"Zhengfa? It just separated from China ten years ago, it's still not a developed country," Franziska argued.
"Should have spiced up your history, Sis. Zhengfa could be compared to Iran," Shi Long replied with a clenched fist. "They like developing weapons with a new special metal that was recently found. This was the cause of Zhengfa splitting from China in the first place."
"And what was that metal?" Miles asked.
"You've seen it in Det. Badd's apartment, extremely lightweight yet is harder that diamonds, and for Liuxang to use it to make a statue only shows how much of it he has. It's known for the civil war that happened in China and Zhengfa that caused the separation. It is called atroium for all the bloodshed that was caused to mine it."
"Atro meaning dark in Latin," Franziska murmered.
"It's true," Qilin said while biting her fingers nervously," Liuxang has hoarded two things that the Longs should have shared equally."
"Two things?" Shi Long asked.
"The family treasure and atroium, that all happened two hundred years ago."
"What do you mean two hundred years ago?" Franziska asked.
"The first Liuxang saw the world as imperfect and weak so he read the theory of natural selection by Charles Darwin, he had an idea of making the evolution faster and so he concluded that killing off people could speed it up."
"That's cruel!" Miles shouted aghast.
Qilin nodded and continued," So they had a large family until the fourteenth generation, and this family was large, so he sealed three-forths of them some place, and he hired mercenaries to make a war on them. It was horrible and they continued doing it until finally Liuxang found one with more heightened senses, and faster reflexes, he was still discontent but he made progress, when the family reduced until there was a handful of them, they were faster and stronger than an average man, and to conceal from their enemies their true potential, their muscles do not develop until they are extremely strong."
Qilin paused only to take in some breath. "And yet, it still wasn't enough, this time it was a new Liuxang who was more ambitious and power-hungry, and he used biological weapons this time, he would have them poisoned, drugged, infected them, he even had them exposed the radiation. Until then, only a few people survived all those tests and they indeed became what Liuxang had expected them to be. That was when he decided that the world should not be shared and he did not want this blood to be tainted so he shared the information to the rest of the family. Half applauded, half disgusted, and they argued, quarrelled, and fought and more blood was shed. Finally, the matter was taken to the police and he was given the death-sentence, his last words were," I am content, for I have achieved what the United States has done." Cruel but true, and he died there rotting because he bit his tongue and his cell was hot and isolated, he was only found the day they were going to execute him. But the magnitude of what he did did not stop, and so the family split into two, Heilong, the black dragon of sin, Pailong, the white dragon of merits."
"You didn't tell us what happened to the few who survived," Franziska said.
"I was getting to that, so the Longs took in the survivors but it took a lot to undo the destructive programming that had been moulded into them, some were broken and sent to mental asylums and had to be killed, while others served as bodygaurds, and this few were put in the main family for their skills, they were highly intelligent, and highly skilled so they were trophies to behold in Zhengfan societies. But again, another Liuxang rose and had just in time halted a marriage of a survivor and a princess from another kingdom, and that was when he made them choose their other fellow survivor as a mate. Incest, it's such a disgusting word, it leaves an awful taste in my mouth, and he convinced the family that he was against the ways of the previous Liuxang but he felt that these people were precious and therefore blood must not be tainted, so they did just that, and soon afterwards, but you already know all Liuxang's true intentions, don't you? He lied and commenced a turf war in Zhengfa after the separation of China and Zhengfa. The war ended in a truce because of the few people Liuxang had, and when one was killed, he didn't want to lose another one while the Pailongs lost many good soldiers to his selfish and self-absorbed goals."
"Amazing," Franziska said," but why weren't these in history books?"
"This is classified information that I should not keep from you, Franziska. Discussing it in Zhengfa is taboo, and would lead to imprisonment."
"This was one of Zhengfa's darkest moments in history. It only recently opened to international trading did it not?" Shi Long added.
Miles bit his lip. "Then Qilin are you one of those evolved humans?"
Qilin shook her head. "How I wish I was one of them."
"Typical of you, Qilin," Shi Long joked.
"Look, my grandfather knew you were coming and asked me to bring you three to him because you're in danger," Qilin said seriously, "You have to come with me, please."
It was rare for Qilin to look serious, Franziska recalled. "So where is our mode of transport?"
Qilin smiled smugly as she lead them to a clearing. "This."
Shi Long smiled at the motorcycle, he had been driving cars but he did miss using a motorcycle, and maybe, just maybe ... He glanced at Qilin.
"Would you like to sit with me, Qilin?" Shi Long asked as he patted the sidecar's seat.
"Sure, but you have to drive safely," QIlin said with her arms crossed.
"Fine, I'll drive safely," Shi Long replied nonchalantly. It made Franziska squirm and she could visualise how the Interpol agent would drive. Crazy and fast.
Shi Long smiled at Franziska, he knew what she was thinking of, and he was going to do just that.