Chapter 519 - 392: Did You Also Travel Thousands of Miles for This Project?
"Thinking back on it now, I was an absolute fool. I had no idea I’d fallen into such an insidious, meticulously planned trap."
After hearing their son’s detailed account, both Xiang Xiufang and Zheng Qifeng’s brows knitted together tightly. They pressed their lips shut and fell into a deep silence.
Their expressions were grave, their eyes betraying a hint of helplessness and regret.
It was clear they wholeheartedly believed their son, tacitly accepting his words.
The atmosphere in the room was so oppressive it was almost suffocating.
A moment later, the gazes of Xiang Xiufang and Zheng Qifeng drifted to the mountain of densely packed land development project proposals and blueprints on the table.
An idea seemed to flash in their minds. As if sharing the same thought,
they both looked toward Chu He.
Zheng Qifeng was the first to break the silence, asking, "Mr. Chu, you’ve come all this way. Could it be that you’re also here for this project?"
Chu He raised his head slightly.
His thin lips parted, and he slowly gave a baffling reply, "Yes and no."
Those three words only served to deepen the confusion in Zheng Qifeng and Xiang Xiufang’s minds.
Chu He gently set down his juice glass.
The soft CLINK of the glass,
in the deathly silent room, sounded like a thunderclap in everyone’s ears.
His voice was deep and slow. "Some time ago, the White-Red Empire
secretly orchestrated a massive conspiracy.
They dispatched a group of mysterious, elusive individuals
who slipped into the Great Xia Empire’s borders like phantoms.
They moved swiftly and with clear purpose,
like a troop of highly trained assassins.
They succeeded in taking an object of critical importance from the Great Xia Empire—one connected to countless secrets.
According to the precise and reliable intelligence I have gathered,
the object taken by the White-Red Empire
is very likely connected in some intricate way
to the mysterious burial site of the ancient emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
In fact, I would speculate
that they took the very remains of Qin Shi Huang himself—a body that has retained its imposing aura for thousands of years.
If you look through the heavy tomes of history,
there are reliable records that Qin Shi Huang once sent envoys on a long journey to what is now the White-Red Empire.
Now, your sudden decision to begin large-scale excavation in this county...
These two seemingly unrelated events
are, in fact, tightly interwoven by an unbreakable thread.
The connection is impossible to ignore.
This woman beside me, Yumizakura, was once a citizen of the White-Red Empire.
When she left the White-Red Empire,
she had never heard any rumors of such ruins being discovered.
Yet now, the White-Red Empire has gone so far as to take such risks,
brazenly infiltrating the Great Xia Empire to retrieve that mysterious object.
All these signs indicate
that it is highly likely an ancient site, left behind by the people sent by Qin Shi Huang, has been accidentally discovered."
"Qin Shi Huang?"
Xiang Xiufang and Zheng Qifeng looked at each other, their eyes filled with pure bewilderment and confusion.
Clearly, that name to them
was like a code from some distant, alien world;
not a single shred of memory associated with it existed in their minds.
Chu He saw their reaction and thought to himself, ’Just as I expected.’
’There must be some mysterious, unfathomable power, one strong enough to warp space and time—
like a colossal, invisible hand from a dark abyss—
that has brutally erased the vast majority of the Great Xia Empire’s history from existence.
Even the memories of the Great Xia Empire’s own citizens, born and raised here,
have been mercilessly scrambled, tampered with, and shattered into fragments.’
What surprised Chu He, however, was that Zheng Bolan seemed to ignite with excitement upon hearing the name "Qin Shi Huang."
A trace of surprise flashed in Chu He’s eyes. He fixed his gaze on Zheng Bolan and asked, "You know of Qin Shi Huang?"
Zheng Bolan nodded his head so rapidly it was like a spring-loaded bobblehead, his excitement palpable. "Know of him? I do more than just know of him!
To me, Qin Shi Huang
is the most brilliant star in the long river of the Great Xia Empire’s history.
He’s the emperor I admire most.
To learn more about his magnificent and mysterious life,
I dove into a vast ocean of books,
devouring nearly every historical text I could find.
But strangely, for a legendary figure who should be celebrated through the ages,
information about him is pitifully scarce, as if it’s been deliberately hidden behind layers of darkness.
What’s even more baffling is that in the few records that do exist,
Qin Shi Huang is maliciously slandered and smeared.
The text reads like poisoned barbs, trying to tear down his accomplishments
and drag his great name through the mud.
I’ve always felt that there must be some unspeakable secret in all this, as if a pair of hidden eyes in the dark are secretly controlling everything."
As Zheng Bolan spoke, he subconsciously raised a hand
and scratched his slightly messy hair, the look of confusion on his face deepening.
"My brother’s passion for history and culture runs bone-deep."
Zheng Xuezhen added softly, her gaze glued to Chu He
as if drawn by a magnet, her eyes shimmering with fervent hope.
She longed for him to turn his profound gaze toward her,
to engage her in a deep conversation, even if only for a moment.
However, Chu He seemed not to have heard her, remaining lost in his own thoughts.
The hopeful light in Zheng Xuezhen’s eyes vanished like a shooting star,
replaced by an undisguised look of disappointment.
Her gaze instantly clouded over, losing all its luster.
"In this Dark Age, with Evil Spirits running rampant and danger lurking like a shadow,
the world is like a crumbling tower, every corner reeking of death and despair.
I can’t help but suspect
that the real reason the White-Red Empire entrusted such a massive and significant land development project to you—
or more accurately, to people from the Great Xia Empire—
is because that land hides a threat great enough to consume everything.
Even the slightest mistake could trigger a catastrophe,
plunging everyone involved into a point of no return.
The disaster of the Evil Spirit invasion was like a surging tsunami,
and the string of other emergencies that followed were like aftershocks. Under this double blow,
the White-Red Empire’s already small population has plummeted like an avalanche, nearly to the point of extinction.
Given this crisis,
the White-Red Empire’s leadership is understandably paranoid,
terrified of their country suffering any more significant losses.
To put it bluntly, in their eyes, you
are nothing but cannon fodder, driven heartlessly to the front lines.
Yet, developing that land is a double-edged sword for the White-Red Empire.
Despite the immense danger,
it’s of vital strategic importance to their very survival,
so they had to harden their hearts and conceal all information about the risks.
This move,
has undoubtedly enraged many other, more powerful land development firms.
They’re salivating over a project that promises a tidal wave of profit,
and their burning jealousy and greed
have driven them to use every treacherous scheme in the book
to try and snatch the project away from you.
It’s a classic information disparity.
One side knows the truth and hides it,
while the other is pushed toward the edge of a cliff in complete ignorance."
Chu He’s movements were elegant and relaxed.
He unhurriedly picked up the juice glass and took a few more small sips.
Being very observant, Zheng Xuezhen took the juice out of the refrigerator
and refilled Chu He’s nearly empty glass to the brim, also adding some ice cubes.
This caused the juice to spill out, splashing on the table.
Zheng Xuezhen’s face flushed instantly.
’This... this is so embarrassing.’
But no one else noticed her mistake.
Because every word from Chu He
had landed like a bombshell, churning up tumultuous waves in their minds,
making the already heavy atmosphere in the room even more oppressive, like the dead calm before a storm.