Everything had indeed changed, just as Chu Tian had predicted.
“Long time no see.” Jia Lunxu looked at Quan Xiaoyu and spoke gently. Of course, his eyes told a very different story.
Chu Tian shifted slightly to block his line of sight, then smiled as well. “What an unexpected surprise.” His words carried a deeper meaning.
In fact, the moment Chu Tian saw Jia Lunxu, he immediately understood the situation.
Jia Lunxu and his group had been among the first batch of experimental subjects at Tianze Base to undergo crystal core enhancement. Carrying the secret information Wei Li had prepared for the An family in the capital, they had set off for the capital. However, halfway through their journey, Su Muxu had intercepted them.
What followed was the battle whose outcome both sides understood perfectly well. Everyone else had died, while Jia Lunxu and Long Shaohua had disappeared.
Now that Jia Lunxu had appeared here, he was undoubtedly still acting as Su Muxu’s lackey. Judging by the sudden surge in his ability level, the secret information Wei Li had intended to deliver to the An family had probably fallen into their hands as well.
However, Wei Li’s information must have been encrypted before being sent to the An family. How it had ended up in Jia Lunxu’s possession remained a mystery.
Of course, none of that mattered at the moment. What mattered was that Jia Lunxu had undoubtedly come here to see Chief Gu with this secret in hand. His goal was clearly to diminish the importance of Chu Tian and his companions, depriving them of their leverage and pushing them into a completely hopeless situation.
No matter how well he had planned everything, Chu Tian had never anticipated that Su Muxu and Jia Lunxu would both appear here. Even less had he expected that what had initially seemed to be a human-trafficking operation intended to satisfy certain people’s depraved desires would lead to the discovery of human experimentation involving monstrous creatures—experiments that had been carried out before.
The waters were getting deeper and deeper.
“Mr. Jia is here on behalf of the An family in the capital. Do you know each other?” Chief Gu asked, genuinely somewhat surprised.
This man surnamed Jia had also come with the secret of the crystal cores. However, Chief Gu had had several unpleasant dealings with people from the capital before, so he had little goodwill toward anyone sent from there.
The only reason he had shown Jia Lunxu some courtesy today was that the general’s daughter had personally brought him here.
What Chief Gu looked forward to more was his deal with Chu Tian and the others.
After all, Chu Tian and his companions represented only themselves, whereas Jia Lunxu represented the An family. The bloodsuckers in the capital would naturally be much harder to deal with. That was why Chief Gu preferred negotiating with people like Chu Tian, who represented only their own interests.
He had not expected that these people seemed to know each other.
The An family in the capital?
Chu Tian understood a little more now, but he also realized that things had taken a turn for the worse. If Chief Gu wavered even slightly today, the three of them might have to fight their way out of this residence.
That was not his preferred approach.
“Didn’t Mr. Jia tell you that he also came from S City?” Chu Tian remarked casually.
Meanwhile, he was already calculating how they might escape. Jia Lunxu’s appearance was far too disadvantageous to their side.
His casual remark answered Chief Gu’s question: they knew each other because they had both come from S City. However, Chu Tian’s attitude also made it clear that they were not close.
Chief Gu had still not let down his guard around this visitor from the capital.
Jia Lunxu, however, ignored the subject and instead asked with a smile, “Oh? I don’t see that little healing-type boy of yours. I heard you were attacked last night and lost several people. What a pity. He was still so young…”
Before Chu Tian and the others could react, it was Chief Gu who frowned first.
He was actually the person least willing to bring up what had happened the previous night!
The monsters had been let into his residence by people working for someone else, and he had suffered the heaviest losses. Most importantly, the vague and incoherent things the woman had said made him realize that secrets he knew nothing about still existed within the very base where he claimed to be the second most powerful person.
He was about to speak coldly and reprimand Jia Lunxu, but Jia Lunxu had already noticed his expression. Remaining perfectly composed, he turned to Chief Gu and said, “Chief, they said they wanted to trade the secret of the crystal cores with you. That’s true—they really do possess it. But they’ve lost their greatest bargaining chip.”
Jia Lunxu looked utterly confident. Continuing as though victory were already assured, he said, “Today, to demonstrate our sincerity in coming here, we won’t ask for anything in return. We’ll hand over the secret of the crystal cores completely free of charge!”
As he spoke, he turned toward Chu Tian and smiled maliciously.
Who would have thought they would see this day?
Chu Tian and his companions were alone inside a residence surrounded by ability users. Their only possible source of leverage—the secret they possessed—was about to be taken away by Jia Lunxu himself!
What would they do now that they were in danger? Would they beg and grovel like dogs?
Quan Xiaoyu, just look at the man you chose. See how ugly he becomes when a crisis arrives!
The thought made Jia Lunxu’s expression grow even more smug. Especially when he saw the mixture of hesitation and barely concealed excitement on Chief Gu’s face, he experienced the exhilarating satisfaction of a victor.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Chief Gu’s attitude toward him softened noticeably. Although he still seemed somewhat skeptical and probing, Jia Lunxu could hear the impatience in his voice.
“Is that true? When can you hand it over?”
“Right now!” Jia Lunxu replied, his smile still full of malice. “We’re here on behalf of the An family in the capital to establish friendly relations with Dawn Base. Chief Gu, you’re an ability user too, aren’t you?” he suddenly asked.
“Of course,” Chief Gu replied.
Jia Lunxu quickly took several crystal-clear crystal cores from inside his clothing.
“Please accept these crystal cores, Chief Gu. Just follow the method I’m about to explain, and you’ll immediately be able to feel the power contained within them.”
Chief Gu accepted them suspiciously. He had seen crystal cores before, and the moment he held these, he could clearly sense that they were different from the ones he possessed.
He was eager to give them a try, but he still had reservations. It made no sense to believe everything said by someone he had known for less than an hour.
“Uncle Gu, please feel free to use them. My father has already tried them. These crystal cores contain a tremendous amount of energy and can help ability users level up.”
The general’s daughter, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke at this crucial moment. Her purpose was to help Jia Lunxu gain more credibility with Chief Gu.
She rather liked this man. She had met plenty of handsome men, but she particularly liked the way he appeared refined and gracious on the surface while being vicious underneath. She thought the two of them were practically made for each other!
More importantly, he was a powerful fourth-level ability user who had also mastered the secret of how ability users could level up. If she stayed with him, she too could gradually grow stronger.
Her father had never truly valued her or her abilities. Although he appeared to dote on her and let her do as she pleased, deep down he had always looked down on her. He resented the fact that she was not a son who could shoulder great responsibilities, leaving him without a suitable heir.
She would make him see that she could become powerful too!
Even after she spoke, Chief Gu remained somewhat hesitant. He could not help glancing at Chu Tian, wanting to ask something but stopping himself.
Naturally, he could not simply ask Chu Tian whether the leveling method was genuine. Yet he was worried that he might be deceived. They had previously experimented with crystal cores, and ability users could be infected by them and mutate into zombies.
Although he looked at Chu Tian, he did not expect to get any answers.
Unexpectedly, Chu Tian gave a wry smile and nodded at him.
That should have been a clear confirmation. Instead, Chief Gu became even more suspicious. Thinking about the fact that he had only met Chu Tian recently, he could not help entertaining a conspiratorial thought.
Could they have arranged this together to lure me into a trap?
Chu Tian read his thoughts from a single glance. With a soft sigh, he said, “Why not find an ability user from your guard unit and let them try it?”
His words instantly awakened Chief Gu to an obvious solution!
He had been so fixated on the issue that it had never occurred to him to let someone else test it. Overjoyed, he immediately called for his head of security.
It was the very same man who had escorted Chu Tian and his companions over that morning.
Now Jia Lunxu and the general’s daughter were the ones left confused. They had intended to use this opportunity to humiliate Chu Tian, but he was cooperating so readily that he almost seemed to be in league with them.
Since someone else would be the test subject, Chief Gu no longer had any reservations. While secretly instructing his guards to keep a close eye on everyone in the meeting room, he fixed his gaze on Jia Lunxu and urged him to explain the method.
Jia Lunxu still could not figure out what Chu Tian was up to, but the arrow was already nocked and the bow drawn. He had no choice but to proceed, so he began instructing the head of security on what to do.
The information he provided was indeed the same information Dawn Base had originally traded to Wei Li.
Quan Xiaoyu was confused and quietly sent Chu Tian a questioning look. Although Bai Mingxi was wrapped up in his clothes, impersonating Xie Mingxuan, he was so anxious that he rushed over, bit Chu Tian, and then demanded to know why.
Soon, Chu Tian’s voice sounded in their minds.
“The residence is surrounded by ability users. I haven’t detected any of last night’s monsters, but there are two mental-type ability users among them. None of that is the main problem, though. The real trouble is the military forces gathering nearby. Even worse, there’s an area I can’t sense at all.”
“An area you can’t sense? What is it?” Quan Xiaoyu and Bai Mingxi asked almost simultaneously through their mental connection.
“That school. The potato-headed creatures from yesterday,” Chu Tian prompted them.
“Damn it! That evil laboratory! They have more potato people!” Bai Mingxi was the first to react.
“If I can’t sense that area, it means they’ve already made their move. Even if we can deal with the ability users surrounding the residence, the assembled military forces and the monsters whose whereabouts we don’t know are the real problems. It seems the general must be involved in the laboratory experiments. Given the current situation, only people afraid of having their secrets exposed would be this desperate to keep us here and kill us.”
Bai Mingxi felt his scalp go numb.
It was practically the entire armed force of a base being mobilized against them. Forget the three of them—even enough to handle a zombie horde, perhaps!
“Should we go back into Xiaoyu’s space and hide?” Bai Mingxi asked hesitantly. They were hopelessly outnumbered.
“No need. Let’s wait and see. We’ll only do that if we have no other choice.”
Chu Tian said this to both of them, but privately added one more thing to Quan Xiaoyu.
“If things get desperate, save Xiaobai first.”
Quan Xiaoyu’s eyes widened instantly. He stared at Chu Tian, unable to understand what he meant.
“Just in case,” Chu Tian said with a reassuring smile.
While the three of them communicated mentally, Chief Gu’s head of security completed the first attempt at absorbing a crystal core.
Everything went smoothly. The head of security, whose ability had been stuck at the peak of Level Two, successfully broke through to Level Three with the help of the crystal core.
He was practically moved to tears.
He had been stuck at that level for a very long time. Almost all the ability users who had naturally advanced to Level Three had done so in battle. It seemed that only when faced with life-or-death danger could their abilities break through naturally.
Since becoming Chief Gu’s head of security, he had rarely been exposed to battles against zombies and monsters. As a result, his ability had remained stagnant for a long time. He knew that if things continued this way, he would soon lose his position.
Now, thanks to an unexpected turn of events, not only had he broken through to the next level, but he had also seemingly obtained the secret to improving abilities. How could he not be overjoyed?
Chief Gu was delighted as well. After verifying the results from several angles, he was satisfied that the method was safe and reliable.
However, being the wily old fox that he was, he soon saw through the trick behind it.
“Mr. Jia, I suspect the method of absorbing energy from the crystal cores is secondary, isn’t it? The important part is the crystal cores you brought. They must be different from the ones we already possess.”
As their interests shifted, so did his attitude and form of address.
Originally, Jia Lunxu had been an unwelcome guest in Chief Gu’s eyes. Now that he had provided something of real value, Chief Gu was suddenly addressing him respectfully as “Mr. Jia.”
“Chief Gu is indeed perceptive.” When it came to flattery, there was probably no one present who could surpass Jia Lunxu. “That’s right. The trick lies in the crystal cores themselves. And the key to this secret is the process of converting the crystal cores.”
“Converting them?” Chief Gu grew excited. He seized on the key word and immediately asked for an explanation.
Jia Lunxu nodded and glanced at Chu Tian with a faint, knowing smile.
“That’s why I said it was such a pity that Young Master Chu’s healing-type ability user is gone!”
He kept bringing up this matter simply to torment Chu Tian psychologically.
Li Nan was perfectly safe inside the space, so Quan Xiaoyu had no intention of engaging in a petty argument with Jia Lunxu. Chu Tian certainly had no intention of doing so either.
Quan Xiaoyu was simply disgusted. He wanted to slap himself twice and ask how he could have been so blind back then.
Jia Lunxu was feeling smug. The more impatient Chief Gu became, the more he wanted to keep him waiting. He had not forgotten how dismissively Chief Gu had treated him when he first arrived.
Chief Gu was displeased. He had never particularly liked Jia Lunxu, but now that he needed something from him, and Jia Lunxu was voluntarily offering up the secret, what right did he have to lose his temper? He could only endure it patiently and force another smile as he asked again.
This time, however, Chu Tian took over the conversation.
“The key to making crystal cores usable lies in healing-type ability users. Their abilities can transform crystal cores into energy stones that ability users can absorb directly. Furthermore, these transformed crystal cores also have a certain chance of granting abilities to ordinary people.”
As soon as Chu Tian finished speaking, Jia Lunxu let out a cold laugh.
“What’s the matter, Young Master Chu? So eager to curry favor now? Isn’t that beneath someone of your status?”
His words were dripping with sarcasm.
In Jia Lunxu’s eyes, Chu Tian’s behavior was nothing more than a desperate struggle after losing his bargaining chip. The proud young master had finally been brought low, and the sight filled him with tremendous satisfaction.
Hearing Jia Lunxu refer to his “status,” Chu Tian understood that, with the An family backing him, Jia Lunxu had probably already learned about Chu Tian’s identity from the capital.
“Now, I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.”
The instant Jia Lunxu finished speaking, Chu Tian did not respond to him. Instead, he asked Quan Xiaoyu and Bai Mingxi through their mental connection, “Which one do you want to hear first?”
Quan Xiaoyu: “…”
Bai Mingxi: “Chu Xiaotian! Do you have to be such a pain in the ass? Look at the situation we’re in! Just tell us both at once, damn it!”
“All right.” Chu Tian sounded resigned. “The good news is that the capital has probably already received word about us. In other words, your family and mine may already be on their way to Dawn Base. Considering how quickly Jia Lunxu appeared here after the An family learned about the situation, they shouldn’t be too far away either. So we’re not completely without help.”
“Then what’s the bad news?!” Bai Mingxi knew Chu Tian too well to celebrate just yet. He needed to hear the bad news first.
“The bad news is that, given the disgraceful things the general has been doing over the past few days, learning who we are will only strengthen his resolve to kill us and silence us. There’ll be no room for negotiation. We need to be mentally prepared to fight our way out of here at any moment!”
Just as I thought! Bai Mingxi roared inwardly in frustration.
He had known it! Compared with reinforcements that might or might not arrive, the danger they were facing right now was very real.
“Young Friend Chu… this…” Chief Gu was at a loss as to how to feel.
He still had a fairly favorable impression of Chu Tian. And he was hardly blind. By now, he could clearly see that Jia Lunxu had come with hostile intentions and was obviously targeting Chu Tian.
People were easily swayed by comparisons. Before Jia Lunxu arrived, Chief Gu had cared only about the secret Chu Tian possessed. He had been completely indifferent to whether Chu Tian and his companions lived or died.
But after dealing with the irritating Jia Lunxu and the general’s daughter, whom he had never particularly liked, Chu Tian suddenly seemed much more likable.
Furthermore, when Jia Lunxu had deliberately put on airs just now, it had been Chu Tian who took the initiative to reveal the secret and save Chief Gu from embarrassment. Naturally, this made Chief Gu lean a little more toward Chu Tian’s side.