Chapter 370

Chapter 370: Inheritance

He meticulously sifted through the memory fragments he had experienced during his fifteen-minute lunch break. These fragments were chaotic and disordered, their combined length even exceeding forty-five minutes.

Amid the incessant flashbacks, he seemed to see a bright light shining on his face as he lay flat.

Was that… a shadowless lamp?

It appeared to be a snippet from a surgical procedure…

Wencheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he pressed a hand against his head, straining to recall the recent memory fragments.

The deeper he delved, the more that fragment seemed to retreat into the depths of his memory.

Yet he refused to give up, persistently trying to grasp it.

Under the glare of the shadowless lamp, a string of numbers seemed to echo in Wencheng’s ears.

It felt almost like hypnosis—a sequence of numbers repeating in sound and scrolling before his eyes in images, leaving him utterly unable to close his eyes.

A bead of cold sweat dripped onto his knee as the numbers he saw, heard, and recalled gradually coalesced in his mind.

Wencheng’s lips moved soundlessly as he uttered the numbers:

“2875”

A random four-digit number—but what could it possibly signify?

If it were identification data, this number was far too short for a city like Hope City, with its population nearing ten million.

After recalling the number, Wencheng felt mentally drained, unable to summon the dreamlike memory fragments any longer.

Those fragments dissipated swiftly, like an ordinary dream, leaving no trace of their existence once he awoke.

Having just concluded a major battle, Wencheng’s workload had been overwhelming.

But now that the fighting was over, most of the remaining tasks were related to cleanup and aftermath.

The issue of repairing the damaged walls in the outer city was always a collaborative effort between factories and the military, as such repairs couldn’t be handled haphazardly.

Wencheng had only just finished dealing with this matter when he finally found a brief moment to rest.

Surveying the stack of processed documents before him, he settled back into his armchair and began to ponder the meaning of the four-digit number.

Why did he need to remember this number?

Or rather, why did the owner of that memory need to remember it?

Wencheng opened the terminal in front of him. After verifying his identity, he accessed the military’s internal network.

He didn’t immediately test his hypothesis; instead, he began to sift through the data like a thief sneaking into the database.

After a while, the accumulated data was substantial enough, and he clicked on a page he visited almost daily:

Superpowered Individual Summary Files.

This section compiled information on all known superpowered individuals in Hope City, including but not limited to those in the military’s direct superpowered group, superpowered individuals with weaker abilities reassigned to other agencies, and special cases of externally hired superpowered individuals.

Even details on some individuals from the gray areas of the inner and outer city could be found, though those individuals had been dying off at an increasing rate lately.

After a brief scan, he positioned the cursor in the search box and entered the mysterious sequence: “2875.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Wencheng added two zeros at the beginning, turning it into a six-digit number—a Superpowered Individual ID.

After a brief loading period, an individual’s information appeared before him.

Superpowered individual Brando, one of the earliest awakened superpowered individuals, had unremarkable abilities. He squandered his youth through countless trials and errors, ultimately perishing in a beast tide attack in the year 34 of the new era. His body was cremated after research, and his ashes are currently stored in…

Wencheng quickly skimmed through the life summary of the superpowered individual named Brando, concluding that he was merely an obscure figure, devoid of any noteworthy traits.

There were no fewer than eight thousand such superpowered individuals in Hope City; not everyone’s abilities were suited for combat, nor were all mindsets prepared for the rigors of battle.

There would always be those with relatively decent abilities who tragically died in their first battle or during the ability development process—unfortunate souls.

But since this ID could only point to this particular superpowered individual, Wencheng decided to delve deeper.

He stepped out of the office, exchanged brief pleasantries with the clerical staff outside, and made his way to the storage area for the ashes.

For him, this was not an unusual act. The battle had just concluded, and as the highest-ranking military leader, it was entirely appropriate to pay respects to the fallen soldiers and superpowered individuals.

Declining the company of his subordinates, Wencheng entered the vast basement filled with ash urns alone.

He carefully noted the numbers on the shelves as he slowly navigated the rows, eventually arriving at his destination and laying eyes on the urn belonging to superpowered individual Brando.

Would this be considered disrespectful?

The thought crossed Wencheng’s mind.

After some reflection, he decided that his circumstances were so extraordinary that even a slightly unconventional action was justified.

“If I have offended you, I offer my apologies,” Wencheng said earnestly as he gently lifted the urn.

The moment he picked it up, the lightness of it surprised him.

It was too light, unreasonably so.

In that instant, Wencheng realized he might indeed have a knack for solving mysteries; perhaps, even if he were transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he could lead the Clean-up Team to crack some significant cases.

Confirming that the weight of the urn was abnormal, he opened it without hesitation. Inside, there was none of the expected contents—only a neatly folded piece of paper resting at the bottom.

Wencheng swiftly extracted the peculiarly folded paper and returned the empty urn to its place.

He casually tucked the paper into his pocket, then walked out as if nothing had happened, pretending to have completed his memorial visit. He then retraced his steps with his subordinates.

Back in his office, Wencheng took a moment to compose himself. With a slight sense of unease, he pulled the paper from his pocket.

The paper was folded in an unusual manner, clearly indicating that it contained something.

Wencheng carefully unfolded it and read the handwritten message:

“Superpowered individual Brando sends his regards to Lord Wencheng.

“If you are reading this, it means your plan succeeded. I have repaid your kindness; I wish you all the best.”

Nestled within the paper was a small storage card. Wencheng could easily place it on the terminal in front of him to access its contents.

However, he chose not to. Instead, he clutched it tightly in his hand, wary of any potential mishaps.

After burning the paper, Wencheng fell silent once more.

He had no recollection of anyone named Brando, and at the time of Brando’s death, he should have been in the spire, undergoing specialized training with the council members, preparing to take over the military in the future.

Everything seemed to make perfect sense, yet why…

The sensation in his hands was undeniably real. Wencheng’s typically impassive expression softened slightly as he feigned normalcy and returned to his official duties.