Chapter 74: A Revolutionary Technological Breakthrough

As soon as she entered the house, Lin’s mother opened her eyes wide; the place was spotless, as if it had undergone a thorough cleaning.

Stepping into the kitchen, she found the water already boiling, vegetables neatly sliced, and the meat simmering with an enticing aroma.

Lin Xiaosu smiled and told her, “Xiaoye did all this.”

Lin’s mother felt like she was in a dream…

It wasn’t until after lunch that she finally relaxed, holding Changye’s hand as they sat and chatted.

When the conversation turned to Changye’s family, Changye told her she’d grown up in an orphanage, never knowing who her parents were. A kind old man had taken her in and raised her to adulthood.

“Is that grandfather still well?” Lin’s mother asked.

A trace of sorrow appeared in Changye’s eyes. “He’s gone too.”

A long silence fell in the room. This silence was genuine—at least, for Changye. Everything she said was true. She had indeed grown up in an orphanage, and it was a kind old man who had raised her. What she did not tell Lin’s mother was that this old man’s name was Qu Taiqing, and he had died at Qingyuan Temple a month ago. That incident was also the beginning of her connection with Lin Xiaosu.

Overcome with maternal affection, Lin’s mother gripped her hand more tightly. “From now on, treat this as your home.”

Changye answered gently, “Auntie, next month I’ll come and stay with you for a while, all right?”

Lin Xiaosu’s eyes widened in shock.

Lin’s mother was both surprised and delighted. “Xiaoye, do you mean it?”

“Yes, I do! There’s no one at my place anyway, and you’re so good to me, Auntie. I’ll just move here.”

“Oh, Xiaoye, I’m so happy…” Lin’s mother was so overjoyed she nearly fainted. “Xiaosu, you must treat her well for the rest of your life, do you hear?”

“Ahem…” Lin Xiaosu was at a loss for words.

Changye carried on, “He’s always good to me. The detective agency has made tens of thousands these past weeks, and it’s all here with me.”

“In just a month, you made tens of thousands?” Lin’s mother was even more excited.

“Yes, business at the detective agency is great—very profitable.”

“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful. Xiaoye, you’re a blessing in Su’er’s life…”

“Mom, give Dad a call and tell him to quit working at the construction site. Come home,” Lin Xiaosu finally interjected.

“All right! You’re both doing so well, your father will be so proud. I’ll give him a call later…”

And so, the afternoon slipped by in a warm, rambling conversation.

When the sun set, it was time for Changye to leave.

Lin’s mother walked her all the way to the edge of town, five miles out…

At last, Lin’s mother stopped.

Lin Xiaosu accompanied Changye out of his mother’s sight, then turned and fixed his gaze on Changye. “Hey, you’ve really gone all out. Next month you’re coming to stay for a long while—Mom’s taking this seriously. How are you planning to explain this away?”

A faint smile appeared in Changye’s eyes. “When have my words ever turned out to be lies?”

“You…” Lin Xiaosu frowned. “What do you mean?” Changye could never truly settle in one place; she had her responsibilities, traveling everywhere, within the country and beyond. How could she possibly stay in a rural village, helping an old woman tend vegetables?

Changye replied, “I came today to prepare her. Next month, someone who looks exactly like me will come and live with her.”

“Someone who looks exactly like you?” Lin Xiaosu’s heart raced.

“It’s a bio-intelligent robot. Its main duty is to protect her! This is stipulated in the Qianlong Protocol: anyone who has rendered outstanding service to Qianlong will have their family protected by Qianlong. Don’t you think this is the most reasonable way to provide protection?” Changye explained.

Lin Xiaosu was impressed…

So today’s visit had another layer of meaning—first, let his mother become familiar with this appearance, and then have a robotic bodyguard installed in Old Tashan Village.

In the eyes of the villagers, this beautiful woman was the Lin family’s daughter-in-law; even his own mother believed it. Who could have guessed she was merely a machine bodyguard?

Wait a moment—a machine bodyguard…

Could it really fool everyone?

The difference between a human and a machine is that humans need to eat, drink, and sleep, while machines only need to recharge. Was this “daughter-in-law” not planning to eat meals at the same table as her future mother-in-law?

Right, she said it was a bio-intelligent robot!

“A bio-intelligent robot… hasn’t that technology yet to be truly achieved?” Lin Xiaosu caught onto the crux of the matter.

He had learned about the concept of bio-intelligent robots from Qianlong’s files. The idea had once shocked him.

Everyone is familiar with robots—steel frames, electronic components, powered by electricity, purely technological. But bio-intelligent robots were another path, called bionics. The initial design was for all skeletal and muscular structures to be simulated, complete with a circulatory system and digestive tract; in other words, these robots could eat, drink, and sleep just like humans.

This was no small matter. The true significance lay not in opening up a new application for robotics, but in a new avenue for medicine.

If this road were truly traveled, what would it mean? It would mean that every organ required by the human body could be manufactured artificially.

At that point, when a human organ was damaged, it could be taken to a “4S” shop for “repair and maintenance.” Just as a car from a hundred years ago, if you were willing to spend money on replacement parts, could still run after being written off, so too could humans take a solid step toward immortality.

It was a grand vision.

When Lin Xiaosu first saw it, it was only a concept…

Now, it had already become reality?

Which genius scientist had solved the problem of the century?

Changye smiled. “The bio-intelligent robot project could never progress because a crucial link was missing—human bioelectricity could not be generated. But recently, we finally made the breakthrough.”

“We? You’re part of this epoch-making team?”

“I am. And so are you.”

Lin Xiaosu was astonished. “Me?”

Changye’s smile grew mysterious. “Remember that green orchid? It had eight grapes, each incredibly wondrous. I extracted from those grapes a substance that doesn’t belong in this world, and that broke through our greatest barrier. Unfortunately, there were only eight grapes, and the substance can’t be reproduced for now.”

Lin Xiaosu let out a long sigh. “It’s just like that butterfly fluttering its wings on the Pacific’s eastern shore setting off a tornado on the western shore. Who’d have thought that adventure would yield a scientific harvest?”

“That harvest is more than just that. At the very least, it put you on Qianlong’s radar—and certain people inside Qianlong are now on ours…”

There was a deeper meaning in her words.

Because Lin Xiaosu’s performance during that operation had been so outstanding, he’d become a target for certain people.

And those people, in turn, had come under the scrutiny of Changye and her faction because of their attempts to suppress Lin Xiaosu.

“As always, some things are only to be done, not spoken of!” Lin Xiaosu looked into her eyes.

Changye’s eyes gleamed in the darkness. “Don’t worry, I’m no reckless fool. You aren’t either—don’t act like one.”

“You can trust me.”

“And you can trust me all the more! I’m off…” With that, Changye melted into the night.

Lin Xiaosu walked back toward Fengcheng.

He channeled his inner energy into his legs, moving faster and faster; by the time he reached the shores of Tashan Lake, he was gliding just above the grass. Such was the wonder of ancient martial arts.

But upon reaching the county seat, he slowed his pace, blending into the leisurely evening crowd and finally returning to the detective agency.

He had opened the detective agency so his father wouldn’t have to toil far from home. Today, he’d spoken to his mother about it, and she would probably call his father too. But whether his father would actually return was another question.

In the hearts of parents, their children always come first.

To “live off one’s parents” is a derogatory expression. Conversely, the idea of “living off one’s children” is an even broader psychological chasm for traditional parents. They always believed in enduring hardship for the sake of their children; if you relieve them of that burden, they feel as though life has lost its meaning…

Let it be, then.

Night had fallen at the detective agency.

The rolling shutter outside was already down. Upstairs, the light was still on in the middle room.

Miao Ruolan had bathed and changed into her pajamas. They were a bit short—the pajamas bought last year were now tight, accentuating her full figure. At this moment, she was lying on her bed, gazing at a painting.

This painting had been made for Lin Xiaosu by that mysterious woman.

The figure in the painting was both handsome and detached. Miao Ruolan could never get enough of this half-profile.

She hadn’t appropriated the painting. As soon as Lin Xiaosu came back, she’d given it to him. But Lin Xiaosu hadn’t cared much—he’d just left it on his desk. When Miao Ruolan tidied up, the painting was no longer there; the wind had blown it under the bed.

She took it out, unsure how to tell him. He clearly didn’t value it.

Should she remind him to take it seriously?

Forget it—why should a woman with whom he barely had any relationship linger in his heart? She would just keep the painting for him.

So she brought it into her own room.

From that day on, looking at the painting before bed became part of her nightly routine…

Watching him sit in a chair reading, with the city’s hustle and bustle through the window, catching his solitary figure, Miao Ruolan’s thoughts drifted further and further. Her gaze was dreamy, tinged with a hint of sadness…

Where had he gone the past few days? He hadn’t replied to her messages, and as for calling…

Should she call him?

Miao Ruolan was never quick to call, especially when he was busy, because she knew how dangerous this line of work was. If he was carrying out a secret mission at night, a ringing phone—or even a vibration—could ruin everything.

He must be on a special assignment this time.

She couldn’t help him; she definitely couldn’t mess things up for him.

But how could she quell her longing…

Suddenly, the rolling shutter outside rattled open.

Miao Ruolan sprang up, almost dashing out of the room. Lin Xiaosu had just stepped into the detective agency when the second floor lights snapped on. Looking up, he saw a Miao Ruolan he barely recognized standing in the hallway’s glow.

My God, that figure…

That trembling allure…

That flawless skin…