If Dead, His Corpse Must Be Found
The temporary hospital where Zhang Xuezhou was stationed was constructed on-site, and an elite medical team of twelve people was on standby for any calls.
Having taken control of the Jishi Medical Group, they have indeed pushed the limits of conventional medical conditions.
There is not just one temporary hospital in this area, but two.
The rockets struck the edge of the crater, where a makeshift hospital was also located.
Besides quickly constructing a hospital using local building materials and excavating below the explosion crater, other areas remained largely untouched, and most important related sites were well preserved.
Zhang Xuezhou could even see where everyone had been before.
These locations were protected like crime scenes, and traces of evidence were marked to ensure that Zhang Xuezhou could clearly identify who was where at the time.
"Not only were traces preserved here, but also at locations related to the arrest of Hu Jiaquan and others!"
Upon seeing that Zhang Xuezhou was the first to notice where everyone had been, Zhang Manqian quickly added to the information.
"Is Hu Jiaquan still alive?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.
"They're dead," Zhang Manqian shook her head. "After Hu Jiaquan, Zhu Youpeng, and the others were captured, they underwent very harsh interrogations, but they didn't seem to care about the pain and endured it for several days. Around the time An Ran regained consciousness, these people suddenly went mad. Their bodies were drained of blood and flesh in a very short time, turning them into a vine, leaving only a few teeth and bone fragments!"
"Where are the vines?" Zhang Xuezhou pressed.
"The vines have withered," Ren Anran interjected. "How should Huang Daoxian have taken back these people's abilities?"
"Their deaths were different from Zhao Changqing's at Wangnan Lake. At least Zhao Changqing left behind a body, but they didn't even leave behind a body," Zhang Manqian said.
"Zhao Changqing of Wangnan Lake... did he die with blood flowing from all seven orifices?"
"You could have guessed that?"
Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a moment before asking, which prompted Zhang Manqian to nod repeatedly.
"But Zhao Changqing has a hole in his head, as if something crawled out of his head," Zhang Manqian added.
"A series of defeats!"
Zhang Xuezhou murmured something.
The situation after Hu Jiaquan and others died is not the point. It is also normal for Zhao Changqing to die after his powerful influence was broken and he suffered a backlash. Once one link is lost, the whole chain will lose.
While Zhang Xuezhou and the others were being completely bewildered, Huang Daoxian's situation was no different.
Clearly, the moment Huang Daoxian's battle collapsed, his opponent was plunged into a series of defeats and had no choice but to resort to the most decisive means to reclaim everything that belonged to him.
Numerous thoughts kept swirling in Zhang Xuezhou's mind, constantly pulling him back to reality.
"What does Huang Daoxian need to do if he wants to turn the tide?"
Looking at the pit that was more than three zhang deep, even though Zhang Xuezhou was certain that the bronze tortoise would not disappear, he knew very well that he would not be able to find it anytime soon.
This is a crucial item for inducing Huang Daoxian; even if it has been used through some means, the bronze tortoise remains extremely important.
Having determined that it would be difficult to use the bronze tortoise to set a trap, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but try to predict Huang Daoxian's next move.
The situation in Luo'an Province is not the point, nor is the death of Hu Jiaquan and others. The real point is how Huang Daoxian can turn the tide and win.
Only by understanding what Huang Daoxian is doing can one avoid being misled by the various chaotic situations in the outside world.
"No matter how he uses others as pawns, Huang Daoxian is still the one who lost the battle of destiny. He will inevitably suffer the effects of the battle. Therefore, his primary task should be to restore his luck or dispel the negative impact of the defeat in destiny."
Zhang Xuezhou had never lost a battle, but he had witnessed the fate of those who lost.
Whether it was Emperor Jing, the Empress Dowager, or the Prince of Liang, these people all died swiftly and decisively after their defeat.
Huang Daoxian was not the losing side in the battle, but the power of the battle originated from Huang Daoxian. If Huang Daoxian were to reclaim the power of the Nine-Petal Flower, the opponent would have no choice but to suffer calamity.
Zhao Changqing's ability to summon wind and rain was taken away, and the power of Hu Jiaquan and others was most likely recovered through a swift severance. The Nine-Petal Flower's power was likely recovered in the same way.
If Huang Daoxian hadn't taken back the Nine-Petal Flower's power, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't be experiencing this anxiety.
"Hey, Zuo Teng, how's your dad doing?"
Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a moment, but he couldn't find a clue.
But he soon began to trace the origins of another similarly defeated operative.
Ba'ergu, who was engaged in a combat battle with Zhang Xuezhou, was defeated by Zhang Xuezhou as if he were a target, which also brought Zuo Quan, who was hiding in Ba'ergu, back to his senses.
Zhang Xuezhou took the communicator and quickly dialed Zuo Teng's number, sending out an extremely eager inquiry.
"My father... my father passed away three days ago!"
The hoarse voice of Zuo Teng came through the communicator, which surprised Zhang Xuezhou.
However, as long as he thought about Zuo Quan's body, which had been ravaged by Ba'er Gu, he could accept Zuo Quan's death to a certain extent.
"Please accept my condolences," Zhang Xuezhou had to say, offering his words of comfort.
"My dad said you're a capable person, and told me never to get into a conflict with you!"
On the communicator, Zuo Teng's hoarse voice remained silent for three seconds before proceeding with normal communication.
"I thank your father for his concern for me," Zhang Xuezhou replied in a deep voice. "Our cooperation has always been good. You know I have serious health problems, and I don't like to get into conflicts with people!"
"Yes!"
What else did your dad say?
He told me that the world is vast, and I shouldn't limit my vision to Western Capital City, nor should I believe that there are any invincible Aristocratic Clan. Everything we have can be gained, and it can also be easily destroyed!
"That's absolutely right!"
Zhang Xuezhou nodded repeatedly.
Perhaps affected by the defeat in the battle against Ba'ergu, Zuo Quan's rescue was not smooth.
After surviving for several more days, Zuo Quan left a series of last words for Zuo Teng.
These last words involved Zhang Xuezhou, as well as Zuo Teng, Zuo Denggao, and others.
"How can we completely kill those plants?" Zuo Teng asked through gritted teeth over the communicator.
"I don't know," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said, "I have no clue right now, and I can't find the herb that controls these plants at all!"
"Huang Daoxian... My father said that Huang Daoxian has been searching for the last emperor, Luo Zhong. Huang Daoxian's requirements are to see him alive or dead. Is this any use?"
As if reminded by Zhang Xuezhou's mention of the name 'Huang Daoxian,' Zuo Teng also recounted Zuo Jin's last words to Huang Daoxian.
"I want to see him alive, or I want to see his body."
Zhang Xuezhou asked in doubt.
He glanced at Ning Que, who looked sickly, and suddenly remembered Luo Zhong's head that he had once obtained.
Luo Zhong's life was unfortunate. After his body was dismembered, it was sealed in a laboratory by the Luo family for decades. But perhaps this was also Luo Zhong Luo Zhong's good fortune, as it prevented his head from falling into Huang Daoxian's hands.
What they had almost forgotten was also what Huang Daoxian had been searching for but could not find.
Just as they could not find Huang Daoxian's true form, Huang Daoxian also had difficulty finding Zhang Xuezhou's true form. Luo Zhong, who was quite lucky, also caused Huang Daoxian to suffer repeated setbacks, and the most important part, his head, was never found.
After failing to find the bronze tortoise, Zhang Xuezhou finally found another item that Huang Daoxian might urgently need.