The relationship between Zhe Qiuhong's father and mother could be roughly summarized like this:
One year, as the then-Navigator grew older and the need for a future successor to Voyage was brought to the table, her father was fortunate enough to be chosen by the organization's great and wise leader to provide a portion of genetic material.
After that, there was no other relationship between them.
As Voyage's second-generation leader, her mother was, for the most part, a woman entirely devoid of emotion. Her entire life, she was focused solely on Voyage's dream of cosmic exploration.
Zhe Qiuhong was not close with her father either.
Even though she took his surname.
However, that was merely because her mother didn't care about such things at all. In her mother's eyes, culture and traditions were entirely meaningless; Zhe Qiuhong had only one true identity: Voyage's next-generation Navigator.
That was the correct and singular designation. Aside from that, whether she was male or female, what she was named, what she looked like, whether she was fat or thin... none of it mattered at all.
Shortly after birth, Zhe Qiuhong underwent a full battery of exceptionally rigorous examinations and tests. She was approved and selected to be groomed as the successor.
Voyage established a dedicated nurturing committee for this purpose, which included numerous outstanding scientists across various fields, her mother among the mentors.
Later, likely because her development and performance were far too brilliant, the fact that there was only a single candidate held in reserve caused concern among the committee members. Bowing to collective pressure, her mother had no choice but to endure, taking the time to engage in a second—and final—cooperation with her father...
Zhe Qiuhong gained a younger brother. He was Zhe Shouzhao.
Zhe Shouzhao failed to pass the committee's examinations and tests, falling short by a considerable margin. Consequently, he was decisively discarded, left by their father's side as an abandoned piece.
Even so, Zhe Qiuhong still learned of the existence of this younger brother, secretly rejoicing over it.
Due to "the next Navigator's resolute insistence," the siblings came to know each other during childhood and adolescence, and were occasionally brought together to play.
Zhe Shouzhao was not merely a brother; in Zhe Qiuhong's memories, he was her sole playmate during those years.
"Even if he didn't pass the committee's tests, my brother should at least be smarter than ordinary children."
That was the impression Zhe Shouzhao gave Zhe Qiuhong in childhood. Into his adolescence and early youth, he had also displayed respectable potential.
After Zhe Qiuhong took charge of Voyage, she entrusted the organization's armed force system to her father, but in essence, it was handed over to the future Zhe Shouzhao.
Yet, the later Zhe Shouzhao did not continue growing as Zhe Qiuhong had hoped.
*What was it that gradually and silently ruined Shouzhao?*
*Jealousy. Especially jealousy and resentment toward me.*
*And then, hatred...*
Jealousy and hatred could make a person foolish, blind, and impulsive.
Take this matter, for instance: whether Zhe Shouzhao had discovered Jiang Longchi's presence in Fenglong'ao wasn't even the point. He only needed to figure out one simple piece of logic:
That mountain village couple were Major The Qing's parents—ordinary people who, after the Zenith War and the public revelation of the source energy world, were permitted to remain in a mountain village that seemed poorly concealed and inadequately defended, continuing their former lives.
This in itself was screamingly absurd, so there had to be another reason behind it.
A reason that meant death to anyone who touched them.
"It's over."
When Zhe Shouzhao made that final threat using Qingzi's parents, Zhe Qiuhong knew she no longer had any leeway to speak. Her hanging left hand trembled slightly as she turned her head, looking at her brother with anguish in her eyes.
Zhe Shouzhao was looking at her as well, his dazed gaze simultaneously betraying two powerful emotions: panic and pleading.
By this point, no matter how foolish or blind he was, Zhe Shouzhao could guess the real truth. His trump card was utterly useless, and standing opposite him was Stream Vanguard's core team—Wu Xu, Shen Yixiu...
Zhe Qiuhong slowly turned her face away, avoiding her brother's gaze. Tilting her head up slightly, she closed her eyes.
Everything ended here. She and the Voyage personnel present would not interfere any further, much less take part in the fight. Doing so would serve no purpose other than dragging more people down to their graves and ruin. As the leader of the Voyage organization, this was a decision Zhe Qiuhong had to make.
At the same time, she knew that with Zhe Shouzhao's nature, he would certainly still struggle. Zhe Qiuhong could not help fantasizing and hoping he might escape, but in reality, the probability of him escaping was virtually zero.
"Kill!"
Knowing full well there was no room left for compromise, Zhe Shouzhao abruptly roared that single word. At once, two groups made their move.
The first group consisted of the two hundred men lurking near Fenglong'ao, including three top-tiers. Following their predetermined orders, they would charge into Fenglong'ao.
In truth, under the current circumstances, Zhe Shouzhao should have told them to retreat immediately. But he didn't. He was doomed to die anyway, so why would he care about the lives of others?
At the same time, Zhe Shouzhao harbored a sliver of desperate hope in his heart—what if they succeeded? Then even if I die, I can make Han Qingyu suffer for the rest of his life.
The second group comprised the men he had brought back with him—around twenty people, including one top-tier. The moment Zhe Shouzhao drew his blade with his right hand, they all charged forward.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish...* Against a group possessing humanity's peak combat power, such an assault was nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Its only possible function was to create temporary chaos and delay.
"Don't let him slip away in the confusion!" *Bang!*
Little Prince and He Tangtang surged forward, while Rusty Sister struck out alongside them. As Wen Jifei unholstered his gun and fired, he threw out that reminder—directed primarily at Wu Xu. Zhe Shouzhao's execution today would mostly have to be carried out by him; Qingzi still didn't know how to kill.
*Clang, clang, clang!* Dead iron clashed, and the men Zhe Shouzhao had brought fell one after another.
"Yeah." Even as Wu Xu responded to Wen Jifei, the Binggu Spear in his hands pierced through two people at an eerie angle, impaling their corpses as it thrust straight toward Zhe Shouzhao.
Zhe Shouzhao hadn't charged forward with his men. In that instant, he stepped back, chose a route, and darted toward the side wall.
Wu Xu's eyes were locked on him.
Zhe Shouzhao was fast; he was stronger than before, perhaps possessing the strength of a peak top-tier now.
Yet the Binggu Spear was faster, because the man wielding it was named Wu Xu.
This was a contest that would be decided in a split second... No matter how Zhe Shouzhao shifted his form and tempo, the thrusting tip of the Binggu Spear shifted with him, locked firmly onto him.
*Die...* Wu Xu said in his heart.
Right at that moment, a figure suddenly entered Wu Xu's line of sight, appearing right on the final trajectory of the Binggu Spear as it thrust toward Zhe Shouzhao's body.
Zhe Qiuhong.
She hadn't come over intentionally to block the spear; she had simply been standing there all along, without activating her gear, without making any preparations, and without moving.
From the very beginning, Zhe Shouzhao's chosen escape route had factored this in.
*Shriek!* At the very last instant, Wu Xu flicked his wrist, and the tip of the Binggu Spear tilted upward, passing cleanly through the strands of Zhe Qiuhong's hair.
Severed strands of long hair drifted through the air...
*Boom, boom!* Zhe Shouzhao had already seized the chance to smash through the inner wall and then burst through the outer courtyard wall, crashing through two walls in succession as he fled outside.
At the same time, *twang-hum!* The Binggu Spear briefly left Wu Xu's grip, bending in an arc through the air on its own momentum to curve around Zhe Qiuhong.
Wu Xu leaned forward, planted his heel, and kicked off the ground. *Whoosh!* He shot forward like an arrow.
His source energy erupted to its absolute limit. Reaching out on the other side to catch the spear, Wu Xu swept smoothly after his prey.
No one was worried. Wu Xu was angry, and given the disparity in strength between them, Zhe Shouzhao wouldn't make it ten steps.
Chapter 754