But
The elixir of immortality is my trump card—how could I possibly tell them? Unless I die, no one will ever steal my research results!
Chen Dao’s face twisted. “If you’ve got the guts, kill me! If I die, no one will ever know what the immortality drug is!”
Jian An’s expression darkened. “The so-called immortality drug… is just that ginseng inside, isn’t it?”
“Impossible! You can’t possibly know that!” Chen Dao panicked. That ginseng was his final card. His plan was to fake his death, then take the ginseng to a new base where no one knew him. With the immortality drug research, that place would accept him—he would rise again, become someone powerful, and take revenge.
But if the ginseng was gone… everything would be over.
“Give me back my ginseng! I’ll give you anything!” Chen Dao pleaded despite the lightning pressing against his throat.
Jian An slightly loosened the pressure of the lightning—just enough to ensure that if Chen Dao acted up, he would die instantly.
“Then explain it clearly. What exactly is this immortality drug?” Ji Chen said, clearly curious whether that ginseng really had such power.
But Chen Dao’s obsession with the so-called immortality drug was a forbidden subject—he would rather die than speak.
In Jian An’s arms, Wen Qi suddenly reached into her pocket—but in reality, she reached into her “spiritual storage space.”
I remember there’s a truth pill somewhere…
The little spirit rabbit searched carefully through her treasure space.
Found it.
Wen Qi tried to climb out of Jian An’s arms, but he was holding her too tightly.
The little rabbit got annoyed and patted his hand.
“Baby, what is it?” Jian An noticed immediately.
“I have a pill that can make him tell the truth,” she said proudly.
If she had rabbit ears, they would definitely be standing straight up, waiting for praise.
She leaned close to his ear to explain. Jian An only felt her warm breath brushing against him, sending a strange tingling sensation down his spine.
He quickly put her down, his ears turning red.
If he didn’t, he might really lose control.
“Ahem… give it to me,” he said.
Jian An took the pill, used his ability to force Chen Dao’s mouth open, and tossed it inside.
The pill melted instantly.
“What did you make me eat?!” Chen Dao panicked. Poison? Something that turns him into a tree man? His mind raced through possibilities.
But Jian An had no patience left.
“Speak. What is the immortality drug?”
Chen Dao tried to resist—but his mouth moved on its own.
“The immortality drug… is the ginseng. If you slice it and hold it in your mouth for three minutes, it restores stamina instantly. If you grind it into powder and apply it to wounds, it heals them…”
He continued speaking uncontrollably.
“And the reason Ma Zi didn’t die just now—it was because of this drug,” Jian An asked further.
“Ma Zi… Ma Zi!” Chen Dao’s expression twisted at the name. “That useless man… how did he get so lucky? Two abilities—poison and healing! Combined with the ginseng, he can’t die!”
Jealousy filled his face. He had worked so hard on his experiments, yet Ma Zi benefited the most.
“If not for his healing ability, I would’ve discarded him long ago…”
“Can those tree people be restored?” Jian An glanced at the fallen tree men.
“They can’t be restored. They’re already tree people. No antidote exists. The only way is to kill the mother drug user—once the mother is dead, the child users regain sanity…”
Chen Dao’s face twisted as he fought against the truth pill, but it was useless.
“Is the ginseng really that powerful?” Ji Chen continued writing in his notebook.
“Yes… but it has a cooldown period of one week. During that time, it’s just an ordinary ginseng.”
“Does slicing it or grinding it affect it?” Ji Chen asked.
“Yes.”
“When was the last activation?” Ji Chen pressed.
“Today.”
At that moment—
“Let go of my brother!” Ma Zi arrived, carrying a large blade. The bullet hole in his head had vanished. He stood there, murderous.
Liao Liao stepped forward with a metal rod. “Wow, not enough that we killed you once? You came back for seconds?”
“My life was saved by the boss. Release him!” Ma Zi raised his hand, preparing to unleash poison mist.
But Jian An was faster—lightning struck him instantly.
“Ughhh!!”
Ma Zi collapsed.
Ji Chen immediately froze him in place.
“Ma Zi!” Chen Dao’s expression changed. Of all people, it was Ma Zi who came to save him.
Memories flashed between them—
“Boss, life with you is too good. Who would’ve thought we’d be thriving in the apocalypse?”
“Boss, you’re a genius! With your drugs and my abilities, we’re unstoppable!”
“Boss, let’s drink today—experiments failing is normal!”
Only now did Chen Dao realize—this man truly treated him as a boss.
“You all… will die horribly!” Chen Dao cursed.
“Kill him?” Liao Liao asked casually.
“Yes. End it quickly.”
Jian An pulled Wen Qi back into his arms so she wouldn’t look. Lightning struck Chen Dao, and Ji Chen immediately froze him afterward.
Just in case, they would keep him frozen until tomorrow—after the ginseng’s effect wore off.
“What about the tree people?” Liao Liao scratched his head.
“Let them decide their own fate when they wake up.”
“We split up next,” Jian An said, looking at Wen Qi in his arms.
Liao Liao stays to guard the captives.
Ji Chen investigates the lab.
Jian An and Wen Qi go rescue the “pretty sisters.”
Meanwhile—
Bai Zhi was holding hands with her brother Bai Mu’s vine-like form.
Suddenly, Bai Mu stiffened—his consciousness slowly returning.
“Zhi Zhi… are you okay?” he asked, still confused.
“Brother!!” Bai Zhi burst into tears and hugged him tightly.
“I missed you so much…”
Bai Mu looked at his own hands in shock.
“Brother…” Bai Zhi sobbed and told him everything that had happened.
Bai Mu stood up abruptly. “Those people… they’re animals!”
“Zhi Zhi… you suffered.”
He clenched his fists in regret. He had promised to protect his sister—but instead, she had been the one protecting him.
“I’m such a useless brother…”