Chapter 28
Jiang Shu's heart skipped a beat. "Dad, what's going on?"
He glanced at Jiang Zhi guiltily, and only calmed down after finding her frighteningly calm.
Jiang Shan: "You still want to hide it from us? Your grandma already told us that Azhi came back covered in injuries. What happened to her today?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyun was startled and quickly pulled Jiang Zhi over to check her over.
They breathed a sigh of relief after finding no wounds.
"Dashan, you scared me! Azhi is perfectly fine, isn't she?"
Jiang Shan snorted, "Don't you know your daughter is incredibly clever? She must have taken that tooth powder to keep us from worrying!"
He looked at Jiang Shu: "Big Tree, you tell me what happened today. If you dare to lie, I'll break your legs!"
He doesn't believe in wrestling.
It was just a normal wrestling match; how could this girl possibly be taking such precious tooth powder?
They would only try to destroy evidence if they were afraid the other party would notice something amiss.
Jiang Shu felt a chill run down his spine and glanced at the ginger branch.
Ye Qingyun snapped, "What are you looking at your sister for? Answer me now!"
Unable to get any hints from Jiangzhi, Jiangshu had no choice but to reluctantly tell everyone what had happened that day.
Ye Qingyun felt dizzy from listening.
Whether it was from lingering fear or something else, she slapped Jiang Shu hard across the face. "You brat, is this how you take care of your sister?! You dared to do something so dangerous! I think you two are trying to drive me crazy!!"
Jiang Shan's expression was also unpleasant.
He couldn't even imagine what would happen if the brother and sister were unlucky enough to be entangled by that mutated snake, or if Jiangzhi were harmed by that vicious woman...
Jiang Shan took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and looked at Ye Qingyun, "Actually, my second brother and the others discussed the matter of going out to collect materials with me today."
“A-Zhi and Da-Shu are young and prone to impulsive actions, so the older ones like us have to go with them.”
Jiang Zhi couldn't hold back any longer, "Dad—"
With adults around, how could she possibly have the chance to do what she wanted? She would definitely be confined.
Jiang Shan interrupted her, "Azhi, you can't always act recklessly just because you have that thing. Your mother and I can't rest easy if you keep doing this."
Jiang Zhi was somewhat annoyed.
I was really unlucky today, running into that mutated snake.
“Dad, I know I was wrong. Actually, the reason I wanted to catch that fish was because... my brother and I might become mutants, and I wanted to increase my strength.”
Jiang Shan and his wife were taken aback: "What?"
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips and shared her earlier guesses, including the reactions after consuming low-toxin foods.
“Dad, it’s too hard for ordinary people to survive in this era. Have you forgotten the beast tide we went through before? Although we’ve come to the base now, we don’t know what we’ll encounter in the future. I don’t want to sit and wait to die. I want to improve my strength to protect you.”
The beast tide that Jiang Zhi mentioned was the most dangerous situation they had encountered before coming to the base.
The mutated beasts, which had been fighting amongst themselves, now marched together in a certain direction.
If they hadn't hidden in a deep underground cellar, they wouldn't have been able to reach the base alive.
Ye Qingyun's eyes instantly reddened. "You child, we're not old yet, why do we need you to protect us?"
She knew Jiangzhi was right, but if only two children in the family could become mutants, how heavy would their burden be!
How could she not feel heartbroken?
Jiang Zhi: "Dad, Mom, don't worry, we plan to cooperate with Brother Dali. With his help, we won't get into trouble so easily."
"Once we've collected enough gold items, even if you can't become mutants, having gold items around will make you safer."
Jiang Shan remained silent. "You've always been opinionated since you were little. I only have one request: whatever you want to do in the future, discuss it with us first."
Jiang Zhi nodded in agreement.
"And about that woman, you were too careless. You should have seized the opportunity to kill her back then..." Jiang Shan wanted to say kill her, but realized that it was too bloody, so he didn't say it.
"No matter what, even if you didn't have the chance at the time, you should have made a big fuss about it. That only gave the other side the upper hand."
Jiang Shan wasn't too harsh on the two children. Given the chaotic situation and the brush with death, it was inevitable that he wouldn't have done everything perfectly.
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips.
Jiang Shu asked in frustration, "Dad, what should we do now?"
Jiang Shan pondered for a moment, "Do you know which squad that woman belongs to? What kind of special abilities does she have?"
Jiang Zhi: "I think I heard it was said to be the 3rd squad at the time."
When asked about the second question, Jiang Zhi paused before replying, "I didn't see her use any special abilities at the time."
Jiang Shan nodded. They had no connections at the base, and the only person they had ever been in contact with who was related to the mutants at the base was Chen Li.
Jiang Shan knew this matter couldn't be delayed, so he immediately called Chen Li.
He didn't hide it from the two children.
After the cataclysm, the world order changed. The two children had just graduated, had little experience, and had never encountered anything like this before.
Even though Jiang Zhi is smart enough, she still lacks experience.
Jiang Shan used to think there was nothing wrong with this, but now he feels that there are some things they need to know: in this cannibalistic world, you can't survive without being ruthless.
Jiang Shan, under the pretext of buying and selling cotton aphids, asked Chen Li for the addresses of all the members of the 3rd exploration team.
"That day, I don't know which member of the third team wanted to eat the fried insects from my house, and I agreed."
Unexpectedly, I forgot to ask for the other party's address. I felt bad about not fulfilling my promise, so I thought I'd just deliver it to their door.
Chen Li initially said, "Hey, it's too time-consuming for you to come to each house one by one. I'll just take care of everything for you."
Jiang Shan was a little embarrassed: "Mainly because we promised them, we don't want to break our promise."
These words improved Chen Li's impression of the Jiang family considerably.
“Okay, I’ll find someone to help you find some,” Chen Li said. “By the way, if you have any extra fried insects, sell me a little more, we don’t have enough to give away.”
Jiang Shan smiled and agreed.
Not long after, Chen Li called again to say that he had obtained the addresses of the three team members.
After hanging up the phone, he saw Jiang Shu give him a thumbs up. "Dad, you're amazing! That excuse was spot on!"
They could easily pin the excuse that a mutant named Xiong Lin from the exploration team they encountered during the day had died on them.
Jiang Zhi stepped forward and looked at the information on Jiang Shan's note. When she saw the names Feng Yan and Xiong Lin, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It's them.
“Okay.” Jiang Shan nodded. “We’ll take action tonight.”
Jiang Shu was taken aback. "Tonight? So soon?"
Jiang Shan said, "We must act tonight. Judging from Chen Li's tone just now, news of the incident involving Squad 3 hasn't spread yet. If we wait until they all know what happened today before we take action, we'll become much more suspicious."
Ye Qingyun nodded. "Your dad is right."
Jiang Zhi took a deep breath. "It's all my fault, Dad. I'm going to finish her off."
Jiang Shan patted her head, his eyes gentle: "How can this be your fault? Many people seem friendly and harmless, but that's because they haven't been in danger. Humanity is often revealed when people are most powerless. You did enough at the time. Don't take the blame for other people's mistakes."
Jiang Zhi's eyes reddened.
"dad……"
Ultimately, it was because she lacked both ability and ruthlessness at the time.
She was also afraid of implicating Jiang Shu and Niu Dali.
If things had escalated back then, she feared that her brother and Niu Dali would have faced retaliation from that woman.
She sniffed, her eyes hardening. "Dad, I won't make that mistake again."
Jiang Shu: "Dad, what should we do?"
Jiang Shan looked at Jiang Zhi: "A-Zhi, think about it, if you were that woman, and your teammate died, but the mission was saved, what would you do?"
Jiang Zhi frowned, still feeling uneasy thinking about that woman. "If I were her, I would probably shift all the blame onto the dead person, and take all the credit for it."
Jiang Shan nodded. "That's right. Think about it, if we appeared in her sight right now, what would she do?"
Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up. "To cover up the truth, she would definitely try to silence them."
Jiang Shan smiled and said, "If you had confronted her back then, she might have hesitated to harm you. But since you didn't go, she would definitely have kept your secret."
After all, no one believed that an ordinary person like Jiang Zhi could cause any significant harm to the mutants.
Jiang Shu suddenly realized, "So, Dad, you want Azhi to be the bait?"
Jiang Shan looked at Jiang Zhi: "So, A-Zhi, are you willing?"
Jiang Zhi nodded firmly: "Dad, I'm willing."
Ye Qingyun, who was standing to the side, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
As before, she remained silent while her husband guided the children.
Even though I knew it would be dangerous for my daughter to go, I had no choice but to let her go.
Jiang Shan: "Okay, go and arrange to meet them at the low-rent housing area. Leave the rest to us. Remember, when you enter Block B, make sure to tell the security guard that you're there to deliver cotton aphids."
At this moment, Jiang Zhi felt a strong sense of security.
She nodded. "Okay."
The low-rent housing is messy and has no streetlights, making it the best place to commit crimes.
Jiang Shan thought for a moment, then said to the two children, "Since you're keeping it from your family, you should keep it from them."
Jiang Shan didn't want his parents to worry.
Apart from Jiang Hai, who had served in the military, the rest of the Jiang family members were honest and simple, with no real fighting skills, so Jiang Shan didn't want to trouble them.
After Jiang Zhi left, Ye Qingyun voiced his concerns: "Dashan, that female mutant has superpowers. Can we defeat her?"
Jiang Shan's gaze was firm: "Even if we can't win, we have to fight."
He comforted his wife, "Azhi's abilities destined her to be unable to live an ordinary life. She has to walk this path eventually. What we can do is guide her within our capabilities so that she can walk it more smoothly in the future."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyun lowered his head and remained silent.
Jiang Shan looked at his silly son and said, "Alright, stop standing there like an idiot. Get your weapons ready; we're going to set up the scene."
*
After finding the address given by Chen Li, Jiang Zhi observed it from a distance of a few hundred meters away for a while.
The woman was married, and there was a man in her family, who was probably her husband.
Jiangzhi has excellent eyesight and can see the couple laughing and talking in the yard.
The more she saw the other person showing no remorse and smiling broadly, the more resolute she became.
Such a person deserves to die!
Jiang Zhi picked up the cotton aphids in her hand and went door to door, using the guise of selling insects to stake out around Feng Yan's yard.
After finally waiting for Feng Yan to leave the yard, Jiang Zhi raised her voice, "Our family's stir-fried insects are delicious. They're all moderately toxic. You'll know once you try them."
Feng Yan was indeed drawn in by her words. She turned her head to look over, and her expression changed after seeing Jiang Zhi's face clearly.
Jiang Zhixin felt certain when she realized that the other person had seen her.
She then deliberately said to the old lady who was buying her cotton aphids in front of the door, "Grandma, if you eat well, please bring me more customers. I'll give you a discount when you buy things in the future."
As she spoke, Jiang Zhi could feel that malicious gaze fixed on her.
She refused to believe that the other party would let such a good opportunity slip by!
Sure enough, after Jiang Zhi left, Feng Yan went back to her room, changed into a cloak that could cover her head and face, picked up a weapon, and was about to go out.
She wanted to catch up and see.
She remembered the person's face, but her appearance was strange. How did she suddenly appear in this area?
Feng Yan's husband casually asked, "Ah Yan, where are you going dressed like that? And why are you carrying a weapon?"
Feng Yan: "I'll go buy you more insects to eat."
*
Jiang Zhi went to the outermost edge of the base.
That was also the most chaotic part of the base.
The stairwell was piled high with old mattresses and rotten cardboard boxes, making it difficult to even step. Sewage pooled in the potholes, turning into a black puddles, and garbage bags were scattered everywhere. Large patches of plaster had peeled off the walls, which were covered in mold, and even the windowpanes were shattered into pieces.
The garbage was piled up at the entrance of the building, and the stench could waft across half the alley.
This is a place where residents live in a state of disarray. Even the base doesn't bother to manage it.
She entered the building, and the woman didn't follow. Sure enough, she was quite cautious. But Jiang Zhi wasn't in a hurry. This time, she was playing the long game. If the other party fell for it easily, she would suspect that the other party had some trump card to escape from a desperate situation.
And so, Jiangzhi sold insects for several days, went to different places, and every night she would squat in the top floor of the outermost unit, living there for several days.
Finally, the woman took another step forward.
Jiang Zhi could sense that the other party's killing intent was growing stronger, and she was about to make her move.
After selling the insects that day, he left Area B and deliberately took a detour back to Area D to make himself familiar to passersby before quietly arriving at the place he had arranged to meet Jiang Shan and the others.
Jiang Shan and his wife, along with Jiang Shu, were already lying in ambush nearby.
We're just waiting for that woman to take the bait.
Everything is going according to their plan.
When Feng Yan arrived, she saw Jiang Zhi standing alone in a dark corner and immediately laughed.
"What can I say to you? I was planning to deal with you tomorrow, but you still came to my doorstep. You're so stupid it's adorable."
For Feng Yan, she wouldn't be afraid even if Jiang Zhi brought more people.
She didn't take the fighting power of ordinary people seriously at all.
What's more, she also has the weapons the base rewarded her with today.
In her mind, since she had already attacked her teammates, killing a few more ordinary people wouldn't matter.
Jiang Zhi laughed, "You should have killed us back then. I was afraid you would turn around and blame us. So, you're looking down on us ordinary people?"
Feng Yan shook her head and slowly drew her weapon. "No, I value you all very much."
Jiang Zhi's pupils contracted—could it be that this woman never intended for her to live in the first place?!
She smiled through gritted teeth.
That's ruthless.
At this moment, Jiang Zhi's last bit of psychological burden disappeared.
She pulled out a watermelon knife and slashed at it quickly!
In the darkness, Feng Yan smiled with pity.
She easily dodged Jiang Zhi's attack by sidestepping.
"Little sister, where are you going to chop?"
Feng Yan's voice was very low, "Do you know how big the difference is between mutants and ordinary people?"
She gently grasped the watermelon knife in Jiang Zhi's hand. "If I hadn't exhausted my spiritual energy back then, you wouldn't be alive now. Why didn't you hide properly? If you had hidden properly, you might have lived another day."
Jiang Zhi looked at the other person and suddenly laughed, "Who told you I was going to chop you up?"
As soon as she finished speaking,
Suddenly, Jiang Shan attacked from behind with a steel bar and smashed it down hard on Feng Yantian's head.
Feng Yan seemed to have been prepared, turning around and quickly dodging before kicking Jiang Shan.
"You lot—"
Before she could finish her smug words...
A force slammed into her from the side, and an iron fork clamped tightly around her neck from behind.
It's a ginger tree!
Feng Yan instinctively tried to block, but caught off guard, she was still thrown to the ground.
Blood gushed from the other person's neck.
"You, you all—" The iron fork pierced through the skin near her neck, causing her to scream in pain.
Ye Qingyun quickly covered her mouth.
Seeing that Feng Yan was restrained, Jiang Zhi seized the opportunity, picked up a stone she had prepared beforehand, and viciously gouged it into Feng Yan's eyes. Feng Yan shook her head wildly in pain, almost pulling Jiang Shu and Ye Qingyun down with her.
At this moment, Jiang Shan recovered, picked up a kitchen knife and rushed over. Seizing the moment when Feng Yan struggled, he stabbed her in the stomach with a cleaver.
Feng Yan struggled for a moment, but the strength in her hands and feet gradually weakened until she stopped moving altogether.
Jiang Shan dared not gamble, so he instructed Jiang Zhi: "Azhi, the neck."
Jiang Zhi responded and was about to make a move when the person beneath her suddenly used tremendous force to throw everyone off balance.
At this moment, Feng Yan could no longer speak, and her eyes were filled with blood.
She flailed her arms wildly, and Ye Qingyun was flung away by her.
No, if this continues, it will cause too much of a commotion!
Ignoring his injuries, Jiang Shan trapped his opponent from behind.
But the opponent was incredibly strong. She struggled to pull out a small energy gun from her body and pulled the trigger without hesitation. A laser-like beam shot out instantly.
Unable to see where she was going, she started firing wildly.
Just as the laser was about to hit Jiang Zhi, Jiang Shu immediately stepped in front of him without thinking!
Almost instantly, the laser pierced through the ginger tree's thigh.
Jiang Zhi stood there, stunned.
Jiang Shan felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he forced himself to calm down. "A-Zhi, quickly take care of him!!"
His trembling hands indicated that he was nearing exhaustion; he had no way of holding the people back, and the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for them.
Upon hearing this, Feng Yan became even more excited and threw the person away with even greater force.
No sooner said than done, just when the four thought they were going to lose, a frying pan fell from the sky and slammed into the back of Feng Yan's head!
At this point, Feng Yan finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed.
Jiang Zhi's heart tightened, but upon recognizing the person, she exclaimed with delight, "Uncle—"
Jiang Hai interrupted her, "Don't talk, you're too loud. Someone will notice. You go first, and we'll take care of the rest!"
Upon hearing the word "we," Jiang Zhi realized that Jiang Hai was standing behind Jiang He and Jiang Wen, and even Grandpa Jiang had come!
This is--
All the men in the family have come?
Jiang Zhi, ignoring her surprise, turned around and fed tooth powder to her brother and parents.
Jiang Shan quickly recovered and, knowing the urgency of the situation, carried Jiang Shu, whose wounds had not yet fully healed, on his back. "Big brother, Dad, I'm leaving this place to you."
With that, the family of four left in perfect unison.
Jiang Shu craned his neck to look back, but Ye Qingyun pressed him back down, saying, "Don't move around. Do you want to work your dad to death?"
Jiang Shu immediately froze.
After the four people left.
After confirming that the woman on the ground was dead, Jiang Hai nodded to Grandpa Jiang and the others.
Grandpa Jiang: "I've remembered, we're here tonight to see our old friend."
Everyone nodded.
After the four of them cleaned up the scene and made sure nothing was missed, Jiang Wen shouted towards the nearby low-rent housing, "Come quick! A mutant has come to give us food!! Everyone gets a share!!"
He shouted it several times.
Suddenly, everyone in the low-rent housing came out.
"There's food? Wasn't there a fight? I thought there was another brawl."
"Everyone who sees it gets a share! Hurry, hurry, get down here, or it'll be gone!"
"What kind of nice person would come here so late at night? Is it a scam?"
"Then why don't you just not go!!"
Soon, a crowd gathered in the dark corner, and after seeing what was on the ground, there was an uproar.
Meanwhile, the Jiang family members had quietly left when no one was paying attention.
The base had lost power by then, and Jiang Zhi and the other three sneaked around and hurried home.
Grandma Jiang and the others had already followed the men's instructions and were waiting at home.
Even so, they were still startled when they saw the bloodstains on the four people.
Ye Qingyun quickly said, "Mom, don't worry, this is all other people's blood. Only the big tree was injured."
Grandma Jiang suppressed her urge to ask questions and only said, "Don't say anything. Take off these clothes first. I'll have Ah Xiu burn them. Also, you didn't leave any traces when you came back, did you?"
Grandma Jiang was referring to the bloodstains.
Jiang Shan shook his head, "Don't worry, Mom, nothing was left behind."
He turned to look at Jiang Shu, "Big Tree, how are you feeling now?"
Jiang Shu moved his leg, wincing in pain, "It still hurts a bit."
That thing was really powerful; he could feel his thigh being pierced through, and he immediately lost all feeling.
Luckily, there was ginger powder in his teeth, otherwise his leg would have been ruined.
Wu Xiu took all of their clothes and smoldered them.
Yuan Ying and Xu Na brought water to the group, saying, "Quickly wipe yourselves down. The old man said we need to go over our statements."
Grandma Jiang nodded. "I sent the two children to bed. They don't know anything. Have you thought about what to say?"
Jiang Shan had planned this out before taking action.
"Mom, just say that we went to sell cotton aphids."
Jiang Shan wasn't just making things up. To cover up his lie, he specifically took Ye Qingyun and Jiang Shu on a tour and sold some fried insects.
In this way, even if someone sees it, it doesn't mean anything.
With the tooth powder containing ginger, and since they had no injuries, even if someone saw them go to the low-rent housing, it wouldn't prove anything.
Grandma Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I trust you to do things right."
Then he instructed Yuan Ying and the others, "Remember this, no matter who asks, you must say they went to sell cotton aphids."
Yuan Ying and the others knew the seriousness of the situation and nodded repeatedly.
After the surge of adrenaline, Jiang Zhi's hands were trembling slightly as she calmed down.
My body was relaxed, but my heart was still on edge.
She had a vague fear that the base might use other methods to detect their situation.
Jiang Shan noticed her worry and patted her on the shoulder, "Don't worry."
Jiang Zhi hummed in agreement.
Half an hour later, Jiang Hai and the others returned.
Seeing that Jiang Shan and the others were in good spirits, Old Master Jiang paced back and forth in the courtyard a few times, and finally pointed at Jiang Shan's nose and said:
"You're such a grown-up, why are you still causing us so much worry?"
Jiang Zhi was a little embarrassed by what was said, "Grandpa, actually it was me..."
Grandpa Jiang raised his hand. "I already know about your situation from Dali. You made a mistake in keeping it from us. Your father made the same mistake."
They only suspected something had happened when they noticed that the weapons in their house were missing.
If they hadn't found them in time, the entire third branch of the family would probably have suffered.
Grandpa Jiang felt a chill run down his spine whenever he thought about it.
But now is not the time to be angry.
"Forget it, I'm too lazy to settle accounts with you now. Let's go through everything first."
Jiang Shan had no choice but to tell the whole story. "That woman is very arrogant and wants to kill Azhi, so she didn't tell anyone about her encounter with Azhi in the gathering area. The real problem now is that woman's husband."
The other party has met Ah Zhi before, so they definitely won't let this go.
Jiang Hai pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, someone will come knocking on our door by tomorrow morning at the latest. We must make sure our statements match up."
Jiang Hai was worried that Jiang Zhi might have some psychological trauma, so he comforted her, "Azhi, don't waste your energy on this kind of person. She wants your life. It's right for us to fight back. Remember, at any time, anyone who is against you is your enemy."
Jiang Zhi was somewhat moved.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the Jiang family did not blame her.
"Uncle, thank you..."
Grandpa Jiang said, "You siblings must remember that no matter what, your family is your greatest support. If there are any important matters in the future, remember to discuss them with us."
Jiang Zhi nodded, "I understand, Grandpa."
Grandpa Jiang glared at Jiang Shan, "And you, did you remember that?"
Jiang Shan touched his nose. "We'll see..."
Grandpa Jiang was amused and wanted to say a few more words, but Grandma Jiang stopped him.
"Alright, alright, the kids are tired after all this. Let's go over their statements again and rest. We have another tough battle to fight tomorrow."
Before entering the house, Jiang Hai suddenly spoke up, "Azhi, don't be afraid even if those people find out something tomorrow. I was the one who delivered the final blow. If that happens, just pin the blame on me."
Jiang Zhi's eyes were red.
"Uncle, I don't want to!"
Jiang Shan disagreed, "Brother, what are you doing?"
Jiang Hai laughed and said, "I wasn't going to live much longer anyway, it was A-Zhi who saved me."
He waved his hand, stopping everyone from continuing, "Alright, go back to sleep."
A moment of silence fell over everyone.
That night, apart from the two children, was a sleepless one for everyone in the Jiang family.
Jiang Hai's guess was correct; around five or six in the morning, members of the base patrol team came to knock on the door.
Fortunately, after yesterday's discussion, everyone felt more confident, and apart from some nervousness, their expressions remained relatively normal.
Grandma Jiang went to open the door.
Is Jiang Zhi here?
The old lady feigned surprise at just the right moment, then asked, "Yes, what brings you here?"
The patrol member said, "We're here to investigate a case. Did you know that a mutant died a violent death yesterday?"
As he said this, the other person stared intently at Old Mrs. Jiang.
Grandma Jiang was startled. "Aren't mutants supposed to be very powerful? How could they be killed? What does this have to do with my Jiang Zhi?"
Grandpa Jiang spat out his mouthwash and said to Grandma, "Old woman, let them in first. What kind of behavior is it to block the door? It's so impolite."
Grandma Jiang: "Yes, yes, please come in. If there's anything we can do to help, we definitely will."
Jiang Zhi, listening in the hall, found it quite amusing.
Her mother-in-law is actually a pretty good actress.
Several patrol members entered the yard, looked around, and then looked at Jiang Zhi. "Where did you all go yesterday during the day?"
Jiang Zhi found it a bit strange. Why was it daytime? Shouldn't they be asking about the nighttime situation?
She blinked. "I went to the collection area with my brother."
"Our mutants have discovered something in the collection area and need your assistance in the investigation."
Wu Xiu, unaware that something was wrong, exclaimed excitedly, "My Ah Zhi is just an ordinary person, a girl at that. How could she be involved in this kind of case? Could that person have made a mistake?"
Seeing the Jiang family's worry, the young patrolman next to them said, "Don't worry, it's just a matter of questioning them when they get back. As long as they tell the truth, it's not a difficult thing."
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips. "Aunt, it's alright. I'll go with them and see what's going on."
Jiang Shu scratched his head. "Should I have one too?"
The leading patrol member nodded: "Let's go together."
The Jiang family could only watch with bated breath as the brother and sister were taken away.
The two followed them to the police station building.
Surprisingly, they were not asked about what happened last night, but about what happened in the collection area during the day!
"Someone saw you return from the banks of the Wei River yesterday. Were you collecting materials there yesterday?"
The brother and sister were taken aback by the question and looked at each other in bewilderment—what was going on?
Unsure of what was going on, Jiang Zhi became even more cautious: "Yes."
"Are you aware of what happened over there at that time?"
Jiang Zhi denied it directly, saying, "I only know that something happened over there, but I don't know much about it."
The person asking the question seemed dissatisfied, frowning: "Are you sure? Someone saw you being hit with a snake egg."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi felt a chill run down her spine.
Her mind was racing.
Logically, only she and Feng Yan should know about this, but according to Feng Yan yesterday, she shouldn't have revealed her own affairs.
Who exactly is it?
At this moment, another mutant with a buzz cut who hadn't spoken yet clicked his tongue and said, "Just tell us the truth, we won't hurt you."
In a flash, she suddenly realized why this person looked familiar—wasn't this the male mutant who told them to run away quickly after encountering the mutated snake yesterday?
Wasn't the opponent taken down by the mutated snake? How could this be...?
Jiang Zhi quickly figured out the key points.
Never mind, let's take a gamble!
She said directly, "Yesterday, a female mutant threw a snake egg at me."
Her words startled Jiang Shu.
"Azhi——"
If we say this now, won't these people know about their grudges with Feng Yan?
Jiang Zhi grasped his hand, signaling him to be quiet.
"They wanted me to distract the mutants so she could escape. Not only me, but another female team member also died because she was dragged into it."
She spoke these words slowly, subtly observing the expression on the short-haired mutant's face. Seeing the other man visibly relax, she immediately felt relieved.
She made the right bet.
Jiang Zhi stopped hiding it and told the whole story of what happened yesterday.
After Jiang Zhi told him everything, the short-haired mutant snorted and said to the other person, "Now do you believe me?"
The other person didn't respond. He sighed, smiled, and said to Jiang Zhi, "You can leave now."
With that, he left the interrogation room.
The brother and sister were stunned.
that's all?
Jiang Zhi looked at the man with the buzz cut: "Do you believe me?"
The short-haired mutant was in a good mood and explained a few more words to her: "This guy's ability is to tell whether others are telling the truth or not, whether it's true or false, and no one can hide anything from him."
Upon hearing this, both siblings broke out in a cold sweat.
Jiang Zhi had a feeling that she had just expected this.
She was relieved that they didn't ask her about what happened last night.
The short-haired mutant waved his hand, "Alright, that's all, you can go back now."
Jiang Zhi opened her mouth, her intuition telling her that it was best to tell her about Feng Yan's incident last night.
She gathered her thoughts, "Um, last night..."
The mutant with the buzz cut chuckled. "Are you referring to Feng Yan's murder last night?"
Do you know how the base manages official mutants?
The brother and sister looked at each other, and Qiqi shook her head.
“Anyone who betrays their teammates will be shot.” The man with the buzz cut glanced at them. “You’re carrying out this for me as the captain. Don’t worry, we won’t hold you accountable.”
It turns out the man with the buzz cut is the captain of Squad 3.
Jiang Zhi guessed that when the other party was attacked by the mutated snake, he was only unable to move his body, but he was still conscious, so he knew what had happened.
She let out a long sigh of relief.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a long knife.
During this mission, he not only lost a comrade, but also had his credit stolen.
He strongly suspected that if Jiang Zhi and the others hadn't been there, Feng Yan would have killed them all as well.
"This originally belonged to Xiong Lin... the one whose companion died. Here you go."
Jiang Shu's eyes widened.
Seeing the two of them stunned, the other party assumed they were hesitant to accept the knife and said with a smile, "Don't worry, this knife is quite good even in the hands of us mutants. It's made of a special metal, and as long as you're strong enough, cutting through boulders is a piece of cake. I believe Xiong Lin will be very happy to have this knife with you."
...
After leaving the police station, the brother and sister felt like they were in a dream.
Not only did they kill their enemy, but they also had someone clean up the mess and acquired a good weapon.
Jiang Shu pinched his cheek. "A-Zhi, am I dreaming?"
The matter that made their family feel like they were facing a major crisis was resolved just like that?
Jiang Zhi looked at the long knife in her hand.
A word suddenly came to mind.
—After the worst comes the best!
When the brother and sister were taken away, no one in the Jiang family could find peace.
The door was left open, and Grandma Jiang, fearing she wouldn't receive the information in time, would occasionally stand on tiptoe and crane her neck to look outside.
The whole family was in no mood to work.
Jiang Shan said, "Mom, don't be too nervous. Azhi has always been lucky. She'll be fine."
Jiang Wen: "Why don't we go take a look?"
Wu Xiu slapped his thigh and said, "Let's go, let's go now."
Grandpa Jiang frowned. "Don't make things worse. If you complicate things and hold them back, you'll only make matters worse."
Grandma Jiang was extremely worried. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Just as everyone was discussing what to do, Jiang Zhi and her brother finally returned.
Grandma Jiang saw them from afar and exclaimed joyfully, "They're back! They're back!!"
Ye Qingyun rushed over in a flash.
"A-Zhi, Da-Shu, are you alright?!"
Jiang Shu said with a smug look on his face, "Mom, you'd never guess what just happened!"
Grandma Jiang was extremely anxious. Seeing her grandson still smiling, she couldn't help but slap him, "You child, hurry up and tell me, stop keeping me in suspense!"
Jiang Shu vividly recounted what happened at the police station.
Everyone was stunned.
This unexpected turn of events caught them completely off guard.
Ye Qingyun's lips trembled. "Big Tree, you...you mean you're alright?"
Jiang Zhi looked at her mother with heartache.
She knew how much pressure Ye Qingyun was under.
Jiang Zhi stepped forward and hugged her mother. "Yes, Mom, don't worry. We're not only safe, we also got some good stuff!"
Tears welled up in Ye Qingyun's eyes and fell onto her patched clothes. "You naughty girl, you worried your mother to death..." Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Shu pulled her into his arms, his slightly curled bangs tickling her cheeks.
“Ms. Ye, it’s alright now. You’re a grown woman, you can’t cry! Sui Sui and Si Si will laugh at you later.”
Ye Qingyun burst into laughter through his tears: "You brat!"
Grandma Jiang wiped away her tears: "Alright, alright, it's good that you're alright!"
Wu Xiu and the others were also happy for the brother and sister.
Jiang Shu raised his head with a grin, "Don't worry, we'll be extra careful from now on."
Grandma Jiang and the others were startled.
"Do you still want to run away again in the future?!"
Everyone thought that after what had happened, the brother and sister would be scared, but they still wanted to go out!
Jiang Shu: "Of course, this whole thing was a man-made disaster. If it weren't for this, we would have had a huge haul yesterday! We can't let a bad experience ruin everything! Dad, don't you agree?"
Jiang Shan said calmly, "Let them go. Flowers in a greenhouse can't grow."
Grandma Jiang: "Dashan, you—"
Grandpa Jiang sighed, "Alright, alright, old woman, Dashan has his own way of educating people, you don't need to interfere."
He turned to his two grandchildren and said, "You've grown up and have your own ideas, but I hope you understand that you are not just yourselves, but also your parents' children, and our grandchildren. No matter what you do, you must protect yourselves first, understand?"
Jiangzhi and Jiangshu exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, saying, "Understood, Grandpa!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the brother and sister were alright.
Just as I was about to continue my work, I heard the sound of a car engine coming from outside the door.
Is Jiang Zhi there?
Everyone's hearts were in their throats again.
Why are they looking for Ah Zhi again?
This time, it was Jiang Zhi who opened the door.
They were still wearing the familiar police uniforms.
The staff member was taken aback when she saw that it was a young girl who opened the door.
"Is this Ms. Jiang Zhi?"
Jiang Zhi nodded: "May I ask what's the matter?"
The staff member smiled and said, "You helped the base kill a mutant traitor yesterday, so we've come here specifically to deliver a reward."
The Jiang family was taken aback.
award?
There's even a reward?
The staff member took out a card and said, "This is a reward of 5,000 points, which is a reward for your act of bravery."
Jiang Zhi took it blankly, and then heard the other party say, "Also, this bag of fifty catties of low-toxicity barley is for you from the exploration team."
Jiang Zhi couldn't hear what the staff behind her were saying.
My head is spinning.
Jiang Zhi didn't come to her senses until the other person left.
"Mom, did we have a great time this time?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com