VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 926: Stranger in Bloom

Zhao Liang was fuming.

He’d been undercover in the Lu household for half a year, and he hadn’t even made it to the first basement level—let alone the second. All he ever did was hauling supplies to the stairwell, where Fang Ling took over.

The first basement was Fang Ling’s living quarters; the second, her laboratory. Without access to the living quarters, the lab was completely unreachable.

And a male servant strolling into the Lu family’s “young miss’s” private space? Not a chance.

Of course, a good portion of Zhao Liang’s frustration could be traced back to Yi Qing. A top-tier Fireseed operative, skulking for half a year without even touching a door. Yet YiQueen’s prized Tongmo Branch star, with her “Azure Eye,” waltzed to the second basement on her first visit.

How could Zhao Liang not be livid?

At this rate, the old crone would boot him out!

Six months of prowling, and he’d mapped every inch of the estate. He’d even spent a month drilling a hole through reinforced concrete to monitor the first basement—and no, it wasn’t for peeping!

Truth be told, he was quite struck when he first saw Fang Ling. But through that hole, he learned she was actually a man. Still, everyone in the Lu household, even Uncle Ma, treated her like a princess. Were they all clueless or playing dumb?

Anyway, that’s beside the point. The hole was for intel. Intel! Not peeping. Seriously!

The real hurdle now was accessing the second basement. Footage from the probe showed a custom electronic door between levels one and two—made of high-strength graphite steel, tougher than a bank vault.

Even worse, Fang Ling coded the locking system herself. Who knew what bizarre script she’d cooked up?

While Zhao Liang was still spacing out, the front doorbell chimed. Uncle Ma’s voice echoed from the end of the hallway:

“A-Liang, might be Mr. Lu. Go greet him first. I’ll change out of these dirty clothes and catch up!”

No time to think, Zhao Liang answered quickly and hurried downstairs. In the sprawling garden, an unfamiliar luxury car idled by the electric gate.

A tall man in a loud floral shirt stood at the entrance, with two men in black behind him, clearly bodyguards.

Zhao Liang, wary, stepped outside. “May I ask who you’re here to see, sir?”

The floral-shirted man eyed him, polite but sharp. “My surname is Hua. I’m here to pay a visit to Mr. Ye Shisan. Would you mind informing him?”

Ye Shisan?

Zhao Liang studied him carefully. Young—no more than eighteen or nineteen. Wild black-and-yellow hair, refined features. But it was his sharp, hawk-like brows that truly caught the eye.

This punk must’ve tailed Ye Shisan here. How else would he know he’s here? Besides, the Lus were the rightful owners of this estate; Ye Shisan was merely a guest. How could some unknown visitor be allowed to disturb?

Without hesitation, Zhao Liang turned him away. “Sorry, this is the Lu residence. If you’re looking for someone, you’ll have to go elsewhere.”

Floral shirt stayed quiet, but the two bodyguards behind him burst out laughing. One sneered, “Do you even know who you’re talking to? Better think twice before you yap.”

The other laughed so hard his shoulders shook, he added, “You think just anyone can stroll into Qin's property?”

Zhao Liang, sharp as ever, felt a jolt of realization. This might be a third-tier city, but the Lu residence was part of a top-tier property zone under the Qin family’s control. Anyone who could enter so casually had to be someone significant.

And he said his name was Hua… Could it be...

The Hua clan—The one hailed as the foremost clan of the Central Plains, one of the Ten Great Houses of the Eastern Dominion?

Rumor had it the Hua clan rose from the underworld syndicate, but through the efforts of the past two generations, they’ve fully cleaned up their image. Their current patriarch, known as "General Hua,” was famously married to over seven hundred women, earning him the nickname “Flower Emperor of the Eastern Dominion.” The strange part? None of his wives can bear sons— either they’re infertile, or they only give birth to daughters.

This awkward situation led to fierce internal strife in recent years, especially after General Hua survived a plane crash that left him partially paralyzed. Though he escaped death, his survival only fueled the chaos within the family’s palace.

At present, the Hua clan was without a clear heir. Had General Hua fathered a son, perhaps things wouldn’t have descended into such chaos. And now—this young man standing before him claimed his surname was Hua?

Does that mean General Hua has a son after all?!

The more Zhao Liang thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Suddenly, Uncle Ma’s voice rang out behind him in a high-pitched tone: “Could this be… Young Master Hua? Oh dear, this one’s new—just a rough fellow. Please don’t take offense, Young Master Hua! Come in, come in!”

The electric gate slid open. Hua Jian didn’t get back into the car, but strolled in on foot. The two bodyguards followed behind, grinning at Zhao Liang with smug, overbearing expressions.

Zhao Liang glanced at Uncle Ma, whose face was ashen. “Why’d you let him in?”

Uncle Ma’s face darkened. “What choice did I have? Do you even know who he is? One call from him, and the entire Lu family could be finished!” He snapped, “Don’t just stand there—call Mr. Lu at the site—now!”

Zhao Liang felt his scalp tingle. It was already troublesome enough with Yi Qing and Ye Shisan stirring things up. And now, somehow, a second-generation heir had been dragged into the mess. What a headache.

But then, Zhao Liang reconsidered. Sometimes, destruction was the only path to renewal. His undercover mission had long since reached a dead end. Now, with Young Master Hua’s unexpected arrival, perhaps this was the very crack through which the stalemate could break.

Sure enough, Steward Ma welcomed Hua Jian into the main hall, then sent Zhao Liang to fetch Fang Ling, Ye Shisan, and the others.

This was it.

With Hua Jian present, everyone would revolve around him. And that—was Zhao Liang’s golden moment to strike.

He darted to the stairwell, where a custom-built intercom was mounted on the wall.

“Miss Fang, there’s an important guest upstairs. Uncle Ma asks you, Mr. Ye, and Miss Yi to come up.”

Meanwhile, Ye Shisan and Yi Qing were lost in Fang Ling’s world.

To Ye Shisan, Fang Ling wasn’t merely a genius—she was a visionary with the will and ability to turn dreams into reality.

To Yi Qing, the shock brought by Fang Ling’s creations—from the primitive-level AI “Suiren” to the near-strong AI “Nuwa“—had far exceeded her expectations. No exaggeration, if Fang Ling’s inventions went public, humanity would face only two possible outcomes:

One, a global nuclear war over control of Suiren or Nuwa, leading to total annihilation. Two, a unified effort to share the technology, ushering humanity into its next evolutionary phase.

Whichever way it went, it was like God tossing a coin— and there was always a fifty-fifty shot it’d come up bad. Yi Qing had no intention of taking that gamble.

In light of this, Ye Shisan’s proposal appeared to be the safest and most prudent: to have Fireseed take full control— of Suiren, of Nuwa, and of Fang Ling herself.

Naturally, the most displeased of all was Fang Ling. She had been in the midst of showcasing her brilliance to her beloved Brother Ye and her rival Yi Qing, when that pest Zhao Liang had the audacity to interrupt her moment! Hmph!

She replied with a huff, “I’m coming! Zhao Liang, whether it’s your fault or not, you dared to ruin my moment... Either way, you’re toast! Hmph!”