"Clone?" Chang screamed. "And XVII?"
"You are right, XVII." The nursing bottle emptied, Qing Shui gently swung his arms. "Is it strange? Someone who cloned himself?"
"It's strange to me. But if this is the XVII, how many clones have you made so far?" Chang asked.
"Seventeen in total. This is the youngest. And the oldest is already three years old." Qing Shui waved his hand at Chang. "Come with me, I'll show you something."
"All right." In this state of darkness and chaos, they left humanity behind for a fictitious land of peace - Qing Shui's hidden lab.
As Chang expected, more transparent glass containers were stored in here, and they were filled with clone babies, one per each. Looking back and forth between the babies and Qing Shui, an unspeakably strange feeling rose in Chang's heart.
"They are all you?"
"They are all me. The survival rate was poor, only seventeen of them survived."
They walked to the end of the hallway where Qing Shui placed his index finger on the fingerprint scanner. The bulky door opened inwardly, revealing soldiers looking after the children. The oldest ran around and seemed to be three or four years old. The youngest was the one in Qing Shui's arms.
"Out of these seventeen children, can you take three with you?" Qing Shui pointed at the oldest three children. "Qing, Shui, Shui Qing, come here!"
"Hi, papa." The kids sneaked out from the soldiers. Their ages seemed close to each other, meaning that they were all about three years old. Running and walking on their own wasn't a difficult task for them.
"Take them for me, please. They are easy to take care of since they are the oldest of my clones." Qing Shui pushed on their backs gently. "I have made arrangements for the others already. These three shouldn't bring you a lot of trouble as they are just as the same as me... They will be offering great help in the future."
"What about you?"
"I am staying." Qing Shui drew a long breath of relief. "I want to meet the Willow."
"Are you crazy?" Chang shouted loudly. His voice was so high that it scared some of the infants. "No! I am not allowing this, you are seeking death!"
"I have my own plan, please don't stop me."
"I know you always have plans and you are thoughtful in every aspect that I know. But seriously, I think you are making an unwise decision." Chang frowned as if he would never loosen his brows until Qing Shui changed his mind. He pulled his friend's arm.
"Let's leave here, please. What do you think you are doing? Seeing the Willow means you'll die right away! This isn't a joke anymore! I believed that you weren't afraid of the Amphibias, fine! But how dare you say that you want to confront the Willow? And you, are you sure that you can handle the consequences? Qing Shui, this isn't cool, this is unnecessary sacrifice and I won't let this happen!"
"I... I wanted to talk to it since a long time ago. I've made up my mind, and in the best scenario, I can probably keep my life!" Qing Shui pulled his arm out from Chang's grasp. "What is it thinking? Isn't that fascinating?"
"Well, I want to know what is in your mind!" Chang patted his forehead, eyes closed. "How many brains do you have? One! And do you know how many brains it has? A million or even more! Do you think it has the need to negotiate with you?"
"It has." Qing Shui took out a vial, which Chang remembered - Evil Moss.
"Okay, How is this going to help?"
"Of course it is helpful. I grew a lot of them in my experimental field. They are my best bet if I detonate this institute. This will be the biggest threat to the Willow."
"I am still confused. The Willow is almost almighty as far as I know." Chang wasn't persuaded.
"Well, even this won't cause death to it, but it will negatively impact its power for certain. It won't kill me immediately, and this is my bargain with it," Qing Shui said.
"And then what? I don't see any meaning in you talking to it."
"I have my own plan," Qing Shui repeated. He didn't want to give out additional explanations. "You don't need to attempt to stop me, no one can convince me to give up."
"..." Chang didn't have anything else to say and responded with a long silence.
He knew it, he knew it with his heart that there was absolutely nothing he could do. He thought Qing Shui's decision was the dumbest that he's ever made, but he had no power in changing that.
"Why don't you leave? Is there anything more important to you than your own life?" These fragile words sneaked out from Chang's lips.
"There is. You guys. You guys are more important than my life."
"What?"
"I said family is more important than anything, even my own life." Qing Shui smiled wanly. An expression that was never seen by anyone.
"Do you know how much I cherish the relationship between the three of us, you, Jing, and me? I cherish it more than any of you, and I had never had this feeling before. It's amazing to have somebody that still remembers me, to still have somebody that I can take care of.
"However, historically speaking, smart people usually end up betrayed. Nobody believes in them.
"At first, Jing had an objection to seeing me, and then, you. In fact, the longer we stayed together, the further the distance grew between us. Because no one will fully trust someone that is smarter than them. Every single second when I was with you, I felt that you and Jing were on guard against me. You are afraid of betrayal too, so you would rather distrust me first to protect yourself. I noticed that you might have a feeling that you can never see through my thoughts, and that's why you won't believe me."
"But I trust you a lot!" Chang was immediately interrupted after his statement.
"Come on. If you trusted me, there wouldn't be any doubt. Do you remember how you questioned me for what the Amphibias said?" Qing Shui looked Chang in the eyes. "If he was sowing dissension between you and Jing, or Zhizhi, would you have ever doubted them?"
"I would never doubt, and I didn't doubt your motivation either! Qing Shui, you are being too sensitive!"
"Let's take a step back. What do you think of Zhizhi? How long did you know her and how long have we known each other? Didn't we go through more life-and-death battles than you and her? In terms of help, which one of us do you think is more supportive?" Qing Shui smiled again but he lowered his head. "Really, ask yourself, which one do you trust more? Me or her?
"I understand and respect you, Chang. Even though you doubt me in the cruelest way, I still persuade myself that you still trust me."
"Qing Shui, we are friends!"
"But you will only treat me as a friend, not a family member."
"To be honest with you, this, this makes me sad," Qing Shui said softly. "We probably won't see each other again, so I want to tell you...
"I cherish the days we spent together and the relationship we built along the way more than anyone." Qing Shui took a deep breath, as if he was disguising sobs. He never looked at Chang again, just pushed him with the kids out the door. "Go, my dear... friend. I'll be here, waiting for the Willow."
"Are you really not leaving with us?" Chang didn't know how to handle this situation besides offering one last invitation to Qing Shui.
"No, I am not. I will be here, and I will stop it for three years." Qing Shui wouldn't speak again, even when Chang shouted again. He commanded his soldiers to force them to leave.
A sudden urge of fatigue hit Chang. Even if he was unwilling to leave this serene man behind, he felt dizzy and lost the strength in his arms. Soon, he was confused about time and found it difficult to breathe. All the sensations intensified until he lost his consciousness.
Chang was lost.
The world became slightly clearer when he opened his eyes. He was expecting to see the brightness of Qing Shui's lab, but it turned out he was in front of his own bar. There was no one else, but three little children cuddled together in his arms.
"What happened..." Chang's eyes were wide, and so were the kids'.
At the same time, someone opened the door and Zhizhi dragged Chang's jacket from the back.
"What are you doing out here? Standing all the time? And you seem like you've gone blackout." Zhizhi was surprised when she noticed the kids. "Who are they? Where did you get them from?"
"They are Qing Shui's... kids." Chang answered.
"What?" Sanpang joined the conversation. "I didn't know he is so.... amorous."
"Well..." Chang nodded but didn't give any explanation. He didn't want to reveal that these children were clones because two of his family disliked Qing Shui.
Jing didn't really talk to Qing Shui since the beginning.
And Zhizhi hated him after her amputation and all the experiments that he had done on her.
Plus, it was hard for Chang to admit that the kids were clones in itself, so he didn't discredit Sanpang's observation.
"Wow, he has three kids! I can't believe we've never met any of them these four years," said Zhizhi. "And they all look like him! From that alone I know you aren't making this up."
"True." Sanpang stroked one of the children's head's, the soft hair. "They are almost identical except for their height, can't really tell what makes them different!"
"Though, where is Qing Shui himself?" Zhizhi sniffed the air. "He isn't around."
"He is still in the institute." Chang felt conflicted when he was asked about Qing Shui.
"Is he seriously joking? The Willow is coming and he isn't moving to anywhere else?" Jing walked out from her room, her jacket in her hand.
"I wasn't able to convince him. And I don't think any of you can. Let's... just pack. I'll explain later, when we leave." Chang directed the children to the sofa to sit on, then he went back to his room to pack his weapons and food.
The children were well-behaved. They stared at the other four adults in the room, neither speaking nor smiling.
"Clone?" Chang screamed. "And XVII?"
"You are right, XVII." The nursing bottle emptied, Qing Shui gently swung his arms. "Is it strange? Someone who cloned himself?"
"It's strange to me. But if this is the XVII, how many clones have you made so far?" Chang asked.
"Seventeen in total. This is the youngest. And the oldest is already three years old." Qing Shui waved his hand at Chang. "Come with me, I'll show you something."
"All right." In this state of darkness and chaos, they left humanity behind for a fictitious land of peace - Qing Shui's hidden lab.
As Chang expected, more transparent glass containers were stored in here, and they were filled with clone babies, one per each. Looking back and forth between the babies and Qing Shui, an unspeakably strange feeling rose in Chang's heart.
"They are all you?"
"They are all me. The survival rate was poor, only seventeen of them survived."
They walked to the end of the hallway where Qing Shui placed his index finger on the fingerprint scanner. The bulky door opened inwardly, revealing soldiers looking after the children. The oldest ran around and seemed to be three or four years old. The youngest was the one in Qing Shui's arms.
"Out of these seventeen children, can you take three with you?" Qing Shui pointed at the oldest three children. "Qing, Shui, Shui Qing, come here!"
"Hi, papa." The kids sneaked out from the soldiers. Their ages seemed close to each other, meaning that they were all about three years old. Running and walking on their own wasn't a difficult task for them.
"Take them for me, please. They are easy to take care of since they are the oldest of my clones." Qing Shui pushed on their backs gently. "I have made arrangements for the others already. These three shouldn't bring you a lot of trouble as they are just as the same as me... They will be offering great help in the future."
"What about you?"
"I am staying." Qing Shui drew a long breath of relief. "I want to meet the Willow."
"Are you crazy?" Chang shouted loudly. His voice was so high that it scared some of the infants. "No! I am not allowing this, you are seeking death!"
"I have my own plan, please don't stop me."
"I know you always have plans and you are thoughtful in every aspect that I know. But seriously, I think you are making an unwise decision." Chang frowned as if he would never loosen his brows until Qing Shui changed his mind. He pulled his friend's arm.
"Let's leave here, please. What do you think you are doing? Seeing the Willow means you'll die right away! This isn't a joke anymore! I believed that you weren't afraid of the Amphibias, fine! But how dare you say that you want to confront the Willow? And you, are you sure that you can handle the consequences? Qing Shui, this isn't cool, this is unnecessary sacrifice and I won't let this happen!"
"I... I wanted to talk to it since a long time ago. I've made up my mind, and in the best scenario, I can probably keep my life!" Qing Shui pulled his arm out from Chang's grasp. "What is it thinking? Isn't that fascinating?"
"Well, I want to know what is in your mind!" Chang patted his forehead, eyes closed. "How many brains do you have? One! And do you know how many brains it has? A million or even more! Do you think it has the need to negotiate with you?"
"It has." Qing Shui took out a vial, which Chang remembered - Evil Moss.
"Okay, How is this going to help?"
"Of course it is helpful. I grew a lot of them in my experimental field. They are my best bet if I detonate this institute. This will be the biggest threat to the Willow."
"I am still confused. The Willow is almost almighty as far as I know." Chang wasn't persuaded.
"Well, even this won't cause death to it, but it will negatively impact its power for certain. It won't kill me immediately, and this is my bargain with it," Qing Shui said.
"And then what? I don't see any meaning in you talking to it."
"I have my own plan," Qing Shui repeated. He didn't want to give out additional explanations. "You don't need to attempt to stop me, no one can convince me to give up."
"..." Chang didn't have anything else to say and responded with a long silence.
He knew it, he knew it with his heart that there was absolutely nothing he could do. He thought Qing Shui's decision was the dumbest that he's ever made, but he had no power in changing that.
"Why don't you leave? Is there anything more important to you than your own life?" These fragile words sneaked out from Chang's lips.
"There is. You guys. You guys are more important than my life."
"What?"
"I said family is more important than anything, even my own life." Qing Shui smiled wanly. An expression that was never seen by anyone.
"Do you know how much I cherish the relationship between the three of us, you, Jing, and me? I cherish it more than any of you, and I had never had this feeling before. It's amazing to have somebody that still remembers me, to still have somebody that I can take care of.
"However, historically speaking, smart people usually end up betrayed. Nobody believes in them.
"At first, Jing had an objection to seeing me, and then, you. In fact, the longer we stayed together, the further the distance grew between us. Because no one will fully trust someone that is smarter than them. Every single second when I was with you, I felt that you and Jing were on guard against me. You are afraid of betrayal too, so you would rather distrust me first to protect yourself. I noticed that you might have a feeling that you can never see through my thoughts, and that's why you won't believe me."
"But I trust you a lot!" Chang was immediately interrupted after his statement.
"Come on. If you trusted me, there wouldn't be any doubt. Do you remember how you questioned me for what the Amphibias said?" Qing Shui looked Chang in the eyes. "If he was sowing dissension between you and Jing, or Zhizhi, would you have ever doubted them?"
"I would never doubt, and I didn't doubt your motivation either! Qing Shui, you are being too sensitive!"
"Let's take a step back. What do you think of Zhizhi? How long did you know her and how long have we known each other? Didn't we go through more life-and-death battles than you and her? In terms of help, which one of us do you think is more supportive?" Qing Shui smiled again but he lowered his head. "Really, ask yourself, which one do you trust more? Me or her?
"I understand and respect you, Chang. Even though you doubt me in the cruelest way, I still persuade myself that you still trust me."
"Qing Shui, we are friends!"
"But you will only treat me as a friend, not a family member."
"To be honest with you, this, this makes me sad," Qing Shui said softly. "We probably won't see each other again, so I want to tell you...
"I cherish the days we spent together and the relationship we built along the way more than anyone." Qing Shui took a deep breath, as if he was disguising sobs. He never looked at Chang again, just pushed him with the kids out the door. "Go, my dear... friend. I'll be here, waiting for the Willow."
"Are you really not leaving with us?" Chang didn't know how to handle this situation besides offering one last invitation to Qing Shui.
"No, I am not. I will be here, and I will stop it for three years." Qing Shui wouldn't speak again, even when Chang shouted again. He commanded his soldiers to force them to leave.
A sudden urge of fatigue hit Chang. Even if he was unwilling to leave this serene man behind, he felt dizzy and lost the strength in his arms. Soon, he was confused about time and found it difficult to breathe. All the sensations intensified until he lost his consciousness.
Chang was lost.
The world became slightly clearer when he opened his eyes. He was expecting to see the brightness of Qing Shui's lab, but it turned out he was in front of his own bar. There was no one else, but three little children cuddled together in his arms.
"What happened..." Chang's eyes were wide, and so were the kids'.
At the same time, someone opened the door and Zhizhi dragged Chang's jacket from the back.
"What are you doing out here? Standing all the time? And you seem like you've gone blackout." Zhizhi was surprised when she noticed the kids. "Who are they? Where did you get them from?"
"They are Qing Shui's... kids." Chang answered.
"What?" Sanpang joined the conversation. "I didn't know he is so.... amorous."
"Well..." Chang nodded but didn't give any explanation. He didn't want to reveal that these children were clones because two of his family disliked Qing Shui.
Jing didn't really talk to Qing Shui since the beginning.
And Zhizhi hated him after her amputation and all the experiments that he had done on her.
Plus, it was hard for Chang to admit that the kids were clones in itself, so he didn't discredit Sanpang's observation.
"Wow, he has three kids! I can't believe we've never met any of them these four years," said Zhizhi. "And they all look like him! From that alone I know you aren't making this up."
"True." Sanpang stroked one of the children's head's, the soft hair. "They are almost identical except for their height, can't really tell what makes them different!"
"Though, where is Qing Shui himself?" Zhizhi sniffed the air. "He isn't around."
"He is still in the institute." Chang felt conflicted when he was asked about Qing Shui.
"Is he seriously joking? The Willow is coming and he isn't moving to anywhere else?" Jing walked out from her room, her jacket in her hand.
"I wasn't able to convince him. And I don't think any of you can. Let's... just pack. I'll explain later, when we leave." Chang directed the children to the sofa to sit on, then he went back to his room to pack his weapons and food.
The children were well-behaved. They stared at the other four adults in the room, neither speaking nor smiling.
