128 Part 3
Cong Xia smiled, "Thank you for the offer, Prefecture Lord, but I prefer being more independent." He could hear the arrogance and self-assuredness in Yao Qianjiang's tone, and it was not surprising. As the leader of Jiujian Prefecture, even though he was not an emperor, he held significant power in this region. Although the military and political power still rested with the military, who would dare to offend Jiujian Prefecture? In this post-apocalyptic era, there was no equality, no democracy, no constitution—strength was everything. As long as one had immense power, they could live above tens of thousands of people, just like every natural force evolver in Beijing City.
Yao Qianjiang shook his head, "You might change your mind in the future."
"Ah, perhaps." Cong Xia replied half-heartedly.
Yao Qianjiang watched as his almost crippled leg was gradually healed under Cong Xia's diligent efforts—swelling reduced, bleeding stopped, and the wound healed, eventually growing new skin. His gaze towards Cong Xia began to change. At first, he doubted whether Cong Xia was as powerful as the legends said.
However, now he finally understood why this man's appearance had caused such a sensation even before arriving in Beijing. This unique ability was sought after by all those in power, as no one could bear to watch someone with healing powers right in front of them and not desire to possess it for themselves.
For high-level Evolvers who had gained abilities, power, reputation, and everything bestowed by this era, what they feared the most was still what every ordinary person from the lower class feared—injury and death. However, Cong Xia's appearance brought them hope of "immortality."
Yao Qianjiang stared intently at Cong Xia.
Finally, the leg was completely repaired. Cong Xia wiped his hands with a disinfectant towel and said, "Prefecture Lord, you’re long-legged. It would be such a pity if it were truly gone..." He noticed that Yao Qianjiang was looking at him, and the naked look in his eyes made him feel uncomfortable.
Perhaps he had gotten carried away and made a joke? It was probably because Yao Qianjiang's appearance just now was too pitiful, and he subconsciously couldn't treat this pale and weak man as one of the leaders of Beijing's largest group of Evolvers. It seemed like he had made a joke... Cong Xia was very good at reading people's intentions, and he immediately became serious, "Prefecture Lord, your leg is fine now. Do you want to stand up and try moving a bit?"
Yao Qianjiang jumped off the bed, feeling overwhelmed with joy at seeing his nearly flawless leg. It had been a nightmare lying in bed for this past month, and he relied on advanced modern medicine to keep himself alive until now. If he were an ordinary person, he would have died long ago. Even though the Academy of Sciences had invested the most powerful medical resources, they couldn't heal his leg. Before hearing about Cong Xia, he had even considered amputation.
Being able to stand up again was like a rebirth to him!
Yao Qianjiang walked up to Cong Xia and looked down at him, exclaiming, "Cong Xia, I owe you a great favor."
Cong Xia smiled, "Having the Prefecture Lord say that is enough." He tossed the towel aside, "Then, I'll take my leave."
Yao Qianjiang grabbed his arm, surprising Cong Xia, who looked at him cautiously, "Prefecture Lord..."
Yao Qianjiang lowered his head, "Cong Xia, come to Jiujian Prefecture. I will take care of you, your friends, and even your cat."
Cong Xia chuckled, "Thank you for your kind offer. However, as fellow Natural Force Evolvers, how can I let Cheng Tianbi be beneath you? Are you willing to step down?"
Yao Qianjiang's expression changed slightly.
Cong Xia gently pulled his arm free, "Please rest well." He turned and walked towards the door.
Yao Qianjiang watched Cong Xia's back, his gaze becoming deeper. As the door opened, the first thing that caught their eyes was Cheng Tianbi's expressionless face.
Cheng Tianbi stepped forward, his gaze asking for an update.
Cong Xia made an "OK" gesture, "Everything went smoothly."
Cheng Tianbi patted his head, "That's good. Let's go back."
Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi, feeling an indescribable sense of pride and admiration. In his eyes, Cheng Tianbi was the strongest man, and no matter how ambitious Yao Qianjiang might be, he could never swallow them.
Liu Yan rushed into the room, his excited voice indicating his happiness. When he came back out, he had lost his earlier composure and said joyfully, "Thank you, Mr. Cong. Why don't all of you stay for dinner? We have all sorts of ingredients here..."
Zhuang Yao said, "No need. We'll head back now."
"Do you have roasted eel and scallops? I really want to try them," Deng Xiao looked at Liu Yan eagerly.
Liu Yan said hesitantly, "Um, I need to check the kitchen. After the apocalypse, seafood has become almost extinct, but there are still some frozen seafood left from before."
Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Oh, then give us some."
Cong Xia also spoke without hesitation, "We won't eat here. We have other matters to attend to. If you have good ingredients, send them to the Third District Logistics Department at the Academy of Sciences, addressed to Xiao Wang."
Liu Yan smiled, "No problem."
The group left Yao Qianjiang's courtyard and returned to the main gate they had entered through.
Checking the time, they had been inside for about an hour and a half. Considering the time spent on other miscellaneous matters, Cong Xia spent at least seventy to eighty minutes repairing Yao Qianjiang's leg. It was the most energy-consuming task he had done so far. Just the energy storage jade talismans alone used up five of them. If it weren't for the free "energy dispenser" of the puppet jade, he would have felt heartbroken.
As expected, Cao Zhixian was still waiting for them at the entrance. After getting into the car, he immediately asked, "How's the situation?"
Cong Xia replied, "Commander, rest assured. It has been healed."
Cao Zhixian breathed a sigh of relief, "Although Yao Qianjiang is arrogant and not easy to control, if we lose him, we'll lose a crucial combat force. Moreover, if Jiujian Prefecture is defeated, it will force the Liudao Huangquan, with limited strength, to choose sides. No matter which side Liudao chooses, Beijing will inevitably fall into chaos."
They might not have a deep understanding of the situation in Beijing, but they could still infer the stakes. In the end, wherever there were people, there would be factions, and wherever there were factions, there would be conflicts. Facing external threats and internal instability, the situation of humanity was truly precarious.
Cao Zhixian drove them back to the Academy of Sciences, where Xiao Wang personally came to greet them. "You're finally back! Professor Cong was really worried."
"Did Professor Cong try to find us?"
"Yes, he said he would take you to see him once you returned."
"Did he mention the reason?"
"He said Colonel Tang wants to take you to the Sixth District to visit the laboratory."
Zhuang Yao's face lit up, "Great, let's go right away."
After contacting Cong Zhenzhong through the radio, Xiao Wang led them to an electric vehicle and transported them directly from the ground to the Sixth District.
The Sixth District was quite far from the Third District, and it took about ten minutes to travel within the Academy of Sciences before arriving.
After getting off the vehicle, Xiao Wang registered with the security at the entrance using their passes. After confirmation, he led them into the main building of the Sixth District.
The appearance of the Sixth District was similar to the Third District; at least the buildings and interior were quite similar.
Xiao Wang explained, "The Third District mainly focuses on research in biology, especially in the study of mutated animals and plants. The Sixth District is dedicated to research on Dragonblood Humans and genetics. Colonel Tang was originally the head of Dragonblood Human experiments, so they have different areas of expertise." They entered an elevator, which went all the way down to the sixth underground level.
The underground of the Academy of Sciences seemed to be completely hollowed out.
After stepping out of the elevator, they saw Cong Zhenzhong and Tang Tingzhi.
"Uncle."
"Xiao Xia, how did it go?"
Cong Xia smiled and replied, "He's healed now."
Cong Zhenzhong patted his shoulder, feeling relieved, "If you couldn't heal Yao Qianjiang, it would have caused a big problem."
Cong Xia recounted with lingering fear, "His injury was quite troublesome and disgusting."
He had explained Yao Qianjiang's injury to the others on the way, but except for Zhuang Yao, who showed keen interest, the rest were not willing to hear more.
Cong Zhenzhong said, "I haven't seen his injury, but I heard there are signs of parasitism."
"Yes, it was different from what we saw in the video. I'm not entirely sure, but those creatures were truly disgusting."
"We have collected quite a few samples from Yao Qianjiang and are currently studying these creatures, hoping to understand their physiological characteristics and find their weaknesses. No matter how difficult they are to deal with, we will eventually..." Cong Zhenzhong sighed, "We still need to reclaim that puppet jade."
The group's mood sank upon hearing this.
Tang Tingzhi said, "Follow me. I've cleared out a room for you in the training area. Let me know what else you need; I can arrange it for you right away."
The team followed Tang Tingzhi and took the elevator down another six floors. When the elevator doors opened, they saw a completely different space from the experimental area.
The elevator faced a long corridor, with two rooms on each side of the corridor. Just by looking at the outer walls, they could tell that these rooms were quite spacious. Tang Tingzhi explained, "The room on the left is currently used by Dragonblood Humans for training, and the one on the right is now reserved for you. Although it's not as convenient as the Third District, you'll have to use this one."
Zhuang Yao looked towards the left, sensing some energy fluctuations, "Are the Dragonblood Humans inside?" he asked.
"Yes, they are. Do you want to take a look?"
"Let's go in and take a look."
Tang Tingzhi led them towards the entrance of the training room on the left. As he was about to touch the door handle, the double doors opened by themselves, and a tall, handsome young man stood at the doorway, arms crossed, looking at them.
Tang Tingzhi nodded, "Changze, are they all here?"
"Yes, they are." The young man's gaze swept over their faces one by one, finally resting on Deng Xiao.
Deng Xiao raised an eyebrow, "What? Why are you staring at me?"
The young man squinted, "Next time you dare touch my tail, be careful with your hands."
Deng Xiao tilted his head, pondering for a moment, "When did I touch your tail? Do you even have a tail? I'm the one with a tail!"
The other door also opened, and Shang Ming's familiar face appeared before them, "Oh, it's you guys. What are you doing here? Do you want to practice?"
Deng Xiao pointed to the young man and said to Shang Ming, "He said I touched his tail. When did I ever touch his tail? I touched your son's tail!"
Shang Ming ruffled the young man's hair, "He's my son."
The young man's hair was now a mess from being ruffled, but he showed no signs of annoyance. In stark contrast to his earlier imposing demeanor, he simply calmly smoothed down his hair.
Deng Xiao widened his eyes, "How old are you?" Shang Ming looked to be only in his thirties, so how could he have a son in his twenties?
Cong Xia helplessly said, "Xiao Deng, did you fall asleep again during our last conversation?"
"Which time? It has happened too many times, I can't remember."
Zhuang Yao looked up at the young man, "Professor Cong mentioned that the baby we saw last time was actually an adult, and that it was you?"
Deng Xiao opened his mouth in surprise, "What? That baby was him? What's going on? Is your evolutionary ability to change sizes? This is too absurd."
Cong Zhenzhong cleared his throat and said, "Yes, it's him. Let me introduce him again. He is the leader of the Dragonblood Clan, a pure-blood Dragonblood Human, and an evolutionist with Fire elemental abilities - Shen Changze."
128 Part 3
Cong Xia smiled, "Thank you for the offer, Prefecture Lord, but I prefer being more independent." He could hear the arrogance and self-assuredness in Yao Qianjiang's tone, and it was not surprising. As the leader of Jiujian Prefecture, even though he was not an emperor, he held significant power in this region. Although the military and political power still rested with the military, who would dare to offend Jiujian Prefecture? In this post-apocalyptic era, there was no equality, no democracy, no constitution—strength was everything. As long as one had immense power, they could live above tens of thousands of people, just like every natural force evolver in Beijing City.
Yao Qianjiang shook his head, "You might change your mind in the future."
"Ah, perhaps." Cong Xia replied half-heartedly.
Yao Qianjiang watched as his almost crippled leg was gradually healed under Cong Xia's diligent efforts—swelling reduced, bleeding stopped, and the wound healed, eventually growing new skin. His gaze towards Cong Xia began to change. At first, he doubted whether Cong Xia was as powerful as the legends said.
However, now he finally understood why this man's appearance had caused such a sensation even before arriving in Beijing. This unique ability was sought after by all those in power, as no one could bear to watch someone with healing powers right in front of them and not desire to possess it for themselves.
For high-level Evolvers who had gained abilities, power, reputation, and everything bestowed by this era, what they feared the most was still what every ordinary person from the lower class feared—injury and death. However, Cong Xia's appearance brought them hope of "immortality."
Yao Qianjiang stared intently at Cong Xia.
Finally, the leg was completely repaired. Cong Xia wiped his hands with a disinfectant towel and said, "Prefecture Lord, you’re long-legged. It would be such a pity if it were truly gone..." He noticed that Yao Qianjiang was looking at him, and the naked look in his eyes made him feel uncomfortable.
Perhaps he had gotten carried away and made a joke? It was probably because Yao Qianjiang's appearance just now was too pitiful, and he subconsciously couldn't treat this pale and weak man as one of the leaders of Beijing's largest group of Evolvers. It seemed like he had made a joke... Cong Xia was very good at reading people's intentions, and he immediately became serious, "Prefecture Lord, your leg is fine now. Do you want to stand up and try moving a bit?"
Yao Qianjiang jumped off the bed, feeling overwhelmed with joy at seeing his nearly flawless leg. It had been a nightmare lying in bed for this past month, and he relied on advanced modern medicine to keep himself alive until now. If he were an ordinary person, he would have died long ago. Even though the Academy of Sciences had invested the most powerful medical resources, they couldn't heal his leg. Before hearing about Cong Xia, he had even considered amputation.
Being able to stand up again was like a rebirth to him!
Yao Qianjiang walked up to Cong Xia and looked down at him, exclaiming, "Cong Xia, I owe you a great favor."
Cong Xia smiled, "Having the Prefecture Lord say that is enough." He tossed the towel aside, "Then, I'll take my leave."
Yao Qianjiang grabbed his arm, surprising Cong Xia, who looked at him cautiously, "Prefecture Lord..."
Yao Qianjiang lowered his head, "Cong Xia, come to Jiujian Prefecture. I will take care of you, your friends, and even your cat."
Cong Xia chuckled, "Thank you for your kind offer. However, as fellow Natural Force Evolvers, how can I let Cheng Tianbi be beneath you? Are you willing to step down?"
Yao Qianjiang's expression changed slightly.
Cong Xia gently pulled his arm free, "Please rest well." He turned and walked towards the door.
Yao Qianjiang watched Cong Xia's back, his gaze becoming deeper. As the door opened, the first thing that caught their eyes was Cheng Tianbi's expressionless face.
Cheng Tianbi stepped forward, his gaze asking for an update.
Cong Xia made an "OK" gesture, "Everything went smoothly."
Cheng Tianbi patted his head, "That's good. Let's go back."
Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi, feeling an indescribable sense of pride and admiration. In his eyes, Cheng Tianbi was the strongest man, and no matter how ambitious Yao Qianjiang might be, he could never swallow them.
Liu Yan rushed into the room, his excited voice indicating his happiness. When he came back out, he had lost his earlier composure and said joyfully, "Thank you, Mr. Cong. Why don't all of you stay for dinner? We have all sorts of ingredients here..."
Zhuang Yao said, "No need. We'll head back now."
"Do you have roasted eel and scallops? I really want to try them," Deng Xiao looked at Liu Yan eagerly.
Liu Yan said hesitantly, "Um, I need to check the kitchen. After the apocalypse, seafood has become almost extinct, but there are still some frozen seafood left from before."
Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Oh, then give us some."
Cong Xia also spoke without hesitation, "We won't eat here. We have other matters to attend to. If you have good ingredients, send them to the Third District Logistics Department at the Academy of Sciences, addressed to Xiao Wang."
Liu Yan smiled, "No problem."
The group left Yao Qianjiang's courtyard and returned to the main gate they had entered through.
Checking the time, they had been inside for about an hour and a half. Considering the time spent on other miscellaneous matters, Cong Xia spent at least seventy to eighty minutes repairing Yao Qianjiang's leg. It was the most energy-consuming task he had done so far. Just the energy storage jade talismans alone used up five of them. If it weren't for the free "energy dispenser" of the puppet jade, he would have felt heartbroken.
As expected, Cao Zhixian was still waiting for them at the entrance. After getting into the car, he immediately asked, "How's the situation?"
Cong Xia replied, "Commander, rest assured. It has been healed."
Cao Zhixian breathed a sigh of relief, "Although Yao Qianjiang is arrogant and not easy to control, if we lose him, we'll lose a crucial combat force. Moreover, if Jiujian Prefecture is defeated, it will force the Liudao Huangquan, with limited strength, to choose sides. No matter which side Liudao chooses, Beijing will inevitably fall into chaos."
They might not have a deep understanding of the situation in Beijing, but they could still infer the stakes. In the end, wherever there were people, there would be factions, and wherever there were factions, there would be conflicts. Facing external threats and internal instability, the situation of humanity was truly precarious.
Cao Zhixian drove them back to the Academy of Sciences, where Xiao Wang personally came to greet them. "You're finally back! Professor Cong was really worried."
"Did Professor Cong try to find us?"
"Yes, he said he would take you to see him once you returned."
"Did he mention the reason?"
"He said Colonel Tang wants to take you to the Sixth District to visit the laboratory."
Zhuang Yao's face lit up, "Great, let's go right away."
After contacting Cong Zhenzhong through the radio, Xiao Wang led them to an electric vehicle and transported them directly from the ground to the Sixth District.
The Sixth District was quite far from the Third District, and it took about ten minutes to travel within the Academy of Sciences before arriving.
After getting off the vehicle, Xiao Wang registered with the security at the entrance using their passes. After confirmation, he led them into the main building of the Sixth District.
The appearance of the Sixth District was similar to the Third District; at least the buildings and interior were quite similar.
Xiao Wang explained, "The Third District mainly focuses on research in biology, especially in the study of mutated animals and plants. The Sixth District is dedicated to research on Dragonblood Humans and genetics. Colonel Tang was originally the head of Dragonblood Human experiments, so they have different areas of expertise." They entered an elevator, which went all the way down to the sixth underground level.
The underground of the Academy of Sciences seemed to be completely hollowed out.
After stepping out of the elevator, they saw Cong Zhenzhong and Tang Tingzhi.
"Uncle."
"Xiao Xia, how did it go?"
Cong Xia smiled and replied, "He's healed now."
Cong Zhenzhong patted his shoulder, feeling relieved, "If you couldn't heal Yao Qianjiang, it would have caused a big problem."
Cong Xia recounted with lingering fear, "His injury was quite troublesome and disgusting."
He had explained Yao Qianjiang's injury to the others on the way, but except for Zhuang Yao, who showed keen interest, the rest were not willing to hear more.
Cong Zhenzhong said, "I haven't seen his injury, but I heard there are signs of parasitism."
"Yes, it was different from what we saw in the video. I'm not entirely sure, but those creatures were truly disgusting."
"We have collected quite a few samples from Yao Qianjiang and are currently studying these creatures, hoping to understand their physiological characteristics and find their weaknesses. No matter how difficult they are to deal with, we will eventually..." Cong Zhenzhong sighed, "We still need to reclaim that puppet jade."
The group's mood sank upon hearing this.
Tang Tingzhi said, "Follow me. I've cleared out a room for you in the training area. Let me know what else you need; I can arrange it for you right away."
The team followed Tang Tingzhi and took the elevator down another six floors. When the elevator doors opened, they saw a completely different space from the experimental area.
The elevator faced a long corridor, with two rooms on each side of the corridor. Just by looking at the outer walls, they could tell that these rooms were quite spacious. Tang Tingzhi explained, "The room on the left is currently used by Dragonblood Humans for training, and the one on the right is now reserved for you. Although it's not as convenient as the Third District, you'll have to use this one."
Zhuang Yao looked towards the left, sensing some energy fluctuations, "Are the Dragonblood Humans inside?" he asked.
"Yes, they are. Do you want to take a look?"
"Let's go in and take a look."
Tang Tingzhi led them towards the entrance of the training room on the left. As he was about to touch the door handle, the double doors opened by themselves, and a tall, handsome young man stood at the doorway, arms crossed, looking at them.
Tang Tingzhi nodded, "Changze, are they all here?"
"Yes, they are." The young man's gaze swept over their faces one by one, finally resting on Deng Xiao.
Deng Xiao raised an eyebrow, "What? Why are you staring at me?"
The young man squinted, "Next time you dare touch my tail, be careful with your hands."
Deng Xiao tilted his head, pondering for a moment, "When did I touch your tail? Do you even have a tail? I'm the one with a tail!"
The other door also opened, and Shang Ming's familiar face appeared before them, "Oh, it's you guys. What are you doing here? Do you want to practice?"
Deng Xiao pointed to the young man and said to Shang Ming, "He said I touched his tail. When did I ever touch his tail? I touched your son's tail!"
Shang Ming ruffled the young man's hair, "He's my son."
The young man's hair was now a mess from being ruffled, but he showed no signs of annoyance. In stark contrast to his earlier imposing demeanor, he simply calmly smoothed down his hair.
Deng Xiao widened his eyes, "How old are you?" Shang Ming looked to be only in his thirties, so how could he have a son in his twenties?
Cong Xia helplessly said, "Xiao Deng, did you fall asleep again during our last conversation?"
"Which time? It has happened too many times, I can't remember."
Zhuang Yao looked up at the young man, "Professor Cong mentioned that the baby we saw last time was actually an adult, and that it was you?"
Deng Xiao opened his mouth in surprise, "What? That baby was him? What's going on? Is your evolutionary ability to change sizes? This is too absurd."
Cong Zhenzhong cleared his throat and said, "Yes, it's him. Let me introduce him again. He is the leader of the Dragonblood Clan, a pure-blood Dragonblood Human, and an evolutionist with Fire elemental abilities - Shen Changze."
