noffsinger Chapter 226 The Vastness of the Universe
Chapter 226 The Vastness of the Universe
Suzhou was shrouded in torrential rain.
In an old residential area on the outskirts of the city, a slightly dilapidated courtyard has a vegetable garden full of flowers, while weeds grow wildly in the rain.
The house was small, and the furnishings were simple.
But this place is inhabited by people of extraordinary status.
The room was heavy with tension. An elderly man with a full head of white hair sat in front of the French windows, watching the torrential rain outside.
The tanks roared and came to a stop at the entrance of the villa.
A tall and imposing middle-aged man got out of the car and hurried into the villa. This man was named Su Dacheng.
"Dad, I'm home!"
The white-haired old man was Su Ping'an's grandfather, a retired general named Su Hu, a founding hero of the nation.
There are so many medals in the cabinet that there's no room to put them all.
Su Ping'an was called back by him.
Su Hu was eighty-eight years old and exuded an aura of authority.
He is Su Ping'an's grandfather.
Su Dacheng is his son and also Su Ping'an's father.
"What happened to Ping An?"
When Su Hu spoke, his voice was full of authority.
Su Dacheng said, "Ping An has been detained!"
"Because of the death of Li Hai from the Li family."
Let's go back ten hours.
Six months ago, the Jiang family was wiped out, and Su Ping'an rescued over two hundred victims, earning him a great merit. Just a few days ago, after assessment, nomination, recommendation, approval, and a series of procedures, this elite soldier, the king of soldiers, was promoted from major to lieutenant colonel, instantly becoming a prominent figure, attracting both joy and resentment.
This morning, Su Pingan was notified to attend a meeting.
He arrived at the scene full of doubts. As soon as he entered the meeting room, five or six tall and strong soldiers suddenly appeared, rushed up, and forcefully pushed him down.
He yelled and struggled to lunge at one of them, shouting, "I'm here for a meeting! What are you doing?"
Ultimately, it was brought under strong control.
A member of the Li family appeared. A middle-aged man around fifty years old, with cold eyes and a serious tone, said, "Su Ping'an, Li Hai died because of you. We have investigated the whole story and it was you who did it. Many soldiers can testify to that!"
"After unanimous discussion, we have decided to remove you from your post and send you to a military court. Prepare for trial!"
And so, Su Ping'an was arrested.
The news reached the Su family.
Su Dacheng rushed over to tell the old man immediately.
After learning about the situation, Grandpa Su already knew what had happened.
Su Dacheng said angrily, "This was deliberately targeted by the Li family. I felt something was wrong a while ago. They must dislike Ping An and are deliberately making a big deal out of Li Hai's death!"
Grandpa Su said, "I already know about Li Hai's death. After the Jiang family was destroyed, Ping An came back and told me about it!"
Su Dacheng, unaware of this, asked, "Dad, what exactly happened to Li Hai? Wasn't it killed by a martial artist from the Jiang family?"
The old man showed no sign of worry. Instead, he sighed and told Su Dacheng what Su Ping'an had said to him six months ago.
After hearing this, Su Dacheng was filled with surprise: "Cultivators? What are those? Dad, at a time like this, you're still in the mood for jokes?"
The old man said with a serious expression, "Dacheng, there are some things I've never told you. It's normal that you don't know them; it's to protect you!"
Seeing his father's expression, which clearly wasn't a joke, Su Dacheng's face also turned serious: "Dad, what exactly happened?"
The old man said, "Now, you must know something about the gradual push for the revival of the Immortal Clan from above."
Su Dacheng nodded: "That's right, the revival of the Immortal Clan. Could it be that the revival of the Immortal Clan is related to cultivators? But we've never heard of the concept of the Immortal Clan before. I haven't found any records of such a race."
Upon hearing this, the old man shook his head and smiled slightly: "Child, learn more, study more, and you will know everything. Always believe that we were once an incomparably glorious immortal race!"
He continued, "When I was the same age as Ping An, I saw real cultivators, so I believe everything this child tells me without a doubt!"
Su Dacheng was completely bewildered. Putting those matters aside for the time being, he asked, "What about Ping'an? He's been captured by the Li family; I'm afraid they won't let him go easily!"
The old man said, "Don't worry too much, the child will be fine. The Li family can't touch him; at most, they'll dismiss him from his post. That child needs this ordeal to grow and mature!"
Su Dacheng scratched his head: "Then what should we do?"
The next second, the old man's eyes changed, and he exuded an aura of authority, saying, "Warn the Li family not to go too far, or I won't hesitate to expose all the shameful things they did back then!"
Su Dacheng nodded: "Dad, I'll go and inform them right away."
A month has passed quickly.
The Lunar New Year has arrived.
Six or seven people arrived at the small courtyard on the outskirts of the city, creating a lively atmosphere. These included Su Dacheng, all of whom were Su's children and grandchildren.
On the same day, Su Pingan was released.
He had only been promoted for a few days when he was dismissed from his post, a setback in his official career, all because the Li family had secretly orchestrated it.
"It's good that you're back, don't think about it too much!"
The family members offered their comfort.
The old man called Su Ping'an aside into the courtyard.
There was an astronomical telescope set up in the yard.
In his later years, the old man's hobbies were simply tending his vegetable garden and gazing at the stars. He didn't have any grand ambitions; his only hope was to witness the revival of the Immortal Clan before he passed away.
"Grandpa, what did you call me for?"
Su Pingan stepped forward.
The sky was clear tonight, revealing a rare array of stars, and the old man asked him to use a telescope to look at the night sky.
Su Pingan did as instructed and looked up at the starry sky.
For a fleeting moment, he saw the vastness of the sky, the countless stars, and felt the immensity of the universe and the infinity of space and time. What are humans? What is the blue planet? We are nothing but ants and dust. An unprecedented peace and comfort arose in his heart.
The old man said, "Child, it's normal to feel upset about being dismissed from your post right after being promoted."
As Su Ping'an looked at the night sky, he said, "Grandpa, to be honest, I don't really care about being dismissed from my post. It's just that I've always wanted to lead troops to the other side of the ocean, to Western Europe, to Australia, and to reclaim all the territory that belongs to our Immortal Clan. It's just that this dream can't be realized now!"
Looking through the telescope into the depths of the night sky, Su Ping'an saw a meteor streak across the night sky.
The old man said, "Child, there will be successors. Believe that this day will come sooner or later. Now, I have a favor to ask of you."
Su Ping'an said, "Grandpa, you tell me."
The old man said, "It's still your problem."
Su Pingan turned around, a little startled: "Grandpa..."
The old man quickly said, "Don't be so quick to refuse. Listen to me. The Immortal Clan needs to revive, and it's obviously impossible without descendants. Do you know how many of our country's billion people are from the other eight countries and their descendants?"
Su Pingan looked at the old man and shook his head slightly.
The old man stretched out one hand, showing five fingers.
Su Pingan asked, "Fifty million?"
The old man shook his head: "At least five hundred million!!!"
Su Ping'an's expression changed drastically: "What?! So many?!"
The old man nodded.
"The higher-ups of the Immortal Clan have always known about this and have been secretly fighting against them, trying their best to protect the ordinary people of our Immortal Clan, but they still managed to support such scum as the Four Great Families."
"Otherwise, with those guys' ambitions, they would dare to sell a bag of rice to an ordinary person for ten million Chinese yuan, dare to slaughter our ordinary people like livestock, and dare to split our motherland into several countries."
Su Pingan gasped, his eyes trembling.
The old man beckoned Su Ping'an closer and then whispered to him, "Think about the Li family that's targeting you."
Su Ping'an was shocked, then realized, "Grandpa, you mean those collaborators..."
The old man quickly patted his shoulder, interrupting him, and coughed, saying, "Alright, it's good that you know. Some things are better left unsaid!"
Su Ping'an fell silent, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.
The old man said, "You should think things through yourself. I'm worried about what you're concerned about too. After all, everyone knows the current situation. We've seen those young people who are afraid of marriage and having children, but this situation can't be resolved in a short time. It's a long and arduous journey. All I can do is wish you good luck in meeting a good girl!"