After several hours of space travel and two consecutive space jumps, Spirit Fox finally arrived at the Capital Star space station at 5 a.m. Shao Qingge sent a message to Qu Wanyue using the communicator.
To avoid Chu Huaying The incident of clones nearly causing a plane crash has happened again. This time, everyone is much more cautious and had Qu Wanyue verify her identity before recruiting anyone.
Xiao Lou asked, "Which hotel did you and Long Sen get married at?" Qu Wanyue answered without hesitation, " The ocean-themed banquet hall on the third floor of the Sofitel Jiangzhou City Hotel."
Shao Qingge asked with a smile, "How much does a table cost for a wedding banquet at the Sofitel Hotel?"
Everyone: "......"
CEO Shao's question was indeed tricky. Even if Hunter found out that Long Sen and Qu Wanyue were in a car accident midway through their wedding and knew the hotel they booked, surely he wouldn't know the price of the banquet?
Those who know the price are naturally the newlyweds who have personally booked the banquet.
Qu Wanyue said, "The standard is 3500 per table... CEO Shao, have you been there?"
Shao Qingge smiled and said, "A friend of mine got married at this hotel before, so I know the prices. Although the banquet here is a bit expensive, the food is good. When we get back to Jiangzhou, we'll come to your wedding and have a drink with you."
After hearing what he said, everyone knew that this Qu Wanyue was probably real.
of.
Qu Wanyue said earnestly, "Don't worry, I've only been in contact with Lin Yan these past few days. I use the chameleon card when I go out to avoid being recognized. To prevent my genes from being obtained by others, I also wear a wig when I go out. I don't dare leave a single strand of my real hair at Lin Yan's house."
Not daring to lose a single hair, Qu Wanyue was being far too cautious, like a spy. Xiao Lou no longer doubted, and said, "We're already within the Capital Star area. Peach Blossom Spring, take us there."
When I left Capital Star, I left a [ Tao Yuanming ] card for Qu Wanyue so that it would be easier for me to come back.
Qu Wanyue started Peach Blossom Spring in her living room, and the next moment, seven teammates appeared under the tree.
Chu Huaying is a Space Pirate and can't go through security, but it's still easy to bring her in using Peach Blossom Spring.
Xiao Lou's gaze swept over his teammates, and he quickly arranged the next plan: "Ninth Brother and Mr. Tang go back to Arrow Legion, find out who is attending the wedding banquet, and infiltrate the venue on the day of the banquet by pretending to be General Lin's men; Teacher Qu continues to keep in touch with Lin Yan, and Hanjiang and I will try to get close to Professor Zhang Shaohua and find out the location of the clone laboratory located in Capital Star. "
He looked at Chu Huaying and said, " Huaying, go with Ninth Brother and we'll meet up later."
Chu Huaying nodded: "Okay. If Zhang Shaohua refuses to cooperate, how will you find the clone lab?"
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Go investigate the place where the Queen was treated back then. Twenty years ago, Xiao Rou accidentally discovered the clone laboratory when she accompanied her mother to see a doctor. There must be something wrong with the hospital where the Queen was treated."
Upon hearing this, a question suddenly flashed through Xiao Lou's mind...
Something just doesn't feel right?
Why did Xiao Rou happen to discover the clone lab and see hundreds of identical Xiao Lou?
***
That afternoon, Qu Wanyue invited Lin Yan to have afternoon tea. She used two [ Thumbelina ] cards to shrink Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang and put them in her pocket.
Qu Wanyue is nominally her dance teacher, but the two have a close relationship in private, like teacher and friend. Lin Yan looks radiant and is in a particularly good mood, wearing a huge, sparkling diamond ring on her hand.
Qu Wanyue said sincerely, "You two will be officially married in a couple of days, Lin Yan. Congratulations on getting your wish."
Lin Yan blushed and said, "Thank you, teacher."
Qu Wanyue asked, "Will you live in the palace after the marriage?"
"Yes, His Highness said that I should move directly to Gemini Palace."
Xiao Lou, who was in his pocket, frowned slightly upon hearing this—it seemed that Lin Yan really liked the cloned prince. It was a pity for the girl; she probably knew nothing, and was even kept in the dark that she was a clone.
Qu Wanyue and Lin Yan were chatting and drinking tea under the tree when Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang secretly crawled out of their pockets and used their Lightness Skill Cards to fly directly into Zhang Shaohua's room next door through the crack in the door. From Qu Wanyue's perspective, it looked like two tiny mosquitoes flew by, and Lin Yan, with her back to them, didn't notice anything unusual.
Zhang Shaohua was sitting on the balcony basking in the sun. She didn't look old, but her eyes were lifeless as she stared blankly ahead, lost in thought.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang flew over and landed on her shoulders.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she sensed something, but she said nothing.
Xiao Lou whispered in her ear, "Professor Zhang, do you still remember the Noahs Ark Project?"
Zhang Shaohua stared straight ahead, but her fingers, resting on her knees, clenched gently.
Xiao Lou said, "We have located your husband, General Lin Zecheng, your daughter, Lin Yan, your mentor, Professor Palmer, and your colleagues, Zhu Xingchen and Professor Qin Rong."
Zhang Shaohua clenched his fists tightly, his lips trembling as he asked, "Who...who are you?"
Xiao Lou said, "If you want to know the details, come with me to a place after midnight tonight."
After leaving those words, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and simultaneously flew back into Qu Wanyue's pocket.
They weren't sure how many surveillance cameras were at Zhang Shaohua's place, so chatting there wasn't appropriate. After midnight, when all card skills were off cooldown, the best place to talk was naturally Peach Blossom Spring, where no one could enter without Xiao Lou's permission.
Qu Wanyue noticed that the two had returned to the pocket, so she stood up to say goodbye: "Miss Lin, I have something to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer."
Lin Yan said, " Teacher Qu, let me see you off."
After seeing the teacher off, she turned and went back into the villa. Zhang Shaohua pushed the wheelchair out, his face as pale as if he had seen a ghost. Lin Yan walked up to her worriedly, squatted down and gently held her hand: "Mom, what's wrong? Why are your hands so cold... It's windy outside, go back and rest."
Zhang Shaohua stared blankly, unmoved by the concern shown by the "daughter" before her.
Xiao Lou observed all of this, sighed softly, and said, " Lin Yan genuinely cares about this mother, but unfortunately, in Zhang Shaohua's eyes, she will always be a counterfeit."
What exactly is Lin Yan's existence? This girl's life may have been destined for tragedy from birth.
Because she is a copy.
***
Just after midnight, Xiao Lou used a chameleon card to sneak into Zhang Shaohua's residence and pulled her into Peach Blossom Spring.
Zhang Shaohua looked at the peach tree in front of her, a hint of surprise flashing across her face, but she quickly calmed down and asked anxiously, "You said you found my husband and my daughter, where are they?!"
She was faking it all. Now, hearing news about her husband and daughter, she could no longer keep up the act.
Xiao Lou emerged from behind the tree, handed her two hand bones, and whispered, "We discovered a sunken starship in the deep sea off Azure Planet; it's the very same Egret that escaped from Capital Star. " The starship contains the remains of General Lin and Lin Yan, as well as the remains of your mentor, Professor Palmer, and Professors Qin Rong and Zhu Xingchen.
Yu Hanjiang laid out all the deceased's remains in front of her: "Among them are yours, of course, not you yourself, but a replica you arranged to deceive people."
Zhang Shaohua: "......"
Seeing the disbelief on her face, Xiao Lou simply took out the printed gene sequence and handed it to her: "These are gene fragments extracted from the skeletons. We have compared them with the data in the Imperial Gene Bank and confirmed that the skeletons found in the deep-sea shipwreck are completely consistent with the gene sequences of your husband, daughter, mentor and colleagues."
The woman in front of him looked at the genetic comparison report and suddenly began to tremble violently. Her face turned deathly pale, as if she had been waiting for good news but was instead met with the devastating news of her loved one's death.
Her belief, which she had held for 20 years, collapsed completely in that instant.
She could barely stand, her pale fingers gripping the peach tree beside her tightly. She took deep breaths to calm herself, her reddened eyes fixed on Xiao Lou: "Is this... real? They're really dead?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "It's a pity, the entire Egret..." Starship has sunk to the deep sea.
Zhang Shaohua suddenly burst into laughter, but after a while, he squatted down under the tree and began to weep bitterly.
After 20 years of waiting, this is the result... Although she had expected it, she still finds it hard to accept!
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang waited for her to vent her emotions.
After a long while, she composed herself and looked up to ask, "Are you His Highness the Prince?"
Xiao Lou was somewhat surprised: "You've seen me before?"
"I saw you at Lin Yan's engagement party… No, that wasn't you…" She shook her head and murmured, "That person's smile was much gentler than yours, and their voice was softer when they spoke."
"The one you see should be clone number 2," Yu Hanjiang explained calmly from the side. "The one in front of you is our real prince."
"..." Zhang Shaohua kept staring at Xiao Lou's face. The young man in front of her had a calm gaze, and there wasn't a trace of guilt in his dark, clear eyes. He met her gaze frankly. Indeed, upon closer inspection, there was a difference in their demeanor.
Xiao Lou met her gaze, smiled slightly, and said gently, "Professor Zhang, I think you were already aware of the dangers of the Noahs Ark Project. Now His Majesty wants to replace me with a clone, and even has cloned General Lin and Lin Yan replace the originals. If you hadn't taken precautions back then, you might have been replaced by the clones by now..."
Zhang Shaohua interrupted him: "What are you trying to say?"
Xiao Lou said, "That depends on what Professor Zhang intended to do by staying behind."
In the tranquil Peach Blossom Spring, pink petals drifted down, the peach blossoms covering the hillsides making the whole world look like a dream. Zhang Shaohua looked at the petals in the distance, frowned, and asked, "What kind of place is this? Do you have illusion magic?"
Xiao Lou was taken aback, but quickly realized that apart from Hunter, the natives of Secret Room World didn't know about the card, which was why Zhang Shaohua thought he had used illusion magic to deceive her.
This also indirectly proves that Zhang Shaohua is a character in Secret Room World and an important witness.
Yu Hanjiang explained, "Your Highness does indeed possess some illusion magic, which is how you avoid being monitored. We also used this kind of illusion magic to sneak out of the palace and, while investigating Azure Planet, we accidentally discovered the shipwreck at the bottom of the sea."
Zhang Shaohua looked at Yu Hanjiang in shock: "You... the captain of the Royal Guard, actually escaped from the palace with His Highness the Prince to investigate the so-called truth?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Keeping us locked up in the palace would only put us at a disadvantage, which is why we risked leaving the palace. We found out about the Zerg and the Merfolk Clan in the deep sea. The Noahs Ark Project has undergone multiple upgrades, and the clones developed by the alien creatures are now version 3.0, which combines the genes of three races and even uses smart chips to control their actions."
Xiao Lou continued, "Professor Zhang, since the Noahs Ark Project was flawed from the start, we can't let it continue down this path. Do you want clones to continue procreation with your daughter Lin Yan's face? Or do you want chip-controlled 3.0 clones to roam the world and squeeze out humanity's living space?"
Yu Hanjiang said, " Inside the clone workshop, mass production has already begun, and hundreds or even thousands of Xiao Lou princes can be produced every day."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shaohua trembled violently. Her face was filled with remorse, and her red-rimmed eyes stared intently at the ground. She collapsed, clutching her head, and stammered incoherently, "I'm so sorry to Yan Yan, I'm so sorry to A Cheng! I killed my daughter and husband! I shouldn't have believed those people's lies!"
In the video footage from the first cloning project, General Lin was initially opposed to the meeting, but Zhang Shaohua strongly agreed with his supervisor's proposal and insisted that the clone should not be released into the public sphere, but should only be kept in the laboratory as a data backup...
Who could have imagined that this plan would deviate from its original purpose and become increasingly insane?
Zhang Shaohua choked up as she said, "Twenty years ago, I realized that His Majesty was using the cloned children for 'fair competition,' selecting the best children to keep and burning the rest. That's when I discovered that the plan had long since slipped out of our control, but I was powerless to do anything about it and could only notify my husband immediately…"
Xiao Lou said, "You let your clone follow you."
Your husband left Capital Star, but you stayed—why did you do that?
Zhang Shaohua lowered his head and said through gritted teeth, "I have all the data on the Noahs Ark Project. I'm worried that if the general's plan fails, at least I'll have a backup. By splitting up, at least one person can keep the data safe. I made a promise with him that one day we will expose the secret and reveal the truth. We must never let the clone rule this country!"
Yu Hanjiang asked incisively, "Plan failed? General Lin escaped Capital Star with the data, what was he planning to do?"
Zhang Shaohua asked in confusion, "Didn't you go to Azure Planet to investigate? Didn't you find out anything?"
Xiao Lou: "......"
He had always felt something was off, but now he finally understood.
He missed a crucial suspect.