The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped, and Bai Sheng came out drying his wet hair.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, the entire city’s glittering nightscape stretched below. Bai Sheng’s solid upper body was bare, his shoulders broad, his waist narrow, the lines of his muscles smooth. Every inch of him held a quiet, unspoken pressure. Below the lean definition of his abs, the V-lines at his hips disappeared beneath the towel wrapped around his waist.
He stood in front of the window and stretched, then turned toward the open laptop on the desk. On the screen was a screenshot from a news article dated three years ago, its bold black headline perfectly clear—
Direct Appointment by the International Supervision General Administration: New Chief Supervisor’s Background Shrouded in Mystery.
The attached image was a photograph.
In Basel, Switzerland, in front of the International Supervision General Administration building, a young man wrapped from head to toe in a black coat stood beneath an umbrella, shaking hands with the director-general in farewell.
A fine drizzle fell from the sky. The black umbrella hid his face. The camera had only caught the lower half of his profile: skin coldly pale, features elegant, thin lips pressed into an emotionless straight line.
Bai Sheng narrowed his sharp eyes slightly.
“...Evolutionists possess extremely high physical attributes and all kinds of supernatural abilities, so we have always been regarded as a threat. But in reality, to us evolutionists, humans are the truly powerful and dangerous existence...”
That had been one evening three years ago. Sunset poured through the stained-glass skylight of a church, illuminating a magnificent round marble table veined in white and green. Young evolutionists of different skin colors sat scattered around the table, all watching the white-haired British old man seated at its head.
“Because of the vast difference in population, Bishop?” Bai Sheng leaned sideways in his chair, his long legs crossed loosely, and raised a hand to ask.
The old man glanced at him. “No. Because compared to evolutionists, who are scattered like loose sand, ordinary humanity has a far more unified goal.”
The young students all looked puzzled.
“The goal of survival is reproduction. The end point of reproduction is evolution. When a shortcut to evolution is placed before them, any genetic research that violates humanity and universal values may take place in the dark...”
The old man reached out and switched the projection. A news article appeared on the screen.
“Just yesterday, the International Supervision General Administration issued an appointment, naming this man one of the United Nations’ ten permanent Supervisors.” The old man pointed at the screen. “Shen Zhuo.”
Bai Sheng’s pupils widened slightly.
That was the first time he had ever seen Shen Zhuo in a photograph—the hard-line Supervisor who would later become famous for his rare beauty and iron-fisted methods.
Press law required media outlets to blur Supervisor photographs before publication, so the image was not clear. Even so, beneath the black umbrella, that elegant jawline and long, slender neck could still be discerned.
Whispers buzzed around the round table. After a moment, a white student raised his hand. “Is this Shen Zhuo an evolutionist too, Bishop?”
The old man shook his head.
“No. He is an ordinary human confirmed to be incapable of evolution. But from another perspective, he may represent the genetic pinnacle humanity can reach on its own. Based solely on what we know, he holds at least two doctorates, is highly authoritative in the field of genetic engineering, and was appointed very early on as the chief director of Country C’s Central Research Institute. Although his research projects are top secret, rumors have long claimed that he conducted many inhumane, persecutory experiments on evolutionists.”
“Two months ago, an evolution-source meteorite with an extremely high energy value was discovered in Qinghai, Country C. A three-person team was dispatched to recover it, including one S-Class, one Class A, and Shen Zhuo. During the mission, however, the evolution source violently exploded due to an ‘operational accident,’ severely injuring the Class A evolutionist and killing the S-Class evolutionist Fu Chen on the spot.”
There were only about twenty S-Classes in the world. Everyone around the round table erupted at once.
“Fu Chen—the one in Asia—is dead?”
“An accident? What kind of accident?”
“Impossible! It was just an explosion. How could an S-Class die that easily?”
...
“The Round Table exhausted every method available, but still could not uncover the true cause of the explosion, nor determine what Shen Zhuo’s top-secret research project actually was. But one thing is certain.”
The old man drew a breath, then slowly emphasized each word. “After the explosion, Shen Zhuo suddenly possessed a portion of power similar to evolution.”
“Or rather, he possessed a portion of the power that originally belonged to Fu Chen.”
The implication behind that sentence was so chilling and sinister it seemed to send a cold front sweeping overhead, making everyone around the round table shudder.
“After Fu Chen’s death, Shen Zhuo was demoted to the very bottom and expelled from the research institute. But the strange thing is that the International Supervision General Administration suddenly broke with precedent. Despite opposition from evolution-protection organizations around the world, it forcibly appointed Shen Zhuo as one of the United Nations’ ten permanent Supervisors. He will soon be dispatched to take office in the Shenhai jurisdiction.”
“Allow me to remind you all that Shenhai City is home to tens of thousands of evolutionists—tens of thousands of our own brothers and sisters.”
The old man’s grave gaze swept across every young face at the round table.
“All of you here are high-ranking evolutionists. Many of you are Class A. Some are even S-Class. No matter your skin color or ethnicity, I ask you to remember one thing firmly—”
“Evolutionists are a minority on this Earth. Once conflict breaks out, we will inevitably be the side that is exterminated.”
“You have a duty to protect your weaker brethren, just as an alpha wolf protects the members of its pack.”
...
“Supervisor Shen.” Bai Sheng propped his chin on one hand and looked down at the news photograph from above, murmuring with a smile.
His voice was naturally low and light, almost gorgeous to the ear. But when he spoke with a smile, it inevitably gave the illusion of frivolity, even of mocking ambiguity—especially when those two words were drawn out, each syllable carrying an unfinished, lingering tail.
“What exactly do you want from us, beautiful?”
The next day, Shenhai City Supervision Office.
Interrogation room.
“I don’t know anything. Evolution source? I picked it up off the side of the road.”
Zhao Jun was held behind an iron table by two guards. This spoiled rich kid who had thrown money around at the nightclub seemed to have become a different person overnight. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale and sneering. “Isn’t your Shenhai Supervision Office supposed to be so fucking impressive? If you’re so impressive, go investigate it yourselves. What, you want to torture a confession out of me?”
Behind the interrogation room’s one-way glass, Shen Zhuo stood with one hand in the pocket of his uniform pants, his brows faintly drawn together.
“We woke him up last night and have been interrogating him until now. He refuses to say anything. Push him too hard, and he just stonewalls and starts spewing filth.” An interrogator lowered his head to report. After hesitating for a moment, he still did not dare repeat the specific “filth” out loud. “But don’t worry. Starting at noon today, we increased the intensity of the interrogation. We’ll get the origin of that evolution source out of him as soon as possible.”
“He won’t talk.”
The interrogator froze. “Huh?”
Shen Zhuo said mildly, “Because his protective charm hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Protective charm?”
The interrogator did not understand. Just then, from beyond the one-way glass came Zhao Jun’s cold laugh.
“...If you’ve got the guts, torture me. I’d like to see whether you dare leave marks on me. You know Yue Yang, the head of the Central Supervision Office, right? He was Fu Chen’s closest brother-in-arms when Fu Chen was alive, and our families have been connected for years...”
The interrogator was stunned. “Zhao has connections like that?”
Shen Zhuo said, “His family has operated in B City for many years. Their network is indeed considerable.”
“Then, then his protective charm...”
“You really think Chief Yue will stand by and watch what you do to me?” Zhao Jun raised his voice in provocation. “Nobody’s forgotten how Fu Chen died three years ago. Guess for yourself—does Yue Yang want to kill me, or would he rather use this chance to kill Shen Zhuo?”
The air inside and outside the interrogation room froze in an instant.
Fu Chen had died three years ago. The public cause of death was an explosion accident, but everyone knew perfectly well that Fu Chen’s death could not be separated from Shen Zhuo. Barring any surprises, Shen Zhuo had even killed him deliberately.
For the past three years, the Central Supervision Office had hated Shen Zhuo to the bone. Fu Chen’s former subordinates wanted nothing more than to tear Shen Zhuo apart with their bare hands. And the current head of the Central Supervision Office, Yue Yang, had been Fu Chen’s classmate, comrade-in-arms, and closest brother. Back then, Yue Yang had personally presided over Fu Chen’s funeral.
If there were only one person left in the world who wanted to avenge Fu Chen, that person would definitely be Yue Yang.
There was no need to think hard about how Chief Yue might use Zhao Jun’s case to make trouble for the Shenhai City Supervision Office.
“Supervisor!” Just then, a team member hurried into the observation room. “Team Leader Chen told me to report to you. Chief Yue flew to Shenhai from B City by private plane this morning. He’s almost at our Supervision Office!”
He had actually come in person.
Several people’s expressions tightened. But a subtle look flickered through Shen Zhuo’s eyes. He turned, pushed open the interrogation room door, and walked straight inside.
“S-Supervisor?”
Behind the one-way glass, the restrained Zhao Jun jerked his head up. Caught off guard by the sight of Shen Zhuo, his pupils abruptly constricted.
That wanton, superior beauty from the nightclub seemed never to have existed. Awake and sober, the Chief Supervisor’s features were beautiful and quiet, his skin a glacial cold white. From his throat down, even his hands showed not the slightest bit of bare skin.
In that instant, a humiliated hatred surged through Zhao Jun’s heart. “...So it really was you...”
“Shut up!” a guard barked.
Shen Zhuo stopped and looked down at him from above.
“...” Zhao Jun clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached. Then he suddenly let out a sharp sneer, lowered his voice, and said word by word, “If I’d known, I shouldn’t have waited until the hotel. I should’ve done it in the car. I really want to see whether that face of yours can show what crying and begging look like...”
“What the hell are you saying?”
“Shut up!”
Everyone went pale with shock and shot to their feet. The guards lunged forward and slammed him to the floor. “Shut your mouth. Are you trying to die?”
Thud!
Zhao Jun’s head hit the floor. One guard’s iron-clamp hand pinned his neck. His whole face flushed dark red as he struggled desperately, unable to make a sound.
Shen Zhuo gave a slight wave of his hand.
The guards, still shaken, finally loosened their grip a little. Zhao Jun lay sprawled on the floor in miserable disarray, then Shen Zhuo lifted his face slightly with the toe of his shoe.
“Illegal trafficking of an evolution source can carry a life sentence. Do you think Yue Yang is the only one who can save you now?”
“...”
Zhao Jun did not answer, but his expression said everything.
Shen Zhuo looked down at him. “Then let’s see.”
There were two knocks. Chen Miao entered, strode up behind Shen Zhuo, and saluted. “Supervisor, Chief Yue has arrived.”
A tall, cold figure appeared in the interrogation room doorway.
The newcomer wore a black uniform. His face was sharply defined, his nose bridge high and straight. When he did not speak, he carried a capable, steady, unreadable air. It was Yue Yang, head of the Central Supervision Office.
Hope instantly burst in Zhao Jun’s eyes. He opened his mouth, about to call for help—but in the next second, Shen Zhuo stepped on the side of his face, crushing his entire head firmly against the floor.
“I’m going to tell you something,” Shen Zhuo said from above.
“...” Zhao Jun’s face turned purple-red. Even his cheekbone made a chilling grinding sound beneath the sole of that leather shoe.
Behind them, Yue Yang raised a hand to signal that the surrounding staff did not need to stand and salute. He watched the scene calmly, as if he were used to it.
Shen Zhuo casually tossed a sealed evidence bag onto the floor. Zhao Jun’s pupils widened abruptly. Inside the bag was a stone glowing with a faint, eerie blue light.
“This is the ‘evolution source’ sample you attempted to sell illegally for sixteen million U.S. dollars. Instrumental analysis has identified it as a counterfeit.”
Zhao Jun froze completely. Then wild joy surged through him, like a man finding a way out from certain death.
He had paid a fortune to buy this evolution source from his supplier. If it was a fake, it meant his supplier had cheated him—but it also meant the charge of illegally selling an evolution source could not stand. He would not have to spend the rest of his life in prison.
“And this.” Shen Zhuo took a metal isolation tube from Chen Miao. Inside was another meteorite, this one glowing with a soft, luminous sheen. Shen Zhuo dangled it over Zhao Jun’s head.
“This is a genuine sample transferred from the Shenhai City Supervision Office vault.”
Zhao Jun stared in shock and suspicion, his gaze darting between the two blue-glowing stones. He could not understand what Shen Zhuo meant. Surely he was not going to teach him how to tell a real one from a fake right there.
“I believe someone like you, even when trafficking an evolution source, would not choose a supplier at random and be tricked so easily. That means your supplier should have had the real thing. So to us, you are not the priority. Your supplier is. Unfortunately, from last night until now, you have refused to cooperate and kept your mouth shut about where the fake evolution source came from, as if you have made up your mind that as long as you do not speak, there is nothing I can do to you.”
“Which means you clearly have a very serious misunderstanding about me.” Shen Zhuo paused, then said, “You seem to think I am someone who pursues evidence and truth, who would not casually frame a criminal, and certainly would not switch evidence by hand.”
Zhao Jun stiffened.
Then he realized something and blurted, “Are you trying to—no, you’re a Supervisor, you can’t—”
“I can,” Shen Zhuo answered softly, his tone almost cruel.
“Whichever one I say is the evolution source you sold illegally, that is the one it becomes. If I want you locked in prison until you die of old age, then that is where you will die. If I want even your bones to rot into mud, then you can forget ever seeing daylight again, even in your next life.”
“In the world of Supervisors, only power is worshiped. Under a system of power, there is no need to obey the law.”
“No, no... no.” Zhao Jun finally understood the horror of it. He began trembling uncontrollably, twisting his face desperately beneath Shen Zhuo’s shoe as he looked around at everyone in the interrogation room. “You’re manufacturing a wrongful conviction. So many people are watching. You can’t seal this many mouths! You—”
His roar stopped abruptly.
Everyone was silent. Inside and outside the interrogation room, there was only quiet obedience.
“...” Zhao Jun strained to move his head, staring in disbelief toward Yue Yang, who stood upright at the interrogation room doorway.
Since entering, Yue Yang had not said a single word. Only now did he speak, his voice carrying not the slightest ripple.
“I respect Supervisor Shen’s jurisdiction. I have no objections.”
Zhao Jun finally felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar. His lips trembled violently, and he could not make even a single sound.
Shen Zhuo withdrew the foot pressing down on Zhao Jun’s face, half crouched, and said in a mocking voice only the two of them could hear, “You didn’t actually think he came here for you, did you?”
“...”
Something called despair swallowed Zhao Jun whole. The last trace of color vanished from his face, and his pupils spread wide.
The air was so quiet it was suffocating. After a long while, he jerked violently, as if waking from a nightmare.
Everyone’s alarm bells went off at once, and they rushed forward. But all they saw was Zhao Jun letting out a choked sob. It quickly became loud, broken weeping as he struggled to reach out and clutch Shen Zhuo’s pant leg.
“I understand, I understand. I was wrong... I’m willing to cooperate. I’ll cooperate with everything! I bought the evolution source from a broker half a month ago. The broker’s nickname is Thirteen Orphans...”
Shen Zhuo took half a step back, avoiding Zhao Jun’s hand as it reached for his pant leg. “What is Thirteen Orphans’ real name?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know. I only know Thirteen Orphans didn’t own the goods himself. He stole them from his supplier.” Zhao Jun’s face was covered in tears and snot. “That supplier is the real owner, but he seems to be disabled. I heard them call him Mr. Rong...”
Mr. Rong.
Shen Zhuo had clearly never heard that title before, yet for some reason his brow twitched. A dangerous intuition flashed through him and vanished.
Zhao Jun was almost incoherent. “I remember what Thirteen Orphans looks like. I can help you make a sketch. Please let me cooperate. I’m willing to cooperate fully! ...”
“Get everything out of him within half an hour, including the transaction location, identity information, and flow of funds,” Shen Zhuo ordered as he stood. “Then put him in a cell, strap him to the electric chair, and don’t give him a single drop of water for the next three days.”
Chen Miao almost did not dare look at Yue Yang’s expression. He reminded him in a low voice, “S-Senior, Zhao is from the central jurisdiction after all, and, um, Chief Yue...”
Shen Zhuo did not look at anyone. “Notify the Central Supervision Office that even coming to Shenhai and kneeling won’t help. This case no longer has anything to do with them.”
He might as well have turned around and slapped Yue Yang across the face; it would have been less brutal. Chen Miao stammered, “Y-yes!”
Everyone could not help secretly glancing at the central jurisdiction chief’s expression.
Under all those watching eyes, Yue Yang revealed nothing at all. When Shen Zhuo turned and left, he strode after him.
Author’s Note:
With Supervisor Shen’s character as someone who discriminates equally against every single person present, and Bai Sheng’s character as someone who examines himself three times a day—one, I’m awesome; two, I’m awesome; three, I’m awesome—there’s really no room for some white-moonlight substitute to wedge itself between them, right?