Chapter 34: True Colors

""Jian!""

Yi Peng shouted his brother's name, unable to comprehend how this man—his own brother, who had always played the good guy, obediently following the rules and letting his younger brother boss him around—could be the one behind all this.

Jian's lips curled into a cold smile. ""If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. Why did you have to go back to the Ye family? Someone from the Ye family hinted to Zhihao that if he got rid of Yu, he could join them and live a life of comfort. But who would've thought, at that time, you'd come back and say you were an ability user!""

Dr. Liao said, ""I gave the name to Jian, but he just thought it was someone with the same name. Who would've guessed it was really you? He went to the landlord to ask for food, but it was just some leftovers. Is the food really that good? I just gave him some special stuff. He doesn't even know what an ability user is!""

""Are you even human?"" Yi Peng stared at him, unable to believe his own ears.

Jian sneered, ""As long as you and Yu are dead, you'll finally behave. You won't keep thinking about running off to Xin City to find you.""

""Why, Jian?!""

Jian glared at him with resentment. ""It was all fine until you showed up. Ever since you came back, she only cared about you. In the end, she even gave you all her shares! Why? I worked so hard, day and night, but she gave everything to you. Tell me, how can I let you live?""

Yi Peng finally realized that his father was actually this kind of person. ""So it was you all along...""

""Hmph!"" Jian snorted coldly, then turned to Dr. Liao. ""Dr. Liao, go ahead. Once you've drained his blood, I'll push him off the cliff myself. Now that we have three ability users, this time we can definitely cultivate a triple-attribute one!""

""No rush, let's drain all his blood first.""

""Hey, whatever you say...""

......

""Ah Peng? Ah Peng, are you up yet?""

Xiuying called out at the bedroom door for her eldest son, but there was no response.

Yu rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up in a daze. ""Brother still isn't up?""

Last night, their dad had gotten some alcohol from somewhere, and the whole family drank until they were all tipsy. His brother and his brother's friend passed out right at the table.

Dad let him sleep in the only bedroom, since he had the night shift, and Yu spent the night on the sofa, basically sleeping on the floor.

""Wife, I'm back!""

Jian came in from outside, looking cold.

Seeing Xiuying and Yu gathered at the bedroom door, he looked puzzled. ""What are you two doing?""

Xiuying said, ""Your brother's friend still hasn't woken up. I'm worried something happened.""

Yu said, ""Yeah, I only woke up because you were making noise. It's fine.""

Xiuying, trying to keep her composure, glanced at Jian, who was carrying food, and pretended to be casual. ""Honey, you brought back a lot of food again today.""

Jian quickly put the food on the table. ""Yu, go block the back door. Don't let your second uncle come in!""

""Huh? Oh, okay!""

Yu scrambled up and headed to the back door. As he walked, he noticed what looked like drag marks on the floor.

His heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that his second uncle snuck in last night while everyone was drunk and stole something?

""Dad, there's something at the back door...""

Before he could finish, he saw a piece of cloth sticking out from under the door frame. He recognized it immediately—it was from the gray shirt his brother always wore!

Something happened to his brother!

Now he realized why his dad had been acting so strange yesterday, even going out of his way to get food from the landlord and telling his brother to take a shower.

As soon as he came back, he told him not to let his second uncle in.

That was his own brother, the one who had raised him since he was a child!

Could it be that his dad had sent his brother and his friend to the lab?

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He had thought that with his ability-user brother back home, the family would be safe. But now, it seemed his dad and that terrifying second uncle were the real threats.

What should he do?

How could he save his brother from his father's clutches?

Was his brother even alive?

The thought of his brother being taken to the lab made Yu tremble uncontrollably.

Jian called out, ""Yu, what are you mumbling about? Hurry up and close the door!""

Yu swallowed hard, crouched down to pick up the scrap of cloth and stuffed it into his pocket, then closed the door and walked back to the table, feeling heavy-hearted.

Before the apocalypse, the three of them had lived in a big villa. After the world changed, they moved into this reinforced house, and it had been many years now.

He used to think that as long as the family was together, they could get through anything. His dad had a job, and so did he.

Last night had been tough, but he kept telling himself that his father was still his father. Once things calmed down, they could talk it out.

But his brother's disappearance shattered that illusion.

Now, when he looked at his dad, he saw a terrifying smile on that once honest face. He didn't dare look up.

Jian glanced at the bedroom and sighed. ""He probably had a rough night out there. Don't bother him. Let him rest. I'm off to work.""

Jian watched his wife finish eating, then left the house.

Yu wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out.

Xiuying asked quietly, ""Do you think your brother is still in the house?""

Her voice was so soft that Yu wondered if he was imagining it.

""Do you think so?"" he asked.

Xiuying covered her mouth, her eyes red and voice trembling. ""I... I don't know.""

""Mom, let's break down the door!""

Yu stood up and grabbed her hand. ""If Dad is really that heartless, then it's time for us to make a decision!""

Xiuying had wanted to leave for Xin City with Jian, but was afraid his brother would cling to them, so she and Yu had been secretly stockpiling supplies, planning to leave once they had enough to survive the journey and find Yi Peng.

But she never imagined Jian could be so terrifying.

""Mom, instead of lying to ourselves, let's break down the door!""

Yu was determined. He saw that Xiuying hadn't moved, so he strode over to the bedroom door and started banging on it.

Bang, bang, bang—the door, already flimsy, quickly gave way.

The room was empty. The bed was cold.

"".....""

The truth was right in front of them. Yu's face went pale, and Xiuying couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

""Let's go. We have to leave right now...""

""Go? Wife, where do you think you're going?"""

"Here’s a fluent, natural English translation of your provided Chinese text:

---

**Chapter 35: Lu Min Arrives**