Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Truth Revealed (Part One)

The old warden still wore that same expression, as if nothing in the world mattered to him except the delicacies before him. Yet the very first question he posed sent cold sweat running down Zhao Li’s back.

Has my secret been uncovered? That was the first thought that flashed through Zhao Li’s mind. What should I do? Immediately afterward, his consciousness began interrogating itself.

Never before had Zhao Li experienced a moment where a single question could leave him so disoriented and drenched in cold sweat. The old warden before him, who just a moment ago seemed like a decrepit old man lost in his love of food, had suddenly transformed into a shrewd interrogator. The shift unsettled Zhao Li deeply.

Only now did Zhao Li notice that the old warden, like himself, was of Asian descent. His hair was as white as snow, yet it was impossible to guess his age. At first glance, he appeared nothing more than an ordinary, unremarkable old man. This, in turn, only deepened Zhao Li’s suspicion that the old warden was the most accomplished practitioner he had ever encountered.

“Not willing to talk? Then let me make a guess,” the old warden said, noticing how Zhao Li had suddenly fallen into a daze. He knew his abrupt question had nearly pried open Zhao Li’s heart. Now, just a little more pressure might be the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

“Based on the information I received from your close friend Johnny…” The warden looked up at Zhao Li, seeing he had regained his composure, and nodded slightly to himself. “Johnny isn’t a stranger to you, is he? I don’t need to elaborate on his background, do I?”

Zhao Li nodded. The old warden, in his eyes, seemed to know everything, and it was no surprise that he had managed to find Johnny. Presumably, they were only gathering information and would leave his friend unharmed.

“Before you joined the military, you were practicing only the basic body-strengthening technique,” the old warden stated, coming eerily close to Zhao Li’s deepest secret. “And after enlisting, you were frequently seen in the infirmary.”

“With your training track, you should’ve faced many challenges during the first phase of boot camp. Yet your evaluation scores were excellent. This raises questions: how could someone who practiced only the most basic techniques withstand that kind of soul-shaking temptation?”

The things the old warden was saying were the very suspicions Qi Zhen had voiced before—except Qi Zhen had been taken away for leaking secrets, while here the old warden spoke calmly and at length.

“Yet during that first phase, you were the one who interacted most with the female army medic. By rights, aside from never practicing higher-level techniques, there were no other issues with you. So why did you appear in the infirmary so often?”

Hearing all this, Zhao Li was filled with inexpressible admiration for the old warden. With only a few scattered facts, he had pieced together a story that was almost entirely accurate—what kind of ability was this? Experience? Intuition?

“The only explanation is that you were assisting that medic with some unusual experiment,” the old warden continued, reaching for the glass of red wine that had now warmed to the perfect temperature. He sipped slowly. “And lately, those people from the Academy of Geniuses have started a peculiar project. Would you like to hear about it?” His eyes gleamed as he watched Zhao Li.

“If it doesn’t involve classified information, or if learning about it won’t get me investigated, I’d very much like to know,” Zhao Li replied honestly. He had realized that any attempt at deception was utterly futile in front of the old warden; better to cooperate openly, as long as his greatest secret remained untouched.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. At least you haven’t been completely brainwashed by those people,” the old warden said with a cryptic smile. Zhao Li was confused, but there was nothing to do but listen—this was not a conversation where he could interject. Most importantly, Zhao Li detected a hint of disdain in the warden’s tone when he referred to the Academy of Geniuses as “those people.”

“Their project is to have a prodigy practice nothing but the basic body-strengthening technique for at least four years, then immediately begin training in combat techniques—hoping to observe some remarkable effect.” Having said this, the old warden sampled a spoonful of caviar, savoring it slowly and giving Zhao Li time to digest the news.

Zhao Li was at a loss for words. How could his own situation be connected to the Academy of Geniuses? The only possible link was that Christine must have come from the Academy. The thought that he had spent so much time working so closely with a beautiful “lab rat” sent another chill down his spine.

He couldn’t help but feel grateful for that so-called accident. If not for the mishap, he might have become the Academy’s ideal specimen. It was only because of that error that he had the freedom to complete boot camp unimpeded.

“What puzzles me is this: with someone like you already available, why would they spend another two years developing a new test subject?” The old warden’s eyes glinted slyly as he scrutinized Zhao Li’s face. “Unless, of course, something unexpected happened to you, causing the experiment to fail. Am I right?”

For a moment, Zhao Li had no idea how to respond. It was as if the old warden had witnessed everything firsthand—how could Zhao Li not be stunned?

“And I suspect the failure wasn’t your fault, am I right?” Another bombshell. Zhao Li’s lips moved, uncertain whether to speak, reluctant to implicate Christine.

Seeing his hesitation, the old warden shook his head, having made up his mind. Clearly, the truth wasn’t far from his guess. To protect the promising officer from the Academy of Geniuses, Zhao Li, an insignificant figure, had been sacrificed.

They called it military service in a special prison, but under such harsh regulations, what was the difference between service and imprisonment? Isolated from the world in this prison, with his rank, Zhao Li’s treatment was sometimes even worse than that of the inmates.

Yet Zhao Li surprised him. After quietly observing for a while, the warden noticed that Zhao Li showed neither dejection nor resentment at being betrayed; instead, he appeared perfectly calm. This astonished the warden.

“Or perhaps, the accident wasn’t a failure at all, was it?” Suddenly, Zhao Li heard the old warden utter these words, and it was as if a bolt of lightning had split the air beside his ear.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Third update of the day, still working hard for the rankings—please vote and support, everyone!