Chapter 36 Stupid Speech

Chapter 36: Idiotic Rant

As soon as the test results came back, Ji An didn’t waste a second and went straight to the command center. Seeing his expression like ice, Gu Jinsheng asked, “Is it the zombie virus?”

“Yes, zombie virus-laced liquid.” Ji An’s face remained cold.

The Capital Base maintained stringent containment protocols. Everyone on an external mission was required to wear full hazmat gear—boots, masks, gloves, and goggles.

Uninjured individuals with special abilities could re-enter the base after being washed down with a specialized cleansing solution. Wounded personnel had to remain in isolation for ten days to safely complete their incubation period before entry was permitted.

To ensure the safety of its residents, the Capital Base had always enforced strict protective measures. Over the years, aside from the initial chaotic phase, there had never been an outbreak within the base itself.

“Did you get their purpose yet?” Ji An asked.

“He’s still holding out,” Zhou Qin shook his head.

“I’ll take this one.” Gu Jinsheng pulled on a pair of white gloves and said while walking away, “You go back.”

Zhou Qin offered, “The boss’s methods can get... messy. We’re afraid it might unsettle you.”

Ji An shook his head. “I’ve seen worse in people’s hearts. Nothing frightens me more than human cruelty.”

Ji An stood firm, eyes locked onto Gu Jinsheng without flinching. Gu Jinsheng’s gaze turned stormy, but he finally said nothing and stepped into the interrogation room.

Inside sat not an R-national, but the sole male among them who shared their nationality.

Bound to a chair, the man began violently struggling the moment he saw Gu Jinsheng enter. Since they still needed his confession, his mouth remained unbound.

The man bellowed, “You've reduced Mr. Koenjiro to a drooling wreck! You’ve crossed a line with R-nation! Release the others immediately and guarantee their safety, or R Country will never let this slide!”

T Base had been heavily populated by R nationals even before the apocalypse. After the collapse, transportation was cut off, stranding many R citizens there. In fact, some small settlements entirely composed of R nationals had formed across T Province.

Recently, overseas civil wars had died down, and their homelands stabilized. Many factions were now regaining ambition, once again setting their sights on Huaguo.

“Are you even listening? R Country won't let this go!” the man continued shouting.

Gu Jinsheng said nothing. He simply removed the gloves he had just put on, dipped his slender fingers into water, and cleaned each one slowly.

Zhou Qin handed him a snow-white handkerchief. Gu Jinsheng wiped his hands dry, then tossed the slightly damp—but still spotless—cloth into the trash bin.

This simple act made the man’s blood run cold. For some reason, this unnerved him far more than immediate torture would have.

He swallowed hard. “Wh-what’s this about? I’m warning you, as a fellow countryman! Don’t provoke R Country! They’ll bury you for this!”

Gu Jinsheng still didn’t speak. It was as if he couldn’t hear a word, continuing his deliberate, measured motions.

Along the wall of the interrogation room stood rows of implements, each one uniquely terrifying, some still bearing dried, rust-colored stains.

Gu Jinsheng strolled past them slowly, his icy features unreadable. His dark eyes appraised each gruesome implement as though choosing a favorite toy.

Passing increasingly horrifying devices, he finally stopped at a few thin sheets of mulberry paper hanging alone on a wooden rack.

His gaze settled on the paper, and Zhou Qin smiled—a strange, eerie smile that chilled the man to the bone.

“You’ll appreciate this,” Zhou Qin said, his tone dripping with false praise.

Zhou tsk’d. “Ever seen anything like it? This is mulberry paper. I cultivated it myself, poring over forgotten manuscripts and going through great effort to produce it.”

Gu Jinsheng, now gloved again, pinched the corners of the paper and gently submerged it in water, allowing it to absorb the liquid gradually.

Zhou Qin explained earnestly, "The most notable feature of mulberry paper is its exceptional absorbency."

As Zhou Qin finished speaking, Gu Jinsheng had already methodically placed the mulberry paper over the man's face.

Bit by bit, the man watched helplessly as his face was covered. The thin sheet clung to his skin like a bloodsucking leech—so tight—so suffocatingly tight that he couldn't even open his mouth to breathe, so tight that no air could seep through.

"You know, I heard that in ancient times, those subjected to this torture couldn’t even endure five sheets. Wonder how many a superpowered individual like you can take. You’re tougher than a normal person, right? Five sheets should be easy..."

The voice beside him drifted eerily, like a hellish gust scraping his bones.

Another sheet seemed to press onto his face, squeezing out even more air.

His mouth gaped, but no air reached his lungs.

No... he... he couldn’t breathe...

The man began thrashing violently, jerking his head desperately, trying to shake off the mulberry paper.

But the sheet clung stubbornly, as if fused to his skin.

Suffocation’s agony fused with death’s terror, overwhelming him—he pissed himself in terror.

I’ll talk—I’ll talk—

He tried to scream, to beg—only choked gurgles came out.

No... he didn’t want to die...

Suddenly, the mulberry paper was ripped away. Air—sweet, glorious air—flooded his nose and mouth. He gulped it down, coughing until his lungs seared.

"I’ll talk... I’ll tell you everything..."

As Gu Jinsheng stepped out of the interrogation room, he glanced up at the one-way glass. Behind it stood Ji An—invisible to him, but he knew Ji An was watching.

"Did he confess?" Ji An stood behind the glass, able to observe but not hear the exchanges inside.

Gu Jinsheng’s eyes locked onto Ji An, hunting for even a flicker of disapproval toward his methods. But all he saw was Ji An’s focus on the outcome.

"Yeah," Gu Jinsheng nodded. "He talked."

Zhou Qin’s jaw clenched at the confession. "There were ten of them. Three were smuggling something inside their bodies, planning to release it during the auction after infiltrating the base.

The auction attendees—either base commanders or high-ranking officials—were mostly top-tier superpowered individuals.

If these superpowered individuals got infected with the zombie virus at the Jing City Base auction, no one would buy that the base wasn’t behind it, no matter how much we claimed sabotage."

Gu Jinsheng’s eyes turned glacial.

Zhou Qin continued, "By then, the other bases would unite against Jing City, plunging the country into chaos."

Ji An’s eyes turned icy. "Even if China avoided infighting, losing so many high-level superpowered at once would destabilize the bases, triggering internal power struggles.

Chaos would drag on for ages—enough for them to exploit the weakness, plant moles, maybe even snatch a few bases."

"Exactly." Zhou Qin sneered. "Pity the R-people are so damn arrogant. They lick the M-people’s boots and assume we’d do the same. Parading that golden-haired mutt around like some prize. They wanted to intimidate us, but ended up turning their own guy into a drooling moron!"

Suddenly, Zhou Qin let out a cold laugh. "You know the funniest part? Those R-people brought women along for ‘entertainment’ while plotting their scheme. Those low-tier female supers were just party favors to them. They didn’t take Jing City Base seriously at all—acting like we’re a bunch of chumps!"

"What’s the play with them?" Ji An asked Gu Jinsheng.

"Eliminate the rest—except for the golden retriever." Gu Jinsheng spoke softly, his eyes fixed on Ji An.

Every time Gu Jinsheng addressed Ji An, he would look directly into Ji An's eyes, as if speaking to him was of utmost importance—so important that every word he said needed to be treated with care.

Zhou Qin, sensing Ji An might not fully grasp the situation, explained, "If this were a few months ago, we wouldn't have hesitated to eliminate even the golden retriever. But now, it's different. M Country’s civil war has just ended, and the various bases have formed an alliance. Now they finally have the capacity to unite against external threats. They have no choice—their land is barren and yields little. The only way they can survive is through raiding and pillaging.

Right now, they’re just waiting for a reason to declare war on Xia. We can’t give them that excuse."

"We're not ready yet. We still need more time. The other bases aren't prepared either. We all need more time."

Zhou Qin spoke with visible concern.

Ji An understood. He knew all too well that international confrontations weren't like children playing at war—they were complex, each decision paved with blood and countless lives lost.

And it was always the common people who suffered the most.

Ji An nodded. "I understand."

"Don’t worry—we won’t let the golden retriever off easily either. We’ll get every bit of compensation we deserve." Zhou Qin chuckled, feigning nonchalance. "Glad you get it. Our boss doesn’t want you thinking he’s some kind of coward."

Zhou Qin glanced at Gu Jinsheng and added with a grin, "Our boss usually uses brutal, violent interrogation methods. He’s never gone soft before—he despises soft tactics. I don’t know what’s gotten into him today, suddenly changing his style."

With that, Zhou Qin strolled off, hands behind his back. Gu Jinsheng looked at Ji An seriously and said, "No violence. I don’t engage in domestic abuse, and I don’t kill my wife."

"…" Ji An.

The Capital Base had been bustling lately, with delegations from major bases arriving one after another. Few wanted to stay cooped up in their lodgings, so the base arranged designated guides to show them around.

Of course, these guides served a dual purpose—not just showing guests around, but also keeping an eye on them to prevent any trouble.

The guides didn’t take visitors to the Eastern District slums, sticking instead to the western side near the Command Center.

The command center had long notified all major shops in the base to prepare adequately—stocking up supplies while ensuring no large-scale purchases by other bases.

In these times, food was scarce. Production wasn’t just affected by natural and man-made disasters, but also heavily depended on wood, earth, and water superpowered individuals, whose abilities often played a decisive role—sometimes even more so than disasters themselves.

Superpowered individuals were already rare, and those with agricultural abilities were even rarer. The strength of their powers directly influenced crop yields. With the few supporting the many, there simply wasn’t enough food to go around.

To prevent other bases from hoarding food during the chaos, all shops within the base imposed purchase limits on food and water during the auction period.

Despite these precautions, the enthusiasm for buying food remained unstoppable.

The Capital Base’s largest supermarket had become a must-stop for visiting delegations, mainly due to its abundant and diverse supplies.

Just as the delegations were sweeping through the store, a heavily accented voice suddenly cut through, "Isn’t the Capital Base supposed to be Xia’s largest? Why is there so little here?"

Superpowered have heightened senses, their hearing sharp enough to catch the faintest sound. So when that superpowered individual spoke, nearly everyone in the supermarket heard.

A group of Third Base superpowered were busy shopping, each pushing carts filled to the maximum allowed limit.

Ding Yong pushed two carts—one for himself and another for the woman he’d brought along.

This woman was a recent pickup, young—only eighteen—and good-looking, even pretty. Her past was checkered, but Ding Yong didn’t mind.

He was an old man with one foot in the grave. What innocent girl would ever choose him?

More importantly, before the apocalypse, Ding Yong had been a dirt-poor bachelor who could barely afford clothes. Women in his village crossed the street to avoid him. He’d been starved for female company.

Then came the apocalypse, leaving everyone destitute—and then, unexpectedly, he awakened a superpower.

However, even after awakening his superpower, those decent-looking girls still looked down on him, disgusted by his slovenliness, vulgarity, and lack of education—his yellowed teeth whenever he spoke didn’t help. The only ones willing to be with him were women over fifty, who had suffered even more in the apocalypse than he had. Even so, Ding Yong was content—at least he got to experience having a woman.

Later, this woman came onto him. She was the most beautiful woman Ding Yong could ever hope to meet. Even in a crowd of beauties, she’d turn heads. Word was she’d once been the commander’s woman at a former base. Just thinking about it made Ding Yong’s blood boil—he never dreamed he'd one day sleep with someone connected to such a big shot!

Yes, this woman was none other than Tang Tang!

At first, things were fine when Tang Tang followed Song Pengcheng. Though he didn’t respect her, he didn’t outright abuse her.

But as time passed, day after day, her healing ability failed to return, and Song Pengcheng changed—he turned cold and heartless, even pimping her out.

Those days were so hellish that Tang Tang refused to even think about them.

Later, she had a client—Ding Yong. He was the strongest superpowered man she could reach, and the only one willing to help her. Tang Tang played him to get close.

She killed Song Pengcheng, dismembered him, and made a mutilated corpse of him—only then did her rage finally ease.

Now, Ding Yong was her greatest asset. To keep him tied to her, Tang Tang threw away all self-respect in bed, doing anything and everything, using every trick in the book until Ding Yong agreed to bring her to the Capital Base.

She had an obsession with this place—or rather, with a certain person at the Capital Base.

Ever since escaping that hellhole, every time Tang Tang slept with Ding Yong, all she pictured was the handsome face of Zhou Qin, the Capital Base commander.

Rich, gorgeous, and young—even if he was ice-cold and ruthless, that made him better. A guy like that, once you captured his heart, would be loyal to the grave.

Tang Tang couldn’t help smiling at the thought of winning Zhou Qin’s heart.

Just as she was lost in her fantasy, a few arrogant superpowered guys nearby cut into her daydream.

Tang Tang glanced over and immediately knew they weren’t from China—they were probably Korean.

“And they even have purchase limits? What kind of crap is so good it needs rationing? How pathetic!” another superpowered guy chimed in.

“This place is so backward. I can’t even find any kimchi to buy. Bet these Capital Base hicks don’t even know what kimchi tastes like.”

The trio noticed they had drawn the attention of everyone in the supermarket. Instead of lowering their voices, they deliberately spoke louder, as if afraid no one would hear them.

Truth be told, those Korean superpowered guys were full of crap. Compared to pre-apocalypse times, the Capital Base supermarket was a dump compared to before.

But in the apocalypse, with resources so scarce, managing to stock such a large variety of goods was a miracle by apocalypse standards.

Stupid trash-talk just makes the trash-talker look bad—stupid and arrogant.

Nearly all the superpowered guys looked on with disdain and contempt.

But Tang Tang didn’t see it that way. Before the apocalypse, she had come from a poor family and adored Korean idol dramas, harboring endless fantasies about Korea. Even their crappy TV stews seemed fancier to her than instant noodles back home.

So when these Korean superpowered guys ran their mouths, Tang Tang’s first reaction wasn’t to argue—it was to second-guess everything about herself.

Then her face burned with shame. She felt the Koreans had a point.

They really did seem uncultured. Look at the stuff in their shopping carts—coarse rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes. Especially that coarse rice, still mixed with unrefined bran, not the least bit refined. Yet they were frantically hoarding it, even with purchase limits. It did seem petty and unsophisticated.

Surely Korea wasn’t like this. Such a romantic country must still be dreamy and idol-like, even in the apocalypse.

While everyone else sneered at those guys, Tang Tang couldn’t shake the feeling that some of their glances lingered on the bran-mixed coarse rice in her cart, mocking her poverty.

Her face burned. She couldn’t take it anymore. Even though she hadn’t bought these things—she couldn’t afford them—she couldn’t resist grabbing a bag of the coarse rice and putting it back on the shelf.

The moment she did, someone immediately snatched it up. Just as she was about to remove the second bag from the cart, Ding Yong yanked it away.

“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” Ding Yong snapped.

The sharp reprimand brought Tang Tang back to her senses. Her head cooled, and fear crept in—but then she remembered the Koreans’ words and straightened up again.

“Don’t you think they’re right? This is just unrefined coarse rice, the kind that scratches your throat when cooked. Before the apocalypse, even pigs wouldn’t eat it.

But now, we’re scrambling to hoard it like it’s some rare treasure. And we’re buying it all out. Doesn’t that just reek of desperation?”