Chapter 688: Where Blood Runs Deeper Than Survival

The cramped living room was dimly lit and thick with tension.

Tan Junjie spoke first. “Let’s not dwell on the past. You should get some rest. I’ll head out for my patrol.”

Mrs. Tan grabbed her son’s protective suit with trembling hands, voice quivering. “A-Jie, are you really letting a few things the child said drive a wedge between you and your brother?”

Behind the firmly closed bedroom door, Tan Qi lay in bed biting down hard on the edge of her quilt.

She never thought her mother would blame her for the rift between Tan Junjie and Tan Junchao. Glancing at his watch, Tan Junjie put down the protective suit, deciding to lay everything bare once and for all.

“I heard some bases have people who awaken Evolution Abilities after getting a blood transfusion from a close relative who’s already an Evolved fighter.”

Mrs. Tan lifted her head at once. “Exactly! Just a little blood and our family could have another Evolved. How amazing would that be!”

A little blood? Junjie’s heart plummeted. “Junchao’s thirty-one, still within the age to evolve. Should I give him four hundred milliliters of my blood to help awaken his ability?”

Mrs. Tan shook her head immediately. “You work yourself to the bone as it is. There’s no way your body can take losing that much blood.”

Her reply chilled Junjie’s heart even more. “So you knew about their plan before they even tried anything, didn’t you?”

Mrs. Tan shook her head at once. “I didn’t know! Neither did A-Chao…”

“You might not have, but Tan Junchao did. He and his wife weren’t just after Qi Qi’s blood. They wanted her flesh too. There’s a rumor eating the flesh works better than drinking the blood, so they planned to ‘accidentally’ carve a piece out of Qi Qi to see if it helped.”

Junjie eyed his mother, who barely looked surprised. He knew she must have guessed the truth already. “You’ve heard just how you’re supposed to eat a blood relative’s flesh for the strongest effects.”

Raw.

Even though this happened four months ago, Junjie still couldn’t hold back his fury just mentioning it, his tone brimming with menace.

“No—this can’t be, it can’t…” The bloody truth, ripped open by her own son, was more than Mrs. Tan wanted—or maybe dared—to accept.

Junjie could barely contain himself. “You call that a transfusion? With a kitchen knife? If Qi Qi hadn’t dodged in time, Junchao and his son would have eaten her alive. If eating her really did awaken their abilities, do you think they’d stop there? No—they’d swallow Qi Qi whole just to get stronger!”

Thinking of the dozens of missing Evolved children reported by the Safe Zone lately, Junjie’s breath came out ragged.

Mrs. Tan buried her face in her hands and sobbed. “No, that’s impossible… Junchao would never do such a thing. For three years, anything tasty or good in the house, he’d let Qi Qi have first, even stopped Xiao He from eating extra…”

Eyes bloodshot, Junjie stated it plain. “Qi Qi’s food came from me. She never needed anyone’s leftovers.”

Back in her room, biting the quilt, Qi Qi cried even harder.

Mrs. Tan lowered her withered hands, tear-filled eyes fixed on her eldest son.

She hadn’t even opened her mouth when Junjie already guessed what she wanted to say. “Qi Qi’s food wasn’t just for her—it included yours too. I told you and Tan Junchao: you can spend your share as you wish, but no one touches Qi Qi’s.”

Mrs. Tan seemed like all her strength had been eaten away by the Evolution Virus. Her head dropped as she mumbled, “This time it’s their fault…”

“Those seven years before the disaster—if Junchao and his wife hadn’t felt enough kinship to give me a mouthful, I would’ve starved long ago…”

Seeing Junjie wasn’t replying, Mrs. Tan kept talking, thinking he was listening. “You and Qi Qi were lucky. You’re both Evolved, so you don’t know how hard it is for ordinary folks. Nowadays, even a dog lives better than most people…”

Junjie checked his watch again, picked up the protective suit, and made his position clear. “Stay here if you want—live with Qi Qi a while. Once the new house is built, you can both move into the Territory. If you prefer going back to the Safe Zone, I’ll send you 100 credits a month for your pension and cover half the rent on your place.”

Mrs. Tan’s mind looked hazy. “A-Chao always did what you told him. Followed you everywhere like a little tagalong. None of this would have happened if not for the disaster…”

Junjie’s voice went cold. “He’s my brother—so I brought the whole family when I came for you. The apartment they have in the Safe Zone? I pay the rent. His job? I called in a favor to get it. They’re well fed, safe, and comfortable. Isn’t that enough?”

Realizing Junjie wouldn’t budge, Mrs. Tan dropped the topic of her younger son. “Even if the two of them did what you said, what about Xiao He? He’s only six… He’s your nephew. Let him live here with me and Qi Qi. Maybe with better food, his Evolution Ability will awaken. When we’re all gone, he and Qi Qi can look after each other. In the disaster years, it’s impossible to survive alone.”

“After the state announced the Territory policy, I brought this up to you and Tan Junchao. He missed his chance. Qi Qi is the lord of Territory Fifteen. Anyone from Tan Junchao’s family who sets foot in the Territory without her okay will be punished under the Lord’s Law.” Junjie opened the door, stepped out, shut it gently, and walked away fast.

With no room for second chances in disaster times, Junjie would never let that family near his daughter again.

Mrs. Tan stood blankly in the small living room for over ten minutes before suddenly turning to open her granddaughter’s bedroom door.

She hadn’t even reached the bed when Qi Qi sprang up, kneeling with one leg on the bed, gripping a knife in both hands, ready to defend herself.

Qi Qi’s little room had no windows. Dim lamplight from the living room shone in, glinting off her knife, lighting up her puffy eyes and tense, wary posture.

Mrs. Tan frowned at the sight, startled. “What’s with you? Why are you acting like this?”

Once, Qi Qi would’ve panicked whenever her grandmother frowned. But now that she knew her dad wasn’t going to abandon her, she wasn’t scared anymore.

With her dad out on patrol, Qi Qi had to protect herself. There was no way she’d put the knife away. She still remembered telling Grandma about her aunt trying to cut her—Grandma’s look then had been scarier than the knife. That was the day she ran from home to the Territory, searching for Dad.

Seeing how Qi Qi looked, Mrs. Tan dared not approach. She switched on the light and tried to soften her tone. “Qi Qi, be honest with me—did Grandma ever treat you badly in those three years at the Safe Zone? Didn’t you always get the best food?”

Qi Qi replied, “That was from my dad.”

Mrs. Tan realized Qi Qi must have overheard their talk. There was no use arguing—this would take time.

Two days later, Zhu Li came by to drop off the points card from selling bamboo shoots to Xia Qing and mentioned the Tan family’s drama. “The old lady let herself get sweet-talked by her younger son and left for the Safe Zone with the transport truck this morning. She’s got guts, going back to live under the same roof as the pair who wanted to eat their own niece.”

Xia Qing had already heard all about it yesterday when Qi Qi came by for swim practice. Tan Junchao was perfectly clear why he wanted his mom back—he needed Junjie to keep covering half the rent, and for those 100 credits of support each month.

As for how the old lady herself felt, Xia Qing honestly didn’t care—she was more interested in how Zhu Li got her information.