ATDIWR Chapter 76

Gu Jinsheng hadn’t even walked close when he heard Zhao Zhen’s extremely insulting words, and his face immediately darkened.

He not only glanced at Ji An, but Ji An’s expression hadn’t changed. In fact, when his gaze met Gu Jinsheng’s dark eyes, he smiled just as brilliantly as he had in the laboratory earlier.

Ji An blinked at Gu Jinsheng and said indifferently, “In this day and age, are people lining up to shove their faces under someone’s shoe soles to get slapped?”

Ji An’s tone was casual and languid, not taking these things seriously at all, like the Buddha looking at the Monkey King jumping around but never escaping his palm, or a god high above, controlling the life and death of all beings, looking down upon a humble ant that could be crushed with a single finger.

This was the confidence and arrogance that only the strong possessed!

“Chief Commander Gu and Researcher Ji are here!”

Someone in the crowd shouted, and Zhao Zhen, who had just been cackling like a duck whose neck was squeezed, instantly fell silent.

The crowd parted, and Gu Jinsheng and Ji An walked through.

Gu Jinsheng walked up to Zhao Zhen, stood in front of him, towering a full head taller, completely overwhelming Zhao Zhen in height alone.

Gu Jinsheng seemed to think that wasn’t enough, and his icy aura suddenly released. An invisible pressure instantly spread through the crowd. It was the bone-chilling coldness of a sharp sword being unsheathed, one that wouldn’t return to its sheath until it had drawn blood!

The Power Users began to feel difficulty breathing, as if the surrounding air was being squeezed out and they couldn’t find oxygen. Some ordinary people present couldn’t withstand such pressure and their legs went weak. They either leaned on friends nearby, or against the wall, or simply sat on the ground to avoid losing control in public.

The hall of the entire Research Institute was silent. It seemed you could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was so tense that if anyone breathed a little heavier, that string might break.

Gu Jinsheng asked coldly, “Fortunately, I have excellent hearing. I heard Deputy Director Zhao’s wonderful speech just now crystal clear.”

Zhao Zhen was trembling violently at this moment. He was clearly trying his best to overcome the pressure Gu Jinsheng was exerting on him, but he still couldn’t control his shaking legs and the panic in his heart. Even the sound of his voice couldn’t help but tremble, “You… I… you, what do you want? I’m telling you I’m not afraid of you. So many people are watching here, don’t even think about doing anything to me!”

Gu Jinsheng snorted coldly, his deep eyes filled with the disdain of looking at garbage. “You don’t deserve it. I’d find it dirtying my hands.”

Gu Jinsheng raised his distinctively jointed hand, deliberately holding it up and turning it over. With years of combat, Gu Jinsheng’s skin wasn’t the pale white of someone who never saw sunlight, but a more aggressive bronze color tanned by years of fighting under the sun.

When others looked at hands, it was an appreciation of beauty. When Gu Jinsheng looked at hands, it was like considering where to start dissecting a person.

Zhao Zhen was scared. He had known before that Gu Jinsheng was cold and ruthless, with the nickname ‘Killing Machine’. But because Han Yaokun was a top-level researcher specifically recruited by Gu Jinsheng from another Base, and they had always been treated with courtesy, Zhao Zhen had momentarily developed the illusion that Gu Jinsheng was a polite gentleman.

“You, what are you trying to do? We just think the Base system is unfair and want fairness. Chief Commander Gu, surely you wouldn’t kill us to silence us for this?” Zhao Zhen tremblingly clutched Wang Zhenghao’s hand tightly, digging into Wang Zhenghao’s palm until it bled. Wang Zhenghao tried several times to pull back but couldn’t.

Wang Zhenghao was in a hurry, then he heard Zhao Zhen disregard him and say, “It’s not just me who thinks it’s unfair, Wang Zhenghao thinks so too, right?”

Wang Zhenghao, who was called out, wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. He had been planning for the “fisherman profits from the fight between the snipe and the clam” outcome, never expecting that Zhao Zhen, this coward, would pull him out at the critical moment out of fear.

This matter was orchestrated by Wang Zhenghao himself. At this moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him. He was standing on the edge of a cliff and could only advance, not retreat. So he said, “Chief Commander Gu, Deputy Director Zhao was overly emotional just now. What he said might not have been what he intended to express. We respect the relationship between you and Researcher Ji, but we also want to say, now that Researcher Ji’s ability is Abandoned, it’s impossible for him to make any breakthroughs in scientific research. Isn’t it inappropriate to give that Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core to Researcher Ji?”

Wang Zhenghao himself had been dragged into the mess. With the mindset that the law doesn’t punish everyone when they all do it, he decided to drag everyone down with him. “All these researchers behind me have the same idea. We just want fairness. Everyone, is that right?”

Wang Zhenghao, with his back to Gu Jinsheng, winked at the crowd and mouthed: “The law doesn’t punish everyone, Zombie King Crystal Core!”

Those behind him who had been intimidated by Gu Jinsheng, hearing Wang Zhenghao’s words and remembering their status as researchers who were essentially universal protective umbrellas, felt a bit more emboldened. Someone stepped forward and agreed, “Yes, we just want fairness and justice!”

With the first person stepping forward, there was a second, “The Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core hunted by the Base is public property of the Base and should have a fair distribution method.”

“That’s what we mean. We’re not saying we must get the Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core. We can accept it being given to other researchers, but not Ji An!”

“Ji An’s ability is Abandoned, and there’s no possibility of future breakthroughs. From a value perspective, he has no value. So we can accept the Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core being given to anyone, except for him!”

“We researchers, under Director Han, just made a major breakthrough in the technology of M Country’s latest Power User Crystal Core coexisting with zombie virus antigen and antibody. According to our contributions, we are the ones who should get it!”

Gu Jinsheng sneered. This laugh was full of thick sarcasm. Gu Jinsheng’s Hawk Falcon-like eyes looked coldly down at everyone present. “How dare you compare yourselves to Ji An! This is probably the funniest joke I’ve ever heard in my life!”

“Hahahaha…” People from the Command Post and Ji An’s laboratory also burst into laughter. Wu Youyang even intentionally held his stomach, laughing so hard he was bent over.

“Oh my, I can’t anymore, my stomach hurts from laughing. This is probably the most absurd and hilarious joke I’ve ever heard. I’ll live on this joke for the rest of my life!”

Zhao Zhen didn’t dare to go head-to-head with Gu Jinsheng, but he wasn’t afraid of Wu Youyang. He went directly after Wu Youyang, clearly intending to make an example of him. “Wu Youyang, you’re just a bootlicker. The most you’ll ever achieve in your life is bootlicking for Ji An.”

Wu Youyang stopped laughing, but he didn’t become angry out of shame. Instead, he said very sincerely and seriously, as if taking an oath, “Thank you for your blessing. My only wish in this life, Wu Youyang, is to bootlick for Boss Ji for a lifetime, and Boss Ji’s feet don’t smell!”

Zhao Zhen was so angry he nearly fainted on the spot. Zhao Zhen pointed at Wu Youyang’s nose and snapped, “Wu Youyang, do you have any self-respect left? For the sake of bootlicking Ji An and Gu Jinsheng, for those few measly rotten coins from their teeth, don’t you care about your face anymore?”

“Being able to follow Boss Ji is the greatest blessing of my life!” Wu Youyang said.

Gu Jinsheng glanced at Wu Youyang, acknowledging Wu Youyang’s loyalty while also showing dissatisfaction with Wu Youyang’s intention to bootlick Ji An’s feet. He hadn’t even gotten to bootlick Ji An’s feet yet.

Wu Youyang was utterly confused by the look. Was Chief Commander Gu satisfied, or dissatisfied?

Gu Jinsheng said coldly, “You want fairness? Alright, I’ll lay it out for you properly.”

They wanted fairness, so Gu Jinsheng would thoroughly re-educate them and sober them up, making them clearly understand how they weren’t even fit to carry Ji An’s shoes.

“There are many reasons why Ji An deserves the Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core. I will list them one by one: First, Ji An participated in the Base mission to hunt the Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core. Moreover, he was the main contributor to killing the Zombie King. If he hadn’t arrived in time to eliminate the Zombie King, the Zombie King would have escaped long ago!”

“That’s impossible!” Zhao Zhen shrieked. “You’re lying! Ji An doesn’t have Mental-type abilities anymore. How could he defeat a Zombie King? It must have been you who killed it, deliberately attributing the credit to Ji An.”

“Blind people always ignore the truth before their eyes!” Ji An said, “There were over twenty Power Users participating in the battle at that time. A Mental-type Zombie King is so precious. Even if they themselves couldn’t use it, exchanging it for supplies would be a huge fortune. Would they just let Gu Jinsheng decide to give the Crystal Core to me so calmly?

You rats who only know how to hide in dark corners and cause trouble all day long know how to fight for your own interests. Would those tough men from the Command Post who fight with their lives in life-or-death situations be so spineless!

Who are you looking down on?”

Ji An coldly swept his gaze across the crowd. “I can give you a chance. Whether it’s one-on-one or a group fight, if you don’t believe in the combat power I gained by fighting with my life, you can come and spar with me right now. If you defeat me, then that Zombie King wasn’t killed by me!”

After saying that, Ji An took out his guns from his space. He held an automatic gun in his left hand and a submachine gun in his right, biting a grenade in his mouth, and wearing a belt of grenades around his waist.

This stance was completely suicidal. These researchers had never even touched a zombie’s clothes. They had only seen Power Users in the Base dressed like this when fighting zombies with their lives. They were instantly intimidated by Ji An’s aura.

Not a single person dared to accept the challenge. With so much equipment, even if they surrounded Ji An, a combination attack from Ji An could take out half of them. No researcher dared to be sure they wouldn’t be the unlucky one to die at Ji An’s hands.

Moreover, Ji An’s imposing reputation was known. Who didn’t know how Ji An’s laboratory came to be? He, when he was just a low-level Tier 2 Power User, had brought an ordinary person who was essentially a burden and single-handedly ventured into the zombie nest to get it.

With such a person who dared to gamble his life, who knew what hidden tricks he had up his sleeve if he really went ruthless.

No one dared to challenge Ji An, all afraid of becoming the unlucky ghost.

“Very good, since no one dares to challenge, it means you acknowledge Boss Ji’s combat power and admit that the Zombie King was killed by Boss Ji.” Wu Youyang said, “Since that’s the case, according to the Base regulations, rewards are given based on contributions during missions. The Zombie King was killed by Boss Ji alone. For this reason alone, giving the Zombie King Crystal Core to Boss Ji is sufficient.”

The researchers were clearly unconvinced, but they didn’t dare to fight Ji An either.

Gu Jinsheng continued, “The second reason is that Ji An’s ability was Abandoned not for his own personal gain, but to save the children in the orphanage. He is a hero. With this merit, he has the right to contend for the Mental-type Zombie King Crystal Core.”

In the Apocalypse, people were cold-hearted, but it didn’t mean they had completely lost their compassion. Or perhaps, precisely because they knew they couldn’t reach that level, when someone stepped up and did it, allowing everyone to see that even in the Apocalypse, love and light still existed, it was even more moving and earned Ji An the deep respect of many for his righteousness.

“Thirdly, the spatial storage item!”

Everyone was instantly silenced. The spatial storage item was something they could never catch up to in their entire lives.

Most people were still rational. They respected Ji An’s character and research regardless of which camp they stood in. At this point, they couldn’t stand it anymore and couldn’t help but speak up for Gu Jinsheng, “The fourth merit, the Nutrient Solution!”

After the Nutrient Solution appeared out of nowhere, many people knew it was developed by Ji An, but the Command Post and Ji An himself never stood up and admitted it personally.

They even hid it somewhat, trying to create the illusion that it wasn’t made by Ji An.

But it was too late. The spatial storage item made Ji An’s brilliance shine brightly, and countless people were paying attention to his every move. Everyone in the entire Research Institute knew that the creator of the Nutrient Solution was Ji An. If it had been Han Yaokun’s side, Zhao Zhen would have spread the word everywhere long ago.

So when someone exposed Ji An as the creator of the Nutrient Solution at this moment, everyone was silent and had no objection.

Ji An rubbed his head helplessly. Talking about the Nutrient Solution at this time, he was truly in a difficult position. He couldn’t admit it, nor could he deny it. So he simply pretended not to hear.

Wu Youyang sneered, “You keep talking about value. Let’s talk about value properly now. Is Boss Ji’s Nutrient Solution valuable enough? Does it outweigh the combined merits of all the researchers in your institute added together over their lifetime! So how did you manage to say those words about value!”

Some researchers were so ashamed they wished they could crawl into a crack in the ground and not come out, not understanding how they had been so easily persuaded and tricked into thinking Ji An wasn’t worthy of the Zombie King Crystal Core. Thinking about it now, if Ji An wasn’t worthy, who was? Them? They were even less worthy! Their meager contributions were probably not even comparable to one of Ji An’s toes.

Several researchers quietly covered their faces and silently retreated from the crowd. Some, although not involved, were researchers who were colleagues of such people and were blushing with shame.

Of course, there were also those who remained stubbornly misguided, murmuring softly in dissatisfaction, “That was in the past. It’s all over now. What about in the future? He’s a Abandoned person with no abilities, an ordinary person. Can he still be as valuable as us?”

Although the voice was low, it was heard by everyone. Some people even nodded, thinking it made sense. The past is the past. A hero doesn’t boast about past achievements. It’s about the future.

Gu Jinsheng was so angry this time that he laughed instead. “It’s best not to be so hypocritical. If we’re going to discard past merits, then everyone discards them. Why should only Ji An discard his, while you can hold onto past merits and demand rewards based on them? Is it because you are incompetent and your past merits cannot compare to Ji An’s?”

Zhao Zhen was unconvinced by this. Zhao Zhen stubbornly tilted his neck and said, “We don’t do hypocritical things. If we don’t talk about past merits, then no one talks about them, and we won’t either. We talk about present merits. Just a few days ago, we solved the technical problem of M Country’s Power User Crystal Core having both zombie virus antigen and antibody simultaneously.”

When Zhao Zhen talked about this technology, his neck was held high, like a rooster that had won a fight. His eyes looked at Ji An filled with smug satisfaction. “I remember Researcher Ji once challenged me publicly, saying that whoever researched the project first, the other would publicly admit they were useless. Researcher Ji is a busy person, but surely he remembers the flag he planted?

I’ve already done it. However, out of consideration for Chief Commander Gu, if you’re really embarrassed, you don’t have to fulfill your promise publicly, but the Zombie King Crystal Core, you must hand it over!”

Just as Ji An was about to speak, a voice loudly shouted, “God Ji, God Ji, what was that high-tech thing you had me lie in just now? Why did I faint as soon as I got in, and then when I woke up, my leg had grown back?”

Everyone felt that the voice was familiar, but why did the words sound a little confusing?

Then everyone saw a scene that they would never forget in their lives, so astonishing it made their jaws drop.

They saw Commander Zhou Qin, who should have been dragging an empty pant leg ever since his lower leg was broken, now wearing only a pair of shorts, walking over with long, intact legs.

“Ah!” Someone among the researchers immediately cried out in surprise.

“Commander Zhou, how did your leg… how did it grow back?”

“My God, what’s going on?”

“Could it be done by those max-level Power Users from M Country? It’s rumored that max-level Power Users can truly restore broken limbs. This is too magical!”

“That’s impossible. The max-level Power Users from M Country didn’t just arrive. They’ve been here for over a month. If they had a way, they would have had one long ago. Why wait until now?”

“Didn’t you hear Commander Zhou call out to Researcher Ji just now? That leg must have been healed by Ji An!”

“How is that possible? Ji An’s ability is Abandoned. How could he still create something so heaven-defying? It’s completely impossible!”

Everyone was extremely agitated, their voices getting louder and louder, with various speculations. Later, someone who couldn’t hold back anymore directly asked, “Deputy Commander Zhou, what’s going on with your leg? Is it real? Did it really grow back?”

Zhou Qin was smiling, looking in a good mood. He even gave the person who asked a thumbs-up and said, “That’s a good question. I don’t know what’s going on either. I also really want to know if it actually grew back.”

As Zhou Qin said this, he condensed a burst of energy with his hand and slashed it towards his calf. Everyone was startled by Zhou Qin’s sudden action and cried out in surprise. Accompanied by the screams, blood gushed from Zhou Qin’s calf. The wound Zhou Qin slashed was very deep, deep enough to see bone.

Everyone present saw it clearly this time. Zhou Qin’s leg was real. It had grown back from flesh and blood and had a complete leg bone. It wasn’t a high-tech prosthetic leg as everyone had imagined.

“What’s going on?” A slightly aged voice came, and everyone turned to see that the newcomer was Han Yaokun.

There was both guilt and a sense of relief in Zhao Zhen’s eyes, as if he could finally get off the tiger’s back.

Han Yaokun had been resting at home ever since he successfully tackled the problem of the zombie virus antigen and antibody coexisting within the Power User Crystal Core.

And it was precisely because Zhao Zhen knew this that he started stirring up trouble.

He had intended to settle the matter of the Zombie King Crystal Core while Han Yaokun was away. By the time Han Yaokun returned, he would have already taken the Zombie King Crystal Core and gone into seclusion to attempt advancement. Then, no matter how much Han Yaokun disagreed, everything would already be set in stone.

He didn’t expect things to go as smoothly as Zhao Zhen had envisioned. However, he had died before he even left the camp. Zhao Zhen had put himself on the fire and couldn’t get off.

Fortunately, Han Yaokun arrived. Otherwise, Zhao Zhen wouldn’t have known how to end this matter. But Zhao Zhen knew that as long as Han Yaokun came, he would be fine. It would certainly be resolved in the same way as every time before, turning major issues into minor ones and minor ones into nothing, and finally ending with him being pressured to apologize to Ji An.

Thinking about being forced to apologize to Ji An again, Zhao Zhen felt a surge of resistance. He truly hated Ji An, and even more hated the feeling of bowing his head to Ji An.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Ji An.

Seeing that the scene was getting out of hand, Han Yaokun, who had received a message from his own laboratory researcher, rushed over and saw the scene described above. His entire attention was immediately drawn, and he forgot the purpose of his visit.

Zhou Qin guessed and said, “I don’t know what’s going on either. This morning, God Ji just told me to come to his laboratory, and I didn’t think much of it, so I came.

Then God Ji told me to lie in some kind of pod, and Chief Commander Gu kicked me in. Then I fainted, and when I woke up again, my leg had grown back!”

“That’s impossible!” Han Yaokun flatly stated.

Zhou Qin shrugged indifferently, took out disinfectant and clean gauze from his spatial item, and carefully bandaged his calf that had finally returned.

“Whether it’s possible or not doesn’t matter, as long as my calf has grown back!”

Seeing that Zhou Qin clearly didn’t plan to cooperate further, Han Yaokun said, “May I ask Researcher Ji to enlighten Mr. Han? Mr. Han is sincerely asking for guidance.”

Ji An chuckled, “There’s nothing that can’t be said about this. Anyway, it will be fully promoted throughout the Base in the future. It’s nothing more than 3D modeling technology and directional cloning technology.”

“You’re cloning people.” Han Yaokun looked at Ji An with condemnation in his eyes. “You cloned a Zhou Qin, then removed the clone’s leg bone and replaced Zhou Qin’s, right?”

“That’s too inhumane!” A researcher immediately said.

“Exactly! I thought it was some new high-tech thing! I also thought of cloning humans, but I always felt it was too inhumane, so I never pursued it.”

Ji An doesn’t even have abilities anymore. What kind of new field can you expect him to create? This is just unwillingness to be ordinary, wanting to cause a stir to prove he’s still got it after running out of ideas!”

Zhou Qin said with a dark face, “Is Director Han insulting me? I, Zhou Qin, consider myself a man of integrity, always acting with a clear conscience. No matter what, I would never deprive others of their health to satisfy my own selfish desires, let alone deprive another version of myself of health!”

“Ah, was I mistaken?” Han Yaokun said awkwardly.

Those who had loudly condemned Ji An just now, standing on the high ground and judging the situation as if a single word could decide Ji An’s fate, felt so ashamed their faces were burning. They looked sheepish.

Ji An said, “I said it’s directional cloning, which means only cloning a part of the body, not the whole.

Actually, the human cloning technology that Director Han imagined is completely unfeasible.

First of all, although the clone’s genes are exactly the same as the original, they are already two independent individuals. No one can guarantee that the clone will necessarily awaken the original’s ability. If they don’t awaken the original’s ability, it involves the problem of ability incompatibility.

Abilities are a form of energy that fills every cell of a Power User. If a part of a Power User’s body is replaced with something filled with energy incompatible with their own ability, the rejection reaction in the later stages will be no less severe than genetic incompatibility.

If they are two completely opposite abilities, it could even directly cause the Power User to collapse.

If the clone is an ordinary person who hasn’t awakened an ability, and the Power User replaces their leg bone with a clone’s leg bone that has no energy, then the leg bone with no energy cannot support the Power User’s body, which is filled with vigorous energy, and it will break immediately.

Finally, even if they awaken the same ability, cloning technology itself is not mature, and clones are highly susceptible to genetic diseases. In severe cases, this can even affect the Power User who received the leg transplant.

So I believe that the project of cloning a person to replace organs for a Power User is not only inhumane but also impractical.”

After Ji An’s analysis, everyone understood that Ji An really didn’t use cloned humans because it was impractical.

The researcher in the crowd who had claimed to have thought of cloning humans long ago and thought it was inhumane, which was why they didn’t start the project, covered his face in shame and slipped out of the crowd.

Han Yaokun’s face was burning hot as well. “Sorry, I misunderstood. But what does directional cloning mean?”

“Taking Zhou Qin as an example, you can take bone fragments and bone marrow from Zhou Qin’s good leg and use 3D modeling technology and 3D printing technology for artificial intervention in in vitro directional culture, cultivating the left calf you need.”

Ji An spoke lightly. They could understand and knew about each technology, but put together, they were completely confused.

How do you carry out intervention using 3D modeling technology and 3D printing technology? Who knows how to intervene with that stuff!

Han Yaokun didn’t know either, but this involved core technology, so it wasn’t appropriate to ask. Han Yaokun said, “Commander Zhou just mentioned some kind of pod. What new technology is that?”

Ji An said, “Oh, the Treatment Pod?

That’s easy to explain. I saw that there are few Healing-type Power Users, and they are very busy, so I wanted to help reduce their burden and developed a Treatment Pod.

Currently, it hasn’t been tested on high-level Power Users, but it can be confirmed that mid-level Tier 4 Power Users can use the Treatment Pod. Whether it’s internal or external injuries, as long as it’s an injury, just lie in the Treatment Pod and it will heal!”

The Treatment Pod was even more astonishing than the in vitro culture technology. Everyone was stunned. How was this possible? Some kind of pod could actually replace Healing-type Power Users? That was too ridiculous.

Since things had reached this point, there was nothing Ji An needed to hide. He said, “Wu Youyang, take your students and bring the Treatment Pod out for everyone to see.”

Wu Youyang puffed out his chest and head held high, feeling triumphant. “Alright.”

His manner was even more smug than Zhao Zhen’s earlier.

Wu Youyang and others quickly brought out the Treatment Pod. Everyone surrounded it, looking amazed. Suddenly, a Power User from the Command Post said, “Researcher Ji, can I try it?”

“Yes,” Ji An said, “Let me check if the treatment liquid is enough. Yes, it’s full. Go ahead and try.”

That Power User from the Command Post was also a tough guy. He immediately unleashed an ability on his chest, genuinely holding nothing back. He directly shattered the organs inside his chest, spitting out blood mixed with internal organ clots.

Ji An quickly pressed the person into the Treatment Pod, afraid that if he was a second late, the person would die before being treated.

Then everyone witnessed a miracle. It truly was a miracle. In just ten minutes, when that person climbed out of the Treatment Pod again, his internal organs were completely restored.

The Power User stared with astonished eyes. “Holy crap, this is too damn magical!

Researcher Ji, I finally know why Commander Zhou calls you God Ji. You are a deity!”

This stirred everyone’s interest. Many people began to recklessly beat themselves half to death on the spot, then crawled into the Treatment Pod for treatment, mainly for the experience.

Ji An was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say about these people.

Han Yaokun was completely unable to question anything further. Suddenly, he felt his face burning as if it were scalded.

He had been celebrating a small breakthrough, while over there, Ji An had quietly come up with such a major project. He might have wanted to keep it a secret, but he was bumped into by Zhao Zhen, who didn’t know his place and came looking for trouble, resulting in being slapped in the face on the spot.

Han Yaokun felt like his decades of life had been lived in vain.

As for Zhao Zhen, his face could no longer be described as merely ugly. It was ashen and despairing, a mix of jealousy and malice.

Han Yaokun’s face was hot. “Zhao Zhen, hurry up and come with me. Are you going to continue making a fool of yourself here?”

As soon as the Treatment Pod and artificial in vitro directional culture came out, Zhao Zhen knew he was completely defeated, utterly defeated. He no longer struggled and planned to leave with Han Yaokun.

But Gu Jinsheng spoke up at this moment. “Director Han, I’m afraid you can’t just take people away so simply.

Come on, arrest all the researchers who caused trouble, led by Zhao Zhen.”

Han Yaokun said, “No need for this. I’ll just have Zhao Zhen apologize to Researcher Ji. Isn’t that enough?”

Gu Jinsheng waved his hand, interrupting Han Yaokun. “How about I kill him right now and then he apologizes?”

That was certainly not acceptable. Han Yaokun also knew that Zhao Zhen had gone too far this time and couldn’t be easily let off the hook. He said, “Chief Commander Gu, what do you want to do?”

“I remember there’s a crime of defamation for slandering ordinary people. Zhao Zhen casually slandered a Chief Commander and a Base hero, a researcher with great merits. That should certainly be enough to constitute a crime.

Furthermore, Zhao Zhen has targeted Ji An repeatedly. I strongly suspect he is being instigated by someone from M Country or R Country, a spy, trying to destroy the foundation of my Jing Shi Base.”

“Chief Commander Gu, you’re going too far. You know Zhao Zhen couldn’t be that.”

“Until he’s interrogated, no one knows. What Director Zhao says doesn’t count, does it? We’ll know after an interrogation.” Gu Jinsheng waved his hand. “Take them away.”

Immediately, people on the scene moved into action. Zhou Qin and Kong Zhongcheng even stepped forward to help. In just a few dozen seconds, all the troublemaking researchers were subdued.

Only then did those researchers panic. They shouted, “We are researchers, Chief Commander Gu, you can’t treat us like this!”

“The law doesn’t punish everyone! Let us go!”

“At my Gu Jinsheng’s place, those four words have never existed. Take them away, lock them in the dungeon, I will interrogate them personally!”

“Yes.” The people from the Command Post dragged the researchers away.

Han Yaokun was anxious. “Chief Commander Gu, these people were just temporarily misguided. Please let them go.

Didn’t you say last time that you wanted to make the technology of Power User Crystal Core coexisting with zombie virus antigen and antibody public? Before, I disagreed, but now I am willing to exchange this technology for these people.”

Ji An held up a finger and wagged it. “No, I’m afraid it’s too late.”

Ji An smiled and said, “Before, Gu Jinsheng complained to me that you disagreed with making it public. I saw how troubled he looked, so I casually researched it for him, and then solved it. Now the public meeting has approved it, and it’s just waiting to be announced on the public channel tonight.”

So the great difficulty they were celebrating as a tremendous breakthrough was just a little thing that could be solved in minutes for Ji An. He didn’t work on it because it wasn’t challenging enough and he didn’t care for it.

It was laughable that they were still feeling so proud of themselves as if they were something extraordinary.

Finally, Han Yaokun was helped away, looking dejected, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

Only after everyone was gone did Zhou Qin say, “God Ji, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had also cracked that virus. I thought if I didn’t mention the Treatment Pod, Zhao Zhen would surpass you and take the Zombie King Crystal Core, so I couldn’t help but say it.”

Ji An waved his hand indifferently. “It’s okay. Anyway, it will be promoted later, and everyone will guess it anyway.”

“I…” Zhou Qin still wanted to say something. Suddenly, he felt a very powerful energy fluctuation coming towards him. That energy fluctuation was very strange. It wasn’t attacking Zhou Qin’s body, but rather his consciousness.

“Ah!!!” Ji An let out a scream, clutched his head, and fell straight to the ground, then rolled around in pain.