Chapter 130: We’ll Talk About It Later

Chapter 130: We'll Talk About It Later

While waiting for the results of the examination, the leadership of Guixu City held a small meeting in the conference room.

Zhu Zhuan, who had also rushed over, said: "Given the significant changes at Lin Dong Base, the oil and gas supply could be disrupted. We need to reconsider our energy needs and plan accordingly. We should temporarily halt population expansion."

Qin Mu absentmindedly twirled the pen in his hand: "What will the Alliance military's reaction be? Will they recognize the new commander of Lin Dong Base? It appears to be Ye Yuqing's uncle, Major General Ye Lihui."

Guan Yuanfeng frowned and remained silent for a while before saying, "Ye Yuqing's exceptional personal abilities enabled him to take charge of Lin Dong Base at a young age during the apocalypse."

"Ye Lihui's experience and leadership skills pale in comparison. I don't think he can take control of Lin Dong Base in a short time. The navy, army, and air force are each led by their own commanding officers. These commanders don't just take orders from Lin Dong Base; the Alliance's central military holds nominal command over them."

"The Alliance military won't replace a commander without solid evidence. That's likely why they spared Ye Yuqing—they need time to transition and consolidate control."

Qin Mu said, "Ling Dingxiu revealed that their public excuse was General Ye's health-related recuperation, while privately informing their inner circle that he was undergoing a high-success-rate psychic ability activation experiment. The other trusted aides and officers accepted it without doubt."

"However, Ling Dingxiu had received a prior warning from General Ye, who felt the psychic ability activation drug was unreliable and advised against its use. Why would he suddenly decide to undergo the experiment? He even called Ling Dingxiu to reassure him, claiming he'd wait for the surgery's success."

"The more he pondered, the more suspicious it became. He feigned agreement while secretly investigating. Luckily, his reputation for being clueless was well-established, so Ye Lihui assumed he'd been duped and didn't suspect him. That's how he successfully smuggled Ye Yuqing out."

Qin Mu, ever meticulous, had already discreetly gathered details from Ling Dingxiu while awaiting Zhou Yun's arrival.

Guan Yuanfeng said, "I reported to General Tan, but I suspect the Alliance military won't act rashly. Lin Dong has ample military strength, energy, and weapons. If a fight breaks out, the unified situation will be destroyed, and the people will suffer."

Qin Mu, however, said, "I think it's best not to contact the central military. It's like a sieve—once the news that Ye Yuqing is here leaks out, Lin Dong Base could turn the tables and accuse Guixu Base of torturing and imprisoning General Ye. After all, General Guan and General Ye have a public feud. At that point, Guixu City would become the target of everyone's attacks, and they could use this as a reason to demand we hand over the Lord of Dongjun."

"Guixu City has just been established, and the surrounding private bases aren't very strong. Sanchu Base is dealing with floods, and Jing Nan Base isn't stable either. If a war breaks out, people might not even get a decent meal."

"Even General Tan would be in a difficult position. It's better to keep it from him from the start and strictly prevent leaks. Ye Lihui probably wouldn't expect him to hide in Guixu City, given their deep enmity. After all, Ling Dingxiu really does seem brainless."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Qin Mu looked a bit confused under their gaze: "What? Isn't that right?"

Zhu Zhuan said, "You're a real conspiracy genius."

Qin Mu: "...I'm just making a reasonable deduction." If he were in their position, he would definitely do the same. Moreover, such a crude power grab is really strange. They could have done it more subtly, gradually undermining and transferring power. Why so abrupt? And with such deep enmity, how could they let someone escape?

Shen Lan said, "It's very possible."

Qin Mu added, "I even think Ye Yuqing had this in mind when he sent Ling Dingxiu to bring him here. Now we can't send him away anymore. If he dies outside, it would be our fault. It's like wet hands touching flour—you can't shake it off."

Everyone fell silent, feeling that Qin Mu made a lot of sense.

Guan Yuanfeng looked at Zhou Yun, who thought for a moment and said, "Let's save him first. If we can control Lin Dong Base through him, the benefits outweigh the risks. If he doesn't cooperate after being saved, we can just kill him."

Everyone: "..."

For some reason, the Lord of Dongjun, who usually appears gentle, didn't evoke fear when he spoke of killing. Instead, it felt like everything was under his calm and relaxed control.

The matter was settled. That night, they secretly sent Ye Yuqing and Ling Dingxiu to Nanshan Herb Garden and strengthened the defenses there.

After the meeting, Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng spoke privately while heating the seafood pot he had brought in the microwave: "Whether to report to General Tan or not is up to you."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "It's not the first time I've acted on my own. Let's not say anything. It won't help and might even worsen the situation."

Zhou Yun smiled, knowing that Guan Yuanfeng was actually more concerned about him.

As they chatted, Zhou Yun said, "Fortunately, Ge Chen's surgery was originally scheduled at the hospital in Nanshan Herb Garden. Despite being a prison hospital, the facilities there are excellent." He even felt a bit envious: "It's much better than the hospital I used to work at." Guan Yuanfeng laughed: "Be mindful of your status as a fifth-tier powerhouse. You're now the lord of a city."

Zhou Yun also smiled and whispered to him, "When the Nirvana squad returns, we'll have access to top-notch equipment again."

He imagined the high-precision single-molecule microscope, blood gas and blood analyzers, high-end mass spectrometers, and flow cytometers, and felt a surge of excitement.

Seeing Zhou Yun's happiness, Guan Yuanfeng's heavy mood lifted slightly. He took a bite of the three-cup chicken, savoring the warm, rich aroma of basil, as snowflakes continued to fall outside.

No matter how tough life gets or how chaotic the world outside becomes, Zhou Yun always manages to bring a sense of peace and calm to those around him, making everyone feel at ease.

He sighed, "Everyone wants to grow stronger and live longer."

Zhou Yun smiled, "What matters is the quality of life, not its duration. Many philosophers have shared this view." He gently reached out and caressed Guan Yuanfeng's wrist, "But if I can be with you, I hope we can stay together for as long as possible... And for that, I want to keep getting stronger."

Guan Yuanfeng was deeply moved, "You're right."

He clasped Zhou Yun's hand, their fingers intertwining, feeling the softness of his palm, "So we should still commit to the winter training." Since diving into his research, Zhou Yun had clearly slacked off on his exercise routine, only consistently practicing Ba Duan Jin.

Zhou Yun: "..."

Guan Yuanfeng held back a laugh, "Don't worry, we'll take it easy. I won't make it too hard on you."

Zhou Yun understood Guan Yuanfeng's concern after seeing Ye Yuqing's condition. Indeed, he had been overindulging lately, and his body had grown somewhat weak. Even his teacher had gently hinted during a pulse reading that he needed to be more moderate. Right, for a lasting relationship, one must take care of their body, "Alright. I'll follow your lead."

===

When Ye Yuqing slowly came to, the first thing he noticed was the strong scent of ginseng, reminiscent of the ginseng pills he used to take in his grandfather's room, served by his nephews.

The icy cold and pain that had enveloped him since his limbs were amputated and he was imprisoned had vanished. Now, he felt a warm, soothing sensation spread through his body. He turned his head slightly; his vision remained absent.

He felt a hand, rich with the scent of ginseng, gently touch the wound over his eyes, warmth spreading quickly as the pain began to fade.

Given the current state of medical technology, eye transplants were impossible, yet a faint hope still flickered within him, "Dingxiu?"

Zhou Yun explained, "He's also receiving treatment. He overused his psychic ability, and the hormones injected earlier have caused hidden damage to his body. He needs to avoid using his psychic ability for a long time and gradually recover, or else his meridians won't hold up, and the depletion of his crystal cores will be inevitable."

Ye Yuqing shifted slightly, and Zhou Yun gently pressed his shoulder to stop him, "Stay still. You have needles in you; I'm treating you."

Ye Yuqing smiled, "So it's the Lord of Dongjun... I thank you."

Zhou Yun replied, "Isn't this what you expected? The enemy never imagined you'd come to your arch-rival's territory, and we couldn't just stand by and let something happen to you, or the blame for harming a colleague would fall squarely on Guan Yuanfeng."

Ye Yuqing said, "I'm just a broken shell now, truly desperate, but unwilling to die, still seeking revenge, so I had no choice but to shamelessly ask for help from the Lord and General Guan."

Zhou Yun said, "You need to explain the situation clearly. How can we help you?"

Ye Yuqing said, "Ye Lihui is my uncle. His eldest son, Ye Shiqing, is my cousin. He studied medicine and worked at the East Sea Defense Security Research Institute before the apocalypse."

Zhou Yun listened carefully, even opening his e-ink notebook to jot down notes.

Hearing the sound of the pen tip moving across the screen, Ye Yuqing couldn't help but smile, "Not long after the apocalypse, with the support of the family, Ye Shiqing established a Deep Sea Laboratory, focusing on research into psychic ability activation and enhancement."

Zhou Yun had never heard of this laboratory or Ye Shiqing in his previous life.

Ye Yuqing continued, "Before the apocalypse, I attended military school, following in my father's footsteps, so my promotion was relatively smooth. When the apocalypse hit, I naturally took charge of the East Base. Later, because I supported the unification of the Survivors' Alliance, I served as the deputy commander of the Alliance Central Army, stationed at the Central Base for over a year. Then, as you know, after returning to the East Base, I found that some of the military power I had handed over when I went to the Central Base had led to management loopholes."

"I also want to thank you for reminding me about the Sky Wolf team injecting psychic drugs. I privately had Ling Dingxiu investigate, and only then did I discover that the Sky Wolf team had long been out of my control, even though they nominally followed my orders."

"Guan Yuanfeng killed Taiyang and Taiyin, and you captured a group of people here, which left the Sky Wolf team short-handed and actually saved me. Otherwise, Ling Dingxiu wouldn't have been able to rescue me so easily this time."

Zhou Yun noticed that Ye Yuqing was rambling a bit, his face flushed with excitement, but he didn't remind him to get back on topic.

This was the effect of the ginseng. He had just performed a life-nourishing technique on him, greatly replenishing his vitality. His central nervous system was stimulated, his brain excited, and his thoughts active. Once this wave passed, he would gradually feel tired again.

Later, have Ling Dingxiu feed him ginseng and lingzhi chicken soup to slowly nourish him.

Ye Yuqing snapped back to reality: "Let's get back to the topic of the psychic ability enhancement drug. The laboratory has always claimed that it can successfully enhance psychic levels and has a chance of awakening psychic abilities. Even if it doesn't awaken, it's safe and has no side effects."

"The family elders started urging me to try it."

Zhou Yun looked at him: "Your parents? You don't strike me as someone who'd easily fall for that."

Ye Yuqing said: "My parents passed away after the apocalypse. Of course, I didn't believe it. Especially after your warning, I had someone consult a biological genetics expert, who told us that we could calculate the probability of the results, but it would require a supercomputer. The East Coast Base has a naval academy with a supercomputing center that remained intact after the apocalypse. But even without running the numbers, I already knew the answer."

"After the Sky Wolf team incident, I became more cautious."

"Especially my cousin, who's always been a bit off since childhood. There were rumors he was autistic. He often kept pets, but they frequently got injured or died. His family said he was interested in medicine from a young age because he wanted to heal his pets. He had a talent for medicine; he wasn't autistic."

Zhou Yun was starting to sense something was off.

Ye Yuqing sneered: "Looking back now, Ye Lihui must have known early on that his son wasn't quite right and sent him to a military medical university to study and conduct research."

Zhou Yun asked: "So your limbs..."

Ye Yuqing said: "Yes, he's a madman. He made me watch as my limbs were cut off and fed to the beasts. He kept a lot of mutated beasts in the lab for experiments."

Zhou Yun said: "Weren't you the top leader? How did he suddenly turn against you?"

Ye Yuqing said: "Because at a family meeting, I clearly stated that his psychic ability enhancement drug had issues and demanded he stop clinical trials until the animal experiments were perfected."

"He suddenly went mad. He took advantage of me returning to the old house for the winter solstice and entered my room alone with a mutated dog in the dead of night."

"Ye Lihui obviously didn't expect his son to suddenly go mad, but after finding out my limbs had been cut off and my eyes gouged out, he knew there was no turning back. He still decisively imprisoned and detained me to cover up for his son, forcing me to call my trusted subordinates and say I needed surgery and would be recuperating for a while. I played it safe and deliberately told Ling Dingxiu I was undergoing a psychic ability enhancement experiment."

Zhou Yun thought for a moment: "Is Ye Shiqing a psychic?" That's how he could suddenly go mad and easily cut off Ye Yuqing's limbs.

Ye Yuqing said: "Yes, metal-based."

Zhou Yun paused his pen, thought for a moment, and asked: "Why did he torture you like this? Aren't you cousins? Even if he wanted to seize power, killing or controlling you would've been enough." Cutting off limbs and gouging out eyes—this was pure torture. There must have been deep hatred for someone to do this; most people wouldn't be capable of it.

Ye Yuqing said: "According to him, he was jealous of me. He thought an ordinary person like me didn't deserve to be above him. In my opinion, he's mentally unstable, a madman. Normal people can't understand his logic."

He remembered that day when his usually gloomy and silent cousin seemed to unleash all the malice and venom he had accumulated over the years, laughing maniacally at him while cutting off his limbs and throwing them to the dogs to tear apart, mocking him: "You think you're still the golden boy, the top student with all the family's resources? It's the apocalypse now. You're just an ordinary person; why should you still be above me?"

"I could kill you easily. You still act all high and mighty, thinking you're so great. In the eyes of psychics, you're just an ant."

"Do you think you can keep commanding your pack of dogs for much longer? You have no idea how strong psychics can be."

"A beaten dog driven back by Guan Yuanfeng, you're useless now, yet you still have the nerve to act all high and mighty in front of us. It's the apocalypse now. I've awakened my psychic abilities, and yet they still expect me to defer to you. I've put up with you for a long time. I didn't provoke you, and yet you still came after me?"

"You've always been like this since we were kids. I did just as well in exams. You just have a better face, so the elders liked you, the girls liked you, haha... I'm going to gouge out your eyes, pierce your eardrums, cut out your tongue, and then throw you into the gutter, let everyone see you eating scraps like a dog..."

"Don't worry, you won't die. I've tried it. Ordinary dogs with broken limbs can survive for a long, long time in the gutter as long as they're fed..."

That chilling laughter—he never knew that his cousin, with whom he had almost no interaction except for occasional family gatherings, harbored such hatred for him.

Zhou Yun asked in surprise: "In the gutter?"

Ye Yuqing snapped back to reality, realizing he had unconsciously repeated Ye Shiqing's words from that day. He murmured: "I must be going mad too." He prided himself on being calm and rational, but this was the first time he had been defeated by an irrational madman. The feeling was...

It wasn't entirely his fault for being caught off guard. That day, even though he couldn't see, amidst the excruciating pain, he could hear Ye Lihui's hurried and panicked voice, filled with fear and pleading, making him realize that this was indeed an unexpected outburst of madness, not a long-planned power grab.

Zhou Yun, however, had already fully understood. He wrote Ye Shiqing's name heavily on the paper, thought for a moment, and asked: "Is he also using that psychic ability enhancement drug?"

Ye Yuqing paused, surprised: "I'm not sure, but if there were obvious side effects after his subordinates used it, he probably wouldn't use it. But the logic behind a madman's actions is hard to understand, so I can't confirm."

Zhou Yun pondered and asked another question: "Your family elders shielded him, and knowing that you were beyond recovery, the feud was already established, so they had to continue with the mistake? Or was it because he is a psychic?"

Ye Yuqing sneered: "Not just any psychic, but a crazed one. They fear him and hope he can develop a method to awaken psychic abilities. After your psychic test strips came out, they all rushed to test their affinity attributes..."

"So, after the incident, the elders quickly took control of the situation, assuring me they would find a way to treat me, while urging me to think of the bigger picture. They brought in light psychics to treat me, but in reality, I was completely confined and could only feign cooperation."

Zhou Yun asked: "Who is this elder in your family?"

Ye Yuqing said: "It's my grandfather, Ye Zixi."

Zhou Yun suddenly asked: "What is his attribute?"

Ye Yuqing was startled: "He has a dual affinity for water and wood elements. How to awaken dual attributes, even Ye Shiqing is clueless." He added meaningfully: "So, at that time, the family had me send out the Tianlang commando team to bring you back. I only thought it was for the data on Li Xiong's poppy activation. I never imagined they had another mission, targeting you. They must have also shrewdly guessed that you had some research skills related to psychic abilities."

After Zhou Yun remained silent for a while, Ye Yuqing moved, the ginseng-induced excitement gradually fading, and he started to feel weary. He asked Zhou Yun: "Lord Zhou?"

Zhou Yun circled Ye Zixi's name with his pen: "I'm figuring, Ye Zixi is quite old, right?"

Ye Yuqing said: "Yes... over eighty, but he's always been very active and in good health. He bought a lot of those mutated lingzhi mushrooms as soon as Green Bird Pharmaceuticals launched them."

Zhou Yun said: "Has he always stayed in Lindong?"

Ye Yuqing said: "Yes."

Zhou Yun thought deeply: "What's your connection with the Psychic Research Institute? Since you run your own research institute."

Ye Yuqing was startled: "The Psychic Research Institute is in Central Base, and we had no previous interactions. But after I arrived in Central Base, the Psychic Research Institute contacted me, hoping to provide some research resources. The family's intention was that we need to strongly support these psychic research institutions, support the development of psychic awakening experiments, psychic awakening vaccines, etc., so I gave them some convenience."

He candidly said: "It's not just me, at that time General Tan was also quite lenient towards them. Psychic abilities are a new research field, and everyone hopes they can produce results, whether it's fighting zombies, managing psychics, or the future applications of psychic abilities, all require strong research support. So we initially opened the door wide for them."

"It was only after Guan Yuanfeng returned to Central Base that the Psychic Research Institute was inexplicably ostracized, and the military began to cut ties with them."

Zhou Yun said: "The Psychic Research Institute once sent people to Beiming to try to kidnap Professor Yao Huan back, didn't you know?"

Ye Yuqing candidly said: "I heard some rumors afterwards, reported by the Tianlang team, but I really didn't know beforehand."

Zhou Yun asked again: "The Psychic Research Institute built a Dark Valley laboratory in the suburbs of Central Base, did you know?"

Ye Yuqing said: "I only heard a little that they were building a new laboratory, but our military funds are also tight here, and they haven't produced any results. We have our own research laboratory in Lindong, so naturally we wouldn't lean too much towards them."

Zhou Yun was thoughtful.

In his previous life, the influence of the Psychic Research Institute was greater, receiving strong support from the alliance military... so the Ye family couldn't make a move on him. Or were they waiting for his research results?

Was it a simple exchange of interests? He was kept for so long before being targeted, was it because the experiments hadn't succeeded? It didn't seem like it. If he was being kept like livestock, shouldn't they have moved him to Lindong earlier to keep him under control? At over eighty years old, honestly, every second could be his last.

But did Ye Yuqing also die this early in his previous life?

He had been too detached from worldly affairs before, completely unaware of these military matters.

He looked at Ye Yuqing and thought for a moment: "You also said you were quietly sidelined, this so-called Haiyuan Laboratory, it seems you don't manage it much, is there a possibility that the Psychic Research Institute has actually been under the control of the Ye family all along, just unknown to outsiders, even to you?"

Ye Yuqing frowned: "I can't rule out that possibility."

Zhou Yun saw the fatigue on his face, checked the time, and removed the silver needles from his body: "I'll remove the needles for you, you rest well. Later, I'll prepare a medicinal meal with psychic ginseng and lingzhi for you, it will help you recover faster."

Ye Yuqing said: "Lord Zhou, may I boldly ask you to awaken my psychic abilities?"

Zhou Yun: "..."

Ye Yuqing smiled slightly: "Guan Yuanfeng was the first successful experimental case, right?"

As Zhou Yun retracted the needles, Ye Yuqing said, "I know you keep it under wraps, but you should also understand that when you released that psychic affinity test paper, some research institutions would start to suspect."

"And those who know Guan Yuanfeng are aware that he refused the Psychic Research Institute's request to study him."

"General Ye and his team would certainly notice this. Guan Yuanfeng is also a dual-system psychic, at the peak of his combat power. And then there's Qin Mu, the first dark shadow psychic, who is also highly suspicious."

"Perhaps they initially thought you had obtained Li Xiong's research results, so they underestimated Dongjun and only sent a small team. Once you released that psychic affinity test paper, the Ye family would naturally associate it with Guan Yuanfeng."

"Next, you will definitely become an enemy of the Ye family."

"Let me be the one to seek revenge. It's better to let me out to fight them than to have Lin Dong and Guixu clash, causing widespread destruction and suffering."

Zhou Yun was amused: "General Ye, why do you call yourself a dog?"

Ye Yuqing let out a long sigh: "Because I have come to deeply realize that ordinary people without psychic abilities are, in the eyes of psychics, probably just ants to be crushed at will."

"You have never released the results of psychic activation, probably because you have reservations, perhaps due to insufficient experimental samples. After all, even though you are my enemy, you still called to warn me about that psychic ability gene hormone."

"If you have reservations about human experiments, please start with me."

"Letting me live the rest of my life as a bedridden invalid is worse than killing me now. I have been proud all my life, and now I have fallen into the hands of a madman. I cannot rest until I have my revenge." The fire of revenge burned relentlessly in his chest, leaving him no peace, and he couldn't stomach this injustice.

"Just think of me as a hellhound back from the underworld..."

Zhou Yun couldn't help but laugh and interrupted him: "General Ye, haven't you tested your own psychic affinity?"

Ye Yuqing was taken aback: "...No, you charge too much for it..." He knew full well that the other party's cost must be very low, and buying it at a high price made him feel like a fool.

Zhou Yun couldn't hold back his laughter: "I just tested you earlier, and you are light-system—I haven't seen any light-system psychics with offensive abilities yet. It might be a bit difficult for you to personally seek revenge."

Ye Yuqing: "..."

Zhou Yun smiled, finished removing the needles, and covered him with a blanket: "Rest for now, we'll discuss your psychic abilities later."