ATDIWR Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Luo Shi Base Requests Aid, Hai Shi Base Joins

Wang Dazhi was sent back to the command center and handed over to other personnel for detailed interrogation. For a time, only Gu Jinsheng and Ji An were left.

Gu Jinsheng carefully watched Ji An. “Little An, I… I’m sorry.”

Gu Jinsheng’s apology was abrupt, but Ji An knew what he was apologizing for.

“No need to apologize.” Ji An looked at Gu Jinsheng expressionlessly, showing no signs of joy or anger. Those clear eyes were as shallow as ever, seemingly unchanged, but Gu Jinsheng somehow sensed a hint of lingering anger in Ji An’s placid demeanor.

Gu Jinsheng wanted to explain something to Ji An. He had a hunch that if he didn’t open his mouth to explain clearly this time, he might never have the chance again.

Gu Jinsheng suddenly thought of Chen Chen. He shivered all over, and his desire to explain became even more urgent. “Little An, I…”

“Overall Commander Gu!” Gu Jinsheng’s words were interrupted. He Tao, the Overall Commander of Hai Shi Base, led by a staff member from the command center, came over, sitting in a wheelchair with a smile on his face.

“Hello, Researcher sir.” No one had introduced Ji An to He Tao, but the previous bone specimen collection and bone marrow extraction were all done by Ji An himself, so He Tao treated Ji An as an ordinary researcher.

Ji An nodded to He Tao. “Since Overall Commander He has something to discuss with Overall Commander Gu, I will take my leave.”

How long had it been since Gu Jinsheng had heard the cold words “Overall Commander Gu” from Ji An’s mouth? Now, he didn’t need a hunch to know that Ji An was angry.

He Tao felt that the surrounding air seemed strange, but he didn’t think in that direction, just assuming it was the normal awkwardness and discomfort of an ordinary staff member meeting the highest Overall Commander of the base.

He Tao said, “Researcher sir, don’t be in a hurry to leave. It just so happens you are here. I’d like to ask how the cultivation of my leg bone is progressing?”

Although Ji An was angry, he didn’t answer directly without going through Gu Jinsheng. Instead, he glanced at Gu Jinsheng.

Gu Jinsheng quickly asked Ji An, “Are there any issues with the marine life?”

Gu Jinsheng’s meaning was implicitly agreeing. If there were no issues with the marine life, He Tao could be treated.

Gu Jinsheng’s earnest and solicitous attitude was too obvious. He Tao felt something was off. He strained his eyes to look at Ji An twice, then looked at Gu Jinsheng, and belatedly realized that there seemed to be something abnormal between Ji An and Gu Jinsheng, and perhaps Ji An’s identity was not as simple as he thought.

Ji An nodded. “No issues.”

Despite being confident in the marine life he brought, He Tao still breathed a sigh of relief after getting a positive answer from Ji An.

Gu Jinsheng cautiously asked Ji An, “Overall Commander He wants to be treated as soon as possible. What do you think…?”

Ji An said, “Come with me to the laboratory. It will only take a few minutes.”

“Okay.” He Tao agreed immediately, his excitement palpable.

The command center staff drove the three of them to the research institute.

At this time, it was regular working hours, and people were coming and going in the research institute. Almost everyone who saw Gu Jinsheng and Ji An greeted them.

He Tao also discovered that Ji An was very well-known, definitely not the small researcher he had imagined. But Ji An was too young. He Tao couldn’t connect him with the Treatment Pod. He just assumed Ji An was an assistant or relative of the Treatment Pod’s developer. His attitude towards Ji An changed subtly, becoming less casual.

Although he had seen the treatment process on television, it seemed very simple, but He Tao thought that was just how it looked until he experienced it himself. He Tao realized that the treatment process was not as difficult as he had imagined; it was even simpler than what he saw on television, truly a matter of just a few minutes.

He went into the Treatment Pod with two broken legs and came out with all four limbs intact.

From the day his legs were broken, He Tao had longed for countless days and nights, fantasizing about having healthy legs again one day. But He Tao knew clearly that it was just his fantasy; a broken leg was broken, and it could never grow back.

It wasn’t until later that He Tao heard a rumor from M Country about a healing method that might cause him mental disorder and Power fluctuation, and he was shamefully tempted. He Tao couldn’t resist the temptation to stand up again.

Now that He Tao finally stood up without any side effects, his agitated mood was understandable. A tall, burly man, a dignified Base Overall Commander, had red eyes, with tears welling up.

“Overall Commander Gu, Researcher Ji, thank you.” He Tao bowed deeply to them.

Gu Jinsheng said, “No need to do this. You’ve paid.”

He Tao probably didn’t expect Gu Jinsheng to be so blunt, which instead relaxed his nerves a lot. He said with a smile, “Overall Commander Gu, I have an impolite request. I would like to bring Hai Shi Base to join Jing Shi Base. I hope Overall Commander Gu will consider it.”

Originally, many scattered Power Users and mini-bases had joined Jing Shi Base because of the Nutrient Solution.

Now that Treatment Pods were popular, more bases wanted to join Jing Shi Base. Not long ago, the Sixth Base joined Jing Shi Base, and it was estimated that the Power Channel connecting the two bases had already been completed.

Gu Jinsheng said, “The Sixth Base just joined our base not long ago and was officially renamed Jing Shi Sixth Branch Base. Overall Commander He, if you’re interested, I can take you to visit.”

He Tao didn’t expect to get this opportunity, and his eyes lit up.

As the Overall Commander of Hai Shi Base, He Tao wanted to hand over Hai Shi Base to another base, with its future destiny controlled by others. How could he not be worried?

He also wanted to see how the other bases that had joined Jing Shi Base before were developing, but he knew he didn’t have that right. Jing Shi Base was no longer an object he could pick and choose from. He didn’t expect Gu Jinsheng to take the initiative to suggest it. For He Tao, it was simply an unexpected pleasure. He Tao said, “Thank you, Overall Commander Gu.”

However, Gu Jinsheng didn’t leave immediately. He looked at Ji An, with a hint of pleading in his eyes. “Little An, do you want to go take a look together?”

Ji An met Gu Jinsheng’s eyes without the slightest softness. He shook his head. “No.”

How could Gu Jinsheng just leave like this? He was afraid that if he left, he would never see Ji An again, and even lose the right to stay in the villa.

This time, he whispered, “Little An, let’s go together. The reason the Sixth Base joined this time so decisively is because of your Treatment Pods. Think of it as a reward for your hard work, go take a look.”

Ji An lowered his eyelids. After a long time, he hummed in agreement. Gu Jinsheng was ecstatic. A person who usually didn’t show emotion was now expressing it so openly.

Ji An said, “You guys go out and wait for me for a few minutes. I have something to deal with here.”

“Okay.” Gu Jinsheng knew what Ji An was going to do and agreed immediately.

Ji An wanted to put the aquatic creatures in the laboratory into his spatial ring. He hadn’t put them in immediately after they passed the inspection because he was afraid that the transaction with He Tao might change. Now that He Tao’s leg was treated, and the transaction was complete, Ji An had no worries and directly put the aquatic creatures into the Spiritual Spring.

This time, the aquatic creatures included freshwater fish, but Ji An didn’t separate them himself. He just dumped them all into the Spiritual Spring water.

The Spiritual Spring water instantly became turbulent, wave after wave crashing, bursting out violently and spraying in all directions. The Spiritual Spring water that landed on the ground this time did not form small streams, but rather lakes slightly larger than streams.

As for all the freshwater fish in the Spiritual Spring water, they were sprayed out with the Spiritual Spring water and scattered in the streams and lakes. However, all the marine creatures remained in the Spiritual Spring water.

Ji An’s heart pounded twice. The two upgrades of the Spiritual Spring water strengthened a certain guess in his heart.

The entire spatial ring was simulating Earth’s environment. The final upgrade of the Spiritual Spring water would definitely become the ocean, and at that time, the Spiritual Spring water would likely be the Fountain of Life.

Ji An took a sip of the Spiritual Spring water. The upgraded Spiritual Spring water was significantly richer in spiritual energy than before, and the vigorous life force contained within it was also more robust.

Ji An took out some of the newly upgraded Spiritual Spring water and placed it in the laboratory. Wu Youyang and the others would add this water to the Nutrient Solution and Treatment Pods later.

Now Ji An was certain that the Spiritual Spring water definitely had the effect of enhancing mental power. Little Rose and Little Stone awakened their abilities without being infected by any zombie virus after drinking the Spiritual Spring water. Similarly, the fact that Gu Jinsheng’s mental power was strong enough to counter-invade Mental-type Power Users was the best evidence.

It was precisely because of this that Ji An was even more determined to integrate the Spiritual Spring water into the Nutrient Solution and Treatment Pods.

In the Apocalypse, one more possibility of awakening meant one more hope of survival. At the same time, the birth of the Mental-type Zombie King made Ji An urgently realize the importance of mental power.

Since the Spiritual Spring water had the effect of increasing mental power, then regardless of whether it could help people awaken abilities, even if it only improved mental power, at least it could resist the control of their own kind and Mental-type Zombies.

Ji An collected the aquatic creatures and walked out of the laboratory, following Gu Jinsheng and the others to the Sixth Base.

The Sixth Base was neither far nor near from Jing Shi Base. It would take about ten hours of driving without rest.

In the past, the Sixth Base and Jing Shi Base were two separate bases, so this road naturally didn’t need to be built. But now the two bases were one, so this road needed to be built. It wouldn’t do for people going from one part of their own base to another to encounter zombies on the way.

The so-called road building was not the same as building roads before the Apocalypse, like creating a train tunnel or something. Building roads in the Apocalypse referred to constructing a protective channel built by Power Users. It had a similar purpose to the protective shield above Jing Shi Base, which was used to protect this section of the road from zombie intrusion and occupation.

The staff drove a six-seater commercial vehicle carrying Ji An and others along the newly opened Power Channel. He Tao’s eyes lit up.

“Overall Commander Gu, if our base joins Jing Shi Base, will a Power Protection Channel like this also be built between the two locations?” He Tao asked.

“That is natural,” Gu Jinsheng said. “If Hai Shi Base joins our Jing Shi Base, then we will be one base. There’s no reason for parts of one base not to be interconnected and for there to be safety issues when going from one place to another.”

He Tao worried, “But Hai Shi Base is a bit far from Jing Shi Base. Building a direct channel might be difficult, and there might even be waterways involved.”

“Then we’ll build a water Power Channel underwater,” Gu Jinsheng said. “Don’t worry about that. No matter how difficult it is, as long as Hai Shi Base joins Jing Shi Base, we will find a way to build a Power Protection Channel. We will absolutely guarantee the safety of personnel traveling between the two bases.”

This was one of He Tao’s biggest concerns. He Tao was afraid that Jing Shi Base would accept Hai Shi Base on the surface, and various taxes would be collected accordingly, but they wouldn’t care about the construction of Hai Shi Base, or they wouldn’t build a Power Protection Channel. In that case, it wouldn’t truly be one base, as they weren’t connected. Although they would be called two bases, Hai Shi Base would still be under the jurisdiction of Jing Shi Base.

But if Jing Shi Base was willing to build such a Power Protection Channel, then all problems would be solved.

Although the Power Protection Channel had just been opened, He Tao saw that there were many vehicles coming and going, not at all like a newly opened route.

As the car gradually approached the Sixth Base, He Tao’s heart beat faster.

He Tao had been to the Sixth Base before. The Sixth Base was much smaller than Hai Shi Base, truly a small place. As for the level of poverty, it wasn’t much different from Hai Shi Base; it was even poorer than Hai Shi Base. No matter what, at least Hai Shi Base had been wealthy before the Apocalypse and still had some savings.

But the Sixth Base was different. It was completely built after the Apocalypse, when a group of Power Users came to this land and settled here. Later, more people moved in, and thus the Sixth Base was formed.

However, now there was no sign of the Sixth Base’s former hardship. The entire base was thriving, and everyone’s face showed joy.

He Tao saw a long queue in front of a supermarket. The people in the queue were Power Users and ordinary people, and there might even be a few high-level Power Users among them.

But these Power Users had no privileges. They were not dissatisfied and queued up in an orderly manner. Everyone’s face was filled with excitement.

He Tao was curious, so he asked the driver to stop. He walked up and asked, “What are you queuing up to buy here?”

He Tao asked a Power User, who smiled and said, “You must be visitors from Jing Shi Base, that’s why you don’t know.

This supermarket sells Nutrient Solution, and we are all here to buy Nutrient Solution.”

The Power User’s attitude was very friendly, as if he was a good friend of He Tao’s. This attitude surprised He Tao.

Because the smaller the base, the rarer the Power Users. At the same time, Power Users also bear the responsibility of protecting the base, which leads to Power Users in small bases feeling superior and always having a hint of arrogance in their attitude.

But this Power User had none of that. At first, He Tao found it strange, but after hearing the name “Nutrient Solution”, He Tao no longer felt strange. What could be more attractive than Nutrient Solution? Perhaps only Nutrient Solution could break the pride of these Power Users.

The Power User continued, “Good stuff like Nutrient Solution, we’ve never seen before. We’ve heard about it on TV and in everyday life, and we even thought it was from fantasy movies.

Later, when our Sixth Base joined Jing Shi Base, we became one family. Nutrient Solution, which other bases have to pay to buy the right to purchase, is not only free for us, but it’s also allocated to our base immediately, and the selling price is the same as the internal price in Jing Shi Base.

Hahaha, for a Tier 2 Power User like me, a Tier 2 Nutrient Solution only costs twenty Credit Points. What can you do with that few Credit Points? Now it can fill my stomach.”

He Tao was greatly surprised. He asked, “Overall Commander Gu, the price of Nutrient Solution sold in the bases that join us later is the same as in Jing Shi Base, and the Credit Points from the original base can still be used?”

“Of course,” Gu Jinsheng said. “Once joined, we are one family. One family doesn’t talk about two families, so naturally it’s one price. As for Credit Points, those Credit Points were earned with the lives and blood of the base residents. Naturally, they cannot be abandoned.”

He Tao listened with enthusiasm and once again confirmed that his choice to join Jing Shi Base was correct.

He Tao and the others continued to walk forward and saw snack stalls and street vendors on both sides of the street.

Suddenly, He Tao pointed into the distance and said, “Look, why are there so many children being put into the same car over there? Could it be human traffickers?”

They walked over and actually saw a familiar person, Yuan Ming’an.

Yuan Ming’an held a roster of the children and said, “Have you verified everything here? Are all these children orphans without parents?”

“Yes, they have all been verified,” the Power User from the Sixth Base said. “There are a few children who have parents, but their parents said they couldn’t afford to raise them and gave up custody.

I remember our main base said that children whose families can’t afford to raise them will also be adopted, so I kept these children together.”

Yuan Ming’an nodded. “That’s fine. The Orphanage takes them in. But have you made it clear to the parents of those children that once the children are raised by the Orphanage, they will be completely cut off from their biological parents legally?

In the future, when the children grow up, they will not be responsible for supporting their biological parents. Conversely, if the biological parents come to harass them, the Orphanage and the base reserve the right to sue and can directly prosecute the biological parents for abandonment.

Of course, if the biological parents do not harass the children for support, there is no such thing as abandonment.

This law was just passed a few days ago, specifically to prevent some biological parents from not wanting to raise their children but still wanting the right to be supported by them.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve informed them and made them sign. Two people didn’t want to sign and claimed they were illiterate, so I made them press their fingerprints. They are all included in the roster.”

Yuan Ming’an nodded. “That’s good.”

After putting away the roster, Yuan Ming’an looked up and saw Gu Jinsheng and Ji An. Yuan Ming’an was surprised. “Overall Commander Gu, Researcher Ji, why are you at the Sixth Branch Base? Are you here to inspect?”

Gu Jinsheng said, “This is Overall Commander He Tao from Hai Shi Base. We brought him here to visit.”

Yuan Ming’an shook hands with He Tao and exchanged greetings. He subtly guessed He Tao’s intentions and smiled, “I am the director of the Orphanage. These children are homeless orphans. Our Orphanage specializes in taking in these children and raising them.”

“Orphanage?” He Tao repeated the three words, his eyes getting wet. He had almost forgotten that there were places like orphanages and nursing homes in the world that only existed in times of peace.

“I thought there were no places like orphanages in this world anymore?” He Tao said. “Overall Commander Gu, if Hai Shi Base joins Jing Shi Base, will the homeless children in Hai Shi Base be taken in by Jing Shi Base’s Orphanage?”

“Of course,” Gu Jinsheng said. “Have you conducted a population census in your base?”

He Tao nodded.

“Then you should have found that the birth rate of newborns after the Apocalypse is less than five percent. Many homeless children were separated from their families during the Apocalypse and were not born after the Apocalypse.

In fact, even a five percent birth rate is because the mothers of these children may be engaged in some special industries and don’t have money for abortions, so they have no choice but to give birth to these children,” Gu Jinsheng said. “Many Power User families, where both the husband and wife are high-level Power Users, have the ability and resources to raise children, but these people are unwilling to have newborns, fearing that if something happens to them, their children will have no one to take care of them.”

Gu Jinsheng said, “Currently, Jing Shi Base does not have such great capabilities, but if it develops well in the future, it will definitely add other policies in this regard, such as the base distributing subsidies and other benefits.

After all, growing up with parents is best for children’s psychological health.”

The more He Tao listened, the more excited he became. He no longer needed to continue his inspection. “Overall Commander Gu, I will apply to join Jing Shi Base right now. I hope you can approve it immediately?”

Gu Jinsheng said, “You need to be in a hurry. You can continue your inspection.”

He Tao shook his head vigorously. “No, no, no. I’m afraid that if I continue to hesitate, I will miss this great opportunity.

Jing Shi Base has spatial storage, Nutrient Solution, and Treatment Pods. Anyone who isn’t blind can see that the future of Jing Shi Base will definitely get better and better.

I’m afraid there are too many bases that see this point, and by then everyone will apply to join, and our poor base, which has nothing, will be overshadowed and won’t even be eligible to compete.

It would be foolish not to seize a good opportunity. While other bases haven’t reacted yet, my Hai Shi Base will quickly join.”

Yuan Ming’an laughed heartily when he heard He Tao’s blunt words.

Gu Jinsheng extended his hand to He Tao and said, “Welcome, Hai Shi Base, to join our Jing Shi Base!”

He Tao also shook Gu Jinsheng’s hand in return. Handing over the base that he had led for seven years like this, He Tao’s heart was not comfortable, but he knew this was the best choice for Hai Shi Base, it was Hai Shi Base’s fortune, and it was the fortune of all the residents within Hai Shi Base.

“I believe in you, Overall Commander Gu. I believe Hai Shi Base will become increasingly prosperous and the people will live and work in peace under your leadership!”

After saying the pleasantries, He Tao almost immediately and eagerly fought for the interests of Hai Shi Base. “Overall Commander Gu, since Hai Shi Base has already joined Jing Shi Base, when do you think the Power Protection Channel between our two bases can start being built?”

To get rich, build roads first!

This was an experience summarized before the Apocalypse. Now in the Apocalypse, the Power Protection Channel was equivalent to a road, so of course He Tao had to ask clearly first.

Yuan Ming’an was speechless. He had never seen someone so impatient.

Gu Jinsheng said, “We’ll have a simple ceremony when we get back. You and I will appear on camera and broadcast it on the public channel, and then the channel can be built immediately.”

He Tao was a little shy. “What about the Orphanage, Nutrient Solution, and Treatment Pods?”

Gu Jinsheng said, “Except for the Treatment Pods, everything else can be immediately supplied.”

He Tao said anxiously, “Why can’t the Treatment Pods be immediately supplied? We are short on supplies there, but zombies are not scarce.

The base’s Power Users have several major battles with zombies every year, and many Power Users are injured in battle, losing arms and legs, or being blinded and deafened. These people are heroes of our base. Now that the base has Treatment Pods, if we don’t heal these heroes first, it will dampen their spirits.”

Ji An said, “You can rest assured about this. The base will never forget the heroes who have made contributions to the base.

It’s just that the Treatment Pod was just successfully developed. Currently, there is only one finished product in the laboratory, and others are being rushed to production.

Once the first batch of Treatment Pods is completed, they will be distributed according to the total population ratio of each branch base within Jing Shi Base.”

He Tao then had a smile on his face. He said, “I was too impatient. It’s good as long as our base isn’t missed out!”

Gu Jinsheng had already reached a preliminary agreement with He Tao and said, “Will you wander around here for a while, or come back to Jing Shi Base with us?”

He Tao said, “Let’s go back to Jing Shi Base. Didn’t we say we were going to have a press conference? Let’s do it when we get back. It can be broadcast on the public channel tonight, and then the Power Protection Channel can be built tomorrow, and the Nutrient Solution…”

After Gu Jinsheng and the others left, Yuan Ming’an looked at He Tao’s retreating back and said, “Although He Tao is a bit impatient, you cannot deny that he is a good Overall Commander.

Ultimately, he is impatient not for his own interests, but for the development of the base and the interests of the residents in the base.

Moreover, even though Hai Shi Base’s joining Jing Shi Base is a done deal, and it’s uncertain whether he, the former Overall Commander of Hai Shi, can continue to manage Hai Shi Base, he is still constantly fighting for the interests of Hai Shi Base.

He hasn’t fought for any personal interests as the former Overall Commander, or said a few good words to keep his position as Overall Commander.”

Gu Jinsheng and the others were driving back to Jing Shi Base when Gu Jinsheng’s phone suddenly rang. Seeing who was requesting a video call, Gu Jinsheng was slightly taken aback.

“Du Ruanlan from Luo Shi Base. Why is he calling me?” Gu Jinsheng wasn’t a talkative person, but this time he deliberately said it for Ji An to hear, wanting to start a conversation with Ji An.

Ji An didn’t reply, but He Tao chuckled and said, “Maybe Luo Shi Base also saw the wonderful future development of Jing Shi Base and wants to join.”

After saying that, he laughed heartily himself. He Tao knew it was impossible. Luo Shi Base was developing very well. In the entire Xia Country, besides Jing Shi Base, Luo Shi Base was developing the best.

If it weren’t for Jing Shi Base suddenly having spatial storage items, Nutrient Solution, and Treatment Pods, it would be hard to say who would sit in the Big Brother position!

Having joined Jing Shi Base and secured a wave of benefits for his own base, He Tao could almost foresee the wonderful and worry-free life of his base residents in the future. He was in a good mood and said with a smile, “Of course, there’s also a possibility that they’re here for the Treatment Pods.

Even if Du Ruanlan doesn’t need it, which base doesn’t have heroes who have lost limbs or legs for the base’s selfless contributions!”

Gu Jinsheng also felt that it was more likely that Du Ruanlan was here for the Treatment Pods. He didn’t string the other party along and immediately accepted the video call.

However, as soon as the call connected, Gu Jinsheng saw a Power Energy as thick as an adult’s arm strike across the screen, and Du Ruanlan didn’t immediately appear on the screen.

The screen was shaking, indicating that the person holding the phone was moving or fighting. Explosion sounds came from the phone, along with screams of men and women, and the roars of zombies.

Gu Jinsheng immediately sat up, his eyes solemn.

“Du Ruanlan, where are you now?”

Hearing Gu Jinsheng’s voice from the phone, Du Ruanlan seemed to realize that the call was connected. He picked up the phone and put his face in view.

Du Ruanlan was someone with a bit of acleanliness obsession. No matter when or where, he always maintained his appearance. Other base commanders once complained that Du Ruanlan must have done his hair even when he slept and didn’t turn over because turning over would mess up his hairstyle.

Now, such a person had a dirty face, messy hair, and torn clothes.

But he didn’t care about his image and said to Gu Jinsheng, “Gu Jinsheng, I need your support. Please send Power Users to support Luo Shi Base. As long as Luo Shi Base can survive this crisis, you can name any condition.”

“Okay,” Gu Jinsheng didn’t try to bargain but concisely asked, “Reason?”

“The Mental-type Zombie King has controlled…” With a “bang,” Gu Jinsheng only had time to see a green Power Energy before the phone screen was left with just a sheet of white dots.