I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate-Chapter 40: Liou Wenxin’s Story

Liou Wenxin was silent for a long time before shaking her head. "I don’t know."

She didn’t see the guileless clarity of youth in Su Ze’s eyes. She couldn’t see through him.

Besides, analyzing it rationally, even though her interactions with Su Ze had left a good impression, his story was full of holes. It was hard for her to believe him.

Would a scapegoat have such an incredible set of skills? Would he be so knowledgeable about the secrets of Mu Country’s upper echelons?

It would be more convincing to say that Su Ze was the real Zhao Lingxiao, and the one who died was the fake, just a scapegoat.

"Believe it or not, what I’m saying is the truth. You can look into it. It’s not just the Filth Earth Organization; the Zhao Family is hunting me too," Su Ze said. "If I were Zhao Lingxiao, the Zhao Family would have no reason to come after me."

"I’ll verify it," Liou Wenxin said with a nod.

She said that, but in her heart, she already believed most of what Su Ze had told her. Setting aside everything else, Su Ze had indeed saved her several times in the Black Rock Mountain Range. She felt both gratitude and fondness for this sweet-talking "little brother," and deep down, she didn’t believe he was a criminal.

Of course, a woman’s intuition was also a big part of it.

Su Ze smiled. "That’s pretty much my whole story. What about you, sis? Isn’t it time you filled me in?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything! Why is the Filth Earth Organization after you? And what’s the deal with the other group from Ancient An Country that’s hunting you? Is the Dongli Kingdom’s government backing you? Basically, just tell me everything you can."

Su Ze had also wanted to ask if she had a boyfriend, but on second thought, it was unnecessary. ’She definitely doesn’t have one!’

"You sure have a lot of questions." Liou Wenxin shifted into a more comfortable position, sitting sideways on the chair with her legs crossed. The smooth curve of her calf, visible beneath her skirt, swayed back and forth in front of Su Ze.

"I’m from the Dongli Kingdom, which you should already know. My parents were both researchers for the Dongli Kingdom. They died in a lab accident when I was very young. I was raised by my grandparents. After I graduated from high school, because my grades were good and I showed a certain aptitude for evolution science, the state decided to sponsor my studies in Ancient An Country."

Su Ze nodded to show he was listening intently. He knew that her "good grades" and "a certain aptitude" were just her being modest. The truth was likely that she was a top student who completely eclipsed her peers.

Su Ze had some knowledge of both the Dongli Kingdom and Ancient An Country. The Dongli Kingdom had gotten the latest start in evolution science and was now considered the weakest of the six nations on the Lin Hua Continent in terms of overall national power.

Ancient An Country, on the other hand, was the opposite. Its strength was widely recognized as the greatest among the six nations. It possessed the most advanced evolution science technology and had research teams composed of the world’s top evolution science experts, always remaining at the forefront of the field.

Liou Wenxin continued her story. "I was accepted into Ancient An Country’s most prestigious institution, Ancient University. There, I met a wonderful teacher. She was a very pure person who never held anything back from me just because I was from the Dongli Kingdom. Under her guidance, I improved rapidly.

"At twenty-three, I earned my doctorate in evolution science and stayed on as an assistant professor. I became an associate professor at twenty-five, and at twenty-six, on my teacher’s recommendation, I became Ancient University’s youngest full professor. During that time, I was constantly engaged in evolution science research and achieved some results.

"I chose to share some of my research findings with Ancient University, but I always kept the most valuable parts for myself. The Ancient An government kept a very close watch on me. They had spies in my lab, my personal assistant worked for them, and my phone was bugged, all to prevent me from sending my research back to the Dongli Kingdom.

"I requested to return home to visit my family several times, but Ancient University refused every time. They wouldn’t even let me go when my grandparents passed away. They provided me with the best research environment and the highest compensation, but in reality, they were holding me under house arrest."

At this point, Liou Wenxin paused, her eyes filled with sorrow. Not being able to be there for her grandparents in their final moments was an eternal regret.

Su Ze asked, "What happened after that? How did you escape?"

Liou Wenxin shook her head. "Actually, I hadn’t made up my mind to force my way out at first. That changed a little over two months ago, when I developed a new medicinal formula. As usual, I didn’t report it. The Ancient An government knew I was holding back a lot of my research, but as long as I didn’t send my findings back to the Dongli Kingdom, they had always turned a blind eye.

"But this time, they acted completely out of character. Less than two days later, they sent people to negotiate with me, demanding I hand over the formula and promising me many benefits. After I refused, they didn’t give up, repeatedly pressuring me with a mix of threats and enticements. They sent people to surround my residence and my lab, confiscated my phone, and cut off all my contact with the outside world.

"Fortunately, another student from the Dongli Kingdom at the university noticed something was wrong and helped me send a request for help to Dongli. Afterward, the Dongli Kingdom’s government officially demanded that Ancient An Country release me, but Ancient An Country completely ignored them."

Su Ze sensed that something was off. "What exactly was in that formula to make Ancient An Country place so much importance on it?"

"That’s what confuses me too. The formula has some value, but it’s not particularly outstanding compared to my previous work, at least not for Ancient An Country."

Su Ze frowned. ’That doesn’t add up. There must be something else going on behind the scenes that they don’t know about.’

"When negotiations failed, it wasn’t long before the Dongli Kingdom sent a group of evolvers, including Mrs. Yun, to Ancient An Country under the guise of a cultural exchange visit. Their real purpose was to rescue me and bring me home.

"With Mrs. Yun and the others’ help, I successfully escaped from Ancient University. Ancient An Country sent a large number of masters to hunt us down. A huge battle broke out on the border between Ancient An Country and Mu Country. The experts from the Dongli Kingdom who were protecting me were almost completely wiped out. Only Mrs. Yun managed to escape with me to Mu Country."

Liou Wenxin’s account was simple, but Su Ze could already imagine how brutal that battle must have been.

Mrs. Yun, who had been listening quietly, picked up the story. "After we entered Mu Country’s territory, Ancient An Country, trying to avoid alerting Mu Country’s government, sent only one Butterfly Stage expert to continue tracking us. That’s the guy who uses the Beast King’s Roar, nicknamed the ’Tiger King General’ in Ancient An Country.

"The Tiger King General knew he was no match for me in a one-on-one fight, so he only tracked us. It wasn’t until we were crossing the Black Rock Mountain Range that he incited the beast stampede and launched his surprise attack. You know what happened after that."

Su Ze nodded slightly. "Did you ever think about asking Mu Country’s government for help?"

Mrs. Yun sneered. "Believe it or not, the moment Mu Country’s government found out about us, they would never have let us leave. Dr. Liou would have just ended up under house arrest in Mu Country instead."

Liou Wenxin added, "That’s why whether we were in Mu Country or now here in Luofan Country, I don’t dare use my real identity."

After a moment’s thought, Su Ze understood. A genius evolution scientist like Liou Wenxin probably had a file on her in every country. The moment she revealed her identity, any nation would want to keep her and make her work for them.

...

P.S. We made it to the second round.

As usual, the update schedule for tomorrow (Tuesday) will be adjusted. The first update will be in the early morning, and the second will be at 6 PM. To all my patrons, please remember to keep up with the latest Chapter! Whether we can make it onto the power rankings depends on tomorrow’s reader engagement. My deepest thanks!