THE CYCLE

"Zhu Jiu..." Chu ShuZhi called the man who was busy helping Lin Jing pack the stuff.

"Yes?" Zhu Jiu answered, did not lift his face.

"Yesterday, how do you know that something was injected into Zhao MingAn?"

This time, Zhu Jiu lifted his face. "Well... Zhao YunLan already underlined it. If Zhao MingAn was merely shot by a bullet, he would not ask Ma TiHua about what the man did to our brother." His explanation ended with an invisible question mark as he was confused about why he should clarify his question to Zhao YunLan yesterday.

"Okay. Got it." Chu ShuZhi nodded to himself. "Do you, maybe, know how Zhao YunLan knows that Sha Ya and Gu Ban lied to him?"

"Well, that..."

"Because I know since the beginning." Zhao YunLan's voice echoed as the man stepped into the chamber. "The mountain location is so far away from the village. What kind of children played with their friends in that kind of place? She doesn't even know anyone in the nearby village yet she said that she used to play around the mountain. The whole story just does not make sense. Not to mention, the tunnel's rim was still sharp as if it was newly made."

"How was your sleep?" Zhu Jiu put down the cable into the tin box, eyes not leaving Zhao YunLan.

"Well... I sleep well despite worrying about my brother." Zhao YunLan rubbed his face, revealing his panda eyes. "Is everything ready?" Zhu Jiu was just about to say something when Zhao YunLan cut him with a question.

"Everything is ready," Chu ShuZhi answered.

"Everyone else is already in their vehicle." Lin Jing packed the last stuff.

"We just need to load the last box and then we are ready to go." Zhu Jiu decided to drop the question.

"Okay." Zhao YunLan nodded. The last crew members lifted the box, bringing the compartment to the car. Zhao YunLan lifted the box from another side to help them and together, they brought the box to the car.

"Professor Shen, are you alright?" Zhao YunLan glanced at the man who sat in the car's back seat with a blank expression when he was about to enter the car.

"I'm not, I don't want to leave MingAn alone in this situation. But... it's not like we have a choice but to go." Shen YeZun tightened his fists.

Zhao YunLan lowered his gaze before he turned around. "Wang Zheng, I entrust my brother to you." Zhao YunLan faced the lady who stood near the car. "Please, take care of him."

"Yes." Wang Zheng nodded. "Chief Zhao doesn't have to worry, I'll take care of-"

"It's not necessary, Wang Jie." Zhao MingAn's voice was heard from the stairs. Everyone shifted their attention to the voice source only to find an unbelievable view. Sunshine through the cauliflower-shaped clouds, molding Zhao MingAn's silhouette as the young man stood in his glory against the doors of the motel. "I'll go with you, Ge. To deal with Ma TiHua, we need everyone's support. We can't effort to lose any more power."

Instead of being delighted, everybody was stunned when they see Zhao MingAn. There was something strange with the air around him. Something unfamiliar. Let alone Shen Wei and the other DiXing people, even a HaiXing like Zhao YunLan wondering about his brother.

"Ah Ming..." Zhao YunLan peered at his younger brother top to toe.

"Yes, Ge..." Zhao MingAn smiled as he strode to the car. "What?" He asked when Zhao YunLan did not say anything.

"Are you okay?" Zhao YunLan stared at his younger brother not even blinking. He wanted to smile but lost all the reason for that.

"I'm alright." Zhao MingAn smiled. "Let's go." The young man opened the car door.

"Your son has a very good physic." Shen YongZheng who rode another car glanced at his best friend who sat beside him. "He jumped around to breathe last night but this morning he woke up all fresh."

Zhao XinChi lowered his gaze, he noticed sarcasm in his best friend's voice. No need for sharpness to recognize the change in Zhao MingAn's demeanor and Shen YongZheng was not stupid. Slowly, his mind drifted to that night before they caught both Sha Ya and Gu Ban.

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"Let me wash them." Zhao MingAn, as usual, became an over-diligent person. He cleaned up the table, as the others went to watch television.

After some time, Zhao MingAn still has not returned to the main room. Zhao XinChi glanced at everyone. It seemed nobody realized his younger son's disappearance. Shen Wei and Zhao YunLan were immersed in their discussion, Lin Jing was busy with the jewel compartment, and Zhu Hong roasted her best friend for disappearing without a word. The Chu twins patrolled around the area, as Guo ChangCheng helped Chong Bo with his appliances.

Sighed, Zhao XinChi stood up. "Where are you going?" Shen YongZheng asked.

"Take a look at MingAn. Just watch the tv." Zhao XinChi brushed his friend off.

"Oh." Shen YongZheng's eyes back to the television.

Zhao XinChi strode to the kitchen. Everything was tidy, the appliances arranged neatly in their places but Zhao MingAn. "MingAn...Where is that kid?" Zhao XinChi scanned the whole kitchen until his eyes caught something. A slightly opened door. Zhao XinChi's eyebrows twitched a little but his hand reached the doorknob and pulled it.

"Ming-" His words stuck when Zhao XinChi saw that Zhao MingAn stood near the bushes in the backyard but not alone. A lady was talking to him. She looked familiar but Zhao XinChi could not recall where he had ever seen this lady. Zhao XinChi was about to approach his son but his eyes blurred. What he found next when he gained consciousness was just he was already inside the kitchen and his second son sat beside him.

"What happened?" Zhao XinChi lifted his head from the kitchen desk.

"You were unconscious." Zhao MingAn supported his father to straighten the sitting position.

"Who were you talking with?" Zhao XinChi was a trained ex-police officer, he had a strong memory and self-control. He recovered quite fast.

"Talked?" Zhao MingAn frowned. "I didn't talk to anyone."

"But... But I saw you."

"Saw what?"

"You and a lady."

"Lady?" Zhao MingAn frowned even deeper. "Pa... I'm a loyal man. Besides, who is the lady you talking about?" He shook his head.

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"Are you alright?" Shen YongZheng asked when Zhao XinChi sighed. "I don't mean anything with my words." Somehow, the old general felt bad.

"No. No." Zhao XinChi lifted his eyes. They were all on a journey to reach the place that could lead them to the land of the four perils. "How long will it takes for us to get the gate?" He asked as he massaged his temple. The old man tried his best to remember what happened after his vision blurred but all in vain. Zhao MingAn was not helping even Zhang Shi said that he did not remember anything.

"They said not too far." Shen YongZheng peered at the road.

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Zhao YunLan glanced at his brother through the rear mirror so many times. Zhao MingAn stared out the car through the darkened glass of the closed window. The young man seemed to enjoy the view even though nobody knew what he saw as they were surrounded by upslope fog. They only could see within two meters radius. Shen YeZun on the other hand used the darkened window to check on his lover. Just spare a little glance here and there.

"I'm alright." Zhao MingAn said so suddenly, making everyone stare at him with questioning looks. "Do you all really think I don't know that you keep checking on me?" He snorted, chuckling.

"Can you stop that?" Shen YeZun gave his lover an intense stare. "Do you really think that this is all funny? Do you know how worried I am?" Tears streamed along his smooth white cheeks.

The smile on Zhao MingAn's face dissolved. He realized he was going too much. "I'm sorry, Professor Shen." Zhao MingAn took his lover's shoulders only to be brushed off.

"You tell him, Professor Shen." Zhao YunLan added from the front seat.

"It's not my intention." Zhao MingAn reached YeZun's hand. "I just want you to know that I'm alright." He glanced at his brother through the rear mirror. "Honestly, you don't need to search for the second key. But, Ma TiHua needs to be stopped at all costs."

"What do you mean by we don't need to search for the second key?!" Zhao YunLan shouted to Shen Wei's shock. The poor man even had to hit the break. "Are you realize what you just said?" Zhao YunLan whirled his upper torso ninety degrees to see his brother.

"Ge... Even though we give him the second key, you and I know that he won't give us the anti-toxin. That, if he really shot me with poison. We don't know what actually happens in my body. We don't have time to analyze it. I'm dying is not inevitable-"

"Stop it!" Shen YeZun screamed, hysterically grabbing Zhao MingAn's collar. "Stop it! You won't die! You won't die!"

"Shen Wei." Zhao YunLan did not have to say anything as Shen Wei got what he meant.

"What happened?" Lin Jing asked Chu ShuZhi when Zhao YunLan's car stopped. "I don't know, Director Shen's car stopped so suddenly."

Chu ShuZhi was just answering the question when the window beside him was knocked. "If you want to ask me what happened, I don't know myself. Director Shen's car is stopped." He glared at his twins.

"Ah..."

They never had a chance to discuss things further because there was a commotion. Zhao YunLan slammed his car door and strode to his brother's side. Zhao YunLan pulled the door open and dragged the poor young man outside, taking Zhao MingAn at a proper distance so nobody could see and heard them.

"What kind of nonsense that you are talking about?!" Zhao YunLan growled. If he did not remember that Zhao MingAn was sick, he would slam his brother to the ground already.

"Ge, you can scold me later. But now, we better go back to the car." Zhao MingAn glanced around.

"Don't change the subject!" Zhao YunLan screamed.

"Shhh!" Zhao MingAn put his finger to his mouth. "Ge, don't scream."

"Don't you think that I have every right to scream?" Zhao YunLan glared at his brother.

Zhao MingAn took a deep breath. "You and I know that is the truth, Ge. I don't want Professor Shen to have high hope."

"What's wrong with having high hope for someone we care about? Do you want me to not have the high hope too?" Zhao YunLan could not believe his ears.

"I don't want you to exchange the second key with anything Ma TiHua offers you." Zhao MingAn lowered his gaze.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Zhao YunLan shouted.

"Ge, don't shout!" Zhao MingAn clasped his brother's mouth with his palm.

Zhao YunLan's struggled but Zhao MingAn did not budge. Zhao YunLan frowned a little, how on earth did his younger brother get the strength? However, his resistance halted when he heard a growling voice. Again, Zhao MingAn glanced around. Zhao YunLan was still processing the situation when a huge animal figure jumped at them. Zhao MingAn pushed his brother away and caught the animal.

"Ah Ming!" Zhao YunLan shouted when he saw his younger brother wrestling with the animal. He almost went to help his brother when a strong hand stopped him. "Pa?" Zhao YunLan creased his eyebrows when he saw Zhao XinChi standing behind him. "Zhang Shi." He muttered when the yellow light flashed in the man's eyes.

"Your brother is struggling to control his power. Don't stand too close." Zhang Shi said.

"Power? What power?" Zhao YunLan asked but his forehead lifted when he realized what the DiXing meant. "No... That's not possible." Zhao YunLan shifted his stare in his brother's direction only to agape. Instead of his brother, Zhao YunLan saw two beast figures fighting in the middle of the fog. Not long after, he heard a heavy growl. One of the beasts ran away and then, Zhao MingAn's figure emerged from the mist.

Zhao YunLan's eyes widened. Zhao MingAn's torso was burlier than it used to be, his clothes torn apart. The scratches on his wider chest were evidence that the fight scene Zhao YunLan witnessed involved his younger brother. And when he saw how those cuts recovered, Zhao YunLan's heart sank to his stomach.

"What... What happened on earth?" Zhao YunLan staggered.

"The poison Ma TiHua injected into my body is his serum." Zhao MingAn forced his smile.

"What?"

"Actually, your brother invent the antiserum-"

"Do you have it with you?" Zhang Shi never could finish his words because Zhao YunLan cut him.

"I have it with me."

"Then you will be alright, right?" Zhao YunLan grabbed his brother's shoulders with shining eyes.

"But I never test the antiserum yet." Zhao MingAn answered. "And the antiserum I invented is based on my serum, not Ma TiHua's." He looked back at his brother.

"What do you mean?" Zhao YunLan's voice weakened.

"The serum injected into me works so fast. Just in a few hours, the serum is already changed my DNA structures." Zhao MingAn answered. "I don't know whether my antiserum can restructure my DNA or not. Even though it can delay the effect, I'm not sure about the result."

"And the suppressant Ma TiHua gave us is..."

"Just to stabilize my DNA at least until we gave him the second key, maybe." Zhao MingAn lowered his gaze. "I'm not sure about his next plan."

"No. No. It can't be." Zhao YunLan rubbed his face.

"Ge..." Zhao MingAn stepped closer to his brother. "I don't know what will happen to me but I know for sure that Ma TiHua will use me to get what he wants. Can you promise me two things?"

"What?"

"Zhang Shi."

"It's okay, your father is sleeping. He can't hear anything." Zhang Shi answered Zhao MingAn.

"We both know nothing about the serum in my body. No matter what happens, don't give Ma TiHua the second key and Professor Shen."

"And the second?" Zhao YunLan refused to answer.

"If I ever lose control over my body. Please, stop me before I hurt anyone."

"What are you talking about-"

"Ge." Zhao MingAn stopped his brother. "Pa and Ma have two sons. Even though I'm dead, they still have you."

"Don't-"

"Ge." Zhao MingAn's hug stopped his brother's complaint. "When I was young, I took your share of responsibility. It's your turn to take mine, now. Be a filial son to our parents, give them cute grandchildren, and proper burial. I entrust them to you." Zhao MingAn smiled. "And please, help Professor Shen to recover.

Zhao YunLan was too stupefied to answer. He could not even to reply Zhao MingAn's hug. Why did this scene too familiar for him? Zhang Shi lowered his head as, once again, he was in the nearly same situation with his past life.

Everything in the universe moved in a cycle, every process was repeated. There were protostars, there were also butterfly nebulas. The water fell to the ground would return to the sky. No matter how we tried to avoid something, many times it would return in a circle. The only thing we could do was face them...

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