Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

Back home, An Xiaohai first arranged for Chen Shuifen and her grandparents to rest, then drove Lin Xuan'er back to school. Lin Xuan'er wanted to take a taxi home by herself, but An Xiaohai refused her somewhat rudely.

Upon returning to Apojiao Village, An Xiaohai immediately went into Kunji's small building to prepare the internet cafe management system. He worked on it for another whole day before finally falling asleep at his desk.

The door to the room was opened gently, and Pan Zhuangzhuang peeked inside. He found An Xiaohai asleep on the table. He tiptoed over, took a blanket, covered An Xiaohai with it, and then quietly slipped out.

Pan Zhuangzhuang carefully closed the door and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After an unknown amount of time, An Xiaohai slowly woke up and found a bowl of dumplings on the opposite table. He touched the bowl and found it was still hot. He picked it up and took a bite. The taste of the dumplings indicated that they were made by Chen Shuifen.

An Xiaohai smiled slightly, slowly finished his dumplings, and then resumed his work.

Half an hour later, Chen Shuifen came over. She didn't say anything, but simply hugged An Xiaohai gently and took away the bowl.

The internet cafe management system was finally finished. An Xiaohai saved it, put on a coat, and went out.

It was night outside, the moon was large, the sky was full of stars, and all was quiet except for the sound of the waves.

An Xiaohai walked to the beach and strolled aimlessly along the sand. The December sea breeze was already quite cool, causing An Xiaohai's hair to flutter wildly.

Grandpa's last words unraveled some of the mysteries in An Xiaohai's heart, but at the same time brought him many new ones.

An Xiaohai used to feel only attachment and love for his grandfather, but now, while the attachment and love remain, many more complex feelings have arisen.

To be honest, An Xiaohai thought his grandfather's assessment of him was accurate. He was indeed a coward, and the root of the suffering of three generations of his family came from his selfishness and escapism.

True love for someone doesn't necessarily mean holding onto them tightly. Leaving can also be a form of love. Grandpa's love for Grandma was genuine, but it was also selfish. Everything that happened afterward stemmed from this beginning.

Without Grandpa, Grandma's fate might have been completely different.

An Xiaohai harbored no resentment; after all, he was his grandfather, and now that the man was gone.

An Xiaohai could understand his grandfather's dilemma at the time. If everything was exposed, life would immediately return to the way it was before. He would be suspected, criticized, and monitored, and the whole family would immediately fall into an abyss.

If we keep it hidden, life might continue as it was back then.

Moreover, those two men were, after all, his sons. Even though one was a coward and the other a wolf, they were still his sons.

Never mind, it's all in the past.

The most important thing now is not to distinguish right from wrong, but how to face the future.

"A coward and a wolf," was the grandfather's assessment of his two sons.

Grandpa didn't explain clearly why he made such a judgment about the two children, but there must have been a reason. Perhaps he didn't want to recall it, or perhaps he simply didn't have the energy to say much at the time.

An Zhehao was even more extreme in his assessment of him as a jackal, while An Xiaohai believed that the word "demon" was more fitting for him.

As for An Zheran, he was indeed a coward, a coward who let himself be manipulated by wolves.

But none of that matters. What matters is why Ahn Cheol-ho caused all this trouble.

Sending An Zheran to two universities was likely to ensure his smooth entry into the research institute, which specializes in radar research.

The reason given for entering the research institute and stealing the country's most advanced radar technology is plausible.

The truth is likely that after An Zheran graduated from his first university, he was not assigned to a valuable place, so An Zhehao sent him back for a second time.

While attending his second university, An Zheran successfully got close to Wei Lili, and with the help of Wei Lili's family background, he finally achieved his goal.

Wang Tiejun once helped An Xiaohai investigate Wei Lili's background; her family should have some connections in Beijing.

An Zheran likely passed the vetting process smoothly because he married Wei Lili and severed ties with his original family.

At this point, these were the only reasons An Xiaohai could think of for the two brothers switching identities. Of course, there were still many unexplained mysteries surrounding this.

For example, if An Zheran is the one who went to university, then who was the one who planned the meteorite incident—An Zheran or An Zhehao?

If it's Ahn Cheol-ho, how did he meet that guy from university, and how did they become friends?

However, these issues are no longer considered very important.

After all, the meteorite incident has already occurred, and An Zheran is already dead. To fully understand everything, he would either have to come back to life, or An Zhehao could explain it himself.

Of all the incidents, the most bizarre is why An Zhehao would use him to exchange for Chen Shuifen's child. What was his purpose in doing so? What nefarious thing was An Zhehao secretly plotting?

"The child of the mother should really be her and An Zheran's child. Did An Zhehao take this child away to use it to control An Zheran?...

So, who am I? Who gave birth to me? Is he... really my biological father?...

One question after another popped into An Xiaohai's mind, making it impossible for him to calm his chaotic heart.

He didn't know how long he had walked or how far he had gone. When An Xiaohai suddenly realized it, he was already quite far from home.

Looking around, this beach felt both strangely unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

This is the beach where An Xiaohai used to come often when he was a child. It's quite a distance from Apojiao Village.

Since the tall figure in his dream left, An Xiaohai has never come to this beach again.

An Xiaohai stood facing the pitch-black sea for a long time before finally turning around to leave. But as soon as he turned back, he saw a figure standing on a large reef not far away.

It is 073.

073 was dressed rather lightly, without gloves or his brown sunglasses. When he saw An Xiaohai looking in his direction, he smiled and sat down on the large rock.

An Xiaohai smiled and walked over to sit next to 073.

The two of them just stared at the sea in silence.

"Did you only start paying attention to me because of him?" After a long while, An Xiaohai said softly, as if asking a question or muttering to himself.

"No," 073 gently shook his head: "The fawn was discovered by a hunter who happened to be passing by."

"Why did you tell me that story about the forest, the hunter, the demon, and the deer?"

"Because telling stories doesn't violate discipline or confidentiality rules, I was just telling a fable, wasn't I?"

"Yes, it's just a fable!" An Xiaohai smiled. "You didn't pull me into the security office because you didn't want to order Little Deer to fight the demon, right?"

"That's too cruel..."

"So, hunters can't defeat demons!" An Xiaohai turned his head and looked at 073, his eyes gleaming.

073 paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "If a hunter is as ruthless as a demon, then what's the difference between him and a demon?"

"Is this important?"

"Very important!" 073 nodded seriously: "The power a hunter wields is greater than that of a demon. Principles are what bind him. If a hunter abandons his principles, he will soon be completely lost and will turn from a protector into a destroyer."

But once a hunter becomes a destroyer, the harm he causes can be far more terrifying than that of a demon.

"That's why you're afraid to turn the fawn into a hunter, isn't it?"

"Yes!" 073 nodded through gritted teeth: "The little deer is too smart. Nothing can be hidden from him. In fact, even now, the hunter is not entirely sure whether he met the little deer by chance or whether the devil arranged all of this in the dark."

"Thanks!"

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for never lying to me."

073 smiled. "You've never lied to me either, have you? But are you really ready to be their enemy?"

"I think so."

"They are very powerful. They are not on the same level as Haiyaozi, Zhupolong, Guilaoqiang, the Chen brothers, and others."

"I know."

"Then why become their enemy?"

"Because they hurt a lot of people, many of the people I care about most, my grandma, my grandparents, and my mom."

Demons or the abyss, I don't want to deal with them, but if they hurt those I care about, I will make them pay the price!

"For the people you care about... for these people, you're really prepared to fight against demons, against the abyss?"

"Forget about this abyss or demons; what does it matter if I have to be an enemy of the entire world?"

073 paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded: "Don't worry, the hunter won't let the little deer fight alone. When the little deer faces the demon, don't forget that the hunter will be behind him."

"Thank you! I know, I've always known!"

"You're welcome."

An Xiaohai smiled slightly and turned to look at the sea: "Why don't you ask me what Grandpa told me?"

"Because a senior told me that what we say or see is not that important. Perhaps what we hear and see is what the enemy wants us to hear and see."

To find out the truth behind it, we have to analyze and dig deep based on the facts ourselves.

I trust you. If you have important information, you will tell me.

"Do you know about An Zhehao and An Zheran switching identities?"

"We know. We had already guessed some of this before, but the specifics were revealed by An Zheran himself. He didn't want to be controlled by An Zhehao any longer, so he came to us five years ago and told us some things."

"I understand," An Xiaohai nodded slightly. "Grandpa was right, and Mom was right too. An Zheran isn't completely bad, but he is a coward, a selfish coward."

"Yes, he abandoned his child the moment he found us. In a way, it was a cowardly act."

An Xiaohai smiled and said nothing more.

073 also fell silent, looking at the pitch-black sea with An Xiaohai. When he turned his attention back to An Xiaohai, he found that An Xiaohai had fallen asleep at some point.

073 gave another wry smile, shifted his body, and leaned closer to An Xiaohai. An Xiaohai, who seemed to be swaying precariously, also leaned his entire body against 073. 073 then lifted his coat and wrapped it around him.

When An Xiaohai woke up, it was already broad daylight.

073's body was as hard as rock, and his arms were very strong. An Xiaohai smiled slightly, stood up unsteadily, and stretched his body.

073 also stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

An Xiaohai jumped off the rock, waved goodbye, and 073 watched him with a smile. After walking a distance, An Xiaohai stopped and turned back.

"I think An Zhehao never intended to use that child to blackmail An Zheran. He knows his brother too well. His brother is an absolute coward, a selfish coward."

A person like that has no one to hold him hostage except his own life. If he really cared about the child, he wouldn't have left so cleanly and decisively in the first place.

Moreover, An Zheran had barely seen the child since his birth, and they had no interaction whatsoever. There was absolutely no emotional foundation between them, making An Zheran's decision to abandon the child inevitable.

073 paused for a moment, then immediately frowned and began to think.

"Ahn Cheol-ho is creating a false impression; he wants to lead everyone astray."

He wanted everyone to think that he forced his cowardly brother to attend two universities and went to great lengths to get a job at the research institute in order to steal the institute's research results.

This is definitely not what Ahn Cheol-ho wanted!

He knew all along that his cowardly brother would betray him, disregarding the child's life, and reveal his plans as life got better.

This is exactly the result he wanted!

He wants everyone to believe that his plan, which he has been scheming for so many years, has failed. In this way, he can lead his enemies, that is, you, astray by following this clue.

But he remained hidden in the shadows, gradually realizing his true plan.

"This was all part of Ahn Cheol-ho's plan."

"Is that so? Then what do you think his real plan is?"

"I don't know, I don't know yet, but I'm sure it's related to Apojiao Village, and to this place!" An Xiaohai pointed to the beach at his feet.

"An Zhehao, he had the ability to get rid of all this and leave this place he considered a ghost village, but he didn't. He stayed here for seven years!"

Seven years! Those were probably the best seven years of his life. How could he waste such a wonderful seven years in a meaningless place?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. He must have some ulterior motive for doing this.

I'm pretty sure that sending An Zheran away was just a side effect, and everything else was just a side effect as well.

What An Zhehao really wanted was for everyone to believe that he had already left, so that he could stay here without anyone knowing and carry out his real plan.

So the focus isn't on the child, or on An Zheran, but on this place.

After An Xiaohai finished speaking, he left. 073 remained standing on that rock, like a statue.