[The day after the ambush battle in Joyful City.]
Wang Jixuan opened his eyes on the clean hospital bed, a wisp of black Qi dissipating from his gaze.
An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar smell, unfamiliar... well, a familiar female physician.
Wei Na?
She was sitting on a folding chair beside the bed, with an open white coat revealing a bandeau top and tight jeans that outlined her fit, sexy, yet slender legs. As she was asleep and totally unguarded, the healthy fat around her waist was not sucked in by her breath.
Wang Jixuan silently shook his head.
Although he had toured around the Lower City, he still found the dressing style of women in the current world somewhat baffling.
There wasn't the slightest sense of gentleness and charm traditionally ascribed to women.
Wang Jixuan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, sensing the changes in his body.
'Sigh, I've actually used Devil Skill.'
He sighed, feeling mostly helpless in his heart.
This set of Devil Skill was prepared for overcoming a great tribulation. In the final moments of the tribulation, realizing he couldn't withstand it, he had secretly used it, despite its modest effect.
Using Devil Skill was not without a price, as it essentially overtaxed his own potential.
Although the Qi within his body had increased rather than decreased due to the impact of the Devil Skill, and his meridians had even expanded, his Dao Body now had slight imperfections.
Thinking about the perfect Tao Foundation of his first life...
Never mind, even a perfect Tao Foundation hadn't enabled him to ascend.
At least now, his Dao Heart was settled.
And whenever Wang Jixuan thought of rushing the sniper and affixing seven or eight Blast Fire Talismans before detonating them all at once, his Dao Heart felt unobstructed and content.
'Using Devil Skill too much is said to make one bloodthirsty and cruel. I should be wary of this.'
'As a dignified Righteous Cultivator, although I haven't wandered around performing many acts of chivalry, I should refrain from using Devil Skill any further.'
'Since Wei Na is here, it means that after fainting from using Devil Skill, I was brought back to the Thirteenth Floor.'
Wang Jixuan lightly raised an eyebrow, just about to open his eyes to ask Wei Na how Captain Zhou and Lan Hunhun were doing, when knocking sounds came from the door.
He chose to continue feigning sleep.
This was the treatment center on the Thirteenth Floor, which could perform various common surgeries. Wang Jixuan was now in the only double room, separated by a curtain from Lan Yuzai, who had a bunch of tubes inserted into him.
Wei Na stretched, stood up, drew in her tummy to hide the folds of fat, and asked softly, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Zhou Zhengde."
"Wow, I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow."
Wei Na pulled open the double doors of the ward. Zhou Zhengde, sitting in a wheelchair, was pushed in by a middle-aged woman wearing a deep blue uniform.
Two soldiers outside the door, clutching submachine guns and dressed in camouflage, lowered their hands from beside their ears and swiftly closed the door.
Zhou Zhengde scowled and began cursing:
"Those bastards from the Thirteenth Institute! Trash! They won't admit it was they who ordered the Black Fire Gang to trouble me!
"Those bastards also threatened me at the hearing with Spiritual Ability Users, saying if they wanted to kill me, they could simply send a few Spiritual Ability Users! They said a single Level E Spirit Ability User could eliminate thirty armed fighters!
"That's total bullshit!
"Can Spiritual Ability Users below Level C withstand a sniper rifle?"
Wei Na sighed, "Alright, stop complaining. You certainly achieved something, right? And who is this lady?"
The middle-aged woman with gold-rimmed glasses smiled and extended her right hand:
"Hello Miss Wei Na, I am the assistant to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ban Wenying.
"You may call me by my first name.
"The Minister had me personally escort Captain Zhou back. His assistant was sacrificed in the recent battle, and we are currently scouting for an outstanding soldier to replace him."
"Hello," Wei Na shook hands somewhat awkwardly with the middle-aged woman, "please give my regards to Aunt Zhou."
"You are too kind. Actually, the Minister highly appreciates your capabilities and character. She respects your choices in sexual culture and deeply regrets that the two of you cannot form a family."
Ban Wenying gently blinked, pinched the palm of Wei Na's hand, and then continued seriously:
"Regarding the Black Fire Gang incident, the Minister hopes you two will refrain from further involvement.
"There are certain processes, the unspoken rules of the Fortress that need to be dealt with. In around two months, the Silver Party, Hellfire, Felix Bull, and Wanli Gold will form a coalition of gangs to clean up the Black Fire Gang on the 49th Floor.
"At that time, we will deploy no fewer than nine hundred soldiers from the Clearing Forces, in coordination with the gangs' coalition.
"The Black Fire Gang is ready to be wiped out now that several ministers have come to a consensus. However, we still need to quell this matter publicly for now, and our opposing factions need time to find a replacement for the Black Fire Gang."
Wei Na immediately nodded, "Thank you."
"For the next two months, Captain Zhou will be on paid leave. I hope you two enjoy your time together."
Ban Wenying glanced at the 'Mu Liang' lying on the hospital bed and smiled, "Is this the mysterious Spiritual Ability User that Captain Zhou requested all information to be deleted about?"
"You're adding too many descriptors, he is my friend," Zhou Zhengde said, "Ms. Ban, you know his value."
"Of course, a Spiritual Ability User outside the control of the Thirteenth Institute. We must understand the principles of his existence."
Ban Wenying spoke calmly:
"I still have a pile of work to do, so I'll head back now.
"Extra Clearing Forces have already been deployed here, making the Thirteenth Floor temporarily safe... Actually, Zheng De, you don't need to strive so hard in the Middle City."
"No, thanks," Zhou Zhengde curled his lips downward, "I need to blunt my sharp edges here first to avoid clashing with the entire environment."
"The Minister was clearly speaking in anger... Alright, I'm leaving. Miss Wei Na, we should have a drink together sometime."
Ban Wenying blinked again and gently bit her lower lip before leaving.
After she left, Wei Na couldn't help but put her hand to her forehead.
She muttered, "I'm for sexual openness, but not bisexual choices, this lady..."
"Sigh," Zhou Zhengde exhaled, slumping in his wheelchair, "Meetings are so exhausting, but at least that's settled. Yesterday's battle has been handled with the highest level of secrecy. Thankfully, very few people saw that scene... You know, Wei Na, my worldview has been turned upside down."
Wei Na went to the side to pour warm water for him.
"What subversion?"
"Mu Liang, rotten fish, many, many of them."
Zhou Zhengde rubbed his brows, gazing at the pretending-to-be-asleep Wang Jixuan, and murmured in a low voice:
"I told you about it before, but I can't help it... It really is just that he suddenly burst out with a speed even faster than a Mechanical Leopard! To be able to dodge a sniper rifle bullet fired directly at him, what does that imply?
"A Level C Spiritual Ability User? Or is it a body strengthening type?
"Do you know, he directly blew the head of that sniper, Night Hawk, into pieces, the entire head, just like how I would use an anti-mechanical sniper rifle to shoot a glass cup, shattered into bits!
"I've scanned his type of paper with an instrument, and the preliminary analysis is that it's ordinary paper tainted with Blade Beast Blood, with a faint energy reaction on it, and his body scan... Is he really just an ordinary person?"
Wei Na said, "Stronger than an ordinary person, but not a Spiritual Ability User. It seems there have been some changes in his muscle fibers."
"Has he evolved?"
Zhou Zhengde exaggeratedly gestured with his hands:
"A human evolutionary individual?"
"There's no conclusion yet," smiled Wei Na, "You're the one who said it, not to do thorough examinations, so we can only use the instruments we have at hand."
"The instruments needed for a thorough examination are too sophisticated, and the data they generate could likely end up in the hands of the Thirteenth Institute."
Zhou Zhengde pondered for a while:
"What surprises me more is rotten fish; this fellow is a villian who squeezes blood bags, but he actually played a role.
"Although this role wasn't critical.
"It makes me reconsider if my previous way of dealing with thugs was too direct when in fact, they could be unified to give them a sense of identity, to serve the workers and farmers, to atone for their sins.
"I'll try these things later."
Wei Na couldn't help but raise her hand to her forehead: "You really are a qualified Security Captain."
"We must contribute to the improvement of the fortress's ecology."
Zhou Zhengde pondered for a while:
"When will Lan Yuzai wake up?"
Wei Na said, "It might take a few days. Mu Liang's wounds have begun to heal, a very surprising healing speed. It's as if there's some kind of energy in his body that we can't pin down... Rotten fish, on the other hand, is far too inferior; he's done for, completely done for."
"When he wakes up, I'll have a good chat with him."
Zhou Zhengde thought for a moment:
"The Black Fire Gang can only survive for another two months, though I'm quite upset about it. However, this is a decision made by the ministers, and there's not much we can do.
"I wonder if Mu Liang can accept it. I need to formally thank him for saving me and offer him some substantial rewards.
"Also, I'm aware of their way of doing things; the core figures of Black Fire Gang have deep connections with some Upper City officials, and they might very well pull off a corporate resurrection by simply changing names, killing off a batch of peripheral organizations as a way of appeasement to us.
"To deter them from hassling us further, I will demand the death of the boss of Black Fire Gang."
"Alright," Wei Na considered, "As long as they don't cause us trouble subsequently, that's good enough... Let's talk about the reward for Mu Liang."
Zhou Zhengde asked, "What do you think would be appropriate to give him?"
Wei Na said, "The legal right to carry a gun, sufficient quota, a sexy, open, experienced, and beautiful woman who won't cling to him afterward."
Zhou Zhengde's forehead creased with lines: "That last part is your own business! Don't talk to me about that! I am nominally in a relationship, even though we have secretly broken up... But the first two can be considered. I'll give him the title of logistics head for the Security team... This is my first time abusing my power."
"Do you need me to praise you as a good leader in front of him?"
"No, thank you; please don't ever do that."
An image flashed through Zhou Zhengde's mind of Mu Liang's expression.
Calm, indifferent, with a sense of detachment.
"I should first try hard to befriend him."
Zhou Zhengde sighed softly:
"To be honest, I now don't know how to interact with him... We need to show him enough respect, and I always feel that he will have great potential."
Wang Jixuan, hearing all this, nearly laughed out loud.
As long as he has time, along with enough Spiritual Energy;
He could return to the peak.
However...
Wang Jixuan kept pondering.
Ministers, Zhou Zhengde, Clearing Forces, gangs' coalition.
'It turns out Zhou Zhengde is actually an official, and it seems like his mother is quite the influential figure, having already sentenced Black Fire Gang to death.'
'Black Fire Gang's core members are going to reincarnate by changing shells? That's rather dark.'
'In my previous life, Daoist left many regrets, all for having ideas but not acting on them, focusing on Cultivation, yet ultimately rejected by the Tao.'
'I cannot continue this way.'
A welcoming pine seemed to appear before him, beneath which a white-robed old Daoist sighed softly.
[I hope you can break the limit, Ascend, and become an Immortal right here on earth.]
'I will, Master.'
Just as Wang Jixuan was about to lie down and enter meditation, he suddenly heard the sound of water rushing nearby.
Wei Na walked over with a basin; by now, she had taken off her white lab coat and put on a pair of headphones worth 12 universal shares, all set to wash Wang Jixuan's back, legs, and other non-private areas, as well as check his wounds.
She was a certified female physician, a precious professional talent within the fortress; such nursing work was rarely carried out by her.
But clearly, Wei Na was very willing to perform proper medical care for this young man.
Wang Jixuan: ...
This demoness would dare to try touching him!