Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 758: Chapter 617: Touch Once_1

One day, amidst the indifferent or hostile gazes of ’family’ members in what had become an unfamiliar clan, Amber, who had returned, suddenly encountered a stunning beauty she had no prior impression of.

Then this beauty approached her, a smile thick with shadows on her lips, and whispered in her ear with a voice so familiarly annoying, ”Dumbfounded, aren’t you, stinky little sister?”

It was as if she had been hit by an uppercut squarely on the chin. Even Amber couldn’t help but feel darkness well up before her eyes, utterly defeated by this overly fantastical reality, leaving her stunned.

”What the hell?” She felt like she was about to split apart.

Similarly, Little Zhenxi felt like she was about to split apart.

Right before her eyes, at the other end of the long table, the object of her secret affection and her long-lost cousin were clinging closely together, chatting and laughing so intimately, even seemingly deep in conversation—so joyful, so familiar, as if they were a match made in heaven.

And she? She was just a ’stinky little brother’ with no chance to even be an interfering third party. Shrinking into a corner, she couldn’t help but want to wipe away her tears, feeling so lowly.

Then, just as the two girls appeared utterly harmonious and joyful in everyone’s eyes, smiling and whispering to each other, they could no longer hide their vile natures.

”Stinky little brother, you’ve really done it this time. Finally gone to Thailand, huh?”

”Get lost. This is called being irresistible to everyone.” Huai Shi lowered her face, whispering into Amber’s ear, ”Jealous, stinky little sister?”

A soft, faint SNAP.

Under the table, hidden within the sleeves of their yukatas, two palms had already collided. Fingers spread, tips entwined, palms pressed together—beneath the seemingly intimate pose, the muscles under their yukatas flowed like water, silently erupting with increasingly formidable power. It was like an arm-wrestling match. Their hands were gripped tightly together, and in the silence, it was as if thunder clashed, as if they were dying to crush each other right there.

To Huai Shi’s surprise, his palm was met with firm resistance, as if his opponent possessed a thorough understanding of all his techniques, every Transformation known by heart.

Just inches away, Amber’s beautiful face was etched with a mocking smile. ”Drummer? Don’t forget who entered the Orchard before you, little brother...”

SNAP!

Before she could finish, her shoulder vibrated sharply, bones grating. A tremendous power erupted instantly, shattering her control and counterattack. Huai Shi seized the initiative once more, pressing her wrist firmly to the ground.

”That’s it? Is that all you’ve got?” Huai Shi chuckled. ”Am I going to have to clean house for the Grandmasters today? Oh, sis?”

Though he spoke thus, he didn’t tear away the pretense of their close, affectionate act. Instead, he took the initiative to release her hand. After all, he wasn’t some devil; how could he do anything excessive to poor Little Amber in front of everyone?

Amber’s skill in hand-to-hand combat had improved so terrifyingly fast over the past few years that Huai Shi worried he might actually be overturned if this continued.

After all, his expertise did not lie in the Domain of unarmed combat. If he had a dagger, he could have dealt with this stinky little sister in two rounds, leaving her no chance to be arrogant.

”Fine. If you think you’re so good, let’s see you prove it,” Amber said fiercely in a thick Dongxia accent right into Huai Shi’s ear. ”If you’ve got the guts, don’t you dare leave after dinner.”

And so, the challenge was set.

Miss Huaizhi, the victor, snorted disdainfully, then rose with a smile and walked away, leaving the loser to return to her spot.

Only then did she notice Zhenxi, still petrified, apparently unaware of what had just transpired.

[Are you sick?] Miss Huaizhi typed.

”N-no, I’m not!” Zhenxi seemed startled, hastily shaking her head. She looked up at Miss Huaizhi beside her, then at her Cousin Amber in the distance, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, her gaze darting back and forth.

After a long moment, she mustered her courage. ”Miss Huaizhi... you can speak, right?”

”...” Huai Shi wanted to roll her eyes.

That’s what you’re focused on? Shouldn’t you be questioning whether Amber and I have had an affair, feeling a loss of trust and deeply hurt?

I can do more than speak! I can sing, dance, play the Performance Method and the cello, but none of those are things you could handle!

He thought for a moment and replied on his phone: [If I spoke to you, you might not be able to handle it.]

Zhenxi was confused, unable to comprehend why she might not be able to handle it.

But when she remembered that Huaizhi was a Sublimator, and apparently one of the more formidable ones at that, she suddenly felt a flicker of understanding.

I get it! Could this be like that vow of silence Father once mentioned? Some kind of Mystic Ritual to achieve a Source Material Transformation through practices like not listening, not looking, not speaking, or not moving? A terrifying power that would make an ordinary person’s worldview shatter, their Soul take a hit, and ultimately cause them to cough up blood and die from just a single conversation? That sounds incredibly powerful!

She gave a thumbs up, exclaiming in admiration, ”As expected of Miss Huaizhi!”

Huai Shi was left speechless. He had no idea what she’d actually understood, but... oh well, let her be.

After pondering for a moment, he once again typed on his phone, [Also, I have something to do this afternoon; I won’t be going to the hot springs.]

Zhenxi paused, her previously expectant expression dimming slightly. Honestly, he thought, you shouldn’t wear your heart on your sleeve like that; your expressions are too easy to read!

He sighed and continued to type: [Don’t just think about having fun; you’re coming with me.]

”Yes, yes, I’m available anytime!”

Instantly, Zhenxi’s spirits lifted, her eyes sparkled, and she nodded vigorously, an invisible tail seeming to wag frantically behind her.

What is the deal with this woman? Huai Shi sighed, a headache suddenly blooming. Why is every member of the Li Jian family weirder than the last?

* * *

In the afternoon, within the excessively spacious courtyard of the manor, Huai Shi finally found an opportunity to formally meet his employer, the young miss, under the shade of some trees.

Although they exchanged their customary barbs, the conversation inevitably returned to work.

”But why did you bring her along?” Li Jian Amber’s expression was unreadable as she looked towards the far corner of the courtyard behind Huai Shi, where the young girl was excitedly squatting by a fishpond, playing with goldfish.

”We’ll talk about her later. First, let’s talk about you.” Huai Shi sighed, troubled. He lightly shook the Dream Cage in his hand, and faint wisps of mist diffused from it, erecting a simple illusion that slightly concealed their immediate surroundings.

While he wasn’t profoundly skilled in the art of Dreamland, making minor alterations to the scenery was still within his capabilities. To any onlooker, they were merely two people talking in the shade of the trees.

Huai Shi, however, had already plopped down on the ground, lifted the hem of his yukata to scratch an itch on his calf, and then pulled out a cigarette from his robes to light it. Finally, no need to worry about appearances and dignity anymore.

”So, tell me, what in the world is going on with your family? Each one seems more problematic than the last.”

At this, Amber lost her inclination to mock Huai Shi, her expression turning disdainful. ”What else could it be? Lingering historical issues. The sins committed by previous generations that only their descendants can repay.”

For two hundred years, the Li Jian family had been notorious for their lack of a firm stance. Leveraging their special status and influence, they tried to curry favor with both sides, unwilling to offend anyone. While others fought tooth and nail, they stood by and watched the show.

However, in the eyes of both sides, those bastards from the Li Jian family were nothing more than ’second fifths,’ constantly flipping allegiances between the Wu Family and the Duke. Their actions were observed, resented, and meticulously recorded; long lists of grievances had been compiled.

Then, a few decades ago, when the Li Jian family once again tried to switch sides, they discovered... they had backed the wrong horse this time.

The General, exiled from America, didn’t give a damn what the Li Jian family was.

A ’second fifth’ had to die.

To preserve the family, the patriarch from two generations ago had no choice but to offer his own head in atonement. And now, the current patriarch was despised by the Former Emperor for aligning himself with the General.

The despised Li Jian family had indeed led an excessively tumultuous and complex existence. For various reasons, they had fallen to their current state, essentially becoming an empty shell.

”Just look at the current candidates for family head, and you’ll know the Li Jian family is beyond saving,” Amber sneered. ”Besides the Former Emperor and the General exerting their influence, Rome, America, the Russian Federation, Dongxia... Aside from India, which lacks initiative, and the Egyptians, who prefer to keep to themselves, nearly all of the other Great Genealogies have meddled to some extent.”

”The most powerful contender is the adopted son of the previous patriarch, Jiu Lang, also known as Li Jian Jing Jiang. Oh, no, he goes by Old Jiujing now. He changed his name after my second uncle died and has now completely thrown his lot in with the General. The ones backing him are American capital interests that have long coveted the Li Jian family’s Guanshan Port—Honest People Shipping.”

Huai Shi raised an eyebrow. Just as an ’honest’ monk is rarely truly honest, Honest People Shipping was hardly staffed by honest folk—if they were genuinely kind and upright, they wouldn’t be one of the top 100 titanic trust enterprises in the entire territory, a behemoth controlling over forty percent of Border traffic and logistics.

”At the same time, Li Jian Bu Ping, an elder within the family, has also sided with him. Today’s Old Jiujing is arguably the most legitimate and popular successor to the family headship.

”Meanwhile, Li Jian Bu Jing, the head of the Li Jian family’s Guanshan Group and the one controlling the family’s internal finances, has been secretly conspiring with Deer’s Sing Hall, while also having dealings with Rome’s Minerva Tech.

”My eldest brother, Li Jian Zheng Ping, who hastily returned from his studies in the Russian Federation, is backed by the Russian Federation Constantine Trading Group...”

From Amber’s concise introduction, Huai Shi quickly unraveled the Li Jian family’s intricate situation. It was like a set of Russian nesting dolls, layer upon layer of complex coverings. Agency companies with deep ties to the Great Genealogies had chosen their proxies in Yingzhou. These proxies, in turn, selected their own agents, who then found their own backers to wage these proxy wars.

This was getting f*cking ridiculous.

”It’s time to ban nesting dolls,” Huai Shi said, snuffing out his cigarette and looking up at her. ”So, what about you? Xuan Niao couldn’t have sent you here empty-handed, right?”

Amber glanced at him and, without concealing anything, answered straightforwardly, ”Tai Qing Heavy Industries.”