128: Chapter 128 A Torn Piece of Paper Wants to Take Over Jiangcheng? Times Have Changed

Tiangong No. 1, second floor.

Liu Qing stood outside the second door on the left.

Her legs were still a bit weak.

The door slid open automatically.

The four walls were lined with soundproof, wave-absorbing material.

Three full-sized, industrial-grade, liquid-cooled servers stood in the corner, their icy blue indicator lights blinking alternately like breathing.

In the center was a semi-circular metal workstation.

Six borderless curved screens were suspended and spliced together.

Next to a top-tier ergonomic chair was an embedded refrigerator.

It was the ultimate in cyber-mechanical style.

Liu Qing opened her mouth.

The eyes behind her thick glasses were terrifyingly bright.

"This is your room."

Lin Yuan stood in the corridor.

Liu Qing turned around.

She stared intently at Lin Yuan.

Last night's near-pathological genetic rampage and frenzy had not only failed to destroy her, but had actually helped her find the most comfortable way to survive in this fortress.

She did not want equality.

She only wanted not to be abandoned.

Liu Qing bent her knees and knelt directly on the soft wool carpet.

The hem of her white skirt spread out.

"Liu Qing understands."

"I will guard the door. No one will be able to enter."

Lin Yuan patted her head.

"Don't let me down."

After saying this, Lin Yuan turned and walked towards the master bedroom.

In the hall.

Su Xiaonuan watched the closed door on the second floor on the surveillance monitor.

She knew Lin Yuan was doing this for everyone to see.

Qin Yumo, who could block blades; Wang Ya, who could control water; and Liu Qing, who could hack into networks.

As long as you were useful, you could rise in rank.

The rules were extremely cruel, yet extremely transparent.

...

Western Suburbs of Jiangcheng.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen walked along the dilapidated mountain road.

Her steps were steady.

But with every step, blood seeped out from the side of her waist, staining her deep purple qipao.

Qin Yumo's short blade was incredibly heavy and had nearly broken her ribs.

The Jingcheng Team special forces elites and the peripheral network team she had brought with her had not managed to make it down the mountain.

They had all perished outside the gates of Tiangong No. 1.

She had to report this news to the capital as soon as possible.

Both sides of the mountain road were deathly silent.

There were no zombies wandering about.

Not even a low growl could be heard.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen naturally did not know that the entire horde of zombies around Cloud Top Palace had been diverted by Lin Motong to the drainage ditch behind the mountain, where they had devoured that Jingcheng network team until not even scraps remained.

She walked to the foot of the mountain.

A modified patrol vehicle from the South Suburb Military District was parked next to a roadblock.

Two soldiers were hiding inside the car, smoking.

They had been sent there to monitor the movements of helicopters.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen walked over and pulled open the car door.

"Who are you?" the soldier asked, just as he was about to raise his gun.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen raised her hand and struck the barrel with her palm.

The steel gun barrel bent instantly.

She threw the blood-stained Jingcheng emergency team armband onto the dashboard.

"Drive. Go to the headquarters."

Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the gate of the South Suburb Military District.

This place was less of a military district and more of a massive refugee camp.

Outside the barbed wire fence, thousands of starving, skeletal survivors were crowded together.

From the loudspeaker, Director Li Wenhui's voice boomed deafeningly.

"Citizens, do not panic! The South Suburb Military District is the only legal refuge center in Jiangcheng! As long as you cooperate with the reorganization, we guarantee that everyone will have food to eat!"

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen felt a surge of anger as she listened.

She pushed the car door open and walked straight towards the heavily guarded headquarters building.

"Stop! Director Li is in a meeting, no one..."

Two guards at the entrance stepped forward to block her.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen didn't even lift her eyelids.

Her fingers curled into claws, and she precisely dislocated the guards' joints.

The two guards fell to the ground, screaming.

Bang!

She kicked the heavy wooden door of the headquarters open.

Director Li Wenhui sat behind a large desk, holding a purple clay thermos cup in his hand.

Master Jiu, the local tyrant of the East District, was sitting on the sofa next to him, dressed in a crisp uniform and sitting with a swaggering posture.

There were several other officers in the room, all of whom stopped what they were doing and looked towards the door.

"Director Li Wenhui."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen said, striding in.

Blood was still dripping from the hem of her qipao.

"Contact the capital. We need reinforcements."

"Immediately mobilize two reinforced battalions, carry heavy weapons, and come with me to encircle and annihilate Cloud Top Palace."

The office was silent for two seconds.

Director Li Wenhui did not stand up.

He slowly blew the steam from his thermos cup and took a sip.

"Ms. Ling. What play are you acting in, dressed like that?"

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen pulled an authorization document with a red stamp from her trench coat pocket and slapped it onto the desk.

The solid wood desk cracked.

"Look clearly. This is a special order from the Jingcheng emergency team."

"From now on, I am taking over all armed forces in Jiangcheng."

Director Li Wenhui looked at the authorization document and suddenly laughed.

His laughter grew louder and louder.

"The capital? Sorry, the communication device is broken."

Director Li Wenhui put down his teacup.

His eyes gradually turned cold.

"Ms. Ling, turn around and look out the window."

"The times have changed. You think you can use a scrap of paper to take over my force of three thousand men?"

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen's eyes turned completely cold.

"Are you trying to rebel?"

Director Li Wenhui leaned back in his swivel chair, hands clasped.

"I am doing this for the people of Jiangcheng."

"On the other hand, you took a team of elites up the mountain—where are they?"

Master Jiu grinned from the side.

"With that injury, I'm afraid you can't hold a sword anymore."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen valued her reputation above all else in her life.

Lin Yuan had humiliated her.

Qin Yumo had wounded her.

Now, even a local politician and a thug dared to ride on her head.

"You're courting death."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen suddenly attacked.

She exerted force under her feet, shattering the floor tiles.

Her entire body shot towards the desk like a cannonball.

Her right hand formed a finger-strike, aiming straight for Director Li Wenhui's throat.

The officers nearby couldn't react at all.

At that very moment.

Director Li Wenhui suddenly raised his head.

An invisible wave exploded from his body.

The air seemed to turn into thick glue.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen felt as if her brain had been hit by a heavy hammer, and her vision blurred for a split second.

Her speed was forcibly slowed down by half a beat.

Superpower!

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen was shocked.

Director Li Wenhui was an ordinary person; when did he awaken?

This was the very stupidity committed by the Jingcheng Team she had brought.

Yesterday, their first stop was the South Suburbs, and to show off the capital's foundation, they had given Director Li Wenhui a batch of the latest, incomplete version of the awakening serum.

They wanted this local warlord to know that the capital was the core power.

Director Li Wenhui hadn't even thought about it; he had injected it himself.

He had awakened a B-rank mental-type mutation.

"Master Jiu!" Director Li Wenhui shouted.

Master Jiu had been waiting for this.

He raised his right foot and slammed it onto the ground.

Three sharp rock spikes burst from the ground where Grandmaster Ling Suzhen was landing.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen was in mid-air, severely injured, and unable to exert her full strength due to the mental suppression.

She forcibly twisted her waist to avoid two of them.

Pfft!

The third rock spike grazed her thigh, tearing away a large chunk of flesh.

"Get lost!" Grandmaster Ling Suzhen roared.

Her foundation as a Grandmaster erupted completely.

Risking damage to her meridians, she withstood Director Li Wenhui's mental suppression and struck out with her palm from a distance.

A violent burst of energy slammed into the desk.

The desk shattered.

Director Li Wenhui flew backward along with his chair, hitting the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

But a cruel smile remained on his face, because Grandmaster Ling Suzhen's waist wound had completely burst open.

Blood gushed out.

A large group of guards outside heard the commotion, raised their guns, and rushed in.

"Kill her!" Director Li Wenhui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Gunfire erupted.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen gritted her teeth.

She knew she couldn't kill Director Li Wenhui today.

If she were trapped here, she would definitely be riddled with bullets.

She forced herself to muster the last of her energy, kicked two guards away, and smashed through the corridor's glass window.

Like a kite with a broken string, she tumbled down from the second floor, staggering as she plunged into the ruins outside.

Inside the headquarters.

Master Jiu walked over and helped Director Li Wenhui up.

"That old woman is really ruthless. She can still run while injured like this."

Director Li Wenhui clutched his chest, gasping in pain.

The side effects of the incomplete serum had arrived.

His Superpower recovery speed was extremely slow, and each use required the consumption of a massive amount of crystal cores.

Furthermore, normal Superpower awakening would double both physique and spirit, while the drug-induced awakening provided no attribute bonuses.

That last move had almost drained his energy completely.

"She won't get far," Director Li Wenhui panted.

"Issue a city-wide bounty. Capture Grandmaster Ling Suzhen, dead or alive. The reward is thirty days of rations."

"Also, tomorrow, increase the food exchange rate for the refugees. Two crystal cores for half a biscuit. Those who can't pay will be kicked out directly to feed the zombies."

He needed crystal cores.

A massive amount of crystal cores.

For the sake of power, he could drain all those thousands of people outside dry.

...

Tiangong No. 1, third-floor server room.

Liu Qing was immersed in integrating the fortress defense network.

Suddenly, a red warning box popped up on the third screen.

[Abnormal high-frequency radar waveform captured.]

[Location: Jiangcheng East Coast. High seas boundary.]

Liu Qing's fingers flew, and she immediately accessed the newly repaired offshore surveillance.

The image was blurry and full of noise.

But Liu Qing saw it clearly.

A super-luxury cruise ship with a displacement of at least 50,000 tons was cutting through the red waves, sailing straight towards the Jiangcheng port.

The cruise ship had turned off all civilian AIS identification systems.

It was not flying any national flag.

Liu Qing tapped a few keys to sharpen and zoom in on the image.

The image froze on the cruise ship's wide front deck.

There were no panicked tourists there.

No wealthy refugees.

Only dense, standing-straight figures in black.

Thousands of them.

Like a silent ghost army, they were bearing down on this already rotten city.

Liu Qing picked up the communicator.

"Master."

"Something has entered from the sea."