Even Me

[Brother Ao is so cute.]

[Excited heart, trembling hands. I can't believe the Long Ao spin-off is airing so soon!]

[Hey, why is Chen Guan everywhere? It looks like he has a big role in the Long Ao spin-off too.]

[It's a spin-off, after all. Even if it's a standalone story, it's still part of the main plot, so it's normal for Chen Guan to be here.]

[Now that the Long Ao spin-off is here, when will our Susu's spin-off air?]

However, it seemed these viewers were coming from the spin-off.

"Long Ao Spin-off" was the information Chen Guan gathered from the bullet comments.

At this point, the protagonist should have already become Long Ao.

Maybe one day, he would also see a Chen Guan spin-off?

"Let's go."

Chen Guan had already learned the specific details from Hong Xing. The only slight change in the process was the appearance of Long Ao.

Moreover, Long Ao seemed to have known all along that he was coming to Jiangcheng; he probably had his own inside information.

A designated vehicle stopped in front of them, arranged in advance by Long Ao. Looking at the increasingly familiar scenery, Long Ao took a deep breath, his expression complex.

He skillfully led Chen Guan into a small alley paved with bluestone slabs. Deep in the alley, an inconspicuous black-painted wooden door was tightly shut, its knockers shaped like two rust-mottled bronze lions.

The seemingly rusted bronze lions nodded at him and let out two low grunts. Long Ao smiled and rubbed the heads of the two little creatures. He remembered that these two bronze lions used to play with him a lot when he was a child.

His inner tension dissipated a bit, and Long Ao raised his hand to knock on the door.

Slow footsteps came from inside. With a creak, the door opened a crack, revealing the wrinkled face of an old woman whose eyes were unusually bright.

Seeing Long Ao, she froze for a moment before genuine surprise blossomed on her face: "Young Master? You... why are you back? The Master was just talking about you yesterday."

"Nanny Wang," Long Ao nodded, his tone unusually gentle. "I brought a friend back to stay for a few days."

Nanny Wang was one of the people his grandfather had saved in the past. She was just an ordinary person with no spiritual power. Because she had nowhere to go, his grandfather took her in. Long Ao was naturally familiar with her.

Nanny Wang quickly opened the door and stepped aside to let the two of them in.

Behind the door was a hidden haven—a clean and tidy little courtyard. Several pots of meticulously cared-for orchids were placed in the patio. The door of the main room facing them was wide open, faintly revealing the antique furnishings inside.

"The Old Master is in the study," Nanny Wang said in a low voice, pointing toward the study.

Long Ao signaled for Chen Guan to wait a moment, then walked toward the study himself. He stood outside the door and cleared his throat: "Grandpa, I'm back."

It was quiet inside for a few seconds, and then an old but vigorous voice rang out: "Come in."

Chen Guan remained outside in the patio. Nanny Wang brought over a rattan chair and asked him to sit. After thanking her, Chen Guan set down his coffin and took a seat.

Nanny Wang didn't react much to the sudden appearance of the coffin. Although she was just an ordinary person, she had been by Long Ao's grandfather's side for many years and was long accustomed to all sorts of strange things.

Meanwhile, Long Ao stood still in the study.

The study wasn't large. Beechwood bookshelves that reached the ceiling took up two entire walls, looking exactly as he remembered. The air was filled with the scent of aged ink. Behind a rosewood desk by the window sat an old man.

The old man had gray hair, combed meticulously, and wore a slightly faded cyan Tang suit.

This was Long Ao's grandfather, Long Ye.

He had guarded China for decades, decisive in his actions and renowned for his prestige. Although there had been no record of him fighting for a long time, his lingering awe remained.

Long Ye held an open dossier in his hand, but his gaze was not on it. Instead, he looked straight at his grandson who had just entered.

"Finally decided to come back?" Long Ye put down the dossier, his voice flat.

Long Ao stood before the desk and simply replied, "Grandpa."

"Sit," Long Ye pointed to the chair in front of the desk.

Long Ao sat down and got straight to the point: "Grandpa, I came back this time because of Chen Guan's matter."

He looked with burning eyes at the grandfather before him, who felt both familiar and strange.

Long Ye's fingers tapped lightly on the desk. "They already gave me a heads-up. This muddy mess in Jiangcheng really is due for a good cleaning."

He changed the subject, his gaze shooting toward Long Ao like lightning: "But what about you? You're just keeping an eye on this to accompany your friend."

Long Ao met his gaze. "Yes, Chen Guan is my friend."

He paused. "Besides, the Flesh Kindred has been entrenched in Jiangcheng for years, and their actions are getting more and more rampant. I can't stand it."

He couldn't stand those people, nor could he stand... his own grandfather.

"Can't stand it?" Long Ye sounded somewhat helpless. "Long Ao, you've been stubborn since you were a child, unable to tolerate even a grain of sand in your eyes. That's a good thing, but it can also easily ruin things. This world isn't black or white; it's a shade of gray. Some sacrifices are inevitable."

Long Ao frowned. "What sacrifices?"

Long Ye didn't answer directly. Instead, he picked up another thin report from beside his hand and pushed it in front of Long Ao.

"Look at this. Last month, in the old district of Nancheng, a Patroller squad found seven civilians who were deeply corrupted and on the verge of mutation. It was irreversible. If left alone, once they fully mutated, they would have caused casualties equivalent to at least a small community, and the corruption could have spread."

Long Ao quickly scanned the report, his face darkening. "And then? They..."

"Before I could arrive, the Patroller squad captain stationed in that area made a decision."

Long Ye's voice was completely devoid of emotion. "The seven infected individuals were dealt with collectively. Sacrificing seven people saved at least three hundred and prevented a potential spreading disaster."

The air in the study seemed to freeze. Outside in the patio, the orchids swayed gently in the breeze. Nanny Wang's faint footsteps faded away, further accentuating the dead silence in the room.

The knuckles of Long Ao's fingers gripping the report turned white. "Without a trial, without even trying all possible treatments, they're just... gone? Those were seven human lives! Not numbers!"

"We tried," Long Ye looked at him calmly, ignoring his anger. "Three accompanying medics did their utmost, but to no avail. Under the circumstances at the time, every minute of delay increased the risk. That squad captain made the most rational choice within his duties, which was also the most beneficial choice for the majority."

"Most beneficial?" Long Ao's voice rose. "Who gave him the power to decide who lives and who dies? Grandpa, do you agree with this approach too? For the sake of the majority, is it perfectly justified to sacrifice the minority? Even if that minority is innocent?"

Long Ye's expression remained unchanged. "Long Ao, I've lived for so many years and seen too many choices. Sometimes, you don't have a perfect option. You can only choose between bad and worse."

"Protecting more people is the heavy burden that someone in this position must bear. Acting on emotion will only make the casualty numbers even higher."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Long Ao, looking at the largest orchid in the courtyard. "Do you think that squad leader is cold-blooded? Perhaps. But it is precisely countless cold-blooded decisions like this that have kept Jiangcheng from turning into a dead city through crisis after crisis. Some prices simply must be paid."

"Even if the one paying the price is my friend?"

"Yes."

"Even if it's me?"

There was no answer.

After a long moment, the old man finally spoke in a slow voice. "Long Ao, that is not how you balance the books. No matter how great the value of an individual, on the scales, it sometimes cannot outweigh the survival of the many."

"Even if it were me, your grandfather, the same would apply."