Chapter 33: A Colossal Conspiracy

The man took a deep breath and whispered, "I've just been brushing up on things again."

"You graduated from the Department of Computer Science at Qingbei University, having entered with the fourth-highest total score in Nanjiang Province. After graduation, you were hired by a foreign firm with a high salary, and for twenty-one years, you worked diligently, dedicating your entire youth to that place."

"But four months ago, you collapsed at your desk. After being rushed to the hospital, you were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer—and it was already in the terminal stage. The company fired you, claiming it wasn't just an excuse about your age, but because they were afraid of taking responsibility."

"I have to admit, your boss is a jerk, and you are indeed pitiful. In your forties, unmarried, no children, struck by a terminal illness and kicked out of your company, losing all your support, but..."

"I feel... that these things aren't enough to cause your emotional breakdown to this extent."

"So, what else have you experienced since then?"

"Or did something happen to you at the Ji residence today?"

Xie Baorong took a deep breath but didn't answer. Instead, he slowly unwrapped the packaging of the jianbing guozi in his hands, opened his mouth, and took a small bite.

The sweetness of the bean paste reached Xie Baorong’s nose, and the savory, rich aroma of the egg pancake moistened his dry mouth, finally loosening his tongue.

"Who... who on earth are you..." Xie Baorong slowly raised his eyes, looking at the man with the cowardice and inferiority born from more than twenty years of a submissive, humble life.

The man inhaled deeply, pulled a leather ID case from his pocket, handed it to Xie Baorong, and whispered, "This is my identification, though it has already been revoked."

With that, the man tossed the ID into Xie Baorong’s lap.

Xie Baorong moved sluggishly, picked up the ID, sniffed, and took a look.

The document clearly stated the man's identity.

Nangong Zhiwen, Senior Agent of the National Security Bureau.

However, just as Nangong Zhiwen had said, his status had been revoked.

"What does 'revoked' mean?" Xie Baorong looked at Nangong Zhiwen. "Were you fired too?"

Nangong Zhiwen let out a helpless laugh. It was the first time Xie Baorong had seen an expression on his face, and he felt a sudden, unexpected sense of relief.

"Can you trust me now?" Nangong Zhiwen reached out a hand toward Xie Baorong and said coolly, "I used to be a National Security agent. Now, at the very least, I'm not one of the bad guys."

"I won't harm you."

Xie Baorong nodded, looked at Nangong Zhiwen, and finally began to open up.

After he was fired by his former company, he had managed to scrape by for the treatment of stage-one pancreatic cancer using his years of savings.

Although pancreatic cancer in the terminal stage is essentially a death sentence, with the "Strange" invasion, people discovered that the blood of these strange creatures had many miraculous uses—such as the special fluorescent markers used by Nangong Lingyue, or in the manufacturing of medicine using their blood.

Modern medical technology has successfully created targeted drugs that can forcibly extend the lives of cancer patients.

These targeted drugs not only extend life but can even delay the various complications and adverse symptoms of cancer.

However, it is a pity that this drug has not yet passed clinical trials. It has extremely strong, potentially lethal side effects. Although the probability is not high, the Ministry of Health would never approve a new drug that could potentially kill a patient, even if the chance was only 0.01 percent.

Nevertheless, during the trial phase, a significant amount of the drug leaked through illegal channels into special markets.

These drugs are controlled by people in the gray market, who sell them at exorbitant prices to wealthy individuals who are ill but desperate to live.

With Xie Baorong's years of savings, it was initially no problem to sustain his life with these drugs.

However, the controllers of the gray market kept raising prices, and soon, Xie Baorong could no longer afford it.

He was only forty-three, unmarried, and still had a wonderful life he hadn't yet experienced or explored.

He didn't want to die. He wanted to live.

And so, he began desperately taking on private jobs.

That was how he ended up working for Ji Yun.

Ji Yun offered him an astronomical sum of five million, requesting only that he add a trojan horse capable of hijacking the system via genetic sniffing into a batch of drones.

He even granted him access to the Ji family's armory, telling him to do whatever was necessary.

But he made a mistake.

As a weary programmer, he knew nothing about the value of such drones and never imagined it would lead to such a bitter fruit.

He didn't get the money, and he was nearly strangled to death by Ji Yun.

The effectiveness of the last dose of the targeted drug he took was about to expire. In less than four days, he would need another dose.

Otherwise, the adverse reactions that the drug had been suppressing would all surge back into his body at once.

When that time came, he feared he would be tortured to death by the cancer.

He knew the power of the Ji family; he couldn't afford to offend them. He didn't even need Ji Yun to remind him; he knew he had to keep his mouth shut and never mention the incident, acting as if it had never happened.

Yet, he ended up encountering Nangong Zhiwen’s "interrogation."

That was what pushed his emotions to the breaking point, causing him to collapse on the spot.

After hearing Xie Baorong's story, Nangong Zhiwen nodded slightly and whispered, "I understand. But, regarding the trojan horse Ji Yun asked you to add to the drones—what model were they, that they could make Ji Yun fly into such a rage?"

Xie Baorong shook his head and whispered, "How would I know anything about drones? But just now, Major Ji Yun seemed to mention the name... something like... 'Strangler'?"

Nangong Zhiwen's brain went numb, a buzzing sound exploding in his head.

"'Strangler'?!" Nangong Zhiwen asked, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes! That's the name!" Xie Baorong nodded repeatedly, saying, "Strangler! Yes! It was the Strangler!"

"Major Ji Yun said the value of this drone was enough to buy the lives of my entire family..."

As he spoke, Xie Baorong’s sense of grievance suddenly resurfaced. "I don't get it. The trojan program wasn't even destructive. If it didn't work, I could have just deleted it."

"But he didn't even give me the chance to delete it... he just beat me up, and then refused to pay me the money."

Nangong Zhiwen’s breathing suddenly became rapid. He truly could not believe that Ji Yun would dare to do such a thing!

He pulled out his phone, intending to call Nangong Zhongjian.

But...

It was already too late to say anything.

The Ji family had already delivered thirty "Stranglers" to the Eastern Theater.

This afternoon, the military broadcast hall had already aired footage of those thirty Stranglers going on a killing spree in the Eastern Theater.

The outside world could not reach the Eastern Theater at all, and even if they could, what would it change?