Xia Lei decided not to stay in the capital after leaving the ZN Bureau. Instead, he returned to Thunder Horse Military Factory. He’d left but he was still unable to get rid of Ling Han’s appearance from his mind.

Ring, ring, ring…

Xia Lei’s phone suddenly rang on his way to his villa.

Xia Lei thought Fan Fan was calling, but discovered otherwise when he checked his phone.

It was Ling Han.

Ring, ring, ring…

The phone continued to ring.

Xia Lei was still mulling over why Ling Han would call him at such a time.

After the phone rang for about 30 seconds, Xia Lei picked up. “h.e.l.lo, Brother Ling. May I ask why you’re calling?”

“Heh.” Ling Han gave a laugh. “Why do you still feel the need to be so formal with me? Do I need to book an appointment with you before I call? I wanted to call you so I did. I’m not afraid of taking up your time.”

“You don’t say. But I’ve been quite busy lately,” said Xia Lei.

After the two spent a moment exchanging pleasantries, Ling Han asked, “Xia Lei, have the Thunder Horse Military Factory upgrades been going smoothly?”

“It’s fine. You know I’m an old hand at this. I’m preparing to upgrade all of Rheinmetall AG’s technology. You'll soon see the upgraded version of Rheinmetall AG, and it's called Thunder Horse Military Factory.”

“I look forward to it. I am eager to go to your factory to take a look.”

“Come over, then. I’ll cook tonight, and us brothers can have a drink.”

“Heh… Let’s talk about that later, maybe in two days or so. I’ve got something to do, so I called you to ask about something. But I’m not sure if you’d be willing to tell me.”

Ling Han was hiding words within his words.

Xia Lei laughed twice too. “Look, Brother Ling. Do you still consider me an outsider? What can’t the two of us talk about? What is it? Just tell me. If I know, then I’ll answer.”

Ling Han went silent for a moment before saying, “So I heard that you’ve run into trouble. Who’s been making these problems for you? If you tell me, maybe I can settle it for you.”

Xia Lei would’ve normally thought that what Ling Han had said was touching, if he hadn’t tracked Song Baicheng down before hearing it. He had seen Ling Han and Song Baicheng together, and knew that Ling Han was Mr Z. Xia Lei felt disgust rather than relief when he heard Ling Han’s offer.

Xia Lei still pretended to be grateful. “Thank you, Brother Ling. I am very grateful that you’re always looking out for me.”

“Look at you, being formal with me again. There’s no need to be so polite with me. Now tell me, who’s causing you problems?”

Xia Lei fell silent before speaking. “It’s a person called Song Baicheng. I’m not sure of his background, but I’m guessing he’s quite high up in the ranks.”

“But Song Baicheng is a stranger to you. How do you know he is more than he seems?”

“Even Fan Yiming, Elder Fan, from the Academy of Science, must listen to him. Do you really think he is a normal person?” said Xia Lei.

“What do you know about him?”

Xia Lei furrowed his brow. “Earlier, I had Tang Yuyan investigate for me, but she couldn’t find anything. Song Baicheng’s files were all encrypted. Heh, I owe Tang Yuyan a favour for that. Not only is my work incomplete, but I have a favour to return too. I’ve been pretty down for the last couple days.”

“He must be powerful if even Tang Yuyan couldn’t dig up anything. Don’t worry about it. Leave it to me. I’ll look into it for you.”

“Thank you, Brother Ling. If you can check, then I won’t refuse. If not, then it’s fine. The need for it has already pa.s.sed, and the information isn’t as important to me anymore,” said Xia Lei.

“Hmm. Still, let me try. How about it? Let’s talk later.” Ling Han hung up.

Xia Lei stood still, and stared blankly at his phone.

It was obvious why Ling Han had called. He was testing to see how much Xia Lei knew about Song Baicheng and the ZN Bureau.

‘If I told him that I know who Song Baicheng is, where the ZN Bureau is, and even that he’s Mr. Z, what would he do?’ thought Xia Lei. He couldn’t help but feel a deep doubt. Even with his superior intellect, he couldn’t be sure of the result.

But it wasn’t like he was stupid enough to tell the truth to Ling Han and the ZN Bureau.

‘Ling Han? Mr Z? Maybe they’re not even his real names. Who is he?’ His mind was spinning out of control, and his thoughts were all about Ling Han.

In the distance, Fan Fan emerged from the villa, calling from afar. “Mr Xia!”

Xia Lei snapped out of his trance and a smile appeared, just by the corners of his lips. He walked towards Fan Fan.

Xia Lei’s relations.h.i.+p with Fan Fan was kept a secret, hidden underground. The reason was simple. He and Fan Fan could not make their relations.h.i.+p public just because Song Baicheng had left. If they did that, the first thing Ling Han and Song Baicheng would probably do was to throw out Fan Fan's research report, then find a new bioengineering scholar to study his body.

The two Special Forces guards outside the villa kept a close eye on Fan Fan and Xia Lei. It wasn’t guaranteed that they hadn’t received secret orders to report on everything that went on in the complex, including the two of them.

Xia Lei was very cautious with how he should handle the situation before him, and asked, “Why are you looking for me, Miss Fan?”

“Well, I just had a great idea for our research. Let’s go to your laboratory to discuss it.” There was nothing out of place with Fan Fan’s reply. She was very calm.

The two Special Forces guards looked expressionlessly on as Xia Lei and Fan Fan walked into the villa.

“What could go wrong with someone like Mr Xia? Is the Colonel serious? Did he want us to keep an eye on Mr Xia because he’s scared Mr Xia might steal his things?” said a soldier.

“Stop complaining. An order is an order. We just need to do what we’re told.”

“Hey, let me tell you something. Yesterday, a girl from the Thunder Horse Military Factory asked me for my WeChat number. She looked pretty nice…”

“Do you have a picture? Let me see.”

No one could escape from the seven emotional states and the six desires. No one could become a robot, and the Special Forces weren’t an exception.

Inside the underground laboratory, Xia Lei closed the alloy door that s.h.i.+elded them from radiation. The entire underground laboratory was silent. No person, thing, or outside voice could disturb them.

After he closed the door, Fan Fan suddenly pressed herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. She trembled constantly from her excitement. She was like a moth throwing herself at fire because of her condition, but there was no turning back for her.

Xia Lei took her up in his arms and walked towards the workstation.

“I, I just want to hug you. W, what do you want to do?” It was obvious from Fan Fan’s constant trembling that she was very nervous. Her excitement caused a faint, red blush to rapidly spread all over her skin.

Xia Lei laughed. “I just want to hug you too. What else do you think I want to do?”

Fan Fan bit her lip. “I, I changed my mind.”

“Then I also change my mind.” Xia Lei placed Fan Fan on the stainless steel surface, and gently spread her legs. He stared deep into her eyes. HIs eyes were filled with a warm, gentle sweetness, with a hint of grat.i.tude.

Xia Lei wouldn’t have been able to overcome his crisis without Fan Fan’s help. At the time, he had planned to use her. To conquer her. But now, he was grateful. He was never the type to burn bridges in the first place, so he was willing to give Fan Fan what she wanted.

Half an hour later, the underground laboratory fell silent again. But the smell of love pervaded the air, clinging desperately to the room.

Fan Fan jumped off the workstation, and handed her phone to Xia Lei.

“Why are you giving me your phone?” asked Xia Lei.

Fan Fan turned on her phone.

Xia Lei’s attention s.h.i.+fted to the screen, which displayed a picture of the research report. It clearly wasn’t the one Song Baicheng took, but rather, the unfixed original.

Fan Fan’s tender fingers swiped to the next picture, and Xia Lei saw the picture of the research report.

The results for each index he was tested in exceeded the average person, and some were practically in defiance of the natural order.

Fan Fan’s fingers stopped on a picture.

It was Xia Lei’s IQ test data. It wasn’t 298, but rather 998.

His IQ was almost 3.5 times what Song Baicheng and Ling Han were told!

“You…” Xia Lei couldn’t guess what Fan Fan wanted from this.

“What… What ARE you?” asked Fan Fan.

Xia Lei paused. “I’m a person. A man. What else could I be?”

“No, you’re…” She paused briefly, before spitting it out. “G.o.d.”

“What are you kidding me?” Xia Lei laughed.

“All this research on your genetics, all the information we’ve recorded proves that you’re evolving perfectly, in every way possible. I’ve never seen such a perfect body. And your brain is more powerful than modern computers. So tell me ー If you’re not a G.o.d, then what ARE you?”

Xia Lei was silent. He had failed to hide his secret from this bright scholar before him. Though he had tried his best to weaken his bodily reactions while cooperating with her research, the results didn’t change.

“Even your sp… sperm contains the power to defy natural order. They hold your genetic blueprint. But because they’re all so powerful, the moment they leave your body, they begin to fight one another. There’s next to no chance for impregnation. It’s just… something I cannot describe.”

“Fan Fan, can you keep this a secret for me?” Xia Lei had to face reality.

“Yes, but I have a condition.” Fan Fan blinked her big eyes as a mischievous smile formed on her lips.

“What’s this condition?”

“Give me a child. I want to have your child. I can’t even fathom how intelligent... how powerful your child would be. But I do know that it would be a genius beyond compare.”

“Fine.” Xia Lei smiled bitterly. “But you’re already aware that I don’t know if I can even make you… pregnant.”

“Have you forgotten who I am? I’m a bioengineering scholar, and I will find a way to make it happen. I’ve decided to begin my new research project ー Lei Lei’s plan!”

Xia Lei was speechless.

Fan Fan stared hotly at Xia Lei and her soft tongue slid out from a corner of her mouth. She pursed her lips lightly and said, “Are you done resting? I’m going to collect samples.”

Xia Lei was speechless.