Chapter 176: Ambition, Reverse Research

“I only achieved what I have thanks to Major General Gu’s support. I’m just lucky, really,” Bian Changxi replied modestly.

Although her words weren’t entirely true, they weren’t without reason either. If Gu Xu hadn’t created a safe and worry-free environment for her, and personally accompanied her to the Hongri wholesale market, she probably wouldn’t have advanced so smoothly. Even the vegetable plot at the villa contributed a lot.

“Commander Ge, let me check you over again.”

“No need, no need. You’re busy enough as it is—don’t waste your time on an old man like me,” Ge Jianhua said indifferently. Zhu Yiming, however, was very attentive. This time, Bian Changxi placed her hand directly on Ge Jianhua’s forearm. As she probed, she found, just as she expected, that his condition had worsened slightly since earlier.

Already gravely ill, his body was failing fast—he even had maggots on his face. He was only a breath away from death.

Bian Changxi forcibly reversed his state using her own plant-based powers, then used her wood-type abilities to promote his body’s repair and inhibit further decay, restoring balance to his systems so his body could function normally again.

On the surface, Ge Jianhua now seemed out of danger, but the damage to his body was still severe—he was running on empty. If he didn’t rest properly now and kept getting agitated, his body would soon react. Bian Changxi estimated he’d fall seriously ill—this time from a normal illness, but it could still be life-threatening.

Every patient she’d treated so far had desperately wanted to live, so they’d all been very proactive, and none had relapsed after recovery. But if someone she treated died soon after, it would reflect badly on her.

She smiled and said, “Commander Ge’s illness has fully recovered, but his body is still weak. If he can relax, eat and sleep well, and continue wood-type therapy for a few days, he’ll be fine.”

As she spoke, she channeled energy into him.

Ge Jianhua felt a wave of drowsiness, but it was a sleepiness his body desperately needed. It felt good, so even though he was still weighed down by worries, he gradually closed his eyes and soon began to snore softly.

Zhu Yiming and Ge Jianhua’s bodyguard stared in surprise.

The bodyguard whispered excitedly, “Old Ge hasn’t slept for days. Since yesterday, he hasn’t closed his eyes at all…”

Bian Changxi nodded. “He’ll probably sleep until evening. Don’t disturb him—if he wakes up naturally, there shouldn’t be any problem. In the meantime, it’s best to give him some nutrient solution, but that’s for the medical staff to handle—I don’t know much about that.”

Zhu Yiming escorted Bian Changxi out. “I really don’t know how to thank you.” He could tell Ge Jianhua’s condition wasn’t good, but with so much on his mind, how could he rest? No amount of persuasion worked.

“The main thing is not to let him get too worked up. Commander Ge isn’t young anymore, and negative emotions are terrible for his recovery. External treatment is important, but ultimately it depends on the body itself.”

He sighed. “He wasn’t like this before. Even after getting this strange illness, the Commander always kept a cheerful face, no matter how much pressure he was under. But yesterday… his only son was ambushed outside the base and bitten by a zombie…”

Bian Changxi was shocked. “And now…?”

Zhu Yiming shook his head in grief. “When the Commander got the news, he just froze for a moment. Who would have thought that after a short nap, he’d become like this? He seems relaxed now, but… I’ll have to trouble you to keep an extra eye on him. I want him to stay in the hospital a few more days. Once I’ve cleaned things up outside, I’ll bring him back.” A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

Bian Changxi said, “I’ll come check on him every day.”

The two walked ahead, with Zhao An’an, Lin He, and Ji Bai following behind. They strode quickly out of the hospital. Only then did Zhu Yiming realize how agitated and angry he was—he’d been walking as if blown by the wind, and Bian Changxi had kept up the whole way. He stopped and smiled apologetically. “Where are you headed? I can give you a ride.”

“No need, we have our own car.”

Lin He immediately went to fetch the car from the garage.

Suddenly, Zhu Yiming remembered, “Oh, you’re headed to your military camp, right? Gu Xu is there too, isn’t he? I think today’s the inspection. I just happen to need to talk to him—why don’t you ride with me?”

Since he insisted, Bian Changxi agreed.

The so-called “military camp” was actually a cluster of hastily built houses and tents on a patch of dead woodland, barely enough for tens of thousands of soldiers to stay.

The soldiers of Jiangcheng Military District shouldn’t have been treated so poorly.

But when they entered the base, Qu Shangjin had lost all real power and kept dragging his feet. Gu Xu and Hu Aiquan had barely managed to cooperate, but Hu Aiquan was only interested in currying favor with the big shots at the Sucheng base and neglected practical matters.

Gu Xu had managed to secure housing, equal status, land for future development, and some production materials for hundreds of thousands of people—this alone took a lot of time. Managing and arranging so many people was a huge task. At first, soldiers and civilians lived together, scattered across different areas, supporting and relying on each other.

Once everything was settled and it was time for detailed planning, Hu Aiquan suddenly returned and, as the only deputy commander, took away over 100,000 troops. He’d already made deals with the higher-ups, claiming he’d secured a prime piece of land for a modern military camp, with top-notch facilities—a great environment for the soldiers and guaranteed independence and prestige for the military district.

Gu Xu’s plan, on the other hand, was to integrate the military with the community—for example, stationing a small unit in each residential area for protection and management.

At first glance, it seemed like the military would become glorified babysitters, and their numbers would be scattered. Over time, the cohesion between small units would weaken, and the Jiangcheng Military District would be a mere shell.

With Hu Aiquan’s propaganda, most soldiers naturally sided with him.

He successfully took his people, leaving Gu Xu with 450,000 disorganized civilians and little real power—probably hoping that, after being bullied by other factions, they’d beg him to bring the army back to protect them.

But Gu Xu disappointed him. He managed to secure even more space and benefits, and better treatment, leading to a strong rise in the management ranks and peaceful development at the grassroots. By the time everyone realized, the Jiangcheng Group had become a massive force in the Sucheng base, like a flag growing ever brighter in the wind.

In contrast, Hu Aiquan’s supposedly prime land was swindled away, and after a long time, all he got was a remote patch of dead woodland.

After half an hour’s drive, the scenery grew emptier. A row of withered cypress trees appeared, and beyond them, a sprawling, uneven camp came into view.

Between the neatest rows of metal barracks was a huge dirt parade ground. At that moment, people were slowly dispersing, and some large trucks were driving out, heading in the opposite direction to Bian Changxi and her group—clearly leaving the area.

Before they reached the parade ground, Zhu Yiming’s car was stopped. The bodyguard in the back was about to show his ID, but when the guard saw Bian Changxi in the passenger seat, he snapped to attention and saluted, his serious face tinged with excitement. “Miss Bian, we’re here on Major General Gu’s orders to welcome you. Please follow us.”

With that, he hopped on a motorcycle and led the way.

Zhu Yiming followed, shrugging. “Your face is better than any ID or license plate.”

He added, “Gu Xu’s a sly one—he settled all those civilians so well, but secretly maneuvered the army into this place. The conditions are so tough, it’s practically exile. I’ve heard many have already defected to him in secret—he’s got nearly half of the 100,000 troops under his control now. Is that true?”

Bian Changxi didn’t know if it was true, but his words made her frown. Before she could reply, Zhao An’an spoke coldly: “The army ended up here because of Xu Chang’s scheming, with the Su family’s help. Qu Shangjin claimed he was fighting for the army’s interests, competing with Hu Aiquan for the land, but Hu Aiquan lost out. What does that have to do with our boss?”

Bian Changxi nodded. “Gu Xu is a soldier himself—he respects the military.” He’d never joke about their welfare.

Zhu Yiming shrugged again. “Alright, I shouldn’t badmouth Gu Xu in front of you. So, Qu Shangjin used his connections to get that land, then sold it off? I heard there’s a trade market, an auction house, a bank, and all sorts of shops and houses built there—it’ll be bustling in the future. Your Commander Qu is really ruthless. Wasn’t he behind that poisoning incident too? What happened with that?”

Bian Changxi felt something was off—was he fishing for information?

Zhao An’an replied, “There wasn’t enough evidence, and Qu Shangjin has thrown in with Xu Chang. Our boss can’t touch him, but all the researchers involved have been arrested.”

“How did they make the poison?”

“It was extracted from corpses that had been soaking in sewage for days, and from mutant beasts.”

“My god, that’s disgusting. I heard that mad inventor Qu Yi was involved too?”

Bian Changxi answered, “He was just a front. The real researchers were someone else. Anything else you’ve heard?”

Zhu Yiming chuckled. “I’m too embarrassed to ask Gu Xu about this kind of scandal—didn’t want to make him lose face.”

Zhao An’an realized she’d been tricked into talking and glared angrily at the back of Zhu Yiming’s head, then fell silent.

Suddenly, Zhu Yiming lowered his voice: “If those people can turn normal humans into monsters, do you think it’s possible to reverse the process? Like, could a monster be turned back into a normal person? For example, could a zombie become human again?”

The car stopped abruptly. Bian Changxi stared at him, eyes wide.

Zhu Yiming gripped the steering wheel, glancing at Gu Xu, who was talking to someone outside a barracks and had just turned to look their way. “The latest news is that Commander Zhuge has launched a project to see if zombies can be made obedient and normal again. They also know about you and Song Annian—sooner or later, they might knock you out and dissect you.”

He licked his lips, eyes burning with ambition. “Instead of waiting passively, why don’t we get ahead of them and do it ourselves?”

Thanks to Cherry Crocodile for the safety charm!

Thanks to Cherry Crocodile for the review vote!

Thanks to I Love Ling Yang for the pink ticket!

I always find my brain shrivels after midnight—this chapter took all day to write. The second update will probably be late, sorry! l3l4"