Chapter 145: Xu Sen Sets Conditions
The base hospital had been jointly established by the Xu family and other base powers, specifically for Xu Sen. It wasn’t far from the Xu residence, and Xu Sen lived directly in the hospital.
Su Yan sent Wang Ming to guide them. The three of them drove over, and within ten minutes, they arrived.
The five-story building looked like an ordinary residential block. If not for the word “hospital” hanging at the entrance, no one would believe it.
The first to fourth floors housed various medical departments. Though small, the setup was comprehensive. The fifth floor was reserved exclusively for Xu Sen, including all his examinations and recovery needs. Four guards stood at the staircase leading up.
Wang Ming exchanged a few pleasantries with them and asked around. Learning that Xu Sen wasn’t asleep, Lu Weiyi stepped forward and said, “I’m Lu Weiyi, an old acquaintance of Xu Sen. Please tell him I have news about the healing-type ability and want to see him now.”
The four guards exchanged looks. One of them, standing further inside, said, “Please wait,” and walked in.
A short while later, he returned. “Young Master Lu, our master invites you in.”
*
Qingyuan Base.
On the seventh day after Lu Weiyi left, the base remained peaceful. The ability users he left behind went on zombie-hunting missions with a military squad. Though their haul wasn’t as large as their own team’s, it was a great training experience—especially working with professionals.
“They should be back soon, right?” Dean checked the earnings report from the trade center, then drove home with Zhuang Mingxu.
“If everything went well, they should,” Zhuang Mingxu said softly, gazing toward Zhoujia County.
The feeling of watching Lu Weiyi risk his life while being powerless to help tormented him constantly. Especially as someone with a strong personality, his current physical state left him unable to act as he once did.
Once a favored child of heaven, now fallen into the dust—this was how it felt.
Both men were lost in thought, riding in silence.
“Mr. Zhuang… wait a moment…” someone blocked their path—fearless, standing directly in front of the vehicle. Fortunately, the electric vehicle was moving slowly, thanks to Dean’s cautious driving.
Zhuang Mingxu looked over when he heard the voice—it was Ji Jin, with Ji Lin following behind. Since the last time Ji Lin caused a scene and was taken home by Old Master Ji, the Ji family hadn’t shown up again. Presumably, they were managing on their own, and with the old man’s warning, Ji Heng hadn’t dared return.
“What is it?” Zhuang Mingxu asked.
“Mr. Zhuang, where is Lu Weiyi? My grandfather wants to see him,” Ji Jin said. Members of the Ji family had been waiting by the Longmen Villa entrance for days, hoping to catch Lu Weiyi’s car. But he never showed up—not even the members of his team. With no other choice, Ji Jin had to intercept Zhuang Mingxu as he returned.
“He’s not here,” Zhuang Mingxu replied coldly. He didn’t have a good opinion of anyone from the Ji family.
“Where did he go? My grandfather needs to see him,” Ji Jin repeated.
“He’s not here. If you have something to say, just say it.” Ever since Zhuang Mingxu got injured, he’d grown much more irritable when Lu Weiyi wasn’t around—his patience wasn’t what it used to be.
“My father is injured and can’t go out to search for supplies anymore. As his son, shouldn’t Lu Weiyi take care of him?” If Ji Heng hadn’t been hurt, even Old Master Li wouldn’t have agreed to let them approach Lu Weiyi. Ji Jin had already decided he’d use this opportunity to squeeze a good deal out of him.
“You’re also a son. Take care of your father yourself,” said Ning Yuan, walking over from behind.
They had been going out on missions with the military lately, all traveling in army trucks—no wonder Ji Jin hadn’t been able to find them. Ning Yuan had just returned with the squad and saw Ji Jin blocking Zhuang Mingxu’s car on the street. He quickly jumped down and caught Ji Jin’s last sentence.
“If it’s that bad, you could always sell yourself or your sister. Isn’t that what he’s best at?” Ning Yuan added, then suddenly realized it might sound like he was insulting Lu Weiyi. He sneaked a glance at Zhuang Mingxu and, sure enough, saw his expression darken. He quickly changed the subject, “Lu Weiyi isn’t here. Even if you starve to death, don’t expect to get anything from us.”
“Ning Yuan,” Zhuang Mingxu thought that was going too far. Even though Lu Weiyi wasn’t in the base right now, he still wouldn’t let his family starve. Just as he was about to tell Ji Jin to go back and wait, Ning Yuan quickly reached over and covered his mouth.
A foul stench assaulted Zhuang Mingxu’s nose. He slapped Ning Yuan’s hand away. “Just say what you need to say.”
“Don’t give them any supplies.”
Zhuang Mingxu stared silently at Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan knew that if he didn’t explain, Zhuang Mingxu wouldn’t listen. After a pause, he said, “Just don’t tell Lu Weiyi I was the one who said this.”
Zhuang Mingxu raised an eyebrow and nodded.
“Among the supplies Lu Weiyi took with him in his space ability… was the Ji family’s. All of it.” He emphasized the last two words.
Zhuang Mingxu’s brows furrowed. He didn’t understand—Lu Weiyi never paid attention to the Ji family, but he’d never actively gone after them either. Taking someone’s supplies in the apocalypse, leaving them to die… that didn’t seem like something Lu Weiyi would do—especially not to people from the Ji family.
“He said it himself—his mother was pushed down the stairs and killed by Ji Heng and Jiang Fu. Right in front of him,” Ning Yuan explained.
Zhuang Mingxu’s usually calm expression cracked, his eyes widening in shock. Ning Yuan nodded to confirm, “No one else knew he was there. He deliberately took all their supplies. So don’t help them now.”
“…” Zhuang Mingxu was silent for a long time, still unable to fully process the news. He simply told the driver, Dean, “Just drive.”
“Okay,” Dean replied, stepping on the gas.
Ji Jin could only watch helplessly as the car barreled toward him. If he hadn’t been out on missions recently and trained his reflexes, he might have been run over on the spot.
“F*ck! You bastards!” Ji Jin shouted in frustration at the receding car. He ranted for a while until the surrounding onlookers began pointing fingers. Finally, Ji Lin walked over and tried to calm him down. But he turned on her instead, finding a new target to vent at, “Worry about yourself. If Lu Weiyi doesn’t give up any supplies, you’re the next one to be traded for them.”
Ji Lin’s face turned pale. She opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing and ran off.
The whole way back, Zhuang Mingxu was digesting Ning Yuan’s words. Back then, shortly after Lu Weiyi’s mother died, he had stopped talking. Zhuang Mingxu had always assumed it was due to emotional trauma after discovering Jiang Fu and Ji Jin’s actions. But what if… what if he had actually watched his mother die and been powerless to stop it?
Zhuang Mingxu couldn’t imagine what the twelve-year-old Lu Weiyi must have gone through to turn from a bright, cheerful boy into someone who no longer spoke, no longer cared about anything.
“How did you find out?” Zhuang Mingxu asked Ning Yuan as they approached home.
“It was when Li Zhuang, Lu Weiyi, and I went to the base to find Wu Yue. Wu Yue mentioned that Ji Lin was with Li Ji. I thought he’d be upset, so I tried to comfort him. That’s when he told us,” Ning Yuan recalled. “He was terrifyingly calm. It scared both me and Li Zhuang.”
So many years had passed… he had probably already come to terms with it.
Zhuang Mingxu nodded and said no more. But the next day, he still had someone send 50 kg of rice to the Ji family. Giving nothing at all would be too unlike his usual conduct and might arouse Lu Weiyi’s suspicion. Better to send a little—just enough to last until Lu Weiyi returned—then deal with things accordingly.
*
Xiangning Base.
Xu Sen’s residence was a regular apartment, with two units combined into one. Medical equipment was everywhere. He lay on the bed, his expression calm. Compared to before the apocalypse, he seemed more resolute.
A man and a woman sat by the bed. When Lu Weiyi entered, all three looked up.
“Young Master Lu, long time no see,” Xu Sen smiled and greeted him. “Please, have a seat.”
Antonio brought over a chair for Lu Weiyi and stood nearby like a bodyguard. But Lu Weiyi didn’t seem to notice his intentions at all.
Lu Weiyi sat down and nodded at Xu Sen, openly scrutinizing him. “You can’t move anymore? Full paralysis or just the lower body?”
“How could you say something like that? Didn’t anyone teach you—” Before Xu Sen could respond, the woman on the other side of the bed stood up abruptly. Her eyes were red, and she snapped in anger.
Antonio immediately stepped slightly in front of Lu Weiyi in a protective stance.
“Mom!” Xu Sen’s tone was helpless. “Sorry, these are my father and mother. They’ve been very worried since I got injured and are emotionally unstable. Please don’t take offense. I’m paralyzed from the waist down.”
“Sensen…” Tears welled up in Madam Xu’s eyes as she silently turned her head to the side.
“My wife is a bit emotional,” the man supporting Madam Xu, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, gave a slight bow to Lu Weiyi and took the initiative to ask, “Young Master Lu, you mentioned news about the healing-type ability…”
Lu Weiyi honestly didn’t know what he had said wrong. He was never good at social niceties—he had always been surrounded by people trying to curry favor with him, so he never had to go out of his way to be polite. He was also a bit of a recluse, and his interpersonal skills were definitely lacking.
Still, he wasn’t petty enough to hold a grudge over something so minor—especially since he needed something from them.
“Yes. May I see your doctor first?” Lu Weiyi asked.
Xu Sen nodded and gestured to the man standing by the door. Soon, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat entered.
“Dr. Zheng, please explain my condition to Young Master Lu,” Xu Sen said.
“Of course, Young Master,” Dr. Zheng replied professionally, pulling out a CT scan and walking over to Lu Weiyi. “Young Master Xu’s lumbar vertebrae were severely struck, causing displacement and compression of the spinal nerves. This led to the current condition,” he said, pointing to a clearly abnormal area on the scan. “With limited medical equipment and delayed treatment, the spinal nerves have been damaged.”
“No surgery?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“Surgery has already been done,” Dr. Zheng said, producing another scan showing the vertebrae back in place—but clearly, the damaged nerves had not recovered.
“Xu Yi said it would take time?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“Yes,” Xu Sen replied.
Although nerve repair is a delicate task, this level of damage could easily be healed by a low-level healing-type ability user. Either Xu Yi was intentionally stalling, or he hadn’t actually mastered healing powers and simply didn’t know how to repair nerves.
“Hand him over to me. In three days, I’ll make him obediently heal you,” Lu Weiyi said.
Xu Sen stared at Lu Weiyi for a while before asking, “I don’t understand Young Master Lu’s goal. You know… goodwill without clear motives is the most terrifying.”
“Zhuang Mingxu injured his leg and needs a wheelchair to get around. I want Xu Yi to heal his leg,” Lu Weiyi answered bluntly.
Xu Sen was a little surprised. When he first saw Antonio, he assumed the man was Lu Weiyi’s new backer. But judging by his actions, he seemed more like a subordinate. Xu Sen had figured Antonio was sent by Zhuang Mingxu to protect Lu Weiyi. But now, hearing that Zhuang Mingxu was disabled, he fell silent.
“You don’t have a choice. Others may not know the situation between your family and Xu Yi, but I do. Even if some of it was Xu Yi’s own incompetence, you all are still the manipulators and beneficiaries.”
“Whether he’s just stalling or never intended to treat you at all—don’t tell me you don’t know? Besides, healing-type ability users are rare. Xu Yi might not have realized it now, but once he’s forced to treat you and doesn’t want to, he can just leave this base.”
“Healers are treated like royalty at any base. And you…” Lu Weiyi gave Xu Sen a once-over, the meaning in his look clear. “Even worse, if he joins a strong team and wants revenge, could you handle it?”
Enemies, Lu Weiyi believed, must either be crushed outright or kept tightly controlled. He knew Xu Sen understood that too.
“…Other than treating Zhuang Mingxu in the future, what’s your condition right now?” Xu Sen asked.
“His ability level is too low. You provide the crystal cores—I want to help him level up,” Lu Weiyi said, ignoring the question and shifting the topic.
“If you want him to treat President Zhuang and level him up, shouldn’t we split the cost of the crystal cores fifty-fifty?” Xu Sen wasn’t someone who liked to take a loss. He was, after all, the designated successor—just lacking experience.
Lu Weiyi shook his head. “I’ll pay separately when the time comes. In this world now, I’d rather pay more later than pay anything in advance.”
Things might seem safe now, but who knows—this base could fall at any moment. Any crystal cores spent now could go to waste.
