Chapter 165: Emperor Ning
Each of them received an activated access card.
“You’re allowed to move freely in all areas except Zone S.”
“What’s Zone S?”
“Zone S is the core area of our Hanzhou Base. It’s also where the Ning Imperial Palace is located. No one may enter without permission.”
“Holy sh— Ning—” Lin Mengzhi’s shout was cut off as Xue Shen covered her mouth and dragged her away.
Hanzhou Base was far stranger than they had imagined. Behind one wall stood another wall, and behind that, yet another. It looked as if every single zone was separated by its own enclosure. The outermost area was Zone E. As the jeep drove in, they saw vast stretches of open fields and crops—the largest area of all the zones. Zone D was filled with rows upon rows of factory buildings, seemingly an industrial park. The buildings in Zones C, B, and A were noticeably more modern, and the survivors coming and going appeared far more well-off on the surface.
“Why are there posters of that man everywhere?” Lin Mengzhi leaned against the car window and spotted a familiar poster on yet another utility pole.
Xue Zhi glanced at it a few times. “Shen Miao.”
“Who?”
“A very famous stage actor.”
“Never heard of him.”
“If you don’t watch theater, of course you wouldn’t know. His tickets are the kind that truly sell out instantly. I just don’t know why there are so many of his posters at a time like this. There weren’t this many before.” Even Xue Zhi couldn’t figure it out.
“Could he be Ning Bizhen?!” Lin Mengzhi suddenly realized.
“I just said—his name is Shen Miao,” Xue Zhi repeated.
“…”
After swiping their access cards all the way through, the three eye-catching vehicles entered Zone A without too much trouble.
They weren’t short on money, so they checked into a hotel that clearly charged high rates at first glance. Their cars were parked in a guarded lot. The hotel lobby had a soaring ceiling, with a crystal chandelier cascading from the top floor all the way down. At the far end of the gleaming, mirror-polished floor, an octopus holding eight mops in its hands was huffing and puffing as it washed them.
Ignoring the various symbiotic organisms and the oversized plants and animals, Hanzhou’s infrastructure and base operations had already begun to resemble a pre-apocalypse city. It was the most large-scale and urbanized base they had seen along the way.
The moment they stepped into the room, a wave of floral fragrance greeted them. Wu Heng set his bag down on the table by the door, switched on the lights, and gave the room a quick once-over. It was spacious and bright, with a river view outside the window… Expensive for a reason.
“So Hanzhou’s developed this well?” Lin Mengzhi threw himself onto the soft, oversized bed. “You know, Ning Bizhen might actually have some real skills.”
At some point, Xue Zhi had leaned against the doorframe. “If he uses people as brushes, then of course he has plenty of brushes to work with.”
“Go shower and change. We’ll head out to eat in a bit.” Xie Chongyi patted Wu Heng lightly on the lower back and wrapped an arm around him, steering him toward the bathroom.
“What about us?” Lin Mengzhi sat up.
“Together,” Xie Chongyi replied.
The room fell quiet. Xie Chongyi took his time strolling around, eventually stopping by the bedside table. He bent down, picked up the phone, and tried dialing the front desk.
The line wasn’t very clear, but it connected.
“Hello, how may I assist you?”
Xie Chongyi said, “Are there any restaurants you would recommend?”
Seeing that Xie Chongyi was actually having a conversation with someone on the other end, Lin Mengzhi’s eyes widened. He scrambled off the bed and hurried over, sticking close to him.
After the call ended, Lin Mengzhi asked curiously, “The phone still works? Can it dial other places directly?”
“Probably not,” Xie Chongyi said.
Wu Heng had only taken a quick shower and soon came out of the bathroom.
He had changed out of the outdoor jacket more suited for traveling and was now wearing an apricot-colored sweater and white jeans. Slim and pale, he looked like a thin slice of dried apricot—utterly unrelated to the ferocious plant symbiote he actually was.
“When are we going to eat?” The first thing he asked upon appearing was about food.
Xie Chongyi had been staring at him in a daze. Only after Wu Heng finished speaking did he snap back to himself, catching the tail end of the question. “What did you say?”
“When are we eating?”
“Anytime.”
The others quickly changed out of their dirty clothes as well and tossed them into the hotel’s washing machines. Then, in a rather grand procession, they headed toward the restaurant address given by the front desk.
The restaurant was located in the tallest commercial building along the river in Zone A. Across from it lay the mist-shrouded river. By the roadside stood a row of willow trees that had grown to the height of six or seven stories. In the park beneath them, a group of poodles the size of water buffaloes were happily chasing one another.
Just then, a motorcade passed by, blocking Shukui’s view of the giant poodles.
“Warmest celebrations to Mr. Shen Miao on his twenty-eighth birthday!”
“Happy birthday to Mr. Shen Miao! May every year be as joyous as today!”
The banners on the trucks read as much. The truck beds were filled to the brim with large white roses—so densely packed that not a single green leaf could be seen. The middle truck, meanwhile, carried a pure white Devon cat.
Wu Heng held the dog’s leash, his gaze following the passing convoy.
“Seriously, who is this Shen Miao?” Dou Lu stood by the roadside. “Ever since we entered Hanzhou, he’s been everywhere!”
“You don’t know Shen Miao? You folks aren’t from our base, are you?”
By the time they turned around, the convoy had already gone far. The voice came from a security guard at the entrance of the building—wearing a full suit and leather shoes, no less.
“You know? Then tell us about him,” Xue Qi said, walking over.
“Of course I should tell you. Wouldn’t want you offending this big shot and not even knowing how you died.”
That sounded a little strange.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on details.
“Go on, then,” Dou Lu said.
The security guard looked young. Though his demeanor was somewhat carefree, his clean-cut features made him hard to dislike. He began to speak.
“This Shen Miao,” the security guard began, “used to be a stage actor so famous he was practically glowing purple with success. With his outstanding professional skills, he’s won countless awards. Mr. Shen has a gentle, quiet temperament, no airs about him. He loves sweets, dislikes rainy days, fears dogs the most, and loves cats the most. And as for his favorite flower—you’ve probably guessed already—it’s white roses.”
The more Xue Qi listened, the more confused he became. “Why are you telling us all this?”
“I’m telling you about Mr. Shen, of course.” The guard gave him a look as if he were trying to explain ice to a summer insect. “Everyone in Hanzhou Base has to memorize Mr. Shen’s likes and dislikes. There are spot checks at any time.”
“Huh???”
Wu Heng and Xie Chongyi exchanged a glance.
“You country bumpkins, haven’t seen much of the world, have you?” the guard snorted. “Mr. Shen is our Emperor Ning’s lover. Even though he has no special abilities and is just an ordinary human, Emperor Ning loves him to the core. You could say that in our base, Mr. Shen stands above everything.”
“Wow… uh…”
“What happens during these spot checks?” Xue Qi asked.
“If you fail, you’re expelled from the base.”
After saying that, the young guard pointed at the dog in the boy’s hand. “You’d better hide that skinny dog. Don’t let Mr. Shen or our Emperor Ning see it. Otherwise, death is guaranteed.”
“Of course, hide it or don’t—it’s up to you. I’m just offering kind advice. Good words can’t save a dog that’s determined to die.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Xie Chongyi took the leash from Wu Heng. “Let’s go inside.”
The group entered the building lobby and somehow managed to squeeze everyone into the elevator in one go.
“I feel kind of sick,” Lin Mengzhi said.
The elevator slowly ascended.
“Me too. Hanzhou’s our hometown, after all. I’m not asking it to be perfect, but how can they treat people like they’re not even human and pull this feudal nonsense? ‘Emperor Ning’? I feel like throwing up!” Dou Lu was so furious she was almost out of breath—then realized she was just being crushed in the crowd. “Shukui, you’re stepping on my foot!”
Lin Mengzhi said, “I meant I feel uncomfortable from being squished.”
“Same,” Ying Liuquan added.
“Isn’t our school just at the end of that road outside? Turn a corner and it’s there?” Shen Ping’an stared out of the elevator.
“Want to take a walk there after dinner?” Xie Chongyi reached down and took Wu Heng’s hand.
The elevator climbed higher and higher. Below them, whether streets, buildings, or even bridges—Shen Miao’s posters were everywhere, filling every corner of the base. Even across the vast river, fish swam in coordinated patterns, spontaneously forming the two characters of Shen Miao’s name.
What it inspired wasn’t just overwhelming devotion—but also an inexplicable chill creeping down the spine.
“Ding—”
With a soft chime, the heavy elevator doors slowly slid open.
A handsome, elegant man stood outside.
The people inside the elevator instantly recognized him—he was Shen Miao, the very man whose posters covered the entire base.
The moment the man saw the mutated dog inside the elevator, his face turned deathly pale.
—
The restaurant was located on an open-air rooftop, covered by a glass dome. All around the terrace, lush greenery was planted in a ring. Rainwater drizzled over the plants, making everything vibrantly green. Dining in such an environment naturally had its own charm.
A server led them to a long table at the far edge of the restaurant. After everyone sat down, the server handed them the menus.
Lin Mengzhi took one look, then flung it away in horror. “What the hell—I’m not ordering. One of you do it!”
“Is it that expensive?” Dou Lu picked up the menu in confusion. But after reading the dishes listed on it, her face changed color. “Isn’t owl a protected species? You can eat that?”
The server smiled politely. “Hello, they’ve already become overabundant. At present, the human population is more in need of protection.”
“…Right.”
“I’ll just have a salmon salad and a filet steak. You guys order the rest.” Dou Lu quickly handed the menu away.
Xie Chongyi leaned back in his chair, holding the menu. Aside from a few dishes that gave off a rather unsettling vibe, he ordered nearly everything.
Finally, he looked at the server. “Everything I just listed—three portions of each. Thank you.”
He didn’t look like someone who couldn’t afford the bill. Besides, those who could enter Zone A were mostly high-level ability users or their family members. Though the server was astonished by such extravagant ordering without even blinking, he said nothing and took the menu back to the kitchen.
As soon as the server left, Lin Mengzhi lightly slapped the table and lowered his voice. “There were dog and cat dishes on there! Who allowed them to eat that?”
“Not just that. There’s giraffe and wild giant salamander too,” Dou Lu said expressionlessly.
“Even though we’ve eaten everything out in the wild… seeing them listed on a menu still feels different,” Ruan Silian said softly.
“Let’s talk about Ning Bizhen,” Xue Shen leaned forward. “Deal with him, hand Hanzhou over to Jingzhou, and we can leave.”
Lin Mengzhi bit down on his fork and rolled his eyes. “But the ‘Emperor Ning’ is in his palace. What, we just charge in and kill him? And what about the people in the base—are they supposed to survive that?”
“Ning Bizhen is a Gu master, and he spends most of his time at his residence. If we want to take him out…” Dou Lu leaned over the table and made a slicing gesture, “…it’ll have to be an assassination.”
“Know yourself and know your enemy. We’d better figure out his ability type, evolution direction, range of control—everything—before we act. If we die, fine, but don’t drag Hanzhou’s civilians down with us,” Xue Qi said.
“Hold position. Start with investigation.”
The group had practically crawled onto the table, discussing heatedly.
Zhou Yi kept sipping water. Watching them, he suddenly felt that even if they were shouting at the top of their lungs, no one would take them seriously. They looked far too much like kindergarteners playing pretend.
The dishes were served one after another, plated no differently from the pre-apocalypse era.
Wu Heng wasn’t interested in the bread, and he cared even less for the salads. He picked up several plates of sashimi and ate them, then began waiting for the main courses.
“You’ll probably like this.” Xie Chongyi placed a bowl of creamy pumpkin soup in front of him.
Wu Heng finished one bowl of pumpkin soup. After that, Xie Chongyi tasted every dish first before letting him eat it. Even the steak was cut into pieces by Xie Chongyi before being set neatly in front of him.
Wu Heng finished four or five servings in a row, licking his spoon in satisfaction—
—when a sudden commotion of footsteps erupted outside the restaurant.
The others were still buried in their food when the entire dining hall abruptly grew noisy.
“Long live Emperor Ning!!!”
Wu Heng paused mid-air with his spoon and looked around.
Every other diner in the restaurant had dropped to their knees, heads bowed low.
At their table, silence fell so completely it felt as though even their breathing had vanished.
Inside and outside the restaurant, an eerie stillness took over. Only the faint drip of rainwater against the glass dome overhead remained.
Then footsteps approached from the end of the corridor—steady, unhurried, neither heavy nor light.
A casually dressed man appeared at the restaurant entrance, expression relaxed. His gaze did not linger on anyone in the room—not even the conspicuously upright outsiders at their table. He walked straight toward a spot behind a large evergreen plant.
“I heard someone brought a dog and frightened you?”
“No. Who told you that?”
“If I had to hear about your affairs from someone else before knowing them myself, that would be a bit…”
Just like that—brazenly, as if no one else existed—the chairs and table in that corner began to shift.
Strange, uneven sounds followed—low breaths mingled with the faint sound of water. Then came a man’s suppressed, restrained sobbing.
Most of the people present were adults. Even those who weren’t could understand enough from the sounds alone.
Faces at their table flushed in different shades of red.
Yet the people kneeling on the floor seemed as if they heard nothing at all.
Wu Heng instinctively glanced at Xie Chongyi. From the look in the other man’s eyes, he confirmed that his guess had not been wrong.
He lowered his gaze and pretended nothing was happening, using his fork to spear a piece of pan-seared salmon on his plate. It might have been mutated too—but the taste was pretty good.
At the table closest to them, one half of a young couple—a woman—finally dared to lift her head. Her face pale with panic, she turned toward the long-haired boy.
“Get down. Kneel—quickly.”
Wu Heng looked at her, puzzled.
“If you don’t, Emperor Ning will kill you. It’s the rule in our base—when you see Emperor Ning, you must kneel. You’re not allowed to raise your head.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
Wu Heng looked even more confused.
At that very moment, the sounds from the other side abruptly ceased.
The surrounding greenery suddenly stirred.
From within the dense foliage, a flash of bright red—countless small insects—burst forth at astonishing speed. One particularly vivid, crimson bug leapt out, landing crisply on the floor before springing toward the woman.
Instinctively, she raised her arm to block. A water shield formed in front of her—but shattered in a single strike.
Covering her mouth, she stared in horror as the Gu insect landed right before her eyes.
Then—
Two slender, pale fingers descended from above.
Wu Heng had bent down in front of her. His long hair fell naturally over his shoulders as he pinched the insect between his fingers.
“Ew. A bug.”
He crushed it effortlessly.
After glancing at the sticky residue on his fingertips, he wiped the foul-smelling pulp in mild disgust onto the woman’s collar.
“Thanks for the reminder earlier,” he said calmly. “This one’s for you.”