Chapter 1724 – Past Events (Part 2)
The former Heavenly Brain’s crazed revenge against the Jiang family’s direct line wasn’t just a mindless show-off; the intention behind their actions was far from trivial.
The high-ranking officials present: “…”
After a long pause, someone finally voiced the collective concern that hung in the air.
“It seems… there are no more members of the Jiang family’s direct line…”
It wasn’t merely a perception; there truly were no more left.
But…
The man before them, who claimed to be an ancestor of the Jiang family, shouldn’t his lineage be purer?
It seemed the man had a knack for reading minds, seeing straight through the Old Commander’s thoughts.
He said, due to special circumstances, I don’t possess such abilities, but… there is still one Jiang family direct line surviving.
The Federation Marshal asked him, “What is your intent?”
The man replied, “She will return to restore the Jiang family. I’m here to warn you not to do anything foolish.”
Among these military and political elites, aside from a few with no background who climbed up purely by merit, the others had deep ties with the major powers of the Federation. The Jiang family’s cake was too large; how could those powers not be envious and try to take a slice?
From this angle, their positions were in direct opposition to the remaining Jiang lineage.
To prevent retaliation after the opponent grows stronger, it’s quite normal to crush them while they are still weak.
Who was this man?
The man bluntly stated, “Leave it to you all; I’m not at ease about that.”
The Marshal answered, “She’s so important that the Federation will spare no resources to cultivate her. Don’t doubt our intentions.”
The man retorted, “A flower grown in a greenhouse will never withstand the wind and rain; the Jiang family won’t see a rebirth under her hands.”
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but twitch their mouths.
The Marshal contemplated, “Actually… I have an idea…”
Having just one direct descendant is incredibly dangerous; the man seemed to imply that he intended to push her to her limits.
If such a precious gem were to suffer any loss, how would the Federation respond to the following second Heavenly Brain disaster?
Why not…
Keep a genetic sample or something.
If anything happens to her, they could just clone another.
The man coldly replied, “It’s best not to have such thoughts.”
Strictly speaking, while the Jiang branch also shares the Jiang bloodline and genes, they cannot awaken the ancestor’s abilities; hence, there’s some hidden truth behind it. Attempting to artificially interfere with childbirth or even clone a gene would only lead to self-inflicted harm.
In summary, there’s just this single precious egg left of the Jiang family direct line.
The Marshal felt a bit awkward being shut down, quietly muttering to himself that these ancient families were simply too troublesome, with secrets more intricate than the starry seas, and schemes coming one after another – more convoluted than a pig wearing a bra.
“Well then, you should at least reveal the identity of the other party a bit. We won’t interfere, but we must secretly ensure her safety.”
The man said, “Once she reaches adulthood, if she is still alive, I will arrange for her to transition from light to dark.”
The Marshal’s heart trembled. If she can’t…
The man remarked, “The weak do not deserve to survive. If she can’t even endure this level of trial, she will eventually die at the hands of the Heavenly Brain.”
The high-ranking officials: “…”
They likely understood why the man was not pursuing the matter of the Jiang family’s earlier suppression; his heart was indeed hard. The Old Commander felt that this man was overly suspicious, unwilling to share the whereabouts of the Jiang family heir, likely due to distrust rather than the absurd “the weak do not deserve to survive.”
Of course, some weren’t convinced and conducted investigations in secret.
However, with the highest authority of the Heavenly Brain in the hands of the man, no matter how powerful the Federation’s higher-ups were, they couldn’t compete against the all-seeing Heavenly Brain.
The news of the Jiang family heir had been perfectly concealed.
The higher-ups waited patiently for many years, until Jiang Pengji was transferred from the gene warrior ranks to the Seventh Legion, at which point the man revealed Jiang Pengji’s identity. Upon learning this result, the higher-ups were stunned; no one expected the real Jiang family heir to emerge from the gene warrior training camp with the lowest survival rate. Looking at her history, with dozens of records of extreme difficulty missions, it made everyone’s palms sweat just reading it.
If she had just a bit worse luck, it would have been game over.
This man truly was her biological ancestor!
Would being in the Seventh Legion be too much for her…?
The Marshal wasn’t very supportive; after all, the Seventh Legion was a frontline combat unit, and its death rate wasn’t any lower than that of the gene warrior training camp.
The man countered, “So, send her to the logistics troops?”
The Marshal fell silent.
Since the plan was to restore the Jiang family through their direct descendant, it meant that ultimate power would eventually rest with this heir.
An excellent family head must have the ability to manage monsters and spirits, right?
If she were sent to the logistics unit, her future might not be promising either.
Aside from the Seventh Legion, other legions didn’t suit her.
The Marshal: “…”
He actually thought the Seventh Legion wasn’t a good fit.
As a frontline battle legion, if the man didn’t intend to support Jiang Pengji, it meant she could only start from the competitive bottom ranks.
What Jiang Pengji could rely on was her experience as a gene warrior.
Bottom-ranking fighters seeking to advance could either rely on merit or seniority.
The latter required time, while the former demanded bloodshed.
Bloodshed meant danger and even sacrifice.
To be honest, this cold-hearted and merciless ancestor was a first for her.
While other families’ ancestors worried about not caring enough for their descendants, this one fretted over them not dying quickly enough.
Fortunately, Jiang Pengji stepped over the corpses of her enemies, relying on military accomplishments to rise through the ranks in the Seventh Legion, showcasing the excellence expected of a direct descendant of an ancient family. Just then, complications arose; the Old Commander, as the Legion Commander, developed an incurable genetic disorder, and his mental domain gradually shrank over the years, forcing him to retire.
With his retirement, he naturally needed to recommend a suitable successor.
The Old Commander chose Jiang Pengji.
This outcome faced unanimous opposition from the Marshal and several other legion commanders.
“I need a reason.”
The Old Commander’s face darkened; nurturing a successor wasn’t easy, and his body wouldn’t allow him to delay any longer.
If Jiang Pengji were denied, it would ultimately fall on the Marshal and the other legion commanders to jointly recommend a suitable candidate.
The chosen successor might not even be more suitable than Jiang Pengji.
“Are you rejecting her solely because of her identity?”
The others fell silent, effectively admitting to it.
They did need Jiang Pengji but could never let her enter the true upper echelons.
The man held the highest authority of the Heavenly Brain; Jiang Pengji might inherit this authority from him in the future.
It was already dangerous enough; letting her touch core military power…
Sigh!
Once she took over the position of Legion Commander, the potential risks were too great; no one could take that chance.
The man’s timing was too sensitive. Jiang Pengji had been in the Seventh Legion for many years, becoming increasingly capable, and at just the right moment, the Old Commander fell ill and had to retire… and he happened to recommend Jiang Pengji… doesn’t that seem too coincidental?
It reeked of conspiracy.
Under the Old Commander’s firm insistence, everyone took a step back and provided Jiang Pengji with an opportunity, but she had to pass through numerous challenges first.
During this time, Jiang Pengji’s tasks inexplicably increased, and the danger level skyrocketed.
However, for Jiang Pengji, these were just daily routines; she fought on the edge of life and death every day and was not particularly sensitive to these changes.
