QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots

"It isn't a supernatural power."

Ling Zhuang seemed to have anticipated Xiao Jinfeng's suspicion. He smiled lightly, even a little embarrassed, as if confessing something trivial. "It's hypnosis. I've studied it for some time. But it's only effective on humans, not zombies. Zombies are mindless, so hypnosis doesn't work on them. That's why I must thank you all for your protection."

"I see…" Xiao Jinfeng finally exhaled, his shoulders relaxing. His tone softened, though his eyes still flickered with unease. After a moment's pause, he added cautiously, "It's just that, Professor Ling, you heard him. Fang Geng has a special identity. He's backed by certain people. I know he was offensive, far too offensive, but…"

He trailed off, searching for words. His jaw tightened with the effort to be diplomatic. In truth, Xiao Jinfeng detested Fang Geng. But detesting him didn't erase the reality: they were heading to the A City base, where Fang Geng's uncle held power. "We've… taken action against him now, and we still need to pass through the A City base. Do you understand? Fang Jing is the leader there. We can't ignore that."

Xiao Jinfeng believed he'd been tactful. He wasn't sure whether Professor Ling, who looked refined and scholarly, truly grasped the tangled politics of the apocalypse. The man carried himself like a gentle scholar, not someone worldly-wise. Would he even understand such veiled warnings?

Pfft. Jiang Jiamian, walking just behind Ling Zhuang, nearly laughed aloud. Really? Does Xiao Jinfeng honestly think Ling Zhuang is some bookish nerd who doesn't understand dark backroom dealings? Has he forgotten how easily Ling Zhuang crushed Fang Geng just now?

Even Jiang Qing, who had caught glimpses of Ling Zhuang's true nature in the vehicle earlier, was startled. She remembered the suffocating sense of possessiveness Ling Zhuang had shown toward Jiang Jiamian. Years of experience told her instantly: this man was dangerous. Absolutely the type who looked soft on the outside but was terrifying within.

A top predator disguised as a harmless professor.

Which was why she had wisely drawn the line and addressed Jiang Jiamian as her brother without hesitation. To nurture even the smallest fantasy about him would be suicidal.

Jiang Jiamian is not someone she can dare to covet, she thought bitterly. Not if she wants to keep her life.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jinfeng faltered again, hesitant to press further. Ling Zhuang, seeing this, simply adjusted his glasses and gave a calm, reassuring smile. "Captain Xiao, you're mistaken about one thing. It wasn't we who acted against him. It was I, Ling Zhuang. Don't worry. This is my problem alone. It won't affect the Gale Squad."

Xiao Jinfeng blinked, caught off guard. "Professor Ling…"

He couldn't deny that Fang Geng had provoked them all, especially himself. The man's rejection from the Gale Squad had festered into resentment, and Ling Zhuang had merely been the unlucky target of his poisonous tongue. If anything, the conflict was born from Xiao Jinfeng's own refusal to take him in.

Ling Zhuang, however, bore it with perfect composure. He raised his hand and pushed his glasses up his nose, his smile serene. "Let's not dwell on this. Let's rest a little, eat, and refuel the car. Once we reach A City base, I'll take responsibility myself."

Inside, though, he chuckled. Fang Jing, leader of A City base? Did Xiao Jinfeng really think family ties mattered in the apocalypse?

People were selfish creatures. Nephew or not, once survival was at stake, would Fang Jing risk his power and resources for Fang Geng? Would anyone?

The answer amused him.

When the group set out again, they soon passed through the outskirts of A City. Within half an hour, two convoys appeared, cars lined up before the massive walls of the base.

The A City base was exactly what rumor had promised: the earliest established, the most resource-rich, and the best organized.

Where other cities had crumbled beneath relentless zombie swarms, A City remained intact. Its distance from major outbreak zones had spared it from devastation, and its perimeter towns were relatively unscathed. Zombies were rare here.

Along the way, aside from the earlier horde Jiang Jiamian had mischievously provoked with a command signal, there were no further disturbances. The roads grew calmer the closer they drew to the base.

It was almost eerie. The air smelled cleaner, quieter, devoid of the metallic tang of blood that lingered in other ruins. A City was, in its own way, a refuge.

The closer they drove, the more obvious the difference became. The number of zombies dwindled until they vanished entirely. In this hellscape of a world, A City looked almost like a paradise.

The vehicles pulled to a stop before the high wall. Jiang Jiamian craned his neck, taking in the iron-barrel design of the fortifications. The sight stirred a wry laugh from him. "Funny. In the old world, a place like this would have been called a prison. But now? People are tripping over themselves to squeeze in. No sunlight, scarce food, but at least safety."

Ling Zhuang's eyes lifted toward the walls as well. His tone was casual, yet precise. "That's because this was a prison. Before the apocalypse, this was a major correctional facility. When the outbreak came, they simply converted it into the A City base."

"What?" Jiang Jiamian blinked.

This detail hadn't been in the fragments of plot he retained. He had no memory of the world's real geography.

"It's true, brother." Jiang Qing piped up, nodding quickly. "City A was known for having one of the largest prisons in the region. Everyone knew that. I'm surprised you didn't."

After the apocalypse, once the City A base was established, it became shrouded in secrecy. People from all over flocked there, desperate for a safe place.

She, too, had once wanted to reach the City A base, but her companions had either died or scattered. If not for Jiang Jiamian, she herself would have already been bitten and turned into a zombie.

So how could her brother, a man of such power, not even know how the City A base came to be?

Jiang Jiamian gave an awkward smile. "I know, I know…" Sorry, he actually doesn't know.

At Jiang Qing's sudden interruption, Ling Zhuang slowly turned his head toward her, his displeasure plain on his face.

Jiang Qing shuddered, forcing a smile as she slowly pulled back the head she'd been poking forward. "Ahaha… you two go on, you two go on. I'll shut up."

Inside, Jiang Qing was gnashing her teeth.

Humph!

How could such a gloomy, manipulative man be worthy of her brother?

Why does it feel like she is being forced to support them? Her heart hurts!