Chapter 106: Coercion

Chapter 106: Coercion

Gu Jinsheng and Ji An exchanged glances, their expressions equally grim. Kong Zhongcheng cursed outright, "Country R is despicable and shameless, resorting to such dirty tricks!"

Wan Xueying sneered, "With their garbage-filled brains, what decent idea could Country R possibly come up with?"

Zhou Qin's eyes were filled with concern. "Boss, Country R is resorting to underhanded schemes when overt plans fail. Though their methods are disgusting, they’re effective."

Ji An said, "Let’s size up the situation first. No matter what, we must save our people."

Gu Jinsheng turned on the public broadcast channel, and Kobashi Ichiro’s face appeared on the screen.

Standing at barely five-foot-three, Kobashi Ichiro looked like a runty shrimp among the group of tall superpowered individuals. His features were typical of R people—flattened features, a thin mustache, small eyes, and a greasy, lecherous stare.

The background behind Kobashi Ichiro appeared to be an execution yard in Country R—desolate, dilapidated, and exuding a sinister chill. The ground beneath his feet was stained with patches of dried brown liquid.

Perhaps intentionally, the camera lingered on the bloodstains for dozens of seconds, casting the whole video with an oppressive and terrifying atmosphere.

Kobashi Ichiro seemed perversely cheerful, as if he weren’t standing in a grim execution yard but some luxury spa.

"Let’s see how many people are watching my broadcast," Kobashi Ichiro said with a smile, radiating delight. "All 110 bases—oh, excellent! Today’s star guest, the Beijing Base, is also online. I’m thrilled. This saves me a lot of trouble."

"Commander-in-Chief Gu, do these faces look familiar to you?" Kobashi Ichiro waved to his assistant, and the camera immediately shifted to the faces of the superpowered individuals forced to kneel behind him.

Kobashi Ichiro walked over, yanking the head back of the first kneeling superpowered individual and forcing him to look up. The man glared furiously at Kobashi Ichiro, his mouth stuffed with a rag, leaving him only able to emit choked grunts. His expression was one of murderous hatred, as if he wanted to tear a chunk of flesh from Kobashi Ichiro.

Unfazed, Kobashi Ichiro smiled as he admired the man’s rage. "Commander-in-Chief Gu Jinsheng must recognize this person, right? He was a goddamn famous researcher in your country before the apocalypse!"

"If Commander Gu needs his memory jogged, I’d be happy to help. This man is Gao Wanli, once a celebrated scientist in China who made numerous major breakthroughs for your nation’s research."

At the same time, staff at the Beijing Base quickly pulled up Gao Wanli’s file. Zhou Qin reported, "Boss, Gao Wanli was in Country R for an international academic exchange before the apocalypse. He went there as part of a tech support delegation. When the apocalypse suddenly broke out, he was stranded there."

Ji An immediately asked, "What kind of technical guidance?"

Zhou Qin replied, "The specifics are inaccessible to us—likely due to classified technical information. The apocalypse destroyed some of the records, so we can’t retrieve the exact details. But based on what we’ve found, Gao Wanli’s trip was likely related to water pollution issues. Other countries’ delegations were also present at the time."

"Is this how Country R treats those who helped them?" He Tao fumed.

Ji An scoffed. "Repaying kindness with betrayal—typical behavior of corporate sellouts. Isn’t this R Base’s standard playbook?"

Gu Jinsheng’s gaze was icy. "Patch me through to Kobashi Ichiro’s live stream."

"Understood."

As soon as Gu Jinsheng gave the order, his assistant acted. In the broadcast, Kobashi Ichiro’s aide whispered something to him, and Kobashi Ichiro’s face immediately split into a shit-eating grin.

"Oh? Commander-in-Chief Gu Jinsheng wants to connect with me? Of course, that’s fine."

Kobashi Ichiro nodded, and the live feed linked to Gu Jinsheng’s video. Gu Jinsheng’s figure appeared on the broadcast.

Kobashi Ichiro chuckled. "I thought Commander-in-Chief Gu would at least wait until I finished introducing everyone before requesting a connection. I didn’t expect you to be so impatient."

Contrary to Kobashi Ichiro’s expectations, Gu Jinsheng showed no visible anger. His expression remained neutral, making it impossible for Kobashi Ichiro to read his emotions.

Gu Jinsheng said, "Mr. Kobashi Ichiro, I called to remind you—when introducing Gao Wanli, did you conveniently leave out his other role? The reason he was in Country R was because your nation requested China’s assistance in resolving a nuclear wastewater disaster. Gao Wanli was the leader of the scientific delegation sent to help."

Gu Jinsheng stared straight into Kobashi Ichiro’s eyes through the screen. "Now, tell me—is this how you treat those who aided your country?"

Kobashi Ichiro’s expression instantly darkened, his gaze turning venomous. He no longer resembled a base commander but more like a death row convict.

His eyes were ice-cold as he stared at Gu Jinsheng and said, "Did Commander-in-Chief Gu call in just to spout such nonsense? Then there's no need to speak further. Cut Commander-in-Chief Gu's mic. After all, all we need is for him to be present in this livestream—his opinions are unnecessary."

The assistant tapped on his phone, and in the Beijing Base, Zhou Qin informed Gu Jinsheng, "Kobashi Ichiro has muted you."

Wan Xueying remarked, "He thinks this will silence the voices of the masses."

Ji An added, "Do you really think Kobashi Ichiro cares? If he did, he wouldn’t have done this in the first place."

Sure enough, Kobashi Ichiro in the video clearly had something to say but struggled to hold back before finally blurting out to the livestream audience, "Worthless! Your Chinese researchers are nothing but incompetent fools! When they first arrived, they boasted about doing everything they could to help us solve the ocean crisis.

But in the end? They accomplished nothing. The mutations kept spreading, zombies still appeared, and the apocalypse arrived anyway.

And you still have the nerve to say you came to help? If anything, it’s likely your so-called 'help'—dumping unknown substances into the ocean—that triggered the apocalypse and the rise of the zombies!

Otherwise, how do you explain that before your researchers set foot in our country, Earth only had mutated creatures but no zombies? The moment you arrived, acid rain followed, and the zombies and the apocalypse came with it. I say all of this is your fault—you Chinese must have released some unknown chemical into nature, causing this catastrophe!

The apocalypse is your fault!"

Outside the livestream, Zhou Qin and the others were nearly suffocated by Kobashi Ichiro’s shameless words. He Tao said in disbelief, "Just how thick-skinned is Kobashi Ichiro to twist the blame like this!"

Wan Xueying said coldly, "He’s trying to pin the blame on us Chinese, forcing us to bear the blame for his crimes!"

Kong Zhongcheng cursed angrily, "He’s dreaming! Everyone knows acid rain caused the apocalypse, and acid rain formed due to ocean pollution!"

Zhou Qin added, "Back then, there were many ways to handle the contaminated water—dumping it into the ocean wasn’t the only option. It was just the cheapest one. They sold out humanity for profit, and now they’re turning around to pin the apocalypse on us. Everyone knows their greed caused this disaster!"

Ji An said, "Knowing doesn’t matter—they’ll just lie. And don’t assume the truth is obvious to everyone. Just wait—after Kobashi Ichiro ends this livestream, the online discourse will flip. There will be people pushing this blame onto us. The M Base and H Base will stand with the R Base, claiming China’s mistakes caused the apocalypse.

That’s the R Nation for you—utterly shameless. The M Nation plays the same game."

Zhou Qin and the others looked grim. Kong Zhongcheng said, "Are we just going to stand by and do nothing?"

Ji An shook his head. "No. I have a feeling—we’ll clash with the M Base soon enough!"

Everyone fell silent. Though they longed for a direct confrontation with the M Base, none of them truly wanted war. War always hurts the people, no matter what.

Kobashi Ichiro finished his tirade, as if finally venting all his pent-up resentment, and his smile returned. He addressed the camera, "So, Commander-in-Chief Gu, please refrain from making such claims in the future. China has done nothing to help our base—instead, you are the sinners of the entire world."

"Now that that’s settled, let me introduce the next one." Kobashi Ichiro moved to the second superpowered individual. "This is..."

He introduced each notable superpowered individual one by one to Gu Jinsheng. The rest were ordinary civilians, whom he didn’t name but made sure the camera captured every face clearly—so their families could recognize them immediately.

Kobashi Ichiro grinned. "These people were personally invited by our elite superpowered operatives, who visited their homes one by one. Some might think I’m the villain, refusing to come willingly and even resisting. Unfortunately, our superpowered don’t hold back—some 'accidentally' got maimed or killed. Of course, others are currently 'guests' in our base’s prison. I’ll introduce them to you all later."

He fake-sighed and shook his head. "Why can’t anyone see I’m helping? After being stuck overseas this long, they must be homesick. Aren’t I just helping them return home sooner?"

Suddenly, Kobashi Ichiro leaned close to the screen, his face filling the frame. "You’ll take them back, Commander-in-Chief Gu—no matter what, right?"

"Sick bastard! No shame at all!" Kong Zhongcheng snarled.

Ji An said, "But it works."

Holding a terminal, Ji An projected a holographic screen into the air. Everyone could see people were already clipping the livestream, with comments flooding in. Many recognized their family members through Kobashi Ichiro’s footage.

Those who had believed their loved ones dead were now faced with the cruel reality that they were alive—but under threat of execution. These families were frantic. The comments were filled with pleas for Gu Jinsheng to agree to any condition and save these people.

"That’s my father! He was one of the workers sent to assist the R Base! He never wanted to go to the R Nation—it was just his job! You can’t just leave him there! Get him out of there!"

"My daughter was an exchange student! She was on a university exchange! You can’t just leave her there!"

"My grandfather went to Country R for business, but he never forgot his roots. Before the collapse, whenever China faced major disasters, he would donate large sums of money to the motherland. His most frequent saying was that he was Chinese, with Chinese blood running through his veins, and he loved China so deeply. Now, China cannot betray him!"

Ji An and the others watched the comments on the terminal. Kobashi Ichiro seemed to be watching too—he even had someone pick a few to read aloud. After finishing, he said, "Commander-in-Chief Gu, you see, everyone is waiting for you to bring their families home. Don't you love the spotlight? Now I'm letting you take center stage, but I hope you won’t disappoint them!"

"Chief, what's our move?" Zhou Qin asked.

"He'll name his terms," Gu Jinsheng replied.

Kobashi Ichiro said, "Commander-in-Chief Gu, if you want to take these people back, our R Base will fully cooperate—we can even help transport them to Jing City Base. As for the conditions, they’re quite simple. For your base, it's child's play."

"I want all of it—the spatial storage devices, nutrient solutions, treatment pods, Mental Scanners, and the core technology behind holograms!"

Zhou Qin gasped. "Kobashi's got quite the appetite."

Wan Xueying remarked, "I underestimated his shamelessness. I thought he’d ask for a few technologies at most, but he actually wants everything."

Ji An sneered, "He's biting off more than he can chew—does he even know if he can swallow it all? He'd better not choke to death!"

Kobashi Ichiro turned to his assistant. "Now, grant Commander-in-Chief Gu mic access. Let’s hear his answer."

The assistant immediately enabled the function. Kobashi Ichiro asked Gu Jinsheng, "So, Commander-in-Chief Gu, what’s your answer? Are these Chinese lives worth less than your precious tech?"

Kobashi Ichiro expected to hear Gu Jinsheng plead for mercy, but his voice remained as cold and unyielding as ever. "I will bring our people back. But the technology? Never."

Stunned by Gu Jinsheng’s defiance, Kobashi Ichiro froze for a moment before seeing red. He unleashed his superpower on the spot, obliterating an exchange student’s head.

He even directed the camera to zoom in on the gruesome scene, then proceeded to crack open the student’s skull in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers, extracting the Superpowered Crystal Core from the brain.

"Oh, a deep-blue core—a water superpowered. A prime ability—what a waste. So young, yet already fallen. Current data suggests superpowered individuals can live naturally up to 200 years. How tragic—a life snuffed out before its time."

Gu Jinsheng’s expression darkened, his emotions unreadable.

Kobashi Ichiro glanced at him. "Fine. Those technologies might be nothing special, but perhaps they’re precious to your Jing City Base. I’ll give you seven days to decide."

He held up seven fingers to the camera. "In seven days, Commander-in-Chief Gu, give me your answer. If it’s still no, I’ll broadcast executing one Chinese national every day—until there's none left or you cave in."

With a wave and a smile, he said, "Until then, Commander-in-Chief Gu, farewell! See you in seven days!"

Kobashi Ichiro ended the stream, ignoring the firestorm it ignited online.

Though initially only rebroadcast on terminals, the livestream quickly spread across the internet. The story blew up across the net, with countless netizens leaving tens of thousands of comments daily.

Dewitt and Charles were pleased with the online frenzy. Charles even praised Dewitt, who, in high spirits, commended Kobashi Ichiro in turn.

"You’ve done well this time. Commander-in-Chief Charles spoke highly of you," Dewitt said, offering a rare smile.

Like a lapdog craving its master's praise, Kobashi Ichiro fawned, "Thank you, Commander Dewitt! I won’t disappoint Commander-in-Chief Charles. I’ll double down."

Satisfied, Dewitt nodded approvingly. "If Gu Jinsheng still refuses in seven days, livestream executing those Chinese. Make it as gruesome as possible. If one isn’t enough, kill three a day—morning, noon, and night. Let’s see how long before the families turn on Gu Jinsheng when their loved ones die because of his stubbornness."

"As an old Chinese saying goes, 'The same waters that float the boat can sink it.'"

"Chief, what do we do?" Zhou Qin asked the moment the stream ended.

Gu Jinsheng remained silent, deep in thought.

Ji An said, "Our people come first, but we absolutely cannot hand over the core technology. It’s not about valuing the tech—it’s that R and M countries have malicious intentions. Even if we comply, they’ll keep making outrageous demands, bleeding us dry piece by piece."

Wan Xueying nodded. "I agree with Divine Ji."

Zhou Qin also said, "Moreover, Country R and Country M have long harbored sinister ambitions toward our China. If we hand over these technologies to them, once they strengthen their own capabilities, they will undoubtedly wage war against us. At that time, even more Chinese lives will be lost."

Commander-in-Chief Gu listened to Ji An and the others, but he himself remained silent.

He Tao worriedly said, "But if we refuse, how do we explain it to the residents of the base? This matter has already gone viral online, sparking fierce debates across the board!"

Gu Jinsheng looked at Ji An, who said, "Seven days is enough. Jinsheng, you stabilize the base residents. I’ll head into the lab now—within seven days, I’ll definitely come up with a solution to save everyone!"

Ji An’s eyes burned with determination, as if no obstacle could deter his unwavering resolve.

"Alright." Gu Jinsheng chose to trust Ji An unconditionally. Ji An smiled at him before turning and entering the lab.

He Tao fretted, "Boss, can Researcher Ji really pull it off in such a short time?"

"Xiao An can definitely do it. I believe in him!" Gu Jinsheng met He Tao’s eyes with firm conviction.

Zhou Qin rubbed his leg and said, "I also believe in Divine Ji. If even he can’t do it, then no one in this world can."

As soon as Ji An entered the lab, Wu Youyang and the others gathered around. Today, neither Zhou Fanxiu nor Bai Na had stepped out—they had handed off their work to assistants.

As for psychic defense training, which previously required in-person instruction, with holographics, in-person sessions became unnecessary. Essentially, whichever senior psychic superpowered individual in the research institute had time would conduct lectures via terminals.

"Xiao An, I saw the livestream on the terminal," Zhou Fanxiu said anxiously. "The R-faction's tactics are vile and brutal. What should we do? What's the Commander's take on this? Will he really hand over those technologies, or will he just watch as our compatriots are killed one by one?"

Ji An asked, "Teacher, do you think this matter will truly end if we just hand over the tech?"

"No, absolutely not!" Bai Na said. "Given Kobashi Ichiro’s shamelessness, if he realizes that taking hostages works—allowing him to manipulate Jing City Base as he pleases—he will never release them. Instead, they’ll double down on holding hostages and make even more outrageous demands. If the base can’t comply, they’ll keep using the same playbook, killing more to force concessions."

Zhou Fanxiu added, "Once Country R obtains the technology, they’ll inevitably present it to Country M. Country M’s tech capabilities are formidable—it’s only a matter of time before they crack those advancements. Once they achieve a technological leap, bolstering their economy and weaponry, that will mean disaster for China. They’ll launch war against our base without hesitation."

"China is resource-rich with vast territory—Country M has long coveted it."

Wu Youyang said, "We can see the situation clearly, but regular folks and base residents might not see through Country R and Country M’s schemes."

Ji An declared, "No matter what, we must never surrender the technology."

"Researcher Ji." At that moment, Na Boyu walked in from outside.

Na Boyu was still aligned with Han Yaokun, while Zhou Fanxiu and Bai Na had already switched to Ji An’s side. Zhou Fanxiu felt awkward facing Na Boyu.

Ji An politely said, "Vice Dean Na, what brings you here?"

Na Boyu replied, "I’ve seen the firestorm online. I thought you might be working on something to assist Commander-in-Chief Gu, so I came to see if you needed any help. Rest assured—though I’m part of Han Yaokun’s faction, I’m willing to sign a confidentiality agreement. I won’t disclose anything about this research to anyone."

Ji An said, "I naturally trust your integrity, Vice Dean Na. In fact, we could use extra hands right now—please join us."

Na Boyu was surprised by Ji An’s immediate acceptance. He had expected at least some conditions or a stack of confidentiality documents, but there were none. For a moment, Na Boyu felt ashamed of his own distrust and grew even more impressed by Ji An’s magnanimity.

Ji An led most of the institute’s elite into the lab, burning the midnight oil on their research.

As expected, the online landscape was a maelstrom of anger. The comment section was drowning in countless messages on Jing City Base’s official website daily.

"We demand the base immediately retrieve our compatriots being held overseas!"

"Commander-in-Chief Gu, please bring our people home!"

"Commander-in-Chief Gu, turn over the tech in exchange for our people!"

"Technology is just ones and zeros, but our compatriots are flesh-and-blood people!"

Online comments demanding Gu Jinsheng to immediately exchange technology for the stranded compatriots abroad had already exceeded tens of thousands. Some clear-minded netizens argued against it, questioning the schemes of Country R and Country M, but they were almost instantly labeled as cold, cruel, and lacking compassion for their fellow countrymen. Some even claimed that these individuals had been in the apocalypse for too long, killed too many zombies, and developed mental health issues, hence their disregard for human lives.

Offline, Gu Jinsheng also received numerous calls from base commanders. Most of them remained rational, resisting the pressure from their base residents and urging Gu Jinsheng to think carefully and avoid acting impulsively.

However, some, like Li Mo, the commander of Z Base, could no longer hold back after spotting their relatives among those stranded in Country R. He called Gu Jinsheng, his voice sharp: "Gu Jinsheng, those are people's lives! Can you really stand by and watch as Kobashi Ichiro kills one person every day?"

"Is it because none of your loved ones are among them that you don’t care? I don't believe you'd stay so cold if your lover were in that group!"

Gu Jinsheng had grown accustomed to such calls over the past few days. Some demanded he trade technology for lives immediately, while others insisted he must never make that trade. Regardless of the words—harsh or kind—Gu Jinsheng listened patiently. But when Li Mo mentioned Ji An, Gu Jinsheng finally snapped.

Gu Jinsheng replied coldly, "If you’re so capable, why don't you go make the trade yourself?"

Li Mo was momentarily speechless before retorting icily, "Gu Jinsheng, if you're going to be heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Zhou Qin asked, "What does Li Mo mean by that?"

Gu Jinsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. "Perhaps he intends to secretly trade the Mental Scanner technology for his family."

Previously, to ensure the safety of all bases, Ji An had made the core technology of the Mental Scanner available to larger and smaller bases. He didn’t exploit the situation to demand hefty resources or even a single penny—offering it for free with full training, on the sole condition that these bases promised never to disclose the technology to foreigners, including bases controlled by foreign powers.

But now, it seemed Z Base had no intention of honoring that agreement.

By evening, sure enough, Kobashi Ichiro livestreamed a conversation between himself and Li Mo, revealing that Li Mo had indeed traded the Mental Scanner technology for his family.