Chapter 12 — Fire Race

I immediately stopped walking! Staring in horror at the device in her hand! “Don't!” Chu Hao also let out a groan, shaking his head frantically! “You really care about him, right?” The corners of K's lips curled up into a cruel smile. “Then be obedient… hand over everything your grandfather left behind!” “That ‘key’!” “Also… it's you!” She gradually pressed closer to me. His eyes were like venomous snakes, coldly locking onto me. “I knew you would come.” “Lin Zhiyuan's niece… oh no, it's a girl.” “A carrier of the perfect X2z gene sequence – an ideal ‘host’.” “Your genes… are the key to a new era!” “Resisting is useless.” “We have known about your plan with that old man for a long time!” “Even the secret about this altar!” “On the night of the blood moon, the altar will open a… ‘passage’.” “A channel that can… read and fuse genetic information!” “Just put you and the data in the earring…” “We will get… the complete ‘Ouroboros Key’!” “By then, the whole world… will have to bow at our feet!” Her tone was filled with madness! I tightened my grip on the bag containing the jade pendant and earrings. The mind turns quickly! We can't let her achieve her goal! Grandpa's plan... definitely still has one final step! The altar... the passage... Reading and gene fusion... Could it be... not just reading?! But it can also… overwrite?! Overwrite that… a logic virus?! I suddenly stared at the glowing stone stele! In the center of the stele! There is a… lotus-shaped depression! Size… fits my lotus-shaped jade pendant perfectly! "Older brother!" I shouted loudly! "Jade boi! Center stone stele!" Lam Kien Quoc seems to understand! He immediately exploded with power! Knock out the two black-shirted guys next to you! Pulling out from my pocket… a metal USB! At amazing speed! He plugged it straight into an... extremely discreet USB port on the side of the stone tablet?! (This stone stele… has a USB port?! Grandpa is really ahead of his time…) “What are you doing?!” K changed color! She didn't expect us to have this trick at all! The moment the USB is plugged in! The red light on the stone stele suddenly glowed! The vibrations of the altar became more and more intense! And me! At almost the same time! He used all his strength to press the lotus-shaped jade pendant into the depression in the center of the stone stele! Simultaneously! I slapped the pearl earrings firmly into another depression next to the jade pendant – a teardrop-shaped groove! (As expected, there are separate slots for each item!) U…uh…uh——! A heavy vibrating sound rang out! The entire altar seemed to awaken from a long sleep! The symbols on the stone stele flashed wildly! A dazzling white light burst out from the center of the stone stele! Covers the entire altar! "Are not--!" K screamed in terror! The device in her hand immediately stopped working! Black smoke billows up! The surrounding black-shirted men also held their heads and screamed! It was as if attacked by some invisible force! As for me, Lam Kien Quoc and Chu Hao, we were surrounded by a layer of soft white light. No damage at all. In that halo of light, I seemed to see... countless streams of data being transmitted at breakneck speed between the stone tablet and the USB! My DNA information… the biological information inside the earring… is combining with the “virus” in the USB… and then being overwritten! The target… is the global Ouroboros network! Just a few seconds later, the white halo dissipated. The light on the stone stele also gradually turned off. The altar stopped shaking. Most of the people in black around there collapsed and lost consciousness. Only K was still struggling to stand, but his face was pale and the corners of his lips were bleeding. She stared at the stone stele in disbelief, then looked back at me, her eyes filled with hatred and... fear! “You…

you..." "How is this possible..." "My grandfather's plan... is more complete than you think." I stared at her and said coldly. Lam Kien Quoc also stepped forward and supported me. He quickly removed the rope tied to Chu Hao's body. “Miss Van!” Chu Hao's voice was weak, but his eyes were bright. “So… so cool!” At that moment, from the darkness behind the altar, suddenly a person slowly walked out... He was wearing an old military uniform faded over time. His back was slightly bent, but his eyes were still sharp as knives. In his hand was a bamboo stick, stepping steadily towards the altar. Seeing him, my tears immediately flowed uncontrollably. “Grandpa!” Lam Kien Quoc also shouted with emotion. “Father!” The person who just arrived was Linh Chi Vien - the person who had been missing for more than twenty years! He looked at us, smiling with satisfaction. Even though he is old and weak, he is still as gentle as before. “Van Van, Kien Quoc.” “You guys… did a great job.” He turned his head to look at K again, his eyes became icy. “Ouroboros… it's time to end.” K looked at Linh Chi Vien, his eyes were extremely complicated. There is fear, unwillingness, and even... some emotions that are hard to name? “Linh Chi Vien…” She gritted her teeth and said. “You think… that's all you've won?” “You destroyed our network, wiped out our data.” “But… the seeds are still there!” “As long as there are people who remember that secret!” “As long as… the Haplogroup X2z bloodline still exists!” “Then Ouroboros… will never truly disappear!” As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly pulled out a tiny object from her chest that looked like an explosive device! “Even if I die!” “I also have to drag you guys… to die with me!” On K's face was a crazy smile, his finger was about to press the start button! But right then! Something unexpected happened! A person… no one thought he would take action – took action! It's Chu Hao! He looks extremely weak, but his movements are as fast as lightning! He suddenly jumped up from the ground! But not rushing towards K! But... rushed straight to where I was standing with... Lam Kien Quoc! I don't know when he had a sharp dagger in his hand, shining with chilling coldness! That knife fiercely stabbed straight into Lam Kien Quoc's back! “You! Careful!" I screamed loudly! But it's too late! Bang! The blade… dug deep into his back! Blood... immediately dyed the whole shirt red! “Chu Hao!” “What are you doing?!” I absolutely couldn't believe my eyes! Chu Hao… why did he attack Lam Kien Quoc?! Lam Kien Quoc turned his head with difficulty and looked at Chu Hao's face... his face suddenly became extremely strange! “Why… why…?” Chu Hao slightly curled his lips and smiled strangely. That smile... is as crazy as K before! “Because…” His voice slowly rang out. “I am also a ‘seed’.” “Moreover… it is a much more elite seed.” “Ouroboros… no longer needs your old, flawed bloodline.” He pulled out the knife forcefully! Lam Kien Quoc immediately fell down, motionless! “You!” I rushed to hug him! Tears welled up, blurring my vision! “No——!!!” Grandfather - Lam Chi Vien - was also so angry that his eyes turned red! He raised his bamboo stick high, intending to hit Chu Hao! But Chu Hao is faster! He turned around, threw a strong kick, and kicked the detonation device out of K's hand! Then, with unimaginable speed, he slid his hand into K's body, snatching something... that I hadn't had time to see clearly! Next, he didn't even glance at us once, but shrugged and jumped into the air! Jump down from the altar! A few quick steps! He has disappeared into the deep dark forest behind the mountain! It all happened so fast! So fast that no one had time to react! K stood there stunned, looking at the empty hands

no, his face looked extremely confused. Grandfather - Lam Chi Vien - stood dumbfounded, watching his son fall in a pool of blood (although not blood relatives, the relationship was even deeper). As for me... holding tightly to Lam Kien Quoc's body, which was gradually getting colder, I felt the whole world... collapsing. Chu Hao… that young man who is always bright, introverted, and good at technology… is a member of Ouroboros?! The traitor... hidden most deeply beside me?! Why did he attack Lam Kien Quoc... for what? What did he snatch from K's hand? He said he was a "seed"... a more elite "seed"?! In the end… what is going on?! The altar was engulfed in dead silence. Only the blood moon remained hanging in the sky, emitting a strange red light, as if mocking... all this cruelty and absurdity. Grandfather Lam Chi Vien slowly walked to Lam Kien Quoc's side. He knelt down, shaking his hand to check his breathing. Then... he closed his eyes, in extreme pain. “Dad…” I choked up, raising my head to look at my grandfather. “In the end… what is this?” He opened his eyes, his eyes filled with sadness and... fatigue. “It was us… who were wrong.” His voice was hoarse. “We used to think our biggest enemy was K, the Ouroboros organization.” “But the real threat…” “is the ‘Seed’ plan.” “A branch off Ouroboros… quieter, more crazy.” “They want to create the most perfect ‘Ouroboros’ gene.” “To replace people like us… ‘old bloodlines’ in their eyes.” “Chu Hao… was the first successful product they nurtured.” “He approached you… to gain your trust, to get information about the ‘key’.” “And also to… at the last moment, claim victory.” “What he just stole from K…” “is the last ‘fire seed’ of Ouroboros.” “A biochip…” “contains the entire core gene sequence and the most important research results.” “He killed Kien Quoc…” Grandpa's voice was filled with pain. “It's to… remove obstacles.” “Because Jianguo… might know some secrets related to the ‘fire race’.” My heart felt like it was being torn apart. It turns out... this is the ultimate truth. Cicadas wait for worms, and orioles wait behind the cicadas. We used all our strength, thinking we had destroyed the enemy. Who would have thought, the real enemy... is always lurking nearby. And us... We... I bowed my head, looking at Lam Kien Quoc who was no longer breathing in my arms. Thinking of your silent and patient protection along the way. Think of the words: "In my heart, you will always be my daughter." Tears welled up in my eyes again. Grandpa raised his hand and gently patted my shoulder. “Van Van.” “This is not over.” “As long as the ‘fire seed’ is still in Chu Hao’s hands…” “the threat still exists.” “We… have to stop him.” I raised my head, tears blurring my vision and looked at my grandfather. Look at that old but still resilient face. I understand… my battle… is not over yet. Even... it's just the beginning. I am Lam Van - daughter of Lam Chi Vien, who carries the rare gene X2z - the perfect "conductor". My fate, starting from that old photo recovered by AI, was predetermined... it couldn't be normal. What awaits me ahead will be a more cunning, stronger enemy. And a future... with many twists and turns, unpredictable plots. The jade lotus in my pocket seems to be slightly heating up, as if signaling... something is approaching...