The Past

Chen Chuan's gaze narrowed. Fathered a child with an entity from the other side? At this moment, he felt the true complexity of the situation. Never before had he heard of humans being able to produce offspring with entities from the other side, nor were there any relevant records within the Defense Department or the Disposal Bureau. He had no idea whether the higher-ups knew of such things, but one could easily imagine that if word of this ever leaked out, it would trigger massive shockwaves across the world, delivering an immense blow to those in the know. Then he suddenly remembered that when Chang Dong had mentioned the target earlier, he had only said the man had violated the principles and rules of the Purist Faction, while remaining equally ignorant of the exact specifics. If this was the reason, Chen Chuan could understand why it had been covered up without explanation—it truly was necessary. Fixing his eyes on Tian Rui, he asked, "Senior Tian, how did you find out about this? And how were you able to confirm it?" A reminiscent look appeared on Tian Rui's face. "Back then, our branch was run jointly by our team leader and Vice Team Leader Gui. The team leader was very young, around my age, but his combat skills were the best in the entire branch. Whatever he said, we all believed in wholeheartedly. "Vice Team Leader Gui was the oldest and the most experienced. Every time, he could put forward sensible proposals, and the team members cooperated fully. "Back then, the branch was thriving and full of vitality. Everyone was energetic and motivated. Even though we frequently clashed with the Convergence faction, the Refined Practice School, and many other factions while carrying out missions, with the two team leaders guiding us, all of us from top to bottom were confident we could overcome any difficulty. "The old branch director even said that the team leader would succeed him once he stepped down, and every single person supported and approved of it. But one time..." While speaking of earlier days, the corners of his mouth had curved upward, as though he were lost in fond memories. Yet now, an unsettled look abruptly crept across his face. "When he returned from a rather important mission, a young woman had appeared by his side. The faction didn't meddle in members' personal lives, so nobody said much. And as I recall, half a year after she appeared, the team leader had a child with her. At first, none of us thought anything of it. "But... but none of us ever imagined..." He clamped his hands firmly over his thighs, his breathing growing slightly ragged. "By pure chance, Vice Team Leader Gui discovered that this woman had actually been possessed by an entity from the other side all along..." Chen Chuan listened in silence, his eyes fixed on him. If that was truly the case, it must have dealt an enormous blow to the branch members back then. For the Purist Faction, whose sworn duty was the eradication of entities from the other side, something like this was utterly intolerable. And when the perpetrator was their beloved superior with whom they worked side by side every day, it was likely even harder to accept. Tian Rui's posture slumped forward. Clenching his fists, he said, "I remember it so clearly. It was the night of August fifth. It was raining heavily, and the thunder outside was loud—terribly loud. "Vice Team Leader Gui called all of us together and told us that the team leader had committed a grave breach, that it was confirmed he had colluded with an entity from the other side, and he spoke of the child... "Aside from a few core members, it was only then that I and the other rank-and-file members learned about it. "At the time, none of us could believe the team leader would do something like that, and we asked if there had been some mistake. "Besides, we had all seen the child. He looked no different from any normal human. "But Vice Team Leader Gui said he possessed definite proof, that he had already reported it to headquarters, and he showed us the reply that had arrived from headquarters that very day. "After verifying it again and again, everyone confirmed the truth of the matter..." His voice turned suppressed and strained. "Back then, all of us fell into deep dejection. Vice Team Leader Gui said that such an act could not be tolerated, that it was a mistake that had to be corrected. To uphold the principles of the Purist Faction, he decided to carry out the orders from headquarters: immediately arrest the team leader, and purge the entity... along with the child..." Having reached this point, he seemed pulled back into the atmosphere of that night. He fell silent for a long time, his body trembling faintly. Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Senior Tian, what happened after that? Please elaborate." "Right... right," Tian Rui mumbled, as if snapping back to reality. "To prevent the team leader from catching wind of it and fleeing, Vice Team Leader Gui decided to act as quickly as possible. In the end, it was decided that most of our branch's combatants would take part in the purge. Vice Team Leader Gui also informed us that higher authorities would dispatch personnel to assist us. "According to the timetable, those reinforcements were already due to arrive shortly. "Because I was the weakest, Vice Team Leader Gui didn't assign me to the main combat operation. Instead, he had me go to the team leader's home to dispose of the child who was being looked after by a nanny. "However..." He hung his head. "When I arrived and saw the child, I simply couldn't bring myself to do it... "He was genuinely just an ordinary, innocent child. He shouldn't have been dragged into this. "I lacked the courage then, and I couldn't harden my heart to it. So I chose to take the child and find a place to hide him, intending to explain things to the branch after the matter settled. Whatever punishment they handed down, I was ready to accept it. "Only, by the time I found a safe spot to settle the child and rushed back, what I saw... what I saw... was the corpses of everyone..." At this, he grabbed his head in both hands, sinking into profound self-reproach. Weeping through his sobs, he cried, "I'm the one who killed them! If only I had arrived earlier, maybe the outcome would have been different!" Chen Chuan thought it over and said, "I don't know how the battle unfolded, but given the martial prowess that person demonstrated at the time, Senior Tian, even if you had arrived, you wouldn't necessarily have changed anything." "No, that's not true." Tian Rui raised his head, his voice raspy. "I could have told him the child was already dealt with! That might have shaken his resolve, and maybe the ending would have been different!" Chen Chuan didn't believe that a fighter's spirit would be so easily shaken, but not having been there himself, it was hard to pass judgment. After a moment's reflection, he asked, "You said you hid the child, which means you didn't dispose of him afterward either. So that child is still around today?" Tian Rui stammered, "I... well..." Chen Chuan continued, "This happened fifteen years ago. Based on the clues you provided, that child would be around sixteen or seventeen years old right now..." He looked squarely at Tian Rui. "He's your son, Tian Wo, isn't he?" Tian Rui's head snapped up, staring at him in utter shock. Chen Chuan nodded. "Now I'm certain of it." Tian Rui's mouth fell open, and then he collapsed into complete dejection. Hanging his head, he said, "I know... I always mess things up..." Pleading, he said, "Mr. Chen, the boy is innocent! You can see he's just like any normal person. From childhood until now, he has never stepped out of line once. He really... all these years, I... he isn't one of those..." Seeing his agitation and incoherence, Chen Chuan said, "How to handle him can be set aside for now. So, is it because of this child that you vanished without a trace for fifteen years?" Tian Rui's voice quivered. "Actually, when all my comrades in the branch died, I was furious. I did think about going back to dispose of the child. But when I returned to the hiding place and lifted him up, the baby smiled at me. I thought to myself, he was so tiny—what did any of this have to do with him? He didn't understand anything. "I simply couldn't bring myself to strike. Nor could I face my fallen comrades, and I didn't want the child to face the subsequent purge..." Despondently, he added, "My only choice was to leave and go into hiding." Chen Chuan looked at him. "It seems that person tracked you down later." Tian Rui's body shuddered. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Yes. The team leader came looking for me. Because I had saved his child, he didn't harm me. He even expressed his gratitude, saying he would remember this favor for the rest of his life." Then he suddenly erupted in furious shouts, "But I didn't want a shred of his pity! To hell with his favor! Could that bring everyone back to life?! "I spat on him and cursed him with the foulest words, but he didn't get angry at all. I lunged to fight him with everything I had, trying to make him kill me so I could join the others! "Yet it was useless! Everything I did was in vain!" Digging his fingers into his hair, he let out a bitter laugh, as if mocking his own helplessness, tears streaming down his face. "I was no match for him at all. Before him, I couldn't even commit the suicide I had mustered so much courage to attempt." Panting, he slumped back against his chair, his eyes hollow. "Later... later, I abandoned everything I stood for. I didn't want to dwell on those things anymore, nor did I dare to. I treated it all as a nightmare. I underwent surgery to change my appearance and lived as an entirely different person..." Watching him lean there weakly, Chen Chuan thought for a moment before asking, "He didn't take the child away afterward?" Tian Rui shook his head slowly. "He seemed to overlook it, and I never brought it up with him either. "In the years that followed, he kept coming by to talk to me about the training camp and tried to recruit me. I ignored him. Once Xiao Wo grew a bit older, he still visited often, teaching Xiao Wo some combat techniques. Only later did his visits taper off. Over the past few years, I've barely seen him at all; only the instructors from the training camp occasionally drop off supplies." Chen Chuan asked, "When was the last time he came?" "Five years ago," Tian Rui said. "I remember it vividly. My youngest son, Xiao Lei, had just been born." "Five years ago..." Chen Chuan pondered the timeline. Judging by earlier developments, the man had visited regularly in the past, meaning he still placed considerable importance on this son of his. Even later on, he had continued dispatching instructors from the camp. His complete absence over the past few years likely wasn't because he was simply too busy; that wouldn't have kept him from showing up even once. It was far more likely that certain circumstances prevented him from coming here. Chen Chuan surmised that this was very probably because... that person had become a martial artist during that period. Once a martial artist arrived in Center City, it would inevitably trigger all manner of scrutiny and reaction. That was most likely why he could no longer show himself at will. ... ...