Chapter 50 Making Deals
"Jiang Ye and I went to find Bai Li, but we didn't expect Bai Li to be seriously infected..." Bai Chenzhu briefly explained the situation and handed the things in his hand to Zhou Zhuohua.
Zhou Zhuohua was shocked and repeatedly declined, saying, "You should use it for self-defense. I don't want your things."
"Huh? This isn't mine." Bai Chenzhu toyed with the gun in his hand. "It's a trophy."
When those people surrounded them but were beaten down by Jiang Ye, he took the opportunity to pick up a few weapons, which he could now distribute to the two of them as the spoils of his rightful victory.
Unfortunately, even in Luozhou, the availability of firearms was still very limited, but it was better than nothing.
"Is it really not yours?" Zhou Zhuohua asked suspiciously. "It looks very similar."
"Does it look similar?" Bai Chenzhu looked at it for a while, and the corners of her lips curved down.
"Jiang Ye," Bai Chenzhu said in a deep voice. He raised his head and looked at Jiang Ye, who was also deep in thought. "You said that gunshot wounds can be faked, right?"
The gunshot wound could be faked, and his mental power might have come from the candy he gave Bai Li.
“That mutant might not necessarily be Bai Li,” Jiang Ye stated, echoing Bai Chenzhu’s assessment.
Tang Zhao joked, "Could there be a second mutant that doesn't look strange? And so clever as to hide itself? Wait, no, that Bai Li was very good at hiding himself. He said he was sick, and no one suspected him."
He scratched his head and muttered to himself, "That's not quite right either, he has his mother covering for him." His voice trailed off.
“Li Zhenzhen definitely knows something.” Bai Chenzhu played with the loaded pistol and looked at Jiang Ye, who was sitting on the sofa studying the weapon. “Jiang Ye, have you noticed that the people Bai Guang brought don’t seem to listen to him completely?”
Jiang Ye nodded. "When those people found out that Bai Li was a zombie, their first reaction was to look at Bai Guangzheng, and then at Li Zhenzhen."
"You mean, they might have originally been members of the Li family?" Bai Chenzhu asked thoughtfully. "Li Zhenzhen must know about Bai Li's situation, but judging from her behavior today, she seems unaware that Bai Li was framed and that he became bait."
"You're right." Jiang Ye rested his chin on his hand, his eyebrows slightly raised. He didn't speak, but moved his hand and lazily sprawled back on the sofa.
Bai Chenzhu immediately understood his meaning, "Take me with you!"
Tang Zhao looked left and right, then immediately followed, saying, "Take me with you!"
Seeing the two of them looking eager to try, Jiang Ye laughed out loud, stood up and patted them on the shoulder, "Alright, let's both rest tonight."
Standing behind the sofa, Zhou Zhuohua slapped both of them on the back, saying, "You two, calm down. We don't even know how Tao Tao is doing."
Bai Chenzhu then remembered Bai Tao. He looked at Jiang Ye and said, "It seems that Bai Tao is going to throw some kind of celebration party to celebrate that she has gained superpowers."
Everyone knew she had special abilities, but this was the first time Bai Tao had shown them. Even if it was just to express their joy, there was no need to make such a big fuss.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhuohua, who was closest to her, immediately became worried and tried to leave, but Jiang Ye pulled her back.
Jiang Ye stopped her, saying, "She definitely has her own ideas. And Azhu, instead of her, shouldn't you worry about yourself first? You have very rich mental strength. If that mutant wasn't Bai Li, it would definitely attack you again."
He paused, then asked, "Ah Zhu, could the fragment be on Bai Guangzheng?"
Is this a suspicion that the mutant is Bai Guangzheng?
Bai Chenzhu thought about it carefully, "But in the several times we met, Bai Guangzheng did not have the aura of the fragments on him."
——
The next day, Bai Chenzhu, who was eating bread downstairs, heard a familiar voice. He turned around and saw Bai Tao yawning as she came out of Zhou Zhuohua's room.
"When did you get back?" Bai Chenzhu asked in surprise, and poured himself a glass of water.
"Last night."
"Aren't you going to have your party?" Bai Chenzhu teased, leaning against the cabinet and looking at her, before taking a sip of water.
Bai Tao crossed her arms and shuddered violently. "You know, zombies react very strongly to my voice. Last night, after Bai Li 'transformed,' I had a sudden inspiration. I thought I'd use this as an excuse to hold a concert, the bigger the better, so that it would be clear who the mutants are."
“But I got scolded by that old man.” Bai Tao spread her hands, pouting helplessly. “He said it would take too much manpower and resources, and there was no need to hold a celebration. I couldn’t just say that I was looking for mutants, so I had to let it go.”
"Besides, I was worried that Bai Li's matter might alert them. What if that thing came to kill me in the middle of the night? So I carried my bedding back in the middle of the night." Bai Tao looked at Bai Chenzhu very seriously. "I think it's safer here."
She didn't believe a word of that pretentious old man.
"You completely disregard the lives of the mutants." Bai Chenzhu couldn't help but tremble, laughing as he looked down. You see, Bai Tao's mental power is indiscriminate; it might be somewhat friendly to ordinary people.
Her face flushed slightly, and she was about to speak in rebuttal when hurried footsteps came from the stairwell. Tang Zhao pushed open the iron door and said, "You're here! Do you know what they're saying outside?"
When Tang Zhao went out today, he found that everyone in the streets and alleys was talking about Mr. Bai Guangzheng's heroic act of sacrificing his own family for the greater good. People admired him greatly and talked about it with great interest. However, no word of Bai Tao's celebration party had leaked out.
Tang Zhao circled around Bai Tao, saying, "I'm so glad you're alright! I thought something had happened to you, which is why the party couldn't be held!"
Bai Tao snorted, "This young lady has always been blessed with good fortune and a long life."
"By the way, where did Jiang Ye go?" Bai Tao asked curiously, peeking into Bai Chenzhu's open door. Jiang Ye was usually also present where Bai Chenzhu was, but today he was the only one missing.
“This morning, your father sent someone to see him.” Bai Chenzhu sneered, raised his water glass to take a sip, “I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing.”
The situation was tense the night before, and now they're inviting people over—it doesn't seem like a good thing at all.
Bai Tao nodded and was about to go back to find Zhou Zhuohua when Bai Chenzhu grabbed her by the back of her collar like a cat, saying, "Since you're here, things will be easier."
Bai Tao was startled and stared at him with wide eyes, "W-what are you going to do?"
"Young Miss, take me to see Li Zhenzhen."
——
"You mean you want me to be the captain of the guard team?" Jiang Ye chuckled.
Putting aside their past conflict, and regardless of whether Bai Guangzheng knew his son was a zombie, his biological son's zombie identity has now been exposed, and how to deal with him in the future is still a problem.
The safety of the guards is a matter of personal security, and Bai Guangzheng is really carefree and fearless...
Jiang Ye withdrew his dangerous thoughts and smiled slightly, "Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Bai, but unfortunately my friends and I will not be staying long."
Bai Guang leaned forward, surprised, and asked, "You're not going to deal with 'that thing' anymore?"
Jiang Ye tapped his fingertip. "Mr. Bai, you make us sound like some kind of extraordinary people. We were just passing through Luozhou when we happened to sense the same aura as the zombie king from the previous base, so we came to give you a heads-up."
He shook his head, nonchalantly saying, "As for where 'that thing' is, it doesn't really matter to us. We're just passing through anyway."
"Luozhou needs you right now!" Bai Guangzheng was quite excited. He tried to persuade Jiang Ye to stay, but Jiang Ye said that they had other plans and intended to leave soon.
"Mr. Jiang, do you know what to do if that thing is found? What exactly is it, what functions does it have, and can it help humanity defeat the virus?"
"Defeat the virus?" Jiang Ye's eyes darkened. After a moment, he smiled and said, half-jokingly, "It can strengthen zombies, but for humans, it has more of a negative effect."
"Specifically, it is..."
——
It was the same small building. Bai Chenzhu glanced around and found that the dozen or so bodyguards around the building were gone, and there were only two gatekeepers standing at the door.
He looked at Bai Tao and said, "Last time Bai Guangzheng came back halfway. This time, he won't pretend to talk to Jiang Ye again and then come back halfway, will he? Then he'll accuse us of kidnapping and robbery again."
“No,” Bai Tao said. “I’ve specifically checked, they are indeed in the conference room.”
Bai Chenzhu breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, and chose to walk over with Bai Tao to ask.
Unexpectedly, Li Zhenzhen agreed to meet them.
Bai Chenzhu and Bai Tao followed the two bodyguards inside and found that all the furniture in the living room had been removed, making room for them.
The completely zombified Bai Li was bound tightly and locked in a corner.
He was no longer human; his skin was ashen, his eyes bulged and bloodshot, his lips were split to his cheeks, and he was making hoarse noises as he struggled to attack the person who entered.
Li Zhenzhen wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, changed into a simple outfit, and turned around. When she saw Bai Tao, her eyes changed slightly.
His gaze held no hostility, but was simply fixed intently on Bai Tao, as if trying to see something in her.
Even though she knew all along that Li Zhenzhen was just a pitiful person kept in the dark, Bai Tao disliked her and even resented her. At this moment, she shrank behind Bai Chenzhu and did not intend to participate in this conversation.
Li Zhenzhen's gaze shifted to Bai Chenzhu. "What brings you two here today?"
Break through?
Bai Chenzhu and Bai Tao exchanged a glance, their bodies tensing up as they assumed fighting stances. Then they saw the bodyguards standing on either side of them relentlessly pick up their tools and smash them over their heads, collapsing unconscious.
Bai Chenzhu: ...
So that's how they got there. No wonder they're a perfect match, Bai Guang and I.
Bai Chenzhu sneered, "After kidnapping the young master, has this time it turned into kidnapping the madam?"
Seemingly aware of his thoughts, Li Zhenzhen sighed, "They are, after all, under Bai Guangzheng's orders now. I just don't want to put them in a difficult position; I have no intention of harming you."
“I understand.” Bai Chenzhu pondered for a moment, nodded, and went straight to the point, “Miss Li was also at dinner that day, and she must have heard what Jiang Ye and Bai Guangzheng were saying, right? Does Miss Li know why we barged in today?”
Li Zhenzhen turned to look at Bai Li, who was struggling, and said, "I thought you had already guessed it."
"What did you guess?" Bai Chenzhu pretended to be clueless.
“We’ve guessed where it is. But I think you only have a general idea of where it is.” Li Zhenzhen turned around. “I can tell you more specific information, but what will I get in return?”
So it turns out they wanted to make a deal. Bai Tao pouted and tugged at Bai Chenzhu's sleeve, wanting to say that she didn't want this news.
Bai Chenzhu had expected this, and was merely complying with Li Zhenzhen's words, waiting for a better price. "What do you want, Miss Li?"
Li Zhenzhen slowly walked towards him. "The day Bai Li had his accident, my father also had an accident. He disappeared without a trace. Later, Bai Guangzheng took his place."
She stopped and stood two meters away from Bai Chenzhu. "I need someone to find him for me and take him to a safe place."
"If you can do that, I can help you get what you want."
After leaving the small building, Bai Chenzhu remained silent in deep thought.
Bai Tao nudged him with her elbow. "Hey, you really believe that woman?"
Bai Chenzhu pushed her away with one hand pressing her head down, his face indifferent. "It's fine to believe it. First, finding the original ruler is more beneficial than harmful to us. You don't want us to go against the entire Luo Zhou after taking the fragment, do you? Second, Li Zhenzhen is already desperate. The only sincerity she can offer is 'information'."
“But we’ve never met this Mr. Li before!” Bai Tao always tends to think the worst. She walked backwards, anxiously saying, “He’s Li Zhenzhen’s father. What if he’s a bad person too?”
Bai Chenzhu said casually, "Then it's all resolved."
Bai Tao stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief.
"What, scared?" Bai Chenzhu stopped and patted her head.
"Scared? Are you kidding me?" Bai Tao slapped his hand away, her eyes sparkling. "You're so cool, bro! So where are we going to look for someone next?"
“Li Zhenzhen told us about Bai Guangzheng’s past whereabouts. We’ll find out when we get back. Hmm… and Jiang Ye too.” Bai Chenzhu stroked his chin. “I wonder what Bai Guangzheng wants with him.”
——
In the lobby.
Jiang Ye recounted the whole story, including how Bai Guang wanted him to be the captain of the guard team, how he tried to get information about the fragments from him, and his seemingly true but actually false answers.
“I told him that we would be leaving soon.”
Bai Chenzhu was writing down what he had learned from Li Zhenzhen about Bai Guangzheng's recent whereabouts on a piece of paper when he heard this, and then looked up at Jiang Ye.
Tang Zhao, a simple-minded man, was in a panic. "What should we do? We're about to leave! Brother Bai promised Li Zhenzhen he would find Mr. Li."
Bai Tao slapped Tang Zhao on the back, "Are you stupid? A few days is enough time for us to get a lot done. Don't panic."
"Time is of the essence, and I also have something to do." Bai Chenzhu revealed his deal with Li Zhenzhen.
A moment of silence fell over everyone. Jiang Ye pinched the bridge of his nose. "She only gave a general outline, but couldn't even provide a single suspicious location?"
“I’ve given them to you, several of them.” Bai Chenzhu gestured for everyone to look at the picture and circled several points with a pen. “The dumbest way is to look for them one by one.”
Tang Zhao panicked now. He took a deep breath and said, "Then let's split up and search."
Bai Tao crossed her arms, sighed, and shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhou Zhuohua deep in thought and tilted her head curiously. "Sister Zhuohua, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Staring at Bai Guangzheng's whereabouts as written by Bai Chenzhu, Zhou Zhuohua had been lost in thought. Now, she came back to her senses, sat on the single sofa, and raised her hand to press her aching temples. "I think I have a very likely guess."
She raised her finger and slowly placed it on a dot on the paper, which was the mark of the temporary hospital, and also on the possible point marked by Bai Chenzhu.
“The hospital has an inpatient department, which was converted from a former kindergarten and is full of beds. Every time he came to visit patients, he would take a walk around the inpatient building. Only people with special status can stay in the inpatient building. My patients couldn’t be arranged to stay there. I’ve been there. The conditions are good, and everything is complete, except that the top floor is closed off.”
Bai Tao clapped her hands and concluded, "You mean, Mr. Li might be on the top floor of the hospital building?"
"Wow! Sister Zhuohua! You're amazing!" Bai Tao exclaimed and pounced on her. Zhou Zhuohua hugged her helplessly and laughed.
Finding the person wasn't the hardest part; the real challenge was getting Mr. Li away—right under Bai Guangzheng's nose. Jiang Ye relaxed, leaning back on the sofa, watching the two bicker.
The good news is that this Mr. Bai Guangzhengbai, for some reason, is very confident in his 'superpower', so much so that he takes no action even though he knows they are active in the manor.
At that moment, a fair hand waved in front of him.
Bai Chenzhu leaned to the side, standing close to him, and said seriously, "Jiang Ye, I want to go too!"
Jiang Ye chuckled, "So soon? I haven't even said anything yet."
Bai Chenzhu narrowed his eyes, grabbed the arm that was draped over his back, leaned closer, and scrutinized the person in front of him. "Don't I know you? Tell me, tonight or tomorrow night?"
Just as Jiang Ye was about to speak, a mischievous boy squeezed between the two of them. Tang Zhao looked at this one and that one, eager to cause trouble, and exclaimed excitedly, "Where are we going? I want to go too! I want to go too!"
Jiang Ye slapped Tang Zhao's head away, pulled his arm out of Bai Chenzhu's grasp, twisted his wrist, and his dark eyes flashed with a sharp light. "There's no better time than now."
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