Tribunal Division
Foreign Atavist Surveillance Department
Several staff members on duty looked exhausted as they monitored dozens of screens filled with tiny red dots, making sure every tracking wristband was functioning properly and checking whether any foreign Atavists were spending suspicious amounts of time in suspicious locations.
This kind of monitoring was generally accepted worldwide. Hualan Atavists traveling abroad would likewise be required to wear similar wristbands, a measure that helped reduce crime to a certain extent.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door.
The staff turned and saw one of the newer recruits entering carrying several cups of milk tea.
With his fluffy brown hair and gentle, handsome features, it was none other than Wen Yuxian, who had recently resigned from the Twelve Zodiac Academy because of his girlfriend and joined the Tribunal Division.
“My girlfriend just got paid and told me I should get along with my coworkers,” Wen Yuxian said helplessly. “She bought milk tea for everyone working overtime. Please help yourselves.”
Despite his helpless expression, the sweetness in his smile was impossible to miss.
He could already picture Zhang Simiao’s towering figure counting her money while carefully guarding her tiny wallet.
So cute. I miss her already.
The half-asleep staff immediately erupted into cheers.
“This is amazing! Thank you!”
“Tell Miaomiao we said thanks too!”
One sip of sweet iced milk tea was enough to wake everyone right up.
Wen Yuxian was easy to get along with and good at his job. Since joining the Tribunal Division, he’d gotten along well with his new colleagues. The fact that he remained devoted to his girlfriend even after she had turned into a monster only earned him even more admiration from both male and female coworkers.
What a great guy.
Definitely the kind of person worth getting to know.
Looking at the numerous red dots on the screens, Wen Yuxian asked, “Can you really keep track of this many foreign Atavists?”
One of the staff members chewed thoughtfully on a taro ball before replying,
“We do our best. Things have been pretty chaotic lately, so we’re worried someone might try to take advantage of the situation. Every year there are a few who do. And with everything that’s been happening recently, the odds are even higher. Unfortunately, we can’t spare any more personnel to help out.”
“You’ve got a tough job too.”
“Not nearly as tough as you combat personnel. At least we don’t have to run all over the city.”
Although Wen Yuxian had been a history teacher at the Twelve Zodiac Academy and possessed relatively low atavist purity, his combat skills and instincts were exceptional.
Qiu Fa felt assigning him to office work would be a waste, so he had been placed among the field personnel instead.
The higher salary didn’t hurt either.
It made it easier for him to buy pigs and support his girlfriend.
Wen Yuxian stepped closer to the screens.
His gaze swept across the names attached to each red dot. Some were traveling alone; others had grouped together in twos and threes.
His attention settled on three of them.
“Could I take a look at these three people’s movement records?”
“What is it?” a coworker asked, walking over.
The three individuals were named Eric, Brian, and Jayden.
According to their records, they were a grandfather, father, and son.
“I’m not sure yet. I’d like to take a look first.”
“Go ahead.”
It wasn’t classified information.
A few moments later, their movement histories appeared on the screen.
After memorizing the routes, Wen Yuxian said his goodbyes, returned to his dormitory, and made a phone call.
Jing Pei woke up to the news that the documentary project had officially been approved.
Since the decision had been made, filming would begin immediately in hopes of finishing it before the government’s upcoming conference regarding Atavists.
It was a contest of influence.
As a result, when Jing Pei stepped outside, she found a van already waiting in front of the Long family estate.
Countless small spherical camera drones hovered around it.
Using such expensive equipment would allow them to capture every angle of Atavists leaping across rooftops and scaling walls.
The director was the renowned documentary filmmaker Zhang Run, forty years old and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards.
He was clearly thrilled to be working on this project.
Some members of the Atavist families desperately wanted him to feature them so they could gain political and social capital.
He had refused them all.
The person he wanted as his protagonist was Jing Pei.
At least for the first episode.
The crew had arrived early and were already waiting outside.
“Director Zhang, why are you so determined to focus on Long Jin?” the assistant director finally asked.
He still felt uneasy recalling how Zhang Run had rejected all those young masters and young ladies from prominent Atavist families.
After agonizing over it all night, he couldn’t hold back the question.
“If there’s one person who can become the symbol of the Atavist families in this new era,” Zhang Run said, adjusting his equipment, “I believe Long Jin is the perfect choice.”
The assistant director blinked.
“She has a unique presence. Mysterious. Powerful. Aloof. Intelligent. Kind, but only to a point…”
He looked like a man driven half-mad in pursuit of art as he searched for the right words.
“The image I have of the Atavist families has always been something like that. The pride, composure, and refinement cultivated over thousands of years. I see all of it in her.”
“What about Qiu Fa?”
“Director Qiu is too righteous.”
Zhang Run shook his head.
An Atavist family might sacrifice itself for the country, but rarely for a handful of ordinary people.
Qiu Fa was different.
Atavists like him were rare.
If he became the representative image, people might come away with the mistaken impression that Atavist families and police officers were essentially the same thing.
“What about Lou Ting?”
Zhang Run gave him a look.
“You dare film him?”
“…No.”
“Still, Lou Ting does have that morally gray quality. Sometimes excessive righteousness becomes a form of evil itself. But he’s an extreme case too. So my choice remains Long Jin.”
The assistant director nodded in agreement.
When Jing Pei came out, the crew hurried forward to request filming permission.
She didn’t look surprised in the slightest.
Nor did she appear uncomfortable with the cameras.
“I already agreed I’d participate,” she said with a smile. “Film whatever you’d like.”
Excitement flared in Zhang Run’s eyes.
Excellent.
Hualan’s first documentary centered on Atavists would be his work.
And he had a feeling Jing Pei would provide plenty of fascinating material.
The production vehicle soon began following behind her.
Jing Pei opened a map on her phone.
Her fingers zoomed in and out while her mind raced.
“Maternity and Children’s Hospital… Yunjin Elementary School… Guangming Kindergarten…”
Her watch suddenly vibrated.
She exited the map and opened her email.
I’d like to purchase information regarding Wen Can, who was supposed to be the deceased young master of the Wen family in Yunjin Prefecture who has suddenly returned from the dead.
The previous night’s “having the best of both worlds” comment from Mei Yanlan had gotten under Xiao Cheng’s skin.
Fortunately for him, the emotional turmoil didn’t last long.
Seeing how exhausted she was from work, he obediently held her while they slept.
After all, her outrageous statement suggested that her feelings for Wen Can weren’t nearly as deep as he had feared.
That legendary first love wasn’t so invincible after all.
Better yet, Xiao Cheng kept replaying the part where she’d praised him for being wealthy, handsome, and well-built.
As a result, he finally got a good night’s sleep.
Compared with the Wen family, the Xiao family possessed greater wealth and status.
And in terms of looks, he didn’t think he was inferior to Wen Can either.
Someone like Mei Yanlan, a Tribunal Division employee without even an official establishment position, had definitely gotten the better end of the marriage.
He started feeling pretty smug.
So the next morning, as Mei Yanlan prepared to leave for work, he said,
“You should just quit the Tribunal Division. The pay’s low and the workload’s ridiculous. They won’t collapse because one person leaves. I make more than enough money to support you.”
Mei Yanlan wasn’t in a particularly good mood.
She looked up at him without a word.
For some reason, Xiao Cheng immediately lost his nerve.
Trying to sound tough, he said,
“My stomach’s already starting to show. You need to take care of me. Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of man who looks down on the contributions of a stay-at-home spouse.”
He pulled out his wallet, took out a black card, and handed it to her.
“Spend whatever you want.”
They had signed a prenuptial agreement before marriage.
Back then, Xiao Cheng hadn’t intended to be stingy, but he’d certainly never imagined letting Mei Yanlan spend without limits.
The only person who had ever enjoyed that privilege was Fang Bihe.
Who could have predicted things would end up like this?
Mei Yanlan couldn’t be bothered responding.
Instead, she opened her phone and contacted the information broker.
She already had her suspicions, but she needed confirmation.
Hopefully the broker really was as capable as rumored.
The reply arrived quickly.
The current Young Master Wen Can of the Wen family is a clone cultivated in a short period of time using genetic data left behind in the gene bank by the deceased Young Master Wen Can.
Mei Yanlan’s grip tightened around her phone.
What is the purpose of his appearance?
The response came almost immediately.
To assist the Ling family in capturing Ling Yilan and bringing her back.
Dark flames ignited within Mei Yanlan’s eyes.
She had anticipated that once she stopped hiding, they would attempt to drag her back.
What she hadn’t expected was that they would try to use Wen Can again.
Once hadn’t worked.
So they were trying a second time.
She shot to her feet.
Xiao Cheng jumped.
“Where are you going?”
“To work.”
Meanwhile, the Ling family received a message from the clone Wen Can.
Their frustration over Zhang Run’s refusal to feature them in the documentary immediately vanished.
“Hmph,” the Ling family head sneered. “Once she comes back, let’s see who still dares look down on the Ling family!”
“The Lu family, the Qu family, all those people who humiliated us. They’ll regret it!”
The family head immediately stopped his eldest son.
“This matter can’t be made public yet. If too many people find out, they’ll be willing to destroy themselves rather than submit.”
His eldest son immediately understood.
“Once enough people are pregnant, then we can let them know. By that point, there’ll be no way to smash the jade. They’ll have no choice but to curry favor with us.”
The family head smiled.
“Exactly. It took the Long family two hundred years to produce a Long Jin. Yilan is likewise the child of destiny accumulated by generations of the Ling family. She was born to bring the Ling family back to glory.”
He paused.
“A hybrid the likes of which had never been seen before. And one of her bloodlines is the Seahorse Clan.”
His expression darkened.
“She belongs to the Seahorse Clan and can’t become pregnant herself. All we ever asked was for her to help others become pregnant. For the sake of the family’s revival, she wasn’t even willing to make that sacrifice. A-Song disappointed me very much. If it weren’t for him, the Ling family wouldn’t have suffered humiliation all these years.”
“Dad, Uncle’s been dead for years. Let’s not bring him up. Should we inform the families allied with us now?”
The eldest son quickly changed the subject.
It was a painful chapter in family history, one the Ling family preferred never to discuss.
