Chapter 39 Honest and Trustworthy Taoist Priest Wang

The other end of the communication went silent.

A dozen seconds later, the old man on the other end asked in as gentle a tone as possible, “Zhengde, good boy, don’t be afraid. Which fortress are you in again?”

“Fort No. 76 in the medieval basin”.

“Who is the governor of ’76? The guard! Call him now, immediately, and ask him if he can do the job. If he can’t, he can get out!”

“Grandpa.”

Zhou Zhengde looked at the bewildered Minister of Biology and said with a sob in his voice:

“Why don’t you plead with the Thirteenth Institute for me? I dare not investigate them anymore. Their live human experiments are for the future victory of mankind. I… I’ve figured it out. Your safety and Mom’s safety are the most important.”

“Zhengde, are you alright? Be strong! You’re a man!”

The old man over there started cursing loudly:

“Fuck your mother! I’m fighting the Blade Beasts on the front lines, and you guys are messing with my only grandson in the back!”

“Drag that bastard Zhuang Mingqi over here! Beat him up first, then bring him over! Damn it! Kick his balls off and replace them with alloy ones! He’s the only one among the Dry Blade Beasts who’s not enthusiastic, but he’s a master at instigating internal strife! I’ll kill him today!”

“Zhengde! Tell me my name! I told you to say it!”

beep!

The call was rudely ended on the other end.

Zhou Zhengde put the communicator on, wiped away the tears that almost welled up in his eyes, and looked up at the Minister of Biology at Fortress 76.

He grinned.

Zhuang Mingqi, director of the 13th branch of the D5 Comprehensive Theater Command, is one of the true senior managers of the 13th Institute and Kong Nu’s direct superior.

“you……”

Fortress 76’s Biology Minister Kong frowned and asked:

Who were you calling just now?

“A grumpy but kind old man. Go back and wait for further notice. Your boss should contact you soon.”

Zhou Zhengde shrugged and winked at the Minister of Biology with his left eye:

“My family tradition is to follow the mother’s surname. I take my mother’s surname, and my mother takes my maternal grandmother’s surname. This is actually to conceal my and my mother’s identities and avoid retaliation from the mimicry blade beast.”

“Why is my mother, a professional accountant, being promoted to be the Minister of Internal Affairs of a large industrial fortress?”

“Because my maternal grandfather was the commander-in-chief of the D5 theater joint defense force.”

“Yes, that old general known as the last hero of the Fortress Age, the first person to modify his limbs, and the first pilot of the Terror Mech.”

“I really can’t do anything about you thirteen institutes. You are a cross-regional organization that controls the technology patents of psionicists and most of the medical resources. You are openly and covertly fighting and mutually restraining the United Defense Forces.”

“But at least, the thirteen units at the fortress level really don’t pose a threat to me.”

“Kong Nu, Senior, Researcher.”

Zhou Zhengde slowly stood up, his hands gripping the edge of the table, his body leaning slightly forward, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint.

“You’d better get your hands on that list and the accounts before I do. If I get my hands on the list, you’ll only have one option left: suicide.”

“Or, be forced to commit suicide.”

Kong, his face ashen, kicked the door open and left.

As the two psionicists left, the man sheathed his dagger, smiled, and gave a military salute, while the woman lifted her skirt and performed a ladylike bow.

Psionicists learn very quickly.

They mastered human etiquette in the blink of an eye.

Inside the new dormitory.

Wang Jixuan raised his hand to his forehead.

Lin Bo turned off the monitor, took out the vibrating communication box, and looked up to say:

“Team leader, the captain told you to rest assured and talk at the party tonight.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Wang Jixuan pondered for a few moments:

What exactly is the position of the Commander-in-Chief of a theater command?

“That’s the highest-ranking military officer in the theater of operations!”

Lin Bo muttered to himself:

“The medieval basin where we are located is a small war zone, also known as a terrain war zone. Several adjacent terrain war zones form a large war zone.”

“Our Commander-in-Chief has won many battles against the Blade Beasts. Even the D5 Comprehensive Theater Command’s Joint Council does not dare to point fingers at the Commander-in-Chief.”

“Our integrated theater command is also the most active and longest-lasting theater command in the world.”

Wang Jixuan asked, “General… then, what does ‘thirteen cross-regional institutions’ refer to?”

“The Thirteenth Institute of Biology is already a global organization, and they are also a sanctuary for many privileged classes in the golden age of human society.”

Lin Bo sighed:

“The experiments of the psionicists are said to be very dirty, but they are also a necessary fighting force to carry out decapitation operations against the Blade Beasts.”

“In recent years, however, more and more psionicists have refused to go to the battlefield. They think they are a new kind of human, a great being that surpasses the old kind of human. Sigh, a bunch of narcissistic idiots.”

“I’ve heard that some psionicists have tried to communicate with the Blade Beasts and advocate for peaceful coexistence with them.”

Wang Jixuan took the opportunity to ask, “Can you do me a favor? I’m not familiar with any of these places.”

“sure!”

“I’d like to grow some vegetables. Could you help me get some of the Wanlijin Gang’s formula soil and seeds?”

“A minor issue!”

Lin Bo patted his chest:

“I’ll arrange for someone to take care of it right away!”

“I used to always run down to the city. In order to protect the team leader in secret, the captain also made a deal with the leader on Wanlijin’s side. It just so happened that I was the one who went!”

“But I have to report this to the captain.”

“Thank you, please feel free to report.”

“yes!”

Lin Bo gave a standard military salute, opened the door, and quickly left.

Wang Jixuan stood there pondering for a long time.

He has a few questions he can’t figure out.

“Ah, there’s a party tonight. The parties here must be different from those at the top-rated brothels in the perverted district, right?”

Master Wang was somewhat intimidated.

…

The fortress in the dead of night.

Bang!

Kong clenched his fist and slammed it on the desk in front of him. His face was ashen, his breathing was rapid, and his eyes flashed with a cold, venomous light.

“Contact the office at Fortress 82 next door immediately!”

…

Wang Jixuan had imagined the party that night would be like the one in the lower city—a lavish affair filled with dazzling lights, thrills, and a shock to his Dao heart—but in reality…

Everything was so warm and cozy.

The bright and spacious room was simply decorated with ribbons and fairy lights.

The young men and women attending the party piled up a small mountain of food and non-alcoholic beverages they had bought with their respective quotas.

Soothing music played on the music player, and the grill was laden with a mix of meat and vegetables…

Everything is a regular benefit that Midtown residents can enjoy.

Young men and women observed each other and danced ballroom dances to music; occasionally, a member of the security team would get into the mood and perform a tap dance popular in the army for everyone.

In Wei Na’s words, this seemingly calm environment was brewing a hormonal turmoil.

In Master Wang’s eyes, however, everything before him felt both heartwarming and precious.

Finally, there’s some entertainment atmosphere that he can accept.

Honestly, his meager vocabulary was barely enough to get by in the lower city.

Zhou Zhengde danced with several ladies, then strolled over to the corner where Wang Jixuan was, and said with a smile:

“Why don’t you go over and talk to them? Those young girls are all secretly watching you. Weina specially invited them for you. They’re all conservative and have very good manners and upbringing.”

“I’m thinking about going down to the city.”

Wang Jixuan clicked his tongue softly:

“I heard about Ye Zi again, from that biology minister.”

“Yes, I’ve checked. Ye Zi entered the House of Psionicists… What I find strange is that her statement and the statement I made up actually match up in parts.”

Zhou Zhengde said in a low voice:

“Thomas killed Kong Lianmei, which became a consensus among the three factions.”

This saved us a lot of trouble…

“It’s strange that Ye Zi is covering up these things for you. Why would she do that?”

Wang Jixuan shook his head: “Who knows? She killed those dozen or so children.”

The latest novels are first published on 69shuba!

Zhou Zhengde asked, “Should we continue investigating Ye Zi?”

“If it won’t take up too many of your resources, please continue to investigate her,” Wang Jixuan said. “I must deal with her personally to get through this.”

Kan’er is a metaphor for mental tribulations.

“Alright, I have several times more eyes and ears in the upper city than in the lower city, so it’s not a big problem.”

Zhou Zhengde glanced around, then moved closer to Wang Jixuan and whispered:

“Didn’t we agree before that we would share secrets with each other? You need to let me know what’s going on.”

“Mu Liang, can you explain the source of your power?”

Wang Jixuan recalled the comic books he had seen in his landlady’s study and began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

“I suspect it’s a mutation caused by cosmic ray exposure.”

“ah??”

Zhou Zhengde was a little confused.

Wang Jixuan continued to deceive him: “You remember I once harmed myself, right?”

“Yes,” Zhou Zhengde replied attentively.

Wang Jixuan continued:

“In my suffocation, I saw a blurry figure hovering among the stars, chanting ‘May the Heavenly Venerable grant me boundless blessings.’ Then he told me that the world was in turmoil, and I would receive a power to save these lives from suffering and bring them peace. However, this power was too great, and I needed to accept it step by step by tempering my spirit and body, hunting bladed beasts, and most importantly, tempering this part of myself.”

“soul!”

Zhou Zhengde clenched his fist, lowered his voice, and said excitedly:

“This could very well be a response from an advanced extraterrestrial civilization! We had a cosmic request for help over eighty years ago! It might have actually worked! This is a huge discovery! It’s awesome!”

“Yes, as long as you believe it.”

Wang Jixuan picked up the wine glass beside him and took a sip of industrially synthesized grape juice.

He said, “If I find anything later, I will continue to tell you. I originally thought that eliminating the Black Fire Gang was a spiritual trial, but I didn’t expect that Ye Zi would give me such a hard blow in the end.”

“Don’t be too sad, how about you try dating these girls?”

What Zhou Zhengde remembered:

“I also have some new information. The D5 Integrated Theater Command has issued an order to the Central Cuban Basin Theater Command. The Central Cuban Basin Theater Command Center has given clear instructions to our commanders and joint defense forces.”

“Soon, several powerful figures will come to us, true strongmen who have come down from the battlefield. They will probably ask us to cooperate with the investigation.”

“Mu Liang, are you sure you can do it?”

“Do we need to be interrogated by them?” Wang Jixuan asked with some concern.

“No, they didn’t dare interrogate us.”

Zhou Zhengde said in a low voice:

“The key point is still that list. They might go into the lower city to investigate, and I think this is an opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

“Smash the Black Fire Gang’s illegal facilities and seize the opportunity to kill Kong Nu of the Thirteenth Institute.”

Zhou Zhengde muttered to himself:

“There was a slight problem with the bill I submitted; the chief executive’s secretary said they needed to review it.”

“I also threatened Kong Nu today.”

“Now, because of Ban Wenying’s problem, my mother is no longer able to help us, otherwise I wouldn’t have had to ask my grandfather for help directly.”

“We’ve completely broken ties. It’s either him or me who dies next. I want to go down with this investigation team. You can come with me in your current capacity. While the purging forces are in the lower city, we can change some of the local ecology… That’s better than us sitting in the office doing nothing.”

“If I can find that list, accounts, or anything else that has provoked Kong Nubing to take risks, I can directly use this elite team to counterattack him!”

Kong Nu threatened my mother.

“I must get rid of him, even if it means resorting to any means necessary, to prevent him from entering the Thirteenth Headquarters Psionic City.”

Zhou Zhengde let out a soft breath, then looked at Wang Jixuan with some trepidation.

Wang Jixuan smiled knowingly and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being attacked again?”

“Afraid.”

Zhou Zhengde said calmly:

“Actually, there’s one more thing.”

“I disagree with my mother’s views, but I haven’t been able to come up with a better solution to the problem of the fortress below town.”

“I want to go down to the city and find this solution. This is actually more important than those lists, accounts, and other tools for political struggle.”

Wang Jixuan snapped his fingers: “Call me anytime to act together. I was too careless before, and there are a lot of things to clean up. That guy wants to slice me into pieces. Even without you, I will find a way to take him down.”

“Saying ‘kill’ is too impolite… ‘Exorcising demons and protecting the righteous’?”

“To eliminate demons and protect the righteous path.”

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Ding ding ding.

The sound of glass bottles clattering came from the side.

Wei Na, who was acting suspiciously and wearing heavy makeup, walked over quickly with two older women dressed in trench coats and high heels, and mysteriously opened her trench coat.

Three beautiful bodies dressed in cheongsams, along with more than ten bottles of various kinds of alcohol, appeared before Zhou Zhengde and Wang Jixuan.

“Ta-da!” Wei Na shouted excitedly, “Tonight, we’re drinking until we drop!”

Zhou Zhengde frowned and said, “You made the sheriff on the thirteenth floor drink alcohol?”

“Can’t I even get the wine myself? You better not spoil the fun! Releasing stress is the best way to combat fortress syndrome!”

Wei Na rolled her eyes, then turned to look at the dance floor.

Cheers erupted on the dance floor.

Zhou Zhengde raised his hand to his forehead, grabbed Wang Jixuan’s arm, and said in a trembling voice:

“If I get drunk, please carry me away, even if you knock me out! Please, Mu Liang! Promise me!”

Wang Jixuan was puzzled.

Fellow Daoist Zhou… what are you afraid of?