Chapter 88: Luo City Base Calls for Help

Chapter 88: Luoshi Base Calls for Aid

Wang Dazhi was sent back to the command center and handed over to other personnel for thorough questioning, leaving only Gu Jinsheng and Ji An alone temporarily.

Gu Jinsheng cautiously glanced at Ji An. "Xiao An, I... I'm sorry."

The apology came out of nowhere, but Ji An understood what he was apologizing for.

"No need to apologize." Ji An stared at Gu Jinsheng expressionlessly, his pale eyes as unreadable as always. Yet, Gu Jinsheng could sense a simmering anger beneath that composed demeanor.

Gu Jinsheng wanted to explain himself—he sensed that if he didn’t clarify things now, he might never get another chance.

Suddenly, he thought of Chen Chen and shuddered, his urgency to explain growing stronger. "Xiao An, I—"

"Commander-in-Chief Gu!" His words were cut off as He Tao, the Commander-in-Chief of Haishi Base, approached in his wheelchair, smiling broadly, guided by a staff member from the command center.

"Greetings, Researcher." No one had introduced Ji An to He Tao, but since Ji An had personally handled the bone sample extraction and marrow collection last time, He Tao assumed he was just an ordinary researcher.

Ji An nodded at He Tao. "Since Commander-in-Chief He has matters to discuss with Commander-in-Chief Gu, I’ll excuse myself."

It had been a long time since Gu Jinsheng heard the frosty "Commander-in-Chief Gu" from Ji An’s lips. Now, even without intuition, he knew Ji An was angry.

He Tao sensed something odd in the air but dismissed it, chalking it up to typical unease a regular staff member might feel in the presence of their base’s highest-ranking commander.

He Tao said, "Researcher, don’t rush off. Since you’re here, I’d like to ask—how's the regeneration of my leg bones progressing?"

Though Ji An was upset, he didn’t bypass Gu Jinsheng to answer directly. Instead, he glanced at him.

Gu Jinsheng quickly asked Ji An, "Is there any issue with the sea creature specimen?"

His words served as tacit approval—if the sea creature specimen was fine, He Tao could proceed with treatment.

Gu Jinsheng’s obviously fawning demeanor was too apparent. Even He Tao sensed something was off. He scrutinized Ji An, then Gu Jinsheng, finally noticing that their relationship might not be normal—and that Ji An’s identity might be far more significant than he’d assumed.

Ji An nodded. "None whatsoever."

Though confident in the sea creature specimen he’d brought, He Tao still let out a relieved sigh upon hearing Ji An’s confirmation.

Gu Jinsheng cautiously asked Ji An, "Commander-in-Chief He wishes to proceed with treatment as soon as possible. What do you think...?"

Ji An replied, "Follow me to the lab. It’ll only take a few minutes."

"Alright!" He Tao agreed immediately, his excitement evident.

A staff member drove the three of them to the research institute.

It was the middle of the workday, and the institute bustled with activity. Nearly everyone who saw Gu Jinsheng and Ji An greeted them.

He Tao also noticed Ji An’s reputation—he was clearly no ordinary researcher. But Ji An was too young in He Tao's eyes to be connected to the treatment pod. He assumed Ji An was an assistant or relative of the pod’s developer, unconsciously straightening his posture and becoming less casual.

Though he’d seen the treatment process on TV—where it appeared straightforward—He Tao had assumed it was more complicated in reality. Only when he experienced it firsthand did he realize it was even easier than it appeared on screen. The whole procedure lasted mere minutes.

He entered the pod with severed legs and emerged with perfectly regenerated legs.

From the day his legs were severed, He Tao had spent countless nights dreaming of standing again, though he knew deep down it was impossible—once lost, they could never regrow.

Then came the rumor from M Nation—a cure that might drive him into psychic breakdown and superpower backlash. Despite the risks, he'd been shamefully tempted. He couldn’t resist the lure of walking again.

Now, he was finally standing—without any side effects. His emotions surged uncontrollably. A tall, strong man, the dignified Commander-in-Chief of a base, had reddened eyes, tears threatening to fall.

"CommanderinChief Gu, Researcher Ji, thank you both." He Tao bowed deeply to them.

Gu Jinsheng said, "No need for that. This was a paid service."

He Tao probably didn’t expect Gu Jinsheng to be so blunt, which actually relaxed him. With a smile, he said, "CommanderinChief Gu, I have another favor to ask. I’d like to bring Haishi Base to join Jingshi Base. Please consider it."

Many superpowered individuals and smaller bases had already joined Jingshi Base because of the nutrient solution.

Now, with the treatment chambers gaining popularity, even more bases wanted to join. Not long ago, the Sixth Base had already merged with Jingshi Base, and the superpower-constructed pathway connecting the two bases was likely already completed.

Gu Jinsheng said, "The Sixth Base just joined us recently and has been officially renamed Jingshi Base - Sixth Division. If you’re interested, Commander He, I can take you for a visit."

This offer took He Tao by surprise, and his eyes lit up.

As the CommanderinChief of Haishi Base, He Tao was naturally worried about handing over control of his base to another, surrendering its autonomy.

He also wanted to see how other bases that had joined Jingshi Base were faring, but he knew he had no bargaining position—Jingshi Base was no longer something he could pick and choose. To his surprise, Gu Jinsheng offered it himself, which was an unexpected windfall. He Tao said, "Thank you, CommanderinChief Gu."

However, Gu Jinsheng didn’t leave immediately. He looked at Ji An with a hint of pleading in his eyes. "Xiao An, do you want to come along?"

Ji An met his gaze without softening, shaking his head. "No."

Gu Jinsheng couldn’t bear to leave like this. He feared that if he walked away now, he might never see Ji An again—even his right to stay at the villa might be revoked.

This time, he murmured, "Xiao An, come with us. The Sixth Base joined mainly because of your treatment chambers. Consider it quality assurance. Just take a look."

Ji An lowered his eyelids and, after a long pause, grunted in reluctant agreement. Gu Jinsheng was overjoyed. Normally reserved, he now let his excitement show.

Ji An said, "Go ahead and wait outside for a few minutes. I have some things to take care of here."

"Alright." Gu Jinsheng knew what Ji An intended to do and agreed immediately.

Ji An wanted to store the aquatic creatures in the lab into his dimensional storage. He hadn’t done so immediately after inspection to avoid complications with He Tao’s treatment. Now that He Tao’s legs were healed and the deal was complete, Ji An had no reservations. He directly transferred the aquatic creatures into the Magic Spring.

This batch included freshwater fish, but Ji An didn’t bother sorting them, releasing them all into the Magic Spring at once.

The spring water surged violently, waves crashing higher and higher before bursting outward, erupting outward in geyser-like bursts. This time, the water didn’t form small streams but slightly larger lakes.

All the freshwater fish were scattered into the streams and ponds, while the marine creatures remained entirely within the Magic Spring.

Ji An’s heart raced. The spring’s two upgrades had confirmed his growing theory.

The entire dimensional storage seemed to be simulating Earth’s environment. The final evolution of the Magic Spring would likely become an ocean—and by then, it might truly be the Spring of Life.

Ji An took a sip of the spring water. The upgraded version was noticeably richer in life energy, teeming with vitality.

He extracted some of the newly enhanced spring water and left it in the lab. Wu Youyang and the others would later add it to the nutrient solutions and treatment chambers.

Ji An was now certain that the Magic Spring could enhance superpowers. Little Rose and Little Stone had awakened their superpowers after drinking it without any zombie virus infection. Similarly, Gu Jinsheng’s superpower had grown strong enough to repel psychic attacks—further proof.

This only strengthened Ji An’s resolve to integrate the spring water into the nutrient solutions and treatment chambers.

In this post-apocalyptic world, every additional chance of awakening meant another hope for survival. At the same time, the emergence of the Psychic Zombie King made Ji An acutely aware of the importance of mental defenses.

If the Magic Spring could boost superpowers, then even if it didn’t help people awaken superpowers, simply enhancing their mental resilience would be invaluable—at least it could protect them from psychic zombies and psychic domination.

After storing the aquatic creatures, Ji An left the lab and joined Gu Jinsheng and the others on the trip to the Sixth Base.

The Sixth Base wasn’t too far from Jingshi Base, but it wasn’t exactly close either—a nonstop drive required a solid ten-hour drive.

Previously, the Sixth Base and the Jingshi Base were two separate entities, so there was no need to construct a road between them. But now that they are one, this stretch of road must be built—after all, it wouldn’t make sense for people from the same base to encounter zombies while traveling within their own territory.

The so-called "road construction" isn’t the same as pre-apocalyptic roadwork, like building a railway tunnel. In the post-apocalyptic world, it refers to creating a protective passageway constructed with superpowers. Similar to the protective shield over the Jingshi Base, its purpose is to safeguard this route from zombie invasions and attacks.

Staff drove a six-seater commercial van carrying Ji An and the others along the newly opened superpower-constructed passage. He Tao’s eyes lit up.

"Commander-in-Chief Gu, if our base joins the Jingshi Base, will we also have such a superpower-constructed protective passage built between the two locations?" He Tao asked.

"Naturally," replied Gu Jinsheng. "If Haishi Base joins our Jingshi Base, we’ll be one entity. There’s no reason for a single base to lack connectivity—traveling from one part to another shouldn’t pose safety risks."

He Tao worried, "But Haishi Base is quite far from the Jingshi Base. Building a direct passage might be difficult, especially if we encounter waterways."

"Then we’ll tunnel underwater with hydro-superpowers," Gu Jinsheng said. "Don’t worry about that. No matter how challenging, as long as Haishi Base joins the Jingshi Base, we’ll find a way to build a superpower-constructed protective passage. We’ll absolutely ensure safe travel between the two bases."

This had been one of He Tao’s biggest concerns. He feared that while the Jingshi Base might accept Haishi Base on the surface, imposing taxes and governance, they might neglect its development—or worse, refuse to build a superpower-constructed passage. In that case, it’d be one base in name only without actual connectivity. Yet, if Haishi Base remained under the Jingshi Base’s jurisdiction without integration, it would still be treated as separate.

But if the Jingshi Base was willing to construct such a passage, all problems would be resolved.

Though the superpower-constructed passage had just opened, He Tao noticed nonstop traffic, way busier than you’d think for a new route.

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

He had visited the Sixth Base before—it was much smaller than Haishi Base, truly a speck of a place. Its poverty level was just as dirt-poor, if not worse, than Haishi Base’s. At least Haishi Base had once been prosperous before the apocalypse, retaining some scraps of its old prosperity.

The Sixth Base, however, was entirely different. It sprang up post-Collapse when a group of superpowered individuals settled on this land. As more people joined, it became the Sixth Base.

Now, there was no sign it ever struggled. The entire base thrived, with everyone’s faces lit up with excitement.

He Tao saw a long line outside a supermarket—superpowered and ordinary people alike, possibly even a few high-level superpowered among them.

Yet, none of these superpowered individuals pulled rank or showed dissatisfaction. They waited in line like regular folks, their faces brimming with excitement.

Curious, He Tao asked the driver to stop and approached the crowd. "What are you all lining up to buy?" he asked a superpowered.

The superpowered man smiled. "You must be Jingshi Base folks, so you wouldn’t know. This supermarket sells nutrient agents. We’re all here to buy them."

His attitude was remarkably friendly, as if He Tao were an old friend. This threw He Tao off—in smaller bases, superpowered were rare and often responsible for protecting the base, leading them to act superior and arrogant.

But this superpowered man showed no such arrogance. At first, He Tao found it odd, but upon hearing about the nutrient agents, he understood. What could possibly take the ego out of superpowered individuals more than the allure of nutrient agents?

The superpowered man continued, "Before, we’d only heard of nutrient agents in TV shows and rumors—we thought they were just special effects. But after the Sixth Base joined the Jingshi Base, we became family. While other bases have to pay just for the right to purchase them, we get them immediately—no extra cost, and at the same internal price as the Jingshi Base.

Hah! For a Level 2 superpowered like me, a single Level 2 nutrient agent only costs 20 credits. What’s that even worth? But now, it fills my stomach."

He Tao was stunned. "Commander-in-Chief Gu, the nutrient agents are sold at the same price in newly joined bases as in the Jingshi Base? And the original base’s credits are still valid?"

"Of course," Gu Jinsheng replied. "Once joined, we’re family. Family doesn’t split hairs over pricing. As for credits, they were earned by the base residents through blood and sweat—we can’t just discard them."

He Tao’s heart swelled with excitement, reaffirming his decision to join the Jingshi Base.

As they walked further, they saw food carts and market stalls lining the roads.

Suddenly, He Tao pointed into the distance. "Look, why are so many children being loaded onto the same vehicle? Could they be child traffickers?"

As they approached, they unexpectedly saw a familiar face—Yuan Ming'an.

Yuan Ming'an held a roster of children and asked, "Have you verified everything on your end? Are all these children truly parentless orphans?"

"Yes, everything has been verified," replied a superpowered individual from the Sixth Base. "A few of them do have parents, but they claimed they couldn't afford to raise them and signed away parental rights.

I remember the headquarters mentioned that children whose families couldn’t support them should still be taken in, so I kept these children as well."

Yuan Ming'an nodded. "That’s not a problem—the Orphanage will accept them. But did you make it clear to the parents that once a child is placed under the Orphanage’s care, they are legally severed from their biological parents?

When these children grow up, they won’t have any obligation to support their biological parents. Conversely, if the biological parents try to make demands of them, the Orphanage and the base reserve the right to sue for abandonment.

Of course, if the biological parents don’t demand support, then there’s no charge of abandonment.

This law was just passed a few days ago, specifically to prevent situations where biological parents refuse to raise their children but still expect them to provide support later."

"Rest assured, they’ve all been informed and had them sign. Two who claimed they couldn’t read were had them fingerprint instead—all the paperwork is filed with the roster."

Yuan Ming'an nodded. "Good."

After securing the roster, she looked up and noticed Commander-in-Chief Gu and Researcher Ji. Surprised, she said, "Commander-in-Chief Gu, Researcher Ji, what brings you to the Sixth Branch Base? An inspection?"

Commander-in-Chief Gu replied, "This is Commander-in-Chief He Tao from the Haishi Base. We’re here to give him a tour."

Yuan Ming'an shook hands with He Tao and greeted him. Sensing his thoughts, she smiled and said, "I’m the Orphanage director. These children are all parentless orphans, and our Orphanage specializes in taking them in and raising them."

"Orphanage?" He Tao murmured the word, his eyes welling up. He had almost forgotten that places like orphanages and nursing homes—once common in peaceful times—still existed in this world.

"I thought such places had vanished from this world," He Tao said. "Commander-in-Chief Gu, if the Haishi Base joins the Jingshi Base, could the unaccompanied children in Haishi be taken in by the Jingshi Base’s Orphanage?"

"Of course," Commander-in-Chief Gu replied. "Have you conducted a population census in your base?"

He Tao nodded.

"Then you must have noticed that the birth rate since the apocalypse is less than five percent. Many of these unaccompanied children were separated from their families during the apocalypse—they weren’t born afterward.

In fact, even that five percent birth rate is largely due to mothers in certain professions who couldn’t afford abortions and had no choice but to give birth." Commander-in-Chief Gu continued, "Many superpowered families—where both partners are high-level superpowered—have the means and resources to raise children, yet they choose not to, afraid of leaving them unprotected if anything were to happen to them."

"Right now, the Jingshi Base doesn’t have the capacity for extensive support systems, but if things improve in the future, we’ll implement additional policies, such as subsidies from the base and benefits.

After all, children grow up healthiest when raised by their own parents."

The more He Tao listened, the more excited he became. He no longer needed further convincing. "Commander-in-Chief Gu, I formally request for the Haishi Base to join the Jingshi Base immediately. I hope you can approve it right away."

Commander-in-Chief Gu said, "There’s no need to rush. You can take more time to observe."

He Tao shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no. If I hesitate any longer, I might miss a chance like this.

The Jingshi Base has spatial storage, nutritional supplements, and treatment pods—anyone can see that its future is bright.

I’m afraid too many bases will realize this soon, and once they all apply to join, our under-resourced base won’t even qualify to compete.

You’d be a fool not to seize this. While other bases are still figuring it out, the Haishi Base should join now."

Yuan Ming'an burst into laughter at He Tao’s blunt words.

Commander-in-Chief Gu extended his hand to He Tao. "Welcome the Haishi Base to the Jingshi Base!"

He Tao clasped his hand in return. Surrendering the base he had led for seven years was painful, but he knew it was the best choice for Haishi—a boon to the base and everyone in it.

"I believe in you, Commander-in-Chief Gu. I believe Haishi Base will thrive under your command, with its people living in peace and prosperity!"

After the pleasantries, He Tao almost immediately couldn't wait to secure benefits for Haishi Base. "Commander-in-Chief Gu, now that Haishi Base has joined Jingshi Base, when will the superpowered security corridor between our two bases begin construction?"

"To prosper, build roads first!"

This was an experience summarized even before the apocalypse. Now, in the post-apocalyptic world, superpowered security corridors are equivalent to roads. Naturally, He Tao had to clarify this first.

Yuan Mingan rolled her eyes—she'd never seen someone so impatient.

Commander-in-Chief Gu replied, "We'll hold a brief inauguration ceremony when we return. You and I will appear on the public broadcast, and then the passage construction can begin immediately."

He Tao feigned hesitation. "What about the orphanage, nutrient supplements, and the treatment chambers?"

Commander-in-Chief Gu said, "Everything except the treatment chambers can be provided right away."

He Tao pressed urgently, "Why can't the treatment chambers be supplied immediately? We're resource-poor, but zombies aren't.

Every year, our superpowered individuals engage in several major battles against the zombies. Many are injured in combat—losing limbs or senses. These are the heroes of our base. Now that we have treatment chambers, if we don't prioritize healing them, it'll demoralize them."

Ji An reassured him, "Rest assured, the base will never forget the heroes who contributed to it.

It's just that the treatment chambers have only recently been successfully developed. Right now, there's only one functional prototype in the lab, and the rest are being mass-produced as quickly as possible.

Once the first batch is completed, they'll be distributed proportionally based on the population of each sub-base under Jingshi Base."

Only then did He Tao smile. "My bad—just eager! As long as our base isn't left out!"

With the initial cooperation settled, Commander-in-Chief Gu asked, "Would you like to stay here for a while, or return to Jingshi Base with us?"

He Tao replied, "Let's go back to Jingshi Base. Aren't we holding an announcement ceremony? We can do it as soon as we return, air it publicly tonight, and start building the superpowered security corridor tomorrow, along with distributing the nutrient supplements..."

After Commander-in-Chief Gu and the others left, Yuan Mingan watched He Tao's retreating figure and remarked, "Though He Tao is impatient, no one can deny he's a good Commander-in-Chief.

After all, his urgency isn't for personal gain but for the development of the base and the welfare of its residents.

Even now, with Haishi Base's integration into Jingshi Base a done deal and his future role as former Commander-in-Chief uncertain, he's still fighting for Haishi Base's interests.

He didn't lobby for himself or try to retain his position with sweet talk."

As Commander-in-Chief Gu and the others drove back to Jingshi Base, his comms device suddenly buzzed. Seeing the caller's name, he stiffened.

"Du Ruanlan from Luoshi Base—why is she video-calling me?" Commander-in-Chief Gu wasn't usually talkative, but this time, he deliberately spoke for Ji An's ears, trying to strike up a conversation.

Ji An didn't respond, but He Tao chuckled. "Maybe Luoshi Base has also seen Jingshi Base's promising future and wants to join."

He burst into laughter, knowing full well it was unlikely. Luoshi Base was thriving—China's second-strongest after Jingshi Base.

If not for Jingshi Base's sudden emergence with spatial storage devices, nutrient supplements, and treatment chambers, the top dog would be up for debate!

Having secured benefits for his base by joining Jingshi Base, He Tao could already envision his people's future of abundance. Cheerful, he added, "Of course, another possibility is that she's here for the treatment chambers.

Even if Du Ruanlan doesn't need them, every base has heroes who gave limbs for the cause!"

Commander-in-Chief Gu also thought Du Ruanlan was more likely here for the treatment chambers. He accepted the call immediately.

Yet the moment the connection went through, he saw a torso-thick energy blast hurtling toward the screen—Du Ruanlan wasn't even in view yet.

The jerky camera showed the phone holder was either moving or fighting. Blasts rocked the audio one after another, followed by screams—male, female—and zombie snarls.

Gu Jinsheng sat up abruptly, his eyes solemn.

"Du Ruanlan, where are you now?"

Hearing Gu Jinsheng's voice from the phone, Du Ruanlan seemed to realize the call had been connected. He lifted the phone to bring his face into view.

Du Ruanlan was a bit of a neat freak, obsessively maintaining his appearance no matter the time or place. Other base commanders had once joked whether Du Ruanlan even slept with perfect styling, never rolling over to keep his hair perfect.

Yet now, this same person had a dirty face, disheveled hair, and tattered clothes.

But he had no time to care about his image. He said to Gu Jinsheng, "Gu Jinsheng, I need your support. Please send supers to aid Luoshi Base. As long as Luoshi Base can safely survive this crisis, name your price."

"Deal." Gu Jinsheng didn't try to drive a hard bargain but asked succinctly, "Reason?"

"The Psychic Zombie King has controlled..." With a sudden BANG, Gu Jinsheng only had time to see a flash of green superpower before the phone screen went to static.