Resurrecting the Genius Within | Read Free Preview

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Chapter 1

Brookhaven.

A solitary island, isolated from the world by the vast ocean.

A secret and inhumane underground laboratory lay hidden beneath this seemingly ordinary island.

In the research room filled with potions and high-tech equipment, the girl was no longer on the narrow single bed. Only four bloody handcuffs remained, hanging at the four corners of the bed.

"Blood Shadow is missing!"

The disappearance of the girl from the bed in the surveillance footage made the operator in front of the screen panic.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the control room changed dramatically. Their eyes were all focused on the screen, the numerous small squares of surveillance footage of the girl, as if facing a formidable enemy.

They quickly searched for the girl's trace in the numerous small squares of surveillance footage but found no sign.

The guards, who had fallen in the corridor at some unknown time, threw them into chaos.

"Activate the security system to search for Blood Shadow immediately. We can't let her escape, or none of us will survive."

The system was activated. A vast blue projection filled with dense data appeared mid-air, resembling a sprawling net when it flickered.

"Quick, release the NT34 smoke. Use any feasible methods to capture her, regardless of the cost!"

Upon receiving the order, numerous spray devices appeared on the solid walls, releasing poisonous gas.

Numerous armed men in black with gas masks moved cautiously through the laboratory filled with poisonous gas.

The sound of necks being twisted and bones breaking echoed in the smoke, sending shivers down their spines. The screams were abruptly silenced.

Under the invisible smoke, bodies piled up.

"Notify Professor Luke and his team to enter the safe zone immediately."

"Zzz... " The equipment suddenly emitted several electric currents.

The next moment, all the equipment was destroyed. The electric current burned the operation table, sparking a burst of sparks, and the equipment emitted a burnt smell, causing everyone to retreat and stay away from the operation table.

The surveillance footage was completely destroyed. The entire laboratory lost its essential surveillance control, and the alarm sounded.

Everyone was horrified.

The communication device transmitted an urgent report. "All professors and researchers have been killed, and Professor Luke is missing."

"Blood Shadow must have killed Professor Luke!"

"Let's retreat. No one here can match Blood Shadow. Most of the genes have been successfully extracted. We have to take the data and run!"

"Let's make a decision quickly before Blood Shadow finds out!"

The control room was in chaos. The leader finally spoke, "Take all the data and evacuate immediately. Prepare to detonate. The higher-ups have ordered that once the gene extraction is successful. Blood Shadow must be killed."

Just then, with a "boom," the metal door of the control room was blasted open.

The entire laboratory shook, and the explosion temporarily deafened everyone. The flames mixed with metal fragments frightened them, causing them to duck and cover.

The door was in ruins.

From the ruins, a thin figure stepped forward, covered in blood, with a momentum that could destroy the world.

Everyone saw the newcomer when the smoke cleared as if they were witnessing a demon or death.

"She's Bl ... Blood Shadow."

The girl slowly raised her face. Her bloodthirsty eyes stared at the people in the control room who were scared to move.

Her long hair spread out, her gaze was as cold as a knife, and her stunning face covered in blood resembled a ghost of death.

That girl was the Blood Shadow they talked about.

A killer who dominated the world of assassins, making all other killers avoid her and causing high-ranking officials to tremble with fear.

She raised her arm slightly and discarded the object in her hand like trash.

When everyone saw what was rolling on the ground, their legs went so weak that it was Professor Luke's head.

It had been severed and rolled to the ground, with blood trailing wherever it went. The two wide-open eyes on the head didn't have time to close and stared at them. This scene gave everyone a suffocating feeling.

The leader regained his senses, trembling as he took out a black detonator and threatened, "Bl ... Blood Shadow, we have implanted a chip in your brain. As long as I detonate it, you will turn to ashes in thirty seconds. You'd better not act rashly."

The girl's cold voice slowly sounded, "Thirty seconds is enough to kill all of you."

"We are just following orders. It's Dark Shadow who wanted us to do this. Every debt has its debtor. Please let us go." Everyone immediately begged for mercy when they saw that Blood Shadow was not afraid.

Dark Shadow?

She laughed loudly, and a hint of mockery flowed in her bloodthirsty eyes, filled with hatred.

Dark Shadow, the largest and most potent assassin organisation in the world, cultivated one desperate killer after another through its brutal training methods.

And she, Blood Shadow, was one of them.

Unlike others, she was the only one Dark Shadow took when she was still an infant. She became the youngest yet most talented trainee in the entire Assassin organisation.

After thirteen years of abnormal training, she began undertaking one extreme mission after another when she was fourteen.

At seventeen, she secured the top spot on the world's assassin list under the "Blood Shadow" codename, a position no one could challenge.

In her six-year career as a top killer, she set one unbreakable record after another and held countless formidable identities. She became a legendary myth in the Dark Shadow and the Assassin world with zero defeats.

Even the retired men from the organisation were no match for her. Her talent was envied by others.

Because of her strength, the organisation began to fear her and wanted her death.

The organisation wanted to extract her genes to clone another, or even countless Blood Shadows, to replace her and serve the organisation.

She was not forced to come here, but voluntarily.

Out of gratitude for the organisation's years of nurturing, she was willing to provide part of her genes to strengthen the organisation.

But she didn't expect them to extract all her genes, clone an exact copy of her, and then kill her to eliminate any future trouble.

Blood Shadow couldn't help but shake her head.

Although she was strong enough to stand independently and lacked neither wealth nor power, she had never been disloyal to the organisation.

She didn't expect her terrifying growth rate would give the organisation ideas to use and kill her.

Blood Shadow laughed at herself when she thought about it.

The organisation had warned her not to have feelings since childhood. But in the end, her compassion was directed at her own people, and they hurt her.

She couldn't help but sigh, "Those who take cold-blooded ruthlessness to the extreme are still the people in the organisation."

Blood Shadow was momentarily distracted. The leader saw his chance and quietly pressed the detonator in his hand. Then he retreated.

Blood Shadow noticed his movement. With one look, she scared the leader into a panic.

She didn't move, but she also took out a detonator under the horrified gazes of everyone.

"Do you recognise this detonator? Professor Luke told me you buried a hundred pounds of TNT in the laboratory."

"Let's go to hell together."

Her voice sent shivers down their spines as it was filled with an icy coldness.

Under the horrified eyes of everyone, she pressed the detonator.

The leader now regretted not immediately eliminating her, foolishly hoping to capture her and continue extracting all her genetic material.

With a resounding explosion, flames soared into the sky, and the wicked island sank to the ocean floor, taking with it the girl who had achieved countless triumphs in her life.

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Chapter 2

Norward City.

In a modest ward of the affiliated hospital.

"My daughter suffered a concussion from a fall, and your school is only willing to pay this much? What if she develops any long-term effects and can't continue her studies? Her life would be ruined. Who will take responsibility for that?! I'm telling you, if you don't pay at least fifteen thousand dollars today, we'll meet at the police station. I'll ensure everyone knows how your school handles these situations and that your school can't continue to operate."

"Mrs. Jenkins, can you please be reasonable? Your daughter is not a young child who needs constant supervision from teachers. Besides, your daughter fell down the stairs because she is overweight. The responsibility lies entirely with her. The school has done its best by paying half of the medical expenses.

"Your daughter's academic performance is poor. She is at the bottom of the class and lacks the motivation to improve. Moreover, she negatively impacts other students' studies. Students have complained to me more than once. A few days ago, she even started dating and brought breakfast to a male student, seriously damaging the school's atmosphere. That boy's parents have come to me."

With her hands on her hips, Eleanor Dawson said shrewishly, "So, you're saying that your school doesn't want to pay, right?"

The argument escalated.

Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted, "Shut up, all of you!"

Eleanor and her husband, the homeroom teacher, and the head teacher fell silent, looking at the overweight girl on the hospital bed.

Blood Shadow sat up from the bed and pressed her aching temples. The frail bed creaked under her movement.

The intense pain spread from the back of her head to her entire body, causing her to frown and adjust slowly.

Suddenly, Blood Shadow sensed something. Her massaging motion suddenly stopped. The next moment, she widened her eyes.

She didn't die?

She quickly scanned the ward. Her gaze fell on the four ordinary-looking people standing at the foot of her bed.

"Who are you?"

Blood Shadow's eyes narrowed when she spoke. This was not her voice. She immediately touched her throat but noticed the thick arm she had raised.

She furrowed her brow deeply.

What's going on?

The four people were stunned in response to her question.

Eleanor directly rushed at the teacher and made a fuss. She said, "Look at what my daughter has become. Your school only pays a small amount for medical expenses. You're simply inhuman and heartless!"

The homeroom teacher, a man in his forties wearing black glasses, was flustered. He replied, "Mrs. Jenkins, please calm down."

"Isabelle, I'm your dad. Don't you recognise me?"

"Isabelle, don't scare me. Are you still not fully awake? Take a good look at who we are."

However, the girl just stared at her thick arm.

At that moment, the TV reported, "A solitary island in Brookhaven exploded at 7.10 this morning ... "

Blood Shadow looked at the TV.

Before she could react, a flood of memories that didn't belong to her suddenly poured in, causing her to furrow her brow.

Eleanor was causing a fuss with the homeroom teacher over money while her husband and the head teacher expressed concern.

Her head was throbbing with pain. She couldn't bear it any longer and said, "All of you, please get out!"

"Stop making noise. Isabelle just woke up. Let her rest. If there's anything, let's talk outside." Isabelle's father finally stood up and called the incessantly loud Eleanor out of the ward.

The ward finally quieted down. Blood Shadow maintained an extraordinary calm and smelled the faint scent of disinfectant in the air.

Eleanor's loud voice echoed in the corridor outside.

Blood Shadow entered the bathroom and spent more than ten minutes looking at her unfamiliar face in the mirror. Her features were quite clear. Although her body was fat, her face was not too chubby, and her skin was fair and radiant.

If she lost weight, she would look pretty good.

"Isabelle."

After a while, the girl said that name in front of the mirror.

This name seemed to have a connection to her.

A soul rebirth?

This was not difficult to accept, as she had already witnessed many strange things.

After just standing for ten minutes, her body already felt strained. Her legs were weak, not only because of the impact on her head but also due to the lack of exercise, resulting in physical weakness.

Blood Shadow wanted to know how this body managed to be both bulky and frail.

What a pity. Her body, as strong as an iron wall, was blown to pieces. After years of intense training, it became food for the fish in the ocean in the end.

Blood Shadow closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she had fully embraced this new body and identity.

Isabelle.

It sounded good. It's much more human than Blood Shadow.

She returned to the ward. The corridor outside was quiet. The doctor entered and brought the medical record to check on her. "Are you Isabelle?"

She lifted her bright eyes and responded, "Yes, that's me."

Taragon City, the Harris Residence.

In a study room decorated in a low-key yet luxurious manner, a man sat at his desk with a document in front of him.

"What a pity," that man murmured.

His voice was deep and magnetic, tinged with regret.

A moment later, he sighed again. "Such a waste of a genius." This time, his lament was more straightforward.

His gaze fell on the document. The name on it was "Blood Shadow."

This elusive genius assassin, whose gender was unknown to many, had most of her information displayed in front of this man.

Isabelle spent a night in the hospital and was urged by her mother, Eleanor, to go home early the following day.

"Quickly change your clothes, and let's go home. The school only slightly compensated us, and we can't afford your hospital bills."

Eleanor tossed the clothes she brought to Isabelle and constantly complained about the meagre compensation.

Isabelle's eyes were cold as she sat motionless on the hospital bed.

"Hurry up, what are you waiting for? I have to go to work soon. Will you make up for it if I'm late and they deduct my pay?"

She always talks about money.

Blood Shadow thought about how she had taken over Isabelle's body. She decided to tolerate this harsh and cheap mother.

After leaving the hospital, Eleanor left her and gave her thirty cents for the bus fare. She handed her the keys and went to work.

Relying on the original owner's memory, Isabelle returned to her home. Before she entered the residential area, she ran into a handsome boy.

That boy, who wore a blue and white school uniform, was full of youthful energy but a bit thin and silent.

Although Eleanor was mean, she possessed a remarkable beauty that contributed to her proud and arrogant demeanour.

The boy standing before her had inherited Eleanor's genes.

When that boy saw Isabelle, he stopped for a while. His gaze shifted to the bandage wrapped around her head.

Isabelle also observed him closely.

Perhaps the previous Isabelle had grown accustomed to being submissive and avoiding eye contact, so her behaviour made the boy frown in surprise.

He approached her, and Isabelle noticed a slight limp in his left foot.

Ethan didn't say a word, but as he passed by her, he handed her the object before continuing to school with his backpack.

Isabelle looked at the bun in her hand.

Her younger brother didn't inherit their mother's harsh nature.

A concussion is not a minor issue, and the doctor disagreed with Isabelle's discharge. However, Eleanor was too stingy to pay for the hospital stay. So, upon returning home, Isabelle did nothing but go straight to bed and sleep.

She slept until darkness fell.

"Fat pig, you truly are a pig reincarnated. All you do is eat and sleep all day. Why don't you just drop dead?"

When Isabelle opened her eyes, she saw Layla standing by her bed, glaring at her with disgust and hatred.

"What are you staring at? Get up and eat. Do you need someone to call you, even for a meal? Even a disabled person is more useful than you!" Layla said, turning to leave without wanting to spend another second in the room.

With such looks and character, she was indeed a spitting image of Eleanor.

Isabelle sat up and realised this family was quite abnormal, especially her supposed younger sister, Layla.

Isabelle, who had inherited the memories of the previous owner, knew all too well the extent of the bullying she had endured from this "loving sister."

She is young but has a wicked heart. She truly needed to be taught a lesson!

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Chapter 3

Isabelle came out of her room.

"Isabelle, come and eat." Isabelle's father, William, had prepared her bowl and chopsticks.

The living room was bare, devoid of any valuable items. The dusty light bulb emitted a faint glow.

A family of five gathered around a small, worm-eating square table. Isabelle sat in a corner spot.

Ethan kept his head down and ate his meal. When Isabelle joined them, he silently moved his chair aside, giving plump Isabelle more room and taking a seat at the edge of the table.

"You must be feeling better after a good sleep. Eat up." William added some meat to her bowl and said with a hint of shame, "We can't afford to keep you in the hospital any longer. Rest well at home before going back to school. I'll buy a chicken tomorrow to make soup for you."

"With her poor grades, it doesn't matter whether she goes to school or not. The teachers probably hope she doesn't show up," Layla sneered.

"Layla! Isabelle is your sister. How can you speak like that?" William scolded angrily.

"Why are you yelling? What did Layla say wrong? I really don't know what's in her head. She just can't seem to get past Ds. I've been completely embarrassed by her. And she's even dating at such a young age. She's not ashamed at all." Eleanor's words grew more heated as she spoke.

Not satisfied with scolding Isabelle, she turned her anger towards William. "Do you know how your relatives laugh at me? How did I end up marrying such a useless man like you? All your brothers were extremely poor back then, but now they all drive cars and live in new houses. Only you, still living in this old house with your wife and children, are using the old appliances your brothers don't want anymore. If you were a bit more ambitious, your son wouldn't be limping. I really regret marrying you."

Facing his wife's complaints, William kept his head down and said nothing. His face aged more than his peers due to overwork, flushed with shame.

Ethan continued to eat calmly, seemingly numb to the familiar scene. However, he gripped his chopsticks tighter when he heard the word "limping."

"You really don't care, do you? Our parents are arguing because of you, and you're just sitting there watching TV. You're hopeless. I can't believe I have a sister like you." Layla glared at Isabelle and made the situation worse.

As expected, Isabelle received an almost resentful glare from Eleanor.

However, Isabelle shifted her gaze from the TV to Layla with a blank expression.

Her gaze was as cold as ice.

"What's with that look? Did I say something wrong?" Layla felt something was off about Isabelle since she returned from the hospital. Usually, she would just lower her head, shrink her neck, and be too scared to eat. She wouldn't dare look at her like this.

Did she hit her head and damage her brain?

"You little br*t, how dare you glare at your sister. Finish your meal quickly and wash the dishes. I get angry just looking at you." After scolding Isabelle, Eleanor picked up her bowl to eat.

Isabelle glanced at Eleanor. She didn't want to argue with them at this moment.

She turned her attention back to the TV.

The TV was old and has been used for many years. The model was long outdated.

The news was reporting on a major explosion in Brookhaven.

A cold light flashed in Isabelle's eyes.

Dark Shadow, I, Blood Shadow, will settle this score sooner or later!

She put down her chopsticks and stood up to return to her room.

"Oh, you're eating so little today. Don't you usually eat three bowls?" Layla glanced at Isabelle's bowl and mocked it.

Eleanor ordered Isabelle, "Wash the dishes before you return to your room."

"Isabelle just had a bad fall yesterday. She can't wash dishes. Layla, Ethan, you guys do it," William said gruffly.

Layla replied, "But I don't know how to wash the dishes." Then she muttered, "She fell on her head, not her hands. She usually does the washing."

"Layla and Ethan still have homework to do. What if their grades drop? Every New Year, when we sit with our relatives, they brag about their cars and houses. We can only be proud of Layla and Ethan's grades." After Eleanor finished speaking, she urged Isabelle to wash the dishes.

Isabelle stood at the entrance of the living room and looked at Eleanor. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was restraining something.

She was not known for her good temper. The rumours of her ruthless nature were not exaggerated or unfounded.

If Eleanor and Layla dared to say another word, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't lose her temper.

Just then, Ethan finished eating and quietly cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks.

"Put that down. Why did you wash it? Go back to your room and do your homework." Eleanor would never let her son do such chores. She always left the housework to Isabelle.

Isabelle worked tirelessly every day, yet her meal portion remained the same.

Ethan ignored Eleanor. He picked up the dishes and went to wash them.

Layla frowned slightly, not approving but too lazy to lecture her taciturn brother. She got up and returned to her room. She had no idea how she had narrowly escaped a "storm."

Eleanor glared at Isabelle. She went to the kitchen to chase her son back to his room and she washed the dishes herself.

After sleeping for a day, Isabelle's physical and mental state had somewhat recovered. She walked around the yard to inspect the place where the family lived.

The old house was inherited from two generations before. Although it was dilapidated, it was large enough, with a courtyard, walls, and a separate kitchen.

A sweet-scented osmanthus tree was planted in the courtyard.

There were several rooms initially occupied by a large family. Later, William's brothers made some money and moved out, leaving them behind.

Ethan came out of the kitchen and glanced at Isabelle in the yard. Their eyes met for a moment. Then he limped back to his room.

Isabelle watched his back and followed him.

Ethan took out a difficult math problem he had copied from the internet yesterday. He frowned and sat at his desk, continuing to solve the problem.

Suddenly, he felt a presence. He looked up and saw Isabelle leaning against his door frame with her arms folded, appearing out of nowhere.

A large figure blocked his doorway completely.

This was the first time Isabelle had entered his room. Usually, she would retreat to her room when she returned from school, regardless of the time, except for doing housework.

Ethan noticed that his sister seemed different today.

Isabelle walked over and glanced at his notebook. She raised her eyebrow and asked, "You can't solve it?"

Ethan looked at her in silence.

Isabelle took his pen and began writing in his notebook without hesitation.

Before Ethan could react, his notebook had been filled with her writing. The challenging question that was beyond the syllabus had been solved.

It was solved perfectly!

The steps were clear and unique.

After reading it, Ethan felt as if he had been enlightened. His face even turned slightly red with excitement.

After the initial surprise, he looked at Isabelle in disbelief and asked, "How did you do it?"

This was the first sentence her so-called brother had ever said to her.

"Isn't this simple problem solvable by anyone with hands?" Isabelle replied sincerely.

Ethan said, "This is a university-level question I found online."

He was in his second year of high school, one grade below Isabelle and Layla.

Isabelle responded, "So what?"

Ethan stared suspiciously at the unusually intelligent Isabelle and said, "You usually get D. The highest grade you've ever gotten is C-. Besides choosing ABCD in multiple-choice questions, you could only write out a word, 'solutions'."

With her level of intelligence, how could she possibly solve it?

Having inherited the original owner's memories, Blood Shadow knew how foolish the original owner had been.

Isabelle scoffed without hesitation, "Writing out 'solutions' is just a way not to embarrass them. Such questions are simply a waste of time and ink."

Ethan couldn't believe it and asked, "So, were you just pretending all this time?"

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