The residual soul he had maintained with his spiritual power appeared again, staring blankly at the huge helmet before him before a glow sparked in his eyes after quite a while.
This residual soul was about to dissipate naturally.
"God, God, I really have no reserves left. Can't you let me survive?"
Wang Jixuan's voice came from behind the helmet, "I haven't found a suitable body for you yet. Don't worry. I have one last question for you."
"What, what question?"
Gu Wending complained in frustration:
"Once I answer, you will dispose of me, won't you? It must be so. I know! Because I used to do the same: give them some hope with materials, toy with them, gradually destroy that hope, and then enjoy their reactions..."
Wang Jixuan's voice was somewhat icy, "When I say I'll do something, I make sure it happens. Now, answer my last question!"
Gu Wending's residual soul shivered, his Adam's apple bobbing.
What secrets did he have left? He had already given up even his last pair of underwear!
Wang Jixuan hummed thoughtfully.
Gu Wending looked inexplicably tense.
Wang Jixuan suddenly asked, "Where have you hidden those teas?"
Gu Wending's residual soul almost slipped, nearly kneeling down.
No way, this powerful being still hung up on his tea?
His tea... ah, no, it's the cold storage!
This mysterious spiritual ability user was about to attack the Black Fire Gang's largest cold storage!
...
Zhou Zhengde, who had just fallen asleep not three hours ago, was awakened by vibrations and a ringing sound. He barely opened his eyes and pressed the answer button on the simple projection device on his bedside table.
A few rays crisscrossed, and a simple half-bust figure immediately appeared.
It was none other than Ban Wenying, dressed in a gray suit dress.
"Zheng De, sorry to disturb your rest, but you must immediately answer the minister's question."
"Hmm? What?"
Zhou Zhengde rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up, and instinctively covered his pecs with his blanket.
Ban Wenying, holding a tablet, quickly said:
"Half an hour ago, the 49th Floor reported that multiple sources claim the Black Fire Gang was attacked. A mysterious spiritual ability user ambushed their territory, causing at least one hundred twenty deaths and destroyed the gang's largest underground facility."
"According to our intelligence feedback, in that facility, there are materials from the Thirteenth Institute and thirty-six thousand blood products prepared for the United Defense Army."
"Also, some illicit black market products maintained by life-support equipment were there."
"Because all three power supply systems were intentionally sabotaged by the spiritual ability user, and the routes to and from the cold storage were blasted, crippling them, these black market products will soon become ineffective or die."
"Moreover, on the wall of the cold storage hall, these words were left behind."
Ban Wenying turned the tablet toward the camera, moving it closer.
Zhou Zhengde stared intently at the eight flourish-written characters.
[Best to keep the lights on at all times.]
"He made such a big move?" Zhou Zhengde couldn't help but marvel.
"Zheng De."
Ban Wenying frowned and said:
"There are no secrets between Upper City. You supplying your spiritual ability user with equipment is also no secret."
"The minister needs your answer... are you sure you want to go to such extremes?"
"That was the minister's exact words. Her tone was very calm, considering you are the future of the Zhou family. She doesn't want any unpleasantness over this minor issue."
"But these black market products, we could consider them as spoils of war."
Zhou Zhengde rubbed his cheeks, "Ms. Ying, as you know, Mu Liang isn't just my spiritual ability user; he's more like my friend and comrade. We get along very well."
Ban Wenying said, "However, you have not yet provided a report on his origins."
"You can't force him to do anything," Zhou Zhengde's voice rose, "And what exactly did you mean earlier, Ms. Ban? Are you trying to take this opportunity to gain influence and take over the Black Fire Gang's business?"
Ban Wenying said, "That's just the question the minister gave you."
"Yes, it must be done this way, and I can give a definite reply,"
Zhou Zhengde said quickly:
"I am sorry for the ineffectiveness of the blood products, but I do not think that attacking the Black Fire Gang in this way is inappropriate!
"If the minister asks, tell her it was my choice, that allowing a very few in the Fortress to keep their overly prolonged lives through organ transplantation is an act of injustice I distinctly oppose."
"Alright, I will relay that to the minister."
Ban Wenying instructed:
"Can you control your Spiritual Ability User a bit? Don't let him destroy any more large facilities, they are resource-intensive to rebuild."
"That really depends on Mu Liang's mood."
Zhou Zhengde responded with a smile.
He had no intention to persuade Mu Liang further.
...
Meanwhile.
On the 49th Floor, in a corner of the Wanli Gold Gang's territory.
In a tranquil cabin filled with Spiritual Energy,
Wang Jixuan sat shirtless on the floor beneath his bed, in a shallow meditation posture, embodying Bao Yuan Shou Yi.
Invisible specks of light converged towards him, his breathing rate dropped lower, and a luminous glow began to appear beneath his skin.
Behind him, a vast backdrop seemed to materialize, displaying an array of squares containing repetitive, albeit not intense, battle scenes, among other things...
These witnessed scenes massively shocked his Dao Heart.
Like a slaughterhouse's cold storage, hundreds of pale hanging corpses;
Lying in nutrition storages, their skins penetrated by tubes, their souls nearly dissipated 'materials';
Being sent to the surgical table, where doctors with prosthetics lacerated and disemboweled the 'patients'...
The squares kept multiplying, and the backdrop gradually became too cramped to accommodate them.
Wang Jixuan sat immobile in meditation, like a monument, seeming sculpted from mud.
As in Babel of the mundane world, my path is as solid as rock.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
The light knocking at the door broke the chain of grim visions.
Wang Jixuan opened his eyes and glanced at the simple electronic clock on the wall.
"Tian, it's time to eat!"
Ye Zi's crisp calling voice came from outside the door, then she ran off to knock on several other sleepy children's doors.
Wang Jixuan leapt up, his tiptoes landing almost soundlessly, and quickly slipped on a linen shirt hanging nearby.
By the time he got downstairs, the long table was already filled with individuals, and two three-year-old children were seated in wooden booster chairs, everyone uniformly holding hands.
This was a rule of the cabin, set by Mrs. Kong.
Wang Jixuan sat at the end of the table, took the hands of two boys beside him, and listened as Mrs. Kong spoke in a solemn, serious tone:
"As long as we help each other, support each other to move forward, we can light up the fire of civilization step by step in the darkness.
The children repeated the phrase.
"Alright, enjoy your meal," Mrs. Kong said earnestly.
The children immediately began to eat, their spoons clashing with plastic bowls creating an intermittent cacophony.
Wang Jixuan bowed his head to take a sip of the porridge, his Spiritual Sense slightly twitching.
Today's porridge... hmm? Contained a knockout drug again?
This was the third time since his arrival, unlike the previous times which were fixed on weekend nights, this one being just two days apart from the last.
Could it be that the Black Fire Gang planned to hold a meeting earlier?
As a result of his attack tonight?
Wang Jixuan started gulping down the flavorful rice porridge.