17: Chapter 17 Spy Scandal

By the time Wang Jie returned to the base, it was already dark.

Lin Waner was standing at the entrance waiting for him; seeing his car, she finally relaxed.

Wang Jie jumped out of the car and walked up to her.

"I said I would come back alive."

Lin Waner glared at him, then suddenly hugged him.

Wang Jie was stunned.

This was the first time since the apocalypse began that he had been hugged like this.

Lin Waner held him tightly, as if afraid he might disappear.

"Don't do that again next time," she said, her voice a bit muffled, "don't go taking risks alone."

Wang Jie was silent for a few seconds.

Then he reached out and gently patted her back.

"Okay."

The two of them just held each other in the darkness, neither of them speaking.

The next day, Wang Jie called everyone for a meeting.

He recounted the events at the Academy of Sciences, including the matter of the antidote, Chen Jianguo, and King Kong.

Everyone fell silent.

Lin Waner spoke first: "Do you think that Zhao Min is trustworthy?"

Wang Jie thought for a moment: "Eighty percent likely."

Lin Waner nodded: "Then let's do it."

Chen Xue also said: "I'll be the first to sign up for fighting King Kong."

The other survivors also voiced their positions, willing to contribute.

Looking at these people, a strange feeling welled up in Wang Jie's heart.

This was exactly the kind of team he wanted.

A group of people willing to risk their lives for the same goal.

But just then, a sentry suddenly ran in:

"Commander, we've caught a suspicious person!"

Wang Jie stood up immediately: "Bring him in."

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man was escorted in by two Heavy Soldiers.

The man was in his forties, dressed plainly and looking ordinary, with nothing special about him. However, his eyes kept darting around as if observing the layout of the base.

Wang Jie looked at him and suddenly asked: "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The man forced a smile: "Officer, I'm just passing through, looking for something to eat—"

"Passing through?" Wang Jie interrupted him. "There are zombies everywhere outside, how did you get here?"

The man faltered, then said: "I... I have a car, I drove here."

"Where is the car?"

"The—the car broke down, I left it halfway."

Wang Jie smiled.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

He said to the soldier beside him: "Search him."

The soldier searched the man and found a phone in the sole of his shoe.

It wasn't an ordinary phone—it was a military-grade one, waterproof, drop-resistant, and with encryption features.

Wang Jie held the phone, looking at the man.

"Speak now, it's not too late."

The man's expression changed.

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly straightened his back, his gaze becoming different.

"I'm one of King Kong's men," he said. "I came to gather intelligence."

Wang Jie nodded: "King Kong sent you? For what?"

"To test your strength," the man said. "I heard there's a new power here with a leader named Wang Jie who is very formidable. King Kong wanted to see if you were worth recruiting."

"Recruiting?" Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. "Not annexing?"

The man sneered: "Annexing works too. It just depends on whether you know what's good for you."

Wang Jie looked at him, suddenly finding it a bit amusing.

"How many people does King Kong have? How many guns?"

The man said proudly: "Seventy or eighty people, and over thirty guns. Enough to take you down."

Wang Jie nodded.

"Alright. Then go back and tell King Kong," he said, "tell him to get ready. In a few days, I'll pay him a visit."

The man was stunned: "You—you're not killing me?"

Wang Jie shook his head: "No. Go back and pass on the message."

The man looked at him, his eyes filled with a hint of confusion and a trace of fear.

Then he was escorted out and thrown out of the base gates.

Lin Waner walked over: "You're really letting him go?"

Wang Jie nodded.

"He'll go back and tell King Kong about our situation."

"I know," Wang Jie said, "I did it on purpose."

Lin Waner was taken aback: "Why?"

Wang Jie looked into the distance, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Because I want them to know that we aren't afraid of them."

"Let them know we have confidence."

"Let them know that when they come, they should feel a sense of trepidation first."

Lin Waner looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Wang Jie, you can be quite wicked sometimes."

Wang Jie laughed as well.

"In the apocalypse, good people don't live long. Bad people live a long time. As for me—"

He paused.

"I'll be a person who is neither good nor bad."}],