Countless points of light converged from all directions, a spectacle visible to the naked eye. They watched in awe, captivated by this wondrous, never-before-seen phenomenon.
Even He Mu, engrossed in Guo Xin's research findings, paused, his gaze drawn towards Lin Fan.
"Will?" He Mu murmured, intrigued by the mysterious scene that touched upon his blind spots.
Yao Ji, her beautiful face alight with anticipation, watched intently.
"Hello, we meet again," Lin Fan addressed the sphere of light.
The sphere was the Will itself. Ordinary people couldn't hear its voice, so it appeared as though Lin Fan was talking to himself.
"I saw in a movie that souls go to heaven after death. Do souls really exist?" Lin Fan asked.
"Oh, so it's true! Souls really do exist. Can you return this little girl's soul? This is her older sister. She was kidnapped when she was young. It's so sad. I want to save her. Do you have that ability?"
"You can only return the soul to the little girl's body. Bringing the dead back to life violates the natural order of the world and would cause instability. Okay, I understand. Just return the soul then. I can think of other ways."
Lin Fan continued his conversation with the Will. The Will explained that returning a soul was against the rules, and as the Will of heaven and earth, it shouldn't do such things. However, since it was Lin Fan's request, the Will was willing to bend the rules this once.
"Good friend," Lin Fan patted the sphere of light. He was truly grateful that the Will was willing to help despite knowing it was against the rules.
The sphere of light trembled, a gesture of affection.
Then, a blurry figure descended from the sky. Though indistinct, the outline of a human form could be vaguely discerned. This was the soul the Will had mentioned, looking much like the souls Lin Fan had seen on television.
The soul returned to its body. The Will departed.
"Your sister's soul has returned, but she hasn't come back to life yet. Let me think," Lin Fan said.
Previously, Yao Ji might have doubted Lin Fan, but after witnessing the sphere of light, she believed him completely.
"Yes, I can feel it. My sister's soul just returned," Yao Ji confirmed.
Old Zhang whispered, "Should I give it a try?"
"Old Zhang, don't rush. I trust your acupuncture skills, but the situation is a bit complicated now. You'll definitely need a long time to prepare before you can succeed," Lin Fan replied.
"That makes sense," Old Zhang conceded.
At that moment, the ginseng walked over to Lin Fan and said, "Let me do it."
Everyone turned their attention to the ginseng. What could it possibly do in this situation?
The ginseng lifted one of its tendrils and, with a wince of pain, broke it off. The broken tendril emitted a warm, golden light, slowly floating towards the younger sister. It entered her nostril and, upon reaching her body, transformed into specks of golden light that filled her being.
The evil rooster stared intently. That was a part of the ginseng's body, something it had never tasted before. It looked incredibly nourishing.
The ginseng was a Ginseng King, a treasure even the strongest beings in the starry sky coveted, a testament to its value.
"My flesh and blood contain immense vitality, capable of reviving the dead, Master. Just this one tendril has cost me centuries of cultivation. I feel so weak," the ginseng said pitifully.
Lin Fan stroked the ginseng's head. "You're amazing! I'll take good care of you from now on."
"Mmm," the ginseng nodded, snuggling against Lin Fan's leg. It then glanced at the evil rooster, its message clear: Chicken bro, behave yourself from now on. My usefulness is beyond your comprehension. Don't embarrass yourself by challenging your Ginseng bro's authority.
"She's warm! My sister has a body temperature!" Yao Ji exclaimed excitedly, her eyes shining with the light of hope.
Lin Fan smiled. "I can feel her vibrant life force."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Yao Ji rushed to Lin Fan, showering him with hugs and kisses, her face pressed against his in a flurry of affection.
"Thank you, thank you so much."
She completely ignored Mu Qing, who simply smiled and shook her head, not taking offense. She understood Yao Ji's excitement and allowed her this moment of unrestrained joy.
Soon, the little girl's long eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Sister, it's me, your older sister!"
"Sister?"
"Yes, I've been looking for you for twenty years. I'm your sister, Yang Qing, and you're my sister, Yang Yuyu."
It was a joyous resolution, a perfect ending. Lin Fan smiled. He loved happy endings. He had experienced the pain of life and death many times in his dreams, and it was never pleasant.
He Mu's eyes were opened to a new world. He was curious about the mysterious sphere of light but didn't inquire further. He had found what he was looking for – Guo Xin's research findings. Years of research had yielded valuable results.
It was a pity. If Guo Xin hadn't been so driven to madness, he might have truly been the world's greatest scientist, a century ahead of his time. He might have even created gods. However, his methods were flawed, and his encounter with Lin Fan sealed his fate, regardless of his brilliance.
"Here, take this back to Xu Zhengyang," He Mu said, handing Lin Fan a USB drive containing all of Guo Xin's research data. These findings were too valuable to be left out in the open, where they would be fought over.
"What's this?" Lin Fan asked.
"Research findings," He Mu replied.
"The results of his research on her sister?"
"Yes. Guo Xin was a mad scientist, but he was brilliant. This will be of great use to the scientific community," He Mu explained. It would be a shame to destroy it.
Lin Fan looked down at the USB drive in his hand, silent for a moment. Then, with a snap, he crushed it.
"No, this shouldn't exist. Everyone has desires. When the temptation is strong enough, there will be another victim."
He raised his hand, and a flame ignited in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the flames engulfed the research equipment, consuming it in an instant.
"Let's go," Lin Fan said.
He Mu watched the blazing fire, shaking his head with a smile. He was increasingly impressed by Lin Fan's character, which was different from any other powerful figure he had encountered. Any scientist who had accompanied Lin Fan and witnessed these research findings would have been driven mad with the desire to protect them. As Lin Fan had said, the allure of science was simply too great.
One might be righteous and kind, but upon discovering the key to unlocking an endless treasure, they would convince themselves, ultimately following in Guo Xin's footsteps.
In the outskirts, Lin Fan stared at the entrance to the research base, deep in thought. Then, as if struck by an idea, he clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground. With a resounding boom, the ground collapsed, completely burying the research base.
"Oh no…" Lin Fan exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Old Zhang asked.
"Those people I knocked unconscious are still down there. I forgot about them! Now they're buried alive!"
"Oh dear, what do we do?"
He Mu said, "They weren't good people. They were violent. If they lived, more people would suffer at their hands. It's better this way. No one else will die by their hands."
"Really?" Lin Fan asked.
He Mu smiled. "Yes."
Lin Fan patted his chest. "That's good. I thought I had caused the death of innocent people."
He Mu was somewhat exasperated by this. Lin Fan was truly unique, easily accepting new ideas in a way most people couldn't.
Of course, what he said was true. Those experimental subjects had lost their humanity and become mere killing machines. Their escape would have been disastrous.
At the Li Corporation, Li Guofeng was stunned when he learned of the research base's destruction. His world had collapsed. Everything was ruined. That was...his most important project!
Who did this...? he raged internally. I will have my revenge!