Chapter 108 Both Are Tough

Chapter 108: Both Are Ruthless

The three followed Fang Liyu to a break area around the corner.

This lounge, furnished with sofas and benches, was a relatively open space within the long corridor, flanked by rooms of various sizes. It appeared to be a waiting area.

Just then, a staff member from Zone 5 approached, greeted everyone, and whispered a few words to Fang Liyu.

Fang Liyu nodded and gave a brief reply, and the staff member departed.

She then turned to the three and said, "The meeting room is ready. But the guest... would like to speak with Guide Fang Ran first."

"Sentinel Fu Zhangzhou, Sentinel Lu Wenshan, please wait here for now. Fang Ran, come with me."

"No way."

Before Lu Wenshan could speak, Fu Zhangzhou interjected, his face stern, his refusal unmistakable.

The sentinel stepped forward, positioning himself between her and Fang Ran. "I'm going with him."

Seeing his reaction, Fang Liyu frowned, her expression quite hesitant.

"Haven’t you always refused to meet him?"

"Moreover, that person... specifically asked to speak with Guide Fang Ran first." She sighed. "Don’t worry, Jin Ming—your uncle—is also in the meeting room. He’ll look after Fang Ran."

"Fu Zhangzhou, I can handle this." Fang Ran patted his back reassuringly and said casually, "Besides, Director Jin is inside. Who could be more cunning than him?"

"Fang Ran, you don’t understand. That person..." The sentinel’s eyes darkened. "He’s more unhinged than I am."

Really?

Fang Ran was stunned.

It was rare to see such an expression on Fu Zhangzhou’s face.

His gaze was complex—a mix of anger, contempt, and even a flicker of fear, though Fang Ran could only catch a fleeting glimpse of it before the sentinel concealed it again.

This man was usually fearless, treating S-class monsters as if they were mere clay figures.

Yet, the person in the meeting room seemed like a terrifying beast to him.

What kind of person was this executive of Hua Yan Pharmaceutical?

Suddenly, Fang Ran remembered that night in the bathroom, when he mentioned the word "father," Fu Zhangzhou had shown a similar expression.

Could it be...

Noticing the silence between the two, Fang Liyu added, "Sentinel Fu Zhangzhou, that person just wants to speak with Fang Ran briefly. I’ll call you in shortly."

"I promise, Executive Jin Ming and I will watch over Fang Ran."

"Fu Zhangzhou." Fang Ran patted the sentinel’s arm again. "I’m not made of paper. Let me meet him first."

His gaze was firm and reassuring.

After a moment of silence, the sentinel finally gave in.

"Fine, I’ll wait right outside the door."

"Don’t believe a single word that person says."

......

Fang Ran followed Fang Liyu as she pushed open the meeting room door.

The room was brightly lit, but the air conditioning was several degrees colder than in the hallway, giving Fang Ran instant goosebumps.

The meeting room was decorated in a cold color scheme, with white walls and gray carpets, and an oval-shaped conference table in the center.

The only touch of color came from a vase of blooming roses placed on the table.

Jin Ming and a man in a white coat sat facing each other at opposite ends of the table.

As the two entered, Jin Ming immediately gestured for them to come.

Fang Liyu led Fang Ran toward him.

As they passed by the man, Fang Ran felt a gaze appraising him. Surprisingly, the look was gentle, almost like the kindly attention of an elder toward a younger person—nothing as terrifying as Fu Zhangzhou had described.

"Fang Ran, have a seat here," Fang Liyu said, pointing to the spot next to Jin Ming.

"Okay." As Fang Ran pulled out the chair and sat down, the man across from him spoke. "Hello, you must be Guide Fang Ran?"

Fang Ran looked up and froze on the spot.

No guessing needed.

This man was Fu Zhangzhou’s father. Even if not, he was certainly a blood relative.

Noticing his gaze, the man offered a polite smile.

He appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a well-fitted white coat, with his hair perfectly groomed.

Unlike Fu Zhangzhou, despite their similar features, this man carried an air of refined composure. His eyes were gentle and clear, without any sharpness.

He didn’t seem like a sentinel or a guide.

Nor did he have the smoothness of a businessman; instead, he resembled a researcher completely absorbed in his work.

Out of courtesy, Fang Ran greeted him.

"Hello, I’m Fang Ran."

The man nodded. "I am the founder of Hua Yan Pharmaceutical, Fu Yanhua."

Fu Yanhua said with a warm smile, "I am also... Fu Zhangzhou’s father."

Indeed!

Fang Ran’s heart jumped.

No wonder Wanqing had said that Fu Zhangzhou had close connections to Hua Yan and, to some extent, was practically its heir.

This pharmaceutical company was the most powerful pharmaceutical corporation in the Federation. Their operations were broad, but their core focus was on developing medications for sentinels and guides.

In this apocalyptic setting, such drugs were extremely valuable. Over the decades, Hua Yan had risen to prominence through these medications, accumulating enormous wealth and expanding its influence within the Federation.

Of course, the Sentinel and Guide Center also played a role in this. Their research institute had been in deep collaboration with Hua Yan since its inception, and their interests were fundamentally inseparable.

Jin Ming then coughed lightly, breaking their gaze.

"Alright, now that you've seen him, can we let Lu Wenshan and the others in?"

Fu Yanhua waved his hand: "No need to rush. I’d like to say a few more words to Guide Fang Ran."

"Guide Fang Ran, I don’t mean any harm. I just heard that Fu Zhangzhou handpicked a Guide and wanted to meet you. I never had the chance before, but when I heard you came to District 5, I made the suggestion to the Center."

He chuckled and glanced at Jin Ming.

"You’re all being overly cautious. I’m not some monster."

Jin Ming picked up the teacup in front of him with one hand and said calmly, "Whether you’re a monster or not... that’s debatable."

Fu Yanhua shook his head: "Those were all misunderstandings in the past. You still don’t understand my intentions."

"My sister understood quite well," Jin Ming added. "Except you got her killed, didn’t you?"

Hearing this, Fu Yanhua still didn’t get angry.

"Jin Ming, your attitude is wrong. That’s why Fu Zhangzhou keeps misunderstanding me all along."

"Misunderstanding? Why don’t you think about what you did to him before?"

"I did it all for his benefit. Otherwise, how would he have achieved this level of power today?"

"For his own good? Looks to me like you wanted to ruin him. What kind of father does that?"

"I did it for him, and for all 12 Safe Zones of the Alliance."

"Cut the hypocritical act of playing the martyr. I’m not my sister—I’m not falling for it."

The two of them went back and forth, neither backing down.

Fang Ran’s gaze shifted between the two, his heart pounding with fear.

It seemed he had stumbled onto a big secret.

Could it be that Fu Zhangzhou... had been through those Sentinel experiments?

But was it really okay for them to argue like this and blurt out secrets?

And Fang Liyu beside him remained calm, quietly drinking her tea as if this was nothing unusual.

At this point, Jin Ming and Fu Yanhua grew more and more agitated and suddenly stood up. Jin Ming made the first move, abruptly picking up the teacup from the table and splashing the tea at him.

"Splash!"

Fu Yanhua was drenched.

Brown tea dripped slowly down the creases of his white coat.

Jin Ming smiled, elegantly set down the teacup in his hand, and shook his hand off.

"Sorry, my hand slipped just now."

Fu Yanhua took out a handkerchief to wipe the tea from his face and actually laughed.

"It comes with age. I understand."

The cutting tension that had lingered between them seemed to vanish in an instant. Jin Ming and Fu Yanhua both calmly sat back down.

Fang Ran watched, not even daring to breathe heavily.

No wonder Fu Zhangzhou was a madman.

One father, one uncle—both are ruthless.