If Wu Lingyun were present, she would recognize this Second Master as none other than her own uncle, Wu Qixian.
Wu Qixian had already added Chen Jin Zhao to his kill list, intending to keep him in Fengtian forever; this was Chen Jin Zhao's destiny.
"Leave these matters to you. Remember not to leave any traces," Wu Qixian said.
The butler naturally agreed.
Wu Qixian pondered for a moment before asking, "Have the test results for Chen Yang Fu's remains come back yet?"
"Replying to Second Master, the results are in," the butler replied.
"According to the test results from the research institute, Chen Yang Fu likely died from a gene mutation, similar to the cause of death for our experimental subjects."
"In other words, after Chen Yang Fu disappeared that year, he might have been on the verge of dying from illness. After escaping from the research institute, he returned to his hometown to live in seclusion and then died without recognition. Chen Jin Zhao's strength is likely due to inheriting certain genetic traits from Chen Yang Fu."
"It's a pity this Chen Jin Zhao cannot be used by us."
"Otherwise, he would be an absolute weapon of mass destruction."
Wu Qixian listened to the butler's report and, after confirming Chen Yang Fu's identity, said calmly, "Then dispose of Chen Yang Fu's remains cleanly. Do not let Chen Jin Zhao find any leverage. As for Chen Jin Zhao, since he cannot be used by us, he must be eliminated to prevent future trouble."
The butler nodded. "Understood."
Wu Qixian suddenly remembered something and called out to the butler, "There's one more thing I forgot to instruct you on. Arrange for Wu Lingyun to be transferred to Fengtian as the Deputy General Manager of Shen Guo Pharmaceutical."
The butler did not understand Wu Qixian's reasons but still obediently agreed.
After the butler left, Wu Qixian still felt no sleepiness.
Thanks to Shen Guo Pharmaceutical's advanced research achievements, Wu Qixian's physical fitness far surpassed his peers, giving him a feeling of returning to his youth. Thus, even at three or four in the morning, he felt no fatigue. He closed his eyes and lay back in the grand armchair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.
"If Chen Jin Zhao dies, Xu Han Chen might lose his confidence to stand firm, and the Li family likely won't hold me accountable for a dead man," Wu Qixian calculated the gains and losses of this operation. After careful consideration, he found that if this operation succeeded, it would be entirely beneficial with no drawbacks.
"This operation must succeed, and failure is not an option."
The next morning.
Not long after Chen Jin Zhao opened his eyes, a knock sounded at the door.
He walked over in his slippers to open the door. A gust of cold wind blew in from the entrance, clearing Chen Jin Zhao's mind a little.
It was then that Chen Jin Zhao clearly saw the person standing at the door—Xu Nian Qing, who had been awake all night.
Xu Nian Qing's eyes showed deep fatigue. "Is it convenient to come in and talk?"
Chen Jin Zhao nodded, stepped aside to invite Xu Nian Qing in, and then closed the door. He walked to the living room and poured Xu Nian Qing a cup of hot water.
Xu Nian Qing thanked him, cupping the warm water in her hands to warm them.
"Is there any news about the three bodies from last night?" Chen Jin Zhao sat down in front of her. Xu Nian Qing did not say much but hummed in acknowledgment and then said, "Your gene mutation direction is the same as theirs, so I'm worried there's some connection between you and Shen Guo Pharmaceutical. I haven't told anyone about this, nor did I dare to tell you over the phone, for fear of being overheard."
Chen Jin Zhao's expression remained relatively calm, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The confirmation of his suspicions was not good news for Chen Jin Zhao.
"You don't seem surprised at all?" Xu Nian Qing hesitated.
Chen Jin Zhao smiled wryly. "I had some suspicions before killing these three people. This just confirms my guess, so it's not exactly a surprise, just a bit of disappointment. By the way, can these three bodies help your research?"
Seeing Chen Jin Zhao's nonchalant demeanor, Xu Nian Qing felt a pang of sympathy.
Perhaps he had come to terms with it.
Xu Nian Qing said, "Don't be discouraged. We still have many years ahead. Maybe in a few years, I'll overcome this hurdle."
"For a moment, I don't know if overcoming this hurdle is a good or bad thing for the overall situation. If the monsters' lifespans become unlimited, it will cause immense destruction to society," Chen Jin Zhao sighed, wishing this hurdle could never be overcome.
"Please don't say that. As long as the technology isn't misused, those problems can be prevented. Besides, this is within my research scope, you can rest assured about that," Xu Nian Qing said.
Chen Jin Zhao remained noncommittal.
"What are your plans now?" Xu Nian Qing asked.
Chen Jin Zhao did not hide anything and stated directly, "I've booked a flight to Fengtian. I'm leaving this afternoon."
Shock flashed across Xu Nian Qing's face. She quickly advised Chen Jin Zhao not to be too impulsive. If he insisted, she could accompany him to Fengtian and perhaps be of assistance.
"No need. I plan to go alone this time," Chen Jin Zhao said.
Xu Nian Qing started to speak but stopped.
Knowing she couldn't persuade Chen Jin Zhao, she abandoned the idea.
After their conversation, Chen Jin Zhao drove Xu Nian Qing back to the research institute. As she was about to enter the institute's main gate, Chen Jin Zhao suddenly called out to her. Xu Nian Qing turned back blankly. Chen Jin Zhao walked up to her, gathered his thoughts for a long while, and then said, "If I'm still alive next year, I will marry Meng Zhi."
Xu Nian Qing's body trembled, and her eyes clearly became flustered. After a long pause, she said, "Is that so? Then I must congratulate you in advance."
"You'll have to treat me to wedding wine then."
After saying this, Xu Nian Qing lowered her head and quickly entered the institute.
Seeing this, Chen Jin Zhao sighed. He stood at the entrance for a while before calling Shangguan Yu An. Soon, Shangguan Yu An appeared from within the institute. Shangguan Yu An looked at Chen Jin Zhao curiously, "What did you say to Professor Xu? Why does she seem so sad? She won't say why."
"I told her about my marriage," Chen Jin Zhao said.
Shangguan Yu An was startled and said stubbornly, "I thought it was something important, but it's just about your marriage. It's nothing much."
"Then why did you call me out, just to say this?"
Chen Jin Zhao looked at Shangguan Yu An suspiciously. Shangguan Yu An turned his head away. Chen Jin Zhao chuckled and said, "I called you here because I want you to focus on protecting Professor Xu for a while. Don't let her do anything foolish, understand?"
Shangguan Yu An obediently agreed and then turned to leave.
After finishing all his arrangements, Chen Jin Zhao took a car to the airport. As he was about to board, someone patted his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Wu Ling Yun wearing sunglasses standing behind him. "Cousin, why are you here too? Are you going to Fengtian as well?"
"Judging by what you said, you're planning to go to Fengtian?" Chen Jin Zhao was surprised.
Wu Ling Yun couldn't keep secrets, and since Chen Jin Zhao was her cousin, she directly replied, "Of course. I've been transferred by the family to Fengtian to serve as the Deputy General Manager of Shen Guo Pharmaceutical. I'm just going to inspect my work. Cousin, why are you going to Fengtian?"
Chen Jin Zhao frowned, wondering if this was too much of a coincidence.
The thought had barely surfaced before he suppressed it, scoffing inwardly, "It's likely not a coincidence. They just want to make me hesitate. This means Shen Guo Pharmaceutical has detected my movements and is beginning to target me."
"It seems this trip to Fengtian is like entering a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, fraught with danger."