Chapter 17: The Truth

"Zhizhi… Your sister was never meant to be found when she was kidnap." The weight of his words hung heavily in the air, causing the brothers' bodies to shudder and a cold sweat to form on their backs.

"She was supposed to be sent to City H, a remote and backward city, to be sold to an old man just a month before the apocalypse..." His voice grew colder as he continued, "She was imprisoned by that man, denied even a glimpse of sunlight. Then one day, when that man attempted to harm her, she awakened her powers and ended his life..." He recounted the grim details of her past with an unsettling calmness but his clench hand betrayed him.

Shen Lian's gaze turned to the siblings, their faces drained of color as the truth of their sister's past hit them like a tidal wave. He posed a direct question, his tone unwavering, "Now, are you afraid of her?"

Lu Zoa's voice was filled with determination and anger as he responded through clenched teeth, "How could we be afraid of her?! If I were in her place, I would have torn him apart." His fervent words echoed with righteous fury.

A sense of relief washed over Shen Lian at Lu Zoa's response. He knew that if they were truly afraid of her, then they wouldn't be suitable to stand by her side.

"After she ended that old man's life, she gathered his belongings and set his house ablaze. With his possessions in tow, she fled City H. Unfortunately, due to the time it took for her to journey home, she couldn't reach her family before the onset of the Eternal Eclipse. You can well imagine the chaos that followed. She managed to escape from City H to City K, encountering individuals who offered their assistance along the way. However, as you know, during times of widespread turmoil and the absence of law and order, even such offers of help can come at a grave cost, especially for someone like your sister—protected, young, and bearing a striking beauty." Shen Lian's voice remained frigid as he recounted these harsh truths, though he despised having to reveal them.

He paused, his gaze piercing through the brothers, "She witnessed ugliness and depravity, but she refused to yield and never allowed herself to be victimized. Consider the amount of effort and the blood she shed to maintain her innocence, to remain as pure as a blank sheet of paper. You may not know, but this was the reality for many women in the apocalypse—some were sold or used as objects of pleasure and discarded like livestock when their utility expired."

Lu Zinzin's disbelief was evident, and he stammered, "This can't be..."

Shen Lian's voice turned somber as he continued to share the painful truth, "Your sister was desperately searching for all of you. When she arrived at your home, there was no sign of anyone. It appeared as though you had all left willingly. She thought that you were searching for her and couldn't return. The guilt almost drove her to madness. But ultimately, she believed that each of you possessed the strength to survive, one by one. That's why she roamed from base to base, hoping to find you."

How did Shen Lian know? Because during her journey to find her family, they had spent a year together. He, too, had been searching for his aunt, Shen An, Lu Zhi's mother and her family. Although he had kept his distance and hadn't interacted much with them, his aunt, aside from his grandparents, held significance in his heart. When his parents had passed away, his aunt hadn't displayed any interest in or greed for their belongings. Instead, she had chosen to give up her shares to him and had never altered the way she treated him after his parents' death. This was in stark contrast to other families who might have treated him differently due to his changed circumstances. Moreover, his aunt had unique interests, such as dissecting corpses and studying bodies.

He leveled his gaze at the brothers, the weight of his words heavy between them, "Numerous bases sought to capture her because of her exceptional strength. Her name, 'Lu Zhi,' became known throughout the country, just like the first empress in history. However, nobody truly knew her real face, gender, or age, as she operated alone—a one-person team. The only fact they were sure of was that she was searching for her family."

"However, despite her efforts and the fame she garnered, her family—you—never appeared. " With that he look at the expression of the Lu Brothers then continued, "In the fourth year of the apocalypse, a rumor began to circulate across various bases. It was whispered that 'Lu Zhi' had been captured by a single individual, someone she had treated like a brother," Shen Lian's voice carried the weight of the truth as he recounted the events.

He continued, his tone growing more strained, "When I was assigned the task of investigating the laboratory responsible for capturing many supernatural beings and creating powerful zombies and mutated creatures, I stumbled upon her once again. She was confined in an incubator, connected to numerous cords that I don't know. It became clear that some of her memories were distorted, and she was under the control of the laboratory, forced to be their weapon." The pain in his heart was palpable as he recalled her appearance in that horrific state.

"I don't know what she really experienced inside of that place, but you can imagine the kind of torment someone goes through when they are forcefully experimented on to become powerful, to the point where they could potentially wield enough strength to annihilate all creatures in the world if let loose." In truth, he had uncovered this information during his investigation of the laboratory. Upon learning of her potential power, he had contemplated a drastic measure – the idea of eliminating her before she could unleash widespread destruction. This had been his original plan before he had actually met her. Reflecting on it now, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Despite the success of many tasks he had undertaken, this particular mission had not gone as planned.

"And yes, you're right. Every detail she shared with you was indeed real. She experienced regret, agony, and pain in the physical world. Her transformation, the change in her hair and eyes, is a result of reaching a heightened level of power or an evolved state. This change indicates that she had achieved a new level of strength and mastery over her abilities by experiencing long term pain and trauma," Shen Lian's voice held a mixture of bitterness and sorrow.

He looked at the brothers, his gaze unwavering, "I understand that this truth is difficult to accept and she didn't want to tell you this. But it's essential that you know what she endured, the trials she faced, and the sacrifices she made in order to find all of you. It's not just a dream; it's a reality she and I experienced."

With that he stood up and made his way to the house. He need to be close to her— and to remind him that they're truthly back.