Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 79: Purpose of the mentor

Xi Tian dragged his weary body back to the guest room his grandfather had prepared for them.

He thought Ellis would already be asleep, but he was still sitting at the bedside, wrapped in a blanket, nodding off, his terminal still playing a video.

Those absurd histories, those cold facts, seemed to recede like a tide in an instant.

His heart and mind were filled only with the person in front of him.

He walked up and held Ellis’s exposed hand.

The sensation of warmth seemed to return to his body.

Soft, slightly cool.

“Ah, I dozed off,” Ellis said, waking up and seeing Xi Tian. He sighed in relief.

“Why didn’t you sleep first, so late?” Xi Tian got under the covers, pulling Ellis along.

“It felt a bit off without you,” Ellis said, his arm loosely draped over Xi Tian.

The female was a bit sleepy, the body soft, letting Xi Tian position him as he wished.

Xi Tian hugged him back and gave a light kiss.

“Sleep. Goodnight.”

History is in the past; now is the time to cherish the present.

Xi Tian said goodbye to his family there, electronically scanned the notebook from the safe, and returned to Morrison Star.

His mentor had been guiding him, and he still had some questions to ask.

However, he couldn’t reach his mentor, and his house was empty, the door locked.

Xi Tian went to his mentor’s lab and asked his assistant, who said they hadn’t seen Cody for a while, coinciding with the day Xi Tian left.

He remembered the possible surveillance equipment in that house. Had something happened to his mentor?

Xi Tian thought of some ways to enter the house.

There were no signs of a struggle inside, and everything was in order.

Xi Tian searched every corner of the study and finally found a tiny electronic device behind a painting on the wall. It looked like it was for remote recording. Xi Tian took it down and smashed it roughly.

The mentor’s current research on influencing the audience’s psychology and choices through behavior is essentially the “mind control” ability. At this critical juncture, if anyone needed the mentor most, it would be the two presidential candidates who needed the mentor to guide and correct their behavior to gain more votes.

“Dear, we’re going back to Zerg Star.”

As soon as they disembarked from the spaceship, they were met by stern, unyielding men in black who escorted them.

To prevent any leakage of information, Xi Tian had deliberately disconnected his terminal from the neural network during the return journey.

Upon disembarking the aircraft, they were greeted by a luxurious, expansive mansion.

Xi Tian had braced himself for the worst. Ellis stayed close, constantly vigilant of the black-clad bodyguards around them.

As they walked through the door, they saw his mentor, Cody, in comfortable home attire, watering a large potted plant. Nearby were a small shovel, scissors, gloves, and other tools.

“You arrived sooner than I expected,” Cody said, looking up and seeing them. He set down the watering can and handed it to a waiting servant.

“Mentor?!”

Another servant handed Cody a damp towel, and Cody wiped his hands.

“Have you opened the box?” Cody asked leisurely.

“I’ve seen everything inside. What you wanted me to know, I now know. Mentor, why did you guide me to see these things?”

“Because you are the child of Xi Qisi, and naturally, you have the right to know the truth of what your biological father experienced,” Cody replied, picking up the electronic pad that had been prepared earlier. “I initially thought it was just a coincidence that you resembled Xi Qisi, considering he didn’t leave any descendants when he hanged himself.

But coincidences like that are rare. This is the document I received the day you decided to go to Wood Tower Star.”

It was a paternity test document. Skipping the long, incomprehensible text, the conclusion was clear: “According to the DNA test results, the sample from test subject 1 belongs to the biological father of test subject 2.”

“This is…”

“I had the testing department do it.”

Xi Tian was trembling all over, unsure if it was from anger or shock. “Mentor, were you the one who hired someone to take my hair on Kemna Star?”

Ellis, sensing that the situation had turned personal, made an excuse to give them privacy.

“Hmm?” Cody was puzzled and explained, “I was assisting at the research institute when you left Zerg Star, completely unaware of your whereabouts. Let alone hiring someone.

I obtained this from a high-ranking officer of the reformists. He asked me to compare it with the DNA from the gene bank, number 74.

I have your genetic sample in my lab, so it was easy to determine that the sample was from you.”

Cody added, “I received the sample from the high-ranking officer on the day I was conducting experiments. The previous day, Morrisan Star was particularly noisy, making it difficult to concentrate.”

Xi Tian thought for a moment and understood.

That day was the Needle Grass Festival on Morrisan Star, and Ellis’s friend had taken his pouch, which was likely when the sample was obtained and probably sent through the local mercenary guild.

Cody continued, “But from what you’ve said, it seems someone else has also taken an interest in you. Tell me more about it.”

Xi Tian shared what he knew about the suspected conservative presidential candidate and the theft that had occurred.

“It sounds like this candidate was probably also aware of the ‘Neural Network Project’ back then. However, it’s clear that they don’t take you seriously. Those who participated in the ‘Neural Network Project’ were all fanatical about obtaining the secret to control through brain dissection.”

“Mentor, you mentioned that you were only fifteen at the time. How did you know so much? And why did you intentionally collect newspapers from that period?”

“Because my biological dad also died in that fire,” Cody said with a smile. “I never believed that the fire in the heavily fortified experimental building was an accident. I searched desperately for any clues related to it.

At that time, he was busy checking the experimental records and told me not to bother him, so I went out to play.

I secretly took your biological father with me. He was two years younger than me and quite good-looking. We had sneaked out together several times before.

But that time, the experimental building caught fire. Being halfway up the mountain, fire trucks couldn’t reach it, and by the time the firefighting aircraft arrived, the building was already in ruins. I later heard that the fire was caused by a mistake made by the experimental staff, which ignited flammable materials and spread everywhere.

I found it strange that no one survived. If a fire broke out, those closer to the door should have had a chance to escape.

All the evidence pointed to my biological dad. He had closed the doors and windows, gathered everyone on the upper floors, and then set the fire.

I was puzzled until I learned from my uncle that, although my biological dad appeared to serve the conservatives on the surface, he had secretly become a member of the reformists and was working for them in secret.”

“…So this fire killed all the experimenters and subjects, but my father survived?” Xi Tian murmured.

“Your biological father lived more genuinely than anyone else. He yearned to live and to see the new day’s sun rise,” Cody said, patting Xi Tian on the shoulder.

“Mentor, you support the reformists, but you come from an upper-class background, right?”

Cody nodded. “Yes.”

This house wasn’t something money alone could buy; it had been passed down through noble ancestors.

“Mentor, I’ve always wondered why you guided me step by step to uncover the truth. Even if I know it, what’s the point?”

Xi Tian knew that, in others’ eyes, his only value was being the sole descendant of the ‘Neural Network Project,’ possibly possessing the ability to ‘control minds.’

But his mentor was already an expert in this field. Why would he need Xi Tian to know these historical details?

“It doesn’t need a reason. I believe you have the right to know the truth. Moreover, your biological father was a companion of mine in my youth. When it comes to responsibility, it is really my biological dad who is to blame.”

“I know you’re a sensitive person, but no one can predict exactly what will happen in the future. Some things don’t need detailed plans or an exploration of their purpose or meaning. You don’t need to know the next step or the outcome.

When the time comes and all the conditions are ripe, it just takes a single push to set things off, and then wait for them to unfold in a new way.

At that moment, all you need to do is give it a gentle push to move it forward.”

Cody’s eyes sparkled with intensity, a stark contrast to his usual scholarly demeanor.

“Mentor…”

Xi Tian had never seen this side of Cody before—someone who was both a strategist and a passionate idealist ready to sacrifice for their beliefs.

“For two hundred years, the ruling elite have shaped today’s society. The conservative old-timers only seek to continue deceiving the people for their own gain.

They have no sympathy for the fragile emotions, the delicate hearts.

The laws, the public opinion, the restrictions on female marriage, the limitations on male personal freedom—every time I see them, I can almost smell the decay.

Reality is far worse than imagined.

Xi Tian, don’t you want to witness its transformation firsthand? To change it from something outdated and corrupt into something new and vibrant?”

Cody gazed intently at Xi Tian.

Xi Tian was silent for a long time before speaking. “Mentor, sentimentality won’t work on me. Moral high ground and teaching through it—that’s a tactic I taught you.”

Cody laughed heartily, “I forgot, that was indeed part of your debate course.”

“Let me be straightforward. The presidential candidates are evenly matched this year. Something needs to be done to ensure the reformists’ success.”

“That would be the Neural Network Program,’ which could be a fatal blow to the conservatives.”

“Yes, so I need your help,” Cody extended the invitation to Xi Tian.

“Because I’m the only descendant of someone who knew about the technique?”

“It would be more convincing if you were involved.”

“No,” Xi Tian shook his head. “I don’t want to be in the public eye. Some might enjoy the attention, but to me, it feels like being put on display.”

Cody sighed, “Just as I thought, you’re nothing like Song Huidan. He loved being in the spotlight. Anyway, give me the documents.”

“Huh?”

“Before you left, didn’t I ask you to retrieve the stored box?”

“I didn’t bring it back,” Xi Tian shook his head. “Do you want to make my father’s diary public?”

“Just give me the scanned copy, the part with the investigative journalist’s news,” Cody knew that Xi Tian would fulfill his promises, so the physical item being missing meant a scanned backup would suffice.

“That diary is your possession, not mine. Besides, I have other evidence that’s sufficient.”

“Mentor, I want to ask you why you’re helping the reformists come to power?” Xi Tian began transferring the data to Cody.

“I wasn’t just being sentimental earlier. The conservatives have been patching their policies for years without real change. It might be better to let the reformists come to power and see what they can achieve.

In my lifetime, I really want to see this planet become more equal, more beautiful.”

Cody sighed.