Chapter 76: Slapped in the Face on the Spot

Chapter 76 A Public Humiliation

Before Commander-in-Chief Gu could even approach, he heard Zhao Zhen's deeply offensive comments, and his face immediately clouded over.

He glanced at Researcher Ji, whose face remained unchanged. In fact, when Ji An met Gu Jinsheng's pitch-black gaze, his smile was just as bright as during their lab work.

Ji An blinked playfully at Gu Jinsheng and said nonchalantly, "These days, do people really volunteer to get their faces stomped on?"

His tone was casual and indifferent, as if none of this mattered to him—like the Buddha watching a monkey leaping wildly yet never escaping his palm, or a god looking down on mortal creatures, able to crush an insignificant ant with a single finger.

This was the confidence and pride only the strong possessed!

"Commander-in-Chief Gu and Researcher Ji are here!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and Zhao Zhen, who had been quacking like a duck, instantly clamped shut like a duck's beak.

The crowd parted, and Gu Jinsheng and Ji An walked through.

Gu Jinsheng stopped in front of Zhao Zhen, looming over him by a full head, mercilessly crushing him in height alone.

But that wasn’t enough for Gu Jinsheng. An icy presence suddenly radiated from him, an invisible pressure spreading through the crowd—like the lethal chill of a drawn blade, one that would not return until blood was drawn!

The superpowered personnel began struggling to breathe, as if the surrounding air had been squeezed dry of oxygen. Some ordinary people present couldn’t withstand the pressure—their legs weakened, forcing them to lean on friends, press against walls, or even sit on the ground to avoid collapsing outright.

The entire research institute’s hall fell deathly silent, so silent you could hear a pin drop. The tension in the air was so thick that even a slightly heavier breath might snap it.

Gu Jinsheng asked coldly, "Fortunately, my hearing is excellent. I heard every word of Vice Dean Zhao’s… *inspiring* speech just now."

Zhao Zhen was already trembling uncontrollably. Despite his best efforts to resist the pressure Gu Jinsheng exuded, his legs shook violently, and his voice quivered involuntarily. "Y-you… I… Wh-what are you going to do? I-I’m not afraid of you! There are so many witnesses here—you can’t do anything to me!"

Gu Jinsheng scoffed, his deep eyes filled with the disdain one would reserve for trash. "You’re beneath my notice. I’d dirty my hands touching you."

He raised his well-defined hand, deliberately examining it under his gaze. Unlike the pale complexion of those who rarely saw sunlight, Gu Jinsheng’s skin bore the aggressive tan of someone who had fought under the sun for years.

When others looked at their hands, it was an appreciation of beauty. When Gu Jinsheng looked at his, it was like contemplating where to make the first incision before dismembering a person.

Zhao Zhen was terrified. He had always known Gu Jinsheng was ruthless and cold, bearing the title of "Killing Machine." But because Han Yaokun had been specially recruited by Gu Jinsheng from another base and treated with courtesy, Zhao Zhen had mistakenly assumed Gu Jinsheng was a refined gentleman.

"Wh-what do you want? We just think the base’s policies are unfair and are calling for fairness! Are you going to silence us with murder, Commander-in-Chief Gu?" Zhao Zhen clutched Wang Zhenghao’s hand so tightly that his nails drew blood. Wang Zhenghao tried several times to pull free but failed.

Just as Wang Zhenghao was growing desperate, Zhao Zhen dragged him into it: "It’s not just me who thinks this is unfair—Wang Zhenghao agrees too, right?"

Wang Zhenghao, now named, wished he could vanish into the ground. His plan had been to let others fight while he reaped the rewards, but Zhao Zhen, coward that he was, had pulled him into the spotlight at the critical moment.

Since Wang Zhenghao had orchestrated this whole affair, with everyone’s eyes now on him, he had no choice but to press forward. "Commander-in-Chief Gu, Vice Dean Zhao was just too emotional earlier—his words may not have conveyed his true meaning. We all respect the relationship between you and Researcher Ji, but we must also say… now that Researcher Ji has lost his superpower, he can no longer make any breakthroughs in research. Isn’t it inappropriate to give the Psychic Zombie King’s Superpowered Crystal Core to him?"

Having been dragged into this himself, Wang Zhenghao, banking on the idea that "the many cannot be punished," decided to drag everyone else down with him: "All the researchers behind me share this sentiment—we just want fairness. Isn’t that right, everyone?"

Wang Zhenghao, with his back to Gu Jinsheng, gave the crowd meaningful looks, silently mouthing: "There's safety in numbers—the Zombie King's Core!"

Those who had been intimidated by Gu Jinsheng earlier, now emboldened by the thought of their researcher status as a protective status, began to join in.

One stepped forward and said, "Yes, we just want fairness!"

With the first person speaking up, a second followed: "The Psychic Zombie King’s Superpowered Crystal Core obtained by the base is communal resource—it should be distributed fairly."

"That’s exactly what we mean. We’re not saying it has to be given to us—even if it goes to another researcher, we’d accept it. But Ji An? No!"

"Ji An’s superpower is gone—he has no prospects for advancement. He holds no value anymore. So whoever gets the Psychic Zombie King’s Crystal Core, we can accept it—just not him!" "We researchers just made a major breakthrough under Dean Han’s leadership—achieving breakthrough isolation of the coexistence of antigens and antibodies in the latest Country M Superpowered Crystal Core zombie virus! By rights, it should go to us!"

Gu Jinsheng let out a cold laugh, laced with heavy sarcasm. His eagle-eyed gaze coldly swept over everyone present. "You think you're worthy of comparing yourselves to Ji An? This might just be the funniest joke I’ve ever heard in my life!"

"Hahaha..." People from the command center and Ji An's research team burst into laughter. Wu Youyang even clutched his stomach, doubled over in exaggerated laughter.

"Oh no, I can’t take it—my stomach hurts from laughing! This is probably the most absurd and hilarious joke I’ve ever heard. I’ll be living off this joke for the rest of my life!"

Zhao Zhen didn’t dare confront Gu Jinsheng directly, but he had no fear of Wu Youyang. He turned on him, clearly aiming to assert dominance. "Wu Youyang, you’re nothing but a bootlicker! The greatest achievement of your life will be licking Ji An’s boots!"

Wu Youyang stopped laughing, but instead of getting angry, he responded with utmost sincerity, as if swearing an oath. "Thank you for your blessing. My only wish in life is to lick Boss Ji’s feet forever—and by the way, Boss Ji’s feet don’t stink!"

Zhao Zhen was so furious he nearly passed out on the spot. Pointing at Wu Youyang’s nose, he snapped, "Wu Youyang, have you no self-respect? Just to suck up to Ji An and Gu Jinsheng, to scrounge a few measly scraps from their table, you’d throw away your dignity?"

"Following Boss Ji is the greatest fortune of my life!" Wu Youyang declared.

Gu Jinsheng gave Wu Youyang a look—approving of his loyalty but displeased at the idea of him licking Ji An’s feet. After all, he hadn’t even gotten the chance to do that himself.

Wu Youyang was baffled. Was Commander-in-Chief Gu satisfied or not with that look?

Gu Jinsheng said coldly, "You want fairness? Fine. Let me spell it out for you."

If they wanted fairness, he’d make sure they understood just how unworthy they were of even licking Ji An’s boots.

"There are many reasons Ji An deserves the Psychic Zombie King’s core. Let me list them one by one. First, Ji An participated in the base mission to hunt the Psychic Zombie King. He was the main reason it was defeated. If he hadn’t arrived in time to kill it, the Zombie King would have escaped!"

"That’s impossible!" Zhao Zhen shouted. "You’re lying! Ji An has lost his Psychic Superpower—how could he possibly defeat the Zombie King? It must have been you who killed it, and you’re just giving him the credit!"

"The blind refuse to see the truth before their eyes!" Ji An retorted. "There were over twenty superpowered fighters present during that battle. The Psychic Zombie King’s core is incredibly valuable—even if they couldn’t use it themselves, trading it for supplies would be a massive fortune. Do you really think they’d just quietly let Jinsheng decide to give it to me without a fight?"

"You rats, who spend your days scheming in dark corners, know how to fight for your own interests. Do you think the warriors of the command center, who risk their lives in battle, lack that same fire? Who exactly are you looking down on?"

Ji An’s cold gaze swept over the crowd. "I’ll give you a chance. One-on-one or a group fight—whatever you prefer. If you don’t believe in the combat skills I earned with my life, challenge me right now. Defeat me, and I’ll concede that I didn’t kill that Zombie King."

With that, Ji An pulled weapons from his spatial storage—a machine gun in his left hand, a submachine gun in his right, a grenade pin clenched between his teeth, and a row of grenades strapped to his waist.

This was the posture of someone ready to fight to the death. These researchers had never even touched a zombie’s clothes—they’d only seen superpowered fighters dressed like this when battling the undead. Instantly, they were intimidated by Ji An’s ferocity.

Not a single person dared to accept the challenge. With Ji An’s arsenal, even if they ganged up on him, he could take down half of them in one combo. No researcher was willing to risk being the unlucky one to die by his hand.

Moreover, Ji An’s reputation for being ruthless preceded him. Everyone knew how he’d obtained his lab—back when he was just a low-level superpowered fighter, he’d charged in alone into a zombie nest with only an ordinary human in tow, staking his life on it.

Who knew what extreme measures someone like that might take if pushed too far?

No one dared to challenge Ji An. No one wanted to be the unlucky victim.

"Good. Since no one dares to fight, that means you acknowledge Boss Ji’s combat skills and admit he killed the Zombie King," Wu Youyang said. "In that case, according to base rules, rewards are distributed based on contributions during missions. Since Boss Ji single-handedly killed the Zombie King, that alone justifies him receiving its core."

The researchers were clearly dissatisfied, but none dared to challenge Ji An.

Gu Jinsheng continued, "Second reason: Ji An lost his superpower not for personal gain, but to save the children at the orphanage. He is a hero, and that deed alone earns him the right to claim the Psychic Zombie King’s core."

Though the apocalypse had made people callous, it hadn’t completely erased compassion. Precisely because people knew they couldn’t have made such a sacrifice themselves, they held Ji An’s selflessness in deep respect—proof that compassion and hope still existed even in these dark times.

"Third reason: the spatial storage device."

The crowd went dead silent at once. The spatial storage device was something they could never hope to match in their lifetimes.

Most of them were still clear-headed. Regardless of their allegiances, they admired Ji An’s character and scientific achievements. Unable to stay silent any longer, someone spoke up for Gu Jinsheng: "Fourth merit: the nutrition formula!"

After the nutrient serum burst onto the scene, many knew it was developed by Ji An, yet neither the Command Headquarters nor Ji An himself ever publicly acknowledged it.

There was even some concealment, attempting to create the illusion that Ji An wasn’t the creator.

But it was too late—the spatial storage device had already put Ji An in the spotlight, drawing overwhelming attention to his every move. The whole damn research institute knew Ji An was the one behind the nutrient serum. If it had been Han Yaokun’s faction, Zhao Zhen would have long boasted about it to everyone.

So when someone revealed Ji An as the creator of the serum, everyone fell silent, with no objections.

Ji An massaged his forehead in frustration. Bringing up the nutrient serum now left him in a dilemma—neither admitting nor denying it was ideal. He simply chose to pretend he hadn’t heard.

Wu Youyang sneered, "You keep talking about value. Now let’s properly discuss value. Is Boss Ji’s nutrient serum not worth more than the combined achievements of everyone in your research institute over their entire lifetimes? How dare you even speak of value! Your ‘value’ wouldn’t fill a thimble."

Some researchers were so ashamed they wished they could vanish into the ground, unable to comprehend how they had been so deluded as to believe Ji An was unworthy of the Superpowered Crystal Core. Now, thinking back—if Ji An wasn’t worthy, who was? Them? They were even less deserving. Their so-called achievements weren’t worth dirt next to Ji An’s pinky toe.

Several researchers quietly covered their faces and slipped away from the crowd. Others, though uninvolved, flushed with shame at sharing a workplace with such people.

Of course, some remained stubborn, muttering under their breath, "That was in the past. What about now? He’s just a powerless has-been, an ordinary person. How could he still be more valuable than us?"

Though spoken softly, the words reached the crowd, and some actually nodded in agreement. Nobody cares about yesterday’s hero; what mattered was the future.

Gu Jinsheng barked a humorless laugh. "Cut the double standards. If we disregard past achievements, then we *all* disregard them. Why should only Ji An’s past be ignored while you cling to yours? Is it because you’re so incompetent that your past accomplishments can’t compare to his?"

Zhao Zhen, indignant, retorted, "We’re not being hypocrites! If we disregard past achievements, then *none* of us should bring them up—we won’t either. We’re talking about *current* achievements. Just days ago, we solved the technical challenge of making Superpowered Crystal Cores simultaneously contain both zombie virus antigens and antibodies!"

As Zhao Zhen spoke of this breakthrough, he strutted like a prize rooster, looking at Ji An with smug satisfaction. "I recall Researcher Ji once publicly challenged me—whoever solved the project first, the other would admit to being useless. Surely, with your busy schedule, you haven’t forgotten your own bet, have you, Researcher Ji?"

"I’ve already succeeded. But out of respect for Commander-in-Chief Gu, if you’re too embarrassed to admit defeat publicly, you don’t have to. However, you *must* hand over the Superpowered Crystal Core! Hand it the hell over!"

Just as Ji An was about to respond, a loud voice cut in—

"Divine Ji! Divine Ji! What kind of high-tech thing did you just have me lie in? I passed out the moment I went in, and when I woke up, my leg was *regenerated*!"

The voice was familiar, but the words made no sense.

Then, the crowd witnessed something they would never forget—a sight so shocking it nearly dislocated their jaws.

Deputy Commander Zhou Qin, who should have been dragging an empty pant leg ever since losing his lower leg, now strode forward wearing only boxers, revealing two perfectly intact legs.

"Ah—!" A researcher shrieked.

"Commander Zhou’s… Commander Zhou’s leg… how is it *back*?"

"Holy shit, what’s happening?"

"Was it those M Country’s top-tier superpowered? Can they really regenerate lost limbs? This is unbelievable!"

"Impossible! The M Country’s top-tier superpowered have been here over a month. If they could do this, why wait till now?"

"Didn’t you hear Commander Zhou call out to Researcher Ji? It must have been Ji An who healed him!"

"No way! Ji An’s superpower is gone. How could he possibly create something this miraculous? Absolutely impossible!"

The crowd erupted in excitement, voices rising as theories flew. Finally, someone couldn’t hold back and blurted, "Deputy Commander Zhou, what happened to your leg? Is it real? Did it really grow back?"

Zhou Qin, grinning cheerfully, even gave the questioner a thumbs-up. "Great question! I don’t know either. I’d *love* to find out if it’s really regrown."

As he spoke, he channeled his superpower into his hand and slashed it across his calf. The crowd gasped as blood sprayed as the cut gouged down to the bone.

Everyone present saw it clearly—Zhou Qin’s leg was real. It was freshly regenerated tissue, with a complete leg bone, not some high-tech prosthetic. "What is going on?" A gravelly voice cut through the noise. The crowd stiffened as Han Yaokun shouldered his way forward.

Zhao Zhen's eyes held both guilt and a sense of relief, as if he had finally managed to get off a tiger's back.

Han Yaokun had been resting at home ever since he solved the problem of the coexistence of the zombie virus antigen and antibody in the Superpowered Crystal Core.

And it was precisely because Zhao Zhen knew this clearly that he started causing trouble.

He had originally planned to secure the Zombie King's crystal core while Han Yaokun was away, so that by the time Han Yaokun returned, he would already have the crystal and could go into seclusion for a breakthrough. By then, even if Han Yaokun disapproved, everything would already be settled.

Unexpectedly, things didn’t go as smoothly as Zhao Zhen had anticipated. Instead, he found himself stuck in a mess of his own making, unable to back down.

Fortunately, Han Yaokun showed up in time—otherwise, Zhao Zhen wouldn’t have known how to resolve the situation. But Zhao Zhen knew that as long as Han Yaokun was here, he would be fine. Just like every time before, the big problem would shrink, the small one would vanish, and in the end, he’d just be forced to apologize to Ji An—end of story.

The thought of having to apologize to Ji An again made Zhao Zhen bristle. He truly despised Ji An and hated even more the feeling of bowing his head to him.

Thinking this, Zhao Zhen couldn’t help but shoot a glare at Ji An.

Seeing that the situation had escalated beyond control, Han Yaokun, who had been alerted by his lab researchers, arrived just in time to witness the scene above. Instantly, his full attention was captured, and he even forgot his original purpose for coming.

Zhou Qin chimed in, "I really don’t know what’s going on either. This morning, I was just told by Divine Ji to come to his lab, so I came without thinking much about it.

Then Divine Ji had me lie down in a pod, and Commander-in-Chief Gu kicked me inside. After that, I passed out, and when I woke up, my leg was back!"

"That’s impossible!" Han Yaokun snapped.

Zhou Qin shrugged indifferently, taking out disinfectant and clean gauze from his storage to carefully bandage his newly regrown calf.

"Whether it’s possible or not doesn’t matter—what matters is that my leg is back!"

Seeing that Zhou Qin clearly had no intention of cooperating further, Han Yaokun said, "Might I ask Researcher Ji to fill me in? I’m sincerely seeking an explanation."

Ji An chuckled. "There’s nothing I can’t say—after all, this will be rolled out across the base eventually. It’s nothing more than 3D modeling technology and targeted cloning technology."

"You cloned a person," Han Yaokun said, his gaze at Ji An tinged with accusation. "You cloned a Zhou Qin, took the clone’s leg bone, and transplanted it onto Zhou Qin, didn’t you?"

"That’s totally unethical!" a researcher immediately exclaimed.

"Exactly! I thought it was some new high-tech breakthrough! Cloning did cross my mind, but I always thought it was too unethical, so I never pursued it."

"Ji An doesn’t even have superpowers anymore—what groundbreaking field could he possibly pioneer? This is just the desperate flailing of someone who refuses to accept mediocrity, trying to make a splash to prove he’s still relevant!"

Zhou Qin’s face darkened. "Are you insulting me, Director Han? I, Zhou Qin, consider myself an upright man who acts with a clear conscience. No matter what, I would never sacrifice another’s health for my own selfish desires—let alone the health of another version of myself!"

"Ah, was I mistaken?" Han Yaokun said awkwardly.

Those who had loudly condemned Ji An earlier, standing on their moral high ground as if their words alone could decide Ji An’s fate, now burned with shame, their faces flushed.

Ji An said, "I said it was targeted cloning—meaning only a part of the body is cloned, not the whole.

In fact, the kind of human cloning Director Han imagined is completely unfeasible.

First, although a clone’s genes are identical to the original, they are still two separate individuals. There’s no guarantee the clone would awaken the same superpower as the original. If it doesn’t, that introduces the issue of superpower incompatibility.

Superpower is an energy that permeates every cell of a superpowered individual. If a part of a superpowered body is replaced with tissue infused with incompatible energy, the rejection could be as severe as genetic incompatibility.

If the superpowers are diametrically opposed, it might even cause the superpowered individual to collapse entirely.

If the clone is an ordinary person without superpowers, and a superpowered individual receives a clone’s leg bone, that non-superpowered bone wouldn’t be able to withstand the superpowered body’s overwhelming energy—it would simply break.

Finally, even if the clone awakens the same superpower, cloning technology itself is far from mature. Clones are highly prone to genetic diseases, which could severely affect the superpowered individual receiving the transplant."

"So I believe that cloning a person to provide organs for superpowerers is not only inhumane but also unfeasible."

After Ji An's analysis, everyone realized he truly hadn't used human cloning, as it was impractical.

The researcher who had earlier claimed to have considered cloning but deemed it inhumane covered his face in shame and slipped out of the crowd.

Han Yaokun's face burned with embarrassment. "My apologies for the misunderstanding. But what exactly is targeted cloning?"

"Take Zhou Qin as an example. We only need bone fragments and marrow from his healthy leg, then use 3D modeling and printing technologies to artificially guide targeted in vitro cultivation, growing the left calf as needed."

Ji An made it sound simple—each technology was familiar, but combined, they left everyone baffled.

How exactly do 3D modeling and printing intervene in this? Who knows how that even works?

Han Yaokun didn’t either, but since this involved core technology, it wasn’t appropriate to ask further. Instead, he said, "Commander Zhou mentioned some kind of 'chamber' earlier. What new technology is that?"

Ji An replied, "Oh, the med-pod.

This one’s straightforward. I noticed healing superpowerers are scarce and overworked, so I wanted to reduce their workload and created a med-pod.

We haven’t tested it on high-tier superpowerers yet, but it’s confirmed to work for Level 4 mid-stage superpowerers. Whether it's internal or external injuries, as long as you’re hurt, just get in the pod and you’ll be fine!"

The med-pod was even more astonishing than the in vitro cultivation technology. Everyone was stunned—how could a mere "pod" replace healing superpowerers? It sounded absurd.

Since things had come this far, Ji An saw no reason to hide anything. "Wu Youyang, bring out the med-pod with your students and show everyone."

Wu Youyang puffed out his chest triumphantly. "Got it."

His smugness surpassed even Zhao Zhen’s earlier display.

Wu Youyang and his team quickly carried out the med-pod. As the crowd marveled, a superpowered officer suddenly asked, "Researcher Ji, can I try it?"

"Sure." Ji An checked the pod. "Let me see if there’s enough treatment solution—yes, it’s full. Go ahead."

The officer was a real daredevil. On the spot, he used his superpower directly at his own chest, holding nothing back. The impact shattered his internal organs, and he vomited blood mixed with organ tissue.

Ji An hurriedly guided him into the med-pod, fearing he might die before treatment could even begin.

Then, everyone witnessed a miracle—a genuine miracle. In just ten minutes, when the officer emerged from the med-pod, his organs were completely restored.

The superpowered man stared in awe. "Holy shit, this is f*cking incredible!

Researcher Ji, now I understand why Commander Zhou calls you Divine Ji. You really are a god."

This set off a wave of excitement. Many began recklessly injuring themselves severely just to experience the med-pod firsthand.

Ji An didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Han Yaokun had no more arguments. His face burned as if scalded.

While he had been patting himself on the back for a small achievement, Ji An had quietly achieved something monumental—something he might have kept under wraps if not for Zhao Zhen’s ill-advised challenge, which led to this public humiliation.

Han Yaokun felt like he had wasted his life.

As for Zhao Zhen, his expression was indescribable—it was pale with despair, jealousy, and venom.

Han Yaokun’s face burned with embarrassment. "Zhao Zhen, come on. Must you keep making a fool of yourself here?"

With the med-pod and in vitro directional cultivation revealed, Zhao Zhen knew he had lost utterly. With no fight left, he turned to leave with Han Yaokun.

But Gu Jinsheng spoke up at this moment, "Director Han, thinking you can just take someone away so easily won’t fly.

Arrest all the troublemaking researchers led by Zhao Zhen."

Han Yaokun said, "There’s no need for this. I’ll have Zhao Zhen apologize to Researcher Ji, wouldn’t that be enough?"

Gu Jinsheng waved his hand, cutting Han Yaokun off, "What if I kill him first, then have him apologize? Would that work?"

Of course, that wouldn’t do. Han Yaokun knew Zhao Zhen had gone too far this time and likely couldn’t settle it easily. He said, "Commander-in-Chief Gu, what do you propose?"

"I recall there’s also a charge of slander for falsely accusing ordinary people. Zhao Zhen casually slandered a Commander-in-Chief and a base hero—a researcher with great merits—which is surely enough to convict him.

Moreover, Zhao Zhen has repeatedly targeted Ji An alone. I strongly suspect he’s being directed by someone from Country M or Country R, acting as a mole trying to destroy the foundation of our Jing City Base."

"Commander-in-Chief Gu, you’re taking this too far. You know Zhao Zhen couldn’t possibly—"

"Without interrogation, no one can be sure. Director Han’s word doesn’t count. Whether he is or not will be clear after questioning." Gu Jinsheng waved his hand decisively. "Take them away."

People on the scene immediately moved into action, including Zhou Qin and Kong Zhongcheng. Within mere seconds, all the troublemaking researchers were subdued.

Only then did the researchers panic. They shouted, "We’re researchers! Commander-in-Chief Gu, you can’t treat us like this!"

"The law doesn’t punish the masses! Let us go!"

"Under my command, those words don’t exist. Take them away, lock them in the dungeon. I’ll interrogate them personally!"

"Yes, sir!" The command staff dragged the researchers away.

Han Yaokun grew frantic. "Commander-in-Chief Gu, these people just temporarily lost their judgment. Please release them.

Didn’t you mention before that you wanted to publicize the technology of coexisting antigens and antibodies for the Superpowered Crystal Core zombie virus? I disagreed earlier, but now I’m willing to exchange that technology for these people."

Ji An wagged a finger. "Too late for that. I’m afraid it’s too late."

Ji An smiled. "Jinsheng complained to me before that you refused to disclose it. He seemed quite troubled, so I took a quick look and solved it easily. The public council has already approved it, and it’s scheduled for announcement on the public channel tonight."

So their grand celebration over what they thought was an insurmountable problem was, in Ji An’s hands, just a minor puzzle solved in minutes. He hadn’t bothered with it earlier because it lacked challenge and wasn’t worth his time.

How laughable that they had prided themselves on being so remarkable.

In the end, Han Yaokun was led away, completely broken, looking as though he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

Only after everyone had left did Zhou Qin speak up. "God Ji, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had also cracked that virus. I thought if we didn’t reveal the healing pod, Zhao Zhen would upstage us and take the Zombie King Crystal Core, so I had to speak up."

Ji An waved it off indifferently. "It’s fine. Once it’s promoted, everyone will figure it out anyway."

"I—" Zhou Qin was about to say more when suddenly, he sensed an incredibly powerful energy surge assailing him. Oddly, the energy wasn’t targeting his body but seemed to assail his consciousness.

"Ahhh!!!" Ji An let out a piercing scream, clutching his head then went rigid and collapsed to the ground, thrashing in pain.