Li Xichen was about to resist.
Chu Liuyue gently poked the back of his hand.
"Don't move."
Li Xichen's ears instantly turned red.
He suddenly froze in place, motionless.
Zhou Yu'an and Yan Qingdu had the same thought. They didn't resist, intending to see where these guards would take them.
Following that, black cloth hoods were placed over their heads.
Before being loaded onto the truck, Chu Liuyue silently tapped her fingertips. In the distance, the zombie black cat quickly concealed its figure and stealthily followed close behind.
The vehicle drove for another half an hour.
Finally, they arrived at the Jingdu Survivor Base.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, a voice came from outside.
"Has the researcher arrived?"
"Yes, yes!" The guard nodded hastily and said, "I also caught his companions, two men and a woman."
The person smacked the guard hard on the forehead.
"Commander Gu said to invite them, not to tie them up!"
With that, he ordered someone to remove their black hoods.
Chu Liuyue could finally see clearly. They seemed to be at a checkpoint within the base, surrounded by well-trained guards.
The man leading them wore thin-rimmed glasses and, despite the apocalyptic conditions, was impeccably dressed in a white shirt and black suit.
He exuded a strong corporate vibe.
He smiled, his gaze sweeping up and down the group before finally landing on Yan Qingdu.
He spoke with respect:
"You must be Researcher Yan from the Jiang City Research Institute?"
"I am the secretary to Commander Gu. You can call me Secretary Liu."
Yan Qingdu gave him a cautious look.
And nodded.
Secretary Liu continued amiably:
"Please don't be nervous. There was a miscommunication just now. Our Commander Gu is very kind; it's the subordinates who misunderstood his intentions."
He then looked at the others.
"Would you mind introducing yourselves?"
Li Xichen snorted softly and turned his head away with great arrogance.
Zhou Yu'an smiled, his amber eyes flickering, but he didn't speak.
Secretary Liu's gaze landed on the only woman in the group.
He studied Chu Liuyue inquisitively several times, then glanced at Yan Qingdu and said:
"Did our Miss Gu Man not come along with you, Researcher?"
"Of course, you don't need to answer me right away."
"It won't be too late to discuss it when we see Commander Gu later."
Smiling, Secretary Liu led the group to a large hall.
People around cast curious glances at them.
However, it was certain that these people were all ability users.
Because Chu Liuyue could feel the spiritual power fluctuations radiating from them. No matter what type of ability they possessed, it was ultimately a manifestation of spiritual power.
Secretary Liu ordered someone to take them for a disinfection and check-up first.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. It's just a check to see if you've been infected."
"Drawing blood?" Yan Qingdu looked at him warily.
Secretary Liu smiled and said:
"Yes, it's a routine check. Not just for you; look over there, those are the ability users of our base. Every time they return from a mission, they also need to be checked."
Li Xichen leaned closer to Yan Qingdu, lowered his voice, and asked:
"Hey, can we let them draw blood?"
Yan Qingdu replied softly, "No."
Li Xichen immediately nodded.
He suddenly kicked over the tray and syringes brought by the medical staff and declared, "I'm not doing it!"
The ability users in the distance cast curious glances.
The guard patrol, hearing the commotion, hurried over. For a moment, the two sides faced off, the tension palpable.
Chu Liuyue could roughly guess why the base needed to draw the blood of ability users.
She gently patted Zhou Yu'an's shoulder.
"Reveal your identity and use Gu Man's whereabouts as an excuse so we can meet her uncle first."
"Alright," Zhou Yu'an nodded with absolute trust.
Seeing that the two groups were about to start a fight.
He stepped forward and said to Secretary Liu:
"My name is Zhou Yu'an. My father is Director Zhou of the Jiang City Research Institute."
"Gu Man and I were arranged to be married. I demand to see Commander Gu immediately."
"Tell these people to stand down." He pointed at the squad of guards.
Secretary Liu was taken aback.
He hadn't expected this man, who had previously refused to reveal his identity, to be someone significant.
He immediately waved his hand, ordering the guards to retreat.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go inform him right now."
The medical staff, who had intended to draw blood, looked at each other in dismay.
Zhou Yu'an pointed at them and said softly:
"My profession is a doctor, and I don't want to make things difficult for them. Let them leave first."
"But..." the guard behind them wanted to say something, but Secretary Liu waved his hand and said, "Fine, there's no rush for this. Everything can be discussed."
Secretary Liu left for a moment.
Before long, he hurried back.
He said in an excited tone, "Commander Gu invites you. Researcher Yan and Dr. Zhou, please come this way."
Chu Liuyue and Li Xichen tried to follow.
But they were stopped by the guards.
Yan Qingdu glanced at Zhou Yu'an with a half-smile.
Then, pointing to the two behind him, he said:
"One is my girlfriend."
"The other is my younger brother."
"If we're seeing the Commander, we all go together. Otherwise, I'm not going."
"Dr. Zhou, what about you?"
It happened so suddenly.
Chu Liuyue didn't mind Yan Qingdu taking the liberty of calling her his girlfriend.
A hint of impatience flashed across Li Xichen's brows.
What did he mean by calling him his younger brother?
But he held it in.
Zhou Yu'an pursed his lips and agreed:
"Yes, we are a team and need to move together."
"Otherwise, I won't tell you the information you want."
After a moment of hesitation, Secretary Liu said, "Alright, but you need to wear these."
He brought out several black bracelets.
Before they could react, the bracelets were forcefully snapped onto their wrists.
Zhou Yu'an's expression changed slightly.
He clenched his fist; the familiar power was gone. Now, he was no different from an ordinary person.
Li Xichen instinctively tried to summon his ice blades, but there was no response.
"What is this?!" His face drastically changed.
Secretary Liu still smiled and said:
"To ensure that ability users cooperate better with our work, and to guarantee Commander Gu's safety, this temporarily suppresses your abilities. Please forgive us."
A flash of anger appeared in everyone's eyes.
The Jingdu Survivor Base not only had a large number of ability users but had even developed bracelets specifically to suppress abilities.
It definitely had something to do with 'that thing'.
"Let's go." Secretary Liu extended his arm and bowed slightly.
Chu Liuyue softly repeated, telling them, "Let's go."
They would act according to the circumstances.
Gu Man's uncle's office was located in the inner section of the base.
It was a spherical building, several stories higher than the front part of the base. Standing inside, one could clearly see the movements in front.
"Commander Gu, I've brought them," Secretary Liu knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A steady and aged male voice came from inside.
With a creak.
The door opened.
The first thing he asked was:
"How did Gu Man die?"
