107 My Request To You.

"Who was the real killer?"

Alex wanted to know. All this time, Zhao Qiao had been expressing his suffering through the story. But he had avoided the actual incident.

"I have kept that answer hidden for the past 20 years. What makes you think that I will tell it to you?"

Zhao Lei had been asking that question, year after year. He was positive that his brother couldn't have killed the previous head.

"That answer will die with me, unless the killer confesses."

Two families had revolted against the Zhao family at Zhao Ling Shan's death.

"But from your story, I feel that your family could have survived through the war. More man-power, better talent, and a purpose to follow. Why did you choose to back out?"

Qiao smiled.

"Nothing you just said, is correct. Unlike the other families, we had to start from the ground up. Not even a century had passed since the previous war. We were on the rise, but we were still far from becoming strong enough to take on the other families."

So it was someone from the two families.

"Your father, Ronald Curran, was ready to finish us off if the Zhao family didn't execute, or at least remove me. And the Smirnov family was ready to support him."

Was it his father?

"It wasn't your father."

Ronald wasn't impulsive. Zhao Ling Shan was one of the heads, and a respected member of the Collective. His death was a big deal to the entire collective, not just Zhao family.

"And so, my story ended there. Zhao Lei fulfilled my wish to leave this place. I lived my life in solitude near a small shrine, and indulged in the hobby of occasional self-harm to repent for my sins. Living off wine and offerings, I was calmly reliving all of my previous memories associated with the family. Every memory made me want to kill myself even more, but I had made a promise to Zhao Lei. People that commit suicide cannot be buried in the ancestral grounds. He wanted me to be buried right beside him."

"When he brought me back, I decided to tell him the identity of the killer. But as he told me what was happening in the real world, I was forced to keep my mouth shut. Turns out, this secret is even more harmful to the Zhao family now, then it was 20 years ago. I decided that I will die with this secret, no matter who tries to force it out of me."

It might be one of the heads. Or it might be someone he didn't know about.

"Why did you decide to train me?"

All of this was understandable. But why did he prolong his death after he was brought back? And why did he want to train Alex now?

"Because you are the complete opposite of me."

Zhao Qiao whispered.

"You do not care about anyone else. You are selfish. Nothing ties you down. Nothing keeps you from betraying others. And you are having trouble living life this way. At any turn, your façade might be broken, and your life could end. I never had any illusion about myself. What I am now, is what I was 20 years ago. Same sorrow, same end. I cannot get out of this."

Zhao took a deep breath and said,

"But I would kill every last person I know to be in your position."

He was jealous of Alex.

"My connections made me weak. I couldn't control them. Your connections are fake, and you have the power to manipulate them. What is the worst that could happen? Death?"

He grabbed both of his shoulders and said,

"Is it worse than what has happened to me?"

The comparison of pain.

"My first test, was to show you how much a single incident can truly affect our behavior."

His voice was getting stronger.

"My second test was to teach you how to control yourself in the face of manipulation. Your world is your own. Others are a part of it. Realize that, and no one can defeat you. You opened up to me, meaning that others can influence you to become someone else. Never let that happen. Be true to yourself, and break through whatever comes in your way!"

True Control.

"And for my final test, I have a request for you."

A final nail in the coffin.

"Take my life as a cautious example, and don't let anyone tie you down. You don't have to belong. You don't have to give yourself up. Not for the collective, not for a family, not for your mother, and not for anyone else. Become the bad guy if you have to. But never sacrifice yourself for others. I have been a coward. Don't let yourself fall as low as I have fallen. Ever."

Alex could feel his resolve. Zhao Qiao wanted nothing more in this moment. His life was a complete waste. His decision might have been heroic for him at that time, but he now realizes how worthless that heroic decision was.

"This will be our last conversation to each other. After this, I will never see you. But you must always keep my words in your mind. Don't trust anyone like you have trusted me. Don't second guess your fate. Become strong enough to control it."

He clenched his fist, and said,

"Understood."

Zhao Qiao smiled.

"Good."

'Thump!'

A loud sound came from his body.

"Become better than me."

He slowly whispered.

And then, his body collapsed.