```
Twelve mottled Qi signatures in total.
Three mottled Qi were above An Qian and Wen Heisen, and two of them had already begun to emit a faint oppressive aura.
Level C Spirit Ability Users?
He began to miss that large-caliber anti-Artifact gun.
Wang Jixuan stole a few glances and saw some young men and women dressed in strange attire, as well as a few relatively normal fellows.
He pondered for a moment and did not immediately follow them but instead took his access card to find his room.
Unlock, push door.
Wang Jixuan slightly raised an eyebrow.
The new dormitory was much larger, about three by five meters, with a few more pieces of furniture and a narrow bathroom partitioned off.
Zhou Zhengde had allocated him a room that was supposed to be requested by married couples only.
Mu Liang's belongings were placed on the table, next to which was his combat protective suit that had been fully sterilized and cleaned, as well as that black helmet marked with the traces of war.
On the bed lay two light blue peacekeeping uniforms.
Wang Jixuan was here for that.
He quickly changed into a set of the uniform, grabbed the handgun from the corner of the desk, and habitually checked the magazine…
Great, no bullets.
—Bullets had to be applied for at the security office, and the number of bullets held had to be reported periodically.
But with this official uniform on, it would make his subsequent actions much easier.
Wang Jixuan picked up the peacekeeper's anti-riot helmet next to him and put it on with a sense of ceremony.
'I can't believe I've become an official enforcer, how curious.'
'Since I chose to ride alongside Mr. Zhou, I should protect him thoroughly and not let him be encircled by Spiritual Ability Users.'
'All the sects operate mundane forces to ease the search for disciples with high talents, even supporting mundane dynasties. I might as well mimic them to an extent.'
'Spiritual Ability Users.'
Wang Jixuan's eyes revealed a glint of killing intent, and he turned to walk toward the door, just opening the alloy door.
"Hey! Group Leader Mu!"
A somewhat familiar peacekeeping team member happened to be trying to knock on the door, and upon seeing this, he barged in and pushed Wang Jixuan in the chest.
Wang Jixuan lightly pushed with his left hand, followed the motion with his backhand, coiled his arm, and brought his knee forward.
The young team member felt the world spin. In an instant, he found himself inside the room, kneeling on the floor facing the door.
The door closed, and the gun without bullets was pressed against the back of the team member's head.
The young team member raised his hands and shouted:
"Group Leader, don't shoot! Captain sent me! My name is Lin Bo!"
"Lin Bo? What's your relationship with Lin Tao?" Wang Jixuan took two steps back and tucked the gun back into his waist holster.
"He's my test-tube twin brother! All of us have come from the warriors!"
"Get up, no need for such formality."
Wang Jixuan said:
"I've smelled your scent in the Lower City."
Lin Bo quickly said, "Yes, right, I've delivered gear to Group Leader before!"
"You need to train more with that physique of yours," Wang Jixuan advised, "you barely have any muscles."
"Yes! Actually, all of us were rejected warriors, saved by Captain... Since there's little hope of joining the Defense Army anytime soon, I've been somewhat slack... Oh! Right! The main business!"
The young team member breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled out a palm-sized disc from his pocket.
"Look at this! Captain is worried you might act impulsively when you detect Spiritual Ability Users, so he made a special trip here!
"This is what his mom's, cough, this is the monitoring device that the Minister Lady set up. We had taken it down, but the Captain hastily put back up one.
"Captain wants you to know how he talked with the Biological Minister so that you can be at ease. He'll never betray you!"
"Hmm?"
Wang Jixuan immediately asked, "The Fortress's Biological Minister is here?"
A golden opportunity to kill the Devil.
The evil of the Black Fire Gang, most of it originated from the person in charge of Thirteen within the Fortress number 76.
"Yeah, surrounded by a group of Spiritual Ability Users! I wanted to blow his brains out with one shot! Unfortunately, I couldn't take the risk, there were far too many Spiritual Ability Users."
Lin Bo's eyes showed clear disgust as he swiftly activated the monitor.
Several beams of light intertwined to form a simple projection screen, which showed an overhead surveillance image.
Zhou Ma's Staring·Limited Trial Version.
...
In the Captain's office.
Two Spiritual Ability Users sat on the sofa in the corner, one elegantly sipping coffee, another idly toying with a dagger.
Zhou Zhengde leaned back in the office chair, with his hands interlocked resting on his abs, thumbs slowly circling, his eyes reflecting a touch of disdain.
Across the desk, the suited, somewhat overweight Biological Minister, had his legs crossed, a cigarette in hand, and was staring at Zhou Zhengde with a face black as thunder, his expression looking as though he could eat someone.
Two minutes passed like this.
Just when Wang Jixuan and Lin Bo thought they hadn't turned up the volume, clear voices came from the image.
"Captain Zhou."
After snuffing out the cigarette, the Biological Minister said with a hoarse and low voice:
"You've achieved your goal, you've taken your revenge on Black Fire Gang, and the sneak attack on you can be put to rest.
"A respected lady died in this Lower City conflict.
"I do not wish for you to continue this investigation.
"Zhou Zheng De, others may fear your mother, but that is not an issue for us at Thirteen, we represent the hope for humanity's future."
Zhou Zhengde laughed and said, "If humanity was relying on you, it would have finished long ago."
The Biological Minister replied indifferently, "You do not understand the potential of humanity itself, nor the energy contained within the human body. I forgive your ignorance, but even your mother would not dare to speak to me like that."
Zhou Zhengde laughed, "Please do not interpret my mother's scholarly agility and manners as evidence of your strength, Minister six of seven at the Fortress's daily meetings."
The Biological Minister's nostrils flared, and through clenched teeth, he squeezed out, "I could kill you right now!"
```
The two Spiritual Ability Users in the corner looked at Zhou Zhengde simultaneously.
In the new dormitory, Wang Jixuan's face was dark as Lin Bo firmly grasped his arm.
"Hmm—"
Zhou Zhengde pondered for a few moments before suddenly smiling and saying,
"Don't lose your reason, Biological Minister... Did you come here today just to threaten me in such a direct manner?
"The message from my mother clearly stated that you were coming to discuss cooperation."
He seemed to have held back.
"Yes, cooperation."
The Biological Minister exhaled softly,
"The premise of cooperation is reconciliation.
"The Black Fire Gang's facility is still under my control; I only released eight Spiritual Ability Users there.
"I've also notified the Clean-up troops, and once they leave, the Black Fire Gang will just change its name and its staff and continue operations.
"I know everything that has happened in Lower City.
"There was a girl named Ye Zi who survived that great fire; she's like my sister and fortunately came before me.
"Your Spiritual Ability User... to be honest, I must thank him.
"I know you definitely won't be willing to hand him over directly, so I won't discuss this with you today, but I will catch him, and send him to my dissection table.
"Thomas was working together with your mother's secretary Ban Wenying, and they were the masterminds behind this disturbance. According to Ye Zi's intermittent descriptions, Thomas killed that respected old lady, and your Spiritual Ability User killed both Thomas and Ban Wenying.
"Tsk, how amusing, Captain Zhou. Your man killed your mom's man, hahahaha, you are even stupider than your mom; that's what I didn't expect.
"Now, Xiao Zhou, what have you changed?"
After listening to this guy's lengthy speech, both Zhou Zhengde and Wang Jixuan's gazes changed.
The Biological Minister raised an eyebrow lightly, "Let's talk, my condition is that your side stops trying to meddle with the Black Fire Gang's business, and my side will preserve your mother's reputation. The Black Fire Gang's affair will be left in the past. If you agree, we can then talk about the issue with your Spiritual Ability User."
Zhou Zhengde couldn't help but laugh, "You've brought a basin of dirty water you concocted yourself, and then use it to threaten me?"
"It's not a threat, it's an exchange," the Biological Minister maintained a cold smile.
Zhou Zhengde muttered, "I am very curious as to why you think you have won already? Kong Lianmei's business is your mother's business. Do you think others don't know? Minister Kong, how many human experiment 'materials' did your mother provide for you?"
"You have no evidence to prove that my mother has any connection with the Black Fire Gang; she is a kind lady who has saved more than three hundred orphans," the Biological Minister stated calmly.
"Your mother is the Minister of Internal Affairs, a political blunder like this, especially with Ban Wenying being her chief secretary, is fatal.
"And me, I'm not a politician; I'm a Level 6 Senior Researcher of the Thirteenth Institute, operating within an independent system.
"Even if your mother ranks third among the Fortress Ministers, how can she possibly threaten the great Thirteenth Institute?
"The reason for my visit today is to make you face reality, which is for the best for both of us.
"This is just Fortress 76, one of the forty-five fortresses under the jurisdiction of the D5 Battle Zone. My superior isn't that indecisive Governor; my direct superior is Professor Zhuang, the Director of the D5 branch of the 13th Biological Research Institute!
"Now I have made my conditions clear; you can state yours."
Zhou Zhengde's voice became extremely sincere, "Can I really say it?"
The Biological Minister raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice softened a bit, "Just say it. After all, I have been your mother's colleague for many years. As long as you don't push so hard, we can even cooperate more deeply. The Governor is getting old, but your mother is still strong and vigorous. You know what I mean."
"My conditions are actually not complicated."
Zhou Zhengde said,
"Your side will hand over that list as well as direct evidence of your human experiments, permanently cease illegal experiments, commit suicide as an apology, and deal with rule-breaking Spiritual Ability Users severely.
"Then, I will consider letting go of the Director of the D5 branch of the 13th Biological Research Institute, that is, your immediate superior."
The Biological Minister's smile instantly stiffened.
"Ha!"
The two Spiritual Ability Users in the corner laughed out loud.
The Biological Minister stared at Zhou Zhengde and said calmly,
"So there's nothing to talk about?
"Very well, Zhou Zhengde, I will make you understand soon what it means to be against me. You and your Spiritual Ability User can just wait to die! Before he dies, I will dissect him completely, carefully study him, and place each piece in a petri dish to culture all sorts of strange and bizarre things.
"This is all thanks to your arrogance today."
Hearing this, Daoist Wang leaned back slightly with a mild smile on his lips.
Possibly because his Dao Heart had been tainted a bit by the perverted area;
he actually quite liked this kind of enemy against whom he could strike without any scruples.
Now, could he simply ambush...?
In the monitoring screen.
"Wait a moment!"
Zhou Zhengde stopped the Biological Minister who was just about to stand up, calmly opened the second drawer, and took out a dark green communicator.
He casually adjusted and dialed, speaking easily,
"As you said, Biological Minister, you actually belong to the vertical system of the Thirteenth Institute, holding the title of Biological Minister in the fortress in name... in other words, you have never truly integrated into the core political circle of Fortress 76.
"I will show you a little secret that only the Governor and a few ministers know.
"Although I really dislike getting involved in such matters, I have no choice; I need this kind of power to fight against evil..."
Beep, sizzle.
After some static noise, a deep, hoarse, impatient elderly male voice came from the communicator.
"Cough! What is it, the only one who carries on my genes, weren't you about to have a child recently? Grandpa is busy holding a damn strategic meeting, planning an ambush on a cornered Sub-King Level caterpillar. I'll tell you a bedtime story later, okay?"
"Granddad."
Zhou Zhengde's eyes reddened rapidly, his voice somewhat choked, pitifully sniffling,
"I almost died, there was a Spiritual Ability User blasting at me with a rocket launcher, and the people from the Thirteenth Institute here are threatening my mom, saying she's going to be put in a petri dish for dissection.
"I'm so scared, Granddad, I'm afraid I won't see you again! Sigh, sigh."
Seeing this scene, Daoist Wang and the nearby Lin Bo: ...
Ah?