Chapter 248
Chapter 248: I Toss a Noose in Front of You—And You Stick Your Own Neck Into It
Kong Que leaned closer, voice low with warning. “Chief Executive. Lying isn’t a good habit. If Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming exposes you, he’ll laugh at you loudly and mercilessly.”
Zhong Li He pushed Kong Que’s head away. “Talk is talk. Don’t lean so close. It’s hot.”
Kong Que’s head tilted with the shove. His expression didn’t change. “Yes, Chief Executive.”
Zhong Li He huffed, proud and stubborn. “I don’t care if he laughs. If there’s a time to lie and make him miserable, then I’ll lie and make him miserable. Otherwise, what were all those feathers I lost for?”
He was bird-type beastfolk. A male bird, too. His feathers were his pride and his weapon for attracting females.
And Chong Ming?
When they sparred, Chong Ming had gone straight for his feathers like a monster. Zhong Li He had nearly been plucked bald.
Kong Que had picked up both large feathers and fine down all over the training field. He understood the grudge.
He compromised, but still cautioned, “Chief Executive, you may lie—but please be careful when you do. At least leave Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming a little face.”
Zhong Li He waved him off. “I know. Don’t worry. I’ll perform.”
He straightened his shoulders and strode toward Chong Ming’s office with the swagger of a man marching to war—not to discuss national affairs, but to start trouble.
—
Downstairs, on the open grounds outside the military department building, Jiang Tea Tea and Sui Xuan Chu met up with the rest of their group.
Huang Da Zhuang and Ju Que arrived with three others, making five in total.
All five males wore combat uniforms, eyes bright and bodies taut—like they could charge through a sea of blades without blinking.
The first to speak was Cheng Xiao Ting. “Sister Tea, where have you been these past days? We never see you, and you don’t reply to messages. We were terrified you got infected.”
Zhang Ting Zhou nodded vigorously. “Yeah! Sister Tea, don’t scare us like that. We were so afraid something happened to you.”
Another voice chimed in, half pleading. “Sister Tea, we’re your most loyal lackeys. If you have something going on, at least tell us. We’ll keep it secret. We won’t tell anyone.”
“Living like this—worried every day—it’s torture.”
They weren’t exaggerating. They’d arrested every infected they could find, and during isolation they’d already written wills to their families—just in case they truly got infected, lost their minds, and became living dead zombies.
Jiang Tea Tea waved them off. “Stop worrying about me. I’m too capable. If I fight someone, the one who dies isn’t me—it’s them.”
She cut straight to the point. “All right. Long story short—Huang Da Zhuang, Cheng Xiao Ting. I need to ask you something. I need help.”
Huang Da Zhuang’s beast form was a big yellow dog.
Cheng Xiao Ting’s beast form was a black wolf.
In the demon realm, there was a saying: dogs were born to find medicine. With or without intelligence, a dog could sniff out the right thing.
Huang Da Zhuang and Cheng Xiao Ting both looked at Jiang Tea Tea with eager loyalty. “Sister Tea, tell us what you need. We’ll do it.”
Jiang Tea Tea explained what she needed—carefully, plainly, in detail—then asked, “Do you have that kind of talent? The ability to find medicine by instinct?”
Huang Da Zhuang and Cheng Xiao Ting stared at each other, embarrassed. “Sorry, Sister Tea… I don’t think we have that.”
“Yeah,” Cheng Xiao Ting added. “Since we were kids, anything medical was official. Medical pods, treatment liquid, empire-certified. No private workshops. No homemade trash.”
Different world. Different habits.
Jiang Tea Tea had held a tiny thread of hope. It snapped.
Huang Da Zhuang hesitated, then offered, “Sister Tea, should I call my mom and dad? Ask them—ask the elders in the family?”
Cheng Xiao Ting nodded quickly. “I’ll call too. I’ll ask my parents to ask the elders.”
Jiang Tea Tea thought for a second. “Do it. Ask the oldest ones.”
Huang Da Zhuang and Cheng Xiao Ting immediately started calling their parents, explaining what Jiang Tea Tea needed.
Both sets of parents loved their sons. They also knew their sons were valued by Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming and close to Jiang Tea Tea.
They didn’t hesitate. Busy or not, they dropped what they were doing and began asking around.
While they waited, Jiang Tea Tea and the others went to see Cheng Lin Yue and Cheng Yuan.
The uncle and niece were so busy they barely touched the ground.
Cheng Yuan especially looked like a machine—a gifted healer, a gifted potion maker, and a researcher on top of it. When he worked, he worked harder than the military department’s own healers, pharmacists, and researchers.
With Chong Ming backing him and giving him authority, the military department’s medical department, pharmacy division, and research labs all moved at his command.
After checking in on them, Jiang Tea Tea went to see Reboot.
Reboot lay on the experimental table, eyes closed.
She had shrunk from seventeen or eighteen back into the form of an eleven- or twelve-year-old. Pale, childlike, fragile-looking.
Flame rings locked her limbs and throat. Five-colored flame flowed around her like a living sealing art, welding restraint into her bones.
Jiang Tea Tea reached out, about to probe—
Reboot’s eyes snapped open.
They were empty. Emotionless. Like mechanical lenses.
Reboot stared straight at Jiang Tea Tea. “Sister.”
Her voice was soft. “It’s been days. Did you miss me?”
Jiang Tea Tea withdrew her hand and pulled a chair over, sitting like she owned the room. Her presence pressed down with cold, heavy authority. “I heard that after your dad left the military department, you fell into a coma. True?”
Reboot’s eyes flickered. “Who said that?”
“Chong Ming,” Jiang Tea Tea said casually.
Reboot’s eyes widened. “Impossible. He didn’t find my dad.”
Jiang Tea Tea corrected her, calm and cruel. “Oh, he found him. He brought him here to interrogate. You two communicated in a simple way.”
“He told you to sleep. You slept obediently.”
“You were aware of the outside world the whole time, but you shut down your brain activity so anyone examining you would think you were in a deep coma.”
Reboot jolted upright.
Her nails shot long, claws snapping straight for Jiang Tea Tea’s throat.
But before her hand could reach Jiang Tea Tea—
She dropped.
Bang.
The flame rings tightened.
Heat flared, burning into her skin. Reboot screamed, struggling violently, but every movement only made the rings cinch tighter.
Jiang Tea Tea watched her thrash and howl, then spoke like she was stating an obvious conclusion. “So your dad really is Chong Xing Qi.”
“And the reason I couldn’t find you in his memories… isn’t a twin or a clone.” She leaned in, eyes sharp. “It’s your ability.”
“Your mutant hypnosis control technique.”
Hypnosis control could control a person.
It could also erase short-term memory.
Reboot’s screams cut off abruptly. Her eyes turned even redder, feral and hateful as she stared at Jiang Tea Tea.
Jiang Tea Tea felt a flash of clarity.
She’d considered twins. She’d considered clones.
And she’d completely overlooked the simplest truth: Reboot could erase memory.
Jiang Tea Tea tapped Reboot’s forehead. “Thanks, little cutie.”
Reboot bared her teeth and lunged her head forward, trying to bite—
Jiang Tea Tea moved faster.
Her hand clamped Reboot’s jaw. A sharp crack echoed.
Reboot’s jaw dislocated.
Her mouth hung open. Drool poured out. She couldn’t close it, but her eyes still burned with murderous intent.
Jiang Tea Tea released her instantly, careful not to get saliva on her skin. “Wait here. I’m going to drag your dad back so you can reunite properly.”
Reboot tried to speak, words garbled by the hanging jaw. “C-come… b-back…”
Jiang Tea Tea stepped out of the lab.
She went straight to Chong Ming, told him what she’d realized, and told him to re-arrest Chong Xing Qi.
Chong Xing Qi had left the military department two days ago and returned to the Yellow Dragon Clan, but he had been under surveillance the entire time.
The moment Chong Ming gave the order, the surveillance team moved—grabbing him and hauling him back to the military department.
“Antibody! Antibody!”
As Jiang Tea Tea reached the interrogation room door, Cheng Lin Yue came running up, practically glowing. She thrust out a test tube, face alight. “Sister Tea! Antibody! My uncle and the military department researchers found an antibody for the super virus! Look!”
Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes widened. “Really? Did you test it? Did you tell Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming?”
Cheng Lin Yue nodded so fast it looked like her head might fall off. “Tested! We tested it! That’s how we know it worked!”
“And we told Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming too.”
Her voice dropped, a little breathless with excitement and urgency. “For the antibody, he gave the order—researchers are to cut flesh and draw blood from the super-virus infected Reboot without restrictions, so they can use her blood and tissue to produce more antibodies!”
Jiang Tea Tea slapped her thigh, thrilled. “I knew it! If you want an antibody, you start with Reboot—the only infected with intelligence, a body that hasn’t rotted, awakened abilities, and the ability to understand orders. She’s the only infected 3.0 version we’ve got.”
“Cutting flesh, drawing blood—pulling the antibody out of her—this is great, it’s—”
“Great my ass!”
A roar of fury blasted from inside the interrogation room.
Chong Xing Qi’s voice shook with rage. “Jiang Tea Tea! When you stood up for Jin Lin, you called cutting flesh and drawing blood evil and unforgivable. Now it’s your turn, and you become this disgusting hypocrite. How do you live with yourself?”