Chapter 56 I'll Pick You Up
After bypassing the now-desolate rose garden, they arrived at the familiar small building. Not only was Han Yuyan there, but Li Zhenzhen was also there, with two armed bodyguards following behind her.
From a distance, the well-maintained Li Zhenzhen looked to be about the same age as Han Yuyan.
Just as Bai Chenzhu was about to lead Tang Zhao over, he paused, suddenly sensing something was amiss.
One, two, three, four... Bai Chenzhu roughly counted the number of people and compared it with the spiritual power he sensed.
Tang Zhao peeked in curiously: "Brother, what's wrong?"
“Something’s strange.” Bai Chenzhu thought for a moment. “I’ll go there myself, and you can do something for me.”
——
"You've arrived." Han Yuyan smiled at Bai Chenzhu, who had come alone.
She was about to introduce them to each other when Li Zhenzhen shook her head.
Bai Chenzhu succinctly stated: "We know each other."
Without exchanging unnecessary pleasantries, the three went inside.
They didn't go directly to the first floor, but went up the stairs to the second floor. Looking down from the second floor, Bai Chenzhu could finally see Bai Li downstairs.
It turned out that Li Zhenzhen had drawn a circle around the hall and made it a prison for Bai Li to move around in. Bai Li's limbs were connected to thick iron chains, and he wandered around the first-floor hall. Every move he made made the sound of the iron chains.
“I hope you can save him.” Li Zhenzhen said, looking at the disfigured zombies downstairs. “This is not only my selfish desire as a mother, but also the need of the base. I am willing to let Bai Li be your research subject. From now on, the small building will be your laboratory. You can recruit the talents you need, you can make equipment requests, you can… but you must not hurt him.”
Han Yuyan, hands in her pockets, said coldly, "Do injections, blood draws, and medication count as harm?"
Li Zhenzhen shook her head. "I mean irreversible, permanent damage."
Han Yuyan then smiled, a rare occurrence for her. "Miss is kind. But how can we see her up close like this?"
Li Zhenzhen pondered for a moment, then said to the two bodyguards behind her, "Arrest him."
Bai Chenzhu stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the pillar to watch. Before long, Bai Li was trapped on the cross, and the group came down from the second floor.
This was Bai Chenzhu's first time getting close to zombies. His festering face still vaguely revealed the boy's original features: bluish-purple skin, swollen body, almost black blood, and strange strength that made him look like a Hercules.
As he roared and struggled, the cross swayed with him.
Bai Chenzhu felt a sense of crisis and moved further away from the zombie on the cross.
Han Yuyan was talking to Li Zhenzhen. She glanced at Bai Li, who was struggling, from time to time, and suddenly said, "Miss Li should know that after humans are infected, they will become zombies or superhumans. These are almost two extreme changes. Even if it is an experiment, there must be a control group."
What does this mean? Capturing zombies isn't enough, they also want to capture superhumans? Bai Chenzhu frowned as he looked at her.
Li Zhenzhen looked hesitant. "You mean?"
“Perfect timing. Not only are there zombies here, but there’s also a precious psychic ability user.” Han Yuyan turned to look at Bai Chenzhu, her face cold and sharp, and uttered her words, “Perfect for experiments.”
Li Zhenzhen followed her gaze and said, "You're thinking of making a move on him? I don't agree."
Han Yuyan snapped her fingers, and a large number of people emerged from the third floor of the building, all armed and pointing their guns at the man below. Bai Chenzhu glanced over and felt that these people looked very familiar.
He thought for a moment and easily remembered that it was the group of people who protected Han Yuyan when they first met.
It seems they've all been turned.
There were so many people hiding in the small building! Han Yuyan had even arrived beforehand. Li Zhenzhen exclaimed in disbelief, "What are you going to do? My father gave you so many people, not so you could be rude to our guests!"
Han Yuyan said coldly, "Since Miss Li can sacrifice her own son for experiments, then it is perfectly reasonable for me to sacrifice a nephew."
More curious about Han Yuyan's special ability than Bai Chenzhu, who was standing right next to her, was, "You can see my special ability?"
Is there anyone else in the world besides him who can guess superpowers by sensing mental energy?
"I guessed," Han Yuyan said. "You didn't hide it much either."
Han Yuyan has always been good at observation. Bai Chenzhu is so sensitive to her superpowers, but he doesn't have the great strength of Tang Zhao. It seems that he is most likely a mentalist.
But she didn't know exactly what it was.
Ordinary superhumans are everywhere, but besides herself, the only other person she knows with a mental superhuman is Bai Chenzhu. And Bai Chenzhu said he'd be leaving in a few days; she can't let him go!
Today is a good opportunity, as Bai Chenzhu is not surrounded by his friends.
So that's how it is. Bai Chenzhu chuckled softly, as if he knew why the original owner had such a stubborn aunt and suffered so much.
This isn't an auntie; this is a ruthless, science-obsessed madman who turns his back on everyone.
Two people stepped closer behind Li Zhenzhen and stood guard beside her to protect her. Li Zhenzhen ordered the people upstairs, "I won't allow it! Stop it!"
The people on the third floor didn't react at all.
Han Yuyan approached Li Zhenzhen and said, "It's alright, Miss Li. I'm your guest too, aren't I? And a very important one at that."
Her dark eyes stared at Li Zhenzhen, her hypocritical face concealing arrogance, her gentle exterior hiding a cold and stern undertone. "Think about it, Young Master Bai has already made such a great sacrifice, what difference does it make if one more person is sacrificed? Right?"
"You'll agree, won't you? This is just my family matter; you have no reason to get involved."
Under her persuasion, Li Zhenzhen hesitated. Suddenly, she shuddered and realized that her firm will was wavering.
Something's fishy! She took two steps back, covered her eyes, and stopped looking at Han Yuyan. "Shut up!"
“Alright.” Han Yuyan stopped and smiled helplessly. “Miss Li, just standing there without doing anything is the biggest help you can give me.”
"As for you," Han Yuyan turned to look at Bai Chenzhu, "Xiaozhu, as I said, stay and spend more time with your aunt."
A dozen or so gun barrels on the third floor were all pointed at Bai Chenzhu's head. Under this threat, Bai Chenzhu seemed to have no way to retreat, only the possibility of being tied to a cross like Bai Li.
Bai Chenzhu remained calm throughout; the surprise Han Yuyan gave him was less than the surprise Tang Zhao gave him when explaining the difference between friends and partners.
He said, "Auntie, you're new here, you shouldn't be so reckless. At least find out about my special ability first."
Han Yuyan's snap was really cool, so Bai Chenzhu tried to imitate her gesture and snapped his fingers rather clumsily.
A commotion suddenly broke out on the third floor, and everyone's gun barrels were instantly pointed at the source of the disturbance. Han Yuyan was inevitably drawn to look over, and in that moment of distraction, she was slammed against the wall by the neck by Bai Chenzhu, who rushed over.
The force was immense. Han Yuyan cried out in pain, opening her eyes in shock as she looked at him, seemingly never expecting that her timid and introverted nephew would go to such lengths.
"Ugh! Hah! Bai Chenzhu, let me go!" She gasped for breath, gripping tightly the hand Bai Chenzhu was using to choke her neck.
"Another superpower." Bai Chenzhu raised an eyebrow. Not only did he not obey, but he also dislocated her hands in a few quick movements. Watching her arms slide limply to the ground, he grabbed her neck with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, as casually as if he were carrying a rag doll.
Han Yuyan then felt scared and looked at Li Zhenzhen.
Bai Chenzhu anticipated what she was going to do, pressed her head into the wall, and smiled politely at Li Zhenzhen, "Miss Li, this is my family matter."
He borrowed Han Yuyan's words.
One after another, people fell from the upper floor, hanging on the railing like dried-up cured meat.
Tang Zhao jumped down from the third floor, breathed a sigh of relief, and put his hands on his hips, saying, "Bro! Snapping your fingers was cool. Let me try it sometime."
"I don't want to be ambushed again." Bai Chenzhu covered Han Yuyan's mouth and handed the bag to Tang Zhao. "Miss Li, you flatter me. But you have also seen my aunt's superpower. If she bewitches the people around you one day, then not only Bai Li, but you and Mr. Li will be in mortal danger."
Li Zhenzhen was indeed frightened. She did not expect Han Yuyan to be so bold as to use the people they sent to pick her up to capture a superhuman—even if that superhuman was her relative.
If it were any other superhuman, Li Zhenzhen might not have bothered, but it was Bai Chenzhu. And they still had close ties with Jiang Ye; there was no way she could possibly harm Bai Chenzhu at this time.
Even if Han Yuyan was very attracted to psychic abilities, she shouldn't have made a move on Bai Chenzhu.
Bai Chenzhu seemed to be able to read minds, and asked, "Now that this matter is over, do you still plan to use her?"
An expert is indeed valuable, but an expert without principles is not worth keeping.
Seeing is believing, and Li Zhenzhen was already afraid of Han Yuyan's supernatural abilities. She asked cautiously, "Then how do you plan to deal with her?"
Bai Chenzhu really hadn't figured out how to solve it. He'd dealt with plenty of zombies, but this was his first time dealing with humans.
He stroked his chin politely, "What insightful opinion does Miss Li have?"
Li Zhenzhen took a deep breath. "If you don't mind, leave it to me. I guarantee you'll never see her again."
Upon hearing this, Han Yuyan quickly shook her head. Her eyes seemed to speak volumes as she looked at Bai Chenzhu pleadingly.
Bai Chenzhu fell silent.
Han Yuyan thought he had softened his heart, broke free from Tang Zhao's restraints, and fell at Bai Chenzhu's feet. Her light-colored clothes were dirty with dust, and she looked at Bai Chenzhu with her gentle, watery eyes.
But she was clearly not a gentle person to begin with.
Bai Chenzhu pressed his eyelids. "I told you, don't use your powers on me again."
"We've been discovered!" Han Yuyan's eyes widened in surprise.
Li Zhenzhen gestured to the bodyguard behind her, who then brought the person in front of her. "Don't worry," she said, "I mean what I say."
She trusts those she employs and doesn't employ those she doesn't trust, but if someone loses her trust, the consequences are equally swift.
Bai Chenzhu led Tang Zhao out of the small building and suddenly felt that he had a special connection with this building. He had come here many times to do business and just hoped that there would be no more troubles next time.
——
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Jiang Ye leaning against a tree in the distance. When she saw him, she raised two fingers and gave a slight greeting.
Bai Chenzhu felt as if a breeze had swept over her, and for a moment she forgot all her previous displeasure. She walked over and asked knowingly, "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Ye laughed and said, "Didn't I say I was here to pick up Azhu and take her back?"
The smile in his eyes faded slightly. He stood up straight, grabbed Bai Chenzhu, and sniffed him.
Bai Chenzhu felt like he was being sniffed around by a puppy trying to identify his scent. He chuckled and pushed Jiang Ye away, his eyes lowered, and said helplessly, "You're being a pervert?"
Jiang Ye's senses were always sharp. He suddenly stood up straight and looked at Tang Zhao. "What happened? There's a smell of blood."
Before Bai Chenzhu could speak, Tang Zhao had already given a brief summary of what had happened.
Jiang Ye, suppressing his anger, was about to walk towards the small building when Bai Chenzhu quickly grabbed his arm. "Alright, everything's been resolved."
Jiang Ye glanced at him and, seeing that he really intended to hand Han Yuyan over to someone else, was temporarily appeased.
He seemed to have an endless curiosity about Bai Chenzhu, determined to find out everything about him.
"If you're worried, have Tang Zhao keep an eye on things and see how Li Zhenzhen plans to handle it." Bai Chenzhu saw that Jiang Ye was still concerned, so he looked at Tang Zhao. Before he could speak, Tang Zhao exclaimed, "Great!"
"If you don't cut the weeds at the root, you'll cause trouble later. Brother Bai, I'll go take a look right now!" Unexpectedly, Tang Zhao was also thinking about this. As soon as he spoke, Tang Zhao ran off very quickly and disappeared in an instant.
"That kid," Jiang Ye said with amusement.
The two walked side by side on the road.
"What are you mainly going to talk about this time?" Bai Chenzhu seized the opportunity to change the subject.
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Someone has to be responsible for spreading the news about the alien races. I think Luozhou is a very good place, and Li Minnian's identity is very suitable."
Especially if Luozhou develops in the future, the surrounding small bases and outposts will definitely spontaneously move towards Luozhou, so Li Minnian's importance is self-evident.
"We just need to proceed slowly, deciding on the form and method of expression. With his ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, he's perfectly suited to handle it. Let him fret about it himself."
Recalling the original text, Bai Chenzhu couldn't help but worry, "I remember, you were the one who discovered it first, right? And then you took the lead in uniting all the bases. Now that you're not doing it anymore, what if Li Minnian or someone else takes over? Will it have a big impact?"
Jiang Ye was taken aback, then laughed and put his arm around his shoulder. "A-Zhu, aren't you overestimating me?"
"Even without Jiang Ye, there will be Chen Ye, Li Ye, Liang Ye... It is always the times that create heroes, not the other way around."
——
Back in the small building, the other two were also there.
Bai Tao tilted her head. "Why did you all go out today? Zhuohua and I went to the hospital to get some medicine, and we didn't see any of you."
"I ran into Brother Bai's relative, the woman in the white coat." Tang Zhao said indignantly, "I always thought she was a gentle older sister, but I didn't expect her to be a bad person, that kind of bad expert, who wanted to use Brother Bai for experiments."
Using people for experiments? Bai Tao frowned, indignant. "That's really terrible! Where is she? Let's go teach her a lesson."
Tang Zhao chuckled foolishly, "Brother Bai took care of it, so everything's fine now."
Bai Tao said, "I also encountered something else at the hospital today..."
They got together and started talking.
Zhou Zhuohua looked at Jiang Ye, "What did Mr. Li say?"
Jiang Ye then shared his conversation with Li Minnian that day with the others, including the precautions against the alien race and the subsequent support for their search for the fragments. "He asked us if we wanted to bring more people, but I refused."
“Refusing is the right thing to do. Too many people mean too much trouble.” Bai Chenzhu hates trouble and excessive interactions.
“This is a token. You can ask Luo Zhou for help at any time.” Jiang Ye reached into his pocket and took out an emerald ring. The back of the ring was engraved with the character ‘Luo’. “It was valuable in the past, but now it can only serve as a token.”
Zhou Zhuohua felt that it was mostly unnecessary. She nodded, "Luozhou is an exception. Future small bases will probably all gravitate towards it. It's certainly good to have a good relationship with it, but Luozhou alone is far from enough."
Bai Chenzhu affirmed her statement, "Currently, there are very few bases that can develop like Luo Zhou. The most urgent task should be to find the fragments."
"Yes, I've thought about these things too. There's no rush." Jiang Ye put away the token. "If there are no problems, let's set off the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow?" Bai Chenzhu asked, somewhat surprised. "Now you're not in a hurry anymore?"
"Because there's one more thing," Jiang Ye said, turning to Bai Tao beside him. "Would you be willing to hold a concert in Luozhou?"
"Me?" Bai Tao pointed at herself, incredulous, her mouth forming an 'o' shape. "Really?"
She looked at Jiang Ye, who nodded. She then looked at Zhou Zhuohua, who made a fist with one hand and gave a thumbs-up.
Tang Zhao clapped his hands excitedly, enthusiastically cheering, "Great! Great! Eh? But I don't think I can hear it."
"Because this concert is for people who are infected but haven't shown symptoms yet. Do you remember Bai Li that night?" Jiang Ye sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking at Bai Chenzhu.
Bai Chenzhu sat on the single sofa, and Jiang Ye frowned when he looked at the empty seat next to him.
“I remember.” Bai Chenzhu stroked his chin, recalling, “That night, Bai Guangzheng tricked me. Bai Tao’s mental power stimulated Bai Li, accelerating his zombification.”
After Bai Chenzhu finished speaking, he asked in surprise, "You mean, we can find the infected people through Bai Tao?"
"This is Li Minnian's request; whether you agree or not is up to you," Jiang Ye said.
"Yes, yes!" Bai Tao had been eager to show off her singing voice for a long time, and she rubbed her hands together excitedly. "I'll definitely save you VIP seats!"
Tang Zhao was happy for her, "Yay!"
Zhou Zhuohua nodded, a smile on her face.
Jiang Ye stared at Bai Chenzhu, his resentment barely concealed, as if silently questioning why he was sitting so far away. Bai Chenzhu pretended not to see it and applauded Bai Tao.
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