C10 Past Events

"I failed again. I had hoped for a surprise from you, but you turned out to be so fragile."

The middle-aged man shook his head, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and leaned against the edge of the blood-stained operating table, puffing away.

"Boss, boss, we've got trouble! Someone from the Watchtower has escaped!"

A burly man with dark skin burst in, panic in his voice, followed by a girl with a blank expression.

Obscured by the smoke, only the glow of the lit cigarette was visible, leaving the man's expression a mystery. After a couple of minutes, he finally spoke, "Any damage to the experimental subjects?"

"Boss, if the Watchtower gets wind of what we're doing, we're finished."

The big man failed to grasp the middle-aged man's concern; even at this critical juncture, he was preoccupied with the experimental subjects.

"Never mind the Watchtower for now. First, tell me, have we lost any experimental subjects?"

The middle-aged man waved his hand, clearing some of the smoke, and took a harsh drag on his cigarette, his voice brooking no argument.

"The Watchtower sent some tough operatives this time: six four-star Essence Weavers, one five-star, and a woman who's a six-star Essence Weaver. The C series experimental subjects are all dead, and only half of the B series survived. The A series..."

He trailed off, glancing at the girl behind him.

Snuffing out his cigarette, the middle-aged man's gaze lingered on the girl for a few seconds before he commanded, "Hei Dao, prepare to move the remaining experimental subjects. We evacuate tomorrow; this place is compromised. A02, you stay. Go."

"Yes."

Hei Dao cast a furtive look at the blood on the wall and left.

The middle-aged man approached the girl, his eyes meeting hers, devoid of color. He extended his right hand as if to stroke her hair but then thought better of it and pulled back.

The girl was dressed in a plain tracksuit, a black collar around her neck with a green indicator light embedded in it. Since her arrival, her face had remained impassive, resembling a robot devoid of emotion.

"Yue'er, daddy is so sorry. I, Lee Tianshan, am nothing but a failure," the middle-aged man lamented, striking himself across the face. His weathered features were etched with sorrow and fury.

Lee Tianshan had once been a simple man, blessed with a loving family and a life of contentment. His wife, Bai Qingmei, was a vision of beauty, and their love was the envy of all. Within two years of marriage, they welcomed their daughter, Lee Yue, into the world.

Over a decade later, their daughter had blossomed into a stunning young woman. Lee Tianshan had believed this blissful existence would last forever, until one fateful evening shattered everything.

He had gone to pick up Lee Yue from school, only to find himself waiting outside for two excruciating hours with no sign of her. After inquiring with her classmates, Lee Tianshan learned that a young man had taken Lee Yue away just before school let out.

Upon returning home, he shared the distressing news with Bai Qingmei. With Lee Yue's phone unreachable, panic set in. Lee Yue was a well-behaved child who didn't make a habit of speaking to strangers, let alone leave with one without telling her parents.

After much searching, Lee Tianshan and Bai Qingmei finally located their daughter in a posh hotel. In a lavish suite, they found Lee Yue, dressed in nothing but a thin garment, crouched by the wall, weeping quietly. On the double bed lounged a smug, hooked-nose young man in a bathrobe, legs arrogantly crossed. A once-pristine bedsheet, now marred with a jarring red stain, lay discarded nearby.

The truth of the situation hit Lee Tianshan like a ton of bricks. He charged forward in a blind rage, only to be brutally overpowered by the young man, who broke his arms and legs. Bai Qingmei tried to intervene but was subdued by the assailant.

The young man, noticing Bai Qingmei's beauty, had the audacity to violate her right before Lee Tianshan's eyes. Afterwards, he revealed his identity as Ming Xuanyang, an Essence Weaver, boasting that his father was a high-ranking general at the Watchtower, named Minghe.

Ming Xuanyang's message was clear: he could do whatever he wanted to others, but no one could touch him. Realizing this, Lee Tianshan sank deeper into despair.

The once joyful Lee family was shattered by the ordeal. Their daughter spent her days in tears, while his wife withdrew into silence, lost in her own thoughts. With his limbs now useless, Lee Tianshan was confined to a wheelchair, his life reduced to passing days in immobility.

In time, tragedy struck again. Bai Qingmei took her own life, hanging herself in her room.

Her death left Lee Yue in a state of mental disarray. She would alternate between fits of senseless laughter and vacant stares, as the uniquely human emotions slowly faded from her.

Lee Tianshan was overwhelmed with sorrow. He loathed his powerlessness to save his wife and daughter, and he cursed the cruel injustice of the world.

One day, a mysterious figure approached Lee Tianshan, inquiring whether he sought revenge. Of course, he did, but as a now-disabled ordinary man, how could he possibly exact it?

The stranger offered Lee Tianshan everything he desired in exchange for a price.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lee Tianshan struck a deal. If it meant avenging his family, he was willing to sacrifice anything.

Why should Essence Weavers wield unchecked power over ordinary people? Why must the common folk suffer under the oppression of these so-called chosen ones?

From that moment, Lee Tianshan's hatred for the Essence Weavers and the Watchtower knew no bounds. He vowed to obliterate them from existence, regardless of the cost.

"Yue'er, just wait. They'll soon vanish from this world. Once your dad has had his revenge, we'll find a secluded place and live out our days in peace."

Lee Tianshan spoke earnestly to the young girl before him, unsure if she grasped his words.

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and steadied his emotions. Then, pressing a switch beneath the operating table, a three-meter-wide passageway opened up in the floor.

"A02, stay up here."

With those final words, Lee Tianshan descended into the tunnel alone.

Beneath the surface lay a dimly lit basement, its sparse contents making it appear vast and empty.

In this space, a seventeen-year-old girl was the sole occupant. Zhou Ming would have instantly recognized her as the mission's target, Lin Xiaowu.

Chains bound Lin Xiaowu's limbs securely to the wall, and she shifted her body in protest.

"Clang!"

The sound of the chains clashing echoed through the barren space.

"A01, are you pleased with your accommodations?" Lee Tianshan sauntered through the basement, a cigarette dangling from his lips, before blowing a cloud of smoke in Lin Xiaowu's face.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Choking on the secondhand smoke, Lin Xiaowu fixed Lee Tianshan with a furious stare. "You'll get what's coming to you. You've killed so many innocent people, even using children for your experiments. You'll meet a grisly end!"

Lee Tianshan scoffed at the notion. "Retribution? I, Lee Tianshan, never lose sleep over such things. The lives I've taken are a price well paid."

His expression turned icy as he struck Lin Xiaowu hard across the face. "A01, you're the only one who's managed to stay sane after an injection of the Level A Phantasmal Potion. That's why I had you working for me. But to think you'd try to escape? I told you to run, didn't I? Run!"

He delivered several more slaps as he spoke.

Blood trickled from the corner of Lin Xiaowu's mouth as she bowed her head, biting down on her teeth in silent defiance.