He Didn’t Just Let You Live—He Let You Live Better!

Hearing Jiang Xiaoci's words, Mike was filled with a sense of foreboding.

It was the first time he'd ever felt this woman's excitement, as though she were a martial arts master sensing the murderous aura of an opponent—a sign that she was finally fully focused.

"I hope we don't run into that guy anytime soon," Mike muttered, shaking his head, then suddenly realized something. He turned to Jiang Xiaoci. "Xiaoci, have you seen something from the future? Something you didn't tell me?"

"I've never kept anything from you, sir," she replied, smiling.

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You just hid something from me not long ago, didn't you?"

Jiang Xiaoci's voice softened. "That was for your own good. I would never conceal anything out of malice."

Mike sighed deeply, a bit resigned. This woman was too clever—pressing her too hard wasn't a good idea.

"It's fine. I trust you," Mike muttered, pausing as he activated his detection skill. Sure enough, the infection status was gone.

"Now, there shouldn't be any mistakes, right?" he murmured, switching to Chen Dafen's perspective. The man was still keeping the ruthless "Wu Qing" under control, and there were no signs of resistance. It seemed the ancient god's power wasn't as terrifying as they had feared, or perhaps Wu Qing was simply waiting to be killed by Chen Dafen.

A few minutes later, Wu Qing suddenly convulsed. His jet-black eyes rapidly faded, and he seemed to wake from a deep sleep, looking around in confusion, trying to rise.

"Don't move. Stay down!" Chen Dafen barked.

Wu Qing's face was one of utter panic. "Captain Chen! Why are you stepping on me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Still playing dumb?" Chen Dafen sneered, clearly done with him. He didn't want to engage in conversation—he was trying to avoid the bizarre electric shocks that had hurt him earlier.

Jiang Xiaoci's voice came through the comm again, calm and composed. "His refuge has been destroyed. According to the calculations, he's no longer the 'Mother Body.' The mechanisms he once had will be completely purified."

"Can I kill him now?" Chen Dafen asked, his tone lighting up. He had been itching to take revenge for the shock earlier. Although it wasn't entirely Wu Qing's fault, Chen Dafen didn't care—he wanted to kill him anyway.

Jiang Xiaoci didn't respond directly. "Chen Dafen, lift your foot."

"Huh?" Chen Dafen frowned, hesitating before cautiously lifting his foot.

In the next instant, a muffled gunshot echoed in the night. A piercing round of armor-piercing ammunition cut through the air and struck Wu Qing's head with deadly precision.

Bang!

Wu Qing's head exploded with a sickening sound, splattering yellowish-white fluids everywhere.

Chen Dafen stared blankly at the scene, his eyes following the bullet's trajectory. He could even tell which sniper had fired the shot.

"Miss Jiang, why?" he growled, clearly displeased. "Can't I even kill someone anymore?"

Jiang Xiaoci didn't offer an explanation. She simply cut off the communication.

Beep... beep...

The busy signal echoed in Chen Dafen's earpiece, leaving him feeling more embarrassed. "That woman... she doesn't respect me at all!"

"She respects you just fine. But if she showed too much respect, others might think she's trying to sideline me," Mike's voice came through the comm, teasing him. "In most cases, her attitude towards you is strictly professional. It's not about giving you face."

"Commander…" Chen Dafen grunted, his expression softening slightly.

Mike, however, had been busy checking the infection statuses of everyone—himself, Chen Dafen, and Chen Xun. They were all clear now. There was no sign of any remaining infection.

"She didn't let you kill Wu Qing yourself because he was in a state of Mother Body infection. We're still unsure if that state has any other peculiarities," Mike continued explaining. "For safety's sake, the final blow should come from a soldier. That way, even if he's infected as the Mother Body again, the damage will be controllable."

"Even the person who destroyed his refuge came from Jinling's special forces," Mike added. "Wu Qing's refuge was never destroyed by anyone from Jinling's upper ranks."

As Mike continued examining the situation, he realized something: he was getting smarter. He no longer needed Jiang Xiaoci's explanations to figure things out. He could see the bigger picture for himself.

It was starting to feel natural—being the leader.

"Oh, that makes sense," Chen Dafen muttered, his mood brightening. A smug expression appeared on his face. "So if I had become infected as the Mother Body, I would've caused the most damage, huh?"

Mike blinked, stunned. What? Did he just say that out loud?

"...You're proud of that?" Mike thought, shaking his head. "You actually want to be the Mother Body? What kind of weirdo..."

Before he could respond, Qin Dashan arrived, having received orders. He quickly reported to Chen Dafen.

"Captain Chen, according to the latest communications from Command, the giant 'eater fungi' in other regions have been dealt with," Qin Dashan reported solemnly. "It appears they've died on their own, and the timing of their death matches exactly with the death of this one."

"We believe there might be some kind of symbiotic relationship between them," he continued.

Chen Dafen cut him off. "Don't waste time with that. Just tell me—did Command issue any orders for me?"

"No," Qin Dashan answered. "If there were orders, they wouldn't have come through me."

"What about enemies I need to kill?" Chen Dafen asked again.

"None," Qin Dashan said, after thinking for a moment. "The biggest threat to us was the giant eater fungi. Now that they're gone, the remaining fungi, even if immune to the suppression agents, aren't much trouble. The rescue teams can handle them."

"Then what are you here for?" Chen Dafen scoffed. "Don't treat me like some kind of team leader. I only handle combat. You take care of the rest."

With that, he kicked Wu Qing's decapitated body and strode off.

Qin Dashan stood there, helpless, watching his team leader leave. "Sigh... with a leader like this, I guess I'm doing most of the work on the New Chang rescue mission."

However, things were looking up. The most difficult issues had already been resolved. The threat of the Soul Plague was gone. The remaining issues were the scattered armed forces and the ongoing riots from the eater fungi in the city, but these weren't serious threats.

Mike could now clearly see that the Jinling rescue team had proven itself during the eater fungi outbreak. This would help suppress the local armed forces, who would be too scared to act up now.

Even without Jiang Xiaoci's input, Mike could see how the situation in New Chang was shaping up. It would only be a matter of time before the city's chaos was resolved.

"The next task will be in Guangling," Mike murmured, looking out the window as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon. "That place won't be easy to handle."

Later that morning, the remaining military forces in the Brave Man Alliance set out, leading numerous survivors and forming new rescue squads. These teams, now supported by the Jinling communications system, dispersed across the city to join the efforts of last night's rescue teams. They brought fresh supplies and reinforcements, continuing to clear the city of the eater fungi.

At 10 AM, the Jinling Command issued a new rescue directive for New Chang, drafted personally by Mike. This was Mike's first time directly handling a major task outside of his leadership circle.

The announcement was sent to both cities simultaneously and posted in their respective chat channels.

"Regarding the Latest Rescue Directive for New Chang"

"In the Jinling Commander's directive, we clearly state that the core mission is [Two Cities, One Heart] and [Mutual Disaster Relief]!"

"For New Chang, we will focus on [Eradicating the Eater Fungi]. We must show the determination to eliminate all the eater fungi in New Chang and protect the lives of our people. No threat to their safety will be tolerated!"

"During the operation, we must confront difficulties head-on. We must implement the 'Three Comprehensive' anti-disaster approach!"

"New Chang's rescue teams will focus on [Comprehensive Sweep], [Comprehensive Elimination], and [Comprehensive Monitoring]!"

"We will completely eradicate the eater fungi and prevent any resurgence. No effort will be spared to ensure the safety of New Chang's people!"

"We must be prepared to sacrifice for the people! We must stand in front of them to block disaster!"

"For Jinling, the Commander has issued urgent orders to the research facilities to accelerate the development of new anti-fungi drugs. All available medical resources in Jinling must be dedicated to this task!"

"The factories already under repair must be prepared to produce large quantities of the new drugs immediately! We must ensure that enough supplies are ready for the frontline."

"The logistics and supply systems must be tightly coordinated to ensure the basic survival of the disaster areas."

"At all costs, we must guarantee the people have food, shelter, and safety. Survival isn't the end goal—living well is the true test of our times!"

The message was then broadcasted across both