Chapter 288 - 9.34
"Chief Fang, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Jiang Jiamian walked into Fang Jing’s office and saw him sitting behind his desk, posture stiff, expression severe, the kind of calculated seriousness meant to impose authority.
Unfortunately for him, Jiang Jiamian wasn’t some inexperienced teenager easily intimidated by appearances.
Instead, he casually dragged a nearby chair over, sat down, and crossed his legs with lazy arrogance.
That single movement made Fang Jing’s expression tighten further. His jaw clenched, his smile strained. "Jiang Jiamian, I saw the application you submitted to form your own team."
Jiang Jiamian raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Didn’t Chief Fang already stamp it? You could’ve just asked Old Liu to pass it along, but instead you had me come all the way here."
He spoke with an air of casual indifference, the tone of someone who didn’t bother to hide his disdain. Young, reckless, and too aware of his own worth, as if he relied on his high ability score and rare dual powers to act as if no one in the base was above him.
Fang Jing’s teeth ground together. He could feel his patience thinning.
Just yesterday, he had given this brat so many benefits, even allocating his sister a luxury apartment, hoping he’d be grateful and obedient. Yet here he was, bold enough to form his own team right under his nose.
If he were just an arrogant fool, Fang Jing wouldn’t have minded. But the problem was that this fool was too powerful.
"Well, yes." Fang Jing said finally, forcing his lips into a polite smile. "I’ve stamped it. But, Jiang Jiamian, I still think you should reconsider."
"Oh? Why?" Jiang Jiamian tilted his head, pretending curiosity. "I’ve thought about it very carefully. With my strength and a rare dual ability, joining another person’s team feels too restrictive. I might as well create my own!"
Fang Jing’s face froze for a fraction of a second before his smile returned, tighter than before.
"Being captain isn’t as simple as it looks. It’s not something you succeed at just because you have strong abilities. Leadership requires experience, management, coordination, and responsibility. You’ll have to make decisions that risk lives. It’s not as easy as being a team member."
He paused deliberately, carefully observing how Jiang Jiamian would react.
When he didn’t respond, Fang Jing assumed he’d finally gotten through to him. Encouraged, he softened his voice. "How about this? I’ll assign you to an easy team. The captain is reasonable, and the missions are safe. You’ll get plenty of rest and still earn good rewards. What do you think?"
Jiang Jiamian leaned back, appearing to think it over. "Hmm..."
Fang Jing’s gaze sharpened with expectation.
Then Jiang Jiamian smiled, a slow and taunting curve of his lips. "I don’t think that’s very good."
Fang Jing blinked. "What?"
Jiang Jiamian’s grin widened. "Chief Fang, a man’s ambition should reach the heavens! Especially in a world like this, how could I be content doing nothing? Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of fighting on the battlefield. I thought that dream would never come true in modern times, but now, with the apocalypse here and power in my hands, how could I just sit back and relax?"
He straightened slightly, voice ringing with heroism. "Every soldier dreams of becoming a general, right? I want to start as a captain and make something big out of it!"
Fang Jing: "..."
It was almost laughably childish.
And yet, beneath that reckless speech, Fang Jing could see it clearly: the ambition, the unyielding will, and stubborn confidence.
If that was the case... it was truly unfortunate.
He pressed down the irritation in his chest, forced a smile, and slid the stamped application form across the desk. "Well, since you’ve made up your mind, there’s no need for me to stop you. Don’t mind what I said earlier, I just wanted to remind you, in case youth makes you overlook the risks."
Jiang Jiamian stood, smiling easily as he reached for the paper. "Thanks, Chief Fang."
Fang Jing’s own smile deepened, but his eyes stayed cold. "You’re welcome."
Once the door closed behind him, Fang Jing’s hand slowly clenched around the edge of the desk. The practiced smile on his face melted into something darker.
Since Jiang Jiamian won’t listen to reason, he’ll simply have to ’meet with an accident’.
While Jiang Jiamian was being summoned to Fang Jing’s office, Ling Zhuang finally entered the base’s modest but surprisingly well-equipped laboratory.
It appeared Fang Jing was truly determined to achieve remarkable results in the development of a virus vaccine, a move that would surely elevate his power and prestige in this apocalypse.
But knowing Fang Jing’s character, even if the vaccine were successfully developed, he would never distribute it freely. He wasn’t the sort of man to do something that brought no personal gain.
More likely, he would monopolize the vaccine, hoarding it as his exclusive leverage, a weapon to keep the entire base, and even the other survivor enclaves, under his control.
As for the professor who actually created the vaccine? That person would simply be discarded when their usefulness ended, their contribution erased, and their work claimed by Chief Fang as his own.
After all, in the eyes of the world, a powerless researcher was nothing. Someone who had no special abilities and relied on Chief Fang’s favor to achieve anything would be easily replaced and forgotten.
Ling Zhuang stepped inside, his gaze calmly sweeping across the lab. Every surface gleamed under sterile light. Behind an inconspicuous cleaning table, he spotted what he was looking for: a small hidden camera, tucked neatly into the corner.
He didn’t react. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment crossed his face. His gaze never lingered. He simply continued forward, adjusting the height of the lab table, testing its width with his palms, as though absorbed in his own thoughts.
"Hello, Professor Ling."
The sound of the door startled the silence. A young man in a white coat stepped in, his expression respectful but nervous.
Ling Zhuang looked up, his voice faint and cold. "Who are you? Don’t you know to knock before entering?"
The young man froze, caught off guard by the sharp tone. He had heard rumors that Professor Ling was gentle and refined, but the reality before him was utterly different.
He bowed awkwardly. "I’m sorry, Professor Ling, I forgot. My name is Shen Yunqing. Chief Fang was worried that you’d be too tired working alone, so he sent me here to assist you. You can arrange my duties however you wish."
Ah.
So that was it.
Fang Jing truly couldn’t resist his own paranoia.
The hidden camera hadn’t been enough, now he had even sent an ’assistant’.
Did he think Ling Zhuang wouldn’t notice? That he would actually believe such an obvious trick?
How predictable. Greedy for power, desperate for control, Fang Jing was nothing if not consistent.
Ling Zhuang’s eyes darkened, though the reflection of his lenses concealed their sharpness.
The young man across from him saw only a polite expression as Ling Zhuang slowly picked up a scalpel from the tray, twirling it lightly between his fingers.
The blade caught the light, thin, silver, and precise.
To an observer, it was a perfectly normal motion for a biology professor. But for some reason, a chill crept up Shen Yunqing’s spine.
"Thank Chief Fang for his kindness." Ling Zhuang said suddenly, the faintest smile curving his lips. The coldness in the air seemed to dissipate at once. "As it happens, I do have something that requires an assistant."
Shen Yunqing blinked, caught between relief and unease. "Ah? What is it?"
He only realized then that his palms were damp with cold sweat.
Ling Zhuang reached into the pocket of his white coat and drew out a small vial of green liquid. He held it up between two fingers, his smile gentle and polite. "Not long ago, I developed a new potion. I’ve only tested it on animals so far, apes, specifically. However, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to test it on a healthy human subject."
Shen Yunqing’s breath hitched. His face turned pale. "This... this isn’t good, Professor Ling. I-I’m not feeling well today..."
Help.
If he had known this professor was such a terrifying person, he would never have agreed to act as Fang Jing’s spy, not for all the supplies in the world!
He had thought this job would be easy: just a simple assistant role, quietly reporting small details to Chief Fang in exchange for comfort and safety.
But why did it suddenly sound like he was about to become an experiment?
Ling Zhuang’s soft smile never faltered. He took a slow step forward. "Don’t be afraid. It’s not dangerous." He said, voice smooth, hypnotic. "The ape that drank it gained remarkable strength. You don’t seem to have any awakened abilities, do you? Don’t you ever long for power? To be like those ability users who can kill zombies effortlessly, respected and admired by everyone?"
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly, voice dropping to a murmur that carried a strange pull.
"Or do you plan to spend the rest of your life in the apocalypse groveling for scraps, relying on others just to survive? Drink it. Just one sip and you’ll awaken a power beyond imagination."
Every word struck precisely at the weakness in Shen Yunqing’s heart.
"I... I..."
His voice trembled. His pupils were unfocused, filled with both fear and desire. The green liquid gleamed faintly in the glass vial, and as Ling Zhuang took another step forward, the distance between them vanished.
Shen Yunqing could already picture it, himself with real power, no longer bullied, no longer humiliated by those who had awakened. No more begging for food or shelter. He would be the one others envied, feared, and respected.
Ling Zhuang watched him quietly. He didn’t hypnotize him. He didn’t need to.
He simply gave a suggestion, one that only worked because Shen Yunqing’s desire was already consuming him.
And that desire was enough.
The frustration of being powerless had long left Shen Yunqing craving strength and a way to turn his life around. So when he caught even a glimpse of the potion’s effects, his reason slipped for a moment.
With shaking hands, he snatched the vial and tilted his head back, gulping the potion down in one breath.
Moments later, a strange heat surged through his body, spreading from his chest to his fingertips.
Shen Yunqing clenched his fists, astonished. Power, real, tangible power, flowed through him.
"Professor Ling, it works!" His voice trembled with excitement. "It really works!"
Ling Zhuang’s smile deepened slightly, and he said softly. "Of course it does, I wouldn’t lie to you."