Meeting Qin Yan

Incidents always happen abruptly. Due to the delay on the road, by the time they set out again, Jiang Chu was already at the fourth stage, and her clothes were stained with sticky blood.
In the afternoon, they arrived near the address Qin Yan had left.
This place was located in a remote suburb of the city. Even before getting close, one could see towering walls and men armed with guns guarding the perimeter of the base.
This place was likely entirely the base's territory.
Jiang Chu focused her gaze. Within her field of vision alone, she could see more than forty guards. These men wore uniform attire, possessed a cold aura, and were well-trained—appearing no less formidable than Zhao Jingyao's team.
Furthermore, there were surveillance cameras on the outside of the walls. Although the internet was down, Jiang Chu didn't know if their cameras were still functional.
She slowed the car down to avoid the guards misunderstanding their intentions.
Ning Ting looked at the massive base before him, his breath hitching. Just on this side alone, there were so many guards; it was enough to see the strength of this base.
He turned to Jiang Chu and asked with some uncertainty, "Are you sure it's here?"
With that, he tucked his pistol into his waistband, his eyes dark and unreadable. "I feel like this isn't a place we can just enter and leave as we please. They might confiscate our guns inside."
Jiang Chu took a deep breath, understanding Ning Ting's concerns. But the arrow was on the string; there was no turning back. She had brought the person Qin Yan wanted, and she hoped he could keep his promise and act like a decent human being for once.
"It's here. Try to hide them well."
She drove forward a bit, lowered the window by a third, and waved at the man ahead.
She took out the token Qin Yan had given her previously. As the guards approached coldly with guns raised, she held out the token, regardless of their expressions. "This is your leader's token. I want to see him. Tell him I've brought the person he wanted."
Jiang Chu glanced at them. Unbeknownst to her, three well-trained teams, each person carrying an automatic rifle, had surrounded their two vehicles. If they showed any intent to resist, these men would open fire immediately.
This was very much Qin Yan's style.
Hearing the woman's words, the lead man looked at the token and finally took it. After confirming several times that it was indeed their token, his dark expression gained a hint of complexity. He shouted coldly to the others, "It's our token. They are permitted to pass."
The others were somewhat surprised. This person actually had their base's token? Who was she?
Then he turned back, his attitude slightly improved. "You may pass if you leave your guns."
Hearing this, Jiang Chu didn't budge. No matter what, she couldn't hand over the guns. This was a matter of stance. Even if there was a gap in overall strength, surrendering their weapons would put them in a more passive state. She didn't want to show weakness for no reason.
She simply said, "When Qin Yan and I made our agreement, he never mentioned this. The guns and the necessary people must enter. I have the living person Qin Yan wants, but he's dying. If time is delayed, can you afford the consequences?"
The lead man's face darkened at her cold attitude, but he eventually went inside to seek instructions and returned to allow them to enter with their guns.
Jiang Chu closed the car window again. The large gate ahead slowly opened from the inside, revealing the scene within the base.
She drove in. Just inside the gate was a large plaza, with tall buildings, greenery, and all sorts of necessary facilities on both sides.
Ning Ting grew more alarmed as he looked. His palms were covered in cold sweat. "This isn't the city, yet in less than three months, this place actually has such complete facilities."
Moreover, those armed guards didn't look like people who had only started handling guns after the apocalypse.
A flash of curiosity appeared in his eyes. Who exactly was the leader behind this base?
Jiang Chu interrupted his thoughts, smiling meaningfully. "It's strange, isn't it? A place like this is even better than the city before the apocalypse. I suspect anyone would want to stay here."
Ning Ting was speechless. He spoke casually, yet it sounded like an expression of loyalty. "Not including me. The better a place is, the more dangerous it is. Never mind staying; if it were me, just stepping into the perimeter of this base would give me a headache."
These were his honest thoughts. This base was too perfect, too bizarre, and its scale was immense, as if it had been built long ago.
Jiang Chu smiled and said no more.
Inside the gate, other guards guided them to park.
After getting out of the car, a team of about seven tall men approached. The leader of this team was a Black man who spoke fluent Chinese. He showed his white teeth and smiled. "Miss Jiang, Mr. Qin is waiting for you upstairs. Please follow me."
He turned to look at Gao Qingyang and Zhang Hu, who were escorting Cui Zhaodong. "This person, we will take him up."
"No need. Since it's a transaction, my people will bring him," Jiang Chu said loudly.
A prisoner exchange.
Seeing her persistence, the Black man said nothing more and led the squad to the large building in the center of the base.
Patrol teams were everywhere.
The Black man, named Ellen, took them up the elevator, which stopped at the top floor.
"Mr. Qin is inside, and the person you want is also inside."
Jiang Chu couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Fine, having been reborn once, this guy Qin Yan was even more formidable than in her previous life, having established such a massive base.
It seemed that before the apocalypse, having money truly allowed one to do whatever they wanted.
The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Chu stepped out.
Cui Zhaodong was awake. The wound on his arm from the explosion was bleeding again; it seemed the stitches had torn.
He looked at the unfamiliar place before him with some despair. Intuition told him that if he stayed here, he would suffer a fate worse than death. He whimpered, only to find he couldn't make a sound, his eyes filled with terror and struggle.
This floor was similar to Qin Yan's office.
Gao Qingyang and Zhang Hu's expressions were grim. This place was more dangerous than they had imagined. For example, the Black man standing there—they probably weren't sure they could beat him.
Jiang Chu stepped out of the elevator and saw the tall figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Three months had passed, and Qin Yan was the same as ever.
There were other rooms on this floor. Jiang Chu scanned the area but didn't see Ji Chen. Her eyes darkened, and her voice turned a bit colder. "I've brought the leader of the Corpse Speakers to you. Where is Ji Chen?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Qin Yan withdrew his gaze from looking down at the city. A mysterious smile played on his lips, but it vanished completely upon hearing the name Ji Chen.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I need to inspect the goods first."
Qin Yan turned around and saw that delicate face, but she didn't look happy at all; her eyes were scanning the surroundings.
Jiang Chu retracted her gaze. "Zhang Hu, hand the person over to him."
Immediately after, she met Qin Yan's gaze calmly. "Inspect him. Capturing this guy wasn't easy. Be quick about it. Once you're done, return our weapons to me, and Ji Chen. I want to take him away."