Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 567 Reconciliation
Zhu Lan was strapped to the sofa, her face filled with unease and anxiety.

"Xiao Qing, what are you doing? Let me go!"

Zhu Lan struggled desperately, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move her limbs an inch.

Every member of the Hai Xin Society has had a curse implanted in their body.

Zhu Lan was no exception.

However, the curses within these defectors were assimilated by Ye Qing's power and were no longer controlled by the cursed entities of the Sea Heart Society.

Even after assimilation, the curse is still a curse; the only difference is that the controller has changed from Hai Xin Hui to Ye Qing.

Ye Qing has never used her power to control this group of people to do anything for her in all these years.

But today she broke that rule.

Ye Qing did not let go of Zhu Lan as she had asked, but instead went to the opposite side of the sofa to change her clothes.

"Sister Lan, I won't hurt you. I just... don't want to drag you down anymore."

Zhu Lan's pupils contracted, but her face still wore a bewildered expression: "Implicate? What implicate? Have you misunderstood something?"

Ye Qing stared at the briefcase without saying a word for a while before finally turning her gaze to Zhu Lan.

Ye Qing shook her head with a wry smile: "The Haixin Society has been relentlessly pursuing you all these years, isn't it all for my sake? Are you going to deny that?"

"...I don't deny that, but the Haixin Society is also trying to wipe us out to prevent the DX plan from being leaked."

Zhu Lan stared intently into Ye Qing's eyes: "We're all in the same boat, so there's no question of one dragging the other down."

Moreover, if you hadn't assimilated the curse within us, we probably would have been wiped out by the Sea Heart Society before we even came to the Asian Alliance..."

"But this time is different from the past, isn't it?"

Ye Qing interrupted Zhu Lan's explanation midway: "I have already learned all the information from Lydia's heart through the curse."

The Sea Heart Society's target this time is me, not you. To ensure everything goes smoothly, they've even dispatched fusion warriors.

"Fusion Warrior?"

Zhu Lan was stunned when she first heard the information from Lydia's side.

She originally thought that the Haixin Society would at most send out some strange messengers, as usual, and that would be the limit.

Who would have thought that they would actually use a weapon of mass destruction at the level of a fusion warrior?

To give a simple example, you send a missile force equipped with nuclear warheads to secretly infiltrate someone else's territory, claiming it's to find someone.

Does anyone believe that?

This is the Asia Alliance. If the dispatch of fusion warriors is exposed, it could very likely trigger a direct conflict between the Countermeasures Bureau and the Sea Heart Society, two major forces.

If it were a combat power at the level of a supernatural being, Zhu Lan could still deal with it by borrowing Ye Qing's power.

Even with limited combat experience, one can assimilate the curse within the opponent's body and achieve a kill by overwhelming their rank.

But the fusion warriors are not only no weaker than her in strength, but also have equally rich combat experience.

Zhu Lan had absolutely no chance of winning.

"That's right, this time, Haixin is serious."

After changing her clothes, Ye Qing picked up her backpack again: "Sister Lan, you all know better than anyone how many resources the Haixin Association has spent on Project DX."

The fact that Haixin Society is unable to restart this project means that the researchers from back then were not essential to Haixin Society, and it doesn't matter if they are ignored.

However, they would never let go of the experimental subjects created with the massive resources invested.

"So you plan to lure them away by yourself so we can live in peace?"

Zhu Lan gritted her teeth: "There were clearly other ways, why did you choose this one! Nothing's happened all these years! Lydia's betrayal was just an accident!"
Once we cut off contact with those people, we can start a new life in Winter City! They won't find us, you don't need to do this..."

Ignoring Zhu Lan's advice, Ye Qing walked to the sofa, picked her up, and gently placed her on the bed in the bedroom: "Sister Lan, there is one more thing I want to apologize to you about."

Actually, while I was assimilating the curses within you, I inevitably saw some memories, which is why I look... like your deceased sister.

The incessant scolding stopped, like a disco suddenly shut down.

Zhu Lan stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to say something, but her mind went completely blank.

Images buried deep in one's heart are being unearthed again.

“I know you feel guilty about your sister’s death and want to make up for your past mistakes. So, when I first gained consciousness, I instinctively took her form to gain your sympathy and thus make it easier for me to live.”

At this moment, Ye Qing revealed all the secrets she had kept hidden for many years.

“The dead cannot be brought back to life. I have never been an extension of Xiao Jing’s consciousness. I have always been an experimental subject called DX818A.”

Tick.

Tears streamed down Ye Qing's face and landed on Zhu Lan's arm.

Zhu Lan stared blankly at Ye Qing, saying nothing.

“I know you want to live an ordinary life with Xiaojing, and I don’t mind pretending to be her and continuing to live with you, but this time, this time…”

Tears streamed down her face, quickly soaking Zhu Lan's sleeves.

Ye Qing wasn't stupid; she saw things very clearly from the very beginning.

The emotional fluctuations Zhu Lan exudes when interacting with Ye Qing include both fear of the eerie and affection for her younger sister.

While blaming herself, Zhu Lan also maintained a compensatory mentality, wanting to make up for her past mistakes through Ye Qing.

"I'm sorry, Sister Lan, I don't want to be a burden to you anymore..."

"I knew all along that Xiao Jing couldn't be brought back to life."

Zhu Lan finally spoke to Ye Qing, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

She silently looked at the ceiling: "Don't forget, I'm a weird researcher who can participate in the DX project. How could I not know the characteristics of weirdness?"

Even if Xiaojing's memories and personality were to reappear in you, it would only be a simulated AI.

At this point, Zhu Lan turned to look at Ye Qing: "I admit that I did treat you like my own sister at one point, which is why I protected you without reservation."

But after so many years together, I've long understood that you are not anyone's vessel, not some DX818A, nor a weapon; you are simply Ye Qing, a living, breathing person.

Zhu Lan's words left Ye Qing stunned.

She imagined that after the truth was revealed, Zhu Lan would express anger and resentment at her past deception, completely break with her, or have her fear of the eerie reawakened.

But she never imagined that Zhu Lan would accept all of this so readily and still regard herself as a real person.

At any other time, this would have been a happy ending with the sisters reconciling.

But now, the more honest the two are with each other, the crueler the outcome will be.

Ye Qing dared not listen to Zhu Lan continue, fearing that her own thoughts would be swayed by human nature.

Ye Qing used the power of the curse to force Zhu Lan to fall asleep.

"Sister Lan, thank you for taking care of me all these years... Goodbye."

(End of this chapter)