Accusation

Bai Pu did not need to think to know what the so-called additional clause was.

The Byronnes Merchant Guild and the Superpower Corporation were fierce competitors in spiritual energy pharmaceuticals, with extensive overlap in their business scopes.

As an experimental subject on the run from the Superpower Corporation, Bai Pu naturally held immense research value. The additional clause was likely that he had to agree to cooperate with the Equilibrium Faction's research.

To the Equilibrium Faction, Bai Pu's value as an experimental subject far outweighed his value as a Reinforced Elite tank-class Awakened.

That was also why Bai Pu had refused.

Having been refuted by his own words, Bratton could only smile awkwardly, silently cursing himself for having put on too many airs earlier.

"Captain Li... do I need to join the military?" Bai Pu asked for confirmation. Though he was somewhat resistant to joining the military and felt that it would restrict him, he could only compromise in the face of the Superpower Corporation's very real threat.

Li Ling gave Bai Pu a somewhat strange look. "Enlisting requires political background checks and moral assessments. Even if the restrictions are more relaxed for Awakened, it can't be done so casually."

From Li Ling's words, Bai Pu inferred something: the God Strategy Army was not Huaxia's Awakened military force, but a semi-military, semi-civilian organization backed by the military that recruited outstanding Awakened. It likely included core members—active-duty soldiers—and guest members—non-military personnel.

"I'm willing to join, but I require a formal contract," Bai Pu said.

"Of course." Li Ling agreed at once and immediately instructed an attendant beside her to print the membership contract.

Bai Pu's insistence on a formal contract came from a trace of wariness. While investigating the Byronnes Merchant Guild, he had also looked into its partners, one of which was the Great Tang Group.

Although the Great Tang Group was involved in the spiritual energy pharmaceutical industry, it mainly operated upstream, supplying raw materials for large quantities of Spirit Realm medicinal ingredients. The Great Tang Group had few conflicts with the Byronnes Merchant Guild and the Superpower Corporation. Instead, it cooperated extensively with both and had always maintained good relations with them.

Bai Pu had to be on guard. What if the God Strategy Army only intended to placate him for the moment while secretly calling the Superstar Alliance over to arrest him? Once he signed a formal contract and joined the God Strategy Army, he would be one of their own. If the God Strategy Army even betrayed its own members and sold them out to outsiders, who could remain in such an organization?

Li Ling worked efficiently. In less than ten minutes, two copies of the contract were placed before him.

Bai Pu carefully read through the contract. The terms could not be called generous, but there were certainly no traps meant to cheat him. He no longer hesitated and picked up the pen to sign his name.

"Congratulations. We'll be colleagues from now on. I hope you hold yourself to strict standards, strive constantly to improve yourself, join the military soon, and become a true comrade-in-arms." Li Ling's attitude became much more formal as she extended her hand to Bai Pu.

Bai Pu shook her hand and thought to himself, No thanks. I have no intention of becoming a soldier for now.

Inside the army-green jeep, Bai Pu and Li Ling both sat in the backseat.

From Bai Pu's angle, he could see a patch of fair skin through the gap between the buttons stretched apart over Li Ling's white shirt.

He shifted his gaze away and stared at the back of the driver's head in the front seat.

"The first thing we need to do now is revoke the filing the Jiangnan Garrison has on you. I'll give it a try and see if I can make it happen."

As Li Ling spoke, she had already taken out her phone and made two calls in succession.

Revoking the filing did not go smoothly. Li Ling belonged to the military, while the local garrison was part of a different system—the Jiangnan Garrison actually had closer ties with the Superpower Corporation.

Of course, faced with pressure from the God Strategy Army represented by Li Ling, the Jiangnan Garrison did not dare resist outright and chose to muddle things over.

"Let's go to Jiangnan Base City."

Li Ling put down her phone and briefly explained to Bai Pu, "The Jiangnan Garrison has proposed a civil mediation plan. You need to meet with a representative from the Superpower Corporation for mediation. I'll go with you."

Bai Pu naturally agreed.

In any case, the membership contract had already been signed, and it had been signed in front of everyone in the Byronnes inspection delegation. With those witnesses present, Bai Pu's entry into the God Strategy Army was practically set in stone. No one could deny it.

Li Ling could not possibly betray Bai Pu. Otherwise, once word got out, the God Strategy Army's morale would fall apart.

Jiangnan Base City, Garrison, mediation hall.

Three parties sat around the long conference table: the Jiangnan Garrison, representatives of the Superpower Corporation, and Bai Pu with Li Ling.

The young man seated opposite Bai Pu wore an immaculate suit. Behind gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes radiated undisguised, sinister coldness as he stared fixedly at Bai Pu.

He hates me that much? Why bother? You're a wage slave too. Are you really that loyal to the capitalists you serve? Bai Pu thought, when he suddenly heard the police chief's introduction.

"This is Wu Chen, secretary to the president of the Superpower Corporation. His other identity is the second son of Mr. Wu Yongxin, chairman of the Superpower Corporation. The fact that he came personally demonstrates the Superpower Corporation's sincerity in resolving this matter."

Bai Pu understood at once. So he was a capitalist himself. That explained it.

Wu Chen gave a cold snort and spoke. "We signed an agreement back then. We expended one vial of precious Evolution Source Blood on experimental subject Bai Pu, seven hundred and fifty milliliters of Hachimga Solution, not to mention other precious supplementary drugs and the costs of expert consultations. And what was the result? The experimental subject disobeyed orders and fled into the Spirit Realm with a highly valuable oddity. That was blatant breach of contract!"

Wu Chen did not mention the second vial of Evolution Source Blood Bai Pu had taken in the Flesh Plague: Origin Plane of the Spirit Realm. Since the incident had occurred in the Spirit Realm, it fell outside the jurisdiction of real-world law, and the Garrison would not accept the case.

"Then what is the Superpower Corporation's demand?"

Wu Chen stared at Bai Pu. "Naturally, that he continue fulfilling the agreement. Bai Pu must return to the Superpower Private Hospital and cooperate with the experiment!"

The moment Wu Chen spoke, Bai Pu recognized his voice.

At the Superpower Private Hospital, just as Bai Pu was about to undergo Spirit Realm Teleportation, it had been Wu Chen roaring and threatening Bai Pu to abandon the trial.

Bai Pu shook his head. "I remember that the agreement I signed was a 'Clinical Medical Agreement,' wasn't it? As a patient testing medication, I entered the Superpower Private Hospital and received free treatment for my congenital heart disease. The Superpower Corporation collected clinical data regarding the medicine. Those were the terms of the agreement."

After a brief pause, Bai Pu continued, "I'm very grateful to the Superpower Private Hospital for curing my heart disease. I have regained my health, and the Superpower Corporation's drug trial succeeded. Isn't that a happy outcome for everyone?

"I don't understand where the breach of contract lies. If you want my data after recovering my health, that's no problem. I can undergo testing at any public hospital and provide the results to you free of charge."

"You took the Evolution Source Blood!" Wu Chen said through gritted teeth, emphasizing every word. "We demand its return!"

"The Evolution Source Blood should have been the 'miracle drug' that cured my heart disease."

Bai Pu spoke calmly. "The Clinical Medical Agreement stated that the entire drug-treatment process was free. I've never heard of removing a miracle drug from a patient's body just because it was too valuable."

Wu Chen's aura faltered. In the end, the issue was that the agreement the corporation had signed with Bai Pu was poorly drafted. It was not an experimental agreement, but a Clinical Medical Agreement!

The agreement stipulated that the hospital would not be responsible if Bai Pu died from adverse reactions. It stipulated that Bai Pu had to cooperate with the injection and fusion of Evolution Source Blood and choose "Yes" when questioned by the Spirit Realm Will. It even stipulated that after Bai Pu's death, his body would be voluntarily donated to the Superpower Private Hospital...

But it never stated what should happen if Bai Pu survived and regained his health! Under normal circumstances, as Bai Pu had said, a patient surviving a drug trial and recovering was cause for celebration. The pharmaceutical company would obtain accurate formula data for the miracle drug and could move on to mass production.

But the problem was that Bai Pu's "miracle drug"—the Evolution Source Blood—was an irreplaceable Spirit Realm Oddity. Mass production was simply impossible.

The Superpower Corporation's original plan had never been to cure Bai Pu. Their plan had been to extract the Origin Blood after the experiment succeeded, freeze Bai Pu, and turn him into the Matriarch used to produce "Origin Blood Blending Agent"!

Bai Pu stared at Wu Chen and delivered his final blow. "Among your accompanying personnel, is there any scholar responsible for this project? Could you tell me the current conditions of the first three Experimental Subjects?"

"This has nothing to do with this case!" Wu Chen said.

"No, it does!" Bai Pu said flatly. "Those three Experimental Subjects were not as compatible with the Origin Blood as I was. Their bodies all mutated during the experiment. As the Origin Blood was extracted, they all died. Your miracle drug, the Evolution Source Blood, carries an extremely high mortality rate. I risked my life by participating in the drug trial. I gambled with my life.

"Now I won that gamble, and the drug trial succeeded. Yet you want to extract the miracle drug again, inflicting irreversible harm upon my body or even killing me... everyone from the Garrison, is that truly fair and reasonable?"

Bai Pu's words were both emotional and logical. None of the Superpower Corporation's people could find any grounds to refute him—Wu Chen did bring up the matter of the Superpower Private Hospital's computers having been hacked in advance, but that matter had never been possible to investigate.

As the debate went on, even several officers from the Garrison responsible for keeping records and maintaining order showed approval of Bai Pu's arguments.

Without Li Ling, no matter how reasonable Bai Pu was, he would not have dared come to Jiangnan Base City to argue his case.

Dignity existed only at the edge of a blade, and truth only within artillery range. No matter how good one was at civil matters, military strength was still needed to support them. Only when one's fist was bigger than the other party's—or at least equally big—did one have the right to reason with them!

Li Ling looked at Bai Pu with approval. Eloquent rhetoric was also an important measure of an Awakened's ability to explore the Spirit Realm.

She had originally prepared to use force to pressure them. Now, it seemed there was no need to make that call.

In the end, the Jiangnan Garrison ruled that the filing against Bai Pu would be revoked. The Superpower Corporation's accusation that Bai Pu had "stolen a Spirit Realm Oddity of immense value" was unfounded!