Chapter 209 The Devil's Gift
It was as if the smell of hospital disinfectant had seeped into the fibers of my clothes.
Gu Baobao stood outside her grandparents' hospital room and watched them through the glass for a while.
The two elderly people were still asleep, but the fluctuating curves on the monitor were steady and strong.
The effects of the spiritual spring water, combined with her precise surgery, pulled them back from the brink of death. However, the road to recovery is long, and the pain will be considerable.
She turned around and said to Gu Dongguo, who was leaning against the wall:
"Brother, I'm leaving this to you."
Gu Dongguo's head was still wrapped in gauze, and his arm was in a sling, but he stood straight with a calm gaze.
"Don't worry. I swear on my life, I won't let anyone near this floor again."
He paused, his voice lowering.
“Baby, go do what you need to do. Your brother is here with Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt.”
Gu Baobao nodded and didn't say anything more.
Some things don't need to be said explicitly between family members.
She and Lu Zhanming walked out of the inpatient building side by side.
The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, and people were coming and going in the courtyard, seemingly ordinary.
But Gu Baobao could sense that those people who seemed to be strolling casually or sitting on benches reading newspapers would always have their eyes sweep over the area where they were, intentionally or unintentionally.
The warning net has been silently extended to its maximum extent.
The car drove away from the hospital and through the somewhat deserted streets of the capital.
Gray brick walls, bulletin boards painted with slogans, and pedestrians hurrying by on bicycles.
Everything was shrouded in the chilly and tense atmosphere of early winter in 1965.
Instead of returning to the traditional courtyard house, they drove straight to a heavily guarded compound in the western suburbs.
After several checks, the car was parked in front of an inconspicuous two-story building.
Zhao Feng was already waiting at the door.
He was dressed in casual clothes, his expression more solemn than a few days ago, but when he saw Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming get out of the car, there was something else in his eyes, a sharp light mixed with admiration and determination.
"Expert Gu, Zhan Ming, and the leaders are waiting inside."
Zhao Feng came forward, and without exchanging pleasantries, led the way directly.
The building was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside. The corridors were deep and quiet, covered with thick carpets that absorbed all footsteps.
They were led into a small conference room.
There were already three people sitting in the room.
At the head of the table was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing an old military uniform. There were no insignia on his shoulder straps. When he looked over, his gaze carried the wisdom of someone who had experienced the ravages of war and the sharp insight to see through everything.
Gu Baobao recognized him; she had seen him at the airport before, and he was a higher-ranking official.
On the left is a middle-aged man with glasses and a refined demeanor, with a notebook and several documents spread out in front of him.
On the right is a soldier with a serious face and hawk-like eyes; his shoulder insignia indicate that he is a general.
"Commander, Comrade Gu Baobao, Comrade Lu Zhanming has arrived."
Zhao Feng stood at attention and reported.
The old leader nodded, his gaze falling on Gu Baobao, his tone calm yet carrying an imposing air:
"Comrade Gu, please have a seat. How are your family members doing?"
Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming sat down at the end of the table. She stood straight, meeting the old commander's gaze, her voice clear:
"Reporting to the leader, my grandparents are out of danger, but require long-term rehabilitation. My parents and cousin are in stable condition with no long-term effects. Thank you for the organization's care and the best medical resources."
"That's good."
The old leader said slowly.
"This incident is extremely serious. You have been wronged, and your families have suffered. I want to make my position clear here today:"
The government will see this through to the end. No matter who is involved, or where they are hiding, they will be dug up and eradicated completely!
These words were spoken in a plain tone, yet each one carried immense weight.
The air in the room suddenly became still.
"Thank you, sir."
Gu Baobao felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but her expression remained unchanged.
She didn't come here for comfort.
The old leader then changed the subject:
"I heard you have some ideas? About how to deal with that mastermind hiding overseas?"
"yes."
Without any hesitation, Gu Baobao took out a few pages of handwritten outlines from her cloth bag, but did not hand them over immediately.
She glanced around at the leaders present, knowing that each of them had experienced real war and made decisions on major events that affected the fate of the nation.
Her plan had to be convincing enough.
"Before I report my specific ideas, I would like to ask you leaders to clarify one premise."
Gu Baobao's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
"What is Lavoisier, whom we are dealing with, and the Angel Wings project behind him, in essence?"
The middle-aged man wearing glasses adjusted his glasses, seemingly lost in thought:
"According to intelligence, it is a secret program that provides life extension and physical enhancement services to a very small number of Western elites and tycoons. It pursues the continuation of biological advantages."
"That's right."
Gu Baobao nodded, her tone carrying a hint of cold sarcasm.
"In the words of our ancestors, it was the temptation of longevity and physical strength. But they weren't using the righteous path of cultivation."
Instead, they attempt to use capital and plundered technology to forcibly distort the laws of nature, allowing a minority to possess more of the rights to life and health, thereby... to seize and monopolize wealth and power for a longer period.
She paused, looking at the soldier with the star on his shoulder:
"This sounds like science fiction, but driven by self-interest, it's happening. Lavoisier's attack on us wasn't fundamentally due to personal grudges."
Rather, to be more specific, it's the technology and knowledge I possess that might hinder or even disrupt their path of building new barriers using life sciences. We're blocking their path to immortality and their dream of perpetual wealth.
The old leader tapped his fingers lightly on the table:
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Gu Baobao pushed the few pages of paper in her hand to the center of the table.
"The best defense is offense."
She said that every word was like a nail driven into wood.
"Passively eliminating internal traitors and strengthening defenses are necessary. But as long as we hold what they want, as long as Angel Wings' greed remains, the attacks will not stop. The next Qian Youde, Qingzhuan, or even more covert methods will inevitably emerge sooner or later."
She took a deep breath, her gaze intense:
"Since they want technology, and since they believe that technology can bring ultimate advantage... then let's give them a technological gift that they absolutely cannot refuse."
"I call it the devil's gift plan."
The meeting room was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of hot water flowing through the heating pipes.
The leaders' gazes were focused on the few pages of handwritten outlines before returning to Gu Baobao's young yet incredibly calm face.
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