ATDIWR Chapter 39
by VolareJi An shivered from the heat, pulled his hand back abruptly, and the Zombie Crystal Core fell to the ground. He covered his space necklace.
Gu Jinsheng didn’t know the space necklace was burning. In his eyes, Ji An suddenly clutched his chest as if in great pain.
“Ji An, what’s wrong?” Gu Jinsheng took a big stride and reached Ji An’s side, reaching out to support him. Those eyes, which seemed unaffected even if Mount Tai collapsed before them, finally showed emotion at this moment, an uncommonly seen tension and panic.
Perhaps in his entire life, only one person could so easily stir his emotional fluctuations, and that person was only Ji An. Besides him, including himself, no one else could.
“Boss…”
The three people standing behind asked in unison, their voices tight, while Wu Youyang simultaneously withdrew the hand he had silently extended to help Ji An.
He seemed a bit superfluous, Wu Youyang awkwardly rubbed his nose.
“I’m fine, did I scare you?” Ji An let go of the hand covering the space necklace, not caring what his chest had been burned into.
“Your complexion is very bad, I’m taking you to the hospital.” Gu Jinsheng’s attitude was particularly strong, his tone leaving no room for doubt! He had never acted like this towards Ji An before, always respecting Ji An and prioritizing his wishes. This was the first time he displayed his assertive, unquestionable side in front of Ji An.
Strangely, Ji An, who had always disliked others making decisions without his consent, felt no aversion for the first time, not even realizing how strong Gu Jinsheng’s attitude was.
“I’m fine.” Ji An’s eyes looked at the Zombie Crystal Core on the ground, but this time he didn’t touch it directly with his hand. Instead, he found a piece of cloth to wrap the Zombie Crystal Core in.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Jinsheng asked.
“I suspect this Zombie Crystal Core has a problem. The M Nation people cannot be trusted!” Ji An said.
“Okay.” Although Gu Jinsheng had a hunch that Ji An might be hiding something from him, Gu Jinsheng did not press the matter.
In fact, from the time he met Ji An until now, Gu Jinsheng had always respected Ji An’s every decision. As long as it was something Ji An didn’t want to talk about, even if Gu Jinsheng had doubts, he never asked.
Gu Jinsheng didn’t dwell on this matter. Besides, it was better to be more vigilant about the M Nation. He knelt down and picked up Ji An, startling Ji An, who was deep in thought.
After recovering, Ji An felt a mix of amusement and an indescribable sense of awkwardness and shyness, yet it was more than just shyness.
“I’m really fine, it was just a moment ago, um, my chest felt a bit uncomfortable.” He did indeed look like his chest had suddenly hurt just now, and now he couldn’t say it wasn’t chest pain, so he could only give this weak explanation.
“You’ve been too busy lately, it’s good to get it checked out,” Gu Jinsheng insisted firmly.
Ji An had been busy since he arrived at the Base. He started researching space storage items as soon as he arrived. After finishing that, he didn’t rest for a few days before starting research on nutrient solutions. Moreover, he had a habit of spending his work time in the laboratory, never allowing himself time to relax.
With such high work intensity and pressure, it was very easy for heart problems to occur, and the probability of sudden death was high.
Thinking of this, Gu Jinsheng’s lips were tightly pressed together, forming a thin line, his expression becoming increasingly cold and serious, as if facing a life-or-death event.
“Boss, do you know how much we earned from this auction?” Zhou Qin walked up from the second floor beaming, about to report the good news to Gu Jinsheng. When he saw the cold expression on Gu Jinsheng’s face, he froze for a moment. Then he looked at Ji An in his arms and Wu Youyang, Tang Ning, and Zheng Yan behind him, who also looked a bit nervous. His expression immediately turned serious.
“What’s wrong with Ji An? Is he unwell?” Zhou Qin immediately realized that something was wrong with Ji An.
“My chest hurt a little just now, but I’m fine now,” Ji An said quickly.
Zhou Qin’s expression did not relax, but became more tense. “Then you really need to be careful. You must go to the hospital and get a good check-up. If necessary, you can ask Fang Rurong to treat it. Don’t treat it lightly.”
As they were talking, they walked to where Tang Tang was. Tang Tang, who had been hiding behind a pillar, had nowhere to hide. She could only steel herself and come out.
After Tang Tang walked out, she met Ji An’s calm eyes, and her emotions immediately fluctuated.
Why did Ji An look at her with such calm eyes, so calm that it seemed he didn’t know her at all? She was just a weed on the side of the road, an ant on the ground, not worth him looking at again!
It was this kind of look that caused Tang Tang’s emotions to surge violently. He could hate her, curse her, or even hit her, that would be better than ignoring her like this!
Meeting again, why could he be so calm? Wasn’t it because he was doing well, and found a better paramour to rely on?
Tang Tang didn’t know Gu Jinsheng before, but she knew Zhou Qin. Who could be called “Boss” by Zhou Qin, the Deputy Commander? Only the Base Commander of Jing Shi Base!
Tang Tang thought of Gu Jinsheng’s identity, and her blood surged even more. Why! Why! Why!
Why could Ji An, after escaping the Third Base in such a pathetic state, still escape to the even more prosperous and powerful Jing Shi Base and gain a foothold! Why, even after Chen Chen abandoned him, could he immediately find a more powerful Power User to cling to, and this Power User wasn’t some old man with one foot in the grave, but instead was more handsome and attractive than Chen Chen, and his ability level and status were more than eighteen streets ahead of Chen Chen.
And she, Tang Tang, who was no worse than Ji An in any way, ended up so miserably. Following a scoundrel like Song Pengcheng was already stifling enough, and yet even with such grievances, Song Pengcheng didn’t treat her well, even making her receive the lowest kind of men in the Base, men who hadn’t touched a woman in eight hundred years and were dirtier than the roads on the street.
Even now, thinking of those disgusting men thrusting on her, she felt like vomiting!
Later, she finally managed to cling to a Power User, who was also a wretched old man. Now this wretched old man didn’t want her either.
But what about Ji An? He was doing so well. That man, who was outstanding in every way, was willing to buy him a high-level Mental-type Zombie Crystal Core, something Ji An couldn’t even use at the moment, at a price that was more than a thousand or even ten thousand times her value, just to please him!
Yet she was worried if she would have a full meal tomorrow!
How could Tang Tang be willing? She was unwilling!
The strong unwillingness stimulated Tang Tang’s brain, causing all the blood in her body to rush to her brain, impacting her sanity.
“Commander, you probably don’t know that this paramour of yours is hiding many things from you, do you?” Tang Tang’s sanity was burned by the raging fire of jealousy. She forgot fear, disregarded everything, and only wanted to drag Ji An into the mire with her.
Tang Tang almost shrieked hysterically, “Did he tell you? He’s been with many men, he specifically seeks out powerful and influential paramours, including Chen Chen, the Base Commander of the Third Base!”
Gu Jinsheng’s eyes were as cold as ice. If eyes could materialize, Tang Tang would have been frozen into an ice sculpture that would shatter into pieces upon touch.
Unfortunately, eyes cannot materialize. Tang Tang was only startled by that gaze, but she was unconvinced. It must be that this excellent person in front of her didn’t know about Ji An’s sordid past. Tang Tang continued recklessly, “Ji An is far dirtier than you imagine. You’d be better off having me than him. I’m a Healing-type Power User, and I’m also a woman. I can give you children!
Everything Ji An can do, I can do, and things Ji An cannot do, I can also do!”
“Is this woman crazy?” Zhou Qin truly felt this way.
Compared to Ji An, even they, who were present, couldn’t compare.
Space storage items were one thing, Space-type Power Users could replace them, but nutrient solution, that was a good thing that could save countless lives. Even he and his boss, the entire Jing Shi Base combined, could save only a fraction of the people Ji An’s nutrient solution could.
He, a Tier 4 Power User, dared not compare himself to Ji An, or rather, he didn’t have the qualifications to compare himself to Ji An. If he died, there would still be thousands upon thousands of Tier 4 Power Users in this world, even more powerful than him. But only Ji An could successfully develop the nutrient solution.
How dare Tang Tang, who was at most a low-level Power User, boastfully compare herself to Ji An.
“Ignorance is fearless,” Wu Youyang suddenly said. “As expected, stupid people should talk less.”
Even Tang Ning felt that Tang Tang was truly not smart. “Tang Tang, I used to think you were just a bit two-faced, but you were still very smart, at least your goals were clear, you knew what you wanted, and you could use any means necessary. But today I learned that besides being vicious, you are also very stupid, dumber than a pig, simply an idiot! You can compete with Chen Chen in terms of idiocy!”
“You’re not dead! Why are you still alive!” It took Tang Tang this long to see Tang Ning. Her attention had been completely captured by Ji An, who was surrounded by the crowd.
“…” Tang Ning was speechless. So, all this time, Tang Tang hadn’t even noticed her when she wasn’t talking.
“Why would I die? You’re still alive even after being so miserable!” Later, Ji An showed Tang Ning the video sent from the Third Base. Tang Ning felt a sense of satisfaction at the time, while also feeling a bit regretful.
Tang Tang also clearly saw Tang Ning’s clothes and appearance at this moment. Her dress was so beautiful, it must have been expensive even before the Apocalypse. After the Apocalypse, production decreased, and this kind of clothing would definitely be even more expensive.
Tang Ning’s mental state was excellent. At first glance, she looked ten years younger than when she left the Third Base. Her whole aura was no longer the listless state it was before, but rather somewhat like before the Apocalypse, full of vitality and looking down on others.
These were not the most important things. The most important thing was the jade necklace that slid out from under her clothes as she walked over. Tang Tang gasped in shock, “The space necklace you’re wearing around your neck?”
Tang Ning was smug, and deliberately shook the space necklace around her neck. “That’s right, this is the space necklace that you fought tooth and nail for at the auction and still couldn’t get!”
“You might not know yet, the space necklace was researched by Mr. Ji.” Tang Ning admitted she was doing it on purpose, just to anger Tang Tang.
“Mr. Ji has opened a shop in West City, specializing in selling space storage items that you can’t even buy. Mr. Ji has plenty of those things, he just wears one and throws another away for fun.”
Tang Ning boasted, “This one around my neck was given to me for free by Mr. Ji because he pitied me and I couldn’t afford it.”
“Oh dear!” Tang Ning covered her mouth, giggling affectedly, “The greatest luck in my life was leaving that idiotic place, the Third Base, with Mr. Ji.
Jing Shi Base is so good. Nutrient solution is about to be released, and everyone in our Base can buy it freely.
Oh dear, I remember you didn’t even get the right to buy it at the Third Base, did you? What will you do then? You won’t be able to buy it even if you want to! Tsk tsk tsk, how pitiful!”
Tang Tang was about to explode with anger, but more than that, it was jealousy, deep jealousy. Jealousy was a poisonous snake,Wrapped her heart.
“Impossible, how could it be possible? The space necklace is a unique existence, it’s magical, how could you, Ji An, this idiot, research it!”
Tang Tang didn’t believe it. She absolutely didn’t believe that the fool who could be easily snatched away by a little scheming could turn around and research space storage items. He couldn’t be better than her!
“You must be lying to me together! The space necklace is a treasure, a treasure born of nature. You must have found this kind of treasure somewhere else and put it up for auction, deliberately lying that Ji An, that idiot, researched it!” Tang Tang’s mind collapsed. She couldn’t accept it, couldn’t accept that Ji An was living a better life than her, and even more so couldn’t accept that Ji An was so much more excellent than her!
Looking at the crazed Tang Tang, Ji An felt very calm. He had long anticipated Tang Tang’s current miserable state, and only felt that this person was too noisy in her madness.
“Drag her down and expel her from Jing Shi Base,” Gu Jinsheng ordered calmly.
“Yes.” Zhou Qin didn’t need to touch Tang Tang. He just cast an ability, and a very long vine appeared in the air.
The thick vine was majestic in the air, advancing bravely, but the moment it was about to touch Tang Tang, it stopped, as if Tang Tang was something disgusting it didn’t want to touch. It twisted and struggled non-stop, trying to retreat.
“Deputy Commander Zhou, what’s wrong with it?” Tang Ning asked.
“It’s struggling, it has to touch something disgusting, and it doesn’t want to,” Zhou Qin said seriously, “Be good, bear with it! It’s not like you have to touch such disgusting things every day.”
“Pfft…” Tang Ning and Zheng Yan couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Deputy Commander Zhou’s tongue was truly poisonous!
“Be good, don’t worry, idiocy isn’t contagious. If you’re really worried, I’ll wash you when you come back, okay?” Zhou Qin added.
Only then did the vine reluctantly coil around Tang Tang. Tang Tang was so angry her features were distorted.
What vine not wanting to? That vine was still Zhou Qin’s ability. He was in control of how it acted. He was clearly deliberately insulting her!
That ability could even fight zombies, was she more repellent than zombies!
Zhou Qin had no pity or gentleness for this muddled Tang Tang. He directly used force, knocking the person down with a thud, and then dragging her like a dead dog.
Tang Tang at this moment had forgotten about losing face or anything else. Her sole focus was to pull Ji An down with her, making him as dirty and wretched as she was.
Tang Tang shouted, “Commander, you must not know that this wretch Ji An is hiding other secrets from you, his space necklace…”
Tang Tang’s mouth opened and closed, but she couldn’t speak a word. Those words were right there on her lips, but she just couldn’t say them. When she tried to force them out, she would get a splitting headache, as if something was expanding in her brain, about to explode.
This feeling stimulated Tang Tang, making her gag repeatedly. Zhou Qin quickly said, “Don’t you dare vomit on my vine,” and then walked faster.
Tang Tang didn’t give up, struggling and shouting while being dragged on the ground, “He still has secrets, big secrets he’s hiding from you, it’s his space necklace, trust me, he planted mental suggestion on me, I can’t speak!”
“He, he really, really hid a very important secret from you!” Tang Tang shouted desperately.
Just when everyone thought Gu Jinsheng wouldn’t speak, Gu Jinsheng suddenly said, “I don’t care. Everyone in the Base has secrets. I don’t want to know everyone’s secrets.”
“It’s different, this is different!” Tang Tang didn’t understand why Gu Jinsheng couldn’t be convinced. What kind of spell had Ji An cast on him to make this man so infatuated?
“Let me down, I have something to say to her.” Looking at Tang Tang’s hysterical state, Ji An suddenly became interested in saying something more to her.
“You’re not feeling well, I’ll hold you over,” Gu Jinsheng did not put Ji An down, holding him as he walked to Tang Tang’s side.
Ji An half-reclined in Gu Jinsheng’s arms, looking down at Tang Ning from above, like a god looking down at a humble ant.
That disdainful gaze deeply pierced Tang Tang’s eyes, corroding her heart.
Ji An looked at Tang Tang, a smile on his lips, and said slowly, “I forgot to tell you, I also developed the nutrient solution.”
Tang Tang was driven mad by his indifferent tone and the content of his words. No words could express her breakdown, only beast-like screams could convey her emotions, “Ah! Ah! Ah…”
Ji An’s eyes were full of smiles, as beautiful as if filled with stars, “It’s a real shame. If you hadn’t gone to such lengths to drive me away, this glory would belong to the Third Base today, and you would have at least half of it!”
Killing the heart, nothing more.
Tang Tang’s mind reeled, and she directly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Ji An put away the smile on his face, staring expressionlessly into her eyes. Threads of mental energy fine as silk poured out from Ji An’s brain, drilling into Tang Tang’s pupils and surging into her brain.
The person who was hysterical and crazy a second ago was now quiet as a chicken, like a living corpse.
Tang Tang’s eyes were empty and blank, stiff and rigid, like a puppet without a soul.
“You will never forget what I told you today, not until death, but you will never be able to speak a single word of it, even if you suffer a mental breakdown and die from your brain exploding. Have you remembered?”
“Re… mem… bered.” Tang Tang replied word by word, as labored and slow as an infant learning to speak.
“Very good,” Ji An smiled. His mental energy was suddenly withdrawn from Tang Tang’s brain, receding like a tide, instantly disappearing completely from Tang Tang’s brain.
Ji An wanted Tang Tang to remember all of this clearly. She could easily put him in endless trouble by speaking the truth, but she couldn’t say a single word. The venom of jealousy would corrode her heart day and night, and resentment would accompany her like a shadow at all times.
Tang Tang’s eyes were briefly confused for a moment, then cleared up. She stared wide-eyed at Ji An in disbelief, “You see! He used mental suggestion on me like this, forbidding me to talk about his secret! Now do you believe me!”
Silence, overwhelming silence.
Tang Tang looked around, her gaze sweeping across face after face, different appearances but the same expression, all indifferent.
“You, you…” Tang Tang pointed at Tang Ning, Zheng Yan, Gu Jinsheng, and the others one by one, “Aren’t you afraid? His method is so terrifying, he can control your minds whenever he wants, he can even become the Base Commander of the Third Base if he wishes!”
After all, Ji An himself was worried that his ability would be known, that he would be feared and persecuted, so he hid it and dared not speak of it. Why did all these people look so unconcerned? It was as if Ji An possessed not the ability to control people’s minds, but some trivial trick!
Gu Jinsheng looked down at Tang Tang with cold eyes, his handsome thin lips slightly parting, “Only cowards with unstable will can be mentally controlled, and we are not.”
“Take her away,” Gu Jinsheng said coldly, “and gag her.”
“Yes, Base Commander!” Zhou Qin saluted Gu Jinsheng playfully, then used his ability to catalyze some overripe, rotting and stinking rotten vegetable leaves and stuffed them into Tang Tang’s mouth.
Tang Tang couldn’t speak, she could only make whimpering groans, writhing on the ground like a maggot.
As if signifying the vastly different fates of the two in the rest of their lives.
After Tang Tang was dragged away, Ji An looked at Gu Jinsheng. From this angle, he could just see Gu Jinsheng’s well-defined jawline, which was somewhat sharp.
“You’re not going to ask me?” Ji An asked.
“No need,” Gu Jinsheng lowered his head so that Ji An could see his entire face, “Whether I can make you trust me without reservation, that’s my business.”
Ji An had imagined thousands of answers, but never this one, and for a moment he was stunned.
A hint of hidden amusement appeared in Gu Jinsheng’s eyes as he held Ji An and walked out of the auction hall.
Reaching the wide open area, Gu Jinsheng released the car from his space. Ji An found it quite speechless, and then Ji An realized that Gu Jinsheng wasn’t the only one doing this. Many Power Users from the command headquarters were doing the same thing. It seemed to have become a trend.
Ji An, as the researcher, felt quite complicated. When he was doing this research, he absolutely never expected space storage items to have this use.
With his arms wrapped around Ji An, Gu Jinsheng couldn’t open the car door. Zhou Qin quickly and eagerly opened the door for him. After Gu Jinsheng placed Ji An inside, Zhou Qin leaned into the open car window and said to Ji An, “Boss Ji, you must take good care of your health. Anyone can have something happen to them, but you absolutely, absolutely cannot have any problems. Do you know how many resources you earned for our Base with this auction?”
Zhou Qin held up one hand like a five, “Fifty years. Based on the current population and total consumption, this time we earned at least fifty years of resources. Those fools also wanted to clear out their inventory through this auction, but they ended up putting in everything they got their hands on and still lost a lot. Hahaha…”
Ji An was also happy. With abundant resources, nutrient solution could be processed without restriction, bringing them one step closer to the goal of everyone being well-fed and no longer going hungry.
Gu Jinsheng took Ji An to the Commander’s General Hospital for a full check-up, but nothing was found.
This was normal. Ji An drank spirit spring water every day, his body was in excellent condition, even his mental domain was much broader than before, and he felt his cognitive abilities had become sharper. Just now, while Gu Jinsheng wasn’t paying attention, he secretly dabbed some spirit spring water on his chest, afraid that the burnt skin on his chest might leave a mark and reveal something.
Gu Jinsheng was relieved after getting the results and sent Ji An home, “Get some good rest, don’t be busy.”
Ji An had indeed been too busy recently, working non-stop on space storage items, nutrient solutions, and the auction, turning himself into a spinning top.
“Okay.”
Ji An went upstairs and lay on the bed. Fatigue immediately swept over him. Just as he was about to fall asleep groggily, he suddenly woke up.
Zombie Crystal Core. Ji An remembered that the Zombie Crystal Core in his pocket needed to be examined.
Ji An had previously only suspected that the M Nation was up to no good and that the Zombie Crystal Core they sent might have a problem. Now that the space necklace suddenly heated up, Ji An was even more certain that the crystal had a problem.