But Xu Facheng, lying on the ground, struggled to crawl to Miwad's side. He looked at Miwad's wide-open eyes and his rapid, labored breathing... It was just a pity that Chen Xu had cut his throat, and blood was flowing out continuously. It was clear that he would not survive.
But Xu Facheng seemed possessed, grabbing Miwad's hand and shouting, "Where is that thing? Where is that thing?"
Miwad looked at him, wanting to speak, but his throat was cut and he couldn't utter a single word.
Xu Facheng cried out in pain, snatching the blood-stained dagger from Miwad's hand. He was already severely injured; being struck twice by Nangong Lan was no trivial matter. The first strike had only injured his internal organs, but the second, hitting his heart, had dealt him a fatal blow. But at this moment, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, he suddenly leaped up from the ground, shouting, "I'll kill you!" and brandishing the dagger to stab Nangong Lan!
But Nangong Lan was prepared, so how could he be stabbed by him with such a knife?
He took a small half step back, and his right hand drew an arc, conveying his power. Chen Xu immediately recognized that this was a "heavy hand" move!
This powerful blow was Nangong Lan's preparatory move. Her palm struck Xu Facheng's wide-open chest, breaking several of his ribs and sending him flying backward. It was unclear how many ribs had pierced his internal organs, but he was clearly on his last breath.
Lying on the ground, Xu Facheng revealed a smile that was hard to decipher. He pointed at Nangong Lan and laughed loudly twice, saying, "Utaka is dead, and Miwad is going to die too. No one in the world will ever know where he hid his treasure again! You are all sinners against China! In his treasure trove, there was a priceless treasure that had been missing for hundreds of years, and because of you, it will never see the light of day again! You are all sinners!"
Then he laughed wildly and uttered four words before spitting blood and dying, even before Miwad.
But those four words were like a thunderbolt, completely stunning Chen Xu and Nangong Lan!
He said, "The Imperial Seal of the State!"
Chapter 200 The Feeling of Killing
The Imperial Seal of the State?
After a second of stunned silence, Chen Xu lunged forward, grabbed Xu Facheng by the collar, and shook him violently: "What did you say? The Imperial Seal of the State? Which Imperial Seal of the State?!" But Xu Facheng was silent, a half-smile still on his face.
The Imperial Seal of the State...
A symbol of imperial power in ancient China.
From the Qin Dynasty onwards, the emperor's seal was exclusively called "Xi" and was made of jade, hence the name "Yu Xi" (jade seal). There were six seals in total: "Huangdi Zhi Xi" (Emperor's Seal), "Huangdi Xing Xi" (Emperor's Traveling Seal), "Huangdi Xin Xi" (Emperor's Credential Seal), "Tianzi Zhi Xi" (Son of Heaven's Seal), "Tianzi Xing Xi" (Son of Heaven's Traveling Seal), and "Tianzi Xin Xi" (Son of Heaven's Credential Seal). Among the emperor's seals, there was one jade seal that was not among these six, and that was the "Chuan Guo Yu Xi" (Imperial Seal of the State).
Chen Xu and Nangong Lan are both fans of the Three Kingdoms period, and there is one scene in the novel that they remember very clearly.
After Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang, Sun Jian led four generals into the city and discovered colorful clouds rising from a well in the Zhen Palace south of the city. He sent men to investigate and found the body of a palace maid with a small box hanging around her neck. Inside the box was the Imperial Seal of the State, representing supreme imperial power!
The origin of the Imperial Seal of the State is known to anyone with even a slight understanding of history.
It is a story full of myths, a treasure that has witnessed the course of Chinese history!
The Imperial Seal of the State originated from the He Shi Bi jade, discovered by Bian He, a man from the State of Chu, after witnessing a phoenix alight. The saying goes, "A phoenix will not land where there is no treasure," so Bian He presented the stone where the phoenix had perched to the then-King of Chu. However, the King of Chu, seeing it as a broken stone, ordered Bian He's leg to be cut off. Later, after the death of this King Li of Chu, King Wu of Chu ascended the throne, and Bian He again presented the jade, only to have it mistaken for a stone again and have his leg cut off once more.
It wasn't until King Wen of Chu ascended the throne that this rare and precious jade was finally discovered. To commemorate Bian He's loyalty, it was named the He Shi Bi (He's Jade Disc).
The He Shi Bi jade was hailed as a priceless treasure, a "treasure known throughout the world." Later, during a marriage alliance between the states of Chu and Zhao, the jade ended up in Zhao. King Zhaoxiang of Qin offered fifteen cities in exchange for it. This led to the saying "priceless." Later still, there was the story of Lin Xiangru "returning the jade intact to Zhao." The story of the He Shi Bi has been passed down through generations and become a celebrated tale.
Later, when the First Emperor unified the country, he ordered craftsmen to polish the He Shi Bi jade into an imperial seal. Chancellor Li Si personally inscribed the eight characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Reign Be Long and Prosperous" on the seal. Thus, the Imperial Seal of the State was completed. From then on, it became the absolute symbol of imperial power!
Later, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped power, and the Empress Dowager angrily threw the imperial seal to the ground, breaking off a corner. Wang Mang ordered craftsmen to repair the seal with gold, thus giving rise to a new phrase... "gold-inlaid jade," meaning "to have eyes but not recognize gold-inlaid jade."
The story of the Imperial Seal of the State is not yet over. Over the next thousand years, it changed hands several times. It passed to the Cao Wei dynasty, then to the Sima family, and after the fall of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen), it ended up in the Sui palace. However, after the death of Emperor Yang of Sui, the Imperial Seal was taken to the Northern Turks by Empress Xiao and the Crown Prince. Later, the Tang Dynasty's military genius Li Jing conquered the Turks and brought the seal back, much to Emperor Taizong's delight.
Subsequently, Shi Jingtang led the Khitan army to Luoyang. The last emperor of the Tang Dynasty, embracing the imperial seal, committed suicide by burning himself in the Xuanwu Tower. The Imperial Seal of the State thus disappeared.
The imperial seal was rediscovered during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty. However, during the Jingkang Incident, the Jin army captured Bianliang, and Emperors Huizong and Qinzong were taken prisoner, with the imperial seal falling into the hands of the Jin people.
It wasn't until the Yuan Dynasty that the Imperial Seal of the State reappeared in the world. However, after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the seal was taken to the Mongolian Plateau. Zhu Yuanzhang sent his general Xu Da to the Mongolian Plateau many times to attack the remaining forces of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, but he was ultimately unable to retrieve the seal. The Imperial Seal of the State disappeared from then on.
If the Imperial Seal Xu Facheng mentioned earlier refers to this treasure filled with countless legends, and if this treasure never sees the light of day again after Xu Facheng and Miwad die, then Chen Xu would truly feel that he is a sinner against history!
Just then, a commotion erupted downstairs, and someone shouted, "Listen up, you're surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"
It turned out that the armed police had finally arrived. Just like in the movies and TV shows, this bunch of good-for-nothings always showed up after they had finished everything else.
Chen Xu originally wanted to give up the resistance and quickly have them come up and take Miwad to the hospital, but at this moment he saw that Miwad's eyes were somewhat unfocused and he obviously didn't have long to live. If those useless people came up and made trouble again, Miwad would definitely die without even needing to get an ambulance!
If he is really dead, if the Imperial Seal of the State is truly in his hands...
Chen Xu felt that he had truly let down the Party, the people, and all Chinese people around the world!
People often unleash tremendous potential in times of crisis, not only physically but also mentally. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Chen Xu… He remembered a feature in the virtual reality world… *Fantasy Paradise*!
The software "Fantasy Paradise" uses brain-computer interfaces to allow the brain to read a person's memories and imaginations, and then simulate corresponding images. In other words, this software possesses a truly terrifying function... reading a person's thoughts!
So even though Chen Xu discovered this software and knew about the earth-shattering changes it could bring, he hadn't used it much... because no one was willing to expose all their thoughts, all the things hidden deep in their hearts!
Human memory is incredibly complex. Many things you think you've forgotten are actually buried deep within your subconscious, in the cerebral cortex. It's like sometimes in the middle of the night, you dream of people you haven't thought of in real life for a long time, even years, or of things you've experienced but no longer remember.
However, bringing all these things out might not be a good thing for a person.
After all, memories aren't just pleasant; there are also many embarrassing ones.
But at this point, Fantasy Paradise might be the only way. They must read Mivad's memories before he takes his last breath and his brain stops thinking!
But Nangong Lan is still right there!
Chen Xu couldn't care less about anything else. If that thing really was the Imperial Seal of the State, its value was simply outrageous. He didn't have time to waste at this point.
Chen Xu, simply out of a desire to protect the secret, subconsciously turned to the side, turning Xiao Min into an earphone, and then put the earphone on Miwad's head.
Nangong Lan didn't see where the earphones came from, nor did he suspect anything. He just asked curiously, "Chen Xu, why are you putting this on him?"
Chen Xu didn't have time to pay attention to him, he just said, "Fantasy Paradise is open!" He knew that Xiao Min could understand what he meant.
At this moment, the armed police rushed in and found the ground littered with corpses. Chen Xu and Nangong Lan were standing there. Without saying a word, they pointed their guns at them and said, "Don't move! Don't move! Lie down! You're under arrest!"
Faced with so many dark gun barrels, Chen Xu had the urge to curse, "Fuck your grandpa!" These good-for-nothings were not only late, but they also thought he and Nangong Lan, the two "victims," were bandits.
Fortunately, Captain Xu from the Criminal Investigation Brigade quickly followed and shouted, "Stop! Put down your guns, they're our own people!"
But at this moment, Captain Xu was also startled by the scene before him and said, "Xiao Chen, Nangong, are you alright? They..."
“We killed them all.” Chen Xu’s voice was unusually calm. “There were also corpses upstairs, and a total of eighteen people including those in the room. We killed them all.”
"hiss!"
The arriving armed police gasped. These two young men were so young, could they be members of the legendary fifth-class special forces?
At that moment, Mivad, who had been clinging to his last breath, finally rolled his eyes, glared at Chen Xu with hatred, and collapsed to the ground, never to move again... He finally died.
Chen Xu bent down to retrieve his earphones, but the moment he moved, all the armed police officers instinctively raised their guns. Captain Xu turned around and shouted, "What are you doing? I told you he's one of us! Put your guns down!"
The group of armed police officers awkwardly lowered their guns, but they were all thinking that Chen Xu had given them an extremely cold and murderous aura. It made them feel as if he were a wild beast, so when Chen Xu moved, they couldn't help but assume a firing stance.
It's all finally over.
Chen Xu looked at Miwad's face. He had been staring at him hatefully before he died, his throat, clothes, and chin covered in blood... Chen Xu suddenly felt a strong urge to vomit. Only then did he remember that he had killed more than a dozen people today!
Good heavens, he had never killed a chicken before, yet he killed more than a dozen living people!
Seeing Miva's unseeing eyes in death, Chen Xu finally couldn't help but vomit, vomiting violently until he was dizzy and even brought up bile.
Murder? It really doesn't feel right!
Chapter 201 Mivad's Memories
Chen Xu sometimes reads online novels, and he's always impressed by the protagonists' incredible power—the kind that supposedly "kills one person in ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles!" The killing is so elegant and satisfying. But what if those same things actually happened to him?
Chen Xu hasn't been sleeping well for the past few days!
The moment I close my eyes, all I see are those bloody corpses and mutilated heads!
That day, in front of all the armed police officers, Chen Xu vomited violently, vomiting so badly he was dizzy and disoriented. He had never vomited like this, not even when he was drunk. He vomited up everything he had eaten that day, and even his bile!
Chen Xu was taken to the hospital. Soon after, Guan Yi, Zhan Jing, Gao Xiaojie, and several other roommates who were close to Chen Xu came to visit him.
But Chen Xu just lay on the hospital bed staring straight at the ceiling, without saying a word.
The doctor said that the extreme emotional fluctuations, coupled with the trauma of his first murder, had a significant impact on him. He said that if he rests for a couple of days and receives some counseling from a psychologist, he should be fine.
The doctor turned pale after saying those words.
Who could imagine that this seemingly mild-mannered freshman would kill eleven enemies with a sniper rifle! And even slit a black man's throat with a dagger!
When the armed police officers found all the bodies, many of them wore expressions of utter horror. Of the eleven people killed by Chen Xu, one was killed in a car accident, another was stabbed in the heart by Chen Xu with a dagger; apart from these two, the other nine were all shot in the head with a sniper rifle!
A 5.8mm caliber heavy bullet. Although the caliber isn't large, it's enough to smash a person's head into a mangled mess.
It's hard to imagine. Even professional snipers in the military might not be able to eliminate an enemy with a single bullet... but this student, Chen Xu, only fired ten bullets in total, and even took down two enemies with a dagger.
Was he specially trained?
This incident quickly alarmed the top leadership of Hexie City, and even higher-ups. Such a brazen gunfight in inland China was no small matter. However, Director Wang's quick judgment and timely remedial measures not only prevented him from being implicated, but also earned him commendation… because in this incident, facing eighteen sniper rifles, not a single civilian was killed! Furthermore, the police swiftly dismantled the large-scale gang hideout, Facheng Security Company, seizing all their accounts and obtaining a wealth of shady information about the company. Following this lead, a large number of gang members were uncovered.
From this perspective, Director Wang has indeed done an outstanding job.
Of course. Director Wang himself knew he was lucky. Extremely lucky.
Although this matter was started by Chen Xu, it was also resolved by Chen Xu. As police officers, they cannot evade the facts of crime; their job and mission is to control crime.
Now things are going very well; such a major event has actually boosted his career. He is naturally grateful to Chen Xu... Moreover, if Guan Yi hadn't promptly reminded him that this matter was related to Facheng Security Company, he wouldn't have been able to take action so quickly.
Therefore, Director Wang ordered the truth of what happened to be covered up... The most important purpose was to cover up Chen Xu's murder!
The incident has been officially defined as "self-defense," meaning that Chen Xu did not commit any crime... After all, he was facing a group of assassins, which is not a simple civil matter.
The reason for not exposing Chen Xu's murder was to protect him.
After all, this is no small matter for a student. Director Wang and his colleagues didn't want Chen Xu to be pointed at and gossiped about at school, which would affect his future life.
So only a handful of people knew about this. Guan Yi learned it from Douglas. As for Zhan Jing and Gao Xiaojie, they didn't need to know.
So Gao Xiaojie saw Chen Xu's pathetic state and still laughed heartlessly, only stopping a little after Zhan Jing slapped him.
Unlike Gao Xiaojie, Zhan Jing wasn't careless; she keenly sensed that something must have happened to Chen Xu. And Guan Yi should know about this. And between Chen Xu and Guan Yi... it seems something else has occurred...
Before jumping from the car with a death wish, Chen Xu kissed Guan Yi. The kiss was fleeting, and in the chaos of the car where everyone was crouching with their heads down, no one witnessed it. However, both of them knew that after that kiss, their relationship would no longer be so innocent.
Guan Yi looked at him with some concern and asked, "Are you really alright?"
Chen Xu tried to force a smile, but to Guan Yi, it was just a couple of twitching lips. It was even uglier than crying: "I'm not that fragile. I'm just... just a little nauseous. Just let me have some peace and quiet."
The doctor's explanation to outsiders was that the armed police had engaged in a gunfight with the criminals. Chen Xu witnessed the criminals die before his eyes, and the shocking scene traumatized him, so no one suspected anything when Chen Xu said this.
After all, everyone here is an ordinary person. Even criminal police officers like Captain Xu, who have actually shot and killed someone, still need to see a psychologist after committing murder.
So Captain Xu said, "Alright, alright, don't bother him anymore. He was lucky this time. With the protection of the bulletproof vest, he only has a few bruises on his body. Even without medication, he'll be fine after a couple of days of rest. You can go out now and let him calm down. I've already called a psychologist. I believe Xiao Chen isn't someone who can be easily defeated."
Guan Yi looked at Chen Xu, who slowly nodded, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, I'm really fine. I should be alright after a good night's sleep."