."
"Tell me the truth!!!" Zeng Lang roared.
"Hahahaha......" Xuan Lie twisted his body madly, lunging towards a corpse and beginning to undo his trousers.
Wu Xuan and Liu Feng rushed forward and held him firmly in place.
Xuan He Yi looked at Xuan Lie with despair,
And slowly said, "Eight years ago, Sister Zeng was diagnosed with a terminal illness."
"Simultaneously, Little Lang, only eleven years old, was also diagnosed with a similar condition."
"Not only that, but the entire family seemed cursed."
"Relatives died one after another from this similar condition, whether they were family members or their spouses."
"It was at that time that I accepted the clone cultivation plan arranged from above."
Gu Ya and the others listened silently.
The old fox was finally starting to tell the truth.
"My initial experimental subjects were Sister Zeng and Little Lang."
"Sister Zeng resolutely disagreed when she found out, saying, 'Everyone has their own fate, this is not a curse.'"
"I defied her last wish and secretly researched their clones."
"Later, Sister Zeng found out about the clones. She rushed into my room to try and persuade me. But I was out of town at the time, searching for ways to cure them."
Xuan He Yi looked at Gu Ya and said, "Xuan Lie was in my room. Knowing Zeng Mei was seriously ill and not long for this world, he tricked her into drinking water with 'Pink Fox' in it, and then the terrible truth unfolded."
"When I returned, Sister Zeng was on her deathbed. She begged me, and I gave her poison to drink."
"Even as she was dying, she begged me not to research clones."
"It was on the day Sister Zeng died that Little Lang also died."
Gu Ya sighed and looked at Zeng Lang, saying, "This is the truth you have been searching for."
Zeng Lang still didn't believe it, saying, "Why are my memories so vivid? I dream of my mother's smile! She made me happy! She told me to be myself!"
"You're lying to me, what you're saying isn't the truth!"
Xuan He Yi snatched Zeng Lang's hand away and said, "The dying speak the truth."
Ling Ling suddenly spoke, "The Gene Biology Department has the most advanced memory implantation system in all of Xian Xia."
"When a clone is deemed excellent, they are implanted with memories and further observed."
"Only when the clone completely matches the memories can further checks be performed."
"This process takes about three years."
Xuan He Yi nodded in agreement, "If a person only experiences happiness, they will become an arrogant and ignorant fool."
"That's why I preserved all your memories of your mother."
"However, the first time you showed obsession with the truth of your mother's death, I knew you would be the family's downfall."
"I regret my leniency for not eliminating the root of the problem."
Zeng Lang said calmly, "So you sent people to monitor me, guide me, and tried to destroy me."
Xuan He Yi slowly sat down on the sofa and sighed, "Now that things have come to this, there's nothing more to say."
Zeng Lang paused for a moment and asked softly, "Did you ever consider me your son, even for a day?"
Xuan He Yi shook his head, "You can never replace Little Lang."
"Ethics are merely words used to disguise cruel truths."
"Xuan Lie is just a piece of trash. Xuan Wei, a pitiful little mouse, a sacrifice for the family. Xuan Ai, she probably won't achieve much when she grows up."
"Only Xuan Wei and Xuan Lang, my two favorite children, have left me one after another."
"The Xuan family is ruined."
Zeng Lang lowered his head and quietly moved to the side, sitting on the ground.
Gu Ya calmed himself, brought his thoughts back, and asked steadily, "Now, let's talk about my business."