Homo Sapiens

In the hospital room.

Yang Tianci, who had just regained consciousness, had lost more than half his hair. Several bald patches dotted the top of his head, his vision was blurry, and he looked like a ghoul that had escaped from hell.

In a weak voice, he slowly asked, ”Father... how is my condition?”

Yang Haibo’s heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. Seeing his son—the one who resembled him most—tormented into a state that was neither human nor ghost was momentarily too much for him to accept. He could only say reassuringly,

”I’ll find the best hospitals and doctors. You’re going to be okay.”

Although the poison had affected his brain, Yang Tianci hadn’t become a complete fool. He could hear the lack of conviction in his father’s voice.

His mother, Chang Mei, who was peeling an apple nearby, could only fight back tears as she repeatedly tried to console Yang Tianci.

But for Yang Tianci, who had been fiercely proud his entire life, her comforting words only served to further wound his fragile psyche.

Seeing the look of utter despair on his son’s face, Yang Haibo suppressed his own anguish and left the room.

His mind heavy with worry, he returned to his villa.

Sitting on the sofa and listening to his subordinate’s report, Yang Haibo’s eyes filled with a ruthless glint. ”Have you investigated everyone Yang Tianci has been in contact with recently?”

His confidant, Yang Zheng, immediately replied, ”Patriarch, I’ve checked everything. According to the doctor’s diagnostic report, Yang Tianci was likely poisoned within the last ten days. His contacts here in the country were all people from the company or the family, and we found no issues. Over in Siam, the Xu Family is also helping to investigate, but we haven’t heard back from them yet.”

”Screen his domestic contacts again, carefully,” Yang Haibo ordered.

”Yes, sir. I’ll get on it right away.” Yang Zheng nodded.

But Yang Haibo knew in his heart that his son had most likely been poisoned in Siam.

Although the Yang Clan had many partners across the nations of Nangyang, that didn’t mean they would offer their full support. Major families were extremely pragmatic; without sufficient incentive, the investigation in Siam would likely only scratch the surface.

’But what could he do?’

’Should I fly over to Siam with my own men? Obviously, that’s not realistic.’

Suddenly, Yang Haibo thought of something else and quickly picked up his phone.

”Hello? Father, what is it?”

”Tiancheng, return to Yangcheng immediately. Remember, don’t get familiar with strangers, and inspect your food carefully before you eat.”

”Huh? What on earth is going on?” Yang Tiancheng sounded completely baffled on the other end of the line.

Yang Haibo kept it brief. ”Your brother has been poisoned. Get back here now.”

”Poisoned? Er... I’ll head back to Yangcheng right away.”

After hanging up, Yang Haibo collapsed onto the sofa. Clearly, recalling his eldest son was a choice born of desperation.

He had never seriously considered his eldest son. In his mind, Yang Tianci had always been the ideal heir. But now, unfortunately, Yang Tianci was all but ruined.

If it had been a physical injury, like a broken arm or leg, Yang Haibo wouldn’t have been too concerned. But the thallium poisoning had severely damaged Yang Tianci’s central nervous system. How could an heir with an addled mind lead the Yang Clan forward and ensure its legacy?

Now, Yang Haibo could only settle for second best and recall his eldest son, Yang Tiancheng, whom he had previously written off.

Then again, he was also worried that Yang Tiancheng would be targeted next.

As for suspecting Yang Tiancheng of the poisoning, Yang Haibo knew his incompetent son all too well. Given his tendency to be a coward in important matters yet arrogant in trivial ones, hiring a hitman wasn’t entirely out of the question. The problem was, Yang Tiancheng had very little power at his disposal. What little he did have was assigned by Yang Haibo himself, and some of his men had even been planted there by Yang Tianci. There was no way he could have done it without his father or younger brother finding out.

...

Meanwhile.

「Siam. Bangkok.」

「Xu Manor.」

The Xu Brothers, Xu Xuekong and Xu Xue Meng, were in the living room listening to a subordinate’s report.

”...We investigated the surveillance footage from the Riverfront Hotel and launched a joint inquiry with the Su Family, who owns the hotel. We found no issues among the hotel staff.”

”...We’ve also vetted all the internal servants, chefs, and bodyguards in the family. Similarly, we found no suspicious individuals who could have administered the poison.”

Xu Xuekong’s expression was grave. ”He was poisoned in Siam. This puts us in a difficult position!”

None of the subordinates dared to respond.

It was Xu Xue Meng, smiling as he sipped his tea, who spoke with nonchalance. ”We just need to give him an answer. Is Yang Haibo really going to make an enemy of us over a ruined son?”

”Giving him an answer would be great, of course, but the question is what that answer should be. We can’t just offer up any random nobody, can we?” Xu Xuekong cautioned.

Suddenly, Xu Xue Meng recalled something. The corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. ”Perhaps I have an idea. A while back, Yang Tianci found a lead on Li Qingye, the son of Xinxin Group’s former chairman.”

”You mean...” Xu Xuekong instantly understood.

Xu Xue Meng shrugged and smiled. ”Since we’re looking for a scapegoat, isn’t he the perfect candidate? We don’t even have to invent a pretext.”

...

That evening, Chen Jianxiong, still at his secret stronghold in Bangkok, received intelligence from inside the Xu Manor. A word-for-word transcript of the Xu Brothers’ conversation was now in his hands.

”Isn’t it nice to be alive? They’re courting their own destruction. Perhaps this is what arrogance is. They’ve been on their high horse for so long they actually think they’re a cut above the rest.”

”Just a bunch of trash. Can we make a move now? I can’t wait to hear their pathetic screams.” Domino’s eyes blazed with madness and murderous intent.

Chen Jianxiong nodded. ”Go ahead. Make it clean.”

Unable to wait any longer, Domino immediately left the stronghold with his subordinates.

Under the cover of darkness, a van pulled over on a street two kilometers from the Xu Manor. The street was quiet and deserted late at night.

This was one of Bangkok’s well-known affluent neighborhoods, making it much quieter and lacking the hustle and bustle of the more common districts.

Having previously obtained blood samples from the Xu Brothers, Domino had already bred venomous mosquitoes that specifically targeted them.

The venomous mosquitoes were released.

In his study, Xu Xuekong was on the phone with a company executive.

Meanwhile, several mosquitoes slipped silently under the door. Their target was clear: Xu Xuekong, who was emitting a strong pheromonal signature.

Since Siam has a tropical climate, Xu Xuekong was naturally wearing a short-sleeved shirt. A few bites quickly appeared on his arm.

Once inside his body, the parasites swiftly traveled through his bloodstream to his brain. There, they used the nutrients in his blood to secrete a large amount of toxins derived from the genes of a coral snake.

Coral snake venom is a potent neurotoxin that also has a special neuromuscular blocking effect. Coupled with the fact that the genetically modified parasites initially secreted only a small amount, Xu Xuekong didn’t notice anything abnormal with his body.

After he fell asleep, the level of toxins in his body steadily accumulated. In less than five hours, he died of respiratory failure.

The lover sharing his bed never even realized the man beside her had already gone to hell.

This was precisely why Domino chose to strike at night. The victim would be poisoned in the first half of the night but show no obvious clinical symptoms. Then, once they were sound asleep in the latter half, they would simply sleep for eternity.

Once the parasites detected the rapid drop in the blood’s oxygen content, they immediately triggered their self-dissolution gene. The parasites disintegrated, breaking down into untraceable proteins and other organic matter.

「The next morning.」

”AAAAHHHHH!” A shrill, high-pitched female scream echoed from the rooms of the brothers, Xu Xuekong and Xu Xue Meng.

The manor was immediately thrown into chaos. For the Xu Clan, the sudden fall of the family’s two pillars was like the sky itself collapsing.

After all, the two brothers had been very young—one was 42, the other 35. Although both had children, the eldest was a daughter who was only sixteen, and their other children were even younger.

At this, the other adult members of the clan sensed their opportunity had arrived. A few with particularly close blood ties were especially quick to make their move.

A struggle over the family’s assets, both in the open and in the shadows, was now inevitable.