ATDIWR Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Punishment. It was me who pushed Little Rose to those human traffickers…

“Fake sentiment.” Zhao Zhen, sitting below, couldn’t help but curse softly. He just felt that Ji An on stage was hypocritical and pretentious, making him sick. And the audience below and in front of the TV screens were all fools, being tricked by a clumsy clown.

Zhao Zhen just didn’t believe that if time could flow backward, Ji An would still go and save those useless wastes if he knew he would lose his ability!

Zhao Zhen disdained Ji An’s hypocrisy and was jealous that Ji An could stand under the gaze of thousands.

He had followed Han Yaokun for years, with all eyes focused on Han Yaokun, while he could only hide in the darkness like a shadow. Being the focus of attention had almost become an obsession for him.

As long as he could get it, even if it required saying a lot of hypocritical words like Ji An, he was willing.

But if he had to exchange his ability for it, Zhao Zhen was unwilling.

Although Zhao Zhen’s voice was very low, the surrounding people were all Power Users with sharp senses and developed perceptions. Many of them heard him and glared angrily at Zhao Zhen.

“What did you say! Are you looking for a fight?” These Power Users who had lived through countless life-and-death situations had explosive tempers. They immediately came over and grabbed Zhao Zhen’s collar.

Although Zhao Zhen despised the foolishness of these Power Users, who could be deceived by such clumsy acting, he was also afraid of their fists. But letting him bow his head like this was impossible; that would be too embarrassing.

Fortunately, Han Yaokun heard the commotion and apologized for Zhao Zhen in time, lowering his stance and saying many good words before resolving the crisis.

Han Yaokun pulled Zhao Zhen back and said, “Don’t target Ji An anymore. I told you, if you just let go of your prejudice, you will find that Ji An is really a very good young man.”

Zhao Zhen suppressed his anger, incredulous, “Teacher, even you believe the nonsense Ji An is saying? Do you really believe that Ji An would still save that bunch of rubb… children, knowing he would lose his ability?”

Han Yaokun rubbed his temples in annoyance, feeling he couldn’t reason with Zhao Zhen. “Even if he didn’t save them, it would be understandable human nature. But now Ji An has saved them. Regardless, this time he is a hero!”

Zhao Zhen let out a heavy snort from his nose to show his disdain and stopped talking.

On the stage, Gu Jinsheng was presenting the award to Ji An. “This is a hero’s medal made from a Tier 3 Mental-type Zombie Crystal Core. It recognizes your status as a hero and commemorates the loss of your Tier 3 Mental-type ability for saving over twenty lives!

Now I present it to you. May your future bloom beautifully and be glorious again, even without your Mental-type ability!”

“Be glorious again!”

“Be glorious again…”

Many people in the audience shouted loudly along. In front of TV screens, countless people were also crying and shouting their wishes!

At this moment, Ji An’s heart was full of emotion and excitement. He did not regret his past choice. Since he chose, he would move forward bravely!

“Thank you, thank you everyone!” Ji An bowed deeply to the crowd below. “I, Ji An, will never fail everyone’s expectations in this life. I will definitely be glorious again!”

Thunderous applause erupted in the audience. Everyone stood up and bowed in return. People watching this scene in front of TV screens, even knowing no one could see them, couldn’t help but stand up and bow to Ji An, and bless him.

Only Zhao Zhen sat among the crowd, watching everything mockingly.

The Jing Shi Base’s commendation conference was broadcast live on public channels, visible to all bases.

Many bases also realized that the Apocalypse was too cold and needed some warmth, so they retransmitted it on the public screens within their bases.

In Luo City Base, Du Ruanlan stared at Ji An, who was bowing on the screen, and said, “Heard so much about him, today I finally see his true face!”

Owen’s eyes flickered with amazement, “He’s such a stunning beauty, I don’t know how Chen Chen could bear to abandon him! If it were me, just this face alone would be worth everything.”

Jiang Fuzhong was stunned, looking at one, then the other, completely not understanding what his boss and boss’s wife were saying.

“Ji An? When did we hear this name?” Jiang Fuzhong asked foolishly.

Owen chuckled, amused by Jiang Fuzhong’s simple appearance, “Have you forgotten, the defector from the Third Base was called Ji An. He developed the space storage items.”

Owen’s gaze returned to Ji An, full of admiration, “He was able to resist the combined attacks of high-level Power Users as a Tier 3 Mental-type Power User and successfully protect all the children. Not everyone has such ability.

Don’t you think such an ability looks familiar?”

“You mean that big shot who shot the M-country guys into idiots with three arrows?” Jiang Fuzhong suddenly realized.

“Yes, the same method. I guess the two people should be the same person, it should be Ji An.” Owen said, “And if I’m not mistaken, he should also be the creator of the nutrient solution.”

“How do you say that?” Jiang Fuzhong was confused again.

Owen glanced at Du Ruanlan, who was leaning casually on the sofa, watching TV lazily, a flicker of infatuation in her eyes, before turning away and saying, “The nutrient solution and space storage items have a similar style. They are both items that break through barriers and surpass the era. Therefore, it is very likely that both came from the same person, both from Ji An.

From this, it can be inferred that Ji An is the Mental-type big shot, and he created space storage items and the nutrient solution.”

“Ah!” Is that how you deduce that? Jiang Fuzhong just felt that his intelligence was not on the same level as his boss and Owen.

“I really don’t know what Chen Chen was thinking, to have obtained such a treasure and then lose it again, letting him wander outside?” Owen truly didn’t understand, deeply didn’t understand, “I can only say that the Jing Shi Base’s luck, Gu Jinsheng’s luck is damn good!

Such a bright pearl doesn’t need them to painstakingly search; he actively walks over and delivers himself to the door. It’s truly damn enviable!”

In the North Base, Cong Xun watched with teary eyes. A strong man nearly 1.9 meters tall was shedding tears and mucus, deeply moved.

In the South Base, Han Zhiwei sighed, “It seems the Jing Shi Base has indeed secretly trained a group of combat-oriented Mental-type Power Users. Even a Tier 3 Mental-type Power User can be this powerful. Then what about those high-level Mental-type Power Users?

And that high-level Mental-type Power User who shot a Tier 6 Power User into an idiot with just three arrows, how powerful must he be?”

The Third Base also saw the live broadcast and retransmitted it. Ji An was not unfamiliar to the people of the Third Base.

Shen Mo frowned in confusion, “How did Ji An suddenly become so powerful? He was quite unknown when he was at our base. How did he not only create space storage items at the Jing Shi Base but also become so formidable in combat?”

Ji An was once famous in the Third Base, after all, he was the lover of the commander-in-chief, and his identity was that of an ordinary person.

Now, people in the base saw the retransmission and thought of Chen Chen’s miserable state. Suddenly, someone said, “As soon as Ji An left, Chen Chen declined. Maybe we misunderstood before. It was always Ji An who was powerful, never Chen Chen, and it was never Chen Chen who was taken advantage of, but Ji An?

Otherwise, how do you explain that after Ji An left, Chen Chen immediately declined, while Ji An soared higher and higher?”

Thinking of this, the people of the Third Base suddenly felt a surge of anger. “It’s all Chen Chen’s fault! If he hadn’t taken Ji An’s credit and hidden Ji An’s brilliance, how could we have been deceived and allowed them to force Ji An away?

If Ji An hadn’t left, then the space storage items would belong to us. Our base would have grown bigger and stronger long ago. How could we still be struggling to even afford food today?”

“Where is Chen Chen? We need to find him and demand an explanation!” The hungry crowd became agitated for a while. “And where is his confidant, the one named Song Pengcheng? Where is he? He was also one of the accomplices!”

The reason no one mentioned Tang Tang was because they knew she had been driven out of the Third Base.

When Song Pengcheng was found by the crowd, he had no idea what was happening. It was through the angry words shouted while he was being beaten with fists and feet that he pieced together a truth he couldn’t believe, but he knew it was true because the Third Base had retransmitted the broadcast.

At this moment, Song Pengcheng’s gut turned green with regret. If he had known that Ji An was the real big leg to latch onto, why would he have licked the butts of those two fools, Chen Chen and Tang Tang? He should have just hugged Ji An’s thigh directly. By now, he would surely be calling the shots and enjoying life in the Jing Shi Base!

Meanwhile, Chen Chen and Mother Chen, who were roaming the streets looking for scraps to eat, also saw the retransmission. The mother and son had known before that Ji An was very powerful.

Now, the fact that Ji An might be even more powerful than they knew was not surprising.

Mother Chen just felt relieved, “Serves him right! For that littlejianren – derogatory term, usually ‘bitch’ or similar to betray you, now he’s getting his comeuppance!”

Chen Chen also felt relieved. With Ji An’s appearance, once he lost his ability, his fate would be far more miserable than his own. He would only become a plaything!

Just as the mother and son were feeling relieved, they heard a group of people in the distance shouting, “Chen Chen and his mother are here! Quick, come over! Don’t let them escape! If it weren’t for this despicable scoundrel forcing Ji An away, the space storage items would belong to our base now, and why would everyone still be starving today!”

Chen Chen and his mother wanted to hide, but they couldn’t escape at all. How could two old and weak people with disabilities outrun a group of Power Users? They could only endure the beating.

At the Jing Shi Base, unlike the beaten Chen Chen, Ji An was still receiving commendation.

Gu Jinsheng presented him with a villa key and a certificate again. “These things are not enough to represent your value, they are just a small token of the base’s appreciation. In addition, with your contributions, high-level Healing-type Power Users will specially provide treatment for you in the future. You can choose the personnel yourself later.”

“Thank you.” Ji An took the medal from Gu Jinsheng’s hand. There was an unspeakable flutter in his heart, not just because of the medal, but more so because the person presenting the award to him was Gu Jinsheng. It felt very different.

Yuan Mingan did not receive these things because Ji An was the main contributor.

The three walked down the podium. Yuan Mingan returned to her seat and showed the Tier 1 Water-type Zombie Crystal Core she received to her daughter Fu Xin.

“Fu Xin, look, this is Mommy’s hero medal.”

Fu Xin remained motionless, not blinking, as if she couldn’t hear the outside world.

The commendation conference ended, followed by the punishments.

The warm and gentle large screen suddenly changed, and the human traffickers appeared on the screen. Before people had fully emerged from the warmth, Gu Jinsheng’s cold voice sounded: “Execute the punishment.”

Then, the crowd witnessed the most brutal sight they had ever seen in their lives, an unforgettable torture.

What those human traffickers had done to the kidnapped children, they were now experiencing.

They had broken the children’s hands and feet, and their hands and feet were also broken. They had cut off the children’s hands and feet, and their hands and feet were also cut off. They had whipped the children, and now they were also being whipped. They had cut the children’s flesh knife by knife, and now they were also suffering the torture of a thousand cuts.

Each time the human traffickers suffered a cruel punishment, someone narrated one of the human traffickers’ evil deeds. The punishments the human traffickers were experiencing were once used on several children. As they were read out one by one, people finally truly realized how painful the experiences the children had gone through were when they were no longer just cold text!

The children kidnapped by the human traffickers were sitting in the audience. They clearly saw the fate of the human traffickers. Their expressionless numbness seemed to finally break through the ice, causing ripples.

Yuan Mingan pointed at the miserable state of the human traffickers and said to her daughter with a vengeful tone, “Fu Xin, look, Mommy has avenged you. Everything you suffered is now being retaliated.”

Just as Yuan Mingan thought her daughter would remain indifferent as before, Fu Xin actually spoke, “I hate them!”

Yuan Mingan excitedly hugged her daughter, incredulous, “Fu Xin, Fu Xin, you are finally willing to speak!”

Fu Xin looked at Yuan Mingan, “Are you really my mother?”

Yuan Mingan nodded heavily, “Yes.”

Fu Xin stared straight at Yuan Mingan, “Then why did you not want me?”

“Mommy didn’t not want you!” Yuan Mingan cried loudly, “You were stolen and sold by bad people from Mommy’s hands. Mommy has been searching for you incessantly, searching for you for seven years!”

Ji An was sitting next to the mother and daughter. He said, “Your mother never gave up searching for you all these years. She didn’t even dare to die for the sake of finding you.

Do you know, your mother was bitten by a zombie and didn’t dare to turn into a zombie. She wasn’t afraid of becoming a zombie, she was afraid that after turning into a zombie, she wouldn’t be able to continue searching for you. She was afraid that you were suffering somewhere, waiting for her to save you!”

Ji An saw that Fu Xin was listening attentively, knowing that she heard what he said, and continued, “Your mother even awakened her Water-type ability because of you. Because she was afraid that after finding you, she wouldn’t be able to support you in the Apocalypse, she thought that after awakening a Water-type ability, she could sell clean water to support you!

Including this rescue. Your mother didn’t actually know that you were in the human traffickers’ den, but your mother was afraid that you had fallen into the hands of some human trafficker.

She thought that if she was willing to risk her life to save people, would it mean that someone else would also be like her, and perhaps the human traffickers’ den where you were located would also be raided by others?

Your mother is a hero, and she is your hero!

She gave you life twice, once by giving birth to you! And this time, she saved you and gave you a second life!”

Ji An finally said, “Your mother really loves you!”

Fu Xin’s gaze flickered, and she suddenly called out, “Mommy!”

Yuan Mingan immediately hugged her and burst into tears, “Child, my child, Mommy loves you! Mommy promises that from now on, I will never let you suffer any more grievances!”

The execution lasted for a full hour. Although all the human traffickers were being tortured simultaneously, one round of torment was not enough to erase the evil deeds they had committed, so Healing-type Power Users were beside them, healing them.

Once healed, they would start again. After repeated punishments, the human traffickers had long since been unable to bear it. They only felt that living was worse than death, begging for liberation.

Finally, their abilities were abolished, and they were thrown into the zombie horde to be devoured alive.

When everything was over, Ji An prepared to leave. Before leaving, he planned to say hello to Little Stone, Little Rose, and the two Fluffy Balls.

Apart from the children rescued from the human traffickers, the other children in the orphanage were not allowed to watch the executions.

As Ji An and Gu Jinsheng turned a corner, they saw a little boy surrounded by a group of children.

The little boy was sitting cross-legged in the center, with a proud look on his face. The other children were sitting around him. They were all watching him intently, their expressions varying, some disdainful, some disapproving, and some admiring.

Ji An and Gu Jinsheng did not disturb these children and quietly walked up. They heard the little boy sitting cross-legged in the center boast smugly, “It was me who pushed Little Rose to those human traffickers.”