XG 27- Bitten by karma

“You must have been wondering why mummy knows a lot about this… infectious disease, or the virus, as most often refer to them as. Baby, your father and I may be the investors behind the research of a special gene, but we have no hand in creating the disaster. Our goal in investing in the research is very different and someone is trying to use our ignorance for their own cause. We need to stop them before the virus spreads all over the world.”

The mastermind knew that their research lab was in Korea and purposely had the first infection start from that country. They were trying to put all the blame on their researchers.

"Can I know more about the special gene?" Wong Xue Guo asked.

"To explain about it, I will start from the beginning." Suzie Yap rubbed her daughter's head affectionately. She smiled when Wong Xue Guo's eyelashes fluttered, seemingly enjoying her touch.

"Your father's good friend was the one that introduced a fortune teller by the surname Sheng to us. It's when you are just two years old."

"... That fortune teller that predicted I would die yesterday?" Wong Xue Guo voiced her guess.

"He had also predicted many people's death, which is strangely on the same dates or close to each other. At first, it was normal for us to not trust a quack's words, especially when they were told they will die on these dates, or their family members will die on these dates. Many of us had investigated Sheng's background and there's no problem with it, except it was too little and too clean."

"He erased his background?"

"If yes, then he did it too well. Some of us are from a special intelligence unit and skilled in hacking but they failed to retrieve any of the erased records. We can only ignore our suspicion of his background when his random prediction came true. One of his predictions was the long neck Zamir will die from a plane crash and he did."

Long neck Zamir? Was that the famous cousin of a prince from Arab with great fondness for designing an airplane's interior? Wong Xue Guo remembered reading it from one of Low Lin Ya's magazines, which featured the late Zamir, who was given the long neck nickname because he really had it.

She does not know if anyone ever called him by that nickname when he was still alive.

"Zamir's death was not the only one Sheng had predicted in the earlier years. Yet none of them could escape their death."

Wong Xue Guo rubbed her raised hair behind her neck. "Did he not predict any good news? Could he only predict deaths?"

“That’s what he claimed.”

Master Sheng had looked ashamed when he was questioned, but he did not dodge the question. He claimed his fellow disciples had laughed at his one-sided talent of only being able to predict one’s death. Calculating weather and any other things was far from his reach.

But if one carefully thinks about it, predicting death was actually more talented. Hence, there was yet anyone who would deny his accuracy in predicting a person’s death was valuable. Those that were named would tearfully go back and write their will or doing their best to prevent their own death.

“Did he predict you and father’s date?” Wong Xue Guo asked softly, wanting to know but also afraid to know.

“Yes, but that will be many years later.”

Coincidentally, it was the date where Suzie Yap and her husband had to use the last possible method and sent their mind back to the past. When the memories merged with her younger self, it was chaotic, with the feeling of her brain about to explode from the sudden rush of information.

It only took five minutes for her brain to completely accept the new information and for the pain to leave her, yet it felt longer than that. After recovering, she quickly searched for her daughter.

Wong Xue Guo debated whether to ask which date it was, but her mother does not seem willing to share it. Although with her knowing the date will have one extra pair of eyes to watch out for any incoming danger, she was still self-aware of her own ability when it comes to combat skills.

She will ask again after she learns some combat techniques from Kang Xunsu, even if her mother seems to look down on his ability. That guy was still the leader of their bodyguard team!

“That fortune-teller told everyone that the cause of everyone’s death will be related to a disease that needs the gene to cure it?” Wong Xue Guo questioned.

“That gene was found in Antarctica, frozen into an ice rock deep under the freezing water. There was not much in it, but fortunately, it could be duplicated into large doses with the same quality, enough for everyone.”

Master Sheng had actually gathered a large group of powerful and influential people, had them trust his prediction, and borrowed their connection to search for the gene. Without them, they would not get the access to findings of the researchers located in Antarctica. Also because of them, they could hire top researchers all over the world, including Professor Chen and his protégé eldest son that followed in his footsteps.

“The researchers could not do much about the gene other than duplicating it and researching its uses until the disease starts manifesting itself. The virus started last week and the researchers could finally test the gene onto the virus.”

The information given by Suzie Yap was enough to explain most of the questions Wong Xue Guo had. She knew her father’s pharmacy company only start-up around fifteen years ago, which was around the time where they were caught in Master Sheng’s prediction. The pharmacy company must have been set up to help the researchers, including Mr. Chen, who was the head researcher of Winter Fruit pharmacy.

The idea that her mother was a time-traveler was just a fantasy, something from the novels she had read. It was almost impossible for it to happen in reality. Her mother’s words had proven that her seemingly ‘knowing’ actions have their own reasons.

Fortunately, she had not told anyone of the time-travel theory and saved her a wave of embarrassment.

“What does the fortune-teller intend to do with the gene?”

“We don’t know, but with their lunatic actions, they might want to spread the virus all over the world, chasing down every survivor. We had yet to figure out who is the mastermind behind this, only able to catch their small, replaceable subordinate that refused to tell us who is their leader. Thanks to Yi Wen’s sacrifice, he sent us back to time and gave us more time-”

The house alarm suddenly rang, stopping Suzie Yap’s words. Wong Xue Guo, who had heard her mother’s last sentence, felt her mind dizzy, and even more so with the loud blaring of the alarm.

Suzie Yap had swiftly picked up her weapons laid on her vanity table and wore the custom-made shoulder holster for knives. “Guo Guo, stay here-”

"Mother, are you from the future?” Wong Xue Guo could not resist and blurted out what she wanted to ask desperately.

"Only my memories traveled through time."

Gaze lowered in fear her emotion could be seen, Wong Xue Guo released a deep, shaky breath as she fought to sound indifferent. "Okay. I will wait here."

Although she had thought of it, it was another thing to confirm it. It was only when she died did they finally look at her. That explained why her mother would show this much affection to her. She does not know whether to be happy that her dream comes true, or cry that only her death could change her mother.

“Baby, lock the door, okay?” Suzie Yap told her daughter worryingly.

“I will. Be careful of those zombies.”

“Don’t worry, it’s unwelcomed thieves that sneaked into our house. Our country’s military force isn’t that weak, and the virus spreading won’t be that quick to reach our compound. It should take a few days for the virus to reach here.”

Obediently locking the door after her mother leaves, she sat on the bed heavily, her eyes staring unfocused at the door.

She thinks she was now at a worse stage than Chen Yibo. The innocent Chen Yibo believed that one day his father would look at him. She had mocked him that it could only happen after his death, but unknowingly it actually happened to herself.

She was bitten by karma.

After the kidnapping when she was at the age of twelve, Wong Xue Guo learned her lesson in hoping for the impossible and accepted that her parents would never look at her true self. A year after the kidnapping, she finally comes to terms with reality and learns to respect them, love them, and place them at the highest priority on her list without asking anything in return.

Love could not be forced, just as she could not stop her love flowing towards them.

Between her and Chen Yibo, she was the actual nut job that invited abuse even after accepting the truth.