Jiang Hua did not explicitly say anything; instead, he pulled over the quilt that had been neglected for a long time and wrapped Tong Sui in it.
Of course, Tong Sui wouldn’t keep asking about the issue; with the mentality of just wanting to blend in for as long as possible, he diverted his attention elsewhere. The mat beneath him was much more comfortable than the shabby little bed in the lab, and Jiang Hua was right beside him. He no longer needed to rely on the faint scent lingering on his clothes to feel secure; he slowly began to feel drowsy.
Tong Sui gradually quieted down, and his breathing became steady and prolonged. It had been a long time since he slept this peacefully. As long as he was near Jiang Hua, he felt a sense of security that even he couldn’t quite explain.
Jiang Hua did not close his eyes. In the darkness, his gaze was deep, fixed intently on Tong Sui’s face, as if trying to make up for the time they had spent apart.
Time passed slowly. A narrow gap under the curtains allowed a sliver of light to gradually fade away. In the silence, the sudden beep of a communicator broke the stillness.
Almost within seconds of it ringing, Jiang Hua pressed the button to silence the unexpected noise. On the other end, Lou Yelin’s expression changed slightly. Jiang Hua had not only failed to turn in supplies after completing his task but was now hanging up on his call.
Who gave him such audacity?
In truth, Jian Lexian had not said anything wrong; even though Jiang Hua brought many benefits to the base after joining, Lou Yelin had remained cautious of him, becoming even more wary. Jiang Hua’s lightning abilities were too powerful, almost an uncontrollable force. With even the slightest intent to stir trouble, he could easily oust him from his position.
A few minutes later, the communicator rang back.
Lou Yelin said, “Why didn’t you say you were back? I still have matters to discuss with you.”
Jiang Hua replied coldly, “I also have something to discuss with you.”
His voice was evidently the same as usual, but Lou Yelin inexplicably felt a chill run down his back. As he waited for Jiang Hua to arrive, he paced nervously in his office.
If Jiang Hua was unwilling to hand in supplies, it was one thing if he was simply trying to keep them for himself, but what if he genuinely wanted to build his own power within the base? Just thinking about it gave Lou Yelin a headache.
He unconsciously began to reflect on whether he had been too harsh on Jiang Hua during this period. Although he performed more tasks than others, he hadn’t given him a significant position within the base.
If Jiang Hua was dissatisfied because of this, it was easy enough to resolve; it was just a matter of granting him some power and a position, as long as he could continue to serve his interests.
“Knock, knock.”
The office door was knocked on, interrupting his thoughts. Lou Yelin said, “Come in.”
Jiang Hua walked in with a cold expression.
Lou Yelin pulled out a chair, and in the same polite manner as before, said, “You’ve worked hard; please sit down and rest. You’ve done so much for the base during this period, we actually have a few vacant positions you might be interested in—”
“No need,” Jiang Hua interrupted coldly. “My request is simple: have Jian Lexian leave the base.”
“This…”
Lou Yelin’s heart sank.
He had vaguely known that Jiang Hua cared for that little researcher, but he never imagined it would come to this.
If it had been before, Lou Yelin would have agreed without a second thought.
However, Jian Lexian currently had a vast amount of supplies, and in such a special period, Lou Yelin could not afford to make such a self-destructive decision.
Lou Yelin said, “Aside from that, we can discuss anything else.”
Jiang Hua replied coldly, “I did not come to negotiate with you; if you insist on keeping him, then I won’t hand over this batch of supplies.”
After saying this, he turned and left.
Lou Yelin angrily kicked the chair away, the muscles at his temples throbbing.
Did he think he could threaten him with these supplies?
If so, then it was even less likely that he would expel Jian Lexian; what if Jiang Hua continued to use supplies to blackmail him in the future?
Lou Yelin didn’t believe Jiang Hua would truly fall out with him over this trivial matter.
After leaving the office, Jiang Hua went to the market.
Every stall had its food supplies locked away, with several ability users stationed nearby to prevent any attempts at mischief.
Jiang Hua approached, casually glancing at the prices.
With his points in the base, he could easily afford these supplies, so the stall owner greeted him enthusiastically, pulling out fresh ingredients from his space. “Team Hua, you’re back! These are the best ingredients we have.”
“Mm, pack them up for me.”
“Sure!” The stall owner had seldom seen such an extravagant client before, so he packed with extra care. Soon, he handed it over, “Here you go, Team Hua.”
Jiang Hua took the package.
Near the stall, a group of emaciated people hunched down, mostly women or older men. They looked at the items in Jiang Hua’s hands, fully aware of their own situations, and didn’t dare approach to snatch them.
Ability users held 90% of the base’s resources while comprising only a small portion of the population.
Even if they were dissatisfied, they didn’t dare to voice their complaints.
In the apocalypse, without the contribution of these ability users, they wouldn’t even be able to survive.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them.
Jiang Hua stood right in front of them.
Clearly having encountered trouble from ability users before, the group instinctively backed away, falling to the ground in fear, “Sorry! We… we didn’t do anything; we’ll leave right away.”
Jiang Hua said nothing, placing a heavy bag in front of them before turning to leave.
The group exchanged glances.
Once Jiang Hua had truly walked away, they slowly approached the bag, and when they opened it, their eyes lit up.
The bag was filled with fresh food!
They hurriedly tucked it away, fearing it might be snatched from them. When they returned to their makeshift tent, they still couldn’t quite believe it—
Why would he give them this?
Jiang Hua appeared to be even colder than the ability users who had bullied them; they instinctively assumed he was no different from them, someone who would kick them if he found them obstructive on the road.