readytorunbook #344 - ditch
#344 - ditch
Gao Huating seemed to have changed, and yet, she hadn't.
What had changed was her figure and temperament.
In terms of appearance, although she was a beauty, she was at most one in a hundred, with no obvious shortcomings and nothing particularly outstanding.
But now…
Despite only having grown two or three centimeters taller, she possessed a perfect body proportion. Her exquisite figure gave off a delicate beauty, yet she didn't appear frail in the slightest. Especially her fair skin, radiating a faint glow and seemingly poreless, was truly like condensed lamb-fat jade.
She was like a living, breathing work of art, meticulously crafted by a powerful artisan.
This should be the effect of the remnant soul from her previous life within Gao Huating's body.
What remained unchanged were Gao Huating's eyes and singing voice.
Her eyes still held a pure light, filled with longing for the future.
Her singing voice was still so crisp and moving, containing rich emotions and filled with a power that relaxed the mind.
‘Strange.’
Wang Jixuan's separated soul narrowed its eyes slightly.
The remnant soul within Little Huating always claimed it was about to collapse, but in reality, Wang Jixuan carefully sensed that this remnant soul was no different from what it was back then.
One thing that did surprise him was this.
He had always worried that this remnant soul would gradually devour Little Huating's soul.
Unexpectedly, it was only attached to Little Huating's soul, and was constantly absorbing spiritual energy from the air, transforming it into a peculiar power that nourished Little Huating's soul.
Little Huating's current soul power was already equivalent to the soul of a late-stage Soul Convergence Realm cultivator.
This kind of thing couldn't be faked. The woman from the ancient civilization was indeed nurturing Little Huating, but… hmm…
The brow of Wang Jixuan's main body twitched slightly.
What exactly was going on?
Why was his spiritual sense constantly warning him?
If it were in the past, Wang Jixuan might have really thought there was something wrong with his spiritual sense, but now that his cultivation was gradually deepening, the golden core within his body was spinning around, making his spiritual sense even more sensitive than before.
His spiritual sense could only be slow, it was unlikely to be groundless.
‘There must be details that this poor Daoist is overlooking.’
Wang Jixuan's separated soul returned to the storage treasure on Peony's wrist. His main body looked at the snow-capped mountains outside the porthole and sighed softly in his heart.
‘I still need to keep my eyes open and be wary of others.’
The Daoist looked around and changed to a more easily hidden corner, sharing a room with a pile of rocket弹, looking forward to the surprise he would suddenly give Ling Tong.
Immeasurable Heavenly Lord;
Hopefully, it won't be a fright.
…
Before the transport plane carrying his main body had even landed, Peony, with her high mobility, had already arrived at Zhou Zhengde's office.
Fortress 82 had once been destroyed by Blade Beasts, and most of its residents had been relocated.
Later, in order to complete the plan to transform the lower city of Fortress 76, Zhou Zhengde used his abilities and eloquence, as well as a bit of his grandfather's influence, to open up various channels and start the fortress's revival plan.
Zhou Zhengde originally planned to have Fortress 82 accept lower city residents from different fortresses.
But before he could fully implement it, Fortress 76 faced an extinction crisis, so Fortress 82 accepted half of the residents of Fortress 76.
This place became the land of inheritance for Fortress 76.
Wang Jixuan's separated soul penetrated layers of barriers and found the guy in Zhou Zhengde's office. He was sleeping soundly in a black sofa.
At first glance, the guy was unshaven, with the smell of sweat from not showering for a few days, and his hair was messy.
Obviously, the position of an emerging fortress's acting 'village chief' must be very busy.
Wang Jixuan's separated soul strolled around with his hands behind his back, looked at Zhou Zhengde's documents, and moved the ornaments Zhou Zhengde had placed on his desk.
There was also a love bento on the corner of the desk, with a loving reminder written by Xiang Tiantian on it.
Very good.
Wang Jixuan sat in Zhou Zhengde's office chair, trying to make his separated soul look solid, crossed his legs, and waited for a while. Seeing that Zhou Zhengde didn't seem to be waking up, he could only flick his finger lightly.
“Hmm?”
Zhou Zhengde raised his hand to cover his forehead, feeling a bit cool. When he opened his eyes, he saw the figure sitting behind the desk.
He was stunned for a moment, wanting to jump up and shout, but his body, still groggy from sleep, didn't allow him to make any violent movements. That excitement quickly subsided, turning into a smile blooming on his lips.
“Good spirits.”
Zhou Zhengde said in a hoarse voice.
Wang Jixuan casually grabbed a bottle of water from the corner and threw it into Zhou Zhengde's arms.
“Are you the fortress governor now?”
“Acting.”
Zhou Zhengde rubbed his sore neck. The soft pillow on the sofa was a bit old and didn't offer much support.
He asked, “Why did you suddenly come over? Is there something wrong with me here?”
“To make a small-scale comeback in our little circle, I have to come and see my close comrade-in-arms.”
“Uh, that sounds a bit ambiguous.”
“Don't be influenced by Zheng Shiduo!”
“Okay,” Zhou Zhengde shrugged, “My ex-girlfriends can prove that I have a normal orientation that is conducive to the reproduction of the human race.”
“But you still don't have any offspring.”
“That, hehe, I'm afraid of being distracted, so I definitely have to use contraception.”
Zhou Zhengde paused, took a sip of water, and looked at the ancient basin map hanging on the side.
He said in a low voice, “The main thing is that I'm not sure if my children will have an environment to survive and grow in the future…”
“Well, let's work hard.”
Wang Jixuan also sighed.
The crisis of the Blade Beast disaster still doesn't seem to have a clear solution.
Well, mainly because it took him 120 years to cultivate to the Mahayana stage last time. Although it can be faster this time, it still takes time to accumulate.
He didn't dare to make big promises, things had to be done step by step.
Wang Jixuan asked, “Are you still investigating that matter?”
“Ah, right.”
Zhou Zhengde jumped up and quickly walked to the safe in the corner, taking out a stack of documents.
He said quickly:
“I almost forgot if you didn't mention it.
“There's been a major discovery.
“Yezi is very strange, and not just Yezi, Kong Lianmei is also strange.
“Although the fire burned down Kong Lianmei's wooden house, Kong Lianmei's living environment intersects with many gang members.
“I focused on scanning the memories of hundreds of people who had contact with Kong Lianmei and extracted a lot of information from their subconscious.”
Zhou Zhengde paused, waited for Wang Jixuan to finish reading the information, and continued:
“What is certain is that Kong Lianmei has been contacting the outside world, remotely controlling several large gang organizations within the scavenger camps.
“Don't underestimate these gangs. When they are inside the fortress, they are actually controlled by the authorities and are just black gloves that run the blood bank and exploit the lower city residents. But in the scavenger camps, they are emperors and even actively exchange materials with human fortresses, using some sensitive resources.
“Then we started from another direction and investigated the human trafficking situation in dozens of large scavenger camps and found that a large number of people have disappeared in the past three or four decades.
“We used to think that these people were sent to the Spiritual Energy Capital, but… pseudo-spirit slaves appeared.”
Zhou Zhengde smiled bitterly:
“There is not enough evidence now, but we suspect that the source of these pseudo-spirit slaves is either the captives who were captured by the Blade Beasts when the human world was occupied by the Blade Beasts eighty or even a hundred years ago, and somehow survived to this day.
“The other is that the scavenger camps are sending people out.
“The organization that does this business is related to Kong Lianmei, and there's also a particularly strange thing, do you know?”
“What strange thing?” Wang Jixuan looked at the information in a daze.
Zhou Zhengde took out a few photos and placed them in front of Wang Jixuan. The girls circled on them were very similar.
“Yezi, Kong Lianmei in her youth, and several girls who once came out of Kong Lianmei's wooden house, are exactly the same.”
Zhou Zhengde said in a low voice:
“This is definitely not a simple clone. Clones are weaker than normal humans.
“I feel that this is more likely some kind of inheritance.
“She might be a spy for the Blade Beasts!”
Wang Jixuan: …
“Why do I feel that Kong Lianmei might be related to the Spirit Cultivator civilization.”
“Spirit Cultivators?” Zhou Zhengde sat opposite the desk, wondering, “Is the level suddenly raised so high?”
“I can't explain it, it's just a feeling.”
Wang Jixuan tapped the edge of the table with his finger:
“I have almost figured out the details of the six Spirit Cultivators. The six of them are the epitome of all existing Spirit Cultivators.
“Number One, Sabina, is based on the glory of the Spirit Cultivator civilization. Her goal is to continue the glory of the Spirit Cultivator civilization and make the Council of Light Wings the leader… or something like that.
“Number Two, Wanda, is a surrender faction who wants to use surrendering to the Blade Beasts as a way out. She may betray us later.
“Number Three, Daniel Tomon, is a warmonger among the Spirit Cultivators who pursues his own strength. I felt the temperament of a reckless man in him.
“Let's not mention Number Four, Old Sophie. I've already killed him and taken all his wealth. He's just a low-lying area and a breakthrough point for the Spirit Cultivator civilization.
“Number Five, Amina, was previously ostracized by the Great Council and was originally a marginal faction in the Spirit Cultivator civilization. Now she's cooperating with us.
“The only one I'm not sure about is Number Six.”
The Daoist's separated soul leaned back in the chair, thinking carefully.
He said, “According to the information we have now, Number Six pointed out that our planet has ancient civilization treasures, and the three members of the Light Wings, Amina, and Old Sophie, who were besieged by the Blade Beasts on the same planet, joined forces to break through and kill their way to our planet.”
Zhou Zhengde was thinking rapidly. He grabbed a piece of paper and had Wang Jixuan explain in detail all the information he currently possessed, according to the order in which it occurred.
A dozen or so minutes later, the two of them stared at the paper covered in arrows.
"There really is a problem."
Zhou Zhengde clicked his tongue.
"Later, we can ask Number Five, that is, Ms. Amina."
"Ask her when she first met Number Six, this… does she have a name?"
"No specific name. Amina said she was a mumbling, mystical sorceress."
"Hmm," Zhou Zhengde's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "We can ask Amina about the timing of her first meeting with this sorceress. If the Number Six spiritual cultivator was deliberately trapped by Blade Beasts on that planet, things become interesting."
The Daoist pondered for a long time, then sighed softly.
He said, "I can't help but wonder now, what would have been the consequences if I had left with Yezi back then."
"Most likely you would have been sold. That's what she's best at."
Zhou Zhengde clicked his tongue softly.
Wang Jixuan smiled and said nothing.
He said, "I won't chat with you anymore. Work hard, Acting Governor. My main body is about to meet my Tongtong. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
"Tsk," Zhou Zhengde curled his lips, "If I were on a date, as long as you called, I'd come over to drink with you immediately."
"I can't do that. I prioritize taking care of my confidante."
The Daoist winked his right eye and casually sent a wisp of spiritual energy into Zhou Zhengde's brain.
Zhou Zhengde shivered a few times, his whole body invigorated. He watched Wang Jixuan's alien soul turn into gray smoke and dissipate. He braced himself and threw himself into his busy work.
Of extraordinary birth, yet willing to be a workhorse.
…
The next few hours were destined to be romantic and joyful for Wang Jixuan.
He hid in the military fortress where Ling Tong was staying, went to the room assigned to Ling Tong in advance, put on an apron, and personally prepared a Blade Beast meat candlelight dinner for Ling Tong.
Whether it's a god of war on the front lines or a literary young woman, it's hard to resist this old-fashioned but atmospheric environment.
Almost at the same moment.
About six or seven thousand kilometers away from this military base, deep underground in a Blade Beast controlled area, a secret cloning technology research institute, converted from a fallen human fortress, was brightly lit.
A large number of men and women wearing white coats, with handcuffs and shackles, lived and worked here.
Huge glass jars contained various biological samples, most of which were Blade Beast samples.
Their research direction seemed to be to use human cloning technology to mass-replicate ordinary Blade Beasts.
In the most bottom level of the research institute, in a luxuriously decorated suite, a girl walked out of a teleportation gate flickering with spiritual energy runes, and slowly unwrapped the windbreaker, shirt, trousers, and undershirt on her body, with light steps.
She slowly walked to the three-meter square bath, letting herself sink into the pool that resembled blood. The various energies contained within were slowly absorbed by her, but there was no spiritual energy left in her body.
The girl closed her eyes and leaned against the edge of the pool, a sweet smile on her lips, a smile that meant the plan was about to be completed.
She stroked every corner of her body, her nose began to hum softly, calling out a certain name as if she was delirious.
And the person she was calling out to was currently embracing his lover, kissing passionately in the shower, mutually seeking each other's love.
After an unknown amount of time;
The girl suddenly opened her eyes, a deep starlight flickering in her eyes. She raised her hand and gently brushed, and a crystal ball slowly rose from the pool, slowly rotating in front of her.
In the crystal ball, there was a thumbnail-sized figure, exactly the same as the girl.
If Wang Jixuan could see this thing, he would probably be shocked.
Because this thing looked extremely similar to the golden core that was about to brew a Nascent Soul. After Wang Jixuan stepped onto the Heavenly Bridge and entered the sixth level of the Heavenly Bridge, such a golden core would appear in his body.
The girl fondly stroked the crystal ball, held it in her arms and cherished it for a long time, before reluctantly sinking it into the pool.
"Soon."
She murmured softly.