Zhuge Liang Abandons His Son

Looking at the red seal on the cafe's closure tape, it resembled a glaring pool of blood.

Zhuge Chen only took one look before turning around and disappearing into the crowd.

Without a hint of hesitation, let alone a trace of regret. He would never feel regret for anyone.

He turned into a narrow alley barely wide enough for one person to pass. The city's clamor was instantly cut off behind him, leaving only the filth of the gutter on the ground.

In his mind, a 3D map of Tianjing City, accurate to the meter, slowly unfolded. The model, rotation frequency, and coverage sector of every single security camera were clearly marked.

Like a ghost, he slipped through the gaps in the surveillance network.

The cover of a dumpster, a street sprinkler passing by right on time—just a few simple nodes allowed him to appear out of thin air three blocks away.

"Tsk, troublesome."

Zhuge Chen brushed off nonexistent dust from the corner of his clothes and muttered to himself.

"Such a good hand of cards, how did someone manage to flip the table?"

His phone vibrated abruptly.

Without even looking at it, he took out the phone, applied force with his fingers, and snapped the SIM card in half.

He dug out the metal contacts with his fingernail, scratched them up, and casually tossed them into a roadside sewer grate.

The whole sequence of actions was done in one breath, so practiced it was as if he had repeated it a thousand times.

He swapped in a new SIM card, turned the phone on, and dialed.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"What is it?"

"Complete silence for everyone. Leave Tianjing for a while."

"Got it."

Just a single sound, with no unnecessary questions.

The call hung up.

Zhuge Chen's fingers moved rapidly across the screen. Once the factory reset progress bar reached the end, he let go, allowing the phone to trace a parabola and land precisely in a passing garbage truck.

Complete silence... how dangerous that was.

Once this order was given, it meant the massive network he had operated for years would be completely paralyzed. By actively cutting off all contact, they would become a scattered pile of loose sand.

The cost was immense, but it was still better than being wiped out in one fell swoop.

He twisted and turned through the streets, eventually stopping at the basement entrance of an old residential building.

The iron door was mottled with rust, emitting a strange odor of mixed rust and mold.

"Looks like it's time to hibernate early."

The space inside the basement was cramped. Behind a creaky iron door, there was only a bare mattress and a half-old bookcase. Some clutter was piled up in the corner, and the air was thick with the smell of dust.

Anyone who saw it would only think it was a dilapidated basement.

Zhuge Chen walked up to the bookcase, pressed his hands against its side, and gave a forceful push.

The heavy bookcase slid smoothly on silent tracks, revealing a thick alloy security door behind it.

Fingerprint, iris, password.

With the three verifications passed, the door lock let out a faint mechanical click.

Behind the door was another world.

Warm and dry air, soft lighting, and a tidy single apartment.

Even though there were no windows and it would never see sunlight, it had an independent ventilation system, ample food reserves, and absolute security.

He took off his coat, casually grabbed a cup of instant noodles from the shelf, and tore open the packaging.

He added water, sliced a few thick pieces of sausage and tossed them in, then generously sprinkled a handful of dehydrated vegetables and meat bits.

Finally, he shoved the whole cup into the microwave.

"Quite nutritionally balanced, isn't it?"

An unfamiliar voice came from the shadows of the room.

Zhuge Chen froze for a moment, then turned his head to look at the shadows.

On the single bed that came with the apartment, a young man was sitting, having appeared there at some unknown time. He was studying him with great interest, as if enjoying an entertaining play.

After a brief moment of shock, Zhuge Chen actually smiled.

"It seems I've been sold out. Oh well, if you use enough discarded pawns, there will come a day when you become one yourself. Before you kill me, allow me to finish these instant noodles, alright?"

His tone was relaxed, as if discussing the weather.

Lin Mo raised a hand, gesturing for him to continue.

Zhuge Chen's whole body relaxed. He took a few extra braised eggs from the cabinet, along with some chicken legs and other items.

What was originally a simple meal gradually became quite a feast.

Zhuge Chen felt that a last meal should be a bit more abundant.

But in reality, this meal couldn't compare to the things he used to eat.

It was just that right now, he really only wanted to eat some instant noodles.

Ding!

The instant noodles were ready.

Zhuge Chen opened the microwave and carefully took out the cup of instant noodles.

Then he dunked the braised eggs into the broth, letting the boiling hot soup soak into them.

"You know? People are actually just chess pieces. I am, and you are too. As soon as we lose our value, we get tossed aside."

Lin Mo did not respond.

He wasn't a chess piece, nor would he ever become one, and he wasn't a chess player either.

Because he was the one who flipped the table.

Zhuge Chen ate the instant noodles, bite after bite, even drinking all the soup.

After finishing all this, he slumped in his chair and said open-mindedly, "Come on, kill me!"

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up.

Logically speaking, this Zhuge Chen should be a rotting flower.

Why was his body radiating a red glow of karmic merit?

Could it be that he only looked like a bad guy on the outside?

But was actually a good guy on the inside?

Lin Mo looked at Zhuge Chen. For a moment, he didn't know how to start speaking, but eventually stepped out of the shadows.

At this moment, Zhuge Chen finally saw Lin Mo's appearance.

And he recognized Lin Mo.

"It's you! Lin Mo."

"Yeah, it's me. I originally wanted to kill you, but after seeing you, I changed my mind. Tell me, how is your undercover work going?"

Lin Mo sat casually in front of Zhuge Chen, his posture very relaxed.

But Zhuge Chen wasn't nearly as relaxed.

He had been fully prepared to die and take his secrets into the abyss.

However, he still didn't say a word.

"Let me guess. You're actually not a discarded pawn of the Zhuge family, but a deeply buried chess piece. You might have done some bad things, but that doesn't matter; you still have karmic merit on you."

Lin Mo stood up and patted his shoulder. "Take care of yourself."

Seeing that Lin Mo was about to leave, Zhuge Chen suddenly stood up.

"You! Don't you have anything you want to ask? For example... who is the mastermind behind planting the bombs?"

Lin Mo smiled. "Did no one tell you that the Chai family has already been wiped out by me?"

Zhuge Chen was stunned. "The Chai... the Chai family was wiped out?!"

This news smashed into his head like a bolt of lightning.

"Wait! What do you want to know?!"

Zhuge Chen stood up, his expression and attitude completely different from before. His initial casualness had turned deadly serious.

Perhaps this was his true demeanor.

"I want to know what exactly this organization is, to be able to hide right under the nose of the Yanhuang Awakening."

Hearing this question, Zhuge Chen felt a massive headache coming on.

"It might sound funny, but I'm actually just an ordinary member of that organization. As for my superior, whether you can find him will depend on your own abilities."

Saying this, Zhuge Chen handed a SIM card to Lin Mo.

"There is only one number saved on it, and it can only be dialed once. Oh, and you need to publicly announce that I have already been killed by you."