CHAPTER 588: CHAPTER 588: MEETING WITH HAN WEILIN

Su Jiyai sat in her underground room, the soft glow of crystal lamps lighting up the walls. All around her were shelves filled with herbs, scrolls, and strange bottles.

Her slender fingers turned the brittle pages of the scroll, her eyes narrowing as she read the formula carefully.

"So this is the antidote... step one begins with the simplest mix of herbs, but the middle stages... they need things I have never even seen in this world."

Her heart pounded faster the more she read. She could almost imagine the finished potion glowing in her hands, capable of curing zombie virus.

She smiled softly.

"Even if I cannot finish it now, I can still complete step one. That will be enough for the moment."

She gathered a few herbs from the table. Some were common, picked from the farms of Hope Base. Others had been found from the previous world.

As she mixed them into the mortar, she kept muttering the lines of the formula, checking every word.

But just as she began to crush the herbs, the communication screen on her desk lit up. Yuan Xin’s voice came through the speaker.

"Boss, there is news."

Su Jiyai frowned, a little impatient. "What is it, Yuan Xin? I am busy."

There was a short silence before Yuan Xin cleared his throat. "Leader Shi of Cedar Base has requested a meeting."

The pestle in Su Jiyai’s hand paused mid-air. She blinked, surprised. "A meeting? What type of meeting?"

"Leader Shi wishes to build a trade link with Hope Base," Yuan Xin explained quickly. "He is asking for a one-on-one meeting with you."

Su Jiyai leaned back, her lips tightening in thought. "A trade link? If that is the case, then we can invite Leader Shi here officially or arrange to meet halfway, somewhere safe for both sides."

There was a nervous cough from Yuan Xin before he said softly, "Boss... actually... Leader Shi is already here in our base. He has been waiting for one day."

Su Jiyai froze. Her eyes widened. "What? He has been here for a whole day? Why was I not informed immediately?"

On the other side of the screen, Yuan Xin’s face turned red. He lowered his head and admitted in a small voice, "It was Master Qin Feng’s order. He told us you were tired and needed to rest, and that we should not disturb you for a full day."

Su Jiyai blinked. For a moment, she did not know whether to laugh or cry. So it was Qin Feng. She remembered how she had only woken up five hours ago, after sleeping deeply. Now realizing it was him who had made the others keep silent, she felt warmth rise in her chest.

Her lips curved slightly. "That man... he is too caring," she thought silently. But she quickly hid her smile and spoke firmly. "Fine. Bring Leader Shi to the conference room at once. I will meet him there."

"Yes, Boss!" Yuan Xin bowed deeply before the screen went dark.

Su Jiyai stood, straightened her clothes, and told the system to teleport her. In the blink of an eye, she was inside the grand conference room. She walked to the head table and sat calmly, her expression serious.

Not long after, footsteps echoed from the hallway. The doors opened, and Leader Shi entered along with a few of his subordinates. But before Su Jiyai could greet him, someone rushed forward.

A pair of arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Jiyai!" cried a trembling voice.

Su Jiyai was stunned for a moment, but when she looked down, she saw the familiar face. "Weilin?"

Han Weilin’s eyes were wet with tears as she hugged Su Jiyai tightly. "I thought you were dead! Do you know how much I worried? Do you know how helpless I felt?"

Su Jiyai chuckled softly and patted her best friend’s back. "It is alright, Weilin. Look at me, I am fine."

Han Weilin shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"When I first heard the news, I refused to believe it. Everyone told me you were gone, but I kept arguing with them. No one listened. No one believed me. I even thought of leaving everything behind to find you. If it were not for my dormmates stopping me, I might have run out foolishly."

Su Jiyai sighed, her tone gentle. "It is better that you did not. The world outside is too dangerous. You would have only risked your life."

Pulling back a little, Su Jiyai looked closely at her. She noticed something different. Weilin’s skin looked healthier, almost glowing. And there was a cool, fresh aura around her body, like a breeze in winter.

Raising an eyebrow, Su Jiyai asked suspiciously, "Weilin... did you awaken a superpower?"

Weilin quickly nodded, a small smile forming despite her tears. "Yes. I awakened an Ice ability."

Su Jiyai’s eyes lit up with joy. She clapped her hands together. "That is wonderful! Ice is powerful and rare. With it, you can protect yourself and live freely."

Weilin’s smile widened. "When I told my father that I knew Boss Su, he thought I was lying. He even scolded me. But now..." Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Now he will be so ashamed. He will know I was telling the truth."

Su Jiyai blinked, startled. "Wait, how do you know I am Boss Su?"

Han Weilin chuckled, scratching her cheek. "I found out only yesterday."

Su Jiyai tilted her head. "Yesterday? What happened?"

Weilin’s eyes softened as she remembered. "Let me tell you."

..................................

One day ago, when Han Weilin, her father Han Zhu, and a few of Leader Xi’s trusted men had first arrived at Hope Base, they decided to explore the area.

The base was lively, filled with people chatting, buying food, and laughing. For Weilin, who had lived in fear for so long, it was like stepping into another world.

As they walked through the supermarket, Weilin slowed her steps. Just ahead of her, two people were chatting excitedly while picking up some vegetables.

"Can you believe it?" one whispered. "Our base leader, Su Jiyai, is incredible. To think that the leader of such a huge base is just a girl in her early twenties."

"And so beautiful," the other replied quickly. "Did you see her? That blue hair is unforgettable. Like a jewel shining under the sun."

Weilin froze. Her eyes widened. Su Jiyai? Blue hair? No way.

At first, she thought she had misheard. But when they mentioned the blue hair, her heart nearly stopped.

"No other girl named Su Jiyai with blue hair could exist," she whispered to herself. "It has to be her."

Her hands trembled with excitement. She wanted to run immediately to Su Jiyai, but instead, she rushed back to the room her father had rented.

The moment she stepped inside, her breath caught.

The building was unlike anything she had ever seen. Smooth walls, clean floors, shining lights, and machines that hummed quietly in the background. It looked futuristic, like something out of the old world’s movies.

Ignoring all the decorations, Han Weilin almost tripped over herself as she hurried down the clean corridor. Her heart was beating wildly, her hands clutched into fists. She didn’t care about the shining lights or the polished floor.

She only had one thought in her head.

"It’s her. It has to be her. Jiyai is alive."

Reaching the rented apartment, she raised her fist and banged on the door. "Dad! Dad, open the door quickly!"

There was a moment of silence before the door creaked open. Han Zhu stood there, tall and stern, with a frown on his face. His brows furrowed deeper when he saw his daughter’s flushed cheeks.

"What happened, Weilin? Why are you shouting like the sky is falling?"

But before he could finish, Weilin grabbed his sleeve and pulled him inside.

"Dad, listen to me! I just discovered something big. Boss Su... the leader of this base... she’s Su Jiyai! My Su Jiyai from the military!"

Han Zhu froze for a second, blinking at her. Then his expression relaxed into a tired look. He shook his head slowly.

"So that’s what this is about. I thought something serious had happened. Weilin, you must not say such things so easily. It is too big of a claim."

"No, Dad, I’m not making it up!" Weilin’s voice rose, filled with determination. She pressed her palms together as if begging.

"I heard it with my own ears. Some people in the supermarket were talking. They said their Boss Su is a girl in her early twenties, and her name is Su Jiyai. They even said she has blue hair. Dad, you know that’s not a coincidence. It’s her! No other Su Jiyai could have blue hair like that."

Han Zhu sighed and walked toward the small table in the room. He sat down heavily, rubbing his forehead. "Weilin, you should calm yourself. I know you miss your friend, but... you are mistaken."