Chapter 397: Detention
“Brother, let’s not live with regrets, okay?”
Gu Qingyue stayed silent for a long time before exhaling deeply. “I understand.”
Gu Qingzhi knew this was a compromise, not genuine acceptance. His brother was different from him. From a young age, Gu Qingyue had played the role of both parent and older brother. He had always carried a sense of responsibility, and even when they got together, he had hesitated.
Back then, they were on the road every day, fighting endless waves of zombies, not knowing if they’d survive to the next dawn. The couples in nearby teams, comforting and supporting each other, had stirred up his fear and exhaustion. In that darkness, he too had longed for someone to be there for him.
At that time, he had more or less taken advantage of the situation. Now that life had gradually stabilized and traditional families were starting to form around them, it was only a matter of time before he began to waver.
Gu Qingzhi placed the person back on the bed and tucked him in.
“Qingzhi, Zhao Changming plays a key role in the base’s weapons development. Don’t go too far.”
“Okay,” Gu Qingzhi replied, leaning down to kiss his forehead before closing the door and leaving the room.
Downstairs, Lu Weiyi was holding Qin Nian like a model father, showing no intention of intervening. Seeing Gu Qingzhi come down, he said bluntly, “The father and daughter have been sent to the South Island Research Institute and detained. When you get there, look for Antonio.”
“Take me with you. I miss David,” Dean jumped up in a flash, quickly moving to stand next to Gu Qingzhi.
Whether it was because he was young or raised differently abroad, he was always so open and honest—something that made Gu Qingzhi envious.
“Come back as soon as you can,” Lu Weiyi said as he guided Qin Nian’s psychic powers to drift about in empty spaces. The little one waved his fists and occasionally blew bubbles, like a tiny goldfish.
When they arrived at the South Island with Dean, Antonio looked worn out and scruffy like a homeless man, already waiting at the lab entrance. Seeing them, he lit up with a bright smile.
Dean charged toward him like a little cannonball, was scooped up in a full embrace, and kissed on the lips.
Totally ignoring the presence of a third person.
Gu Qingzhi couldn’t help but glance a few more times.
“Gu, perhaps you could give us a moment?” Antonio teased after the kiss, clearly amused as he led them inside.
Gu Qingzhi didn’t bother with dirty jokes like these old slick guys, but he was curious about Antonio’s recent whereabouts. “Has it been really busy here? You haven’t been back in a while.”
“Almost done,” Antonio replied, not letting go of the person in his arms, carrying him inside affectionately.
Gu Qingzhi had always known Antonio would work overtime whenever Lu Weiyi asked, just to ensure Dean had a better quality of life—but this time it seemed to have gone on a bit longer. “What did Lu Weiyi promise you?”
“It was Zhuang,” Antonio shot him a meaningful smile. “Winter’s here—it’s time to nourish the body.”
Gu Qingzhi was momentarily confused, but then saw Antonio’s hand rubbing Dean’s rear and immediately got the hint—he was referring to the special maintenance product Zhuang Mingxu had once mentioned, specifically for submissive partners.
“Why didn’t I know about this?”
Seeing he caught on, Antonio hinted, “Limited supply—first come, first served.”
“Thanks,” Gu Qingzhi decided to go find Zhuang Mingxu as soon as he got back. His wood-based powers hadn’t leveled up yet, but they were still quite effective.
They didn’t encounter many people on the way. Upon reaching the lowest floor, Antonio said, “Zhao Changming has rallied his research team, hoping to use the numbers to downplay this incident. Have you thought about how to handle it?”
Gu Qingzhi didn’t answer, but asked instead, “Do you think they’re afraid of dying?”
Antonio raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
As the three entered the bottom level, they saw a lab with its door open and several researchers in lab coats standing outside, all with solemn, resentful expressions. When they saw the group arrive, they called out:
“They’re here.”
“They’ve arrived.”
Shortly after, Zhao Changming emerged from the lab. He still looked well-kept and hadn’t been mistreated. He frowned deeply as he looked at Gu Qingzhi. “What did you do to my daughter? Is this how your base protects its teammates?”
“What did she tell you?” Gu Qingzhi still felt weak. Just walking here had made him break into a cold sweat.
“She said you tried to rape her. When she fought you off, you had the police arrest her.”
“Heh,” Gu Qingzhi chuckled coldly. “And you believe that?”
Zhao Changming didn’t respond. He knew his daughter well—she’d always been the one chasing after the other. If the other party had even the slightest interest in her, he wouldn’t have needed to bargain with Lu Weiyi for her sake.
But now wasn’t the time to bring that up. “Qianqian was traumatized. You should take responsibility.”
“Exactly. Qianqian is young and beautiful—what’s wrong with marrying a wife like that?”
“Right. Besides, Professor Zhao is talented—he could really help your team.”
The researchers who had come with Zhao Changming chimed in one after another, persuading Gu Qingzhi to be grateful. They might not have truly believed what they were saying, but working under Zhao Changming meant showing the right attitude.
“Mr. Zhao, are you really so out of touch with reality?” Gu Qingzhi looked at him with sarcasm, then walked toward the lab on his own.
Inside the spacious lab, Zhao Qianqian was locked alone in a small room with transparent glass walls, clearly visible. When she saw Gu Qingzhi enter, her gaze flickered with guilt—until she spotted Zhao Changming, which seemed to give her renewed confidence.
“We have an inventor at the base. He’s a brilliant man who’s made all kinds of bizarre but highly effective weapons against zombies. But he’s incredibly stubborn—not even afraid of death,” Gu Qingzhi said as he slowly approached the door.
“Unfortunately, he had a beloved younger sister. Want to know how we got him to cooperate with research?” Gu Qingzhi turned to Zhao Changming with a smile and gestured for Antonio to unlock the sealed metal lock.
Zhao Changming said nothing.
Gu Qingzhi looked straight at him, his eyes calm and deep, unreadable like a still lake with unknown depths beneath. “Any research project from the base that he couldn’t complete? He’d see one of his sister’s fingers. One each day it was delayed. We had healing-type powers—cut it off, reattach it. Then cut it off again.”
Zhao Changming turned pale. None of the surrounding researchers dared make a sound.
Gu Qingzhi opened the door. Just as Zhao Qianqian tried to rush out, he yanked her back into the room and shut the door behind them.
Zhao Changming immediately tried to push it open, but Antonio, tall and burly, blocked the way.
“Professor Zhao, if you go in now, what you might see is a corpse.”
“Let me go! What are you trying to do?” Zhao Qianqian backed away, clearly terrified by Gu Qingzhi’s chilling demeanor.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” Gu Qingzhi said.
“Yes…” Zhao Qianqian glanced at her father. “You tried to rape me…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Gu Qingji yanked her hair and slammed her onto the table. A dagger in his hand slowly traced her cheek. Her scream rang out as blood poured down.
After the first cut, Gu Qingji let go of her and asked again, “What happened?”
“Don’t come closer! Don’t! Dad! Dad, save me!” Zhao Qianqian clutched her bleeding face and retreated. Blood smeared the floor beneath her.
Outside, the researchers watching this scene silently backed away in horror. Zhao Changming had lost all composure. Just as he was about to rush inside, Antonio grabbed him by the neck like a chicken and effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
“Dad! Dad—” Zhao Qianqian saw this, pounding on the glass in a panic.
Gu Qingji’s voice came from behind, low and chilling. “Tell me again, what happened?”
“It was me! I drugged you! I mixed strong aphrodisiacs into your food!” Zhao Qianqian had always been arrogant and domineering thanks to her father’s backing. But now she was clear-headed enough to realize what she would face without his protection—and didn’t dare talk back in the slightest.
“Heard that?” Antonio threw Zhao Changming to the floor. As he coughed violently, Dean’s youthful voice rang out—oddly cheerful given the moment. “An untested drug almost cost a life.”
Inside, Zhao Qianqian screamed again. Zhao Changming dragged himself up and pressed against the glass just in time to see Gu Qingji cut another slash across his daughter’s already-wounded face.
“This is your warning.” Gu Qingji calmly wiped his knife and walked out. He said to Antonio, “It’s getting cold outside—Miss Zhao might not be used to it. I remember there’s a quiet little room here. She can stay there.”
Antonio immediately knew which room he meant: a cramped, 5–6 square meter storage room, pitch-black when the light was off, with barely any space to move.
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, simply noting, “I’ll report this.”
“Mm.” Gu Qingji stopped Zhao Changming from entering. His gaze swept across the retreating researchers at the door, and he asked solemnly, “Do you know what it’s like to do research while listening to your loved ones scream?”
Not a single person responded. The lab, which had been buzzing moments ago, was now silent—everyone holding their breath.
“Our base values your talents and abilities. We went through great effort to rescue you, to provide your families with safe lives, and to offer you a platform to shine. We hope for a friendly, cooperative relationship. But—some boundaries still need to be respected.”
“This is the apocalypse. The strong make the rules.”
Everyone avoided Gu Qingji’s gaze as he looked over them once more. Then he nodded toward Zhao Changming. “Take Mr. Zhao to work. Our research team needs him.”
“I want to see my daughter, I—”
Gu Qingji bent down and looked into his eyes. “If she can’t handle a good life, we’ll change it up. How she lives from now on depends entirely on you.” He patted Zhao Changming on the cheek and walked off with Antonio toward the temporary rest area.
As soon as he entered, he collapsed to the ground, looking weak. Antonio was momentarily stunned.
“He really did it…” Dean whispered beside him.
“Took that long?” Antonio raised a brow, expression complex.
Dean nodded, looking over at him.
“Then maybe we’ll try it sometime too,” Antonio said, and Dean’s eyes immediately lit up—sparkling with expectation—making Antonio burst out laughing.
