Chapter 80: Zhao Zhen’s Connection with Country R

Chapter 80: Zhao Zhen's Connection with Country R

Yuan Mingan walked out of the house holding Fu Xin's hand and saw Ji An standing by the door, listening to the conversation outside. "Mr. Ji, why didn’t you come inside?"

Ji An pointed outside. "Those two women are the boy’s mother and grandmother."

"Ah?" Yuan Mingan clearly hadn’t known beforehand. She looked puzzled. "They claimed to me they found the child on the roadside and took pity on him, so they brought him here. Because of this bond of goodwill, they often visit him. I thought the children in the orphanage lacked love, and it was good for him to have someone care, so I didn’t stop them."

Ji An shook his head. "They even demand nutrient packs from the boy. He scrimped three doses in five days, but they still weren’t satisfied and slapped him."

Because of her own daughter, Yuan Mingan considered all children her bottom line.

She instantly grew furious, like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "No wonder the boy hasn’t gained any weight even after a month here, while other children start filling out in just three weeks. The other day, he almost fainted and only recovered after drinking a nutrient pack. When I asked why he didn’t take it sooner, he wouldn’t say. I thought it was because he had been homeless for so long and was hunger-scarred, instinctively stockpiling meals. I assumed he’d adjust over time, but it turns out it was because of those two women! How utterly brazen can they be?"

Yuan Mingan stormed out the door and shouted, "What are you doing?"

The two women flinched in fright. Ji An saw the old woman quickly tuck the nutrient packs into her sleeve.

"Nothing, just visiting the child," the old woman said with an ingratiating smile, none of the arrogance she had shown earlier when threatening to report Yuan Mingan. "We’re practically his saviors, after all. We just want to check on him and make sure he’s doing well. Right…?" She nudged her daughter-in-law with her elbow.

The younger woman smiled meekly at Yuan Mingan. "Yes, we just came to see him. He wanted us to visit, didn’t you…?"

She discreetly pinched the boy’s arm hard. The child didn’t dare cry out and, to avoid further pinching, said, "Mama Yuan, I wanted them to visit."

Ji An descended the stairs, pulled up the boy’s sleeve, and revealed the dark bruises on his arm. "Is this how you treat him? Why would he want you here? Because you make him go hungry every day to save his nutrient packs for you? Or because of your so-called blood ties as his mother and grandmother?"

The old woman stiffened, her expression strained. She forced a laugh. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, young man. Just because we had a little disagreement earlier doesn’t mean you can smear me!"

"That’s right," she added, as if seizing on a weak point. "Sister, don’t listen to him. He’s just lying because of our past conflict. He’s got a rotten character—did you know he even flirted with my tenant? Everyone knows that woman’s an underground sex worker, an unlicensed prostitute who does dirty business. Who knows if they’ve already slept together?"

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as if smelling something foul from Ji An, wafted the air, and edged away dramatically. "People like him, sister, I’m warning you—stay away. He might even carry diseases!"

The younger woman also recoiled, as if afraid of catching something from Ji An.

Yuan Mingan widened her eyes in disbelief. "You two are truly fearless in your ignorance. Do you even know who he is, to slander him like this?"

The two women looked confused, but the old woman soon scoffed. "He’s still wet behind the ears; what kind of big shot could he be? Just a pretty face. If he hadn’t awakened an ability, with that trouble-magnet face, who knows what gutter he’d land in, being toyed with by others..."

As the old woman’s muttering grew uglier, Yuan Mingan cut her off. "Let me tell you—he’s the hero who single-handedly rescued all those children from traffickers! He’s also a researcher in our base, the one who developed the dimensional storage item you couldn’t afford if you lived twice!"

The dimensional storage item was far beyond the financial reach of lowly people like the old woman, but she had certainly heard of this explosively popular item.

In fact, she had even privately dismissed it as exaggerated propaganda, a scam targeting the rich.

But no matter how much she badmouthed it, she knew one thing for sure—the inventor of the dimensional storage item must be incredibly wealthy.

The younger woman glanced at Ji An in surprise, then subtly stepped closer, tucking a loose strand behind her ear and batting her eyelashes shyly toward him.

Unbeknownst to her, the old woman noticed everything. She viciously pinched the younger woman’s arm and wrenched it brutally, as if trying to tear off a chunk of flesh.

The younger woman shrieked in pain, tears welling as she looked at Ji An with a pitiful, tearful gaze.

Ji An remained stern, not even glancing at their antics.

Yuan Mingan continued, "Let me tell you the truth. This orphanage was originally initiated by Mr. Ji. At the time, his idea was to personally cover all the expenses of the orphanage. Later, our Commander-in-Chief believed it should be the responsibility of the base, so the base took over the funding.

Even so, Mr. Ji still donates massive amounts of money and supplies to the orphanage every year under his own name. Even the nutrient packs all the children here consume are purchased with his funds."

Yuan Mingan raised her chin, standing on the stairs and looking down at the old woman. "I’ve told you all this to make one thing clear—Mr. Ji is not someone you can casually slander! And if Mr. Ji were to hold a grudge against you and refuse to accept the child you sent, he wouldn’t even need to give a reason. All it’d take is one word from him. Do you understand?"

The old woman finally grasped the situation and clammed up, too scared to say another word.

Ji An couldn’t physically search her, but he had his Psychic Superpower. With a flick of his mind, he sliced open the old woman’s sleeve, causing the nutrient packs she had hastily stuffed inside to spill onto the ground.

The old woman bent down in a panic to pick them up, but Yuan Mingan was faster. She strode over, snatched up the nutrient packs the old woman hadn’t yet retrieved, and even wrested away the one the old woman had already grabbed.

"Give that back!" the old woman shrieked, lunging at Yuan Mingan like her life was on the line—as if Yuan Mingan were stealing something vital rather than reclaiming what rightfully belonged to the orphanage.

Ji An unleashed a burst of Psychic Superpower, slamming the old woman to the ground before she could reach Yuan Mingan. His voice was icy as he said, "Who the hell do you think you are, attacking a superpowered?"

Only then did the old woman seem to realize that these two were not the ordinary, powerless neighbors she could push around at will.

Realizing she was outmatched, the old woman didn’t even try to get up. Instead, she sprawled on the floor, wailing and sobbing, putting on a show. "I’d rather die! Just let me die! Everyone, come and see! Superpowered bullies, that’s what they are! The base has rules—superpowered aren’t allowed to use their privileges against ordinary people! Yet this man dares to do it anyway! Isn’t anyone going to hold him accountable? I’m reporting this!"

Ji An’s gaze could’ve frozen hell over. "I suggest you get up. Now."

But the old woman mistook his warning for fear. She smirked triumphantly at him. "Using superpowers against ordinary people in the base will get you expelled. What, scared now? Well, I’m telling you—you’re screwed now!"

With a smug expression, she held up three fingers. "You owe me thirty—no, three hundred nutrient packs! Only then will I let this go. Otherwise, I’ll report you to the patrol!"

Ji An’s gaze was as frigid as an Antarctic iceberg. Step by step, he advanced toward the old woman, his presence alone made her crawl backward instinctively. "W-what are you doing? I’m warning you—if you kill me, you won’t get away with it! Our base has the strictest discipline!"

But Ji An had no intention of killing her. Instead, he held up an ID badge in front of her face. "Can you read? Take a good look at what it says."

The old woman’s vision was too blurry, so the younger woman stammered out, word by word: "This badge lets the holder ignore Article 32 of the base regulations. The holder may use superpowers against ordinary citizens. If deemed a threat, the holder may shoot first, ask questions later. The safety of the badge holder is the top priority."

By the time she finished, both women had turned deathly pale, staring at Ji An in terror.

Ji An smiled then—but the warmth never reached his eyes, leaving only a chilling coldness.

Trembling under that smile, the old woman no longer dared to continue her act. She scrambled to her feet and bolted for home without looking back at her daughter-in-law. Seeing her mother-in-law run, the younger woman also turned to escape.

"Wait!" Ji An called out. "From now on, you are forbidden to harass this child."

The old woman reacted like a cat with its tail stepped on. "Why not? He’s my grandson!"

Ji An sneered. "Then take him home and raise him yourself."

The old woman stiffened her neck defiantly. "We can’t afford to! If we could, do you think I’d send him to that hellhole of yours and go through that heartbreak?"

"The base pays to raise your child, and once he’s old enough to earn money, you come crawling back to leech off him. How convenient for you," Ji An mocked.

The younger woman blinked tearfully, putting on a pitiful act. "But your place is meant for raising children anyway. You’re already doing good—what’s one more child, right? Mister, I know you’ve got a good heart. Please, help us!"

The old woman shot her daughter-in-law a murderous look but didn’t interrupt.

Ji An said coldly, "Let me make this clear today. The base orphanage will never raise children for anyone’s personal benefit. Once a child is sent here, they become legally orphans—no parents, no strings.

If the birth parents ever try to harass them, the base will throw the book at them for abandonment."

"Says who? We’re his family!" the old woman screeched. "He has to take care of us! You don’t get to decide! The base doesn’t even have such a law!"

"It does now," Ji An said. "I’ll propose it to the base, and rest assured—it will pass. This orphanage only exists because I advocated for it. A single word from me can shut it down immediately. You think a little thing like this is out of my reach?"

"I hadn't thought of that before—thanks for the brilliant idea!"

The old woman was out of options. She couldn’t win in a fight, and if she tried to pull some shady stunt, they could just kill her outright. All she could do was fume at Ji An.

The young woman whined pitifully, "You can’t do this to me! To you, it’s just one more kid to feed..."

Ji An shot back, "So what? Why should the base raise your child for free? What have you ever contributed to the base? You’re nothing but bloodsucking parasites!"

He turned to the old woman and the young woman. "Now, I’ll give you two choices. Either take the child back right now and return every damn nutrient pack you’ve taken from the orphanage—every last one he’s consumed. Or leave him at the orphanage, and from now on, you’re never to come sniffing around again. When he grows up, he won’t owe you a single day of support."

The old woman squawked, "Why should we pay back what he ate?"

"Because you expect him to support you in the future!"

The old woman opened her mouth to argue further, but when she met Ji An’s death glare, she swallowed her words. "Fine, fine! We won’t pay it back—we don’t have it anyway. At most, we’ll just ditch him for good!"

With that, she grabbed the young woman by the collar and dragged her toward home.

Ji An shouted after them, cutting through the old woman’s bullshit excuses. "And don’t even think about waiting until he grows up to come slithering back, demanding he support you. I’ll propose a new law to the base, and within days, it’ll be in effect.

"If you ever harass him again, spouting your crap, the orphanage will have every right to sue you for abandonment!

"And in the future, if you dare to pester him for support, the orphanage can still take legal action. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure you get the maximum sentence."

The old woman glared at Ji An, then stabbed a finger at the little boy. "Tell him! Tell him you’re willing to take care of us!"

The boy started to nod, but Ji An cut in. "He has no right. He was raised by the orphanage—he still owes them for his upbringing. What authority does he have to make decisions for the orphanage?

"Whether the orphanage sues you or not is none of his concern—nor can he do anything about it.

"As for him, every cent the orphanage spent on him, he’ll repay with interest when he grows up."

"You’re not raising them for free? They have to pay it back?!" The old woman looked like she'd been scammed.

"Of course. Nothing's free in this world." Ji An had considered this long before founding the orphanage.

When the children grew up, they would pay it back monthly—adjusted based on their income, so they wouldn’t starve.

This way, they’d learn gratitude, not take others’ help for granted.

As for any child who objected? Well, Ji An’s stance was simple: all the more reason to make them pay back every penny. An ungrateful little shit was nothing but a wolf raised by the orphanage.

And as for filial duty—this grifter duo had given him a timely reminder.

This had to be codified into law. Otherwise, in this apocalyptic world, more and more people like them would palm off their kids at the orphanage, only to reclaim them later for their own benefit.

Why should that be allowed? It wasn’t fair to the children—and even less fair to the orphanage that raised them.

So Ji An planned to propose that parents who failed in their duty to raise their children would forfeit any right to demand support. If they harassed their grown children, the orphanage or the base could charge them with abandonment. Want support? Do the time first.

And no—serving time wouldn’t magically grant them the right to their children’s care. Even after release, the children would owe them nothing. Keep harassing? Back to prison.

This was to prevent deadbeat parents from thinking a few years behind bars was a fair trade for their child’s future wealth.

Still, considering the brutal truth of the apocalypse, raising children was undeniably difficult. Ji An intended to propose that the orphanage could accept children with living parents—on the condition that, upon entry, all legal ties between parent and child were severed. No future obligations.

Parents who truly loved their children but couldn’t provide would agree. Those who refused? They had an angle.

Despite Ji An’s clear explanation, neither the old woman nor the young woman took the boy with them. Turning, Ji An pulled the boy close, his voice no longer glacial. "Let’s go back. You heard everything. From today on, you have nothing to do with them. You don’t need to save your nutrient packs for them—and when you grow up, you won’t owe them a thing."

The old woman and the young woman glared angrily at Ji An, but neither dared to speak.

The little boy wiped his tears and nodded at the two women who, despite hearing all this, still had no intention of taking him away.

"From now on, the orphanage is your home. When you grow up, you only need to repay it."

Ji An closed the orphanage gate, blocking the women’s view.

Little Rose and Little Stone, holding the tiger cub and the big tiger, had been waiting. As soon as Ji An returned, they rushed over to him. Ji An grinned widely, his bad mood vanished instantly.

After asking about Little Stone and Little Rose's studies and superpowers, Ji An gave the big tiger some Magic Spring water diluted with ordinary water.

By then, Yuan Mingan was already impatient. He looked at Ji An expectantly, "Mr. Ji, were you able to get the treatment pod?"

Yuan Mingan didn’t know the treatment pod was invented by Ji An and assumed he had borrowed it from the inventor.

Ji An replied, "I brought it. Luckily, the severed limbs we gathered for the children earlier have already been cultured. I brought everything. Soon, we’ll call all the children out, especially those rescued from human traffickers. They must be present."

"What do you plan to do?"

Ji An said, "Since they refuse to speak, we’ll push them a bit. Only those who speak up willingly can receive treatment."

"But wouldn’t that be—"

"No buts," Ji An said firmly. "Do you know how crazy people outside are for nutrient supplements and treatments? Such a rare opportunity is right at these children’s fingertips—all they have to do is say the words 'I want it,' but they refuse.

If we don’t correct this habit now, they’ll grow up expecting everything to be handed to them without asking. They’ll never learn to ask and will only take things for granted."

Ji An looked at Yuan Mingan. "They’re pitiful, but we—and the orphanage—are not the ones who caused their suffering. On the contrary, the orphanage and we are their benefactors. We don’t owe them anything—they owe us.

We can slowly heal their psychological wounds, but we must also teach them gratitude."

"Alright, I’ll follow your lead."

Yuan Mingan gathered the children, and Ji An publicly revealed the treatment pod. The children recognized it—they had seen it on TV and knew it could restore their lost limbs. They all stared at Ji An with hopeful eyes.

Ji An pretended not to notice and addressed the children, "This is the treatment pod. You all know what it does. Now, who wants treatment? Raise your hand and say so."

"Me!" Encouraged by Yuan Mingan, Fu Xin raised her hand and spoke.

Ji An smiled, his voice gentle. "Good, come up now."

Fu Xin was scared, but Yuan Mingan encouraged her. Finally, she stepped forward and lay down in the treatment pod.

The treatment was quick—just a few minutes—and when Fu Xin emerged, she was whole and healed.

For as long as she could remember, Fu Xin had never known what it felt like to have legs and arms. This was her first time experiencing complete limbs, and it felt strange but amazing—a happiness she couldn’t put into words.

Fu Xin might not have realized it, but her face was wet with tears. She took her first steps on two legs, stumbling a little, but she was overjoyed. She even tried picking things up with her newly grown arms, amazed as her new hands gripped things firmly, like she’d seen a miracle.

"Mom, look! Look at this..." Fu Xin laughed and cried at the same time.

Yuan Mingan covered her mouth. "I see it. My Fu Xin is now a healthy child, just like the other kids."

Little Stone and Little Rose ran up to her. "Sister Fu Xin, now you can play jump rope and ball games with us! And join P.E. class—it’s so great!"

Fu Xin was still shy and hesitated to speak to them, hiding instead in Yuan Mingan’s arms.

Yuan Mingan encouraged her, "Your little brother and sister like you—that’s why they invited you to play. You should talk to them, or they’ll think you don’t like them. They’ll go home crying."

"Little Stone blurted out, 'Yes, if I talk to you and you ignore me, I'd feel awful.'"

"Yuan Mingan kept coaxing Fu Xin for a long time before Fu Xin whispered, 'Thank you.'"

"Little Rose, holding the tiger cub that had grown quite a bit, smiled and said, 'It's okay. We like Sister Fu Xin and want to play with you.'"

"Fu Xin looked at Little Rose with her big eyes, then at the tiger cub in her arms, and asked in a tiny voice, 'C-Can I touch it?'"

"Little Rose replied, 'Of course. He's super gentle - won't bite.'"

"Little Rose brought the tiger cub closer, and Fu Xin used her newly grown arm to touch it, her eyes lighting up with wonder."

"The big tiger then slowly walked over, flicking its tail and ghosting against Fu Xin’s leg. Fu Xin felt it and widened her eyes in surprise."

"Yuan Mingan, knowing the Blueeyed Winged Tiger in the orphanage had human-like understanding and never hurt the kids—sometimes even protecting them—said, 'Give him a pet. It wants you to.'"

"Clearly afraid, Fu Xin’s desire to touch the big fluffball overcame her fear, and she hesitantly stroked the big tiger twice."

"Indeed, fluffiness was the best remedy for mending kids' broken hearts. Ji An thought to himself that he should find a beast tamer to train some special therapy cats or dogs—perhaps it would help the children’s mental health."

"'Now, who else wants to be healed?' Ji An asked."

"This time, the children only stared at Ji An, clamming up tight, refusing to speak."

"Ji An asked many more times, but the children remained silent. Even the therapist’s coaxing had no effect."

"Ji An then said, 'Alright, if no one wants treatment, I'm taking it away then.'"

"With that, he stood up and began collecting the healing pod. A little girl, seeing Ji An was really leaving, panicked and overcame her fear, saying, 'I-I also want healthy limbs and eyes.'"

"The girl had been blinded in one eye by traffickers. Ji An's face instantly gentled, and Yuan Mingan, along with Fu Xin, walked over to comfort her gently."

"The little girl lay in the healing pod and was out in no time."

"Seeing her healthy, beautiful eyes and restored limbs in the mirror, she broke down sobbing. Ji An, Yuan Mingan, Little Rose, and Little Stone all comforted her. She then asked to touch the tiger cub and the big tiger, which Ji An allowed."

"'Anyone else?' Ji An thought these two successes would lead to more, but though you could practically taste their longing, they still refused to speak."

"Ji An sighed, turned, and packed up the healing pod, leaving without treating the others."

"The children’s disappointment was obvious, yet they just wouldn't pipe up. If they wouldn’t even ask for something so easily given, how were they ever gonna learn? It wasn’t as if someone would hand everything to them forever."

"Since the healing pod was his, the children could request treatment anytime. There was no rush. Ji An simply left with the equipment."

"Little Stone, Little Rose, the tiger cub, the Blueeyed Winged Tiger, and Yuan Mingan and her daughter saw him off at the door. As they parted, Fu Xin unexpectedly thanked Ji An, bringing fresh happy tears to Yuan Mingan's eyes."

"Instead of going straight home, Ji An made his way to headquarters."

"He planned to discuss with Gu Jinsheng how to handle things between the orphanage children and their biological parents."

"Gu Jinsheng was very busy. Ji An waited a long time before Gu Jinsheng finally managed to carve out five minutes to meet him."