Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 326 Bonds, an inescapable shackle.

"Where are you taking me?" Shao Nanqin asked weakly in the taxi. "I still have chicken soup simmering at home. If I get back too late... it will get cold and won't taste good."

When the driver, Lao Zhang, heard this, he almost burst out laughing, but Cheng Shuangfan, sitting in the passenger seat next to him, exuded a low-pressure atmosphere comparable to the lowest temperature of the air conditioner, so he kept a tight expression and focused on driving ahead.

Cheng Shuangfan glanced at the rearview mirror, looked at Shao Nanqin whose eyes were still a little red, and said in a cold and distant tone: "You know too much."

Shao Nanqin panicked, her voice suddenly rising: "What do you mean? You're planning to kill me to cover your tracks?!"

She wanted to call the police, but her phone had already been confiscated and hadn't been returned to her.

Although she really wanted to scare her, Cheng Shuangfan refrained from saying anything shocking, given the Executive Department's rules.
"The matter of dragons and hybrids cannot be known to ordinary people. Someone will give you psychological treatment later."

The implication was that a man in black would come over and flash her with a flashbang to erase all her memories of dragons and hybrids.

Of course, it doesn't mean completely erasing all memories of Shao Nanyin.

Shao Nanyin and Shao Nanqin have relied on each other for many years, and the roots of their memories have long been intertwined. Completely separating her from Shao Nanqin's memories will be a long and arduous task.

The slightest mistake could lead to the loss of all previous efforts, and even affect Shao Nanqin's sanity. Therefore, the simplest solution is to make Shao Nanyin appear as a heartless sister who has offended the underworld and abandoned her sister to flee alone.

Shao Nanqin naturally could not accept this willingly.

From her perspective, she and her sister were living a good life when suddenly a group of members from a mysterious organization calling themselves the Secret Party appeared and tried to capture her sister, who depended on her for survival. When their operation failed, they even tried to erase her memory. This was simply incomprehensible!
"You can't do this!"

She leaned forward abruptly, trying to grab Cheng Shuangfan's chair, but Wan Boqian and Gao Mi, who were sitting next to her, immediately held her down. Unable to break free, she could only grit her teeth and retort:
"This is China. Your so-called secret party has no law enforcement authority."

Cheng Shuangfan didn't even look up: "We don't need that kind of thing."

"This is an illegal crime against humanity! What right do you have to arbitrarily alter other people's memories?!"

Cheng Shuangfan finally turned her head, her eyes as cold as knives. "It is precisely to protect your human rights that we have erased your memory."

"Otherwise, I could preserve your memory, imprison you, and use you as bait to see if Shao Nanyin will take the bait."

Shao Nanyin froze.

Outside the car window, the city's neon lights flashed by, casting flickering shadows on her face.

She suddenly realized that she actually had no choice at all.

She lived in a society governed by the rule of law, bound by morality and law, but the men in front of her were ruthless thugs who had lived on the edge of death. Their enemies were the legendary dragons who roared across the heavens and earth, so naturally they wouldn't care about the feelings of a mere nobody.

Judging from her actions just now in helping a pure-blooded dragon escape, if it had been a more radical Secret Society executive, she might not have been simply erased from her memory.

But she was, after all, his sister, and that wouldn't change because of their race.

Having been exposed to all sorts of romance novels over the years, Shao Nanqin's ability to accept them far exceeds that of ordinary people. Moreover, her younger sister has never harmed her; the only downside is that she almost spoiled her into becoming a useless person.

The hunting team did not return to the city center, but instead rested in this second-tier coastal town. Their temporary lodging was a detached villa on the outskirts of the city, which was actually a self-built small house.

Shao Nanqin was taken to the second floor and guarded by Wan Boqian.

The hunting team does not have the authority to alter the memories of ordinary people, nor do they have the authority to do so; they must submit a report to the Chinese branch to apply for permission.

Cheng Shuangfan went to contact people, while Gao Mi gathered with several seniors. As a highly intelligent person, he wouldn't stoop to the level of a lackey.

He was even pulled in to talk about Lu Mingfei because he had interacted with Lu Mingfei, the White-Slaying King, before.

Although the operation in Wushan could not be disclosed due to confidentiality principles, there were still topics to discuss.

They hadn't been chatting for long when the roar of a motorcycle came from outside, and soon Chu Zihang pushed open the door and entered.

After exchanging greetings, Cheng Shuangfan also ended her call. Upon learning that Chu Zihang had something to ask Shao Nanqin, she waved for him to go upstairs and then began to deploy a new battle plan.

Now that it has been confirmed that the city does indeed harbor other, more powerful dragons, the hunting team must be fully prepared to avoid another disastrous outcome.

This time, the failure due to the lack of manpower and intelligence can be forgiven, but next time we must do the mission perfectly.

Wan Boqian went downstairs for a meeting, and Chu Zihang took over her duties.

Seeing this, Shao Nanqin assumed that the icy-faced man she had met once before was the psychologist. Seeing him carrying a long knife and looking like a cold-blooded killer, she thought he was going to use physical means to make her lose her memory. Just as she was about to ask if she could get anesthesia because she was afraid of the pain, she heard him ask a strange question.

Do you remember the first time you met Shao Nanyin?

Chu Zihang sat opposite Shao Nanqin, his long sword resting lightly against the sofa, his gaze level with hers. His handsome and aloof face was very dashing, but his eyes did not give people a sense of oppression.

Shao Nanqin didn't want to answer the question, because it was a secret she would keep for the rest of her life, unless Chu Zihang would let her leave or help her call the police.

But she knew this was impossible, so she made a condition: that Chu Zihang help her plead with Cheng Shuangfan not to erase her memories.

"I'm afraid that if I forget her, I'll never be able to find her again."

She feared that once she lost her memories of Shao Nanyin, the connection between her and her sister would be severed, and Nanyin might never appear in her life again. She wanted to let her live an ordinary life like a normal human being.

If it were the Chu Zihang of the past, he would definitely not have agreed, but ever since Xia Mi appeared, he has felt a sense of sympathy for Shao Nanqin.

After all, the possible separation of Shao Nanqin and Shao Nanyin is still in the future, while he and Xia Mi are already in the past.

Moreover, there was someone he could never forget, the person he lost contact with on that rainy night.

So he agreed to give it a try, but couldn't guarantee success.

Shao Nanqin was overjoyed to hear this. Although Nanyin often called her stupid, she thought she was incredibly clever.

When they were in the container, she could tell that Cheng Shuangfan valued Chu Zihang highly. When the hunting team reunited, the way he looked at this handsome young man with the icy face was full of affection, rather than the admiration and seriousness he showed when looking at others.

This is enough to prove that Cheng Shuangfan will definitely listen to what Chu Zihang said.

Having received his promise, Shao Nanqin slowly exhaled, as if to expel all the grievances and fears accumulated throughout the day with this sigh.

Her back sank into the sofa, and she slumped back, staring up at the dappled light on the ceiling. In a daze, she seemed to be back on that rainy night, the sound of raindrops pattering in her ears again. "I do remember the night Nanyin came to see me," she said. "I was only two years old then. I was punished by my aunt for wasting food by spitting out my vomit after eating too much steamed bun. It was raining heavily outside, and I was huddled under the eaves, shivering in my little nightgown."

Chu Zihang's eyes flickered slightly; indeed, loneliness always accompanies the heavy rain.

"It rained heavily that day, and the wind was very strong."

Shao Nanqin's initial memories of the orphanage were not pleasant. Because she was young and had difficulty speaking, and her small body was weak, the other children did not want to play with her, and sometimes naughty children would even steal her food.

"The orphanages back then were different from now; white flour steamed buns were considered a very good food," Shao Nanqin continued, her gaze drifting out the window.

"I'm young and have a small appetite, so I always secretly save one to eat when I'm hungry."

But that day, a bigger child snatched my steamed bun.

“I was afraid of being robbed again, so when they handed out steamed buns at night, I stuffed them into my mouth as much as I could… but I ate too much and threw it all up.” A bitter smile appeared on her lips. “That auntie was very old-fashioned. She thought I was wasting food and couldn’t understand my babbling explanations. She slapped my hand and then threw me out the door to stand as punishment.”

The sound of rain grew louder and louder in her memory. Shao Nanqin remembered wearing a thin nightgown, curled up under the eaves, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

At that time, she didn't understand what life was, but she already felt that living was so difficult that she thought, would it be easier if she just disappeared like this?
Just like the Little Mermaid returning to the sea and turning into bubbles, there is no more pain or sorrow.

She cried for an unknown amount of time when suddenly a child who looked like a mermaid appeared in the rain. His body was covered in fine white scales that shimmered slightly. He had no fish tail, but there was a horn-like protrusion on his forehead.

"At that time, I didn't know fear at all. I just thought she was so beautiful, like an elf from a fairy tale."

She danced around me, smiling broadly, and I danced with her, forgetting my sadness.

As Shao Nanqin recounted the past, a warm smile couldn't help but appear on her face. She didn't find it at all horrifying that a little dragon man, who should only exist on television, had appeared in reality.

"Nan Yin is really a good person. She's not the bad dragon you imagine. She's just been lonely for too long and wants someone to be with her."

She spent so much time comforting me back then, just wanting to say that she would be there for me in the future, and that I would be there for her too.

Chu Zihang remained silent for a long time, his feelings growing deeper with each word he heard.

Five years ago, on a rainy night, that man finally opened his heart. He clearly wanted to stay by his and his mother's side, but due to various reasons, he had to leave. His departure was grand yet silent.

To convince Chu Zihang, she revealed information she had already gathered, including but not limited to Shao Nanyin's various methods of helping Shao Nanqin solve problems from childhood, both openly and secretly, and how she gave up her studies after graduating high school to fully support Shao Nanqin's education, career, and major life events...

From any perspective, Shao Nanyin has absolutely done nothing wrong to Shao Nanqin.

If the genders were reversed, Shao Nanqin would have to call Shao Nanyin "godfather".

Chu Zihang looked at the ordinary human girl in front of him. Her eyes were filled with the courage and persistence of someone who knew that the other person was not of his kind, but still stubbornly wanted to hold on to her.

"I will convey your wishes to Commissioner Cheng." Chu Zihang stood up, nodded to Shao Nanqin, and then took his leave.

Shao Nanqin watched him leave, feeling much more at ease than before.

I don't know if she was reminiscing about the beautiful past with her sister, or if she believed that Chu Zihang could help her preserve these precious memories.

Soon after, Wan Boqian reappeared with good news: Chu Zihang had indeed persuaded Cheng Shuangfan to preserve her memories.

She asked about the process out of curiosity, but Wan Boqian said she didn't know either.

At that time, Chu Zihang simply came over and said a few words to Cheng Shuangfan, who readily agreed.

The roar of motorcycles resumed; Chu Zihang wasn't staying overnight and was preparing to return to the CBD.

Actually, he didn't say anything just now. He simply conveyed Shao Nanqin's request, and Cheng Shuangfan agreed.

In the latter's view, Chu Zihang's willingness to speak up already indicated his agreement to help plead for leniency, and there must be a reason for it, so naturally he would not refuse against his nephew's wishes.

Furthermore, as long as the mastermind remains at large, they will not give up monitoring Shao Nanqin.

Since we've been monitoring her for a long time anyway, and I'm not worried about her leaking information, I might as well do her a favor. This will make it easier to bring Chu Zihang into the hunting team to inherit her mantle in the future.

He withdrew his gaze, looked up at the second-floor stairwell, his eyes expressionless.

In the Japanese context, "kizuna" refers to the close connection between people formed by deep emotions or shared experiences, emphasizing an unbreakable bond and carrying a strong positive connotation.

However, in the Chinese context, this is a derogatory term, meaning to be entangled in a shackle from which one cannot escape.

……

On the other side, Lu Mingfei and the others didn't rush back to the Regent Hotel after they finished watching the commotion. After all, there was still a corpse in the trunk of the car, and driving around the CBD with that thing in the car could easily cause an accident.

When in doubt, Lu Mingfei turned to Su Enxi for a convenient place to hide the body, which was in a warehouse of Huanya Group. She would send someone to dispose of the body of the former head of the Laurent family later.

After Lu Mingfei and the others left, a young man dressed in a black evening suit emerged from the dark void inside the warehouse where the corpses were stored.

He walked closer, looked down at the corpse placed on the platform, which Fingel had thoughtfully covered with a dust cover, his pale golden eyes flickered slightly, and he sighed softly.

"What a twist of fate! I never imagined we'd meet again on this occasion." He reached out and poked the open chest of the Laurent family head, his eyes filled with wistfulness.
"I was originally thinking of introducing your daughter to my brother so I could get a free meal with her, but unfortunately that's not going to happen."

The boy took the white rose from his breast pocket and placed it on the corpse's hands, which were clasped together in front of its chest. He then raised his hand and untied the black thread that had sewn its eyes and lips shut. The corpse no longer looked grotesque and had regained some of its former beauty and elegance.

"Rest in peace, your daughter is secretly protected by Angers."

"As for your shares, they will come in handy later."

"Until then, I hope your daughter doesn't do anything foolish."

"Being a decorative vase isn't so bad, do you think?"

He chuckled softly, turned and left, disappearing back into the darkness, and the warehouse fell silent once more.

(End of this chapter)