Chapter 896 - Knowledge Is Power
Iris rested her head on Jin Liwei's shoulder again before sighing in contentment. Jin Liwei saw that she was still alert so he asked her something that had been bothering him since last week.
"The report isn't complete, is it?"
He felt her stiffen but pretended to not notice. Nikolai told him that the report was incomplete because Evelina was never a part of the Vetrov organization. There were things that they kept from her. One thing that wasn't included in the report was how each of the final family members of the Vetrovs died. There were also no detailed information about what happened the night of the annihilation.
Truth be told, Jin Liwei didn't want to know how his wife died even if it was in her past life. Just knowing what she went through growing up in the name of "training" as a Vetrov was already enough to cause him to erupt in volcanic fury. If he learned about how she died, he might even join Nikolai in seeking revenge.
Despite this, there was still a part of him that felt curious about how she, her brother, and the other members of the Vetrovs died. He already had an idea based on how she described her nightmare about fighting off attackers in her piano room who eventually killed him, their twin babies, and everyone at Dragon Palace Home #10.
However, she never really told him how she exactly died. He didn't want to ask her point-blank about it for fear that it would upset her, or worse, awaken any debilitating trauma. He couldn't do that to her, especially right now that her health condition was very sensitive due to her pregnancy.
The wary expression returned on Iris' face when she looked at him. In a soft voice, she said, "Yes, you're right. The report is incomplete but it wasn't my intention to conceal other information from you."
"I know, love. Don't worry. I'm not asking due to suspicion but from curiosity."
She nodded and took a deep breath. "When I prepared the report, I wrote it based on my own memories. I admit that my memories of my past life may not be 100% accurate because everything is based on my perception. In addition, a lot of my past memories especially the more mundane ones are becoming fuzzier with each passing day. I have to think hard to remember specific incidents.
"However, anything that is based on historical facts and basic biographic details such as names, dates of birth or death, special skills, major achievements, and things like that about the most notable figures in the Vetrov family tree are already recorded in my memory like pages in a book. These are information that I can't forget even if I want to because all members of the Vetrov family were required to memorize them in order to instill pride. These are the types of information that I included in the report I prepared for you, so they should be 100% accurate."
"I see," Jin Liwei murmured.
"But just like you noticed, the report is incomplete because I only included basic biographic details and also some of the things that I can still remember. I didn't want to include anything that I wasn't 100% sure. And also…" Her eyes dimmed. "I didn't want to gather additional information by hacking."
He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself because she continued talking. He didn't want to interrupt her so he just continued to listen.
"Unearthing anything about the Vetrovs right now is too dangerous. The people who annihilated us, whoever they are, should be very powerful and capable to do what they did. I suspect that they're different groups who temporarily teamed up in order to make the Vetrovs disappear from the face of the planet. I'm confident in my skills as a hacker and I know that I can find out anything if I really wanted to but…."
He finally interrupted her by pulling her into a tight hug. "Love, you don't have to say anything anymore. I understand."
She grasped the front of his shirt. "I…I just can't bring myself to do it," she said in a shaky voice. "Am I…weak? Liwei, do you think I'm a weak person for not daring to investigate what really happened that…that hellish night?!"
"No!" His voice was firm and brooked no argument. "Let's not talk about this anymore. You're turning too pale."
She shook her head and gasped his shirt harder until her knuckles turned white. "Big Brother wants revenge and I understand why! But I…."
"Alright, love. That's enough for now." He forced himself to be calm even though he was extremely worried deep inside because she now started trembling in his arms.
Contrary to his expectations, however, she was able to control herself. She pushed away from him a little so that he could see her expression. Her face still had a worrying pallor but she looked calmer. Then she looked down at her abdomen and started rubbing it gently.
"I can't do it right now," she said in very soft whisper that Jin Liwei had to strain in order to hear. "But maybe one day…" Her eyes flashed with determination. "Maybe one day I'll be able to at least have the courage to find out the truth about our annihilation."
He didn't say anything but his expression became pinched.
"Right now, I need to focus on carrying our twins and giving birth to them safely."
"Exactly." He placed his hand on top of hers over her stomach while embracing her with his other arm.
Moments later, her eyes closed. He sighed in relief when he ascertained that she fell asleep. She usually took a nap during this time. After carrying her to their bed, he returned to the living room with the tablet containing the Vetrov report.
No matter what happened in the future, he needed to know as much information as he could. Knowledge was power. And in this case, the more knowledge he had, the more prepared he would be to be able to protect his wife and their family.